California Diary: Tuesday Night--Dinner at Bouchon

OK, so I'm not going to write about Monday/Tuesday on the Jeopardy set--at least, not yet. I am saving all those things for when the episode actually airs in July so I do not risk giving away trade secrets pre episode air. But the episode airs July 18--that's a Monday night--so write it down!

However, I will continue to tell you about our trip--sans Jeopardy.

So Tuesday we had dinner at Bouchon, one of Thomas Keller's restaurants. Even if you're not a "foodie", you know who Thomas Keller is if you watch movies--he was a consultant for Disney/Pixar's Ratatouille and designed the version of the title dish that you see in the film (he was also the voice of a patron). He also worked on Spanglish to create "The world's best sandwich" for Adam Sandler's character. Finally, he's the creator of the insanely popular and acclaimed French Laundry restaurtant in Yountville, CA, as well as other restaurants Bouchon, Bouchon Bakery, Per Se, Ad Hoc, and Addendum.

We weren't anywhere close to Yountville--but there is a Bouchon in Beverly Hills, and Mary and I love French bistro food, which is what is served here--and it's reasonably priced (especially for a Thomas Keller restaurant--Dinner at Per Se can be over $1,000, with wine). So we decided that this would be our Tuesday night dinner.

In the Beverly Hills Canon park before dinner 

The restaurant didn't open until 6, and we were there early, so we went to the connecting Bouchon Bakery for some treats and coffee.

The book is full of exquisite macaroons, which were eaten later ;-) 

It was really an exquisite night--just perfect--so when we had the option of eating on Bouchon's patio, which overlooked the park, we jumped at it.

The menu is classically French bistro food, and it was so hard to decide! We started with a three-piece cheese plate, because we need cheese, we love cheese, cheese is a wonderful thing--I can't say enough good things about cheese. 

I felt a lot like Remy in Ratatouille here, saying things like, "Oh! If you combine the cheese with the honey AND the cranberry, it's AMAZING!" And all sorts of those things. I was waiting for the little flavor animations from the movie to pop up.

After the cheese, we ordered our wine (A glass of Cote du Rhone for each of us, please!), and our mains. Mary got the croque madame (a ham and cheese sandwich with an egg, basically), and I ordered the lamb shank special, which was served with ratatouille (I mean, come on! I Had to get it!). 

Our waiter was so attentive, and so fabulous--he was really the creme de la creme of waiters. We had a great meal with him. For dessert, I ordered chocolate ice cream, and Mary ordered profiteroles. The chocolate ice cream was the pinnacle of chocolate ice cream. It's exactly what you want/think chocolate ice cream should be.

When I drink wine, it needs to be documented, because I don't drink it all that often 

The meal was so great, and the atmosphere so relaxing, that neither of us really wanted the meal to end. But end it must--and we were going to Disneyland tomorrow, after all ;-). 

What's the best vacation meal you've ever had? 

California Diary: Saturday/Sunday

Salinas--Steinbeck Country--from the plane 

Saturday was interesting

I've never had bad luck flying in my life--I've never even had a late flight  But the Saturday we left for California, we had a flight was six hours late  Instead of getting to LAX at 4:25 PST, we got there at 10:30 or so, PST

And my bag was lost

So basically, I got all the bad luck except for a cancelled flight in one trip

Saturday, the flight was six hours late--a "mechanical problem" whatever that meant in actuality  What it meant in reality was that we got to Oakland late, and we had to change planes--when originally we didn't have a transfer  So Mary and I bolted down the empty hallways of the Oakland airport at what felt like 1 AM to us, for the flight to LAX

We got to LAX, and as I thought, my bag hadn't made the trip So I had to fill out the form in the baggage office, and we hailed a cab and got to our hotel, where we had no problems and received warm cookies, and fell into bed around 2 AM our time--11 PST

Since my bag hadn't arrived when we woke up the next morning, Mary went to Mass by herself and I stayed back in the room since I didn't have anything else to wear to Mass, and I didn't want to go in the outfit I'd worn yesterday--and let's not even talk about my hair 

After checking with the front desk a few times, it was revealed that my bag HAD been delivered at 3 AM--but the front desk forgot to tell me  So I retrieved it around 11 AM, took a real shower, put on clean clothes, and felt human again

After Mary got back, we decided to tour Hollywood, so our first stop was the Ghirardelli chocolate shop in Hollywood, so I could do some pin trading!

The pin trader sundae at Ghirardelli--you get to customize it

For those of you who don't know what pin trading is--basically it's like baseball/hockey cards, except, with pins The pins depict Disney characters/rides/hotels/theme parks--anything Disney-and you can trade them at the parks, with cast members, with other collectors, and online Pins from the Ghirardelli shop are especially prized, because you can't get them anywhere but this shop in Hollywood So I had to go and get my own Pin Trader Sundae Pin I got Winston, the butler from Oliver and Company

After ice cream, we walked some of the Walk of Fame, and went to the Dolby Theater, where the Academy Awards are held  One of my favorite things about this was that the best picture winners are arranged on the pillars, by year--and the pillars go until 2071! 

