Winding down

As we approach the month of August, thoughts of vacation are starting to drift into my head, although I still haven't finalized what, if anything, I am doing. I may drive down to see some friends, perhaps camping on my way down to North Carolina, or I may just catch up on some reading and bother my parents for a few weeks. I know I have some last minute work to finish up before I head down to the Seminary for Orientation, so there will definitely be some family time up north. So, as I am winding down my time at Our Lady of the Mount, I have been trying to visit friends in the area. I got an opportunity to see an old friend from Seminary on Friday as we had a wonderful dinner at that 4-star restaurant known as Fuddrucker's. I can hear my father cringing already, he was never been a big fan of the loudness of the place, but I have many happy fudd's memories from my childhood... I could never get enough of those buns and chili cheese fries :).

We (as you might be able to tell from the giant picture at the top of this blog) also went to see The Simpsons movie on opening night. The movie was alright, not bad, but not great... One warning, it IS NOT for kids!!! The movie has a PG-13 rating and that should be heeded. One scene in particular sticks out, but I feel that that one was quite enough, I don't want to spoil anything for people planning on seeing it, so if you have a question about specifics, just email me. There were times in the movie that I was laughing hysterically especially at this:

If you like the show, you should love the movie. It has it's ups and it's downs (especially the whole Lisa love interest which is almost always painfully dragged out). But the pointless humor is still there and if you wait in the theater until the very end you will be given another wonderful song by the Simpson's group which I would not recommend missing. I give it 3.5 stars out of 5.

I also watched the movie The Number 23 which is out in video now. It was pretty good if you like the whole crime/suspense kind of movie. And it does make you question the "What if..." aspect that is going through Jim Carrey's head. I am usually not a big Carrey fan, but he excels in this part and I was intrigued with the story throughout the movie.

It is almost college football time!!! The announcement for me always comes when the release of the latest college football game is made. Although these games are usually just newer versions of old games, I love this one compared to last year. First, Rutgers Stadium is correct (you even hear the cannon go off after a touchdown!). Secondly, the Campus Legend function let's you start the game as a high school senior, choose which school you go to (depending on offers) and makes you work your way through classes, practices and evening events while you try to work your way up the depth chart. Want to go play mini-golf with the guys??? It will help your popularity, but not in the classroom. You need to maintain a good enough GPA, but you also want to become the star on campus, known by everyone, so what are you going to choose? I think I like this way too, because the coach calls all the plays and you only have the ability to do things when your number is called. Much more realistic in my book... two thumbs up EA Sports! Speaking of college football, it is also that time for Heisman hopeful websites, RU did a great job on See Ray Run, hopefully he has another great season as RU looks to get that BCS birth this year.

Well, I think I have written enough for now... I am off to my last weekend in the parish (thanks again to everyone at Our Lady of the Mount for a wonderful summer experience!). And for your Moment of Zen remember when you are complaining about the heat, winter is only a few months away... enjoy the rest of your summer!

Thank you, Good Knight!

So, I haven't gotten much blogged in a bit, but things really haven't been all that busy either, I guess I just didn't have much to say (imagine that!). One thing that was very exciting, was that on Thursday I became a 2nd Degree member of the Knights of Columbus. Something that I have wanted to do for quite some time. The Knights have done so much for seminarians in the past and I am extremely greatful for the support of vocations that I could not think of anything better to do than join their ranks. I hope to get my third degree when I am down in Baltimore some time; one of my brother seminarians is a past Grand Knight from Baltimore and am sure can find a council where I can help out during the semester. If you are interested in joining the Knights of Columbus, I highly recommend that you do and if you are a Knight, suggest joining to someone else.
I did promise some pictures of an adorable little puppy that fr. sean got, so here they are: (actually here is the whole family)




Let's see what else... oh we had our annual vocations picnic which was quite nice, a number of young men decided to enjoy the beautiful weather at St. Augustine of Canterbury Parish in Kendall Park (Edmund's home parish). Again, thanks to the Knights of Columbus for some wonderful food, especially the Kalbasa and Pierogi.

As I look at the calendar I only have another week here at Our Lady of the Mount :(, and the work has begun on getting back to St. Mary's and Orientation. The good news is that all those vocation prayers have seemed to be working, so please keep them up!!!

