St. Mary of Egypt

At Holy Transfiguration today, they celebrated the feast of St. Mary of Egypt. This entire reading was read during the Liturgy. I very highly recommend reading it all, as it is simply an amazing read. However, it is very long, so if you can't, that's OK, too.

Oh, and if you click on the title of this link, you'll get directed to the place where I got this story from. It also includes icons to assist in the telling of the story.

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"It is good to hide the secret of a king, but it is glorious to reveal and preach the works of God" (Tobit 12.7) So said the Archangel Raphael to Tobit when he performed the wonderful healing of his blindness. Actually, not to keep the secret of a king is perilous and a terrible risk, but to be silent about the works of God is a great loss for the soul. And I (says St. Sophronius), in writing the life of St. Mary of Egypt, am afraid to hide the works of God by silence. Remembering the misfortune threatened to the servant who hid his God-given talent in the earth (Matt 25.18-25), I am bound to pass on the holy account that has reached me. And let no one think (continues St. Sophronius) that I have had the audacity to write untruth or doubt this great marvel --may I never lie about holy things! If there do happen to be people who, after reading this record, do not believe it, may the Lord have mercy on them because, reflecting on the weakness of human nature, they consider impossible these wonderful things accomplished by holy people. But now we must begin to tell this most amazing story, which has taken place in our generation.

There was a certain elder in one of the monasteries of Palestine, a priest of the holy life and speech, who from childhood had been brought up in monastic ways and customs. This elder's name was Zosimas. He had been through the whole course of the ascetic life and in everything he adhered to the rule once given to him by his tutors as regard spiritual labours. he had also added a good deal himself whilst labouring to subject his flesh to the will of the spirit. And he had not failed in his aim. He was so renowned for his spiritual life that many came to him from neighboring monasteries and some even from afar. While doing all this, he never ceased to study the Divine Scriptures. Whether resting, standing, working or eating food (if the scraps he nibbled could be called food), he incessantly and constantly had a single aim: always to sing of God, and to practice the teaching of the Divine Scriptures. Zosimas used to relate how, as soon as he was taken from his mother's breast, he was handed over to the monastery where he went through his training as an ascetic till he reached the age of 53. After that, he began to be tormented with the thought that he was perfect in everything and needed no instruction from anyone, saying to himself mentally, "Is there a monk on earth who can be of use to me and show me a kind of asceticism that I have not accomplished? Is there a man to be found in the desert who has surpassed me?"

Thus thought the elder, when suddenly an angel appeared to him and said:

"Zosimas, valiantly have you struggled, as far as this is within the power of man, valiantly have you gone through the ascetic course. But there is no man who has attained perfection. Before you lie unknown struggles greater than those you have already accomplished. That you may know how many other ways lead to salvation, leave your native land like the renowned patriarch Abraham and go to the monastery by the River Jordan."

Zosimas did as he was told. he left the monastery in which he had lived from childhood, and went to the River Jordan. At last he reached the community to which God had sent him. Having knocked at the door of the monastery, he told the monk who was the porter who he was; and the porter told the abbot. On being admitted to the abbot's presence, Zosimas made the usual monastic prostration and prayer. Seeing that he was a monk the abbot asked:

"Where do you come from, brother, and why have you come to us poor old men?"

Zosimas replied:

"There is no need to speak about where I have come from, but I have come, father, seeking spiritual profit, for I have heard great things about your skill in leading souls to God."

"Brother," the abbot said to him, "Only God can heal the infirmity of the soul. May He teach you and us His divine ways and guide us. But as it is the love of Christ that has moved you to visit us poor old men, then stay with us, if that is why you have come. May the Good Shepherd Who laid down His life for our salvation fill us all with the grace of the Holy Spirit."

After this, Zosimas bowed to the abbot, asked for his prayers and blessing, and stayed in the monastery. There he saw elders proficient both in action and the contemplation of God, aflame in spirit, working for the Lord. They sang incessantly, they stood in prayer all night, work was ever in their hands and psalms on their lips. Never an idle word was heard among them, they know nothing about acquiring temporal goods or the cares of life. But they had one desire -- to become in body like corpses. Their constant food was the Word of God, and they sustained their bodies on bread and water, as much as their love for God allowed them Seeing this, Zosimas was greatly edified and prepared for the struggle that lay before him.

Many days passed and the time drew near when all Christians fast and prepare themselves to worship the Divine Passion and Ressurection of Christ. The monastery gates were kept always locked and only opened when one of the community was sent out on some errand. It was a desert place, not only unvisited by people of the world but even unknown to them.

There was a rule in that monastery which was the reason why God brought Zosimas there. At the beginning of the Great Fast [on Forgiveness Sunday] the priest celebrated the holy Liturgy and all partook of the holy body and blood of Christ. After the Liturgy they went to the refectory and would eat a little lenten food.

Then all gathered in church, and after praying earnestly with prostrations, the elders kissed one another and asked forgiveness. And each made a prostration to the abbot and asked his blessing and prayers for the struggle that lay before them. After this, the gates of the monastery were thrown open, and singing, "The Lord is my light and my Savior; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defender of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 26.1) and the rest of that psalm, all went out into the desert and crossed the River Jordan. Only one or two brothers were left in the monastery, not to guard the property (for there was nothing to rob), but so as not to leave the church without Divine Service. Each took with him as much as he could or wanted in the way of food, according to the needs of his body: one would take a little bread, another some figs, another dates or wheat soaked in water. And some took nothing but their own body covered with rags and fed when nature forced them to it on the plants that grew in the desert.

After crossing the Jordan, they all scattered far and wide in different directions. And this was the rule of life they had, and which they all observed -- neither to talk to one another, nor to know how each one lived and fasted. If they did happen to catch sight of one another, they went to another part of the country, living alone and always singing to God, and at a definite time eating a very small quantity of food. In this way they spent the whole of the fast and used to return to the monastery a week before the Resurrection of Christ, on Palm Sunday. Each one returned having his own conscience as the witness of his labour, and no one asked another how he had spent his time in the desert. Such were rules of the monastery. Everyone of them whilst in the desert struggled with himself before the Judge of the struggle -- God -- not seeking to please men and fast before the eyes of all. For what is done for the sake of men, to win praise and honour, is not only useless to the one who does it but sometimes the cause of great punishment.

Zosimas did the same as all. And he went far, far into the desert with a secret hope of finding some father who might be living there and who might be able to satisfy his thirst and longing. And he wandered on tireless, as if hurrying on to some definite place. He had already waled for 20 days and when the 6th hour came he stopped and, turning to the East, he began to sing the sixth Hour and recite the customary prayers. He used to break his journey thus at fixed hours of the day to rest a little, to chant psalms standing and to pray on bent knees.

And as he sang thus without turning his eyes from the heavens, he suddenly saw to the right of the hillock on which he stood the semblance of a human body. At first he was confused thinking he beheld a vision of the devil, and even started with fear. But, having guarded himself with he sign of the Cross and banished all fear, he turned his gaze in that direction and in truth saw some form gliding southwards. It was naked, the skin dark as if burned up by the heat of the sun; the hair on its head was white as a fleece, and not long, falling just below its neck. Zosimas was so overjoyed at beholding a human form that he ran after it in pursuit, but the form fled from him. He followed. At length, when he was near enough to be heard, he shouted:

"Why do you run from an old man and a sinner? Slave of the True God, wait for me, whoever you are, in God's name I tell you, for the love of God for Whose sake you are living in the desert."

"Forgive me for God's sake, but I cannot turn towards you and show you my face, Abba Zosimas. For I am a woman and naked as you see with the uncovered shame of my body. But if you would like to fulfil one wish of a sinful woman, throw me your cloak so that I can cover my body and can turn to you and ask for your blessing."

Here terror seized Zosimas, for he heard that she called him by name. But he realized that she could not have done so without knowing anything of him if she had not had the power of spiritual insight.

He at once did as he was asked. He took off his old, tattered cloak and threw it to her, turning away as he did so. She picked it up and was able to cover at least a part of her body. The she turned to Zosimas and said:

"Why did you wish, Abba Zosimas, to see a sinful woman? What do you wish to hear or learn from me, you who have not shrunk from such great struggles?"

Zosimas threw himself on the ground and asked for her blessing. She likewise bowed down before him. And thus they lay on the ground prostrate asking for each other's blessing. And one word alone could be heard from both: "Bless me!" After a long while the woman said to Zosimas:

"Abba Zosimas, it is you who must give blessing and pray. You are dignified by the order of priesthood and for many years you have been standing before the holy altar and offering the sacrifice of the Divine Mysteries."

This flung Zosimas into even greater terror. At length with tears he said to her:

"O mother, filled with the spirit, by your mode of life it is evident that you live with God and have died to the world. The Grace granted to you is apparent -- for you have called me by name and recognized that I am a priest, though you have never seen me before. Grace is recognized not by one's orders, but by gifts of the Spirit, so give me your blessing for God's sake, for I need your prayers."

Then, giving way before the wish of the elder, the woman said:

"Blessed is God Who cares for the salvation of men and their souls."

Zosimas answered:

"Amen."

And both rose to their feet. Then the woman asked the elder:

"Why have you come, man of God, to me who am so sinful? Why do you wish to see a woman naked and devoid of every virtue? Though I know one thing -- the Grace of the Holy Spirit has brought you to render me a service in time. Tell me, father, how are the Christian peoples living? And the kings? How is the Church guided?"

Zosimas said:

"By your prayers, mother, Christ has granted lasting peace to all. But fulfill the unworthy petition of an old man and pray for the whole world and for me who am a sinner, so that my wanderings in the desert may not be fruitless."

She answered:

"You who are a priest, Abba Zosimas, it is you who must pray for me and for all -- for this is your calling. But as we must all be obedient, I will gladly do what you ask."

And with these words she turned to the East, and raising her eyes to heaven and stretching out her hands, she began to pray in a whisper. One could not hear separate words, so that Zosimas could not understand anything that she said in her prayers. Meanwhile he stood, according to his own word, all in a flutter, looking at the ground without saying a word. And he swore, calling God to witness, that when at length he thought that her prayer was very long, he took his eyes off the ground and saw that she was raised bout a forearm's distance from the ground and stood praying in the air. When he saw this, even greater terror seized him and he fell on the ground weeping and repeating may times, "Lord have mercy."

And whilst lying prostrate on the ground he was tempted by a thought: Is it not a spirit, and perhaps her prayer is hypocrisy. But at the very same moment the woman turned round, raised the elder from the ground and said:

"Why do thoughts confuse you, Abba, and tempt you about me, as if I were a spirit and a dissember in prayer? Know, holy father, that I am only a sinful woman, though I am guarded by Holy baptism. And I am no spirit but earth and ashes, and flesh alone."

And with these words she guarded herself with the sign of the Cross on her forehead, eyes, mouth and breast, saying:

"May God defend us from the evil one and from his designs, for fierce is his struggle against us."

Hearing and seeing this, the elder fell to the ground and, embracing her feet, he said with tears:

"I beg you, by the Name of Christ our God, Who was born of a Virgin, for Whose sake you have stripped yourself, for Whose sake you have exhausted your flesh, do not hide from your slave, who you are and whence and how you came into this desert. Tell me everything so that the marvellous works of God may become known. A hidden wisdom and a secret treasure -- what profit is there in them? Tell me all, I implore you. for not out of vanity or for self-display will you speak but to reveal the truth to me, an unworthy sinner. I believe in God, for whom you live and whom you serve. I believe that He led me into this desert so as to show me His ways in regard to you. It is not in our power to resist the plans of God. If it were not the will of God that you and your life would be known, He would not have allowed be to see you and would not have strengthened me to undertake this journey, one like me who never before dared to leave his cell."

Much more said Abba Zosimas. But the woman raised him and said:

"I am ashamed, Abba, to speak to you of my disgraceful life, forgive me for God's sake! But as you have already seen my naked body I shall likewise lay bare before you my work, so that you may know with what shame and obscenity my soul is filled. I was not running away out of vanity, as you thought, for what have I to be proud of -- I who was the chosen vessel of the devil? But when I start my story you will run from me, as from a snake, for your ears will not be able to bear the vileness of my actions. But I shall tell you all without hiding anything, only imploring you first of all to pray incessantly for me, so that I may find mercy on the day of Judgment."

The elder wept and the woman began her story.

"My native land, holy father, was Egypt. Already during the lifetime of my parents, when I was twelve years old, I renounced their love and went to Alexandria. I am ashamed to recall how there I at first ruined my maidenhood and then unrestrainedly and insatiably gave myself up to sensuality. It is more becoming to speak of this briefly, so that you may just know my passion and my lechery. for about seventeen years, forgive me, I lived like that. I was like a fire of public debauch. And it was not for the sake of gain -- here I speak the pure truth. Often when they wished to pay me, I refused the money. I acted in this way so as to make as many men as possible to try to obtain me, doing free of charge what gave me pleasure. do not think that I was rich and that was the reason why I did not take money. I lived by begging, often by spinning flax, but I had an insatiable desire and an irrepressible passion for lying in filth. This was life to me. Every kind of abuse of nature I regarded as life.