(One thing about the Walk of Fame--you have to pay to have a star there  A committee decides who will be offered a star, but the star (or the star's company) put up around $30,000 to get the star put on the Walk of Fame  Donald Trump has one, and man, that star was getting a lot of abuse, so I guess his $30K will go toward keeping it free of graffiti, which tells everyone exactly what people are thinking about Donald these days) 

We decided to have dinner at Santa Monica Seafood, which was a great decision  I had an exquisite salmon fillet, and it was a beautiful spot  I had no idea that roses grew so well, so close to the ocean  Obviously, I knew the Rose Bowl and Rose Parade were in Pasadena, which isn't too far away, but the sheer extravagance and variety of roses that were everywhere we went was overwhelming

Look at those striped roses! These were in Santa Monica Seafood 

On Monday, I had rehearsal at the Sony studio (which was actually also a potential tape day, although I didn't know that then)--so we went back to the hotel and I was in bed pretty quickly, since I had to get up around 6:15 the next morning!

Back from the West Coast

The Pacific Ocean at Santa Monica Beach

So, I'm back--and with a computer that has a period key that doesn't work!

So no, I'm not experimenting with new fun forms of punctuation--I'm going to get it fixed soon--but I wanted to pop in here and say that I'm back and I can't wait to share my adventures and California thoughts with all of you!

Obviously, I can't say what happened during my Jeopardy adventure, but I can tell you that the episode will air July 18 (That's a Monday)--so write it down now! :) 

As I've done in previous travelogues, I'll take you through each day, and I'll have a final post with everything we did and my recommendations, if you're traveling to the LA/SoCal area and want to know what I thought was a good bet for food/fun/etc

One thing that was definitely a good bet, though? 

Oh, I was dazzled, Olaf--totally!

Daybook No 118

Outside my window::

it was really sunny and blue skied earlier, but now it's clouded up. Might rain later? 

Wearing::

Jeans and a Boden striped top. I love these things. 

In the CD player:

Audrey Assad's Inheritance.

Dinner: 

Chicken piccata with herbed basmati rice. There's not a lot of cooking going on this week since I'm leaving on Saturday for LA. I'm basically trying to use up all the perishables. 

On my mind::

LA. Packing, the taping, packing, driving a car around LA......all sorts of things. I'm working on iTunes playlists for the flight and books. It's a seven hour flight--the longest I've ever been on. So that's sort of exciting but also--gotta make sure I've got my reading material ready. I can't bring too many hard copy books because my suitcase is going to be pretty full, what with the clothes I need for taping and then the clothes I Need for a week in LA, plus things for the beach and Disneyland (and all that). I'm generally a pretty minimalistic packer--I can do a 3 day trip with just my Vera Bradley Large Duffel bag and my backpack. But this time it's proving sort of challenging. When you're going to be on TV in front of the entire country, it can inspire the Overpacking Tendency! I'm trying to rebel against that 

Reading::

The Contemplative Hunger, Little House in the Big Woods (because why not), and my LA/SoCal travel books .

Fitness:

I have gone to TWO Barre3 classes! My first one was last Thursday, and I was very sore for the next day or two.  My second was yesterday and that was a lot better--I mean, it was still hard, but I can walk today. :) I have my third class on Thursday. There is a Barre3 studio in Santa Barbara, where we're planning on taking a day trip, but I think I'll just "be on vacation"--and I'm sure to get enough physical activity in during this next week. The great thing about this workout is the modifications. I can't hold a regular plank for two minutes--but I can if I'm doing it at the barre instead of on the floor. (The skin graft on the wrist really cut down on the flexibility and strength in my hand and wrist area.) Modifications are awesome, as the instructor said yesterday--and I'm not the only one who takes them. Even better. 

I have to fight against the tendency I have to not want to do things I'm not good at. Math is a prime example of this. I'm terrible at math. But Dad would tell me there were some areas, like algebra, where I really wasn't bad. Part of it was I just didn't want to learn--and the other part is, my brain doesn't work that way. But in this case, I have to realize that anyone who starts anything is not perfect in the beginning. It's that way with sports, art, writing, music--whatever. So I'm trying to be nicer to myself instead of demanding PERFECTION immediately. 

Potential Travel Ideas: 

This is what we've worked out so far: 

Sunday: Mass, the Getty, LA Farmers' Market

Monday: Hollywood 

Wednesday: Disneyland!

Friday: Santa Barbara Day Trip

I'm so excited to be going, and the weather looks perfect--low 70s. No jacket, no sweating like crazy. Win!

Writing:

I think I've reached the end of revisions on my 2014 NaNo novel. Now I have to go back and put a solid ending on my 2015 NaNo novel. And fill in parts of the 2013 NaNo novel. 
And I'm still shopping the memoir manuscript. So, I'm not lacking for things to write, over here!

Have you been to LA/SoCal? Any places we shouldn't miss? 

What do you pack in your carryon when you fly? 

Seven Quick Takes No. 109

I. 

I leave for California in eight days. That's right guys. EIGHT DAYS. So today I'm getting my hair trimmed in anticipation of its TV appearance, and then I really have to start packing in earnest. I have a list, and I have some things laid out, but the time has come to Get Things Into Bags and Make Sure It All Fits. The fortunate thing is that it's going to be pretty mild, weather wise, so I won't need to pack a huge variety of non-show clothes. 

II. 

Of course I also want to do fun things while I'm in LA, so I'm trying to narrow down that list as well. I'm a little sad that the ocean will probably be too cold to swim in, and the air temperature won't be warm enough to necessitate a plunge into freezing Pacific Waters. But hey...it's the beach! 

III. 

