I've struggled for a while with the Church's teaching on self-defense -- and just war since the two are linked. I'm not sure how a religion that values martyrdom and eschews violence can come up with a theory that allows the killing of people. I know they are not "innocent people," but my Church teaches love for the bad as much as the good and that none of us are innocent.
With this mindset, I found myself nodding in agreement when I read this post on lethal resistance, written by an atheist blogger who recently made waves by announcing her conversion to Catholicism. Her basic point is that lethal resistance has no redemptive value for either soul involved.
My assumption here is that I need to read more Aquinas, not that the Church is wrong. If any of my faithful readers want to recommend a good read on this topic, please send it my way!
Monday, July 9, 2012
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Virile Agitur
I have a secret love for the website The Art of Manliness. It consists of posts addressing how to -- you guessed it -- be a man. Not that I am secretly trying to be a man; it just has a lot of good life advice, either that I want my male friends to take or that applies to all who seek a virtuous life. It stopped being secret approximately now because of this post that falls into the latter category.
The post is about how to feel like a man: by acting like a man. Substitute "man" and "manliness" for whatever virtue you seek, and it's a pretty good map for how to become whomever you want to be.
The post is about how to feel like a man: by acting like a man. Substitute "man" and "manliness" for whatever virtue you seek, and it's a pretty good map for how to become whomever you want to be.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Latchkey Kids and Time to Shower
When I was in undergrad and it got to be crunch time for exams and papers, or retreats and SFL events, I used to turn to Wendy and say, "I can do without sleep. But you know it's bad when you don't have time to eat, pee, or shower." (That might be the crassest language my mother has heard me use. Sorry, Mom; be assured it's just about as crass as I get.)
At the College, being busy was a badge of pride. I don't remember ever comparing GPAs (I only looked at mine when I update my resume), but we compared how much or how little we slept, the tiny amount of free time we had in a week, the number of overlapping and conflicting events each day. It was a strange, twisted form of competition: whoever is the least healthy wins. I still, unfortunately, take a twisted bit of pride in often winning.
Busted Halo had an article that referenced a Times blog about the cult of busyness in our society. Tim Kreider, who wrote the Times piece, refers himself as part of the latchkey generation, who grew up roaming wild after school, rather than jumping from activity to activity.
I'm not sure if I count as a latchkey kid, since my mother's work schedule changed throughout my school career and I was rarely home alone for hours. However, I related to Kreider's description of his childhood activities: "everything from surfing the World Book Encyclopedia to making animated films to getting together with friends in the woods to chuck dirt clods directly into one another’s eyes, all of which provided me with important skills and insights that remain valuable to this day."
Our Encyclopedias were not World Book, we wrote stories instead of animating films, and we tended to make homes under bushes rather than through dirt (the females were dominant in that group). I too learned valuable life-lessons that I am rediscovering now that I have stepped back from the life Kreider describes. (Not as dramatically as he has, but still back.)
I am discovering silence. The Busted Halo writer, Phil Fox Rose, mentions this aspect that Kreider doesn't cover. I could go on about silence, but as others already have, I will stop chattering at you and let you get to reading these two pieces and clicking the links in the Busted Halo post.
At the College, being busy was a badge of pride. I don't remember ever comparing GPAs (I only looked at mine when I update my resume), but we compared how much or how little we slept, the tiny amount of free time we had in a week, the number of overlapping and conflicting events each day. It was a strange, twisted form of competition: whoever is the least healthy wins. I still, unfortunately, take a twisted bit of pride in often winning.
Busted Halo had an article that referenced a Times blog about the cult of busyness in our society. Tim Kreider, who wrote the Times piece, refers himself as part of the latchkey generation, who grew up roaming wild after school, rather than jumping from activity to activity.
I'm not sure if I count as a latchkey kid, since my mother's work schedule changed throughout my school career and I was rarely home alone for hours. However, I related to Kreider's description of his childhood activities: "everything from surfing the World Book Encyclopedia to making animated films to getting together with friends in the woods to chuck dirt clods directly into one another’s eyes, all of which provided me with important skills and insights that remain valuable to this day."
