Bowling is pretty fun. This is our New Year's Eve, with a glass of champagne.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 30, 2007
None of the pictures turned out, in the rain, so I won't share them. I warned Kenny we weren't driving for an hour just to go out to dinner ... but that's pretty much what happened.
I dressed them for the cold, three layers under their coats and two on their legs, but I hadn't counted on the rain that seemed to soak them to the bone immediately. The rain began as we reached 72, well past the turn-around point.
We were the only souls there except for some diehard fishermen, either locals or ghosts, and another family of six from Pennsylvania with "General Lee" on their license plate. I can't say that kind of companionship made me feel too bright for being there. And how did they all fit into that Pontiac coupe? It was too cold to hang around and find out. We walked a brief circuit and left for the Stafford Diner as Jeff cracked sarcasm and even Kenny muttered, "What a big waste of time."
I tried the Jambalaya from the dinner specials menu and it was more of a seafood cacciatore, no meat and even mushrooms! Whatever. Pass the Parmesan cheese.
The drive home was an unbelievable disaster.
The rain was considerable and the wind seemed to be blowing the car to the shoulder. I told Jeff that I couldn't see very well, the newly paved road had a remarkably worn center line of non-reflective paint and no edge lines at all. God damn it, no wonder there are so many tragic car accidents in NJ! That roadway, freshly paved, was unfit for travel because the job wasn't finished before the weekend/holiday/increment weather. I daresay, it seems as if traffic signs were also missing, as I went through a figure 'S' without any warning of "curve ahead."
I used night colors on TomTom for the first time ever, to cut down reflective interior glare, and had the volume too low to hear it above the kids and the LeapFrog DVD. The kids had the courtesy lights on in the back as well and the DVD generates its own light.
By the time I got past the new roadwork, I realized that nothing looked familiar from the ride down. At the circle of 70 & 72, it was clear that we'd gone way too far west. I was thinking, with some amusement at the irony, that we might end up in Berlin, a place "too far for me." It made some difference that I ran the circle wrong and didn't continue on 70 West but took a series of county routes before intersecting 206. As if seeing "Burlington County" on the blue route signs wasn't disturbing enough, coming across 206 prompted me to exclaim aloud, "I don't want to get home by way of Trenton! If we see signs for Voorhees, we're in big trouble."
Without hesitating, I turned up 206 and TomTom was no help, still trying to steer me towards the Turnpike further west. In short order, we intersected 537 and I was home free, 'though it would take another 30 minutes. Jeff had asked me where 130 was and I couldn't answer, but, looking at a map now, it doesn't come south enough.
As you can see from the map, 539 is only a couple of miles from the diner. What threw me off was that we drove almost the entire distance along route 72 to reach the diner, so after eating, I didn't take that into account and basically reset myself to drive that distance again before looking for 539. And, dimmed and muted, TomTom wasn't set up to save me from myself.
I used night colors on TomTom for the first time ever, to cut down reflective interior glare, and had the volume too low to hear it above the kids and the LeapFrog DVD. The kids had the courtesy lights on in the back as well and the DVD generates its own light.
By the time I got past the new roadwork, I realized that nothing looked familiar from the ride down. At the circle of 70 & 72, it was clear that we'd gone way too far west. I was thinking, with some amusement at the irony, that we might end up in Berlin, a place "too far for me." It made some difference that I ran the circle wrong and didn't continue on 70 West but took a series of county routes before intersecting 206. As if seeing "Burlington County" on the blue route signs wasn't disturbing enough, coming across 206 prompted me to exclaim aloud, "I don't want to get home by way of Trenton! If we see signs for Voorhees, we're in big trouble."
Without hesitating, I turned up 206 and TomTom was no help, still trying to steer me towards the Turnpike further west. In short order, we intersected 537 and I was home free, 'though it would take another 30 minutes. Jeff had asked me where 130 was and I couldn't answer, but, looking at a map now, it doesn't come south enough.
As you can see from the map, 539 is only a couple of miles from the diner. What threw me off was that we drove almost the entire distance along route 72 to reach the diner, so after eating, I didn't take that into account and basically reset myself to drive that distance again before looking for 539. And, dimmed and muted, TomTom wasn't set up to save me from myself.
I missed the anniversary, not that hardly a day goes by I don't think about it:
Miracle Garden Tsunami Children's Home - December Newsletter
Miracle Garden Tsunami Children's Home - December Newsletter
I was awakened this morning around 10 by the shrill of a wet tile saw cutting tumbled marble 4 X 4's on the back step just under my bedroom window.
It's a harsh and happy sound.
They finished this wall today, as I expected. They'll work on the other wall, behind the "little sink" on Monday. It's a smaller area and less complicated, with only one accent 4 X 4 tile. They'll probably grout everything the same day and return to seal it after New Year.
The guy really has an eye for this work. Sure, it's cut correctly and it's straight. But it's also artistically laid out. It makes an impact. The tile, especially the field tile, has an effect on the eye.
But I couldn't help feeling, as I prepared dinner this evening, that I was working in an Italian restaurant ... a Jersey-Italian restaurant.
With rare exception, most of the blogs in my Bookmarks are defunct.
So I was browsing the Catholic Blog Directory for New Jersey blogs and came across a lay minister at St. David the King in Princeton Junction who leads a Bible study for Young Adults drawing from his own resources.
He remarked, in a post from late summer, that he would attend the traditional Latin Mass in Berlin. If he did, he never blogged about the experience.
