News & Views

I've often been told I don't share enough personal information on my blog. Contrary to popular lore, I do listen to my gaggle of critics, such as they are. So in an attempt to balance things out, here are some goings on:

* I dropped one of my two classes this semester. It required a huge time commitment in the form of several nights a week of hard study. It just wasn't feasible. This has been a season of paring down. I've spent a lot of my life living vicariously through my dreams. Now, I'm trying to figure out what I can actually do and do well. There's a time where you put the rubber to the road, when the only way to make a dream into reality is to get the nuts and bolts in order and do the actual steps it takes to get there. I'm very acutely aware of the gap between what I think I can do and what I actually do. It requires me to be honest with myself and strategic with my time.

* There have been a lot of transitions in my life lately. The Catholic Worker has been a boatload of fun. My eyes were tearing up last week when we had a beautiful dinner set-up and ready to offer to any hungry person who came to the door. The house is often filled with warm laughter and the budding of a community. We may really be on the verge of doing something great here. I couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

* Not all transitions are easy, such as my newly single life. I try to stay as busy as possible and that helps. Down time is killer. I've come painfully close to making contact, again. It is at those moments where little angels cause my hand to miss when I guide the mouse pointer over to the "send" button. The painful reality is that sometimes the best way to care about someone is to leave them alone. I just hope they know that.

* I've had a cold/sore throat the last 2 months straight. My throat has been hurting a lot when I sing. I hope it is just a function of the cold and not a more serious vocal issue.

* I believe there was a real musical chemistry when I played with Kris and Bonnie at St. Francis. We just seemed to blend well together as a group. I've played with a number of musicians and it doesn't always happen like that. I hope we don't wait until next year to play together again! I just found my banjo finger picks so I am ready to kick it up a notch!

* My uncle is coming down next month to spend a week with me. He'll be in town for a massage therapy workshop. I'm sure he'll enjoy the deluxe accommodations at the Catholic Worker house!

* You could say I am still church hopping, but the difference is that I am not all over the board, anymore. I've settled nicely in about 3 places. I am growing to like St. James the Less more and more, the parish there has impressed me from day one and continues to do so. I enjoy taking the occasional romp to St. Francis, usually to give Pat a ride or just for a change of scenery. It feels like a home away from home. Like my prof says, "how could you not like it there?" Sundays nights I play guitar with the group at Ohio Dominican. I've even brought out the banjo a few times! The group there has a strong enthusiasm for playing at mass, and that is so refreshing. In college, I had to drag singers kicking and screaming to accompany me for mass on campus. This is altogether different.

What else do you want to know?