Super Busy, but hope to be back to blogging by tomorrow

That's it.

Just wanted to let everyone know I haven't died. Or gone back to L.A. (that would be like a trip to Heaven, right?)

Now In Our "Avoid Like the Plague" Category: Zone One by Colson Whitehead

Zone One by Colson Whitehead

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Well, well. Proof positive that a zombie novel can be made yawningly boring.

Colson Whitehead has all the requisite apocalyptic-survivor-zombie elements but chooses to mash together flashbacks and current action with so much thinking and reflection that he manages to turn it all into bland, grey mush. Or wait ... was that my brain after I got done reading this? Even the end, which was supposed to be striking and should have been, was greeted with a shrug by this reader. Stick to World War Z or The Reapers Are the Angels.

Enter Zone One at your own risk ... and don't say I didn't warn ya!

Notre Dame Joining the Fray for Religious Liberty

A friend tells me:

Notre Dame is joining the fray against the HHS mandate. As you know, other Catholic (and protestant) universities have already sued the government. What makes this different is that Notre Dame is a self-insuring employer, meaning that the Obama Administration's "accommodation," which shifts the burden of paying for abortifacient drugs from the religious employer to the insurance company, doesn't apply to Notre Dame. Thus, the accommodation does nothing for Notre Dame, making it a great plaintiff to keep pressure on the government. A final note, Notre Dame is represented by a great law firm, Jones Day, so they should be in very good hands.

Excellent!

Here's the complaint (long but good).

How Pixar Almost Deleted Toy Story 2

Thank heavens for newborns to save the day! Via Kotke.org. Thanks to Chris for sending this my way.

Bloggers, Zombies, and Conspiracy ... Again: Deadline by Mira Grant

Deadline by Mira Grant

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'd probably never have picked up this book. I was perfectly happy with how Feed ended and had no interest in a story being told by Shaun, instead of by George. Also, the mystery was so easy to solve in Feed that I didn't hold out great hope for the sequel being a lot better.

Then my co-worker showed up proffering Deadline with a pleased smile. What can I say? Reader, I read the whole thing.

I am quite surprised to report that I really like it. It bogged down in the middle but the beginning when they have to evacuate their place in Oakland and the end ... which is a rip-roaring roller-coaster ride of action and (thankfully) surprise answers ... were definitely worth the time spent. In fact the end was so action-packed that when I think back on it, I literally hear in my head the Aliens theme accompanying the story just as it would from the end of that adrenaline-filled movie. When a book gives me "theme music" I've gotta say that it had a powerful impact.

The book begins with a CDC researcher showing up on Shaun's doorstep, having faked her own death in order to bring vital information about the conspiracy they thought was ended in Feed. Namely - it's alive - and much worse than they thought. Interestingly, although there was one unexpected twist after another throughout the story, I still knew early on who the main villain was. The plot is much improved over Feed but Mira Grant's still got to figure out how to present viable villain candidates that aren't obvious throw-aways. Perhaps she didn't grow up reading Agatha Christie books as voraciously as I did.

Still, that's a small quibble. It was really a great read and I actually am eagerly anticipating the release of the next book.

Julie and Scott recorded this podcast... someday, maybe, Coraline and a nameless cat will come save them both.

In the meantime, we'll discuss Neil Gaiman's novella for children at A Good Story is Hard to Find.

What a Busy Bee I Am

I know it shows and I apologize but work is busy (which is a good thing) and I am currently obsessed with a thing I'm writing (which is also a good thing, eventually we hope) ... so I haven't much time for blogging at the moment.

However, we know how quickly things change ... and I'll be blathering on about more than quotes and art soon ... thank you for your patience!

The Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb

At the request of His Eminence Francis Eugene Cardinal George, Archbishop of Chicago, at the time President of the Conference of Bishops of the United States of America, in a letter dated December 12, 2008, and by virtue of the faculty granted to this Congregation by the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI, we gladly approve and confirm the English text of the Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb, as found in the attached copy.

All things to the contrary notwithstanding.

From the offices of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, December 8, 2011.

Released by the USCCB just in time for Mothers' Day.

This is a lovely and much needed prayer (which Deacon Greg excerpted for us):

[For the unborn child]:
God, author of all life,bless, we pray, this unborn child; give constant protection and grant a healthy birth that is the sign of our rebirth one day into the eternal rejoicing of heaven.

