I was supposed to be at a memorial service. My great aunt passed away this year– the one who tried to rescue a family of blacksnakes from a hole in the plaster. They held her memorial service in Yellow Springs this weekend and I wanted to attend. The circumstances came together so that I could: one friend generously got me a hotel room in Columbus, so I wouldn’t have to drive all the way there and back in one... Read more
This has nothing to do with abortion. The conversation did start while discussing the Texas abortion law, about which I’ve already said quite a bit. but then it meandered. I got into a tiff with a troll who was pleased with the abortion law, because it would punish the right people and make them suffer. I don’t want to make people suffer, I want to help people to do the right thing, and I didn’t see the law doing that.... Read more
Quite a few strict and grouchy conservative public Catholics have gone off the deep end lately. Maybe this is the kind of thing you only notice if you spend too much time on social media, as I do. On social media, there are a lot of jaw-clenching Traditionalist Catholics having crises of faith in public. They don’t just believe conspiracy theories about the Pope anymore; they think he ruined everything and there’s no Church left. Last night my friends and... Read more
Saturday we went to the beach. It might be the last time this year. We can still swim indoors, and do whenever we have a few dollars for the rec center. But it’s nicest to go swimming at the lake. It was warm, but the water was cool. The air smells and sounds like early Autumn. Early Autumn smells like dry leaves– you can smell the change weeks before you see it. Early Autumn feels like air that is... Read more
It’s been a remarkably hard week, even by my standards. Saturday I got a notice from the city that my lawn was too high, and I’d get a ticket if it wasn’t mowed. We have to mow the lawn very rarely because of how our psychotic neighbor attacks us when we do. Michael went out to mow the lawn so we’d be in compliance with city ordinances, and we were punished with the neighbor having a dangerous flailing tantrum... Read more
I want to say a few words about the new abortion law in Texas. As we all know, I don’t enjoy writing about abortion because I don’t like it when pro-life people scream that I’m a baby killer who deserves to be be publicly humiliated and denied communion while pro-choice people call me a Nazi who deserves to get raped. I am a Catholic who believes that the unborn child has personhood and deserves to live, but I also realize... Read more
On Thursday I went to get the car back from the towing company’s lot. My friend took the morning of her day off to drive me, chatting reassuringly about how everybody gets in an accident within the first six months of having a car. We drove off the main road to find the towing company. I can’t find words to describe how quickly northern Appalachia turns rural, once you drive off the main road. One moment you’re in a world... Read more
The discourse on Catholic social media has turned to fat and fat shaming lately. A prominent Catholic celebrity who got famous in a dubious way is tut-tutting fat people, sharing details about their “weight loss journey,” enumerating the pounds they’ve lost, warning us we’re going to die, and promising to help us get in shape, and it’s drawn quite a bit of attention. I have something to say on this topic. I tried to tweet it, but it’s a little... Read more
The day started out badly, and then it got worse. The anxiety from the situation with the menacing neighbor had been gnawing my stomach all weekend. I was unable to eat. I had panic attacks in church. I kept thinking everything was starting to clear up, and then I’d hear her hateful screen door slam open and the hateful dog’s chain leash rattling in the yard and my heart would start to race. And all the while with my usual... Read more
I’d like to say another word about my old pal Abby Johnson, whom I’ve been trying to avoid noticing since she was photographed at the Capitol Riot this January. Specifically I want to address her statements about her family’s recent bout of COVID-19, and the dubious treatments they took to ease their suffering. I need to tread lightly here, because Facebook didn’t like my last post about vaccines. In fact, they grumpily deleted it and claimed it was anti-vax because... Read more
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