Our Encyclopedias were not World Book, we wrote stories instead of animating films, and we tended to make homes under bushes rather than through dirt (the females were dominant in that group). I too learned valuable life-lessons that I am rediscovering now that I have stepped back from the life Kreider describes. (Not as dramatically as he has, but still back.)
I am discovering silence. The Busted Halo writer, Phil Fox Rose, mentions this aspect that Kreider doesn't cover. I could go on about silence, but as others already have, I will stop chattering at you and let you get to reading these two pieces and clicking the links in the Busted Halo post.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Sugar Buzz: Cupcakes and Cannoli
My own mother and Wendy joined Larry's mom and me for the most recent stop on the cupcake tour. We went to Sugar Buzz, a cute cupcakery and coffee shop in historic Occoquan. I had done a reconnaissance mission a few weeks ago, and the owner told me they are "the anti-Starbucks."
Rating 4 1/2
I would return because the cupcakes were good, it's close by & the owner/employees were friendly & helpful.
Price - average low @ $2.50 (was this right?).
The drinks were priced a bit high & OK. They did have bottle water sodas, fresh teas & decent coffee.
Variety small but decent.
Shop small but comfortable. It would be nice to sit outside on nice days.
Its hours are limited to Thurs - Sun.
The frosting amount, texture & sweetness were just right, not too greasy.
There could have been a little more filling on the inside. I had the boston cream. I was afraid of it being too donutnutty but it was light. Some of the cupcakes were made from pound cake instead of regular cake like mine was.
The company I was with was very good.
[Side Note: I love local coffee shops. Little, non-chain places where you order in English and can sit for hours with a book or computer and secretly people watch. In case you haven't figured it out, I am like the uncool cousin of a hipster. We are vaguely related and have some similar tendencies, but clearly do not have all of the same genes. (I have lots of real cousins, some of whom are "cool." None, as far as I know, are hipsters.)]
Larry's mom and I got cupcakes and iced coffee. The presentation was by far the least impressive we've seen: simple frosting and a few sugary sprinkles. I think I've made prettier cupcakes. However, the chocolate and white frosting on the marble cupcake called to me, so I chose it. This was a mistake on my part. I don't like marble cake. Marble cake takes two elements that stand well on their own and mixes them into a grayness of appearance and taste. That being said, the frosting upon which I based my decision was perfect and the Boston-cream filling in the center made me savor every bite. The cake was dense, which I like best, but marbled. Which you only expect when you order a marble cupcake.
Wendy went for a cannoli instead of a cupcake, and it satisfied her Italian taste buds. They apparently buy the shells and make the filling. The girl behind the counter made her first cannoli for Wendy. By this and by her difficulty making change, I am guessing she was new. In spite of slow cannoli and problematic mathematics, the service was lovely: both she and the owner were friendly, helpful, and talkative and helped accommodate a party of four, which seemed to be larger than they expected.
My main complaint about Sugar Buzz is that it is only open Thursday through Sunday. Their iced coffee was yummy and I would love to become a regular to do schoolwork there. Alas, I need a coffee shop for Monday through Wednesday.
Overall, I give Sugar Buzz a 4.5 of 5 stars. You might not believe it based on the review below, but Larry's mom and I do review these places separately.
Rating 4 1/2
I would return because the cupcakes were good, it's close by & the owner/employees were friendly & helpful.
Price - average low @ $2.50 (was this right?).
The drinks were priced a bit high & OK. They did have bottle water sodas, fresh teas & decent coffee.
Variety small but decent.
Shop small but comfortable. It would be nice to sit outside on nice days.
Its hours are limited to Thurs - Sun.
The frosting amount, texture & sweetness were just right, not too greasy.
There could have been a little more filling on the inside. I had the boston cream. I was afraid of it being too donutnutty but it was light. Some of the cupcakes were made from pound cake instead of regular cake like mine was.