[For the mother]:
Lord, who have brought to this woman the wondrous joy of motherhood, grant her comfort in all anxiety and make her determined to lead her child along the ways of salvation.

[For the father]:
Lord of the ages,who have singled out this man to know the grace and pride of fatherhood, grant him courage in this new responsibility, and make him an example of justice and truth for this child.

[For the family]:
Lord, endow this family with sincere and enduring love as they prepare to welcome this child into their midst.

Lord, you have put into the hearts of all men and women of good will a great awe and wonder at the gift of new life; fill this (parish) community with faithfulness to the teachings of the Gospel and new resolve to share in the spiritual formation of this child in Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Amen.

Happy Birthday, Dear Rose

Far from home, in exotic L.A. (where I'd like to be myself), Rose is plying two unpaid internships while gathering work credit to hopefully propel her into the film industry.

That means that she and Zoe (our Boxer who has become Rose's Boxer) are far from home on her 22nd birthday. She has instructions to go to Porto's Bakery (which I spoke of in our L.A. Diary) and select a decadent cake.

Perhaps the Parisian? (Devil’s food chocolate cake, layered and decorated with chocolate whipped cream. Finished with chocolate shavings.)

Or the Strawberry Shortcake? (Yellow cake, soaked in a light French brandy syrup, with a layer of fresh strawberries/real whipped cream, and a layer of vanilla custard. Topped with real whipped cream and surrounded with puff pastry crumbs.)

Or even the Cappuccino Mousse Cake? (A layer of chocolate-fudge cake, a layer of chocolate mousse, a layer of white sponge cake, and a layer of cappuccino mousse. Finished with a clear glaze marbled with coffee extract.)

We can see that I am interested in providing Rose with a delicious cake. I'd rather have her here and be making a cake (if memory serves, she prefers a Chocolate Buttermilk Layer Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting). It wouldn't be as pretty, but I bet the company would make up for it. I've sent gifts (thank you Amazon!) and I can buy her cake, but I can't give her a hug.

So I miss Rose on her birthday but I hope it is a wonderful day for her. She will be celebrating with friends, one of whom shares a birthday with her.

Happy Birthday, Rose!

A Cross of Centuries: Twenty-five Imaginative Tales About the Christ

A Cross of Centuries: Twenty-five Imaginative Tales About the Christ by Michael G. Bishop

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I picked this up dirt cheap after Scott Danielson told me that Jesse Willis brought it to his attention. Editor Michael Bishop is a Christian but is interested here in presenting stories by believers and unbelievers alike, as long as the stories are good ones. Therefore, this is a collection of pieces by some of the most celebrated science fiction authors around including Ray Bradbury, Michael Moorcock, and Gene Wolfe. When any of the authors fall far out of line with Christian thinking it is because they don't understand the basic underpinnings of the faith or simply outright reject them for reasons of their own. However, the stories are generally quite good.

As with many short story anthologies showcasing a wide variety of authors, it's hard to give a five-star rating because individual taste varies so much. From my perspective as a science fiction fan I could appreciate the skill that went into the work included. From my perspective as a Christian, some of the stories from unbelievers were quite sad because they highlighted various authors' misperceptions and, sometimes, their flippancy with the subject. Be that as it may, my favorite stories were:

• Lignum Crucis by Paul di Fillippo
• The Detective of Dreams by Gene Wolfe
• Shimabara by Karen Joy Fowler
• The Man by Ray Bradbury
• Early Marvels by Romulus Linney

Definitely recommended for anyone who wants to read thought provoking writing about Jesus and our human responses to Him.

Blogging Around: The Brilliant Edition

So many brilliant things to share. So little time.

So here's the cream of the crop.

Catholics Acting Catholic: It shouldn’t make the news — except that yes, it is news.

The US Bishop’s campaign for religious freedom, and the Vatican’s pending reform of the LCWR, have been met with skepticism by much of the mainstream media, and by a good chunk of the Catholic population as well. Why? Would we hear this same outcry against another religious group, however weird and wacky, that sought to assert its beliefs and practices?

We could guess at any number of nefarious reasons for all this alarm at Catholics acting Catholic, but I propose one common thread: No one thinks Catholics really believe this stuff.

(For the record: Yes, we do.)