In case you're late to this party--I'm going to be a Jeopardy contestant, so that's why I'm going to California. Obviously, that is paramount in the scheduling. I'm trying not to freak out too much. I mean, I have performance experience, so crowds don't bother me, and I've done quiz show things before (Thanks, College Bowl!) so I've worked buzzers and such. I just haven't done it on national television. I'd like to not totally screw up. And no, I can't tell you how I did. I can tell you when the episode will air--but you don't get to know how I did in advance. Lips are zipped. It's a rule!

IV.

I turned 34 last Saturday and while it was snowy and cold, it was still a fun day. We had dinner at PF Chang's, which involved Birthday Cake flavored ice cream, chocolate cake, and honey shrimp, so that's always good, and my family. Melanie was in Texas, sadly, but I did get her gift. :) 

V.

I went to my first Barre3 class yesterday and while I am sore today, it was a good workout and the teacher was great. I've scheduled three more classes for next week before I leave because going to be on TV. So, you know. Even though you won't see much of me on said TV, I have some pride here people. :-P

VI.

I love Colonial Williamsburg, and I especially love their adorable sheep! If you like adorable things, check out this story about Baby Lamb Edmund. 

VII. 

If you have any suggestions on things to do/see/eat when I'm in Southern California, let me know! I don't want to miss anything good!

Yarn Along No. 46

Iiiiittt'ssss....

Yarn Along time! :) 

(I feel like being dramatic today.)

So today--still working on this square, although I'm pondering making it into a blanket. Because it can't be that hard, right, to sew the little knitted squares together? And that would be fun and useful. I love blankets.  (If you have a good source on how to sew the squares together, please let me know!) 

This book......it's a tricky one. I read it through once and thought what just happened. The author says in his note that it's supposed to be a retelling of The Magic Flute (The Mozart opera) but it's.....not. Sure, the title is one of the character's names. But it doesn't really work. 

So I finished it, and I was totally confused, so I think I need to read it again and see if I am confused because I just wasn't paying enough attention. I know. I'm weird. I'll re-read a book that may or may not have been good the first time around. Anyone else read it and can help me out? 

Definitions

A week or so ago, I read a piece on the site The Mighty, which is where people talk about life with chronic illness-or their lives with a family member who has it. I can't find the link for this particular story, but it was written by a mother who talked about how her daughter's illness did define her--and she was sort of glad it did. 

I gotta say, I don't agree. 

I'm a lot of things. 

I'm Catholic. I'm a girl. I'm an American. I'm a dramatic contralto. I'm mathematically impaired. I'm near-sighted. 

These are all things I would list before I say "I'm a girl with a lung transplant." "I'm a girl with CF." "I'm a girl who can't hear."

Why in the world would you want to describe yourself by what you are not, or by what is wrong with you? Why define yourself in a negative way?

There was a student at my college who had a chronic illness. But unlike me, this person definite him/her self (yeah, I'm being really vague, here) by the illness. It was the first thing his professors knew about him. It was the thing she led with. 

This repelled me. My professors didn't know anything about my health until I was in the ICU for two weeks and I was missing class. Then I  (well, my parents) told them. 

Sure, there are things that I can't do. But why would you define yourself that way? "I can't do differential equations." "I can't spell." "I can't swim." Why in the world is any of that important? 

I'm not tossing out the old rag "everyone can do whatever they want!" "You can be anything you want to be!" Because that's crap. It's not true. I can't play in the WNBA. I can't be a swimmer like Michael Phelps. I can't be a prima ballerina. 

Everyone has limitations. It's part of life. None of us are perfect. But why you would lead with that, or make that the focal point of your life, is beyond me. I don't get it.

Is this part of me? Well, yeah. It's a part of me like my hair color or my eye color or my height. But I don't let those things tell me who I am, and that's not what I lead with at a party. 

Pre-transplant, I never really talked about my CF in public at all. Now, I do it because I want to spread awareness of organ donation. But I also think that's there's a fine line between talking about it/raising awareness, and over-talking it to death, and making it the KEY POINT IN EVERYTHING. 

If I could tell parents of kids with chronic illness one thing, it would be to let your kids live their lives as normally as possible. Don't coddle them. Don't make them afraid of life. Don't baby them. And also--tell them that they are more than the strange outcome of their genetics or malfunctioning cells. Yes, they might need some accommodation. Yes, they might not be able to do everything everyone else in their class can do. But that doesn't make them less. Don't define yourself by your limitations. 

Yarn Along No. 45

So, here we are, back to the Wednesday Yarn Along!

I'm on the second book of the Mitford series, and I'm really liking them. They remind me of Alexander McCall Smith's books--everyday happenings, people living lives in their small towns, but you can't stop reading about them and immersing yourself in their world. Mitford is the American version of the Gabarone or Edinburgh of McCall Smith's stories. 

 (And yes....using up that washcloth yarn!) 

Daybook No. 117--Birthday week!

Outside my window::

Sunny! Bright! Yay! 

In the CD player::

Audrey Assad's various CDs

Reading:: 

I finished At Home in Mitford last night, and I liked it, notwithstanding the incorrect stuff about transplants (no, an organ cannot come form anywhere in the world......we aren't that speedy yet!). I've started The Light In the Window (the second one in the series). For church reading, I've started The Contemplative Hunger, and I'm already underlining bunches of things, so that's a good sign. 

Hearing::

The dishwasher clank and churn. 