That is how I lived. Then one summer I saw a large crowd of Lybians and Egyptians running towards the sea. I asked one of them, `Where are these men hurrying to?' He replied, `They are all going to Jerusalem for the Exaltation of the Precious and Lifegiving Cross, which takes place in a few days.' I said to him, `Will they take me with them if I wish to go?' `No one will hinder you if you have money to pay for the journey and for food.' And I said to him, `To tell you truth, I have no money, neither have I food. But I shall go with them and shall go aboard. And they shall feed me, whether they want to or not. I have a body -- they shall take it instead of pay for the journey.' I was suddenly filled with a desire to go, Abba, to have more lovers who could satisfy my passion. I told you, Abba Zosimas, not to force me to tell you of my disgrace. God is my witness, I am afraid of defiling you and the very air with my words."

Zosimas, weeping, replied to her:

"Speak on for God's sake, mother, speak and do not break the thread of such an edifying tale."

And, resuming her story, she went on:

"That youth, on hearing my shameless words, laughed and went off. While I, throwing away my spinning wheel, ran off towards the sea in the direction which everyone seemed to be taking. and, seeing some young men standing on the shore, about ten or more of them, full of vigour and alert in their movements, I decided that they would do for my purpose (it seemed that some of them were waiting for more travellers whilst others had gone ashore). Shamelessly, as usual, I mixed with the crowd, saying, `Take me with you to the place you are going to; you will not find me superfluous.' I also added a few more words calling forth general laughter. Seeing my readiness to be shameless, they readily took me aboard the boat. Those who were expected came also, and we set sail at once.

How shall I relate to you what happened after this? Whose tongue can tell, whose ears can take in all that took place on the boat during that voyage! And to all this I frequently forced those miserable youths even against their own will. There is no mentionable or unmentionable depravity of which I was not their teacher. I am amazed, Abba, how the sea stood our licentiousness, how the earth did not open its jaws, and how it was that hell did not swallow me alive, when I had entangled in my net so many souls. But I think God was seeking my repentance. For He does not desire the death of a sinner but magnanimously awaits his return to Him. At last we arrived in Jerusalem. I spent the days before the festival in the town, living the same kind of life, perhaps even worse. I was not content with the youths I had seduced at sea and who had helped be to get to Jerusalem; many others -- citizens of the town and foreigners -- I also seduced.

The holy day of the Exaltation of the Cross dawned while I was still flying about -- hunting for youths. At daybreak I saw that everyone was hurrying to the church, so I ran with the rest. When the hour for the holy elevation approached, I was trying to make my way in with the crowd which was struggling to get through the church doors. I had at last squeezed through with great difficulty almost to the entrance of the temple, from which the lifegiving Tree of the Cross was being shown to the people. But when I trod on the doorstep which everyone passed, I was stopped by some force which prevented my entering. Meanwhile I was brushed aside by the crowd and found myself standing alone in the porch. Thinking that this had happened because of my woman's weakness, I again began to work my way into the crowd, trying to elbow myself forward. But in vain I struggled. Again my feet trod on the doorstep over which others were entering the church without encountering any obstacle. I alone seemed to remain unaccepted by the church. It was as if there was a detachment of soldiers standing there to oppose my entrance. Once again I was excluded by the same mighty force and again I stood in the porch.

Having repeated my attempt three or four times, at last I felt exhausted and had no more strength to push and to be pushed, so I went aside and stood in a corner of the porch. And only then with great difficulty it began to dawn on me, and I began to understand the reason why I was prevented from being admitted to see the life-giving Cross. The word of salvation gently touched the eyes of my heart and revealed to me that it was my unclean life which barred the entrance to me. I began to weep and lament and beat my breast, and to sigh from the depths of my heart. And so I stood weeping when I saw above me the ikon of the most holy Mother of God. And turning to her my bodily and spiritual eyes I said:

'O Lady, Mother of God, who gave birth in the flesh to God the Word, I know, O how well I know, that it is no honour or praise to thee when one so impure and depraved as I look up to thy ikon, O ever-virgin, who didst keep thy body and soul in purity. Rightly do I inspire hatred and disgust before thy virginal purity. But I have heard that God Who was born of thee became man on purpose to call sinners to repentance. Then help me, for I have no other help. Order the entrance of the church to be opened to me. Allow me to see the venerable Tree on which He Who was born of thee suffered in the flesh and on which He shed His holy Blood for the redemption of sinners and for me, unworthy as I am. Be my faithful witness before thy Son that I will never again defile my body by the impurity of fornication, but as soon as I have seen the Tree of the Cross I will renounce the world and its temptations and will go wherever thou wilt lead me.'

Thus I spoke and as if acquiring some hope in firm faith and feeling some confidence in the mercy of the Mother of God, I left the place where I stood praying. And I went again and mingled with the crowd that was pushing its way into the temple. And no one seemed to thwart me, no one hindered my entering the church. I was possessed with trembling, and was almost in delirium. Having got as far as the doors which I could not reach before -- as if the same force which had hindered me cleared the way for me -- I now entered without difficulty and found myself within the holy place. And so it was I saw the lifegiving Cross. I saw too the Mysteries of God and how the Lord accepts repentance. Throwing myself on the ground, I worshipped that holy earth and kissed it with trembling. Then I came out of the church and went to her who had promised to be my security, to the place where I had sealed my vow. And bending my knees before the Virgin Mother of God, I addressed to her such words as these:

'O loving Lady, thou hast shown me thy great love for all men. glory to God Who receives the repentance of sinners through thee. What more can I recollect or say, I who am so sinful? It is time for me, O Lady to fulfil my vow, according to thy witness. Now lead me by the hand along the path of repentance!' And at these words I heard a voice from on high:

`If you cross the Jordan you will find glorious rest.'

Hearing this voice and having faith that it was for me, I cried to the Mother of God:

'O Lady, Lady, do not forsake me!'

With these words I left the porch of the church and set off on my journey. As I was leaving the church a stranger glanced at me and gave me three coins, saying:

'Sister, take these.'

And, taking the money, I bought three loaves and took them with me on my journey, as a blessed gift. I asked the person who sold the bread: 'Which is the way to the Jordan?' I was directed to the city gate which led that way. Running on I passed the gates and still weeping went on my journey. Those I met I asked the way, and after walking for the rest of that day (I think it was nine o'clock when I saw the Cross) I at length reached at sunset the Church of St. John the Baptist which stood on the banks of the Jordan. After praying in the temple, I went down to the Jordan and rinsed my face and hands in its holy waters. I partook of the holy and life-giving Mysteries in the Church of the Forerunner and ate half of one of my loaves. Then, after drinking some water from Jordan, I lay down and passed the night on the ground. In the morning I found a small boat and crossed to the opposite bank. I again prayed to Our Lady to lead me whither she wished. Then I found myself in this desert and since then up to this very day I am estranged from all, keeping away from people and running away from everyone. And I live here clinging to my God Who saves all who turn to Him from faintheartedness and storms."

Zosimas asked her:

"How many years have gone by since you began to live in this desert?"

She replied:

"Forty-seven years have already gone by, I think, since I left the holy city."

Zosimas asked:

"But what food do you find?"

The woman said:

"I had two and a half loaves when I crossed the Jordan. Soon they dried up and became hard as rock. Eating a little I gradually finished them after a few years."

Zosimas asked.

"Can it be that without getting ill you have lived so many years thus, without suffering in any way from such a complete change?"

The woman answered:

"You remind me, Zosimas, of what I dare not speak of. For when I recall all the dangers which I overcame, and all the violent thoughts which confused me, I am again afraid that they will take possession of me."

Zosimas said:

"Do not hide from me anything; speak to me without concealing anything."

And she said to him:

"Believe me, Abba, seventeen years I passed in this desert fighting wild beasts -- mad desires and passions. When I was about to partake of food, I used to begin to regret the meat and fish of which I had so much in Egypt. I regretted also not having wine which I loved so much, for I drank a lot of wine when I lived in the world, while here I had not even water. I used to burn and succumb with thirst. The mad desire for profligate songs also entered me and confused me greatly, edging me on to sing satanic songs which I had learned once. But when such desires entered me I struck myself on the breast and reminded myself of the vow which I had made, when going into the desert. In my thoughts I returned to the ikon of the Mother of God which had received me and to her I cried in prayer. I implored her to chase away the thoughts to which my miserable soul was succumbing. And after weeping for long and beating my breast I used to see light at last which seemed to shine on me from everywhere. And after the violent storm, lasting calm descended.

And how can I tell you about the thoughts which urged me on to fornication, how can I express them to you, Abba? A fire was kindled in my miserable heart which seemed to burn me up completely and to awake in me a thirst for embraces. As soon as this craving came to me, I flung myself on the earth and watered it with my tears, as if I saw before me my witness, who had appeared to me in my disobedience, and who seemed to threaten punishment for the crime. And I did not rise from the ground (sometimes I lay thus prostrate for a day and a night) until a calm and sweet light descended and enlightened me and chased away the thoughts that possessed me. But always I turned to the eyes of my mind to my Protectress, asking her to extend help to one who was sinking fast in the waves of the desert. And I always had her as my Helper and the Accepter of my repentance. And thus I lived for seventeen years amid constant dangers. And since then even till now the Mother of God helps me in everything and leads me as it were by the hand."

Zosimas asked:

"Can it be that you did not need food and clothing?"

She answered:

"After finishing the loaves I had, of which I spoke, for seventeen years I have fed on herbs and all that can be found in the desert. The clothes I had when I crossed the Jordan became torn and worn out. I suffered greatly from the cold and greatly from the extreme heat. At times the sun burned me up and at other times I shivered from the frost, and frequently falling to the ground I lay without breath and without motion. I struggled with many afflictions and with terrible temptations. But from that time till now the power of God in numerous ways had guarded my sinful soul and my humble body. When I only reflect on the evils from which Our Lord has delivered me I have imperishable food for hope of salvation. I am fed and clothed by the all-powerful Word of God, the Lord of all. For it is not by bread alone that man lives. And those who have stripped off the rags of sin have no refuge, hiding themselves in the clefts of the rocks (Job 24; Heb 11.38)."

Hearing that she cited words of Scripture, from Moses and Job, Zosimas asked her:

"And so you have read the psalms and other books?"

She smiled at this and said to the elder:

"Believe be, I have not seen a human face ever since I crossed the Jordan, except yours today. I have not seen a beast or a living being ever since I came into the desert. I never learned from books. I have never even heard anyone who sang and read from them. But the word of God which is alive and active, by itself teaches a man knowledge. And so this is the end of my tale. But, as I asked you in the beginning, so even now I implore you for the sake of the Incarnate word of God, to pray to the Lord for me who am such a sinner."

Thus concluding here tale she bowed down before him. And with tears the elder exclaimed:

"Blessed is God Who creates the great and wondrous, the glorious and marvellous without end. Blessed is God Who has shown me how He rewards those who fear Him. Truly, O Lord, Thou dost not forsake those who seek Thee!"

And the woman, not allowing the elder to bow down before her, said:

"I beg you, holy father, for the sake of Jesus Christ our God and Savior, tell no one what you have heard, until God delivers me of this earth. And now depart in peace and again next year you shall see me, and I you, if God will preserve us in His great mercy. But for God's sake, do as I ask you. Next year during Lent do not cross the Jordan, as is your custom in the monastery."

Zosimas was amazed to hear that she know the rules of the monastery and could only say:

"Glory to God Who bestows great gifts on those who love Him."

She continued:

"Remain, Abba, in the monastery. And even if you wish to depart, you will not be to do so. And at sunset of the holy day of the Last super, put some of the lifegiving Body and Blood of Christ into a holy vessel worthy to hold such Mysteries for me, and bring it. And wait for me on the banks of the Jordan adjoining the inhabited parts of the land, so that I can come and partake of the lifegiving Gifts. For, since the time I communicated in the temple of the Forerunner before crossing the Jordan even to this day I have not approached the Holy Mysteries. And I thirst for them with irrepressible love and longing. And therefore I ask and implore you to grant me my wish, bring me the lifegiving Mysteries at the very hour when Our Lord made His disciples partake of His Divine Supper. Tell John the Abbot of the monastery where you live. Look to yourself and to your brothers, for there is much that needs correction. Only do not say this now, but when God guides you. Pray for me!"

With these words she vanished in the depths of the desert. And Zosimas, falling down on his knees and bowing down to the ground on which she had stood, sent up glory and thanks to God. And, after wandering thorough the desert, he returned to the monastery on the day all the brothers returned.