The company I was with was very good.
In Defense of Doubting Thomas
Happy Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle! He has a rather negative reputation, since he is best known as "doubting Thomas." If you don't know his story, he was absent when Jesus first appeared to the Apostles after the Resurrection. He didn't believe that they had seen Jesus and told the others, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." The next week, Jesus came back and allowed Thomas to put his hands in His wounds.
Thomas may have doubted, but he got to place his hands into the wounds that saved him. Although Jesus tells Thomas, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe!" I am filled with awe at the thought of the immense privilege Thomas had. I have been contemplating the wounds of Christ lately, so this awe is part of an on-going wonderment.
Thomas experiences this wonderment. When he touches Jesus, he doesn't say, "I was wrong!" or "Sorry I didn't believe you, guys!" He exclaims with awe and reverence, "My Lord and my God!" immediately worshiping his Redeemer.
Thomas may have doubted, but he got to place his hands into the wounds that saved him. Although Jesus tells Thomas, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe!" I am filled with awe at the thought of the immense privilege Thomas had. I have been contemplating the wounds of Christ lately, so this awe is part of an on-going wonderment.
Thomas experiences this wonderment. When he touches Jesus, he doesn't say, "I was wrong!" or "Sorry I didn't believe you, guys!" He exclaims with awe and reverence, "My Lord and my God!" immediately worshiping his Redeemer.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Stop IV: Georgetown Cupcake
Although it's not in Virginia, we could not turn down the opportunity to visit Georgetown Cupcake for the tour when we passed by. It's famous (apparently on TV?) and thus constantly busy. It's a cute shop on a street corner in a cute town. The day we visited, it was full of Girl Scouts, but I don't think that's an every day occurrence. However, I think the stream of customers that created a line out of the shop was a constant, including the employee at the door handing out menus and regulating admittance to the indoors. I'm pretty sure he was responsible for creating a line on the sidewalk to make it look like an awesome place to be. Neither he nor any of the other employees seemed excited to be there. For all the shop knew it was awesome, it didn't make anyone who worked there happy.
On the upside, the cupcake element was awesome. They offer a variety of flavors that rotate throughout the weeks, months, and seasons. They are decorated gorgeously -- I'm glad I chose based on the menu rather than appearances, or else I would not have been able to decide. I had an Earl Grey Lavender cupcake. The cake tasted amazingly like earl grey tea (my favorite!), complemented by a delicate lavender icing. Whoever thought of that combination was a genius.
If I were rating just on the cupcake, they would have a higher ranking, but since I include the entire cupcake experience, they get a 4 of 5 stars. I would enjoy going back to try some of the other specialty flavors.
Larry's mom gave the same rating:
Rate 4 stars - a little too much peanut butter to taste the cake, what I could taste was light & delicious & not overly sweet.
Shop - hard to tell sense they run off their TV reputation. It seemed quaint, but assembly line w/no personally. If you want to just get a cupcake & go, this is your place.
Size - average small
Price - Average.
On the upside, the cupcake element was awesome. They offer a variety of flavors that rotate throughout the weeks, months, and seasons. They are decorated gorgeously -- I'm glad I chose based on the menu rather than appearances, or else I would not have been able to decide. I had an Earl Grey Lavender cupcake. The cake tasted amazingly like earl grey tea (my favorite!), complemented by a delicate lavender icing. Whoever thought of that combination was a genius.
If I were rating just on the cupcake, they would have a higher ranking, but since I include the entire cupcake experience, they get a 4 of 5 stars. I would enjoy going back to try some of the other specialty flavors.
Larry's mom gave the same rating:
Rate 4 stars - a little too much peanut butter to taste the cake, what I could taste was light & delicious & not overly sweet.
Shop - hard to tell sense they run off their TV reputation. It seemed quaint, but assembly line w/no personally. If you want to just get a cupcake & go, this is your place.
Size - average small
Price - Average.
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