Wearing::

jeans, a scoopneck long-sleeved t-shirt. Nothing exciting. It's still cold here, which isn't a surprise to me; the day I was born, Columbus had a blizzard. So really, April can either be really hot, or really cold, or wildly swing between two extremes in the course of a few hours!

Around the house::

Just the general stuff, but the tail end of spring cleaning, too--the fridge and freezer. Whee!

Pondering:

Birthdays. I love birthdays. I always have--and not just mine. I like getting older. I mean, I might not like all the gray hairs I find, but even those, I enjoy because I'm around to have them--and then I pull them out. 

Guys, really, birthdays are awesome. You should like them, and celebrate them. 

this week's kitchen table flowers

From the kitchen:

I made this for dinner last night. It's amazing. I use mild cheddar and totally add the goat cheese at the end. It makes the soup so much better. Yeah, it's April, but it's still soup weather--see above!

For the rest of this week:

Curry with applies

Meatloaf

Shrimp in some incarnation. 

Out on Saturday for my birthday. :) (Saturday is my actual birthday)

Also, Saturday is......OUTLANDER DAY!!!!!! It's back! Season 2, huzzah! A most excellent birthday gift. 

(If you haven't read Outlander yet.....do it. Really. It's good!) 

Planning::

For California. There's a lot of logistical details still to be decided, including the ever-important questions of "What will I wear?!" and "How many books can I pack?!" 

Clothes? What are these clothes you speak of? 

The answer to the last question is probably "not many", because I'm going to need to pack beach stuff, and walking around for long periods of time stuff, plus the Jeopardy stuff (and a garment back), and etc. Sigh. I do have an iPad but I like real books for reading by the pool and the beach. I'm sure I'll figure something out. This is a good problem to have, right? I'd much rather pack for the beach and LA than for a hospital stay!

How was your Easter and the week after? Is it Spring where you are? 

Seven Quick Takes No. 108: Tribute to Mother Angelica

I've loved Mother Angelica for a long time. When I heard of her passing on Easter Sunday, that seemed very appropriate to me--I hope she is enjoying the Easter Season with the one she loved so much!

So, in her honor, today's quick takes are seven of my favorite Mother Angelica quotes. Enjoy. 

I. 

You have to enjoy this life without resting in it. You have to have zest for life but a desire for heaven. And you must see God in all things, realizing that He transcends them all. 

II. 

You're never alone. You must feel safe, always safe, and sure that whatever He does with you or for you, He can be trusted. 

III. 

It sends me up a wall when people say, "If you have more faith you could be healed." What is this faith business in their minds? Some kind of magic formula?...God is not your personal slot machine! Faith breeds a humility that is willing to accept the truth that the Father has revealed to us through His Son Jesus, knowledge that Christ is the Lord, and a deep realization that within the soul dwells the Spirit...The fruit of faith is to change your life.

IV. 

Holiness is not for wimps and the cross is not negotiable, sweetheart, it's a requirement.

V. 

Sometimes I am so cold and in such darkness that I merely look to Heaven and plead for light. That's a prayer of faith. A lot of people think faith is all joy. Well, I don't. Faith is sometimes scary. There are many moments in life where you are uncertain about which way to go. That kind of faith is hard. There's a type of darkness in Faith, not the darkness that comes from sin, but the darkness that necessitates trust. 

VI. 

Know that when trials come you way they are meant to prune you. Don't say, "God is punishing me." God has more to do with His day that run around with a baseball bat hitting you over the head.

VII. 

Try to laugh a lot, because life is funny and everybody today is too serious. The only tragedy in the world, my friend, is sin. 

(Bonus!)

VIII. 

Faith is one foot on the ground, one foot in the air, and a queasy feeling in the stomach. You don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, but you do know that His Presence and His Providence rise before the dawn, and that's all you need to know. 

Triduum Notes: Holy Saturday, Washcloths, and Sin

On Holy Saturday, I had a revelation in the bath tub.

Well, not actually in the tub. Getting out of it. 

My parents and I were going to the Vigil Mass that night, so I was washing my hair in preparation for that. I got out of the tub and began to comb my hair. 

I finished combing my hair, put it up into a wet, drippy bun, and noticed that the tub had some standing water in it. Why isn't it draining? 

I went over to look, and saw that one of my knitted washcloths had fallen from its perch, and was suctioned to the drain, stopping the water from flowing. 

And as I took the washcloth away and the water began to drain, I thought, That's what sin is. Sin is that washcloth. 

The washcloth was permeable--some water was getting through, but not enough to keep the water flowing freely. Sin is that washcloth. Venial sin doesn't stop us from having grace, or receiving grace--but it's hard for it to get through, the more sin is piled up. Mortal sin is like the drain being completely closed--nothing is getting through. 

Removing the washcloth allowed the tub to drain quickly. Going to confession opens the channel up again, and grace flows freely. 

OK, it's probably a bit of a labored metaphor. But that's what hit me, as I was drying myself off on Holy Saturday. 

We normally didn't go to the Vigil, but this year we decided to break tradition. 

The Vigil is in four parts, and it starts with the Service of Light, when the Paschal candle is carved and lit. For maximum impact, obviously, we start when it's dark. But also for liturgical reasons--we're anticipating Christ's resurrection, which happened before dawn on Easter Sunday. So the Mass can only begin after sunset. 

There are nine readings, telling us the history, which tell us the whole history of salvation, and the gorgeous Exsultet is sung: "O happy fault, o necessary sin of Adam, which gained for us so great a redeemer!" 