For the whole year he kept silent, not daring to tell anyone of what he had seen. But he prayed to God to give him another chance of seeing the ascetic's dear face. And when at length the first Sunday of the Great Fast came, all went out into the desert with the customary prayers and the singing of psalms. Only Zosimas was held back by illness -- he lay in a fever. And then he remembered what the saint had said to him: "and even if you wish to depart, you will not be able to do so."

Many days passed and at last recovering from his illness he remained in the monastery. And when attain the monks returned and the day of the Last Supper dawned, he did as he had been ordered, and placing some of the most pure Body and Blood into a small chalice and putting some figs and dates and lentils soaked in water into a small basket, he departed for the desert and reached the banks of the Jordan and sat down to wait for the saint. He waited for a long while and then began to doubt. Then, raising his eyes to heaven, he began to pray:

"Grant me, O Lord, to behold that which Thou hast allowed me to behold once. Do not let me depart in vain, being the burden of my sins."

And then another thought struck him:

"And what if she does come? There is no boat; how will she cross the Jordan to come to me who am so unworthy?"

And as he was pondering thus he saw the holy woman appear and stand on the other side of the river. Zosimas got up rejoicing and glorifying and thanking God. And again the thought came to him that she could not cross the Jordan. Then he saw that she made the sign of the Cross over the waters of the Jordan (and the night was a moonlight one, as he related afterwards) and then she at once stepped on to the waters and began walking across the surface towards him. And when he wanted to prostrate himself, she cried to him while still walking on the water:

"What are you doing, Abba, you are a priest and carrying the Divine Gifts!"

He obeyed her and on reaching the shore she said to the elder:

"Bless, father, bless me!"

He answered her trembling, for a state of confusion had overcome him at the sight of the miracle:

"Truly God did not lie when He promised that when we purify ourselves we shall be like Him. Glory to Thee, Christ our God, Who has shown me through this Thy slave how far away I stand from perfection."

Here the woman asked him to say the Creed and Our Father. He began, she finished the prayer and according to the custom of that time gave him the kiss of peace on the lips. Having partaken of the Holy Mysteries, she raised her hands to heaven and sighed with tears in her eyes, exclaiming:

"Now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, O Lord, according to Thy word; for my eyes have seen Thy salvation."

Then she said to the elder:

"Forgive me, Abba, for asking you, but fulfil another wish of mine. Go now to the monastery and let God's grace guard you, and next year come again to the same place where I first met you. Come for God's sake, for you shall again see me, for such is the will of God."

He said to her:

"From this day on I would like to follow you and always see your holy face. But now fulfil the one and only wish of an old man and take a little of the food I have brought for you."

And he showed her the basket, while she just touched the lentils with the tips of her fingers, and taking three grains said that the Holy spirit guards the substance of the soul unpolluted. Then she said:

"Pray, for God's sake pray for me and remember a miserable wretch."

Touching the saint's feet and asking for her prayers for the Church, the kingdom and himself, he let her depart with tears, while he went off sighing and sorrowful, for he could not hope to vanquish the invincible. Meanwhile she again made the sign of the Cross over the Jordan, and stepped on to the waters and crossed over as before. And the elder returned filled with joy and terror, accusing himself of not having asked the saint her name. But he decided to do so next year.

And when another year had passed, he again went into the desert. He reached the same spot but could see no sign of anyone. So, raising his eyes to heaven as before, he prayed:

"Show me, O Lord, Thy pure treasure, which Thou hast concealed in the desert. Show me, I pray Thee, the angel in the flesh, of which the world is not worthy."

Then on the opposite bank of the river, her face turned towards the rising sun, he saw the saint lying dead. Her hands were crossed according to custom and her face was turned to the East. Running up he shed tears over the saint's feet and kissed them, not daring to touch anything else.

For a long time he wept. Then reciting the appointed psalms, he said the burial prayers and thought to himself: "Must I bury the body of a saint? Or will this be contrary to her wishes?" And then he saw words traced on the ground by her head:

"Abba Zosimas, bury on this spot the body of humble Mary. Return to dust that which is dust and pray to the Lord for me, who departed in the month of Fermoutin of Egypt, called April by the Romans, on the first day, on the very night of our Lord's Passion, after having partaken of the Divine Mysteries." [St. Mary died in AD 522]

Reading this the elder was glad to know the saint's name. He understood too that as soon as she had partaken of the Divine Mysteries on the shore of the Jordan she was at once transported to the place where she died. The distance which Zosimas had taken twenty days to cover, Mary had evidently traversed in an hour and had at once surrendered her soul to God.

Then Zosimas thought: "It is time to do as she wished. But how am I to dig a grave with nothing in my hands?"

And then he saw nearby a small piece of wood left by some traveller in the desert. Picking it up he began to dig the ground. But the earth was hard and dry and did not yield to the efforts of the elder. He grew tired and covered with sweat. He sighed from the depths of his soul and lifting up his eyes he saw a big lion standing close to the saint's body and licking her feet. At the sight of the lion he trembled with fear, especially when he called to mind Mary's words that she had never seen wild beasts in the desert. But guarding himself with the sign of the cross, the thought came to him that the power of the one lying there would protect him and keep him unharmed. Meanwhile the lion drew nearer to him, expressing affection by every movement.

Zosimas said to the lion:

"The Great One ordered that her body was to be buried. But I am old and have not the strength to dig the grave, for I have no spade and it would take too long to go and get one. So can you carry out the work with your claws? Then we can commit to the earth the mortal temple of the saint."

While he was still speaking the lion with his front paws began to dig a hole deep enough to bury the body.

Again the elder washed the feet of the saint with his tears and calling on her to pray for all, covered the body with earth in the presence of the lion. It was as it had been, naked and uncovered by anything but the tattered cloak which had been given to her by Zosimas and with which Mary, turning away, had managed to cover part of her body. Then both departed. The lion went off into the depth of the desert like a lamb, while Zosimas returned to the monastery glorifying and blessing Christ our Lord. And on reaching the monastery he told all the brothers about everything, and all marvelled on hearing of God's miracles. And with fear and love they kept the memory of the saint.

Abbot John, as St. Mary had previously told Abba Zosimas, found a number of things wrong in the monastery and got rid of them with God's help. And Saint Zosimas died in the same monastery, almost attaining the age of a hundred, and passed to eternal life. The monks kept this story without writing it down and passed it on by word of mouth to one another.

But I (adds Sophronius) as soon as I heard it, wrote it down. Perhaps someone else, better informed, has already written the life of the Saint, but as far as I could, I have recorded everything, putting truth above all else. May God Who works amazing miracles and generously bestows gifts on those who turn to Him with faith, reward those who seek light for themselves in this story, who hear, read and are zealous to write it, and may He grant them the lot of blessed Mary together with all who at different times have pleased God by their pious thoughts and labours.

And let us also give glory to God, the eternal King, that He may grant us too His mercy in the day of judgment for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord, to Whom belongs all glory, honour, dominion and adoration with the Eternal Father and the Most Holy and Life-giving Spirit, now and always, and throughout all ages. Amen.

The End, and Glory Be to God!

Sunday, and You Can't Take It With You

Sunday morning, I drove to Front Royal and went to Mass at Christendom. During the Palestrina Choir practice, we practiced the choral responses to the Passion of St. Luke. After this, I went to Little Washington and watched the Christendom Players in action. This semester, they were performing You Can't Take It With You, which they all did remarkably well. I watched the matinée showing and the final performance, just so that I could get see both the regular version and the comic version.

The cast was an all-star cast:

• John C -- Grandpa Vanderhof
• Catherine T -- Penelope "Penny" Vanderhof Sycamore
• Andy Bodoh -- Paul Sycamore
• Grant D. -- Mr. De Pinna
• Adrienne S. -- Essie Sycamore Carmichael
• KC D. -- Ed Carmichael
• Shelagh B -- Alice Sycamore
• Emily S. -- Rheba
• Jon Pat M. -- Donald
• Julian A. -- Tony Kirby
• Kyle K. -- Wilbur C. Henderson
• Sam P. -- Mr. Boris Kolenkhov
• Anne Therese S. -- Grand Duchess Olga Katrina
• Bridget R. -- Gay Wellington
• Chris D. -- Mr. Kirby
• Cathy N. -- Mrs. Kirby
• Matt van L. -- Lead Federal Agent
• Joe V. -- Federal Agent #2 (Jim)
• John J. -- Federal Agent #3 (Mac)
There's a possibility that I have Federal Agents #'s 2&3 backwards. If I do, I'm sorry...

To be perfectly honest, the matinée performance was not as much fun as the final performance when comparing them side-to-side, but both plays were a lot of fun to watch. The personal animation that goes into making some of these characters, like Sam's Russian, Adrienne's dancing, Emily and Jon Pat's black impersonations, and Grant's eccentricities (wait -- was that last one really acting???) is simply amazing. It was also very refreshing to see recurring actors like Julian, John J., and Sam get differing parts, where they can't act off each other -- it really shows their natural talents to be able to work with any group of people and give simply amazing performances. I include John J. in this list because he was the director as well as an agent. Julian and Sam had two of the bigger roles, and they were simply incredible.

In between shows, I went to the Griffin Tavern and met up with Emma, Laurel, M.C., JD, Greg M., Mary B., Emily G., Breanna H., and Andy C. After the final performance, most of us went to Baskin-Robbins for ice cream. I took off about midnight and went back to the apartment. Along the way, I got rather tired, so I took a quick nap in Manassas, and got back to the apartment at about 2:00 AM.

The weekend so far...

This morning, I woke up late, which I did not need to do this morning. I needed to be in Front Royal at 10:30 AM to leave, and I was going to make it, but only after booking it to Front Royal. However, I got a call from Paul, saying that they were leaving at 10:15, instead of 10:30, and I had to drive to Staunton, VA. I wasn't too terribly pleased with this new development, but, hey, such is life. I ended up stopping for gas, and then Jonathan passed me as I got back onto the highway, so I followed him all the way to the church.

Now, you're probably wondering, "Why is there a wedding in Lent?" I have no idea either. There had to be a dispensation involved, and, as I'm not privy to all information of the sorts, all I know is that there was a wedding, and it was today, the fourth Saturday of Lent...

Anyway, so the wedding was OK. Acoustically, the church did not seem to carry sound well at all. I guess we sounded OK, though. However, at the time, it felt like no matter how much sound I tried to produce, it was always muffled.

After the wedding, we went to lunch at a small diner in the town and had a late lunch or early dinner, depending upon how you want to look at it. After that, I went to Ken and Alaina's place.

I saw their baby for the first time, and he's pretty cute, and very peaceful. I was quite surprised that he didn't start crying immediately like most babies do when they see me...

After that, I went back to my apartment. I was going to go to the gym, but it was too late when I got back. I'll have to make a point to go there multiple mornings nest week. Anyway, I'm picking up David at the airport tonight, and he's waiting on his baggage. Hopefully, it'll come soon, because it's now midnight...

The One

I've seen this movie once before, and I thoroughly enjoyed it a second time. I forgot about a couple minor plot twists, but it was still very enjoyable...

300

This movie is sooooooo freaking cool!!!! There is a decent amount of nudity in it, so be warned. There is a lot of violence, so also, be warned. It is historically accurate, so the heroes of the story all get slaughtered at the end, so don't expect a Hollywood ending of the good guys winning. It's 300 Spartans against the millions of men in the armies of Xerxes, King of Persia, at the famous Battle of Thermopylae. The Spartans fight bravely and do so much damage against the Persians that it's not even funny (OK, yes, it is -- I had a good laugh at Xerxes), but they don't survive.

Actually, I should say that all the nudity and violence is styled to give everything the desired results. There is some nudity which is designed to gross you out -- and it really does.

In any case, this movie is an excellent movie, very well done, but it is not for the faint of heart, nor the easily-scandalized. If you qualify for either category, do not watch this movie.

The Marine

This wasn't a great movie, like A Few Good Men was, but it was fun. John Cena stars as John Triton, a Marine who gets discharged for disobeying a direct order and saving the lives of fellow Marines. (Does bureaucracy make sense to you?) He then proceeds to chase down criminals who kidnap his wife. It's a very fun action movie, with a decent plot, dialogue, and characters, but don't expect a blockbuster. It's just fun. :)

Oh, and it's safe, too. The only scenes which might be a bit uncomfortable for mixed company are early on. I'm not sure if they are in the regular version -- I have the unrated edition. However, the unrated version showed nothing, so I wouldn't worry about it in the regular (PG-13) edition.

Sunday conclusion

After I got done with the previous blog post, I headed over to the gym. Keep in mind that I was still really sore and still dressed in my Sunday clothes. Soccer? I think not. However, I was convinced that it was a good idea, so the vest and pocket watch came off, the rugs were scooted out to the end-zone, and I became the best-dressed goalie in the game. I wasn't the best goalie, that's for sure, but if style counted, I was definitely scoring points by my pretty-boy look...

