Come on Down!

Well, I'm back at last after a great vacation and a crazy work week. This week is also crazy, but I couldn't let this news item pass without comment:

Bob Barker, host of The Price Is Right, is retiring in June:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061031/
ap_en_tv/tv_bob_barker_retires

I remember many happy childhood hours watching the show. My favorite quote from the article:

He said he'd take on a movie role if the right one came along, but filmmakers, take note: "I refuse to do nude scenes. These Hollywood producers want to capitalize on my obvious sexuality, but I don't want to be just another beautiful body."

HA!

We love you, Bob. Remember: Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered.

Les vacances

I just wanted to give you all a heads-up that I'm going on vacation, and may not blog for a week. Then again, I might.

I hope this week treats you well.

Spree in NYC

Well. I have a vacation coming up soon and had made some plans to cover the whole of it. But I received an unexpected invitation to go to New York City, and I'm considering going for part of my week off.

I've only been to NYC once, so planning a spur-of-the-moment visit there is a bit daunting. I do have friends and relatives there who can give me recommendations. Of course there is always shopping (!).

One cool thing is that my favorite playwright, Tom Stoppard, has three plays opening in the next few months. It's his trilogy, The Coast of Utopia. I read in Vogue that the cast includes Brian F. O'Byrne (so compelling!), Billy Crudup, Jennifer Ehle (Elizabeth Bennet in the BBC Pride and Prejudice, among other things), Josh Hamilton, and Ethan Hawke. The first play, Voyage, opens October 17, with Shipwreck and Salvage to follow between now and March. According to the magazine, there will be several Saturdays where one can see all three plays together.

For a Stoppard fan, this is out-and-out heaven. Arcadia blew me away when I saw it in Chicago, and I've been in love with the man ever since.

Friends, shopping, and Stoppard--I don't need anything else.

Tender is the Heart

I heard a homily recently where the priest was talking about casting off those things that hinder us from being in right relationship with God. He was expanding on Mark chapter 9, where Jesus talks about cutting off those body parts that cause us to sin.

He began by saying that, indeed, Jesus was not speaking literally, but that we had to clear out those things in our lives that get in the way of hearing God's voice. Then he said something that stuck with me: We jettison those things, because ridding ourselves of them releases us from the "trap of selfishness" that keeps us imprisoned and unhappy. What an excellent metaphor! Indeed, selfishness is a trap we put ourselves into, thinking we are in control, but it quickly turns on us to make us miserable, or worse yet, hard-hearted.

A few days later, I came upon this quote from Pope John Paul II:

Some think that following Christ means infringing on our own humanity, lessening its value. Nothing could be more false! Indeed...in saying "yes" to Christ, you say "yes" to all your noblest ideals....Certainly, choosing Jesus involves renouncing sin, but sin is not a fulfillment of human nature; it is an impoverishment of it! God did not make us for evil, but for goodness, truth, and beauty, that is for him, our Creator and Father. As St. Augustine writes: "You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you."

All sin, at its root, is selfish, because sin is merely saying "yes" to one's self and "no" to God. In the early stages of sin, this seems comfortable, and preferable. But as JPII says, sin is an impoverishment of human nature. We are meant for so much better.

The priest finished his homily by asking God to free all of us from the trap of selfishness, so we can experience his greatest gift to us: love of God, love of neighbor, and right love of self.

Amen.

Bits and pieces

Well, it's been a crazy week in the non-blog-world. Last weekend I went out on Friday with friends to hear a blues band (it was good!), then Saturday I went with another group of friends to hear an Irish band at our local "Irish pub". Yes, there was Irish dancing on tabletops, as well as sing-alongs, various jokes, and some serious food (boxty, woo-hoo!). When you're super-hungry, the Irish can deliver.

My week's work has kept me busy, and I've been up late at night. I'm working tonight, then my brother is visiting from out of town--I'm very excited!

This week also included the feast day of St. Francis of Assissi, who is one of my all-time favorite saints. Somehow, I just get happy thinking of him, even though he was pretty radical: utter destitution doesn't sound too cheerful and heartwarming. One of my friends said about him, "His calling isn't for everyone, but it does make you think." Certainly, a man who could be happy when 100% dependent (literally) on God, and whose life inspires others to spiritual joy, is someone worth paying attention to.

Right now I am trying to decide if, indeed, I need some chocolate, or if I can go without. I'm trying to cut back on my coffee addiction, but I find myself trying to fill the craving with other things. Chocolate is not really the best option: still has caffeine, and way more calories. On the plus side, it's chocolate. Hmmm.

Ah. I just proofread this and realized I went from St. Francis to my caffeine addiction with no segue. (Embarrassed hiding of head.)