Phones are back on ... for a little while anyway ...

We've had a loooong string of thunderstorms booming through here since last night. Power is off in various neighborhoods all over the place. At work, the phone has been down until now so I am hastening to post this notice.

Hopefully, they'll stay up and I can get a few things stirring around here!

What do you say to someone whose salt has lost it's savor?

I had been doing a fair amount of musing about being the salt of the earth, lukewarmness, and making sure that my "yes" really means "yes" which came up in the readings the other day.

Not to mention, mulling over that whole idea about how to quickly get to the essence of an explanation of my faith.

I did not do a very good job the other day when I was asked, "What the heck is Pentecost?" by a blog reader who isn't Christian and had seen it mentioned repeatedly here as of late. Some of that, admittedly was due to the fact that the idea of God's spirit "coming upon" someone doesn't make any sense to someone who doesn't believe in God in the first place. At any rate, moving on ...

Lo and behold, I wound up hearing a tale from a friend yesterday which exemplified the reason we always need to be prepared. My friend was in a conversation with an old pal that suddenly morphed beyond a casual chat into a serious discussion of Old Pal's falling away from Catholicism into a view of God as "watchmaker" and a sincere admiration of nihilism.

At one point it dawned upon my friend that Old Pal is using the Church purely as a social club. Old Pal still attends Mass regularly, is a lector and ...

Friend: Do you still take communion?

Old Pal: Sure.

Friend: Even though you don't believe it is the real presence of Jesus?

Old Pal: Yep.

Friend: That's an insult to me and every Catholic who believes in the real presence!

I was in awe of my friend. This person is soft spoken and, although perfectly willing to answer questions, does not go around parading faith other than living it. My friend says it was an instinctive reaction, especially as there was a true effort made from the beginning to avoid confrontation about religion. That instinctive reaction is one that I probably would have quailed at expressing so forcefully. Would that I have such a definite, instinctive expression of my faith when someone else shows complete disrespect.

But wait, it gets more interesting. The conversation continued and soon was running along these lines.

Friend: If you don't believe what the Church believes then go find a church where you can believe.

Old Pal: There's no point. No church has the whole truth. Every single one is wrong about something.

Friend: I believe everything that the Catholic Church teaches is true.

[pause]

Old Pal: Even the social teachings?

Friend: Yes. Everything. I believe all the teachings are true.

[pause ... which grows into silence]

These are simple truths but which among us ever states them to anyone so simply?

Notice the fact that these are put forward as statements, not as attacks.

A mutual friend of these two had come upon them in conversation about halfway through and silently listened. This newcomer was Catholic but became theist in her beliefs and left the Church. Newcomer later went up to my friend and murmured that Old Pal was wrong ... that if you don't believe then you should leave. Which, as we all should know, is exactly what St. Thomas Aquinas said also.

Not only did my friend love Old Pal enough to tell the truth, but Newcomer got a full dose of an authentic Catholic witness as well.

It is fairly obvious that my friend's old pal is in serious denial and also not thinking clearly by practically any definition. I pray for Old Pal.

Once again, I think about the questions I was turning over about being the salt of the earth.

Are we really living our faith? Offering a witness that flows from real love and relationship with God? Jesus did it through personal witness. The first Christians followed his example. They couldn't even vote but they showed their true love with their unflinching actions in daily life. They changed the world.

My friend has this quality. I hope that I do too, that we all do.

=================

Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one.

Matt. 5:37

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Always be prepared to give an explanation to he who asks for a reason for your hope, yet do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame.

Peter 3:15-17

=================

The only honest reason to be a Christian is because you believe in Christ's claim to be God incarnate. The only honest reason to be a Catholic is because you believe the Church's claim to be the divinely authorized Body of this Christ.

Peter Kreeft, Catholic Christianity

Welcome home, Father Jeffrey Steele and family!

What I became aware of was that it was almost impossible to say 'the Church teaching is' within the Anglican church because there are so many various opinions on matters of sacraments, liturgy, morality, scripture etc. What I did not want to experience anymore was proclaiming the teaching of the Church only to end up defending myself rather than the Anglican church defending me. This has become an ever-increasing impossibility that is no secret to the entire Anglican world. My preaching would always be seen as a matter of personal opinion rather than having the authority of the Magisterium that backs up what I teach publicly. Of course there is dissent in the Catholic Church but it is always that, dissent towards what Mother Church proclaims as authoritatively true. It is the truth of Mother Church that I embrace as my own deep personal faith.