After that, I headed back to the apartment, ate four ears of corn on the cob and some potatoes, while watching Gargoyles. What a fun evening...

St. Patrick's Day & Sunday

My plan was to go to choir practice on Saturday morning at Christendom, go to the gym (back in Herndon), go to Vespers at Holy Transfiguration, and then go back to Christendom and attend the St. Patrick's Day festivities. That was the plan, anyway...

I got up late on Saturday. I actually got up and out of bed at about 9:30 AM. I debated with myself if I should shower -- no, I decided against it. Why should I? I'm going to the gym. I'm only going to get sweaty again, and then I'd have to come back and take another shower. So I put on my gym clothes and got ready to go to the gym...

(10:00 AM)

...right after I checked my e-mail. "Hey, check it out, someone added me on MySpace." I go look. "Figures. It's just some person trying to bump their friend count up. OK, whatever." (Accept.)

I saw some videos on the MSN homepage about St. Patrick's Day. They've reduced his status to mythological. They don't doubt that he existed, but St. Patrick didn't cast out all the snakes from Ireland. They believe that he couldn't have, and they back it up by saying that there were never any snakes in Ireland. Everything else was pretty cool -- there was a recipe for Guinness cake (which I think I can make), some sort of bacon, cabbage, and mashed potatoes mix -- I can't remember the name of it, but it looks really good.

And after that... "Oh, and I got something on Facebook! I gotta see that!" So, I checked my Facebook account. "Ah, that's cool. Hey, I've been poked!" Pokes poker back. "Ah, much better."

(11:00 AM)

"You know, my profile needs to be updated. I'll do that really quickly. Well, this won't be a quick thing. I'll fire up an episode of Gargoyles." So, I fire up one of the episodes (I think it was The Thrill of the Hunt), and begin editing my profile.

(2:45 PM) "I've now uploaded a lot of pictures, joined a few groups, and I've gotten through Season 1. Time to go the gym." I was cutting it close, because my workout would probably be about an hour-and-a-half, and I still had to shower. Should I even go? Yes, I should. I grabbed my MP3 player, a change of clothes, and headed out.

My workout was actually over two hours long. The bulk of the workout was legs -- that was fairly quick, although not easy. The situps and other core exercises were a lot harder. When I was done, I went to the steam room. It was so warm in there. I almost fell asleep, but I didn't. I was completely drenched in sweat, so I jumped (not literally) into the hot tub. (No, it wasn't too hot in the hot tub.) After that, a shower, a shave, head back to the apartment, grab a change of clothes for the weekend...

(5:45 PM)

...or so I thought. I stood around debating with myself -- do I need a change of clothes? I would, if I was spending the night out there. But I was driving Matt G. (one of the guys at Holy Transfiguration) from Vespers to Christendom to join in the St. Patrick's Day festival, so I would be driving him back that evening. I left my stuff at the apartment and headed out the door...

...after I finished making my protein shake. But it wasn't much of a shake. I put some in the freezer to solidify, so while I was waiting for that, I checked my e-mail again. "Huh, I've got more stuff on Facebook. Let's check that out."

(6:30 PM)

I finally pried myself from the computer, got in the car, and drove to Holy Transfiguration. I had missed Vespers completely by the time that I got there. Of course, it was entirely my fault -- I'm definitely not trying to duck out of it. Anyway, Matt and I got on the road to Front Royal...

(7:15 PM)

...but I had to swing by the office first and check to see if Paul's computer was turned on -- he had tried to get some work done, but he couldn't log into his machine. It was turned on, so I gave Paul and call to let him know that it wasn't his computer's fault, and then headed out. I also discovered that it would be just as easy for Matt to sleep out in Front Royal (easier, actually) than for us to make the drive back that same night. So we also stopped by my apartment and picked up my change of clothes that I had almost packed but had not brought, because I was sooo clever earlier and we finally made it down to Front Royal circa 9:00 PM.

St. Patrick's Feast was celebrated with much Guinness, Irish dancing, Irish songs and high spirits. Seemed to me to be a stereotypical American/Irish festival, and it was a lot of fun. Towards the end, I talked to Father H. and Mrs. O'D, and it just so happens that Mrs. O'D. is looking for a set of bagpipes for her son. I just happen to have a set of bagpipes that I have never opened. I wanted to learn them, but I'm never going to be able to do so in an apartment. I agreed to bring them this coming weekend, so she could take a look at them to see if she was interested.

When the party ended in the St. Lawrence Commons, everything moved over to St. Killian's Cafe, which is part of the John Paul II student center where the old library had been. I had a Guinness earlier, so I had an Irish coffee there. I chatted with Pate Q., Fred F., Peter K., Matt G., Cynthia and several other people who were there. After that, I head over to Sarah H's place, where she and Vivian were visiting. I ended up having two shots of Butterscotch Schnapps and one of Cinnamon Schnapps -- both really good, and really sweet.

Matt G. gave me a call, and I drove back to campus to pick him up. We both went back to Sarah's and chatted until 3:00 AM (quite by accident), and then I dropped him off at St. Pius dorm where he had an invitation to stay, and I went to St. Kevin's and crashed there. The next morning, Matt rode back out to Holy Transfiguration with Katherine M.

I got up about 8:00 AM to light pouring in my eyes. I went to choir practice, schola practice, and Mass. After that, there was a second brief schola practice before the Tridentine Mass in town, and then Dr. Poterack, Draper, Andy C., and I went to that Mass and chanted the schola pieces there as well. After this, there was the Palestrina choir rehearsal, and we were done about 3:30. I stuck around until about 3:45 just talking, and I went to the gym at about 4:00 PM to meet up with TJ for more dancing lessons. When I got there, he was in the middle of a game of wallyball, so I lifted weights for a few minutes until he was done.

After our lesson, I went back and lifted weights for a little bit longer, and then I came to the library to type this up. I really should go now. I told M.C. and Francis that I would join them in the gym. It's 7:00 PM now, this was about half-an-hour ago...

Band of Brothers

This is simply a fantastic series. It's all based on actual facts, granted with a little artistic interpretation, but, hey -- it doesn't detract from the story at all.

There is one scene of sex in the entire series. It kinda jumps out at you. It's completely unexpected. There are small references here and there elsewhere, but you never see anything. It's not the point of the show.

It goes without saying that the show is very violent, and like most movies portraying the armed forces, there is a lot of language, too. It's based on World War II, so the violence level is expected. There is a lot of blood, a lot of violent results (like dismemberment), but even if you're as squeamish as I am, the whole series is so very worth it. The series portrays soldiers of all camps as serving their countries with as much honor and bravery as every man can muster. The message is good, the actors played everything very well, the directors and the producers did an excellent job -- do yourself a favor and watch this series.

A Few Good Men

This is a movie that is extremely high on the list of movies that you have to see. Yes, you. I don't care who you are, watch this movie. There is no sex, making it that much better. There is a lot of language, but it's a military movie -- very stereotypically military. "Swearing like a sailor." It's not as bad as it sounds, but in more heated/angry moments, you can expect some foul language.

The opening scene will scare kids, but it's essential for the movie. I had to watch it twice to make sure that I understood what happened. I still didn't, so I let the movie continue, and then it was explained.

As a side note, the more Jack Nicholson movies I watch, the more impressed I am. He has a spectacular style which is often imitated, but never duplicated.

Sunday Performance

I got up kind of early today. In spite of the daylight savings time change, I managed to get to Liturgy on time for the procession of the cross this morning, and I joined the choir to chant.

After this, I went to work to print out directions to the place where I was acting the role of butler for preview of the movie. Then I went back to the apartment, changed into my four-button tux, gray vest, and new shoes -- if I do say, I looked spiffy. :)

After I got to DC, I couldn't go right in -- I had to wait for a bit. I wandered around DC in my tux getting funny glances. It was loads of fun for me. It's not every day that I get to dress in formal wear and walk around DC for the fun of it.

I managed to get inside the theater about 4:30 PM (I got into DC about 3:15 PM -- I was entertaining myself during that time), and the shows were just about to start. Babar and I had coordinated plans beforehand. We had decided that while did the introduction, he was going to say that this evening is special, because his butler is attending the show, which has never happened before. I stood up and announced my presence, and people applauded. Babar continued talking, as if to drone on for a couple more minutes, but I cut him off, saying that the shorter he makes his introduction, the sooner we can begin the ceremonies. He grinned and left the stage. I think the audience got a kick out of that comment.

His preview was pretty interesting. It looks like a fun movie. After this preview, two others, and into the fourth preview, he called me out, and we got everything set up for the Q&A session, where I would actually be present with him on stage. (This is the part that we had actually practiced for.) First, we couldn't get a straight answer on where the session was going to be held. When we finally got that nailed down (half-an-hour after we thought it would start), we then had to wait for the Q&A session to start. We thought we would start around 6 PM, at the latest. At 7:15, we were still waiting. We did finally get the word that we were ready to go for the Q&A session, so Babar and I went backstage. We sat around for about ten minutes. The movie ended, and then we got word that since everything was running so far behind, the Q&A session got canceled. We weren't too happy about that (especially since Babar had guests waiting for the Q&A session), but what else could we do? I packed up everything, helped Babar get all his stuff back to his car, and then headed home.

I gave Mom a call once while waiting for the Q&A session to start, and then on the way back to the apartment. When I arrived back at the apartment, I changed into my PJ's and watched another couple episodes of Band of Brothers, an HBO miniseries -- it's quite good. I'll write more about it when I finish it all up...

Nice easy weekend so far...

This morning, I woke up fairly early (9:00 AM) and got ready for the day. Mrs. K. and Julianna came by to pick up a dresser about 11:15 AM, and I talked to them for a little bit.

I don't know if I've mentioned it before -- I don't think I have actually. I've got a small acting gig. There's a new independent movie out called Royal Kill. I'm not acting in the movie -- I'm the director's butler. Last week, we met up for the first time to discuss ideas for my role as his butler. Yesterday we met up again to get more specific. Tomorrow, I'll actually be on stage with him as he goes through an interview, after a 15-minute preview of the movie.

Today, I went out and got some new dress shoes. I needed them. My boots are almost completely worn out. Aside from that, my day today was nice and easy. I did a my laundry, went to Vespers at Holy Transfiguration, and chilled out back at the apartment.

Junior!!!

Ken & Alaina just had their first baby! It's a little boy, named Kenneth Joseph, after his father. I'm going to be calling him junior for the rest of his life. Hopefully he won't hate me too much... ;)

Taxes: what happened?

I got this e-mail from a professor of mine from Christendom. He did not write it -- he just forwarded it. If he had written it, it would be put together in a much more professional/scholarly way. I'm posting it because I thought it was interesting.

+ + +

At first I thought this was funny...then I realized the awful truth of it. Be sure to read all the way to the end!

Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table
At which he's fed.

Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.

Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.

Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries, then
Tax his tears.

Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.

Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough

When he screams and hollers,
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.

Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid.

Put these words
upon his tomb,
"Taxes drove me to my doom..."

When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.


Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel permit tax
Gasoline Tax (42 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Interest expense
Inventory tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS {Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service charge taxes
Social Security Tax
Road usage taxes
Sales Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone federal excise tax
Telephone federal universal service fee tax
Telephone federal, state and local surcharge taxes
Telephone minimum usage surcharge tax
Telephone recurring and non-recurring charges tax
Telephone state and local tax
Telephone usage charge tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

COMMENTS: Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What in the world happened? Can you spell "politicians!" And I still have to "press 1" for English. I hope this goes around THE USA at least 100 times. And some would argue that it was over-taxation that brought this country into being ... wasn't the Tea Tax only 3%? The English so sorely taxed her colonists and did very little to better her colonies with those revenues. A lot of the money went into the pockets of the wealthy and the coffers of the British government. Whereas, the Crown taxed our forefathers and brought that money back to England, our government taxes decendants of those forefathers (and those who immigrated after) and send much of that money to other countries..... hmmm? I just bought a bumper sticker which reads, "If 10% is good enough for God, then it's good enough for the IRS."

Show Boat

I actually didn't care much for this movie in the beginning, especially because people kept taking down about "one-man women" and loyalty in marriage. It seemed as though the movie would be emphasizing divorce as a good thing. I was very happy with the movie by the end, even though the ending itself it was predictable.

If you click on the title of this post, it'll take you directly to the part of the article that references this particular movie. However, if you scroll around in it, it'll show you other versions of the film, which I never knew existed. That's no surprise, considering this was my first time to see this movie...

I'd recommend it. It's a great classic. Especially when you see baby Kim. Looks just like Lizzie. {insert evil laugh here}

Anger Management

This movie was funny in parts. I kinda saw the ending coming, but there was a lot of doubt in my mind. It's not one of the cleanest movies ever, but it's amusing. The acting, the direction, etc. all helped make this the great movie that it is. I can't complain much about it. It's fun.

