The first steampunk on TV ... of course, Wild Wild West!

I don't know why this never occurred to me before, but when Amy H. Sturgis discussed steampunk and Wild, Wild West in her fact article on StarShipSofa podcast (it is the first thing up, by the way, in case that is all you might care to hear) I was thunderstruck.

Because to anyone who loved that show the way I did, it is obvious once it is pointed out. (Robert Conrad's physical perfection, which Amy acknowledges, is largely what drew me to the show, but I stayed for the clever plots and steampunk-ish elements ... though we didn't have a name for them at the time.) When I mentioned it to Tom, he instantly got it too.

Which is what led to the fact that I just got the notice from the library that my request for the complete first season dvd set is ready to pick up. I am really curious to see how this stands up ... or if my love for the show will blind me to imperfections.

So Haloscan is being replaced ...

... and I'm thinking I'll just switch over to Blogger comments.

I know I'll lose the old Haloscan comments but I can live with that.

Any ... ahem ... comments on that?

Books for Beginners on the Catholic Basics

Note: I have added "beginners to the header for this. As a reader pointed out, Peter Kreeft's Catholic Christianity is a great book on the basics. However, I wouldn't throw it at anyone who is tentative about Catholicism. It is as intimidating as the Catechism in sheer size alone, although not in tone. It does belong on a list of solid basic books that would include the Catechism thought.

Like many other dioceses around the country, Dallas is also promoting the Catholis Come Home idea. I like it. Our parish has a group, headed by our stalwart Deacon Ken, who are working hard to have a series of witnesses and talks during January for those who have questions or problems they are working through in coming back to the Church.

One question that has arisen is what would be good book recommendations to give?

Well, I'm not working on the campaign (being overextended everywhere in my life right now), but that never stopped me from giving my opinion about good basic reading about Catholicism. So I'm sharing with y'all a few trustworthy books that I recommend which are not as intimidating to newbies (or even old timers, sometimes) as the Catechism.

BOOKS ON THE BASICS

• Pocket Guides
  I can highly recommend the Pocket Guide to Confession and also the Pocket Guide to the Mass. In fact, I take the Confession guide out for a spin when preparing for that sacrament and then it comes with me to the church.These are $6.95 each so again this is a fairly inexpensive resource. Our Sunday Visitor has these.
  
• The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Catholic Catechism
  my review here


• Catholicism for Dummies
  I haven't reviewed this but looking through my archives it turns out that I have used it extensively. You can check out some posts that feature quotes from the book.


• The How-To Book of Catholic Devotions
  I haven't reviewed this either but it is by Mike Aquilina and that is enough. He's entirely reliable. Also I read it and kept it. I don't have book room to waste on something I don't trust.


• Why Do Catholics Do That?
  I can't believe I haven't done a review of this book because it is one that I actually keep extra copies of so I can give it to people who have questions. I will put the Amazon review here as it already says what I think:

  Why Do Catholics Do That? by Kevin Orlin Johnson assumes nothing and tells all. As such, it's not only an ideal catechism companion but also a source of infinite wisdom for students of art history, politics, literature, philosophy, and pretty much any other subject connected with Catholic history. In a voice refreshingly free of condescension (and full of humor, witnessed in chapter titles such as "Saints: How You Get To Be One"), Johnson defines and expatiates upon hundreds of topics, including the Mass, the rosary, the cross, the eucharist, and the pope. Why Do Catholics Do That? is destined for the all-time top 20 list of indispensable desk references. Whether your interest in Catholicism is devoutly religious or defiantly secular, you'll be glad Kevin Orlin Johnson has fulfilled his vocation so faithfully. --Michael Joseph Gross

• Compendium to the Catechism
  Hopefully a lot of people know this one. A greatly simplified version of the catechism that does not look as intimidating and has the scoop ... but which may lead those who are afraid of the Catechism into investigating further as well.

UNUSUAL BOOKS THERE MIGHT BE NEED OF
Ok, these are not orthodox BUT it occurs to me that these would be very handy in case a Catholic who wants to come home is grappling with issues with a Protestant spouse. Links go to my reviews.

