None of that really matters though. What matters is that your life is incomplete if you’re not following either one of these guys. So make your life complete…NOW!

Original content Copyright 2007 Marc Smith
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We went to London for a week and Paris for a week. For the first week in London, my mom tagged along with us. It really nice, since visiting London was on her bucket list. We all three had cameras of course. Suzette and I both brought our Macbook Pros and I brought the handy iPad. The problem was that mom’s camera had a mini-USB connector on it. We didn’t have the cable for that. What her camera also had though was an SD card for memory. All I had to do was stick the SD card in the camera connection for the iPad and then sync the iPad with my MBP. All of the sudden, mom could post all the pics she had taken on Facebook with no problem.

Of course that’s not all I found useful about having the iPad with me in Europe. I used he MLB at Bat app to keep up with the Braves games. This app is excellent and well worth it on the iPad if you’re a baseball fan. Using the Universalis app meant not going over the 50 pound weight limit on my luggage by packing my LOTH books. I also watched some TV on the plane with it. It was also a serious conversation starter. Keep in mind that the international release of the iPad was while we were in Paris, so few people over there had so much as seen one before. On the train ride from London to Paris, I made a new friend from Australia who wanted to know all about.

So here I am now typing in this new blog post much later than I wanted to, but finally getting it done. Aside from the MLB app, there are a few I don’t my iPad would be complete without. I’m using the Blogpress app right now. This will be the first post I’ve done with it, so the verdict is still out. I love the Netflix app. There’s nothing like being able to sit on the couch and watch a movie on Netflix. You don’t have to put a disc in the PS3 and you can plug in the headphones if someone is being disturbed by your entertainment. The Twitterific app for the iPad is hands down the best Twitter client around. I love being able to view twitpics in a popout. If you get one for these devices, be sure to check out The Weather Channel MAX+ app too. I just checked it myself to see if it’s going to rain on Saturday, since I’m playing in a golf tournament.

All in all, I am very happy with the device. I’m glad I got it. You know, I wasn’t going to get one at first. I was pretty determined to wait for the second generation iPad. But, I had an intervention. A friend of mine bought one while visiting here in the US. He’s from Canada and it was not yet released there. More on that later. Anyway, he is not what you would call an “Apple enthusiast”. But he picked one up in the Apple and could not put it down. After hearing him rave about it, I have to see one. Since there’s a Sephora at the same mall as the Apple Store here in Nashville, I never have no trouble talking Suzette into going there. I have to admit that I could not put it down either. Unfortunately, I had to. They were sold out and it was closing time. The next day I ordered mine from the website.

Now I said I’d mention some more about my friend. He had a little trouble with his. It wasn’t so much a technical difficulty as a silly difficulty. Since the iPad hadn’t been released in Canada, he couldn’t buy apps for it on iTunes. He also couldn’t buy the camera connection kit online. In the first paragraph of this post, you might have seen what at first looks a typo. I mentioned “camera kits”, plural. I ordered two of them and sent one up to him as a gift. I’m such a rebel.

Original content Copyright 2007 Marc Smith
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While this was listed in my lenten reading list, I will admit I cheated a little. I actually started this book the Monday before Ash Wednesday. I couldn’t help it though. It was sitting there just calling out “Marc, Marc! Read me now!”.

The full name of this book is “Signs of Life: 40 Catholic customs and their Biblical roots” To me the title says it all. It goes into detail about those 40 customs that range from Sacraments like Ordination and Marriage to sacramentals like the Rosary and Holy Water all the way to prayer traditions like grace before meals and the morning offering. What I really like about reading this book though were the Biblical references. I managed to learn a lot new things about my Catholic faith and how our traditions are rooted in the Sacred Scripture.

Signs of Life was an easy and enjoyable read, but yet it was packed with interesting facts. Some things were news to me, while others were things that I needed reminding of. It’s one of those books you have read, and read again later after you’ve let the information slip your mind. It also makes a good reference work for apologists, since it references Scripture for all 40 items.

Overall, I would highly recommend Signs of Life to general audiences. It wouldn’t be a problem for young adults learning about their faith or an adult who is curious about why they have done “those things” all their lives.

Original content Copyright 2007 Marc Smith
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My answer is this senator, nothing.

Sorry, I couldn’t resist that since one of the cable channels was running the first two Godfather movies back to back a week or so ago. While I was channel surfing as I often do, I landed in the middle of that scene. It’s been running through my head as I considered this blog post.