This is also the night that the Church gains new members. At the Mass we attended, 18 people joined the Catholic Church, which is definitely something to celebrate! 

The Mass takes a few hours, so I didn't get to bed until after midnight. It was such a clear, beautiful night--so many constellations were visible. It was a great way to ring in the Easter season (which is 50 days of celebration, until Pentecost.)

The great week of singing, the Octave of Easter with its incessant "Alleluias," begins...and then we're off and rolling, into {fifty} days of Easter. --Kathleen Norris, The Cloister Walk

 

Triduum notes: Good Friday

“I have finally come to Good Friday on its own terms. It is the morning after, the coming-to. Last night we feasted with our dearest friends and now we wake to find that for the dearest of them, Jesus himself, death is imminent. We gather in the harsh light of morning, the harsh light of grief.”

— Kathleen Norris, The Cloister Walk

Good Friday is the only day of the year in which there is no Mass.  On the day of the ultimate sacrifice, we don't recreate that sacrifice in our liturgy. Instead, the service for Good Friday (which used to be called MOPS--Mass of the Pre-Sanctified) is divided into three parts. As Richard John Neuhaus wrote in Death on a Friday Afternoon, things in this story happen in threes. 

I adore the first reading--Isaiah's Suffering Servant. I wrote out the entire first reading here. I was born on Good Friday, so maybe that's why I'm so attached to this reading, and this liturgy as a whole. 

The veneration of the cross is my favorite part. If you've never seen it done, essentially the priest takes a crucifix (or a cross, depending on what the church has) and the people come up to kiss, bow, prostrate themselves before it, or otherwise honor the cross. It's a BIG cross--don't think any sort of wall-sized crucifixes here. Ours is about five or six feet and it's beautiful. Everyone can come up and individually venerate the cross as he or she wants. Watching the kids do it--kiss Jesus' pierced feet, or his knees, which are right about at eye level with them--is always a touching part of this. During this the choir sings the reproaches and some hymnody. All music is unaccompanied today.  The church itself is very stark: no altar cloths, no candles, no statues on the altar. It's all removed. 

At St. Pat's, we do the tre ore--the three hour reflection on the Seven Last Words of Jesus. It's three hours (not continuous) of meditations on Jesus' death, and what His last words to us were. The priests take turns giving the meditations, because they're also hearing confessions from noon to 2:45. 

I'm very solemn on Good Friday. I come home and watch The Passion of the Christ, and I have a small dinner, but generally I don't do anything other than read, pray, and attend service. 

Triduum notes: Holy Thursday

Holy Thursday is sometimes called Maundy Thursday, from the word mandatum, "mandate", referencing the order Jesus gave His disciples after washing their feet.

At my parish, the feet of 12 men are washed, and it's usually the Dominican community (we currently have four priests and one cooperator brother in residence, but we usually get one or two extra with us for the triduum), the altar boys (we only have altar boys), and, if that's not enough, the lector or another man from the congregation. The pastor then washes one foot of each man, while the choir sings. It's done reverently and relatively quickly (meaning it's not a slog to go through--everyone's got this down to a science, by now). 

Of course, this Mass also celebrates the Institution of the Eucharist, which is the focus of Mass (which is the "source and summit" of our Catholic lives). Our Eucharistic beliefs are really one of the richest parts of Catholicism for me. 

My freshman year in college, I was a member of the debate team. And my debate partner (there were two people on a "team", so our team had a few different teams) and I would debate a lot more than just our assigned debate topics, like famine in the Horn of Africa. He wasn't Catholic, and he had questions about Catholicism. 

One night after practice, we went to the campus library and headed to the second floor, where the Bibles were kept. We laid them out on one of the tables and went at it for a few hours, until the library closed. (This is the sort of thing I like doing, by the way.) 

Proofs for Transubstantiation aren't hard to find; John 6 immediately springs to mind. I brought that up with my partner. "It's just a metaphor!"

"Jesus knew when to use metaphor and simile. He does it all the time. The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed. Or a fine pearl. But he doesn't do that here. He's pretty explicit. And wouldn't He have had to clarify his remarks, since, to the Jews he was talking to, He's suggesting something crazy radical? Jews don't have anything to do with flesh and blood together. They're freaking out here. But Jesus doesn't say, 'wait, you guys, you're wrong! It's a metaphor!'"

"But that's what it is. It's just bread and wine!" 

If it's just a symbol, than to hell with it (as Flannery O'Connor said).  To Catholics, the entire Mass is built around the Eucharistic sacrifice--the moment of transubstantiation. (This means, by the way, that when the bread and wine are consecrated ["This is my Body", "This is my Blood"] they become the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ, even though they look like plain old wafers and wine. 

I love the Eucharist, so I generally love Holy Thursday Mass, because we're celebrating the institution of that Sacrament. Not only is it theologically rich, but we also get to sing one of my Favorite Catholic Songs, the Pange Lingua. (Written by a Dominican, incidentally--Go Thomas Aquinas!) 

In the triduum, Mass doesn't "end" the way it normally does--the Triduum Masses/services are all one big liturgy. So after the Prayer After Communion, the Sacrament is taken, in procession, to an altar of repose, usually decorated to resemble a garden (like Gethsemane). The Eucharist isn't reserved in the Tabernacle--the Tabernacle is empty, and the sanctuary lamp (the red candle) that is usually lit, indicating the presence of Christ in the Tabernacle, is extinguished. 