The American church has spent I’m not sure how many decades wallowing in a lukewarm faith — my entire life, at the very least. Do an exit poll after Mass this Sunday: How many parishioners really believe all that the Church holds to be true? In many quarters, the simple act of asserting that the Church holds some things to be true incites an outcry of protest about rights of conscience, and personal discernment, and accusations of judging other souls*.

And we’re still wallowing.

I could just put her whole column here because it is ... you guessed it ... brilliant. Go read it all at Riparians at the Gate.

Don't Feed the Trolls?

There are many that say “Don’t feed the Troll”, now I would say “Pray for the Troll” –except I am not really that fond of the world Troll as it is another word that dehumanizes people so you can ignore them. Sure fervent commenters can be quite annoying, but most of us can be quite annoying and we are called to even love our comment box enemies by willing them good.

I read The Curt Jester every day but this piece about trolls was so good it has been bugging me to call it to your attention. Because it's ... brilliant. And also charitable. And Catholic in the best ways. I gave you the finale but go read it all.

Can't Have the Sweet Without the Bitter

It is often argued that a loving God would not allow His children to suffer. But, if you subscribe to Seneca’s position that without hardships man can be neither happy nor virtuous, and if you believe that God desires his children to be both righteous and joyful, the question then becomes, “How could a loving God not allow suffering in the world?”

And yet an embrace of the bitter-sweet concept does not only bring meaning to theists, but also imparts purpose to the atheist who has made self-actualization his life’s goal. Through it he can come to see hardships as the classrooms of self-knowledge, opportunities to prove himself and grow as a man, vital training on the path to becoming superhuman.

The Art of Manliness is one of my favorite stops. True, I skip the "build a manly campfire" pieces, but you can't beat their historical and philosophical columns for perspective and character building tips. This is one such (brilliant) piece. Be sure to read it all because you really don't want to miss the Seneca excerpt that lead to this.

Also, don't miss their History of the Bachelor in three parts: colonial and revolutionary times, post-Civil War, and 20th and 21st Century.

Some Things You May Not Know About Antonio Vivaldi

1. Vivaldi was a Catholic priest. He was ordained in 1703 at the age of 25, in Venice. However, it would seem the active priesthood did not suit Vivaldi. Within a year he asked to be excused form the daily celebration of Mass, due to a “tightness of the chest,” which he complained of his whole life. Most scholars think this is a reference to asthma, though there may have been other causes including heart related matters. But a deeper reason may lie in the fact the he was pressured to become a priest. In those days, going to a seminary was often the only way a poor family had to ensure free schooling for a son. Music seems to have been his passion. While it is hard to gauge the accuracy of the story, it is noted in some of his biographies that he would sometimes leave the altar to go into the sacristy and write down a musical idea that had come to him!

Well, whaddya know. That is interesting. And I didn't know it. Since I just finished listening to the BBC's Discovering Music about Vivaldi's Four Seasons, it is even more interesting. Go see what else you don't know about this brilliant Catholic composer, courtesy of Msgr. Charles Pope.

An American In Paris at Holy Week

My trip started off as expected: Fortified by a lovely luncheon in Montparnasse of a chicken fricassee with spring vegetables and a delicious white wine, I wandered down to my favorite neighborhood, Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Entering the dark medieval church that gives the district its name, I lighted some candles, offered a few prayers and reveled in the quiet. The emptied church suited my need to escape, and I figured it foreshadowed a quiet, low-key holiday spent in dark, empty churches.

I was to be proven wrong. Religion in France is far from dead. Yes, Islam is growing more confident among France's North African and Middle East immigrants, but Catholicism is alive and well.

He went for the food. He was captured by the faith. I'm late bringing you this but it is good no matter when it is served up: An American in Paris at Holy Week.

Gulliver's Travels at CraftLit/Just the Books
Heather Ordover cleverly chose a book that is very timely, considering the upcoming elections and the assortment of Yahoos all around. Not only does Heather provide insightful commentary to place the book in context as we go, but she recruited Ehren Ziegler from Chop Bard to read it. Brilliant. I might have to say it twice so you understand what an opportunity we are all being given. Brilliant. (Also, if you like Shakespeare, or wish you did, Ehren's podcast at Chop Bard will do it for you. Oh yeah. A third brilliant is clearly called for.) Go. Listen. CraftLit, Just the Books (all the books with none of the craft talk), Chop Bard.