A wonderful post by Anglican priest Jeffrey Steele who is converting to Roman Catholicism with his wife and their six children. I've been reading about this at Father Dwight Longenecker's blog, who is full of fellow feeling as he, too, converted from Anglicanism.

Do go and bid the Steeles welcome home and pray for their smooth passage to the Church. Grab hold and keep on swimmin' Steeles ... we're cheering alongside of you!

What I mean is, sometimes crossing the Tiber looks like an easier swim than it really is. I told my Catholic bishop that I sometimes feel like the Tiber has stretched as wide as the Atlantic and I've been cast into the middle and told to swim. He said, 'yes, Jeffrey but there are devices out there to keep you above water, grab onto them and do not fear.'

Have you been to the mountaintop? And can anyone tell?

Last week in scripture study, our priest pointed out that whenever Jesus is proclaiming the kingdom, Matthew has him on a mountain or on the plains at the bottom of a mountain. Part of this is Matthew pointing out to his Jewish audience that Moses prefigured Jesus. However, part of it is a greater symbolic message to all of us. God is on the mountain (where Moses met Him). Jesus descends to meet us and we must ascend to meet Him. Now whether Jesus has to come all the way to the plains to help us along ... well, what goes to the confessional, stays in the confessional, right?

I was thinking about this when I read the commentary this morning on today's Mass readings where Jesus says we are the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13). Then, disturbingly, he goes on to talk about salt that has lost its savor. I will let the commentary take it from there:

The first Christians were true salt of the earth, and they preserved people and institutions -- the whole of society -- from corruption. What can it be that has happened in so many nations? Why is it that Christians should now be giving the sad impression that they are unable to slow down and halt that wave of corruption that is bursting in on the family, no schools and on institutions ...? The Faith is still the same. And Christ lives among us now just as He did previously. His power is still infinite -- divine. Only the lukewarmness of so many thousands, indeed millions, of Christians, explains how we can offer to the world the spectacle of a Christianity that allows all kinds of heresies and stupidities to be propounded within itself. Lukewarmness destroys the strength and endurance of the Faith, and is the soulmate, in both a personal and a collective way, of compromise and of a spirit of comfort-seeking. (P. Rodriguez, Faith and Life of faith) It is difficult to explain many of the things that happen nowadays at a personal and at a public level, if we do not bear in mind that so many people should be awake, watchful and attentive have allowed their Faith to fall asleep; love has been snuffed out in so very many hearts. In many spheres, the "normal Christian" now generally means someone who is lukewarm and mediocre. Among the first Christians the "normal Christian" meant one who lived the heroism of each day, and when the occasion presented itself, accepted martyrdom itself: it could and did mean very often the surrender of one's very life in defense of the Faith. ...

Let us fervently ask God for the strength to react. We will be the true salt of the earth if we keep up our daily conversation with God and if we go with ever-greater faith and love to receive the Holy Eucharist. Love was, and is, the moving force in the life of the saints. It is the whole raison d'etre [reason for being] of every life dedicated to God. Love gives us wings with which to soar over any personal barriers to our advance, or any obstacles presented to us by our surroundings. Love makes us unyielding when confronted by setbacks. Lukewarmness gives up at the slightest difficulty (a letter we should write, a telephone call we should make, a visit, a conversation, the lack of some material means ...). It makes mountains out of molehills. Love for God, on the other hand, makes a molehill out of a mountain; it transforms the soul, gives it new lights and opens up new horizons for it; it makes the soul capable of achieving its highest desires and gives it capacities it had never as much as dreamed of possessing. Love does not make a fuss about the effort involved, and fills the soul with happiness as it surveys the results of its efforts.

In Conversation with God
Daily Meditations Volume Three: Ordinary Time: Weeks 1-12
by Francis Fernandez

Are we really living our faith? Offering a witness that flows from real love and relationship with God? Jesus did it through personal witness. The first Christians followed his example. They couldn't even vote but they showed their true love with their unflinching actions in daily life. They changed the world.

I pray that I, that we, all may be doing the same.

How do you introduce Christ to a room full of people?

I laughed, I cried ... and I said, "Amen!"

I also wish I had been in that room full of people.

Found via New Advent, at Patrick Madrid's blog.

Thank you.

