“Boys call up girls and say, ‘Would you like to go to a blogwatch?’And the girls say, ‘Yes, I would like that very much.’Have you come to take me to a blogwatch, Linus?”“Good grief, no!”“…Isn’t he the cutest thing.” Amy Welborn: Amazing Easter pictures from around the world. And the same for Good Friday. And: “I didn’t want to be a Catholic, but I couldn’t get away from it. It was a feeling that when I went against it, it... Read more

I HAVE DRIFTED OUT OF THE ARENA OF THE UNWELL, but into the arena of the Triduum, so expect no further posts until Easter Monday. At that point, I should have movie reviews, a blogwatch, a fast-breaking kitchen adventure, and Something Unexpected, as well as whatever else shuffles across my keyboard. Until then: the Anima Christi. Read more

TWO LINKS: Unqualified Offerings looks at his March 2003 archives; and Disputed Mutability begins a series on “Why I Forsook Gay Identity.” DM is extremely forthright, and always worth reading. I’m grateful that a kind of obnoxiously short and elliptical post from me spurred her to put her own thoughts down at length. Plus, c’mon–how can you resist “forsook”? Read more

YOU’RE GONNA NEED SOMEONE ON YOUR SIDE: Catholics talk a lot about the need to pick up your cross and follow Christ. And that isn’t wrong. But I wonder if they notice that Christ Himself didn’t carry His cross alone? He had St. Simon of Cyrene, a.k.a. some dude. He had someone he didn’t know, not an apostle, not anyone expected–just a guy, shanghai’d into carrying the Cross that would bring life to sinners. Someone needed him–and responding to that... Read more

Claudia waved one hand in the air to get everyone’s attention. “I think that’s a myth,” she announced. “There is no lesbian in the world that could hate men the way straight women do.”–Dorothy Allison, “Talking to Straight People,” Skin: Talking About Sex, Class, and Literature Read more

WE ALL FEEL BETTER IN THE DARK: Unless we’re watching the movies Netflix has sent me recently. Why did I put together such a depressing line-up?? Anyway, the report: The Battle of Algiers: Documentary-style movie about terrorists vs. torturers in the last years of French rule in Algeria. The black and white graininess is amazing–b&w; is made for faces–and the characters are totally compelling. I don’t really have anything to say about this other than that you should watch it.... Read more

Mirrors on the ceilings, and blogwatch on ice… The Agitator: A reader asks, “Is there an organization advocating against paramilitary raids as a specialty? More generally, who [ACLU?] can one support that in some way is fighting against these daily raids?” Church of the Masses: Pictures from Gethsemane. Grylliade: More horror songs! (And yes, the title of this post is also a suggestion.) Hit & Run: “When I went into [Stasi chief Erich] Mielke’s office, I saw it had the... Read more

HOW DOES IT FEEL NOW YOU’VE BEEN UNDRESSED/BY A MAN WITH A MIND LIKE THE GUTTER PRESS: So, “Wilde,” starring Stephen Fry as aforementioned and Jude Law as co-respondent. Some thoughts: 1. It was a lot less sentimental than I expected. Admittedly, this is a bar so low Namor gets drunk here every night, but still. I loved the first and final scenes. Only the on-the-nose use of “The Selfish Giant” conformed fully to my expectations. 2. No, let’s back... Read more

Fights blogwatch withbigger blogwatch– Family Scholars: Hee! The Rat: “For Couples, Reaction to Good News Matters More than Reaction to Bad.” [You’re taking relationship advice from a rat?–ed. We treat them all as equals, just like any other pest!] Read more

DAPPLED THINGS will have a print edition! You can subscribe here to the Catholic lit/arts magazine foolish enough to publish one of my short stories. Read more