Monday, February 21, 2011

Music Monday: The Catholic Pickup Lines Song

Apparently I'm late listening this great song, but I'm glad I finally heard it. Big thanks to Stephanie who posted the link on her FB and blog. (side note: I've heard some of these pickup lines before. lol.)



My favorite line is:
♪ "... And I'll be the answer to your novena if you'll be the answer to mine, too..." ♪

As someone who does novenas on a regular basis (I have two going at the moment), this was especially funny to me. This video makes me want to compile a list of other pickup lines other Catholic girlfriends and I have heard... which we don't know whether to find endearing, funny, or so wrong. lol. :D I may do that in the near future...

Anyway, though I have the day off from school, I have to work on presentation I have due tomorrow as well as another midterm I'll have this week. It's easy peasy lemon squeezy and all but I want to get it done early. Just one more week until Spring Break... just one more week. lol. And, hey, Lent is coming up too for which I am terribly excited for! :D

I guess that's it for me. Oh, and by the way, if any of you guys (or gals) have used these or other pickup lines, let me know. I am serious about making the list. lol. :D

'Til next time, thanks for reading and God bless. :D

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Still Confused but Grateful

I stumbled across a blog post in which Fr. Roderick shared a link with the list of the 200 Most Popular Catholic Blogs by Google Subscribers. I went through the list, not surprised that Fr. Z took top spot (read it if you haven't yet!) nor that Patrick Madrid cracked the top 10. I was, however, surprised that this blog came in at number 166. I let out a "wot?!" (yes, in a British accent; I've been indulging my inner Anglophile with films today) and I'm pretty much still surprised.

I don't know why y'all read my blog, I am so not interesting and this is really a sort of journal (albeit a very public one) for me, but I am truly grateful. I am grateful that you guys take the time to actually read my posts. I am very grateful for the emails and twitter messages I get regarding my posts. When I started this blog I really did it for myself. I thought that if I kept a record of my journey, I would a) keep track of how I was growing spiritually and b) I would hold myself accountable for any mistakes I'd made along the way. As you guys can see, I still make mistakes as I am learning and I do not mind others knowing this because of hopes I have of not having pride or vanity. I do not want to think myself spiritually superior to others because I'm truly not.

Anyway, I just wanted to thank y'all for reading and sharing in this journey with me. :D I hope you all had a great weekend and have a great week. :D

As always, thank you for reading and God Bless. :D

Friday, February 18, 2011

The Lone Ranger Plus One

I've often called myself the "Lone Ranger at (my) CINO college" because I don't often meet other students who share the same beliefs as I do. I had a few friends like that last semester, and we didn't really get our little group together until the last third of the semester, but some of the gals left and the others are taking different classes for their non-Religious Studies major. This semester I'd gone back to being the Lone Ranger in my Religious Studies courses but I feel more confident speaking up so it wasn't as daunting as it had been during the Fall. Most of my classmates seem to agree with my professors' liberal agenda and no one else has dared to question them. Well, that was the case until this morning. All I did was make the decision to study in the cafeteria instead of the library or the commons. I believe God took care of everything else.

As I've said, it looks like the general consensus seems to be that my professors are absolutely brilliant and that they know everything; everything they teach is right and should be accepted as is. Now, I'm not saying that they aren't intelligent women. They definitely know their material but it also doesn't mean that it's always compatible with the Catechism of the Catholic Church. A lot of what is taught isn't (and I've had one professor acknowledge that, though she is required to teach what the Church's stance is on a number of issues, she doesn't because she isn't in agreement with "them") and that is when I have my "issues" with them. I don't think I know more than they do, because I honestly don't, but I know enough to know what is and isn't true in regards to the teachings of the Church. I do agree with them when they say that women and minorities should be treated with more respect. I also agree that it's important for us women to be well educated. That kind of "girl power" I'm totally on board with. It's when it goes to the extreme that we once again clash. There is one class in particular that I don't speak up as much as I do in the others because of the professor's reactions... and it is that class that is bringing some of us "traditional conservatives" together.

I'd just finished my breakfast and was getting ready to take my first exam (I am lucky enough to be able to decide what time I do my exams) when a classmate found me sitting in the cafeteria and asked me if I was done studying. I was but something told me to stay for an additional half hour. It turned out to be the best decision. We studied briefly together, quizzing each other on specific terms and ideas, and that eventually led to our talking about our beliefs. Guess what... there's more of us out there at the CINO college. And so it became the Lone Ranger plus one.