The weekend

This weekend, Dr. P. recorded a few tracks for a new choir CD. This was also the beginning of spring break for the students.

On Friday, after work, I drove down to Front Royal for choir practice. It seemed to go really smoothly -- there were a couple intonation problems, but overall, it was nice. After this, Paul E., Michael C., Emma and Sarah F., and Lizzie B. went to Sarah H.'s house, where we watched Star Wars, Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi. I fell asleep about 30 minutes into it, but it wasn't any big deal for me -- I've only seen it more times than I can count. Plus, I really needed a nap anyway. After that, I drove Michael back to Christendom, and crashed on the couch in his room.

The next morning, I went to Mass on campus, and then assisted Dr. P. by moving the music from the crypt to the choir loft. Practice lasted from about 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM, and then we had a break.

During this break, I played poker with Paul, Michael, Jonathan D. and Draper W. I lost all of my money in one game of Three-Five-Seven, but Texas hold 'em also helped clean me out...

After break and lunch, we went back upstairs to record. The sessions seemed to go well. I had a problem with Meditabor by Franz Xaver Witt in that I kept pulling flat on the introduction. I think I got it once, but for some reason, I kept pulling flat. It could have been that my voice was just getting tired, but I think I'll just say that it's because I'm getting sloppy, and I need to work on keeping in tune. Why? Because the latter gives me a reason to work harder.

Of course, in retrospect, I should have backed off a little bit. Jonathan was nailing it every time.

As for the rest of the pieces, I don't remember anything horrible in the rest of them, but it could be because I was concentrating too hard on my own part to notice anything wrong anyplace else.

After the choir recording, the schola had its turn. By this point, all of our voices were getting rather tired, so we all had to work to get everything to sound good. My voice cracked several times, and I felt myself pulling flat. I tried my hardest to stay on key -- easier said than done, but I think we managed to pull it off well. When the schola finished up, Emma and Lizzie had a recording session, and then we all went out to dinner at Dean's Steak House.

Dinner was fun. Ken and I got to talking technology-in-work (SQL, salesforce, and all that stuff), but it didn't last all that long, and we got back to normal conversations with everyone else at the table. We discussed books, took a couple pictures and even sang a couple songs at the request of one of the waitresses.

Following that, I drove Michael, Sylvia S., and Lizzie out to JoS. A. Bank in Winchester, because they were having a sale. It turned out that it was an internet only sale, but we got Michael sized up for a suit, and that's what counts...

After spending the night on Michael's couch again, I got up early on Sunday morning, and drove Jen P. to Dulles airport. After that, Paul and I went to Old St. Mary's for Mass, then I drove him to his house in PA. I visited with his family for the day -- I even got some exercise. John, Paul and I went out for a bike ride, biking down some relatively easy trails which were made harder by the presence of mud and ice.

After we got back, I played Texas hold 'em and Anaconda -- I didn't do as badly this time -- I didn't lose all my money.

After this, we had dinner, and I left the house about 9:00 PM, and drove back to the apartment. On the way back, I called Mommy, and after getting cut off about four times, we had basically gotten caught up on life again. :)

Amadeus

Oh. My. Gosh. I don't know what to say about this movie except that it is excellent. Watch this movie. It was positively moving. The way that this movie takes Mozart's life and presents it is astounding. Whether all the bits are fact, fiction, or a combination of fact and artistic interpretation (which I'm sure it is, to an extent), it doesn't really matter. It was incredible.

I found the actress who played his wife to be mildly annoying. There was nothing wrong with the way that she acted -- at least I hope. I chalk it up to her doing a fine job of acting, and the script being written that way.

I actually watched the director's cut, and there was nothing too terribly wrong with it. There is one scene, where the protagonist of the film, Salieri, has made his demands as to how Mozart can get a particularly high-falootin' position in the emperor's court, as musical trainer to the emperor's niece. Mozart is in desperate need of the money, but he won't show his work, because he is too proud to have his work critiqued. He is of the attitude that he knows it's the best (and he is quite accurate in thinking so), and everyone else does, too -- what is the need to show his work? This pride causes him to not get the job. His wife comes, unbeknownst by Mozart, to the court, to show his work to get him the job. Salieri is reduced almost to tears simply by looking at the original work, and is so moved that he is inclined to give Mozart the position, but his jealousy gets in the way, and he tells Mrs. Mozart that her husband cannot have the position without "service" from her. We all know what is implied, and she is told to come back alone that night. Of course she protests, but when she sees that there is no other way, she does so. She shows up that night, and, without being told to, begins to remove her clothing. All the while, I was internally shouting at Salieri, "Make her stop!" He didn't, sadly.

Aside from that, there is a lot of language, which I found quite surprising, and 95% of it is from Mozart himself.

In any case, don't watch it with kids -- they'll be terrified of the opening -- and that reminds me, there are fully naked men in the opening. The opening is in an asylum. It's excusable in context, considering that there is nothing sexual about it. These men are completely insane.

So, aside from that, there is nothing too terribly wrong with it. But still, don't let the kids see it. They won't understand most of it, and what they see might actually scare them. I mean, I'll have nightmares... ;)

Conan: the Destroyer

This movie was just fun. The plot wasn't great, and the acting was only slightly better than the first one, but it was a very entertaining movie. This movie also had one other thing going for it: it was a lot cleaner than the first one.

Conan: the Barbarian

This was one of the first if not the first that established Arnold Schwarzenegger as the actor that he is. It's not a thinking movie, and I definitely can't recommend it as a clean, wholesome, family movie. However, if you can watch it while keeping the title in mind (especially the part about "Barbarian"), and consider that there are no rules or morals and that they are all pagan, it is a pretty fun movie. If you can't keep that in mind, and you can't just watch it for the fun of it, don't watch it. You'll come out of it wondering why the 1960's and 1970's had to happen. The early 80's was cheesy enough without the awful hippie influence...

Come to think of it, I do wonder why the 60's and 70's had to happen...

The Godfather, Part III

This movie is definitely entering the modern era of movies. Some of the camera work was a bit lot more stylized...

This movie went along at a better pace than Godfather II. I enjoyed it more, although, it was still rather confusing. I had to read the synopsis to put it all together.

This was yet another 3 hour movie. I've spent 9 hours (with 2 hours of breaks) watching the Godfather Trilogy... Crazy...

I'll have to watch them each again. :)

The Godfather, Part II

Wow. I heard that it wasn't as good as the original Godfather. I liked it more after I read the Wikipedia synopsis, but until then, it really didn't make much sense. Once again, it was an excellent movie, but it didn't really appeal to me. Perhaps I need to watch it again...

Plus, it was a second three-hour movie in a row...

The Godfather

This was a good movie, even an excellent movie. I recognize the quality of the story, the filming, the actors, etc. I personally didn't really enjoy it all that much, because it was really slow through a lot of it. However, I would recommend it to anyone who wants to see it.

There are two very short clips of sex -- one during the first half-hour of the movie, and the second one doesn't show any sex, but you see it coming, and you know when to either look away, turn off the TV, or otherwise get distracted for about five seconds.

I will say that it was the original gangster movie. It laid out the premise for every single Italian stereotype. "I made him a deal he couldn't refuse." Great quote...

Vocation Discernment Weekend

The weekend started with my first vocal lesson. I went to Kathy C.'s house (she was recommended by Sarah H.) from 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM. She figured out my comfort range, and she gave me a few pointed on things to do. I'll try to have a lesson once a week, but with my schedule being what it is, we'll see if that actually works...

After my lesson, I went to Front Royal, chatted with Lizzie, chatted with Sarah, and then went to St. Kevin's were I spent the night.

Saturday morning, bright and early (8:30 AM) I woke up after getting about five hours of sleep. The first talk I went to was Fr. Frank Pavone's talk, entitled "Master, Where Do You Stay?" Dealing with Uncertainty in Choosing a Vocation. This was a great speech. It got me all fired up about my vocation -- whatever it is...

At 10:00 began Exposition, Adoration, and Confessions in the chapel until 11:15 Mass. After Mass, then lunch, the first talk I went to was Diocesan Priesthood/Permanent Deacon with Fr. Brian Bashista and Fr. Matthew Zuberbueler. This was a good presentation. I got some information regarding a vocation retreat for the Arlington Diocese.

Following this, a large group of people piled into the smallest classroom for Gerard A.'s talk, Discerning Your Vocation While Still Single (Gerard graduated from Christendom, class of '05). We moved out of that classroom into a larger one, but even that was packed -- standing room only. Gerard gave an incredible speech, presenting some ideas for discerning your vocation. His main point was just live life. Do what you need to do, do what you see needs to be done.

The third and final talk was Marriage as a Vocation. You can guess what it was about. It was a good talk -- it was given by the parents of a current junior, whom I first met as a freshman: Micah W. After the talk, I spoke to Mr. W. for a moment.

After all this was a social/happy hour. I stopped in for only a moment to speak to Fr. Bashista about what it would take to get bi-ritual faculties if I were to become a priest. He said that for something like that, I would have to be selected -- it's not something that I could ask for, nor is it something that he or anyone could guarantee. Satisfied with that answer, I left to go to Vespers at Holy Transfiguration.

After Vespers, I went to see Ghost Rider with Eric. I got back to the apartment about midnight, checked my e-mail and went right to bed.

This morning, I got up at 7:00, and was at Holy Transfiguration at 9:00 in spite of the snow/ice mix that was raining from the sky. Divine Liturgy was loads of fun, especially with the anathemas. I wish that the Roman Rite had something like that. It's not often that I get to hear heresies and then repeat the anathemas that proclaimed them heretical.

I drove back to the apartment -- it took me over half-an-hour to actually get back to the apartment, using the tollway -- about twice the time that it normally takes. On the way back, I called Francis F. who relayed to Dr. P. that I would not be at practice.

When I got back to the apartment, fired up the Godfather Trilogy. {shrugs} Eh...

Inside Man

I don't really know what to think of this. This was definitely a movie that kept me thinking. I watched it, and I was always wondering what was going to happen next. There were several places where I knew what was going to happen -- there were several places where it was even predictable. Early on, when the bank robbers made everyone strip down to their underwear, I wondered what would come of this. Then, when they gave everyone clothes, I saw how that would be used. It was pretty crazy, albeit somewhat predictable. I would recommend this movie as a fun movie. The ending was very much not expected...

Lady in the Water

This was an excellent movie! I say this in complete disagreement with everyone who I've ever heard bash it. If you look at it from the mindset of hearing a story, and also keeping in mind that this story is set in today's world, then your suspension of disbelief will kick in, and you will be able to enjoy it. However, if you critique it, you won't be able to enjoy it. It is, after all, based on a children's fairy tale...

Disagree with me however you will. If you enjoy the movie, great. If you hate the movie, fine. If you are completely neutral about it, OK. This was just my opinion of the movie...

The Da Vinci Code

I have only one thing to say: what is the hype about? The movie was, quite honestly ridiculous. I can suspend a lot of disbelief, but not when my Faith is mocked.

Going into the film, I had heard rumors of blasphemy, especially on the part of Jesus and Mary Magdalene being married. But the film was simply ludicrous. Sadly, it was not a funny kind of movie. There were a couple moving scenes where I felt badly for a character, or relieved by a narrow escape, but that's all that I felt. I tried to enjoy the movie as a story, but I just couldn't.

All I could think of being in Tom Hank's (or any of the other actors or actresses) shoes and having to say such cheesy lines in front of a camera. I think that I would have read the script once and said, "I think not." Seriously. Tom Hanks is a brilliant actor -- why did he do this movie?

A Beautiful Mind

...and a beautiful movie. It is easily one of my new favorites. I was hooked over a year ago when I first heard one track of the soundtrack. The main theme (A Kaleidoscope Of Mathematics) was so hauntingly beautiful. I listened to the rest of the soundtrack, and I knew that I had to see the movie.

The number of times that I've listened to soundtracks and then decided that I wanted to see a movie (like Star Trek Generations) or play the video game (like Final Fantasy VI) is ridiculously high. I am always able to get into a movie or game much better if I have heard the score or the soundtrack. And this this case, I really got pulled into the movie...

All the acting in this movie was simply fantastic. I'm no critic, but all of the performances were simply incredible! This is a must-see movie, and one that I will highly recommend to everyone. Of course, by "everyone", I mean the more grown-up audiences. Most children would probably be either confused by or terrified of the movie...

Isabel

My sister Jane just had her second child, Isabel Christina. Obviously, I've back the time up on this post so that it works. Otherwise, I'd have to say, "She had her baby earlier today," or something to that effect. Oh yeah, and she weighs 5lbs, 7oz and is 18" long.

Weekend activities...