• The Lure of Saints - about why venerating saints is ok


• The Rosary: A Journey to the Beloved --- obviously, about the rosary and why Protestants should take up this form of prayer

I do NOT advise Sweeney's book about Mary (Lure of the Saints author) as it has a couple of chapters where he gets kinda wonky.

What We Do ... At Work

Here is a site we just finished for a local musician. He is a highly talented violinist whose cds we enjoy at home, often during dinner, believe it or not. A talented designer we know did the concept work and we brought it to life via code.

And, for those who want to see more, here is our business web site.

Sometimes I get well intended emails from folks wanting to send some business our way. Thing is, because we work in graphics, they have the impression that we are actually printers.

We actually do graphic design and layout. If one can apply the term layout to web sites, which I don't know why not. As well, we do design and layout for jobs going to an actual printer ... ads, catalogs, books, and the like. Hopefully, you can tell that from the site ... or we're not doing our job very well.

The Man Who Invented Christmas

In a literary sense and a more surprising way, you may find ... is featured in some lagniappe over at Forgotten Classics.

For more Christmas listening, of a wordy sort, you may want to check out my Huffduffer feed (RSS, iTunes) where I'm posting podcasts that are talking about Christmas traditions, history, stories, and things that may help you this year (such as tips on holiday party small talk).

Finally, an audio version of A Christmas Carol that Tom would love ... read by Tim Curry

That pretty much says it all. It is being offered free by Audible right now and you must have an Audible account. But it is free.

Read more about it here.

Get it from Audible here.

The Top 50 Movies of the 2000's

Scott Nehring at Good News Film Reviews is blogging again (WOOHOO!). He steals a march on those end of year countdowns with his end-of-decade countdown of the top 50 movies.

Scott and I have a continual disagreement over various movies yet I am one of his biggest fans. He brings a thoughtful Christian perspective to movie viewing ... and he's funny. Which as we all know is the spice of movie reviews, not to mention life (my life at any rate). I mean to say, this comment about Avatar gives you a taste of what I love about his commentary:

The question I'm left with is this: am I the only one struck by the irony that Cameron had to blow $500,000,000.00 in order to remind us the superiority of primitive cultures - you know, the kinds that don't have the technology to watch his stupid movies in the first place?

He nails it. Is there anyone who has watched a couple of the trailers and doesn't get that point?

Go see if you agree or not with his top 50 list. I haven't read it yet thoroughly but didn't want to make y'all wait until next week. Enjoy his snarky movie review goodness now ... as an early Christmas gift.

I didn't expect this sort of wisdom from Jeff Bridges

WSJ: You've been married to the same woman for 32 years. Rule No. 1 for staying together in Hollywood?

Jeff Bridges: Don't get a divorce. That will keep you together, you know.

In an interview about Crazy Heart.

Looking for Some Good Podcast Listening?

B-Movie Catechism has a nice variety listed, keyed to interests which include Catholicism and, well, B-movies.

It ranges from Peter Kreeft on screenwriting to The Flicks That Church Forgot which I seized upon with delight. Many thanks also for their inclusion of my own reading of The Uninvited which is the book du jour at Forgotten Classics ... nothing like a good ghost story to interest B-movie appetites!

And Now for Something Completely Different ... Granola!

Just so you know, Tom and I not only enjoy cocktails, I also have been grooving on this home made granola which I've been making for the last couple of months.

A Doozy of a Conversion Story

For some reason my conversion story has been brought up to me a lot lately. The most vivid example is that I was in a meeting about something else entirely (well, ok it was at church, it was with Christians, but it was not about sharing those kinds of stories) when I was asked point blank to tell how I became Christian. Demurring, I looked down the table and saw so many eager, questioning faces that I was forced to believe they really wanted to hear it.

Retelling the story made me realize afresh how many "coincidences" there were and that this experience of "coincidences" happens more than we would think, if we are just paying attention. This was a point dwelt upon by everyone at that meeting also.