The thing I have to remember is that I can't stay silent about my beliefs. As much as I hate arguments and as much as I try to avoid them, I just can't sit there and "look pretty" while someone bashes Catholicism or says something blasphemous. I'm too passionate about the Truth to not share it. Unfortunately, I think there are too many of us (and I include myself because sometimes I don't feel courageous enough to say certain things) are too intimidated by certain professors so we stay silent. I keep wondering how many of "us" there are at the CINO because we all seem to be hiding in the shadows. I hope that our little group of two will grow as the semester goes on because I truly believe that we need to have that kind of support system, especially at a college like ours.

One good thing about this new friendship (or partner in crime if you want to think of it that way, lol) is that it'll help keep me charitable in my thoughts and words when thinking and speaking about my professors. I've been trying really hard not to call my nun prof the "heretical nun" (last priest I confessed this to laugh while shaking his head) and to be generally kinder despite what they may say and/or teach. I managed to do that today when speaking to my classmate about what goes on in her class. I can easily "go there" (I can be fluent in sarcasm if I allowed myself) when all the buttons have been pushed repeatedly but I'm getting better at it. By the way, I didn't trouble with this until I got to this school so I hope I can keep myself out of trouble. You know... not having to confess this regularly, though I will every time I do it. To quote a professor when speaking about me "the Catholic guilt is alive and well" within me. ;) Also, we both prayed for the intercession of St. Joseph of Cupertino prior to the exam. I don't think I've ever prayed with another classmate, in school no less, so I'm terribly excited about that too. :D Thank you, God, for answering my prayers of finding more like-minded people at the college.

Anyway, just wanted to say that if you're in the same situation as I am, you are not alone. I believe there are many of us in the same boat. All we have to do is stay firm in our beliefs and we'll eventually find others who feel the same way. :)

I'm functioning (if you want to call it that) on 3 hours of sleep so I will stop here. I'm sure I repeated myself and possibly rambled on. If so, I'm sorry. lol. :D I hope everyone has a great weekend.

As always, thanks for reading and God Bless. :D

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Coming Up for Air

Three weeks without a single post. Wow. I've been so busy playing catch up in my classes (so much work and so little time) these last couple of weeks. Half of my midterms are this and the other half next week so I've been focusing on getting caught up with reading my thick, heavy textbooks. I also had a nasty cold about a two weeks ago so those were additional blogging and homework days lost. I actually have something due in about 45 minutes but it's mostly done (I just need to finish writing the synopsis) so I'm taking a quick break so update before I get busy again.

I noticed one very sad thing about not having much free time this semester... my prayer life has suffered tremendously. I was used to praying the Rosary up to twice a day (or at the very least once a day), the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy right after the Rosary, in addition to really trying to strengthen myself spiritually. Coming to this school as well as other things have made that hard. I've still been praying daily but I wasn't devoting much time to actually taking time off to do so; I've been doing it on the way to or from school. I haven't stopped by the chapel on campus that much either since my classes are pretty much back-to-back and then I try to get home as soon as possible to do homework. I know it might be weird to say this, but I felt as if I were drowning in a sea of textbooks, green books, scantrons. I feel suffocated this semester and I haven't taken much time for myself. It wasn't until I really took the time to reexamine my priorities that I realized what was happening and what I could do to change things. I need to feel like I can breathe again.

My time management and schedule is going to get a "face lift"... or, I should, say, has already started to change. I'm going to try to blog daily, even if it's a little something, to help me keep myself on track and in check. The hour before bed is being reserved as my time with the Lord if I can't make it Mass that day. (Have I mentioned that I've been trying harder to attend daily Mass, whether it be on campus before my morning classes or at the nearby parish before I leave for my late-morning/afternoon classes?) Things are a-changing, I'm starting to take better care of myself and it feels good. :) If you don't see a blog update two days in a row, please feel free to give me a little nudge and remind me. I really do think that writing a post will help remind me of why I'm really here (at this particular school) and that I still have a lot to learn about myself and the Faith.

Okay, I now have half an hour to finish these Cornell notes on an essay on Canons, Catalogs, and Canonization so I should go do that now. :D

I hope everyone has been well and has had a great week thus far (I know I have :D).

'Til next time, thanks for reading and God Bless!