On Saturday, I went to Baltimore to audition for a short film. It was an hour long drive (one-way) for a ten-minute long audition. I drove back to Herndon, and in the process, I exchanged a shirt at the Men's Wearhouse, then stopped at Best Buy to pick up a wire adapter and a mounting kit for my new tape deck. It took about an hour-and-a-half to install, mostly because I had never installed a car radio before, plus I'm not that great at stripping wires. The tape deck seemed too big, but it fit. I also replaced the front right parking light. The left side will require some bending to get it put back into shape. I also need a new bumper cover and grille. Neither one are too expensive -- it's just bending the car back into shape will require skill that I don't think I have...

That evening, I was going to go to Glen Echo, but I decided against it. It was $15 to get in, plus I needed to be up early on Sunday morning for Mass. I was not going to go down to Front Royal that evening, so I had to get up early the next morning. And I did. I actually went to bed at an almost decent hour and got up about 6:45 AM. (Hey, I'm a slow mover in the morning...) I made it to Christendom just before nine, catching almost all of choir practice.

After Mass, I went to brunch, and then to the practice for the Palestrina Choir, which until now I've always called "the select choir" because there wasn't really a name attached to it...

After this, I spent about 2went to the gym and played racquetball, wallyball, and basketball. Then I went to Dane and JD's for a little bit. After that, I went to the chapel and chanted with the guys for a while.

Dr. P. had an art song recital, which was excellent. I had to heckle him a little from the audience, but I tried to keep it down...

At brunch, Sarah Fr. and Beth Fe. had asked me if I knew Monty Python's Lumberjack Song. Sadly, I had forgotten most of the words. They asked me if I could re-learn it, be at birthday singing that night, and sing it. So, I found the lyrics on the internet and re-studied them. At birthday singing, I sang the part of the lumberjack and everyone else sang the part of the mounties. I think that the girls got a kick out of it...

I spent the night at Ken and Alaina's place, and on Monday, Ken and I drove in to work together. That night, TJ helped me learn how to swing dance. It was embarrassing at best for me. I inadvertently insulted my dance partner by indirectly calling her heavy. That was definitely embarrassing. Then there is my general clumsiness, poor balance, and my own remarkable method of getting in my own way. I felt a bit like a fool, needless to say...

Then Eric and Sarah showed up. I felt even more clumsy, because Eric is an exceptionally good dancer (implying by this statement that I was in a room of really good dancers -- if you take this to mean anything else, it's not what I mean).

After that, I hung out with Eric W. and Sarah H. After I left, Eric and I went to Fast Eddie's Billiards, had a drink, and just chatted for a while. The time being late, I went home to bed. Well, I actually tried to do some work, but I fell asleep in front of the computer...

Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Volume I

I bought this some time ago. I started watching it a while back but it was too painful to keep watching it. The humor is completely whacko and absurdist. A couple of the jokes were actually funny. The rest of it really isn't.

I started watching it a couple days ago, and I just finished it up. I think I watched it all quickly because I was hoping and praying for some redeeming quality about this show. There wasn't much that was redeeming.

I bought it a few years back. The first time I ever heard of Space Ghost was through some sound files that some friends of mine had. Those clips were actually hilarious. This show -- not so much...

The Muppets Take Manhattan

This is another fun Muppet movie, but this one is not my favorite out of the ones I've seen. I really dislike Miss Piggy in this one. She's definitely my least favorite Muppet, but I have to admit, it wouldn't be complete without her...

The Great Mupper Caper

Now this was a great movie! The humor was right on par with the Muppet Movie. It was hilarious! There were a lot of puns, just like a great Muppet movie. :) I'm not sure which I liked more, this one, the Muppet Movie, or Muppet Treasure Island, which is probably my favorite Muppet movie, simply because of the plot. I'm hooked on piratey movies... :)

Young Guns II

This was yet another fun movie, making a legend much larger than life. Young Guns was better, though.

If you liked the first, you should watch the second. It's good. But keep in mind that the first one is better.

Bon Jovi played the music for the movie -- I like Bon Jovi and his music, bu-u-u-u-ut I'm not sure how I feel like it for a western. It definitely enhances the whole legend, and makes the movie that much better. Hmmm... I guess the other option was early 90's country, and I can't see that as making really good music for this movie. OK, Bon Jovi's cool. :)

Young Guns

This was a pretty good movie. I've seen it before, but I think I fell asleep early on and woke up about half-way through it. I really enjoyed this movie. It's good fun!

I can't say that it's the best western. It was made in 1988, and it had a big 80's influence, especially with the music. As a legend, Billy the Kid was larger than life. This movie was definitely true to that...

Ray

Wow. I finally got around to watching this movie. It's very good. I got really hooked into it.

Personally, I very seriously dislike druggies. Ray Charles was apparently hooked on heroin for a good part of his life. When he first started with the drugs, I saw it going downhill quickly, but I didn't turn off the movie. It showed his battle with drugs, and how he finally overcame them. He believed that he needed them to perform and make people like him. However, after he overcame his addiction, he still continued releasing hits, so that was a good thing for him.

This movie portrayed junkies in a different light. They are people who are addicted to a drug, and believe that they really need it. They cripple themselves with what they do. I still dislike junkies, but this movie showed me yet another instance where I need to hate the sin and not the sinner...

Jane Eyre

Sarah H. and I went to see this play at GMU. My car was completely stuck in ice, so she had to come get me. The play wasn't bad, I guess, but it's pulling teeth for me to say it. I found it more disturbing than anything. After the play, we went out to IHOP to grab a bite to eat. I didn't really think I was all that hungry, but I was. I cleaned off my plate in no time flat, and it happened to come with unlimited pancakes, so I had a couple refills of that.

Pretty normal weekend

This weekend, I didn't do a lot. It was nice. I went to Front Royal on Friday evening and watched Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope with Emma, Lizzie and Sarah. On Saturday morning, I went to choir practice, and then headed back to the apartment. Ken had called me to see what was going on, so I invited him and Alaina out that evening. Josh and Leslie were planning on coming over, and with Alex coming back to the apartment, we could all have a fun time.

I actually had to work on Saturday, so most of my day was spent sitting around. Later on in the evening, I got word from Ken, Alaina and Alex that they weren't coming, and shortly after that, Josh and Leslie called as well to say that they couldn't make it. They were flying out the next day on a vacation cruise, and they hadn't finished packing yet.

We had also planned to meet up at Glen Echo and go swing dancing. I arrived there at the very end of the practice, and I stuck around for a little while, but I left at about 10 PM. I was going to go to Front Royal that evening, but I ended up not going. I was pretty tired...

Early on Sunday morning, I drove down to Front Royal, went to Mass, went to all the choir practices and then went to Old St. Mary's for the Solemn High Tridentine Latin Mass. After that, I met up with Maria B., and we went out to grab a bite to eat. We got caught up on life in general, and then I drove back to my apartment.

Pretty plain weekend...

The Man Who Would Be King

This was an excellent movie. What can I say? It's Sean Connery, the original James Bond, sporting a style of facial hair that I've grown myself and thoroughly enjoyed having. This is one of the great movies of all times, even though it portrays the Masons as a good group in which to be...

How'd you like that? I rearranged that last sentence so that it wouldn't end in a preposition! {insert silly grin here}

Animaniacs, Volume 2

This has taken me a while to get through, but it's loads of fun! I love Animaniacs! They are ridiculously absurd, and the cartoon physics appeal to me...

The Longest Yard

This is the 2005 edition, not the 1974. It was actually a lot of fun. Adam Sandler and Chris Rock played their roles very well, as did all the WWE stars who made appearances. I recommend it very highly -- it's definitely fun, and it has a good ending. It's a happy ending movie, although not everything gets resolved. All the main problems get resolved. There were a couple minor points that don't, such as, what happens when he gets out of prison. Maybe that part doesn't really matter, but I was wondering it at the end of the movie...

Shanghai Knights

This was the sequel. I can't complain much. Back-to-back, they were pretty funny. I thought that the first one was better than this one, but this one was still entertaining. Rush Hour was better than both of them, though. Don't get me wrong, these movies were perfectly enjoyable. I'd recommend them if you want to see something amusing. But don't expect a blockbuster from this one or it's predecessor.

Shangahi Noon

This was a fun movie, rather like most Jackie Chan movies. This one put a different spin on westerns. Owen Wilson plays a great surfer dude cowboy. He's a great fit for this movie, but I can't see him in a real western. Not that I can see Jackie Chan in a real western, but hey...

Damage to the car...

My poor Sentra. Seriously. It's been broken into, it's been hit -- even Mother Nature likes to pick on it and the driver... I think everyone's got a bead on it...

Singing for Emma's birthday

Emma turns twenty-two today. Here's a shout-out from the blog of mwa to her: "Happy birthday, Emma!"

Last night, after practicing with the Washington Cappella Antiqua in Alexandria, I was faced with the drive from there to Front Royal. I had two hours to get from point A to point FR. It could be done...

...and then I saw the snow. It was very light. I got in the car and started the drive. If the drive turned out to be too bad, I would simply not be able to make it to sing for Emma. I'd have to make that up somehow, but since I'm an unimaginative kind of guy, and I had been working with the guys to get something nice to sing for her birthday, I really wanted to get there.

Ken called me: "Anthony, I wouldn't come out if I were you. The roads are pretty bad."

I saw the snow. I saw people driving slow and scared. I saw emergency vehicles. My conscience (what's left of it) and that little voice of common sense (also, what's left of it) were setting off alerts in my head: "Don't do it." I argued back: "I want to. Emma and the guys are counting on me!" An obvious lie, because it's not like we had a piece that we absolutely needed me for. As if to hammer the point home, the SUV two car-lengths in front of me spun out and ended up in the middle median. An omen? "No, obvious lack of skill for driving in snow." I saw three emergency vehicles, another vehicle on the side of the road, and a lot of people just driving really slowly. The hints were there. I just chose to keep going.

Birthday singing went just fine. They seemed to enjoy it well enough. There was applause, and when we were all done, they gave up hot cider. I wanted to take some, but I knew that if I did, I would start to fall asleep on the road -- which is something I most certainly did not want to do, as you can understand.

There were a couple more birthdays, and when we were all done, we passed Emma and Lizzie and two other girls (I think Elizabeth H. and Sarah F.) sliding down St. Catherine's path. "Ah, to experience the simple joys of youth once again," says this old man...

Well, the drive back was really long. I did about 20 on the back roads leading to 66, and 30 MPH almost the whole way on I-66. I stopped in Haymarket to fill up with gas and to grab a quick bite to eat and drink, since I was getting fairly hungry. It was close to 2:30 AM. I got back on the road, and discovered that the streets were getting better. They had been plowed and that chemical had been put down, so the snow was more slush than slippery. This was good. I picked up speed to 40 MPH, and felt no slippery-ness at all. Impressed, I picked up speed to 50 MPH. Still felt very much in control. I did not want to chance going any faster, so I maintained 50, and made it all the way to Highway 28. I know how to drive in snow, so I wasn't worried.

I turned onto 28, and slowed down. I did about 25 mph all the way up to the apartment. One lane out of the three on Highway 28 was plowed. This meant that you could not see the lines on the road. I was being really good here: both hands on the wheel, not passing anyone, no matter how poorly or slowly they are driving. Well, except that one guy. I passed him in an unplowed lane, and then I got the feeling of false charity: "I should stay in this lane, because that'll help give other people an idea of where the lines are." Remember that I said you couldn't see the lines. How did I know where they were? I didn't.

Which is why, all of a sudden, I felt my car's front left wheel slide down onto the center median. This median is maybe all of an inch lower than the road, and it also has a very slight decline. Because of this, it pulled the rest of my car onto the median. The back end came forward, bringing the car into a left-hand spin. I turned my wheels into the spin, but not soon enough. The car went nose-first towards the concrete barrier. At the last possible second, the car began adjusting itself back to the direction that it should have been going. This saved the entire nose of the car, but not soon enough to prevent the front left corner of the bumper from striking the barrier. I was expecting it to not bounce off, and have the rest of the car slide along the barrier. However, my car acted just like a bumper car, bouncing me away from the barrier and back towards the street. I stopped the car, and checked out the damage. The bumper was beaten up, the front left headlight was loose (and dead), and both turn signals had popped out and were nowhere to be found. They probably shattered.

The rest of the trip home was uneventful. I got back into the plowed lane, the feeling of false charity having been smashed out of existence, and made it the rest of the way back to the apartment.

Tack one more onto my list of things that happen the moment I stop paying attention. This can be added to the wreck of the Acura, the cutting off of my finger-tip in the meat slicer, and the burning of my leg on the exhaust pipe of Dad's motorcycle.