I know Mater Ecclesiae parish is the "premier" setting for one who wants the "full experience." And maybe first timers owe it to themselves
So I was browsing the Catholic Blog Directory for New Jersey blogs and came across a lay minister at St. David the King in Princeton Junction who leads a Bible study for Young Adults drawing from his own resources.
He remarked, in a post from late summer, that he would attend the traditional Latin Mass in Berlin. If he did, he never blogged about the experience.
I know Mater Ecclesiae parish is the "premier" setting for one who wants the "full experience." And maybe first timers owe it to themselves
but it's too far for me. And, heck, it's too far for him, an hour each way.
I had heard that the traditional Mass moved from Immaculate Conception Parish in Eatontown, where I occasionally caught it when I lived over that way, to St. Mary's in Middletown (NJ, not NY!). But, MT isn't any closer than Berlin.
Then, to my surprise (well, almost, I know better), I noted that OLM in Englishtown started a traditional service this past October, on the 7th, actually ... naturally.
OLM has a new pastor; dear ol' Fr. V. must be finally gone.
And this pastor seems to split his time between OLM and St. Thomas More in Manalapan, in much the same way as Fr. V. used to split between OLM and St. Joe's.
I had heard, at Jim's Bible Study, over the course of a couple of Thursday nights, from a St. Thomas More parishioner that, since the word came down that extraordinary ministers were no longer permitted to purify the vessels, her parish receives communion under one species. This was implemented in her parish at the beginning of Advent, just past, with the tone that it was diocesan-wide.
So, as she's complaining about it, she's confused that we don't know what she's talking about!! Jim broke it to her gently, "It's only your parish. It's happening only in your parish, Mary Ann." How long 'til it's everywhere?!
Is it just me, or is "Roman" Catholic beginning to have a meaning of its own, and distinct from "Catholic" Catholic?
UPDATED: I spoke with the wife of a deacon assigned to this parish, a long-time friend, and she explained that the pastor sought and received training to relearn his Latin in order to celebrate the traditional liturgy. That's a positive indication, I think. I mean, the laity ought to be pleased with his commitment to them and the liturgy.
She wasn't clear on the rationale for offering holy communion under one species ... I mean, she didn't mention that Rome failed to renew the indult that permitted lay ministers to purify vessels as the principle reason.
She said I ought to talk to her husband for the fine details ... I would like to do that.
I had heard that the traditional Mass moved from Immaculate Conception Parish in Eatontown, where I occasionally caught it when I lived over that way, to St. Mary's in Middletown (NJ, not NY!). But, MT isn't any closer than Berlin.
Then, to my surprise (well, almost, I know better), I noted that OLM in Englishtown started a traditional service this past October, on the 7th, actually ... naturally.
OLM has a new pastor; dear ol' Fr. V. must be finally gone.
And this pastor seems to split his time between OLM and St. Thomas More in Manalapan, in much the same way as Fr. V. used to split between OLM and St. Joe's.
I had heard, at Jim's Bible Study, over the course of a couple of Thursday nights, from a St. Thomas More parishioner that, since the word came down that extraordinary ministers were no longer permitted to purify the vessels, her parish receives communion under one species. This was implemented in her parish at the beginning of Advent, just past, with the tone that it was diocesan-wide.
So, as she's complaining about it, she's confused that we don't know what she's talking about!! Jim broke it to her gently, "It's only your parish. It's happening only in your parish, Mary Ann." How long 'til it's everywhere?!
Is it just me, or is "Roman" Catholic beginning to have a meaning of its own, and distinct from "Catholic" Catholic?
UPDATED: I spoke with the wife of a deacon assigned to this parish, a long-time friend, and she explained that the pastor sought and received training to relearn his Latin in order to celebrate the traditional liturgy. That's a positive indication, I think. I mean, the laity ought to be pleased with his commitment to them and the liturgy.
She wasn't clear on the rationale for offering holy communion under one species ... I mean, she didn't mention that Rome failed to renew the indult that permitted lay ministers to purify vessels as the principle reason.
She said I ought to talk to her husband for the fine details ... I would like to do that.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
If you watched only one football game this year, like me, this was the one to watch ... and Jeff told me during half time that he could have gotten tickets from a guy at work ... oh!
"Sixteen and Whoa! Pats achieve perfection with one more resilient effort." - CNNSI, 12/30/07. The Giants made them earn it.
"At the very bottom of the realm of the People of Greater New England you can find Pennsylvania and New Jersey." (via) Well said.
"Sixteen and Whoa! Pats achieve perfection with one more resilient effort." - CNNSI, 12/30/07. The Giants made them earn it.
"At the very bottom of the realm of the People of Greater New England you can find Pennsylvania and New Jersey." (via) Well said.
C. S. Lewis
Why keep track of omissions? ... lex orandi, lex credendi ...
Lord,
may the power of the Spirit
make holy the gifts we place upon this altar.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
Prayer over the Gifts, 4th Sunday of Advent, Cycle A.
What will January 1st be like?!
Actually, he found that Preface less egregious as he substituted it on 12/8 for:
You allowed no stain of Adam's sin
to touch the Virgin Mary.
Full of grace, she was to be a worthy mother of your
Son, etc.
Isn't there a special place in Hell for nitpickers? Mea maxima culpa.
Would it be enough to know simply whether he's afraid of offending someone ... or whether these prayers go against his conscience? Kyrie eleison. Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis.
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