I am going to keep this posting a bit short since it is the end of the day and I want to find out what happens in Battlestar Galactica (I am sooo selfish, but I am also soooo hooked on this show). I will not leave you without your moment of zen.

Apparently I am still up to date

Well, well, well, just when I thought that I was getting too old for this technology, you read a posting like this on MSNBC. Granted I only joined facebook a few weeks ago and only because of my techie friends, but still, it's nice to know I am back in the in-crowd :). Actually, I have been quite pleased with facebook, it has allowed me to find a few old friends who I haven't talked to in a while and allows me to challenge people to Roshambull (a.k.a. Rock, Paper, Scissors).

Actually I found out that Dave White not only is a teacher, but also is a writer! His book, When One Man Dies will be released (according to Amazon) on September 25. I read an smattering from the first few chapters and I think the line that really pulled me in toward the quality of his writing was this line: "He had his cup of coffee, and the breath to go with it." Anyway, Dave is good people, so feel free to pick up his book.

Speaking of books, I also found out from my friend Matt Hardesty that another friend, this time from Seminary, also has a new book out. Chris Cuddy book entitled I choose God: Stories from Young Catholics. I haven't read the book, but what Matt says in his blog about Chris is right on target. He is a highly intelligent person and I am sure his book will be excellent and inspirational for young adults. After I read it, I am sure I will post more, of course that is something I am not up to date on (my reading list), so perhaps you should just check it out yourself.

Since things always happen in threes (or we force them to be that way, I figured I needed another friend author to write about... well, I just found another high school friend on facebook, Ryan Pienciak, and his father, Richard T. Pienciak writes True Crime stories, so you can check him out too. And no, I do not make any money from Amazon, it just happens to be my default site for buying stuff so I send people there. Feel free to use any site or store you desire.

For Your Moment of Zen today, I give you the gift of history. Perhaps Planet of the Apes wasn't so far off?

tribute to the Bangles...

Well, it's just another manic Sunday (oh oh oh), I wish it were a Wednesday (oh oh oh), cause that's my friend's day... my I don't have to bends day... it's just another manic Sunday. OK, so I won't quit my day job, unless of course my day job is a singer or song writer, which it isn't :)
Anywho... things are going well... I had a wonderful Salmon dinner on Friday night with Dave and Shelly back in Clifton assumed my usual duties of falling asleep in front of the TV afterwards... except no hockey was on this time. I saw the folks for a little bit Saturday morning before heading out to the retreat that I think I mentioned earlier. The retreat went well and we had a pretty good turnout of both men and women interested in religious life. I was beat by the time I was set to go home (around 10 PM), but luckily there was not much traffic and I made it back to Warren pretty quick.
Speaking of Warren, Fr. Sean got a new puppy, Jasmine, hopefully I will take a picture sometime soon so you can see the whole family. Anyway, she is a long-haired Dachsund, and she is so cute. Jake and Joey are finally getting used to this new pooch on their turf. She really wanted some of the omelette I was making this morning, but somehow I resisted the cuteness.
I have also become a movie junkie recently, mostly because of blockbuster total access, if you bring the movies back to blockbuster, you can rent movies there for free and they automatically release the next movies in your queue, thus you double the amount you normally would sign up for. Not bad considering it was a wait for Letters from Iwo Jima online, but it was in the store. The movie was ok, a little long in my opinion, but still a good story line and it helps you look at things from different points of view. I figure get the movie watching done while I can, cause you all know I need more movies to be able to quote from (and no, I will not be quoting anything from Letters from Iwo Jima since it is in Japanese).
Well, that's all for now, I will write more soon, and I hope you all enjoy Flight of the Conchords and John from Cincinnati tonight! Pax et bonum.