Katie's wedding

I flew out of Baltimore/Washington International Airport at 5:30 AM, landed in Charlotte NC, 1 hour layover, landed in Kansas City International Airport. When I landed, I met Dorothy and Wesley who took me to Katie's house, where I met Katie's parents, siblings, fiancee, Sarah A., and Beth E. It felt like a lot of them were sizing me up. I hope that it's not the case, but it felt like I received an extra dose of suspicion from the groom. I can understand why, if it was the case: he had heard about this "Anthony" character who Katie had spoken about, but had never met him. Was I there to steal her from him? Was I going to mess things up? Was I just a normal guy who was only there to see them wed? I guess it's a fairly reasonable thing to wonder. Hopefully, I'm just being overly-suspicious about our introduction...

In any case, everyone continued going about their business. Beth and Sarah took off, the rest of the family went about their business, and soon it was Katie, Wesley, Dorothy, and myself. I felt a little more comfortable, since I was with fewer people whom I didn't know. I asked how I could help out, and I began assisting with wrapping the presents for the bridal party. There wasn't much else I could do. The rest of it involved dresses for the wedding, and if these dresses were going to live to see the next day, I couldn't touch them. Iron burns and other forms total ruin awaited them if I were to even look at them...

That evening, we went to the church. It was at the Basilica of St. John in Des Moines, IA -- a very nice church, nice and large. I walked around and found where Our Lord was kept, although it took a while...

The rehearsal went well, at least from my perspective. Everything went smoothly, and Matt and Katie learned how to get married. It's usually a good idea when two people are faced with the fact of marrying each other on the next day.

Beth and I discussed the music for the wedding. Katie had sent us both Charles Gounod's Ave Maria and César Franck's Panis Angelicus. I had reviewed and practiced both of them, but I did not have a high enough voice to do that Ave Maria well. Essentially, I would only be singing the Panis Angelicus. I offered to get a harmony for it, so I went online that night and found one.

The rehearsal dinner was good, and when we left it was about -2 degrees. When I left BWI at 5:30 that morning, it was about 40 degrees. This was ridiculous.

Late that evening, Katie and Beth were discussing music for her wedding. I sat in and listened, but didn't really contribute much. I was more of a backup singer than anything, so I didn't really need to say anything.

The next morning, I got up, had breakfast, and went to the church with the family. While at the church, I said some prayers, and I was then summoned up to practice with Beth and the pianist. The Mass that Katie wanted was Mass XII, Pater Cuncta. I've never actually heard it, but it was very simple, and quite nice.

Mass went very well, or at least I thought it did. If Katie and/or Beth read this, I'm sure that they'll have their own things to say. Beth was freaking out about not sounding good, but I assure you, she sounded quite good. Katie looked like she was freaking out on the altar. During the readings, it looked like she was bracing herself to jump up and take care of any problems. I tried not to laugh, and I mostly succeeded. I couldn't help but grin at Katie and mouth the words, "Calm down." I think that I would have had to try to cover up a laugh if I hadn't.

After Mass came the reception. We drove a few miles to the reception location, and I found my table. I was half-worried that I wouldn't find it, but it always happens when I go to a reception. In any case, I found my table, and I found that I was the only Christendom person at the table -- in the entire room -- heck, the entire weekend.

The reception and the dinner was very nice. The food was great, and the music was loads of fun. The music opened with Frank Sinatra, continued with Kenny G, and the evening kept picking up to all sorts of dance numbers, ranging everywhere from Michael Jackson, to Glenn Miller, to Vanilla Ice. It was pretty wild.

When Katie and Matt came into the room, everyone began dinging glasses. Shortly after this, the DJ announced that the bride and groom would not kiss just for glass clinking. If you wanted to see them kiss, you had to get up and sing a song. I was extremely nervous about doing it, and I certainly did not want to be the first person up. However, after about half-an-hour to forty-five minutes, no one has sung anything, which meant that there had been practically no kissing. Considering this, it made for a somewhat disappointing wedding reception, from my humble opinion. I had to rectify the situation. So, I made up my mind to sing Shipoopi from the Music Man, convinced myself that it was a good idea, and then got up and did it. Well, only one verse and the refrain, but hey, it was good enough. Besides that, I was nervous as all heck. I did get to see a good kiss, though, so I was happy...

Following that, I went up and chatted with the bride and groom for a few seconds. The rest of the evening was spent listening to fun music, doing a little bit of dancing (the dollar dance, the train, and the chicken dance) and other such stuff. I didn't do any freestyling, or swing, or anything else. This was part of the beginning of my resolution to learn how to dance.

On the other hand, I got through a few questions of the Summa Theologica. Why would I be reading the Summa at a wedding reception? I don't know. Call me a reclusive jerk if you will, but it was entertaining for me. When I wasn't reading, I got to see some fun dancing. it only furthered my resolve to learn how to do it.

The next morning, I went to Mass with Katie's mother and siblings. After Mass, I had a rather large breakfast, said my goodbyes, and Dorothy and Wesley picked me up and drove me back to the airport. In the airport, I read more of the Summa, and even called Ken to ask him some questions about it.

I landed at BWI and was back at my apartment by about midnight. Am I ready to go to back to work? Not really...

Doom (Unrated Widescreen Edition)

This is a very fun movie. It's not the greatest movie, but it stars the Rock as the Sarge and Karl Urban as Reaper. It's a fun shooter. It's rather like the video games, but considering that I only played the Original Doom and Doom II: Hell On Earth, the creatures all looked different -- well, except the zombies. It's hard to make a zombie look like much else...

The Muppet Movie

This was a very clever movie. I am very impressed with the Muppets every time I see them. The amount of humor that they can pack into a show is simply amazing! I love it! The cool thing is that the jokes are made for all ages. Adults will pick up the subtle jokes, while the kids will be laughing at the surface level or even slapstick comedy.

I still get a kick out of the fork in the road. That was great!

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

WOW! This was an awesome movie! I can't say much aside from that it was a great movie! It was very realistic, and to a landlubber such as myself, it was also very technically accurate. Wow!

I highly recommend it. If you didn't like The Patriot because of the violence, then you may not like this one either. A number of people die, you get to see medical procedures as they would have done them on the open sea, with only a gag and a tourniquet as anesthesia. Yes, I was cringing during most of the medical scenes -- very much so. There was even one where I went completely tense, and even cold. {shudders again}

Street Fighter, the Movie

Wow. This movie departed so far from the video games. I was hoping to see a lot more of the skillz from the games. I was sadly disappointed. There was one Hadouken, one. I found it a fun movie, but very disappointing because I was a huge fan of the games. The creation of Blanka was a particularly large let down for me. In the games, he was lost in the wild as a very young boy and he learned to fend for himself. He is entirely a beast, not a reprogrammed soldier. Oh well, I'm not a director...

Ernest Goes To Camp

Not a bad movie. It's probably one of the better Ernest movies. It's fun if you're bored. Aside from that, what else can I say?

Birthday singing for Lizzie

That was fun. I sped from the apartment to campus to practice with the guys again, especially considering it was our last time to practice before the main event. With the newest addition of Can't Buy me Love, I had Francis and myself on bass, M.C. on tenor, Draper on alto, and Paul on soprano. In two hours, we went from most of us not knowing it to almost performance perfect. That is some mad skill there! Sadly, we ran through it one more time right beforehand, and we decided that it couldn't be done well enough, so we scrapped it last minute. She requested it anyway, so she got the original Beatles version... :-D

The Longest Time went over really well (from my humble perspective) in practice. Ryan and I took leads, Paul and Draper had the high tenor, AJ and M.C. had the low tenor, Matt and TJ had the baritone, and Michael B. and Francis had the bass. it made for a nice balance and blend -- at least, I thought. I still get all the verses mixed up in my head, so I kept throwing Ryan off. Too all parties involved and otherwise affected and/or offended, my apologies!

The rest of the birthday singing went along pretty well, I guess. I wouldn't be the final judge of that, though...

And now that I'm back in the apartment, it's after 4:00 AM. I've fallen asleep so many times writing this post. I am going to bed.

The weekend and the Royal Rumble

This Saturday, I went to choir practice on Saturday morning.

After choir practice, I practiced with a few of the guys on Billy Joel's The Longest Time for Lizzie's birthday. We also made a last minute addition: Can't Buy Me Love.

Later in the day, I noticed that I messed a call from Eric and one from Carissa. Eric invited me to come watch the Royal Rumble on Sunday. Also, congratulations are in order to MikeE and Carissa for getting engaged! I haven't heard the story, so I can't relate it.

M.C. and I went back to Herndon, where I got him two French cuff shirts, and some cufflinks. The poor guy owned cufflinks but no French cuffs, and that just won't do...

I picked up Alex from the airport, after he landed. He had just returned from visiting Ashley.

M.C. and I drove back to Front Royal, and we practiced The Longest Time again with more of the guys. It seemed to be coming together pretty well.

On Sunday, I sang with the choir, then Dr. P., Draper, Andy and I went to the Tridentine Mass and chanted there.

The Palestrina choir rehearsal followed that.

After that, I stuck around until about 6PM, and practiced The Longest Time again with almost everyone.

On the way back to the apartment, I called Lizzie, and asked what time she wanted us there. In that conversation, I found out that I can't do math. Her half-birthday is the 30th of January, which I knew, but for some reason, I thought that we would sing on the night of the 30th, thus confusing myself into thinking that her birthday was on the 31st. I tell you what, the things I do to confuse the heck out of myself...

That evening, I went to Eric and MikeE's and watched the WWE Royal Rumble. That was fun. I haven't watched wrestling in years. Carissa was there with MikeE, and she really started getting into it! It was really awesome!

And now it's time to go to bed. I have a long day tomorrow, what with birthday singing for Lizzie and all...

Ernest Slam Dunk

This got low ratings, but I disagree. I found it to be amusing, although very predictable, and extremely unrealistic. but then again, it's Ernest. What do you expect?

Ocean's Twelve

This was fun! All of the robberies are quite fascinating, not that I ever would or could do any of that. The stylized crime is very cool, though. :)

In a certain sense, I enjoyed this movie more than Ocean's Eleven. There wasn't as much flair, considering the first one was in a casino, but the ending of this one was just as fulfilling. All throughout the movie, I was wondering if they really were just that out of it...

Demolition Man

Sylvester Stallone stars in a film as the good guy against Wesley Snipes. It's a fun "beat 'em up" movie. Very weird. I put it on so that I could feel more masculine after Titanic, but when the movie opened, I found myself tearing it apart for realism. A bad thing, because I pride myself on the ability to watch a movie just for its entertainment value. I'm becoming too analytical...

But it was a really cool movie. :-D

Titanic

Very interesting movie. I have to admit, it grabbed me. I'm not a huge fan of chick flicks, but this one was well worth seeing once.

You're probably asking, "Why would he even bother?" Simply put, because it was only one of the biggest blockbusters ever, winner of two Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and since I'm behind in watching movies anyway, why not?

I cannot recommend it for mixed company, simply because there are two scenes of nudity, whether implied or not. One is when the Rose (Kate Winslet) asks Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) to draw her, and the other is when they ... uh, well, if you can't figure it out, good for you.

One thing that I really liked about the movie is the fact that it's based on a true story. Yes, it's an artist's conception of one, but that makes a movie so much more likeable, in my opinion. Overall, I'll rate it as a very good movie, and probably one of the best chick flicks out there.

It's up to you if you want to watch it. Like I said before, I can't recommend it for mixed audiences, but if you're going for completeness in your movie library (actual or seen), it can't be complete without it.

Top Gun

This is a fun, fun, fun movie. I love planes and flying! I can see how this would make becoming a pilot that much more attractive... :)

Tom Cruise isn't my favorite, nor was the movie my favorite, but it's a must see. Quite seriously. There is one sex scene, and it also makes no real sense to the movie. Some people could argue that it does make sense, but I think it's pointless.

The weekend, the proposal, the story, and the March For Life

On Friday evening, Ashley flew into Dulles on a surprise visit for Alex. I drove her out to Paul H.'s house in DC, where Alex was practicing a song for the Coffee House for Life that Paul and his housemates were hosting. He was surprised to see Ashley.

On Saturday, I woke up and went to the gym. After this, I spent a good chunk of the day cleaning. The apartment now looks pretty good.

I drove to Front Royal and delivered Josh's mail to him. After that, I went to Christendom, where Lizzie and I chatted for a while. Then I went to St. Kevin's, and chilled with Matt and TJ for a while. The three of us went to the store and then back to St. Kevin's. Matt and I hung out for a while, and TJ went to the welcome back dance. After that, I fell asleep on the couch.

I woke up the next morning to Francis's saying that choir practice was beginning right then. I changed quickly, and drove us to campus. The bass section was rather small, sadly, but Francis and I helped boost it up. Mass was as normal, and then I showed a few of the guys the music for Billy Joel's The Longest Time. The Palestrina Choir met and looked at/learned a new piece rather quickly. It was an Alleluia, but I can't recall by whom...

