It is always interesting to see the kinds of conversations I will have with the people at St Gregory of Nyssa on Sundays. It is not always what one expects.
For example, this morning, Marvin and I were putting together the bulletins for the week, and while we were doing that, we were talking about scotch. He told me [...]
Archive for September, 2007
Pick Your Favorite Scotch
Posted in Church, Table Talk on September 30, 2007 | 1 Comment »
Boxing Up Books
Posted in Books, Research on September 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
I’ve known for some time that I have needed to get the books I am working with for my dissertation together. They were scattered throughout my bookcases, making it difficult to keep track of them all. After doing my normal house cleaning, I decided to box up some books (ones I have on Egypt, the Mayans, and the [...]
Whether or Not We Should Believe Weather Reports
Posted in Rain on September 28, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Last night, it rained. We did not get much rain, but it rained. We were told that would be the end of it. This morning there were some dark clouds in the sky, but it looked like they were going away.
Of course, after I got to CUA, it started to rain.
Thankfully the rain was light [...]
Collecting Data
Posted in CUA, Research on September 27, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
I’m at CUA today reading from Balthasar and collecting articles and dissertations people have written either on Balthasar or Comparative Theology. If they are online as PDFs, I have created directories for them and copied them to my computer. Too bad not all articles are so readily available: it would save my fingers a lot [...]
Lack of Sleep Makes Me Cranky
Posted in Sleep on September 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Whenever I do not get enough sleep, I am always more than a little cranky. I am more on the edge, and easily irritated. My passions are left with less guards, and they are given more control than they should.
Last night, I did not sleep well. I could not fall asleep nor could I stay [...]
Coughing with Coffee
Posted in Balthasar, Sick on September 25, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
While my throat is better, and it is no longer hurting as it has done the past few days, it is still irritated and causing me to cough every few minutes. I know the flu is on its way out, but it still wants to remind me of its power over my life: my energy and [...]
Library Research
Posted in Research, Sick on September 24, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Despite being sick, I went to the research orientation at the Library of Congress. I am not as bad off as I was yesterday, but I am still coughing and still have a very sore throat.
I was not sure whether or not my online registration for the class had been received by the Library of [...]
Someone Gave Me A Terrible Gift
Posted in Sick on September 23, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
While it is better to give than to receive, this time I would be happy if no one actually gave me anything! When I was on the metro this week, I remember one guy coughing quite a bit behind me. Now I have a sore throat, coughing, and feeling more than a little sick. I felt [...]
Fall Is Here: Saturday Mornings Back to Normal
Posted in Seasons on September 22, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Saturday mornings are the time I generally clean up my apartment (I do clean throughout the week, but major work is done on Saturdays). I do not know when and why I got into this habit, but it seems to work well; I can have the television on for mindless background noise to help with [...]
A Reprieve
Posted in Uncategorized on September 21, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
The air conditioning was turned back on, and I was able to get my apartment cool again. I was able to sleep well last night; but I know, soon, this problem will repeat itself, and will only be corrected it is so cold I need to turn on the heater.
Nonetheless, when I am outside, it [...]
No Air Conditioning
Posted in Seasons on September 20, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
It’s the time of year where the mornings are cool and the days are hot. Blair Apartments turn off the AC once this happen. To me this is a bit strange. People have an ability to control their AC and so it would not need to come on during the night, but with no AC for the day, when it is hot [...]
To the Library and Back Again
Posted in Dissertation on September 19, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
I went to the Library of Congress to get my reader’s card today. Since I will be doing considerable research there for the next few months, I wanted to make sure I had everything ready for the time when I need quick access to old, dusty Sanskrit texts.
When filling out the forms, one of the [...]
Pope Benedict to Visit DC
Posted in CUA, Seasons, Uncategorized on September 18, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
I just heard on the news today that Pope Benedict is planning to visit DC in April, where he will meet with President Bush, but also have a Mass on the National Mall, and speak at Catholic University.
I’m going to have to see what it will take to meet him when he is on the CUA [...]
First Time Use At The CUA Library
Posted in Balthasar, CUA, Dissertation, Doctor Who on September 17, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Today, I am at CUA to do more of my Balthasar reading, and to meet with Dr Jones at 1:30 to discuss my dissertation and the expectations he and others will have for it.
This means I am now able to experiment with my laptop and get it set up for the wireless network a the [...]
Perfect Weather for a Festival
Posted in Seasons, Shopping, Takoma Park on September 16, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
I went the Shrine next to the CUA campus today for its 7:30 liturgy so I could be free to go to the 30th anniversary of the Takoma Park Folk Festival. Because I went to such an early service, I knew I would have time to kill before the start of the festival (which was [...]
An Eerie Orange Glow
Posted in Pictures on September 15, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
I noticed the light coming through my window blinds had an eerie orange glow to it, and decided to look outside, which led me to see a beautiful fog covering the city. It’s night, and the city lights are on. Covered by the fog, the color of the light is being warped, producing the off-color hue which attracted my attention.
