So a few weeks back when I knew my desktop was needing last rites, I broke my coffee mug. Said coffee mug was perched precariously somewhere where it shouldn't have been perched. I wasn't overly attached to the old coffee mug. It was a shade of blue I wasn't fond of. The lip was curled inwards, making it difficult to drink from without spilling. Its redeeming feature was that it held about three cups of liquid.

Today I schlepped to a St. Vincent de Paul store to replace it. Thrift stores are weird and slightly sad places. So many well-loved and used things are there, and you can't help but wonder the stories behind them.

I found one mug to replace my old one that would do quite well. But then I happened upon this one. At first it struck me as hideous. It's an uneven yellowish-green glaze with some sort of flower-cum-blueberry motif going on. Trust me. It photographs prettier than it really is.

I couldn't put this mug down, though. It was well worth the 40 cents it cost (since today was 50% off day, I got both mugs for the price of one.) For the price, it was a good investment. It'll hold half a hotpot (about 22-25 oz of beverage.) It holds the heat pretty well. (Better than my old coffee mug.)

I wonder what its story is. There weren't any other dishes there like it. It's mass-produced from China, but aside from that, who owned it? Was it some grandmother, who had her tea or coffee in it? A college student, who moved? Maybe it was a white elephant, and its recipient didn't know what to make of a one-of mottled green mug of vague flower pattern. Did its original owner just tire of it? Did its old owner die? Probably not...the "made in China" sticker is still firmly attached. It probably wasn't even used. Which, in a strange way, makes this mug that more appealing. Someone somewhere disliked it enough to not even use it, a sad tale, if it were a gift.

It does well with tea, although my loose tea diffuser is a bit too short for it. We'll see about coffee tomorrow.

I had this spiffy post prepared about the topic of "boot camps" for children and teens, but nothing I can say can compare to the words of someone who went through one, herself: http://shoiryu.livejournal.com/492507.html

Here's another article on boot camps and teens.

I don't deny the right of parents to raise their children as they see fit. I do agree that sometimes kids/teens need a nudge out of the nest. But these places are institutionalized child abuse.

I think I've got most things back in place. I imported my bookmarks from my old windows computer, so if I haven't stopped by your blog for a bit, give me a ping. I probably lost the link somewhere. I still need to recover about 40-60GB worth of crap from my old drive, but I want to get some sort of external hard drive enclosure. I'm intending to use the old IDE drive as my mp3 library.

It used to take an hour to compile a minute's worth of music with csound on my old computer. New one? About five minutes if I'm doing something with lots of voices or a complicated texture. I don't think csound 5 is optimized for dual core processors yet, but it's nice that I can do other things while it crunches. Friday night I was watching "Austin Powers" while compiling csound, just because I could. (My old computer would come crashing to a halt if I did that, since both activities are so CPU-intensive.)

Yesterday I tested my computer for burn in by playing "Lord of the Rings Online." It's pretty nifty. I'm on Landroval, where a lot of the people I used to play "Dark Age of Camelot" are.

*bounce bounce bounce*

Computer parts are in Renton! I'm always surprised at how it takes 2 days for UPS to deliver a box that's 40 minutes away (with traffic).

I'm getting an intel core duo 2 2.4 ghz processor, 1GB DDR2 800mhz RAM (motherboard will take up to 8), a 160GB SATA 7200 rpm hard drive, and a nvidia 8500GS video card with 512MB DDR RAM. I wasn't able to recycle my current video card because the new motherboard won't support AGP. (Which is just as well, since my current video card is an nvdia 5600FX and is crap.)

I have no compunction about wiping and reinstalling *other* people's computers. My own? I hate doing it. But I think my current excitement is overshadowing the loathing of recompiling csound.

Props to Crystal, who got me looking into the Enchiridion of Indulgences. There's some really cool prayers in there, too. Such as:

Hidden God, devoutly I adore you,
Truly present underneath these veils:
All my heart subdues itself before you,
Since it all before you faints and fails.

Not to sight, or taste, or touch be credit,
Hearing only do we trust secure;
I believe, for God the Son has said it --
Word of Truth that ever shall endure.

On the cross was veiled your Godhead's splendor,
Here your manhood lies hidden too;
Unto both alike my faith I render,
And, as sued the contrite thief, I sue.

Though I look not on your wounds with Thomas,
You, my Lord, and you, my God, I call:
Make me more and more believe your promise,
Hope in you, and love you over all.

O memorial of my Savior dying,
Living Bread, that gives life to man;
Make my soul, its life from you supplying,
Taste your sweetness, as on earth it can.

Deign, O Jesus, Pelican of heaven,
Me, a sinner, in your Blood to lave,
To a single drop of which is given
All the world from all its sin to save.

Contemplating, Lord, your hidden presence,
Grant me what I thirst for and implore,
In the revelation of your essence
To behold your glory evermore.

Partial indulgence for that one's devout recitation. So's this one:

Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom his love commits me here, enlighten and guard, rule and guide me. Amen.

You know Stephen Colbert's "De-Deification" skit? Yup. Partial indulgence for the recitation of the Nicene Creed. (or did he rattle off the Apostle's Creed?)

Do you teach or learn Christian doctrine? Partial indulgence for you, so long as it's done with faith and Christian charity.

Here's another neat one you don't hear too often:

Hear us, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God; and graciously send your holy angel from heaven to watch over, to cherish, to protect, to abide with, and to defend all who dwell in this house. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

This one's a favorite of mine:

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly to you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother; to you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

Maybe I should remember to do the Divine Office (or the version of it that I do--the old Benedictine Office), since there's an indulgence on Psalm 50/51.