At the Altar of Repose, you can pray in silence until midnight, when no more solemn adoration is allowed, until after Easter. I usually stay for about a half hour, reading the Bible and a few other things. This year I read John 14-17, the Great and Final Discourse of Jesus at the Last Supper, and I was overwhelmed with the way certain things spoke to me; so much so that I decided it would be my lectio for the coming days, and it has been. It's so theologically rich. I'll be sharing those notes with you later.  

(The Adoration is us staying awake with Christ in His agony--doing with the disciples couldn't do, that first Holy Thursday night.) 

The Gift of the Eucharist is one of the supreme gifts of Catholic life. I love this Mass that celebrates it, and kicks off the triduum. 

The Eucharist, as Christ's saving presence in the community of the faithful and its spiritual food, is the most precious possession which the Church can have in her journey through history.

--St. Pope John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, April 17, 2003

Easter Octave Daybook

(been awhile since we had one of these!)

Outside my window: 

Cloudy and cold! It's only in the 40s, but it was in the 70s yesterday. It was a really beautiful Easter. 

Listening to: 

The clanking of my blinds over the heating vent. They make this odd noise that scares new people to my house but at this point I'm used to it. 

Wearing::

A green elbow-length sleeve top, light green, and a skirt. I thought it was going to be warmer today!

Reading::

Now that the Lenten book buying fast is over...I bought two new books today. So I'm reading Life from Our Land, The Contemplative Hunger, With God In Russia (church library book), and Girl Meets God (re-read).  My birthday is in less than two weeks, so I didn't buy a ton of books, since I usually get books in abundance on my birthday. 

Good Friday at my parish. 

Writing::

I'm going to be writing up my triduum notes over the next few days--sharing some good things I gleaned from the liturgies and the reading/ prayer time I had. Hopefully someone will find it enlightening or useful, but I always like to write up my triduum notes, anyway. I'm also working on a new short story, and yes, Catholic 101 will continue. As will knitting. :) Because I know you all want to see me knit something other than a washcloth. Or a scarf. 

I'm also going to be writing a piece about how sin is like a washcloth. Really. (Stick with me, here.) 

From the kitchen::

I'm really trying to crack down on what I eat and go back to making a lot more of my meals. Today I made meatloaf meatballs (basically big fat meatballs with meatloaf seasonings) and I'm waiting for them to come out of the oven, so I'll have to report back on how they taste. Later this week I'm making walleye, pork chops with Swiss Chard, and a curried chicken with apples. The last one I've made a few times and it's a definite winner. 

Around the house::

I did a lot of Spring Cleaning over Holy Week (at least, the first three days), and I'm pleased with the results so far. There are still areas that need attention, like my end tables and the Shelf of Cookbooks, so I'll be attacking those this week. 

In the CD player::

Audrey Assad's Inheritance, and the Benedictines of Ephesus CD Easter at Ephesus. 

California Trip::

Yes, it's happening at the end of April. That means I have to start thinking about Fun Things To Do and What To Pack. Yeeeeeeeehaw! 

Picture from this week::

Spring flowers for my table and tea tray. 

How was your Holy Week/ Easter? Share in the comments! 

Holy Week 2016

All's pretty quiet over here, for Holy Week and the Triduum. Time is being spent contemplating so, in the Dominican fashion, I can "share the fruits of contemplation." 

In a special way, let's pray for Belgium, another country added to the sad role of those affected by terrorist acts. Let us pray that terrorism will cease, and that the Prince of Peace can bring us peace. 

See, my servant shall prosper, 

he shall be raised high and greatly exalted. / Even as many were amazed at him--/so marred was his look beyond human semblance/ and his appearance beyond that of the sons of man--/so shall he startle many nations, / because of him kings shall stand speechless; / for those who have not been told shall see,/ those who have not heard shall ponder it. 

Who would believe what we have heard? / To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?/ He grew up like a sapling before him, / like a shoot from the parched earth; / there was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him,/ nor appearance that would attract us to him./ He was spurned and avoided by the people,/ a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity,/ one of those from whom people hide their faces,/ spurned, and we held him in no esteem. 

Yet it was our infirmities that he bore,/ our sufferings that he endured,/ while we thought of him as stricken/ as one smitten by God and afflicted./ But he was pierced for our offenses,/ crushed for our sins;/ upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole,/ by his stripes we were healed./ We had alone gone astray like sheep,/ each following his own way;/ but the Lord laid upon him the guilt of us all.

Though he was harshly treated, he submitted/ and opened not his mouth;/ like a lamb led to the slaughter/ or a sheep before the shearers,/ he was silent and opened not his mouth./ Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away,/ and who would have thought anymore of his destiny?/ When he was cut off from the land of the living,/ and smitten for the sin of his people,/ a burial place was assigned him among the wicked/ and a burial place with evildoers,/ though he had done no wrong/ nor spoken and falsehood./ But the Lord was pleased/ to crush him in infirmity. 

If he gives his life as an offering for sin,/ he shall see his descendants in a long life,/ and the will of the Lord will be accomplished through him.

Because of his affliction/ he shall see the light in fullness of days;/ through his suffering, my servant shall justify many,/ and their guilt he shall bear./ Therefore I will give him his portion among the great,/ and he shall divide the spoils with the might,/ because he surrendered himself to death/ and was counted among the wicked;/ and he shall take away the sins of many,/ and win pardon for their offenses. 