Lent is the time of year that Catholics prepare for Good Friday and Easter. It’s not what you find in you belly button when you’ve been wearing a new white t-shirt all day. It’s also not what I did when I let you borrow my lawn mower. I want my mower back BTW. It’s partially based on Our Lord spending forty days in the desert fasting and praying. It’s also a time for

Jesus’ temptation reveals the way in which the Son of God is Messiah, contrary to the way Satan proposes to him and the way men wish to attribute to him. This is why Christ vanquished the Tempter for us: “For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sinning.” By the solemn forty days of Lent the Church unites herself each year to the mystery of Jesus in the desert. CCC #540

There’s also a tradition of “giving something up” for Lent. Some folks give up sweets, others television and yet others beer or coffee. No matter what it is, it’s usually something that people enjoy. They give it up to take a share in the redemptive suffering of Christ, by voluntarily missing out on something they enjoy.

Well, this year I’ve decided to do something a little different. Instead of a “to-don’t” list, I’ve come up with somewhat of a “to-do” list. I’ve picked out ten books that I will work hard to get read during these forty days.

Here’s the list of books I’ve put together for Lent. They’re books I already have in my stack of “to read”, and not necessarily titles that are “Lent related”. There’s no particular order here either.

Signs of Life: 40 Catholic Customs and Their Biblical Roots By Scott Hahn

Prayer Primer : Igniting a Fire Within By Fr. Thomas Dubay

The Church Fathers: From Clement of Rome to Augustine By Pope Benedict XVI

God Is Near Us: The Eucharist, the Heart of Life By Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)

Signs and Mysteries: Revealing Ancient Christian Symbols By Mike Aquilina and Lea Marie Ravotti

The History of the Church: From Christ to Constantine (Penguin Classics) By Eusebius

Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Civilization of Love By Carl Anderson and Eduardo Chavez

Triumph: The Power and the Glory of the Catholic Church By H. W. Crocker III

The Confessions of Saint Augustine (Image Book) By by St Augustine

City of God By St Augustine

I know this is a bold plan, but I don’t mind being bold for my faith. The last three titles make this especially so. There are forty days in Lent (not including Sundays), so I basically have four days for each book. Some of these will go faster than that. We’re four days in and I’ve already made a huge dent in Signs of Life. I plan to finish it tomorrow and get a long way with Church Fathers, so I am off to a good start. As I finish these, I’ll try to do a writeup on each one here on WT while the book is still fresh on my mind.

So, am I a loser for not picking out a few things to give up for Lent? Well, when you consider that I don’t have exactly the best in reading comprehension skills and some of these books are pretty deep, I do have a tough row to hoe. I won’t be able to keep up with my normal leisurely activities. Less television, no video games and a shortage of time for online actives all constitute a sacrifice to me. Better yet, its all going to better myself in a number of ways as well. Plus I won’t have those lines from all those movies floating through my head, since I won’t be doing any channel surfing.

I am hoping that by the time I get to the real meaty books at the end, I will have gotten into a groove that will push me to the end of the list. With that hopefulness in mind (we should always be full of hope), I also have a few C. S. Lewis books that I’d like to read if I finish early. Like I said, I’m being bold.

Well, I guess I should finish this writing stuff and get to reading!

Original content Copyright 2007 Marc Smith
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“I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” – Abraham Lincoln

Original content Copyright 2007 Marc Smith
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http://www.saintjohnvianney.org/school.html

Original content Copyright 2007 Marc Smith
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Jesus said to his disciples:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
Remain in me, as I remain in you.
Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own
unless it remains on the vine,
so neither can you unless you remain in me.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,
because without me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me
will be thrown out like a branch and wither;
people will gather them and throw them into a fire
and they will be burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

His comparison got me to thinking. We often think that when God touches us in our lives, it is a “touchy feely” comfortable experience. But often times when He gives us a helping of His grace, it’s like we’re branches and there’s a storm trying to shake us loose from the tree. Our own concupiscent natures make us want to resist this infusion of grace. That’s because that change goes against that nature, our nature. Such a change is not something that comes easy. It’s a hard thing to go through, but it’s also a process that takes time. We have to work on it constantly and never let our guard down. One slip and we could undo untold amounts of time hanging on.

We have to weather the storm, no matter how hard it is to hang on.

So here I am, wanting to get back in the swing on blogging. I’m thinking that a post on Lent is great idea. I can explain it all! The problem is that I’d still be writing after Lent is over. Besides, why should I take on this task when Jimmy Akin (a man whose job it is to explain the Catholic faith) has already put together a page full of links explaining the observance of Lent. So if you’re curious, check out Jimmy’s page “Welcome to Lent”.