Another day, another movie

OK, I am feeling better now :)... Wednesday I went to see another movie, for some reason I go in spurts, but it is the summer and I have Wednesdays off so what else am I going to do? My friend Ed and I went to see 1408, I am a big John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson fan and I like scary movies, so I thought this could be good. Both Ed and I could not figure out if we actually liked the movie after it was over though. One positive was that it wasn't like the typical slasher type movies that Hollywood loves to produce, this was much more mind-oriented, it is rated PG-13, so I figured it wouldn't be too gory. On a down-side, most of the things that would have made you jump I had already seen in the preview, so I new it was coming. The eerieness (is that even a word?) of the movie was quite good and I think the premise of the movie was interesting. The ending in my opinion left a lot to be desired, but I will not spoil it for others. I was not bored though, and it kept me in the movie the whole time wondering what was going to happen, so I can't say it was bad. I'll go with average, with a nod for a good effort and a recommendation to wait until it is on video or cable.
One thing I can recommend is Aroma Royal Thai Restaurant in Franklin Park, where we went to dinner after the show. The food was excellent and not very expensive, I enjoyed a beef curry in a coconut shell and it was quite delightful. You can order the meals as mild, medium, hot and very hot... being thai food, I decided hot was as far as I wanted to go, but I am quite sure that I could go to very hot without a problem. We also ordered the combination platter for an appetizer which included paper shrimp, chicken satay and egg rolls I think, it was tasty though and came with a side of spices which you could use on your discretion. The dessert was phenomenal though, I had the F.B.I. - Fried Banana with Ice Cream, and with the exception of using a paper cup to mold the ice cream (allowing me to read the words "Solo") I was quite pleased. Here is a review from the New York Times if you are thinking about going - I am sure they know more about food than I do.

Well, that is all for now, I am heading to a retreat this weekend for people discerning religious life, so please keep us in your prayers. Until then, God bless and take care, and enjoy your moment of zen. This is kind of fun but also disturbing.

new Bishop for Baltimore

Good morning! I am not feeling so hot today, actually just in the last hour, so I hope I just need to lay down for a bit, so I will keep this short. Anyway, there will be another new face around Baltimore when I return in August (not that I hang around with bishops all that much)...Baltimore has a successor for William Cardinal Keeler, Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien (pictured above). His motto is Pastores Dabo Vobis (I will give you shepherds) and has served as rector of two seminaries prior to being named auxiliary bishop of New York in 1996, so I pray that this will only mean even more blessings of vocations on the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

There is nothing like the smell of Ecclesiology in the morning

I opened my email this morning and found from the Vatican Information Service a document that was released by the Vatican about Church doctrine. I felt like I was in Fr. Stevens' Ecclesiology class! (actually more like the final in the class) It answered five common questions about the Catholic Church:
1. Did the Second Vatican Council change the Catholic doctrine on the Church?
2. What is the meaning of the affirmation that the Church of Christ subsists in the Catholic Church?
3. Why was the expression 'subsists in' adopted instead of the simple word 'is'?
4. Why does the Second Vatican Council use the term 'Church' in reference to the oriental Churches separated from full communion with the Catholic Church?
5. Why do the texts of the Council and those of the Magisterium since the Council not use the title of 'Church' with regard to those Christian Communities born out of the Reformation of the sixteenth century?

It can be viewed here. I am happy to say that I already knew the answers to these questions, so THANK YOU FR. BUD and St. Mary's!

Speaking of St. Mary's (well it is a bit of a stretch), one movie night we were supposed to watch Night at the Museum, but by some small miscommunication, I was not able to watch it. I actually tried twice to see it and never got a chance. Well, thanks to Blockbuster Total Access, the movie was delivered to me yesterday and I watched it last night. Pretty good movie, I have always liked Ben Stiller and Carla Gugino ever since Son-In-Law (yes, I watch Paulie Shore movies). I think everyone knows the premise of the story so I will not even get into it here, but if you haven't seen it yet, I recommend it (well I recommend it even if you have seen it, but you get the idea). Enjoy!

I am still trying to figure out John from Cincinnati... this last episode was kind of dull. It seemed to put all of the characters into place for a big occurrence but I felt that Cissy was a little over the top and wanted to get rid of her more than Tony's Sister, Janice, from the Sopranos (and anyone who knows me knows that is huge)... Actually, this person's take on the show was pretty much on target with my exact feelings.