It was snowing outside. Lizzie, Emma, Emma's mother, and Sarah F. (Emma's sister), as well as a family friend were in town, and they were going to go into Washington, D.C.: Lizzie for an interview, and the rest for fun. But the weather was so bad that they turned around.

After choir practice, I drove back to the apartment. On the way back, I saw four or five overturned cars, five to ten cars that had slid off the road, a broken guardrail that looked like a car had broken it and slid down the embankment, a few wrecks, and several trucks driving around with their snowplows up. Driving wasn't difficult, but it was slow. It took almost two hours to get back to the apartment.

Ashley and Alex came back from the store. I was busy doing the dishes, and I had my headphones on. I was completely oblivious to the fact that Ashley was wearing Alex's engagement ring. She did everything except shove it in my face to get me to notice, but I was in a different world, doing my own thing. Finally, when I was done with the dishes, and I was just standing there talking to them, they threw me one final hint, and then, laughing at my density, they just flat out told me that they were engaged. I wasn't sure what to make of it. I stood there stunned.

One thing that I try to do is too keep an eye on a girl's finger, especially when I know that she and her boyfriend are getting along well. I knew that Alex was going to propose to Ashley quite soon. I knew he had a plan. He even told me when this plan was going to go into effect. This is why I didn't look, nay, didn't even think to look at Ashley's finger. This also explains my complete surprise.

The story is quite good. I don't know if I should tell it or not. It's not my story to tell to the world. Oh, what the heck...

I shoudl forewarn you that I heard this story from Ashley, Alex, and Paul. I may be getting some details mixed up. If any of the three afore-mentioned people read this, or if anyone reads this who was there, please provide comments and correct any mistakes I will probably make.

At the Coffee House for Life, Alex sang One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer by George Thorogood & The Destroyers. It's a fun song, and he'd been practicing for a couple weeks, making sure that he knew all the words. He'd even gone to Paul's house twice in this past week to practice with the band. So, on Saturday, he was ready to go. Everyone else was performing some sort of life-affirming song. At the end of his song, people asked him what his song had to do with life. Alex began some sort of hammed up explanation of how alcohol in itself affirms life, and how it's a natural good, and all that. At the end of this, he said, "But I can't stick with that, because that's just wierd. The only way that I can make this song life-affirming is if I ask Ashley to marry me."

The house had about 40 people in it, all chit-chatting and socializing, and several listening to the song. After Alex said that, the entire place went quiet, shocked that he had actually just said that, all thinking, "He can't be serious. Is he serious? Really?" This includes Ashley. She had been watching the performance, and was listening to the hammed speech, and then she just froze. Alex pulled the ring from his pocket, dropped down to one knee, and formally asked her to be his bride. Shaking and crying, she went up to the front of the room, unsure what to do. She managed to squeak out a "yes" from her shocked state of mind. She held out her right hand, still shocked, still uncertain about what to do, and still crying and shaking. Alex took her left hand, and placed the ring on her finger.

I'm sure that excitement flows freely through the veins of a newly-engaged girl. After the shock wore off, Ashley and Alex became the most popular couple in the house. Congratulations came from all directions, and when they finally got a break, Ashley went outside and called the important people. While she was outside talking, the guests all wanted to hear the story of how Alex met Ashley. Someone who knew the story, asked him, "Alex, have you ever punched out a girl's tooth?"

"Well, actually..."

It requires little-to-no prompting to get Alex to relate this very unique story. Oddly enough, he had. It was Ashley. And now they were getting married.

This happened our freshman year at Christendom. Ashley, Alex, and I were all classmates. The story, in short, is that there was a small confrontation that went kind of along the lines of this -- paraphrased, of course:

Ashley: "I like kids."
Alex: "I hate kids."
Ashley: "I know Taekwondo."
Alex: "I don't."
Ashley: "I can beat you up. See? I'll kick as high as your head."

What follows next all happened within seconds, and there are differing versions of the story. Ashley proceeded to kick as high as his head. Alex naturally deflected the blow, possibly uncertain as to whether or not she actually would kick him in the head, or possibly just to show her that she did not have the upper hand after all. After the deflect, he punched out with his fist, stopping it in time so that he wouldn't hit her, but close enough to prove that he did, in fact, have the upper hand. Ashley landed forward, bringing her face into contact with his fist. I know, I know, it sounds like a story a five-year-old would say, but I saw it.

An instant later, Ashley was cradling her face, and Alex was apologetically asking her to please open her mouth so that he could see the damage. He saw that he had punched her tooth out and we rushed her out to the hospital. Jimbo, who had been hanging out and studying with us, came as well.

Imagine, if you will, Alex and me. I'm 6'2" -- Alex is taller and broader. We're college men, and it's winter outside. It's cool to wear black trench coats, because they keep us warm. Jimbo is smaller than either of us. Alex and I lead the way into the hospital, with Jimbo and poor bleeding Ashley right behind us. The hospital staff takes one look at three men escorting a bleeding woman into the hospital. It takes them no time at all to assume that we did it, and they removed Ashley from our presence for her protection.

The police walk in shortly afterwards, scouting the place out. They look directly at Alex and me, just sitting there, looking at them. In walks a man bound in chains and in prison attire. They make him sit down across from us, and they remain near him.

In the meantime, Alex calls up the basement of Ben's, shortly before curfew. He tells them the abbreviated story of what happened, and why he will be late for curfew. We also called Ashley's dorm.

That evening, we had invited some people over. Sarah H. and Carissa were the only two to come, though. We chatted for a while, Ashley showed off her ring, told the proposal story,

I wasn't able to make it to the March for Life in DC today -- I had too much to do at work. I did, however, manage to get into DC to meet up with Lizzie, Emma, Laurel, Emily, M.C., Michael P, Francis, Paul E., and several others. Emma's mother and the family friend had also gone to the March.

Alex and I drove in to Union Station. He met up with Ashley, and I met up with Lizzie. She just had an interview from a priest for a job in St. John (right?), MO. I told her the story of Alex's proposal to Ashley, and just as I was finishing, Emma came up. Shortly after that, the rest of the group came up, and we went outside to sing a few minutes later.

Outside, we sang in front of a line of people waiting for taxis. It was loads of fun, especially seeing a few people holding up cell phones to either take pictures or let the person on the other end of the phone hear us. It was very flattering. A few people gave us a few dollars in the hat that we left on the ground. In the middle of our third song, a security guard asked us to move. Sure thing.

We moved, and began singing again. We didn't have that many donaters of monies this time, but the listeners were more around our age, and they seemed to really like us a lot more. One man came up to us and asked if we could sing Amazing Grace. We did. Ah, 'twas fun.

We decided to go back inside. Emily stopped and talked a different security guard about the rules. He said that it was perfectly fine to sing outside, and that he would take care of the misunderstanding. After we started singing, the first security guard came running up to us, yelling that we had disobeyed him, and that singing was against the law. It was all I could do to stop myself from physically dragging him away and making him show me this law. It was the stupidest thing I had ever heard. "Singing is against the law." Really? I think not. I think that he was just on a power-trip...

In any case, we were done anyway, so we went inside. The money went to ordering a pizza, but I was getting kind of tired, so I drove back to the apartment. And now, I'm about to fire up Top Gun. I haven't seen it yet, and it's been recommended to me very highly.

My video hard drive!

Noooo! It went the way of the dinosaurs...

This makes the fifth (if not sixth) hard drive I've lost since freshman year at college.

(BLATANT HINT)

Oh, I would love a Terastation! (For all of you people who didn't get me anything for Christmas, that's what I want. And you know who you are.)

(END HINT)

Colin & Sarah's wedding and the rest of the weekend

This has the potential to be a massive post, just so you know. I'll try to keep it entertaining...

Colin and Sarah got married this weekend. I drove to Front Royal straight from work, getting stuck in traffic as I was leaving Manassas, of course. I made it to the church to catch the last few minutes of the rehearsal. From there, I drove to St. John's in town and joined everyone for the rehearsal dinner.

The food was prepared mostly by Mrs. M. (Colin's mother), but she did have some help. At this point, I would normally go on a rampage about how wonderful the food was and how much of it I ate, and how when I was done I was happy, and how I need to get her to teach me how to cook, because I'd be a world-class chef, and all of that. However, in the interest of time, let's not and say I did. Why not? Words can't do it justice. In short, the food was excellent, and thank you to Mrs. M. and Helpers for making my tummy happy.

After the rehearsal dinner, we had a choir practice. Lizzie was conducting the wedding choir, which consisted of her, Emma, Sylvia, Anna, Draper, Paul E. and me. Francis ended up joining us as well, but he had already made a commitment to work as a waiter at the reception, so he could only sing through about half of the wedding.

On the day of the wedding, we had choir practice, and the wedding then began at 1:00 PM. Not quite on the dot, but within 15 minutes. Colin wanted to hear Dr. P.'s self-composed Mass in Honor of St. Anthony, or, commonly known as Missa Smitha, considering the mad cool bass line. Emma soloed the Ave Maria while Lizzie played it on the organ. It was very beautiful, if I may say without making either of them blush. And if either of them is blushing, well, I'm sorry for causing the blush, but I have to stand by my statement.

From my end, the reception was a bit stressful. I got there and found that the system did not like my laptop. I didn't know why, but it didn't. It was particularly frustrating, as I'm sure you can imagine. Whenever I plugged my system into their receiver, it would buzz. This was most certainly not the intended effect. However, there was a gentleman there who helped me get it all fixed. We discovered the problem was the microphone. While the microphone was turned on, the sound would not work properly. This would be a problem, and was going to be annoying, but at least I knew what the problem was and how to deal with it.

I began playing general music: soft Celtic, Irish, a couple ballads, just something to keep the sound going. When the bridal party came, Ryan loaned me his laptop, and I began the task of switching machines, going from my slower computer to his faster one. The bridal party's official entrance came about 15 minutes later. Most of the bridal party entered to Battle Without Honor Or Humanity, by Tomoyasu Hotei, from the Kill Bill: Volume 1 soundtrack. Colin and Sarah entered to Gonna Fly Now by Bill Conti, on the Original Rocky Soundtrack.

During dinner, I played a lot of classical (Mozart and Chopin), as well as a couple other random pieces, two of which were from video games. One was an orchestrated version of the Super Mario themes, and the other was a Final Fantasy mix.

Come What May, sung by Ewan MacGregor & Nicole Kidman, from Moulin Rouge was the first dance of the bride and groom. It was very fitting. Your Song, sung by Ewan MacGregor from the same movie, was Sarah's dance with her father. Colin danced to Swinging on a Star by Bing Crosby with his mother.

The rest dances consisted of a lot of swing, some ballroom, and a lot of otherwise freestyle dances. The wedding ended on a remarkable note, with Switchfoot's This Is Your Life. During this dance, Colin and Sarah were surrounded by all the guys carrying the lights from the tables. They started to walk in time to the music, counter-clockwise around them. All the girls joined hands outside of them and walked around them in the opposite direction of the guys. It looked both odd and really cool at the same time.

The pictures from the wedding are also up. Check them out on Snapfish.

After the reception, Lizzie, Emma, Laurel, Krystle, Claire, Sylvia, M.C., Mike P., Draper and I went to a local Exxon station to grab some ice cream. I was, for some oddball reason, rather tired. I didn't get any ice cream because I was afraid that it would put me on a very short-lived sugar high, and then drop me lower than I was then. In any case, just sitting down and relaxing was enough. I drove Draper to his house, and then I drove back to Herndon.

On Sunday, I went to Old St. Mary's for the Solemn High Tridentine Latin Mass in the evening, and sang with the schola out there. Thus began a new-yet-same-old week for me.

Colin and Sarah, on the other hand, began a whole new life with each other. Congrats to them both, and I expect to still see them on at least a semi-regular basis? Hopefully they won't become hermits?

Chill weekend

On Saturday, Eric and I drove up to NY to donate his old Explorer, "Big Blue", to a monastery of Franciscan monks. We left at about 11 AM, and arrived back in VA at almost 10 PM.

I went to Holy Transfiguration on Sunday, and then to Colin's house to discuss music with him and Sarah for their wedding reception. I stayed and had dinner with them, and then went back to the apartment. Aside from that, it was a nice, slow weekend.

New Year's weekend

On New Year's Eve, I went to Ken's house with Alex and Chris L. (who was visiting, staying in our apartment) in the evening for a party. Rachel and Peter were both in town visiting. Eric, MikeE, Carissa, and Sarah also came out to celebrate. We set up a laptop to watch the ball drop in NYC.

Around 1:00 AM, a group of us chanted the Veni Creator Spiritus, in order to gain the indulgence associated with singing it in a group.

At 10:00 AM, I sang at Mass at Old St. John's in Maryland with the Canticum Novum Schola, under Richard Rice. After that, I went back to Front Royal and spent some time there for Ken's birthday, and then sang with John E. in the chapel. After that, it was late, so I went back to the apartment...