Original content Copyright 2007 Marc Smith
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If you are protestant and greet me with “Merry Christmas” before Advent is over, I won’t be offended.

If you are Jewish and greet me with an Chanukah greeting, I won’t be offended.

If you are Muslim and greet me with an Eid greeting, I won’t be offended.

If you are pagan and greet me with a Yule or winter solstice greeting, I won’t be offended.

If you are atheist and greet me with “Hello”, I won’t be offended.

If you greet me in any way for a holiday in this season based on your religious beliefs, I won’t be offended.

I will also do my best to respect you and your beliefs and not offend you, short of compromising my own beliefs.

All I ask is that you not get offended if I greet you with a greeting based on my religious beliefs and not do anything to offend me.

Simple enough?

Original content Copyright 2007 Marc Smith
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The graphic is of course an Advent wreath. Advent is the season of the year that Christians wait and prepare for the coming of Jesus leading up to the feast of the Incarnation, otherwise known as Christmas or the feast of the Nativity.

You can learn more about Advent on the article ironically at newadvent.org.

Original content Copyright 2007 Marc Smith
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At some point today I was inspired for us to make our own homemade pizzas. I’d seen a few Plurks lately by Migly about his own adventures making homemade pizzas.  He even posted pics, so I decided to follow his lead and do the same.  So since Suzette and I had already planned go grocery shopping today, all I had to do was talk her into getting the pizza makings so we could make our pizzas.  I was smart enough to time it right so the pizzas would be ready sometime around the start of the Titans game.  It worked out pretty well.

Our first stop was Publix.  For the most part, we buy our groceries at Wal-Mart simply because it cheaper.  But Wal-Mart doesn’t have the largest selection of items in the store, so sometimes we have to go elsewhere in order to get all the things we want.  That was the case today as I like Newman’s Own popcorn and Wal-Mart doesn’t carry the brand.  While at Publix we also got dessert, which I’ll talk about later.  Since I knew there may be limited supplies for making a pizza at Wal-Mart, we went ahead and took a look at what Publix had to offer.  We picked up a can of Centos Pizza sauce.  Everything else we got at Wal-Mart including cheese, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, and bacon.  I only like my pizza with peperoni.  Suzette like it “Hawaiian” style.  We had pineapple at home, so we were all set, except for one thing.  We had no crust.  Wal-Mart was out fo the only good brand of pizza crust mix they carried (Martha White).  All that was left was their generic brand and “Jiffy” brand. YUK!  So we ended up buying one of the Chef Boy Ardee pizza in a box sets.  We only used the crust from this set.

Now that we had all the ingredients, it was time to mix it up.  We made the dough from the mix and halved it.  I think I actually ended up with a little more than my half, but Suzette was OK with that.  after putting a decent amount of sauce on top of the dough, it was time to add the cheese and the toppings.  Suzette first put plain mozzarella, then her Canadian bacon, bacon (she had fried this put before we even started mixing the dough), and pineapple. On top of all that, she put another layer of mozzarella/cheddar mix.  For mine I put a healthy layer of plain mozzarella with little of the cheddar mix on top of it and as many pepperonis I could get to fit on it.  We actually bought new cake pans while at Wal-Mart, so that’s what we were using for this.  Now they’re ready for the oven.

We were both pretty excited to see how they tuned out.  Me personally, I was upset to find out that the light inside the oven is broken.  There would be no checking them without opening the oven.  After about 20 minutes, we opened the oven to take a peek.  Even though we were both hungry and eager to try our new creations, we decided they weren’t quite done yet, so we shut the oven and waited about five more minutes.  Again we opened the oven and decided they were ready.

All of the sudden, the whole apartment was filled with the wonderful aroma of homemade pizza.  We couldn’t wait to taste them.  At some point while the pizzas were in the oven, the Titans game started  So I wanted to hurry and get them on a plate and get to the game.

Yes, it tastes as good as it looks.  Without being too prideful, I have to say we did a great job.  Not only did we get to eat some wonderful pizza that we had fun making, it was something we did together.  With Suzette spending so much time on her school work and be dividing my time between work and the Church, it’s always nice to do some activity together like that.  It was fun.

Once all my pizza was gone and Suzette felt she had had enough pizza, it was time for dessert. I mentioned we picked up dessert at Publix.  I’m sure glad we did too.  We each got a slice of bakery cheesecake.

The label the bakery put on this was “Monster Cheesecake”. About half of the slice was covered in a chocolate shell, like you sometimes see on ice cream.  I didn’t really like the shell, so I ate the cake out of it.  Suzette did the same.