Well, I think that is all for now, but considering that it is now the all-star break in baseball and if you are like me and dislike all-star games, you have nothing sporty to do but wait. So, while you are waiting you may want to think of the peace and happiness that college football brings you and enjoy this moment of zen. If you ever wondered how your football team did against any other team now you know, let the smack talk begin! GO RU!

World Youth Day song released

As some of you may already know, World Youth Day is a gathering of young people from around the World to celebrate the Catholic faith. The last one was held in Cologne, Germany in 2005, and next year the 10th since its inception in 1986 by Pope John Paul II will be held in Sydney, Australia. Well, the song for WYD has been released and can be viewed here! Since I am planning a trip to China that same summer I do not believe I will go to WYD, but be assured that my prayers are with all those who are planning on going and are in attendance.

Lazy Day

After a long Mets game last night (a 17-inning Mets win over the Astros), I did not want to wake up this morning. Unfortunately I chose on of the few professions which requires me to get up on Sunday Mornings... I made up for it this afternoon, since the Mets have been getting blown out and there is no NASCAR race, I passed out in the recliner. I feel a little groggy, but thought perhaps some blogging would make up for it. :) Speaking of the Mets game, Did you see that catch by Beltran? In the bottom of the 14th with the winning run at 3rd, Beltran came up with this gem.

What am I going to do now that baseball has a day off because of the All-Star break??? Actually, I am not a big fan of any all-star game, especially baseball though since there is nothing else going on this time of year to keep my sports mind occupied. Well, I did sign up for a test trial of Blockbuster Total Access and should be getting my movies on Monday... I am sure I will give a complete rundown on how Total Access is once I experience it a little more. I am starting with a couple of flix and going to try to catch up with some seminarian friends by watching Battlestar Galactica... I figured it was the least I could do after hooking everyone on 24.

With all the previous baseball talk I had to share this as Your Moment of Zen. It is amazing how I find some of these things... I was trying to find something about Beltran's great catch in the 14th inning last night and this is one of the sites that came up. I am sad to say that in May this person said she can no longer keep up her blog with her new baby. Anyway, write more to you soon! Pax et bonum.

Kiva update & do you Motu (proprio)?

I recieved an update from Kiva today and Ruth (the person that I lent to) is now 50% paid back. I have been quite impressed with Kiva thus far and feel comfortable that I can recommend them for others that are interested in helping with microloans. It is really humbling when you realize that for the price of a dinner you can help change someone's life... At this rate Ruth will finish paying off her loan by September and I can re-invest in someone else. Kiva has been excellent in keeping things up to date thus far and I have been pleased with the journals of some of the people as well. I will also speak to my friend Mike and see how his business partner is doing. But if you get a chance and have the means check it out. The link is always on the right hand side of the page as well.

Also, from VIS yesterday:

VATICAN CITY, JUL 6, 2007 (VIS) - Tomorrow, Saturday July 7, the Vatican Information service will transmit a special service for the publication of the Apostolic Letter "Motu Proprio data" of His Holiness Benedict XVI, "Summorum Pontificum," concerning the use of the pre-1970 Roman liturgy. The document will be accompanied by an explanatory Letter from the Holy Father.

What does this mean? Expect a lot of miscommunication from the press! Just figured I would give you a heads up and want you to read things from the source (currently in Latin only) before too much is blown out of proportion about how we are going back into the stone ages. Either the Vatican Website or Zenit.org will give you reliable information. And before you ask, no I do not believe my first Mass (God-willing) will be in Latin.

Pax et bonum!

Movie review updates

So, as I said it would be... my fourth of July was pretty low-key... I basically just went to the movies and caught a double feature. Not only did I go to see Transformers, but also Live Free or Die Hard... both of which I was skeptical at first about, hoping rather than knowing that they would be good. I was quite happy with the movies, and for those of you who look at the USCCB movie reviews both were not morally offensive (although, Die Hard came as close as one could possibly get getting an "L" rating).