I decided to try [...]
Rapid Atmospheric Changes
Posted in Seasons on September 14, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
One of the things I like about the fall is the diversity of weather one can experience in a given day. The mornings and evenings tend to be cool, but one still gets the heat of the sun during the day.
Of course it does not always go like this.
Today it was very humid as I went [...]
Have Camera, Will Snap
Posted in Metro, Pictures, Shopping on September 13, 2007 | 1 Comment »
While at my my morning coffee run and Balthasar reading at Caribou Coffee, there was a man sitting on the couch next to my chair who suddenly got up, brought out a camera, and snapped a picture (I think of the fireplace). He saw me watching him take the picture and said that I should not worry, I was [...]
Beautiful Day
Posted in Seasons on September 12, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
It’s a beautiful day. The sun is shining, but it is not too hot, not too humid. There is a nice coolness in the air. It’s the kind of day I love. While it is still summer, it is very clear there there is change in the air and soon, oh so very soon, this [...]
From Rain to Rain
Posted in Blogs, Rain on September 11, 2007 | 1 Comment »
Rain comes. Rain goes. Rain comes again. When it is not raining, the humidity makes it rather dreadful to be outside. When it is raining, well, that’s just as bad. There is no way one can go outside and not get wet: either the humidity or the rain will get you.
And yet I went out. [...]
Miracles Do Happen
Posted in Miracle on September 10, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
On September 1, a young college student, Julian McCormick, had been reported missing after he did not show up to a meeting he had with his girlfriend. People have been looking for him for days. It turns out that his car fell down a deep ravine on Powder Mill Road in Beltsville. The car fell down with its [...]
Store is Open, Mall is Closed
Posted in Shopping on September 9, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
One thing I often do on Sunday mornings before Divine Liturgy is head over to my local Target at the Wheaton Mall and get a few things I need for the week. For the last three Sundays there has been the unusual situation where the store is open, but the entrance to the mall one [...]
Nearing the End of Summer
Posted in Seasons on September 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Fall is my favorite season. The excessive heat of the summer gives way to the cool breezes of the fall. Trees reveals their hidden glory as their leaves change colors, turning forests into some of the most awe-inspiring landscapes one can ever experience in one’s life.
The transition from summer to fall is always felt in the month of September. [...]
To Bee or not to Bee
Posted in Archeology, Film, Human Dignity, Robotech on September 7, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Going through my normal morning news gathering I found out about a rather interesting archeological discovery: 3000 year old beehives found in Israel. Makes me wonder if there was a mead industry as well in ancient Israel.
In movie news, there is now talk about a live-action Robotech film. I went to see the Transformers film this summer because [...]
Rumors in the morning…
Posted in Balthasar, Doctor Who on September 6, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
I heard the news today, oh boy. Web of Fear has been found.
And though the news was good, I had to cry,
For it’s just a rumor in the life of a Doctor Who fan.
While Doctor Who boards are discussing the credibility of the Doctor Who Online and whether or not there is any truth to the lead [...]
When a walk in the park is not a walk in the park
Posted in Balthasar, Nature Hike on September 5, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
I went to Caribou Coffee this morning to start my Balthasar reading for the day. I have come to the point where I have decided that I need to read his work in small snippets of no more than 25 pages at a time (or at least this portion of the Theo-Logic). Some scholars suggest that he has a rather poetic [...]
Not Too Hot But Way Too Humid
Posted in Balthasar, Table Talk on September 4, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Just got back from a morning of work and study at CUA. It is a beautiful, sunny day; the temperature is not too hot (in the 80s), but there is way too much humidity in the air for me to be comfortable outside.
While on campus, I made sure I stopped by my mailbox and finally picked up [...]
The Future of Doctor Who
Posted in Doctor Who, TV on September 4, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Since 2005, the return of Doctor Who has been an unqualified success. Its executive producer and chief writer, Russel T. Davies, has helped bring it back to the limelight, with the show earning several major awards from the British and Science Fiction communities.
Because RTD has wanted to work on other projects, the BBC raised the [...]
Not the Nine O’Clock News
Posted in Comedy, TV on September 3, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
First day, third post.
Hopefully this will not be the norm. Most of the time, I expect, I will try to do one post a day. Yet — I’ve started watching an old BBC commedy sketch show called Not the Nine O’Clock News, and wanted to comment upon it. Many of the sketches are hilarious, although not always [...]
Hans Urs Von Balthasar
Posted in Balthasar on September 3, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
I finished reading Volume V of the Theo-Drama and started going through Vol I of the Theo-Logic. While I have looked through and read parts of several volumes in Balthasar’s Trilogy before, I now have to go through it all. I am going through it in a rather unusual fashion — I started with Volume V [...]
