7 Quick Takes

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The Denver Redemptorists are gathering information about Catholic mothers & future mothers in an effort to promote St. Gerard Majella, a Redemptorist brother from Italy. He is considered the patron saint of expectant mothers and for those struggling with infertility, and the Redemportists hope to make him a better-known saint. You can fill out a survey for them at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L7K9MH2. 

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 Found an interesting opinion piece by Deepak Chopra this week. One of the things he said right at the end really resonated with me: “Yet experience shows that people who think they have excluded their emotions in reality are unconscious about what emotions are and the power they exert over all of us. ” It applies to the arguments I’ve been having all year. To me as well as those w/whom I disagree.

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Here’s a video, an adaptation of Cohen’s song “Hallelujah,” which was posted this week as an item of interest on the Pray Tell blog, prompting much discussion on the merits and demerits of doing something like this as the Easter sequence (among them: inappropriateness based on associations with original words; copyright). But it’s just gorgeous, so I wanted to share it anyway, even if it might never be usable in a liturgical context. The original is one of those songs that fascinates me, beautiful and haunting, tugging at my heart, despite the words being disturbing (disturbed?).

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I got my first “helpful rejection” this week. And this weekend, I pitch one editor and one agent. Wish me luck! (A few prayers wouldn’t go awry, either. 😉 )

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I finished reading Charles Dickens‘ A Tale of Two Cities this week. My analysis: the beginning was interesting, but broke all the rules we are taught in writing these days, i.e., get to the point, don’t wander, etc. Writing by word, and in installments, makes for a very different kind of book. I set out to appreciate it as literature, but not particularly to enjoy reading it. And then suddenly I was devouring it. I finished the last 120 pages in an hour sitting on the bleachers during Alex’s first baseball practice. Tears absolutely pouring down my face. Wow. Wow. Wow. And now…on to Great Expectations.

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Alex is watching Super Friends from the library this week. It sounds and looks just like Scooby Doo. And I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not just because of sound effects, musical style and drawing style. It’s because Robin is the same voice as that annoying scruffy guy, whatever his name is. And I think it might be their geeky little non-superpowered friend, too.

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Oh dear. I’m really boring this week. Folks, I don’t know where my head is. I think I must have overloaded with all the stuff I’m trying to get done. When the mess in the house bugs me, you know it must be bad. We have a mountain of laundry at the top of the stairs which is now officially a health hazard. I must fold it and put it away before someone trips and falls down the stairs. (Like me, in the middle of the night.)