Pandora has a way of surprising me…but I was astonished when a blues track called “Six Cold Feet” came streaming by. It was good, and the singer was one I wasn’t familiar with. I glanced at the Pandora widget on my desktop, and discovered that the singer was…Hugh Laurie. Yup. Bertie Wooster sings the blues. Dr. House is in the house. And it turns out he’s recorded a couple of albums of material. I’m downloading Let Them Talk as I... Read more
I stretched my legs and studied the intricate architecture of the building. It was a remarkably depressing structure considering how much good the Nelsons were trying to accomplish. The building was hideously dark. The walls were thick blocky stone, with carved designs on the edges, and the look was completed by the pair of massive stone gargoyles that sat on the building’s roof. “Maybe it’s the setting? This place looks more like a haunted castle than an institution dedicated to... Read more
My latest at CatholicMom.com. Mary and Joseph had no idea, as they gathered their things and took up their infant son for the long walk to Jerusalem, that they were going to be an answer to prayer, and would be the redeemers of God’s promise to Simeon. But they went in obedience, and in His providence God used their obedience in ways they would never have imagined. Read more
I’m coming to late to reviewing this one; I first Larry Correia’s Monster Hunter International a couple of years ago, and then again later, and then again this past week. Gosh, it’s a lot of fun. Occasionally horrific; frequently violent; and not at all to be take seriously. We begin with accountant Owen Z. Pitt, who has arrived at work for a date with destiny…or, at least, with his evil pointy-haired-boss, who acquired an all-over case of hirsutism during a... Read more
I first posted this on my old blog, a couple of years ago. I’m reviving it for this week’s Summer Symposium on the Family, in preparation for the Bishop’s Synod on the Family this October. The following chart shows why discussing marriage with others who do not share your presuppositions is fraught with peril. I suspect that most people’s notions of marriage form a subset of the items on the chart. Trouble is, for two different people the overlap can... Read more
In last week’s selection from Lumen Fidei, Pope Francis talked about how faith spreads from one person to another, as light spreads from one candle to another at the Easter Vigil mass. In paragraphs 38 and 39, he talks about this light spreads through time, from generation to generation: The transmission of the faith not only brings light to men and women in every place; it travels through time, passing from one generation to another. Because faith is born of... Read more
This was first posted in April of 2005. And it’s all true. I’ve reviewed Kipling’s Just So Stories before, back in 2001 when I was reading them to David. After that they got put on the shelf, not to be taken down again until we were reading Prince Caspian. There were several evenings when David wasn’t available at story-time, and on those evenings I needed something different. I scanned the shelves, and Aha! This book fell right into my hand.... Read more
Fridays are usually for music; but my nephew showed me this delightful bit of British nonsense the other day, and it’s too good to keep to myself. Meet the crime fighting duo of the Angel Summoner and the BMX Bandit! Read more
A little old woman came hobbling along, her crooked cane feeling for the cracks between the slick cobblestones. Because she had a black cloak huddled around her and a black cowl over her head— and so seemed a part of the dark fog— one of the merchants almost collided with her in the shadows. He helped her around a slimy puddle and grinned commiseratingly when she complained in a quavering voice about the condition of the street and the manifold... Read more
The other day I saw a blog post (I don’t remember where) in which a Muslim friend accompanied the blogger to mass, and said, “If I really thought God was in that gold box, I’d fall on my face in worship. I’d be afraid to stand up.” I’ve seen similar sentiments ascribed to Gandhi, and the challenge is clear: if we Catholics truly believe that the bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, why don’t... Read more
Cry 'Woof'
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