Gratitude is inextricably tied up with the virtue of humility. Gratitude shows that we’re paying attention to the acts of service people perform for us and that we truly understand how those acts make our life better, easier, and happier. The ungrateful man is callous; he’s come to think that all the good things that happen to him and all the service rendered him are an automatic response to his impeachable awesomeness. He deserves all that stuff and more. Thus, he never takes notice of the good things that happen to him. And he’s never really happy with what he has. He deserves only the best in life, and concentrates solely on the ways in which this ideal hasn’t been met.

The grateful man is a humble man. He has no illusions of his grandeur. He knows that bad things happen to good people. He knows how easily a rally can turn into a slump. He knows how much worse off many others are than he is. He understands the sacrifices others make on his behalf. And he deeply, deeply appreciates them.

The Art of Manliness is a blog that I highly recommend and it is not simply for men, although some features really are just going to be of interest to guys. They are not shy about tackling subjects that every person needs to know such as how to reconnect with old friends or starting a journal.

Right now they are running a 30 day series entitled, "30 Days to a Better Man" and day 5 was Cultivate Your Gratitude.

Reading approvingly through the post, I was struck by the idea that I am long overdue in saying, "thank you" to you, my friends who come and visit.

I have gotten many hours of enjoyment from not only writing posts and discussions in the comments boxes, but also in considering subjects and thinking over how best to talk about them. As well, let's not forget about the spirited conversations about movies, television and books. It has made me into a better writer, a more charitable person (at least a tad, I hope!), and a more thoughtful, grateful Catholic. I could still put the blog out there and enjoy it, but if no one came ... well, it wouldn't be the party that it is for me.

I could still be much more humble but I'm working on it. But I am always thankful and I wanted to let you know.

In appreciation, let's take another look at Validation because I am not sure you know how great you are!

D-Day or Operation Overlord: May God Be On Our Side

From Neatorama comes the link for this: "From the archives of Life magazine comes a collection of magnificent photos associated with D-Day, some showing soldiers in a lighter moment, others the chaos of battle."

Many of the most iconic and riveting photos of D-Day were taken by Robert Capa, born Endre Emo Friedmann, a Hungarian who is considered one of finest war photojournalists who ever lived. "If your picture isn't good enough, you're not close enough," he said.

See them all here at Time Life.

This 'N' That

All About Eve
There is a reason this was nominated for 14 Academy Awards: fantastic acting, witty and knowing dialogue, and insight into human nature. Margo Channing, an aging toast of the theatrical world (Bette Davis) struggles with the idea that Eve Harrington, a young fan (Anne Baxter), is trying to take her place as an actress ... and more. Eve is nothing but respectful and making herself of service to the actress she worships. The question becomes whether Margo is paranoid ... or not. Brilliant. Hadn't seen this for many, many years until Rose requested it for her birthday. She, Tom, and I delighted especially in Bette Davis' and George Sanders' acting. I also loved the clothing, which did snag an Oscar. A classic that is worth viewing or revisiting.

Boxer news
It is amazing to me that in a short week the two new Boxers have settled into routine that is livable for the rest of us. Having both Zoe and Wash learn to use the dog door so quickly was very helpful in that regard, as you may imagine.

Baby Bobbi Bear
Knitted another for a dear friend who is having her first baby soon. My question is why I followed the pattern faithfully again but this bear is not quite the same as the previous bear? I won't say why because I might run into some pals at the shower who read the blog, but this is frustrating. Oh well, it was made with love and that, hopefully, will make the recipient overlook any deficiencies!

Mad Men
Began watching the first season, which my dear sis gave Tom and me for a joint birthday gift. Only have seen the first episode. However, as you can imagine, we've been eagerly looking forward to getting our hands on this since we're all about advertising and it is from advertising's heyday. Also, I've been reading everyone's rave reviews. So far, sooooo good!

Book-ishly
A few tidbits about my latest reading:

• Amateur Gourmet: A fine little, light-hearted introduction to the world of cooking and helping people not fear the kitchen.
  
  
• King of the Holly Hop by Les Roberts: Good enough for what it is, hard boiled detective story. However, not as good as some of his others. The detective goes to his high school reunion, murder ensues, and he is hired to find the real killer keep a former classmate from being arrested. Too much time is spent going over and over the revelations that the high school friends aren't the great folks that he remembered from his youth. As if this is news. Or maybe it is just that I'm not crazy about either high school or reunions thereof.
  
  
• No Price Too High by Alex Jones: Interesting story of how digging back into Church history and how the first Christians prayed led a Pentecostal preacher, his wife, and 55 others to the Catholic Church. So far, about halfway through, the part I find most fascinating is the recounting of how Jones is pulling together the historical and scriptural to gain understanding of what the early Church was truly like ... as opposed to how his Pentecostal brethren practice their faith.
  
