Ay, Classmates!; Family Bonding: Catholic Edition; Music Monday

Oh, school... I love and hate you at the same time. lol. I love school because I always have. I love learning, even when it's outside a classroom. Yes, I am a full on geek and proud. lol. One thing that I don't like is the constant Catholic and Christian bashing. In two of my classes it's more obvious, and one of them isn't even a religion or philosophy course. I spend a good amount of time on the online discussion forums "arguing" with my classmates because they just LOVE to talk trash. I'm a pacifist (with a feisty side, but that's another story) so I don't like all the snide comments made about the Christian faith and wish I could just change everyone's mind. I wouldn't go all the way to holding hands and having kumbaya moment, but, you know, not blatantly attacking others' beliefs because they're different. Sadly, this isn't the case nor do I ever see it getting better (at least not this semester) so I must defend with all the knowledge I have. On one hand, I am enjoying it because it's like a little exercise for me. It's helping me strengthen my faith, and for that I'm grateful. I'm just tired of the redundant question and comments my classmates like to make. OH! And don't get my started on my issues with some of the guys for thinking that pornography is not only okay, but also not considered cheating. *shakes head* That's a whole 'nother argument. Oh well, I'll just have to endure it for 5 more weeks. Just 5 more weeks... I can do it... I hope. lol.

Another good thing that all of this has brought my parents and I closer together... and got my dad into Mass yesterday (WHOO!!!) My mom's been slowly handing down her saint books, prayer cards, and other things to me. She gave me a book on St. Therese of Lisieux that was made in the 1960s (I believe) that helped her during a hard time in her life. Over the past week, she's also been sharing a book on stories of the Old Testament that she's had since she went to a private, Catholic school in Mexico. (Granddad was VERY Catholic so my mom had to go to that school.) I read the inscription her teacher wrote on her book that dates back to 1964. The book's still in pretty good condition considering how old it is. I have a lot of stories my mom's told me about her time growing up with the nuns and the convent/school. I'm proudly carrying on the tradition of having at least 2 years of Catholic schooling under my belt... or will as soon as I graduate. Despite all of this, she's still a lapsed Catholic. *sigh* She's not my toughest "mission challenge" though.

Dad's quite stubborn so getting him to even drive me to Mass (darn the lack of license!) is sometimes a struggle. On Saturday, though, I got him to open up a bit about his past experiences with the Church. On the way back from the O.C. (an hour's drive from my casa), he was telling me about the pilgrimages he used to make during Lent. The way he described it, you could tell that those were his favorite memories. I had a great chat about religion with him after that. I really loved it. :) He also willingly took me to confessions later that day and surprised me by going to Mass with me yesterday morning. So maybe it won't be as hard as I thought getting my parents back to the Church (and not just for Mass), but I still have a struggle ahead of me. Maybe I should get my mom's Godparents to help me out; I know they would do all they could. Don't know about my dad, but I'm working on it. At least I know they have fond memories of the Church and that they like to share stories making for one big family bonding moment. I love that. :D For now, my mission continues. I will not give up until both are no longer considered lapsed Catholics. :D

Okay, before I finish my blog (yay! it's a short one today :D), I wanted to share a Music Monday update. I haven't done it in a while (sorry) but I am today. This is the second playlist of the novel I'm working on. I'm finally working on the beginning (because I work backwards) so I thought it would be a good idea to listen to the music I loved during that time. (This is around 2005). I also added a few other songs that I just loved listening to while writing. (ie. "Pretty Young Thing" by Blondfire is on loop often)

I didn't add a couple of songs because they were on the first playlist. I will say that the song "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin plays a BIG role in the first chapter of the novel. Also, I have permission to change Will's taste in music in the novel. Ah, I love that freedom. :D

Okay, that's it for now. I have to go read The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle for my English class. Did I mention that I have to finish it by Wednesday? Can I finish it in a day? Only one way to find out. :D

As always, thanks for reading and God Bless.

Oh, and P.S. thank you Joe for the nomination. :D
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