Therefore when I read Mary Karr's interview about her recent conversion to Catholicism what really resonated was her fellow recognition of those coincidences, as well as those moments of experiencing God that just cannot be adequately communicated to those who do not believe. Here's an excerpt and here's the whole thing.

I had a needle biopsy once during a very dark spiritual time. I went in as scheduled, and the guy who was supposed to do the biopsy was in surgery and couldn't do it, and they tried to reschedule it. Normally I would have been very upset, but I just said OK and rescheduled it. As I rounded the corner, I ran into someone in the hall. He said, "Do you remember me? You coached my daughter in Little League." It turned out he was an oncologist and he could do the biopsy.

That's the kind of experience I have now. If I had been yelling and screaming at the nurses, I wouldn't have run into him. Then, when I was lying on the table, I really just had such a sense of the presence of Christ. I was so peaceful. When I had come in for the biopsy, when the woman took my blood pressure, I started crying. I remember telling a girlfriend about it, who isn't Christian. She said, "Oh, you just had the feeling that you know you don't have cancer." I said, "No, I had the feeling that whether I had cancer or not, I wouldn't be alone."

Interview via Conversion Diary.

Not that all Tom and I do is drink on the weekends ...

... but I realize it might look that way from the preponderance of cocktail recipes I've been featuring lately.

What can I say. They're easy to make and we know how to pick good ones to try ... apparently.

With that out of the way, get ready to meet last weekend's hits: Garnet and X.Y.Z. Cocktail.

Just a little more Twilight

Mrs. Darwin's hilarious commentary on New Moon and paper cuts, invariably makes me recall the only other thing I know about this series (aside from the werewolf versus vampire choice that Bella must make) ... which is "sparkly skin."

That all takes me back to Cleolinda's Movies in 15 Minutes where you will see an absolutely hilarious send up of Twilight. I didn't enjoy her New Moon send up nearly as much, although I generally acknowledge Cleolinda to be a genius. Perhaps because there's not as much "there" there for her to work with.

I'm reposting this bit to whet your appetite. It's emo-tastic.

(For this, one must know the context that the real reason vampires don't go out in the sunlight is that their skin sparkles and that would give them away. Bram Stoker is busy turning in his grave right now ... oh, right and here is the obligatory warning that you may see some explicit something or other at her site, so don't click through if that is problematic.)

EDWARD: I AM VAMPIRE. HEAR ME TWINKLE.

BELLA: Oh, wow, I spent like $60 at Sephora trying to get sparkle like that. What is that, Urban Decay?

EDWARD: NO!

BELLA: Oh, so it's a drugstore brand?

EDWARD: THIS IS THE SKIN OF A KILLER, BELLA!

BELLA: FINE. WHATEVER. But the lipstick, that's gotta be Cargo, right?

EDWARD: *FLOUNCE*

It's All Downhill from Here

A little midweek humor from Dr. Boli.

Go to Joseph

I have been reading a really wonderful little book called Go to Joseph by Fr. Richard W. Gilsdorf.

The book description leans heavily on "easy to read meditations," "like going on retreat," "warm and contemplative" and so forth. None of which prepared me for the sharp, discerning mind that Father Gilsdorf brings to bear on what we know about Joseph both through what is said and unsaid in scripture. I didn't pick the book because I expected it to be simple but because I like Saint Joseph and go to him for my husband and also for us as a couple.

This book is unusual in many ways, one being that it was found among Father Gilsdorf's papers after his death. In fact, there are so many little introductions from a variety of people marveling at this sort of fact, that I would advise skipping them. It is the book itself that is a real marvel. Small as it is, this book is chock-full of fascinating insights and the scholarly, patient following of themes, all well within the bounds of Church teachings and tradition. The footnotes are extremely clear and have interesting references which the author urges readers to explore further for themselves. Although the chapters are short, each has a lot for our consideration.