Neighbor, how long has it been since you read Deus Caritas Est? Well, pardner, that's too long.*

God Is Love--Deus Caritas Est: Encyclical Letter by Pope Benedict XVI

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was my third time through Pope Benedict's brilliant first encyclical God Is Love. Our Catholic women's book club read it for our May discussion.

Just reading the opening paragraphs made me remember what a wonderful piece of thinking and writing this is. And how brilliant Pope Benedict is at expressing not only the intellectual but also the heart of the matter. He also shows his practical side and that he is not isolated in an ivory tower but understands very well what it means to be human, craving the love of God and of our fellow men.

This is a piece I could recommend to everyone: atheists wanting to know the point of Christianity, non-Christians wanting to know the heart of the Gospel, Christians wanting to know more about Catholics and ... more than anyone ... to Catholics who need to be refreshed in their faith and reminded that love is the heart of God and the heart of our faith. What a powerful work by someone who thought so deeply and yet is able to communicate so well. Amazing.

I am so inspired that I plan to reread the two follow-up encyclicals that complete the trilogy of love, hope and charity.



* Thank you Wolf Brand Chili who, as most Texans remember, has long had their famous slogan, "Neighbor, how long has it been since you had a big, thick, steaming bowl of Wolf Brand Chili? Well, that's too long!"

What I've Been Reading: Feed by Mira Grant

Feed by Mira Grant

I'm a bit tired of the zombie genre. However, this was of interest because of the large part that blogging plays in the story. In fact, blogging is the reason for the story, as it turns out. And that is the reason my friend pressed the book upon me, as he knew my long time blogging and podcasting habits.

Set in 2040, the world has seen the zombie apocalypse thanks to well-intended medicinal cures going awry (isn't that always the way? Thank you, I Am Legend movie). The major media downplayed the idea of "zombies" rising from the dead and cost thousands of lives. But the plucky blogging community of citizen reporters gave everyone the truth and helped save civilization. Variations of George and Shaun are the most popular children's names now thanks to society's debt to such movie makers as George Romero and movies like Shaun of the Dead for giving tips to how to avoid and kill zombies. So, yes, the book is heavily invested in pop culture, as one would expect

At the time of the story, bloggers are the new celebrities and our heroine, Georgia, and her brother, Shaun, are among the most popular. They are picked to cover an up and coming presidential candidate as he campaigns before the Republican National Convention. It soon becomes apparent that someone is out to stop the campaign and our intrepid reporters are out to uncover the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

The only drawback to the story is that the solution to the mystery is so extremely simple that I'd considered it early on and rejected it as too obvious. Yes, both where the adversary was getting information (and why) and who the villain was (and why).

I really enjoyed the environment of the Newsies, Irwins, and Fictionals and how they worked together within their news organization to create full news coverage. I also appreciated the thorough thought the author gave to the virus and the implications to the living population. That actually gave the story a complexity that was lacking in the mystery details. As well, I liked the basic story and characters, although I could have done with much less of Georgia's ever present headaches due to the virus' effect on her eyes. Got it and don't mind a few reminders, but they could have cut it in half and it would have been enough.

Overall, though, high marks for a thrilling, fun to read story that kept me interested so that I kept picking up the book every time I had a chance, reading it in two days. Ironically, my overall comment would match the one that we kept reading throughout the book when others would comment on our heroes' "blogging as journalism" ... not perfect, a bit rough and could use improvemnt -- but it has great heart. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel and crossing my fingers for a more complex plot.

Weekend Humor: The Other Avengers

The Other Avengers Read
via Awesome People Reading

If you didn't get it, then you have pleasure in store. Here's a bit of YouTube goodness. And you can read more at Wikipedia (natch).

Do you know how insidious the music from Cheers is?

I mean ... do you?

Tom and I began watching Cheers from the beginning a couple of weeks ago, after I heard a Story Wonk Daily where they were talking about watching it as a textbook on how to develop "story." (Also, they love it.)

I watched it all when it was on (and before you begin adding on your fingers, I'll help ... 1st season: 1982). And so did Tom. But we'd forgotten so much. And it is like a stage play. A really well done, clever stage play.

It is fascinating to watch an episode an evening (streaming free - Amazon Prime) and see the actors become comfortable with their characters and the writers give the audience credit for intelligence ... and lean a little further with the subplots and side jokes.

The problem is that Cheers song. What an earworm (thank you German for such a descriptive term).