We finished super about half time in the game.  I think the Titans were waiting for us to finish eating before playing some football.  They were really full of fail in the first half.  But they came back strong in the second half and win the game.

I was really pleased that Suzette stayed in the living room and watched almost the whole game.  Neither one us has ever really been a football fan until this year.  I was sort of pulled in by the amazing Superbowl game last year.  I think it’s starting to grow on both of us, but maybe a little slower for her.  I have to say tough, for a first year football fan, it’s great year to live in Nashville.

We’ve already made plans for a similar supper next week.  What’s on the menu you ask?  We’re leaning towards homemade sliders and onion rings.  If we can’t think of anything better until then, that’s what it’ll be.

Original content Copyright 2007 Marc Smith
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If you know me, you know that my wife Suzette is from the Philippines.  We met online in 2002 and after chating online and on the phone for a few months I decided to go over and meet her in person.  Part of my preparation of the trip was to seek out a blessing form a priest I know for the journey. Now when asked who the patron saint of travelers is, any Catholic is likely to answer with Saint Christopher.  His name is a good answer, so I was a little surprised when father invoked Saint Raphael in the blessing. Saint Raphael is is also a good friendly saint to the traveler who is going on a long journey. While father did not knwo the reason for my trip, he did know where I was going. Since I was traveling so far away, he decided to ask for this Saint’s intercession on my behalf for my long journey to the Philippines.

After wards father and I were casually talking about the Saint as he had to explain to me the why Saint Raphael, instead of the expected Saint Christopher.  He then asked me why I was going to the Phillipines.  I told him it was ot meet a woman I had met on Catholic Singles Online. He looked at me like I was crazy.  When I asked him what was wrong, he simply answered, “Saint Raphael is also the patron of those seeking a spouse”. Of course it would only be a couple of short years later that Suzette and I were married.  So as Paul Harvey would say, “Now you know the rest of the story”.

Original content Copyright 2007 Marc Smith
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So like sheep following the gas tanker to the gas station, I am following the “Me Right Now” meme. This is me right now. I just got back from Mass.

Here’s the meme:
1. Take a picture of yourself right now.
2. Don’t change your clothes, don’t fix your hair…just take a picture.
3. Post that picture with NO editing.
4. Post these instructions with your picture.

If you’re reading this and haven’t done it, do it now.

Original content Copyright 2007 Marc Smith
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Original content Copyright 2007 Marc Smith
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on the anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy, wondering if today’s Gospel takes on special meaning

Let’s go ahead and take a look at this scripture.

27 “But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

29 To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from him who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt.

30 Give to every one who begs from you; and of him who takes away your goods do not ask them again.

31 And as you wish that men would do to you, do so to them.

32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.

33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.

34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again.

35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return;  and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish.

36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;

38 give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”

(Saint Luke 6:27-38 – RSV-CE)

Thank you father for giving me perspective!

Now don’t get me wrong, I do not believe we are to turn our backs on our enemies to make it easier for them to shoot us. We should never forget what happened seven years ago. I do however think we as a nation need to pursue our national security with right intentions that don’t include hatred or revenge. I also feel we as individuals need to be more loving of our enemies.  We always talk about how powerful prayer is.  Let’s apply that to our enemies and see how powerful it can be. Let’s put our prayers where our mouth is. I think we’ll be surprised.  So let’s forgive for our enemies, pray for our enemies. Let’s pray for peace, not only in the world but also in the hearts of anyone that are filled with anger, hatred and revenge.

Original content Copyright 2007 Marc Smith
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Original content Copyright 2007 Marc Smith
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“Zosimus“, that kills me every time……

Original content Copyright 2007 Marc Smith
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Well, here’s my pick for feel good disco music for the afternoon. Debbie Harry is so punk rock!

Click here to view the embedded video.

But I can’t really end it there. Speaking of punk rock, let’s see some faux disco from Johnny Rotten himself.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I LOVE the glasses..

Original content Copyright 2007 Marc Smith
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Original content Copyright 2007 Marc Smith
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Outside shot form my office window.

Another shot form the office window. I wasn’t sure how they would turn out, so I took two.

This is our back patio. You can see the bottom of the bike wheel is under the snow.

Another one from the back patio. You can see the fold-up chair and flip flop covered in snow.

Another one of the flip flop and the door step. It seems the snow has piled up against the wall and door.

This is the weird one. This is the staircase in the covered breezeway. You can see the snow piled up pretty heavily on the top step.

Another shot of the whole staircase.

Original content Copyright 2007 Marc Smith
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