Hey Rev. Mommy. Make sure your congregation sings this one on Pentecost. (Isn't this one also a hymn used in Protestant churches?) They'd have a chance for a plenary indulgence:

Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest,
And in our souls take up your rest;
Come with your grace and heavenly aid
To fill the hearts which you have made.
O Comforter, to you we cry,
O heavenly gift of God Most High,
O fount of life and fire of love,
And sweet anointing from above.
You in your sevenfold gifts are known;
You, finger of God's hand we own;
You, promise of the Father, you
Who do the tongue with power imbue.
Kindle our senses from above,
And make our hearts o'erflow with love;
With patience firm and virtue high
The weakness of our flesh supply.
Far from us drive the foe we dread,
And grant us your peace instead;
So shall we not, with you for guide,
Turn from the path of life aside.
Oh, may your grace on us bestow
The Father and the Son to know;
And you, through endless times confessed,
Of both the eternal Spirit blest.
Now to the Father and the Son,
Who rose from death, be glory given,
With you, O holy Comforter,
Henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Amen.

This one's a good one to end on, since it's the final collect before the Marian antiphon in the old Benedictine version of Compline:

Visit, we beg you, O Lord, this dwelling, and drive from it all snares of the enemy: let your holy Angels dwell herein, to keep us in peace; and let your blessing be always upon us. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Care and Feeding of Your Catholic, part 4, Myths and urban legends

Welcome back to part 4 of "Care and Feeding of Your Catholic!" Sorry for the hiatus, but today's episode deals with urban legends. With something as old and byzantine as the Catholic Church, there are bound to be odd superstitions and urban legends. Here's a few I've heard over the years:

1.) Catholics are forbidden to read the Bible. False. They weren't encouraged to before Vatican II in some circles, but we've had translations into Latin (St. Jerome, his vernacular for the time) and the vernacular (Douay-Rheims, New American, New Jerusalem, etc), like everyone else. We do have more books than the Protestant churches, so neener.

2.) The Immaculate Conception refers to Jesus. Nope. That would be Mary, who was conceived without original sin. (A priest at my parish likes to refer to the feast of the Immaculate Conception as "the feast of the Immaculate Confusion.")

3.) We pray to saints. Nope. We ask them for prayers. You ask your friends and family to pray for you? We do, too. It's just that we don't think their intercession ends at death. Relics: do you keep pictures or hairs from people you love? Same thing.

4.) We worship Mary. Well...It depends on how you define "worship." (See also the difference between doulia--honor paid to the saints--and latria--worship of God.)

5.) We're cannibals. Not really. Look, the Eucharist is pure Aristotle. A thing can retain its accident and still be completely different in essence. If you burn the heck out of toast, it's still toast, but burnt. If you forget that you're supposed to be an EM and take antihistamines before Mass (since medicine is allowed for the Eucharistic fast), and then have to finish off a cup of consecrated wine, odds are you'll experience the accident of the wine, even though its essence is different.

6.) *insert conspiracy theory here* I'd tell you, but then the people in black helicopters would have to find you.

7.) The pope is always infallible. Newp. It's only within very specific situations that a papal writing or teaching is infallible, and that has to do with faith and morals and must specifically be stated to be infallible. It's not as easy as it seems, and it's not used often. Conversely not everything the pope says or writes is the same weight. For instance, if he were to write a book, it doesn't have the same weight as an encyclical, an apostolic letter, etc. As we well know with our current pope, it's easy to say something and have it taken wrong. If something official comes out, odds are it has had a lengthy drafting and revision process. And that's just encyclicals. Something more important would have a much longer draft/revision time. (see also the new translation of the Mass or the recent motu proprio.)

8.) The pope doesn't sin. Newp. He has to go to confession, like the rest of us.

9.) Priests hate women. I haven't personally met any, but I'm sure they exist. They're as diverse a population as the rest of us. Older generations tend to be more standoffish. Once I was an altar server for an older (visiting) priest. He didn't say much to me getting ready, and I try to give them their space beforehand. (So they've got time to pray, deal with nerves, or whatever.) So after the recessional at the end of Mass, he turned to me, thanked me and said how wonderful it was that "young people" were involved in the Liturgy. (I was thrilled to be called young at 30.) So you meet all types.

10.) Catholics can buy their way to heaven. Nope. We've got to rely upon God's grace and mercy like everyone else. Plenary indulgences--those which remove all temporal punishment of sin (not the sin itself) up to the time of the indulgence--are actually rare and difficult to do. (Try remaining in a state of non-attachment to sin, even venal sins sometime.)

Yippie! New computer parts are on their way. I'm actually moving into the 21st century. One of the problems with linux is that it'll literally run on anything. This is good, because you can use older hardware. This is also bad when your dissertation is computer-intensive, and your progress is bottlenecked by an ancient CPU. You don't want to replace your computer, because, by God, it still runs linux.

I'm saving a ton of money, since I buy parts. (Still need a new video card, since mine is AGP, and the new motherboard is PCI-E.) This is a tool, not a toy. Or so I keep telling myself. I hate making big purchases, even when I know they're necessary.

No Vista. I've seen vista, and it's a steaming heap. I'll stick with XP for as long as I possibly can, I think. (I dual boot.) I'm open for suggestions as to what to call the new computer. I had a gamelan naming scheme going on for awhile. Not stuck on it.