Isaiah 52:13-53:12

Seven Quick Takes No. 107

I. 

So this week has been interesting from a medical perspective. Not terribly bad interesting, but Interesting, Capital "I". 

I have a port (an implantofix) implanted under my collarbone. I got this before transplant, so I've had it now for more than 11 years. A port is a place where, with a special needle, nurses and other Medical People can draw blood and give meds without having to hunt for a vein. Since my veins suck, my port has been a good and valiant friend for all these years. It means that when I need things--blood draws, fluids, meds--we know we're going to have access. 

Until Monday, when it decided not to. 

II.

Every month, the port has to be flushed with saline and heparin, to keep it from clotting. Since the port is placed in a big vein near my heart, this is important--we don't want any clots flying around and causing trouble, or clogging up the line. And for 11 years, it has worked splendidly. Sometimes we have to finesse the needle, but normally, we get blood return. 

(The "We" in this case, is me and mom. Mom does the port accessing. Yes, she's awesome like that. She wields Huber needles with aplomb, and she's better at it than a lot of nurses I've had.)

This time, no blood return. And I'd also had problems with it in the ER a few weeks ago....so I'm wondering....

III. 

Ports aren't permanent--the silicone cover that you actually poke can only take so many pokes. It's a few thousand. So I'm thinking it's died and gone to port heaven. 

But when we call clinic, oh, no! This might not be the case. Apparently there are many Magical Things we can do to see if the port just has a glitch. 

IV. 

So on Monday, we get to try the first of the Magical Things--a special drug that "sits" in the line and can remove any clots that might be at the tip of the line. The drug sits there for two hours. I sit in clinic for two hours. And then we see if we can draw it off the port and get blood return. 

If so--yay! If not--dye test! 

(I don't really know what the dye test entails.)

V. 

The benefit to this is that I'm going to get new books....so that's something, right? 

VI. 

In other news, though: SPRING!

And yes, that orange barrel also equals Spring in Ohio. 

VII. 

During the March Madness kick off yesterday I managed to wind two hanks of yarn and clean. And I have pink tulips!

Yarn Along No. 44: A Tour of the Stash

Today's a bit of a different Yarn Along here. I don't have a new project on my needles yet, but (sorry guys) it's probably going to be another dishcloth/trivet/something for the house, because I have a TON of yarn for dishcloths that I want to use up, and I need some more washcloths here. And if I'm going to practice the basketweave pattern, I'd rather do it in a washcloth. So, with all that, that's what the next projects are going to be. Eventually, I swear, it will get more interesting. 

Anyway, I thought it might be fun to show you some photos of my current yarn stash. I have some really wonderful colors in here and while they're waiting their turn to be on the needles, they hang out in this large basket I got at Target.

Some of them are in various stages of preparation--you can see that some come ready to use, but others come in hanks, and have to be wound into balls. This is something that takes me awhile, since I don't have a swift, and I have to do it by hand. It involves sitting on the floor in front of a game or a movie, so with March Madness starting tomorrow, that would be a great time to wind some of these hanks. 

I knit for a lot of the reasons I draw--it's creative, it's fun, it's for me. I don't knit sweaters or things like that (yet), and I don't have to knit to clothe people. There's no need for my knitting. Sometimes I like to make gifts for people, but just about everyone I know has a scarf from me now. Until I can knit something more than that for them, my knitting gifts are done. But it's incredibly peaceful to me, to watch something grow from the very first row to the last, on the needles. I love having a project in progress. 

One of the last things I need in way of tools is a set of circular needles. Hopefully I can make that purchase pretty soon. I'm well set for straight needles, thanks to a set I got for Christmas two years ago, but I don't have any circulars. 

Catholic 101: Passiontide and Holy Week

a continuation of the Catholic 101 series

Juan de Juanes, L'ultima cena (the last supper)

I love Holy Week. It's my favorite week of the year. This may be because I was born on Good Friday and so it always feels like "birthday week" to me, whether or not it actually is, but there's something about the solemnity and pageantry of Holy Week that speaks to me on a deep level. 

"Passiontide" is what we're in right now, liturgically--the last two weeks of Lent. If your parish is like mine, all the statues and paintings that can be covered, are covered, usually in purple cloth. The closer we get to Easter, the more our liturgy is stripped--first, no Alleluia; then, no Gloria; music (should become) less prominent, and more stark in melody; there are no flowers in the sanctuary, and now the images are veiled. On Good Friday, the church will be bare of any decoration at all; even the Tabernacle will be empty. 

So, this week isn't really anything terribly unique, other than "the week before" Holy Week. Next week, things start to get interesting. 

We start with Palm Sunday, or Passion Sunday, where we commemorate Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, with the crowds waving palm branches and singing Hosanna. The passion is read at Mass. 

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Holy Week might have special observances at your parish. Mine has adoration in the afternoons and sung Vespers in the evenings. Wednesday is also called Spy Wednesday, because it's traditionally the day that Judas betrayed Jesus to the temple leaders. 

Lent ends at Sundown on Holy Thursday, and the triduum begins. In these three days, we reckon time the way the Jews do--by sundowns, not sunrises. So the Holy Thursday liturgy begins in the evening, usually around 7:00. 