  
• Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi: What do you do if you are an alien race who wants to open friendly relations with humans but knows from watching television and movies that we are likely to see them as "bad aliens" due to outward appearances? If you are as steeped in pop culture as these aliens are, then it is obvious. Hire a Hollywood agent! John Scalzi takes us on a light-hearted romp that also is a keen look at pop culture and how it shapes our lives, as well as making excellent observations about human nature in general. I loved this book. (Scalzi's Old Man's War is on the stack, getting ready to be read.)
  
  
• Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies by John Scalzi: After I found out that the author of the highly enjoyable Agent to the Stars also writes nonfiction, I became interested in this book. In a nice bit of synchronicity, Rose gave it to me for my birthday without being aware of my newfound interest. Meant to be read, wouldn't you say? So far it is entertaining, informative, and enjoyable as billed in the synopsis:

  The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies is a comprehensive guide to the 'final frontier' of film. It explores our fascination with space exploration, time travel, fantastical worlds and alternative futures. This guide explains how everything from the philosophy of Plato to classic Victorian tales and cult comic books have helped to create one of cinema's most engaging genres. Discover the classics from Mexico, Russia and Japan, not forgetting the Anime science fiction tradition, along with everything else you need to know from Metropolis to Star Wars, via Blade Runner, 2001 and Alien. The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies is your essential guide to a galaxy of film unbounded by time or space.

Catholic New Media Conference in San Antone

I forgot to mention this but Tom and I are signed up for the ultimate geekfest ... the Catholic New Media Conference. (Please note that I use "geek" in the most positive of ways. After all, we're going, right? Around our house "geek" is a good thing.)

Anyway, never having gone to a con of any sort (not Star Trek, not Star Wars, not even ... Galaxy Quest), we're looking forward to this. Not only the Riverwalk and the Alamo (which I LOVE) but many Catholic bloggers and podcasters and videocasters. Also there will be Chris Cash from The Catholic Company where I get many fine review books and who I have actually spoken with on the phone! (Told ya I was a geek ... look at how I get my thrills ... and then boast about it!).

I think they still have room but I wanted to be sure that I got my spot, especially since they're in my neck of the woods this year. Can't wait to meet everyone!

Truly, he has a dizzying intellect.

As one of those "undereducated people" to which John C. Wright's commenter keeps referring in her Ulysses/James Joyce rant, I was pleased to be able to pick right up on this allusion in his response (and it made me giggle).

If your argument is that I do not understand ULYSSES because I lack education, all I can say is that you have made one of the two classic blunders. The first is never get involved in a land war in Asia. The second, only slightly less well known, is not to challenge the education of someone who graduated with honors from Mortimer Alder's "Great Books" program when death is on the line. I do not mind allusions in writer. I use them myself frequently. Some of them are obscure, or come from movies or comic books, as well as from classical literature. ...

For those tragically undereducated who have never seen The Princess Bride, here is the Cliff Notes version.

Answer This in 40 Seconds: "I'd be interested to know: why are you a Christian?"

Jen at Conversion Diary asks:

OK, Christian readers. Here's a scenario for you:

You and a young man, perhaps in his early 20's, step into an elevator at the same time. You're both going to the tenth floor. He notices something that indicates that you're a Christian (maybe you're wearing a cross necklace, or he saw a bumper sticker for your church on your car outside, etc.)

"I don't believe in God or anything like that, but you seem like a reasonable enough person," he says as the doors close. "I'd be interested to know: why are you a Christian?"

You have about 40 seconds to answer. What do you say?

I can answer in about four seconds.

Because now I am happy. Really, truly happy. No matter if circumstances are good or bad, there is an underlying peace and joy. Because I found Jesus Christ.

In this, I am like Herman Cohen who I first heard about through one of my favorite theologians, Father Raniero Cantalamessa.

I was reading recently the story of the famous convert of the 19th century, Hermann Cohen, a brilliant musician, idolized as a the young prodigy of his time in the salons of central Europe: a kind of modern version of the young Francis.

After his conversion he wrote to a friend: "I looked for happiness everywhere: in the elegant life of the salons, in the deafening noise of balls and parties, in accumulating money, in the excitement of gambling, in artistic glory, in friendship with famous people, in the pleasures of the senses. Now I have found happiness, I have an overflowing heart and I want to share it with you. ... You say, 'But I don't believe in Jesus Christ.' I say to you, 'Neither did I and that is why I was unhappy.'"

Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa

Its All Downhill From Here

Our choice for demotivational poster of the week from Despair.com.

2009 Catholic Media Awards

I see that voting has begun. Both Happy Catholic and Forgotten Classics (where we are reading Uncle Tom's Cabin) have been nominated in several categories ... and I deeply thank those who honored me by doing so. I think that the wild card category of People's Choice definitely works for Forgotten Classics, especially in the Catholic context.

You have to register in order to vote, may vote only once, and voting goes through June.

They previously had mentioned having a two-part voting process this time to allow discovery of new blogs and then to whittle down the voluminous nominations before final votes. This is how many of the blogging awards are set up. However, the FAQ doesn’t mention that for these awards. Pity. They used to be a lot more fun in the good ol' days of five (or so) nominees per category. Ah well, times change ...

At any rate, you certainly can find a lot of interesting looking blogs by looking through the nominations. So go take a look and, of course, vote if the urge comes over you.

Simple Chorizo

Now being dished out at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen.

Thinking About the Murder of George Tiller

I tend to avoid the regular news most of the time and have been trying to stay off the computer more on the weekends (not to mention the Lost Weekend that was devoted almost totally to Boxers this weekend). Therefore it was just this morning I discovered that a gunman murdered abortionist Dr. George Tiller in his church Sunday.

I pondered it as I walked Zoe this morning, delighting in the fact that someone spent time giving her obedience training. She heeled, she sat when I stopped, she obeyed the "down" hand signal. As I made these discoveries, my mind continually returned to the tragic choice of occupation made by Dr. Tiller. I call it tragic not because he was killed, but because he himself killed habitually for a living. I pondered also the tragic choice made by the gunman to cut short a soul's journey, to take from Dr. Tiller his free will and opportunity to redeem himself by discovering his mistakes and become a defender of life, as others have done. I thought of the fact that Christ loves both these souls, no matter how heinous their actions. I wondered how they went so terribly astray. I wondered what little temptations and rationalizations, one after another, led to such extreme choices in the end.

I returned home to see that God was using my thoughts to prepare me to read today's In Conversation with God. It is by keeping Christ as the cornerstone of our lives that we help keep from grievous error such as that on display by Dr. Tiller and his murderer. I share some key passages below.

Error is often presented decked out in the noble garments of art, science or freedom ... But faith has to be, indeed is, stronger than error. It is the powerful light that enables us to see, lurking behind what appers to be good, the evil that lies hidden beneath the surface of an otherwise good literary work, of a beauty that conceals ugliness. It is Christ who must be the cornerstone of every building.

Let us ask Our Lord for his grace so that we may live in a way totally compatible and utterly coherent with our Christian faith. In this way we will never think of our faith as a limiting factor -- I can't do this, I can't go there. Rather it will be a light that enables us to recognize the reality of things and events, without ever forgetting that the devil will try to make an ally of human ignorance. (which cannot see the complete reality contained in this literary work or in that doctrine) and of the pride and concupiscence that all of us drag along behind us. Christ is the crucible that assays the gold there is in all human beings Anything that does not stand up to the testing clarity of his teaching is a lie and deceptive, even though it may be adorned with the appearance of some attractive good or perfection.

[...]

A Christian, who will have built his life upon the cornerstone who is Christ, has his own personality, his own way of seeing the world and its happenings. He has a scale of values very different from that of the pagan, who does not live by faith and who has a purely worldly conception of things. A weak and lukewarm Christian faith, however, which exerts very little influence on ordinary life, can provoke in some people that kind of inferiority complex which manifests itself in an immoderate desire to "humanize" Christianity, to "popularize" the Church, to make it somehow seem to conform to the value-judgments prevalent in the world at a given time (J. Orlandis).

That is why, as well as being immersed in our secular activities, as Christians we need to be immersed in God, through prayer, the sacraments and the sanctification of our daily work. We need to be faithful disciples of Jesus in the middle of the world, in our ordinary everyday life, with all the constant effort and hard decisions this entails. In this way we will be able to put into practice the advice Saint Paul gave to the first Christians in Rome when he alerted them to the risks of accommodating themselves to the pagan customs of the day: Do not be conformed to this world (Rom 12:2). Sometimes this refusal to conform will lead us to row against the current and run the risk of being misunderstood by many of our contemporaries. The Christian must not forget that he is leaven (Matt 13:33) hidden in the lump of dough that has to be fermented by him...