This book is so unusual but I have enjoyed it so much that I am going to seek out Father Gilsdorf's other book which I had heard of but not cared about until now, The Signs of the Times: Understanding the Church Since Vatican II. I actually believe the ad now when it says the book is "Part history, part Bible study, part apologetics manual, part Marian devotional, part catechism..." If anyone could pull that off, it would be Father Gilsdorf.

However, back to the book at hand. I highly recommend Go to Joseph. It has a modest price and would be a great gift for a man seeking greater holiness, or indeed for anyone with that goal.

I will be sharing excerpts from the book beginning tomorrow for anyone who is interested in a closer look.

I received this book courtesy of The Catholic Company's review program. Read more about the book and order it at the link above.

Update:

• You may read an excerpt of Chapter 1 here .
• The Curt Jester has an equally enthusiastic review here.
  

This Almost Made Me Want to Read "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies." Almost.

“How nicely we are all crammed in,” cried Lydia. “I am glad I bought my bonnet, if it is only for the fun of having another hatbox! Well, now let us be quite comfortable and snug, and talk and laugh all the way home. And in the first place, let us hear what has happened to you all since you went away. Have you seen any pleasant men? Have you had any flirting? I was in great hopes that one of you would have got a husband before you came back. Jane will be quite an old maid soon, I declare… [She goes on and on in this fashion, which I omit for the sake of brevity.] … We had such a good piece of fun the other day at Colonel Forster’s. Kitty and me were to spend the day there, and Mrs. Forster promised to have a little dance in the evening; (by the bye, Mrs. Forster and me are such friends!) and so she asked the two Harringtons to come, but Harriet was ill, and so Pen was forced to come by herself –”

Elizabeth presently drew her Katana and cut off Lydia’s head, which fell into the open hatbox.

All Manner of Thing reviews the book.

Alex Reads Twilight: chapter 2

For everyone like me ... who finds Twilight more hilarious than anything else (warning: a little bad language in here). This made Tom laugh out loud.



Via Rose. I see that chapters 3 and 4 are up now also.

Be Still My Heart! Unabridged "Nine Princes in Amber" Read by Roger Zelazny

From SFFaudio comes the news:

…two Roger Zelazny audiobooks … have become available in unabridged form on CDs – Nine Princes In Amber and A Night In Lonesome October as originally read by Roger. You may know about these (and future Zelazny unabridged titles to finally be rereleased) but I just happened on the news. If you don’t know, the company is Speaking Volumes. I got the news from the newsgroup alt.books.roger-zelazny on Google. According to Chris Kovacs on this group, the releases will include Roger’s readings of Blood of Amber and Knight of Shadows which were not released in unabridged form on cassettes.”

Now if that doesn't make your little heart go pitter-pat ... then you've never read Nine Princes in Amber and I say, "Hie thee to the library ..."

Reflections on the Joyful Mysteries ... and Bearing Christ to Others

The Visitation

Mary conceived; and shortly thereafter she went to her cousin Elizabeth, to assist her in the final months of her pregnancy. Just so, when Christ is conceived in our hearts he calls us to bear him to others in service as Mary bore him to Elizabeth.

Will at The View from the Foothills has been fruitful in contemplation. Go read and see if it strikes you the way it did me.

I like the way that there was a constant theme of bearing Christ to others ... except in the first mystery which made me reflect upon the fact that often Christ is being borne to us in ways we do not expect, sometimes from people we dismiss for some reason. And so we must be watchful ...

Advertising and Advent

This isn't exactly what you might think from the title.

Our pastor used a very good analogy in his homily about Advent and all the Christmas advertising that we see. He said that advertising works by making us dissatisfied with what we have and makes us long for something newer and better.

He then pointed out that "advertising has taken our Advent gig" because that is the feeling we should have during Advent: dissatisfied with what we have and longing for something better. Which is Christ.

It made me realize that we can then use Christmas ads to our advantage for Advent contemplation. If that analogy makes me divert my attention to Christ and the longing I should be feeling even half of the times that I see advertising ... then it is a job well done! And that's what I'm going to try to do.