I find myself humming it. It pops into my head off and on all day.

I confessed as much to Tom.

Who's having the same problem.

Insidious. That's it.

UPDATED: National Day of Prayer ... in which some offer thanks for not having to pray

Today is the National Day of Prayer in the United States--or, as President Obama put it in his either-ironic-or-clueless-depending-on-how-much-slack-you-give-him presidential proclamation, our National Day of Giving Thanks for the Freedom of Religion that Allows Us to Abstain from Praying. There used to be an interfaith prayer breakfast hosted by the White House on this day, but the President has chosen to exercise his right to abstain from eating food that might have gotten blessing all over it, and canceled that.

Just going on the record here to say how much Joanne McPortland can crack me up.

I loved this paragraph so much I read it three times.

And then shared it with you, of course.

What makes it great is that Joanne is not necessarily in support of a National Day of Prayer. And I myself am fairly indifferent to it.

Not that Joanne isn't in support of prayer (as, you all hopefully know, I am also). She talks about the prayer that the nation's people do and it is well worth reading. It's a good read so go thou and do so!

UPDATE
I'm so silly. I thought that people would click through to look around Joanne's blog and see what she's like. I did not account for our national tendency to rush to comment (and I've been guilty of that myself, many a time, so I should know better).

I also thought I gave little hints that Joanne and I are usually in a state of interesting tension with one another. She really does not hold many of the same ideas that I do about the best way to solve national problems. (We haven't spoken directly about this but it's just "the vibe of the thing." Joanne, you may correct me if I'm wrong on this.)

No matter. I love the heck outta her. Which means she is a rare, honest, and winsome person because these days opposition in thinking equals strident expression. On either side. She don't do that thing.

So, believe me when I say that the funniest thing to me about her introductory paragraph is that she is the "cut him slack" person she mentions. I myself can imagine President Obama's wry look at reading this from the proclamation that I am sure some administrative writer put before him:

On this National Day of Prayer, we give thanks for our democracy that respects the beliefs and protects the religious freedom of all people to pray, worship, or abstain according to the dictates of their conscience.

(bolding is mine, of course)

But it's the "correct" thing to do, right?

So there they went.

I was given many an opportunity to chuckle over the opportunities that George Bush (pick one) gave people to laugh. And I appreciate it when anyone can see things clearly enough to do so over President Obama, even if they may support him in many ways.

Before we comment in anger, can we all take a deep breath and just lighten up a bit?

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

Why Life and Love Matter

A simply beautiful piece from The Anchoress about the real value of life, linking to other good things to read. As always, however, The Anchoress pulls it all together thoughtfully and makes us think too.

UPDATED: Dickens, Melville, Paradise Lost and ... Ricardo Montalban's chest!

"From Hell's heart I stab at thee..."

Yes, we watched The Wrath of Khan (Star Trek II).

All so glorious that we just keep talking and talking at A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast. With guest Heather Hutchinson Ordover from Craft/Lit and Just the Books podcasts.

UPDATE
I am glad to see that we are influential enough to inspire others in our choice of a film.

Joseph at Zombie Parent's Guide reflects on The Wrath of Khan which he watched in preparation of our newest episode.

I wonder if people somewhere are scratching their heads over a sudden spike of rentals or downloads? (Yes, a gal can dream...)

Literary Paint Chips: Gallery 1

From the Paris Review Daily - Paint Samples, suitable for the home, sourced from colors in literature.

For example if you want to see that gray green greasy color of the river Limpopo, this is where you're gonna go.

“Then Kolokolo Bird said, with a mournful cry, ‘Go to the banks of the great gray-green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever-trees, and find out.’ ” “The Elephant’s Child,” Rudyard Kipling.

I noticed that one of the people credited is Ben Schott who wrote a couple of my favorite trivia books. And I see he also has done some almanacs.

Thanks to Scott for this link.

Americans and Obedience: Oil and Water

The Anchoress has also been thinking about obedience and has a really good piece on it.

The fact that she mentions my piece on obedience and links multiple times ... that has nothing to do with my liking for her piece. (ahem)

Actually, I know that she was already thinking about the subject. Anyone paying attention to the LCWR kerfluffle can hardly avoid it. But our pieces do dovetail nicely because when you're Catholic ... well, you're pointed to one example for obedience. It's no surprise that we would think along similar lines.