Jesus of Nazareth continues to be the cornerstone of every man's life. Any building constructed without Christ is raised in vain. Let us think as we finish our prayer, whether the Faith we profess is coming to bear more and more influence on our existence, on the way we view the world and mankind, and on the way we behave.

In Conversation With God Vol 3

I pray for the soul of Dr. Tiller, for the soul of his murderer, and for myself and all of us, that we may immerse ourselves in God, keep our eyes on Truth, and follow His will.

Hurricane Lexy Zoe Has Landed

Oh me, oh my!

A 10-month-old Boxer (Zoe, formerly known as Lexy, who we must still call that until we get her somewhat used to the household) who has a limitless supply of energy being dropped into a household with a 10-year-old reclusive Lab/Dane mix (Pepper) and a 9-week-old Boxer (Wash) is ... well ... exciting to say the least.

The two youngest like to play but Lexy/Zoe overpowers the baby to the point where he is constantly seeking out shelter (under couches, under chairs, between peoples' leg) from the relentless onslaught of fun, Fun, FUN!

The venerable oldster had retreated semi-permanently to his bed in our bedroom to escape Wash. However, when Zoe/Lexy showed up we were delighted to see that he, surprisingly, was interested. All of us have experienced a bit of disorientation when he and she come running into a room as our brains automatically reference the previous pair of Daffy and Pepper and then must shake free to adjust to Lexy/Zoe and Pepper ... and their shadow, Wash. Clearly, Pepper feels that Boxer familiarity also. He was interested enough to follow her outdoors and then to assume his post on "Pride Rock" (also known as the top step into our sunken living room) to keep an eye on proceedings. They occasionally do a sniff-down, "nice to meet you" ritual. Biggest of all, Pepper actually has growled and bared his teeth at Lexy/Zoe when he had a bone and she tried to take it. Perpetually gentle and allowing himself to be bullied by any dog but Daffy, his self assertion was cheered and praised by the family ... and he is accepted by all as king of the pack.

She is a really sweet dog, with good manners (and house trained!) except for the occasional lapse of following someone up onto the furniture in a fit of enthusiasm. At which reprimands, she often just proceeds over the back of the couch onto the other side.

It is like a three-ring-circus but we can already see her quieting down occasionally. If we all live through this huge wind of energy she is injecting until she adjusts to everything, this is going to be tons of fun for everyone in the household. Already we have been laughing our heads off most of the time.

The Other New Member of the Happy Catholic Household

Also joining us will be a 10-month-old female whose family travels so much they gave her up for adoption.

Rose and I will be going to pick her up today for her 5-day trial period, meaning that the check won't be cashed until after that time. She sounds like a dream dog ... still puppyish but house trained (woohoo!)

There was quite a lot of conversation last night about names. In the end, the only set of names we could agree on was either Buster and Lucille (from Arrested Development) or Zoe and Wash (from Firefly).

The winners: Zoe and Wash.

Although calling the puppy Wash does seem rather odd right now.

However, Zoe and Wash do both typify our family's personality (TV-wise) especially since Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog didn't have any memorably named characters that we wanted to be caught shouting in public after our dogs. Not that we're Joss-Whedon-centric or anything. Ahem.

As well, Zoe and Wash's personalities fit the Boxer personality best. Although all this is after-the-moment rationalization. But you knew that already. Right?

The Vendor Client relationship - in real world situations

This is just like some of our clients ... sad but true.

The Newest Member of the Happy Catholic Household

9 weeks old, he is known currently as Boxer Boy since we are trying to decide on a name. As we plan on soon acquiring a worthy playmate in the form of a Boxer Girl, we are looking at names that work well in pairs.

So far here's what we've come up with. These names reflect either Boxer personality traits or our family funny bone. We're waiting for Rose to get home to see if she has anything to add. If y'all have any ideas, just speak up!

• Bonnie and Clyde
• Fred and Ginger
• Ruff and Tumble
• Gomez and Morticia
• Bogie and Bacall
• Mickey and Minnie
• Kang and Kodos
• Tarzan and Jane
• Boris and Natasha
  

2009 Cannonball Awards ...

... are now official!

Even if you don't care about these anti-awards, go read Carolina Cannonball's comments on each category. If you aren't laughing by the time you get through, then you need St. Phillip Neri's intercession to tune up your funny bone.