First up, Transformers, Michael Bay does it again, delivering an action pact success... I knew that the action would be just fine under his direction (he was also the director of Bad Boys, Armageddon, The Rock, The Island and Pearl Harbor and probably a little known fact - the Aawon Buuh Got Milk commercial). Anyway, back to the movie. If you liked the cartoon you will like the movie... there is some terrible humor mixed in to the classic lines of "Roll out" and "You failed me again starscream" which was excellent... I will not give away the movie, but the scene with Bumblebee and the young couple is priceless. I was entertained throughout the movie and highly recommend it for just about anyone who is at least a teenager... I left the theater thinking that all the cars in the parking lot were actually transformers and wondered if they were autobots or deceptacons... always a good sign.

After going back to my buddy's place to put up a fence for his new dog, we decided to go back and see the latest installment of Die Hard, mostly because it was Independence Day and we didn't feel like Transformers got us into that patriotic spirit. This one I was not sure about, I wanted to see it, but would it be as good as the original or the third (the second one was just ok)... but I took some solace in the fact that I had the same doubts about Die Hard with a vengence. The movie was just what I needed... action packed movie that takes place right around Independence Day. His daughter, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, is not only good looking, but she is tough and smart (she goes to Rutgers!) and was a pleasent addition to the movie. She compliments her father and comes a long way from saying "McClane residence, Lucy McClane speaking" in the original Die Hard (the best Christmas movie ever made). The hacking portion of the movie was also quite interesting and the cross between the old school McClane and the atypical techies of this generation is a nice little side story (but the fact that Matt Farrell does not like Creedence Clearwater Revival is a little off-putting). I am also a big Kevin Smith fan and didn't realize he was in the movie, excellent job. The action gets a little unbelievable at times, but it is still worth while. Two thumbs up for me!

So, go out grab some popping corn and enjoy!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

No, not THAT Independence Day... Seriously though, a big thank you to all the men and women who have given their lives for the freedoms that we so often take for granted. I wish you all a happy and safe 4th of July. I am pretty much making this a low key 4th... just hanging around and probably going to see Transformers, a staple of my childhood. There are fewer places to see fireworks in the middle of the week, and I have done the Macy's Day Fireworks before and don't feel a need to go through all that work again. However, I would recommend the best way to view the fireworks - from the water!. I took this picture from the time I went, it's hard to see but the statue of Liberty is there and you can see them from the East River too and it's not too expensive. In any case, whatever you are all doing I hope that it is fun and not dangerous.

So, I decided to join Facebook upon a request from one of my friends, I am not sure if it will be blocked at St. Mary's, but I am enjoying it thus far. I have been turned into a zombie and now have a pet dragon named swampy, come on by and pet him!

I am going to keep this posting pretty short since it is a day off for me :), but first Your 4th of July Moment of Zen... if you can't see fireworks, make your own!

Pauline Year announced!

The Vatican issued a statement on June 28 that there will be a Pauline Year to celebrate the 2000 anniversary of his birth which most historians claim to be between 7 AD and 10 AD. The year will start on June 28, 2008. While this may not seem like much to many people, I am very enthusiastic that the possibility of my diaconate year will be dedicated to this great apostle. I am quite interested in the ecumenical movement, and I believe there is way too little emphasis on the writings of Paul and what they can translate into today.

Speaking of things from the Vatican, a few days ago my moment of zen had a website about driving, interestingly enough, this document aboutPastoral Care of the Road came out and helped me realize that I still have a long way to go in my practice of true Christian charity. :) I specifically enjoyed reading section III on human aspects and IV Moral aspects of driving. I loved this quote: "Coexistence is a fundamental aspect of human beings and roads should therefore be more human. Motorists are never alone when they are driving, even when no one is sitting beside them. Driving a vehicle is basically a way of relating with and getting closer to other people"(especially when I drive) ", and of integrating within a community of people. This capacity for coexistence, of entering into relations with others, presupposes certain specific qualities in a driver: namely self-mastery, prudence, courtesy, a fitting spirit of service and knowledge of the Highway Code. Selfless assistance should also be provided to those who need it, by giving an example of charity and hospitality." Part two of the document talks about the importance of pastoral ministry for the liberation of street women, which shares an important perspecitve on prostitution as "a form of slavery." Please continue to pray that we continue to try to assist these people rather than judge them.

Well, guess that is all for now, talk to you all soon. Oh and to my friends from the great white North, Happy Belated Canada Day, eh! Pax et bonum!