Since these liturgies are loaded with symbolism and things we don't do the rest of the year, we give the kids a head's up in CCD so they know what to look for, and know what we're doing. 

Holy Thursday can contain the washing of the feet; at my parish, it's done with altar boys, the Dominican community members, and a few other men to reach twelve. The rite is optional, so your parish doesn't have to do it, and it might not. Of course the rite is done to remember what Jesus did to the apostles at the last supper; "you ought to wash each other's feet"--the idea of service to each other. 

After the Eucharist is distributed, things get pretty different. The Eucharist isn't put back in the tabernacle; instead, the Eucharistic procession begins, with the sung Pange, Lingua (written by St. Thomas Aquinas). The Mass celebrant carries the Eucharist to the altar of repose, and there is adoration there for a few hours--but not past midnight. At my parish, the Eucharist is taken to Patrick Hall, where it is surrounded by flowers and the altar candles, and adoration is until midnight. 

There is no dismissal, after either Holy Thursday or Good Friday services. It's all one long service, until the end of the Easter Vigil. 

Good Friday doesn't have a proper Mass. It's called the "Mass of the Presanctified"--the priest, on Holy Thursday, consecrates enough hosts to serve for the service the next day. 

There are no Introductory Rites, since the service is a continuation of the one the night before. We have my favorite passage from Isaiah for the first reading ("See, my servant shall prosper")--the Suffering Servant who will redeem the world. The Passion According to St. John is read as the Gospel. 

After the homily, the Veneration of the Cross takes place. A large cross of crucifix is brought before the congregation, and the members of the congregation venerate it in various ways--kneeling before it, kissing it, bowing, etc. The Dominicans do the venia before it, and venerate the cross in bare feet. 

After the veneration, communion is distributed and a prayer is said. Again, no dismissal. Some churches have the service of tenebrae on Good Friday (mine does).  It's a beautiful service, and if you have the chance to attend, I recommend it. 

On Holy Saturday, there are no Masses said. Holy Communion is only given as viaticum (to people who are in danger of death). It is a day of deep quiet and recollection. 

Of course, all that changes at sundown, when the Easter Vigil begins. But that's another entry. :) 

I hope this entry helped give you a deeper idea of some of the triduum customs. What Holy Week service is your favorite? 

Yarn Along No. 43 (and a little bit about Mystery)

The scarf progresses! I'm getting so much better at purling. I've found that these are really great projects for me to get my bearings with new things, even though I know all of you are tired of seeing scarves and washcloths. I promise I will eventually give you something more challenging. Promise! 

As is my wont, I'm re-reading Outlander. Again. I usually do this at least once a year. At the moment I'm in the middle of book 7, An Echo In The Bone. As I was re-reading, I came across this passage, which I liked and thought I'd share: 

"I talked to Mama a little bit about it," Bree said after a moment's thought. "She laughed."

"Did she?" Roger said dryly, and got the breath of a laugh from Bree in answer. 

"Not like she thought it was funny," She assured him. "I'd asked her if she thought it was possible for a traveler to change things, change the future and she told me it was, obviously--because she changed the future every time she kept someone from dying who would've died if she hadn't been there. Some of them went on to have children they wouldn't have had, and who knew what those children would do, that they wouldn't have done if they hadn't...and that was when she laughed and said it was a good thing Catholics believed in Mystery and didn't insist on trying to figure out exactly how God worked, like Protestants do." 

--Diana Gabaldon, A Echo in the Bone

The reason I like this is because it's true. In general, Catholics are really comfy with Mystery. When I taught the kids about the Eucharist last week, they just went with it. Now, sure, there are the Eucharistic miracles, which show the validity of Transubstantiation (this one, from Italy, is my favorite), but there generally comes a point where we have to just accept mystery. We teach the kids this early on. We'll never fully understand the Trinity, or God, or really, anything else, probably--just like Bree and Roger can't ever understand why they're time travelers. 

Catholic 101: Lent bonus! Laetare Sunday and Annunication/Good Friday FAQ

Part of the Catholic 101 series. 

Murillo, Annunciation, 1655

So, just like in Advent, Lent has its "halfway" point--Laetare Sunday. This is when the rose vestments can come out, we can have instruments at Mass, and flowers on the altar. "Laetare" comes from the Latin in the introit, "Laetare, Jerusalem!"--Rejoice, Jerusalem! In England, it's also Mothering Sunday--Mother's Day. 

We are at the midpoint of Lent--three weeks left. Next week, we enter what's more formally called "Passiontide"--the two weeks before Easter. In some places, statues will be covered with purple cloth (like at my church), so we are "fasting" from images, in a sense. Our churches become more stark, leading to Good Friday, where there will be no decoration at all in the church (no candles, no altar cloths, etc.). 

I found an interesting question on Facebook the other day: This year, the Annunciation is on the same day as Good Friday. The questioner wanted to know how that worked: do we celebrate both? 

Nope. The Triduum makes up the three holiest days of the year (we're talking about them next week, FYI). Nothing supplants them. So we don't technically "celebrate" the Annunciation this year--the Liturgical texts are all for Good Friday, and that's the office you'll say, if you say the Liturgy of the Hours. It's the same way that Sunday will bump saints' feast days. But next year, for example, Laetare Sunday is the 26th--so we'll celebrate the Annunciation on its proper day, March 25. 

(Updated: One of my Deacon Friends has told me that we will celebrate the Annunciation--on April 4. Five days before my birthday! :-D)