I know... I've taken over a week to write. Sorry. I've had one busy week. I spent most of last week out of the house instead of in it. I do have legit things to write about soon. I've made my decision as to where I'll be attending the rest of my college career. I have one more midterm to do, but won't do it until Spring Break is over in 2 weeks. I've got some saint dreams I want to share, as well as some "little" miracles that have happened lately. Dad got back from Mexico this morning and brought me this beautiful chapel veil. I'll hopefully have pictures of it in the next entry. *thinks* Uh, I think that's pretty much it. Thank you to all of you who prayed for my dad during his trip. I heard some scary stories but thank God that he made it back safe and sound. I should probably go finish my English paper. :D
'Til next time, thanks for reading (and for keeping me entertained on twitter :D). God Bless! :D
P.S. Yes, I threw tater tots to everyone on my facebook using the SuperPoke feature. Yes, that includes you too, Matt Warner. lol.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Bus Adventures; Midterms; Transfer Decisions; Music Monday.
If there is one thing about taking public transportation, it's that you never know how your trip will go. I have been relying on L.A.'s massive public trans system to get everywhere, for the past week. Dad's out of the country... and he took the car keys so no one would use either of the cars while he's gone. Pfft. Anyway, I've had my fair share of bus adventures... though I don't know if any could top the ones I had on Saturday and today.
On Saturday, we took the bus to Sherman Oaks (where I did some of my growing up) to go shopping for a while. On our way back home, we encountered the rudest bus driver I've ever seen. A mentally disabled man passed by and tapped his card (we use TAP cards when we take multiple buses throughout a period of time) twice (on accident). When he figured it wasn't working, he went back to his seat. The bus driver, who already looked like he was in a bad mood, tried to explain to the man about the card but the man was focusing on getting to his seat so he missed the convo. The bus driver then started calling the man a *bleep*h*le and basically humiliating the poor guy. When the man said he was mentally disabled, the bus driver said "yeah, no kidding!" Completely uncalled for and all. The guy went up to the bus driver and showed his disabled card... but still continued to berate him with a number of profanities. I took the bus driver's number and info, all while the driver glared at me with a menacing look. I don't care how much you try to intimidate me, I'm reporting your butt for being such a punk.
Today's rides were interesting. I had no less than 3 former classmates in the same bus coming home from school. All 3 were guys I went to school with prior to the age of 13 so it was interesting to see them again. They all looked at me like "... do I know you...?" but two of them didn't say anything. Now, I don't know who thinks it's a good idea to divulge so much after not seeing someone for the past 12 years, but it's not a good idea to do so. Asking me for my number, after you tell me (with pride) that you just got out of jail and that you fathered a child at 15, won't get you that number. I don't care if we were in the same 5th grade class, it's just not gonna happen, kid. I've had some interesting experiences with guys on buses but this one takes the cake. Where's my bodyguard when I need him? lol. Oh, and did I mention that prior to all of this, the bus driver to school nearly ran over two elderly men... at two different stops? One of those times, the bus came to a screeching halt and all of us were thrown forward. I'm amazed no one got thrown on the floor or hurt in that. I won't be taking public transportation for the rest of the day. lol.
Something I WILL be doing the rest of the day is studying for my midterms. Well, one of them. I have my Philosophy of Ethics midterm on Wednesday. I don't think we have a midterm for English Lit, but we do have an essay due on Wednesday. My Philosophy of World Religions (one of my favorite courses ever) prof. pushed our midterm until after Spring Break. My Speech prof (whom I'm still fighting with) is unclear about the midterm for us but I am ready to take it whenever he gives it to us. I will definitely be saying a prayer to St. Joseph of Cupertino (patron saint of students and exam takers) just because I want to do really well on my midterms and he's come through for me in the past.
Another thing I have to think about in the next few days, and probably ask St. Thomas Aquinas for his intercession, is making my decision on where I'll transfer to. I didn't tell anyone that I'd applied elsewhere as back up options (because I didn't want to jinx it), but it seems I now have options to go elsewhere. I have the option for two universities in England, apparently there's a loophole for UBC (University of British Columbia) since I'd be transferring so that's an option again, as well as two public universities in L.A. I've already nixed going to UBC, even though living in Vancouver is basically a dream for me. I have friends near both schools in England (one near the English countryside, one up north) so that's appealing. If I were to chose one of the schools in L.A., I'd have to change my major to an English (with an emphasis on Creative Writing) major, Religious Studies minor. Or I could just keep going to Mount St. Mary's College. The only thing about that is that, out of all the options, MSMC is the most expensive. Yes, even more so than the unis in England. I just don't know. I have a lot of thinking to do, and only two weeks to make up my mind. If I decide to go to school in England (which I was originally going to do two years ago, before my father's second battle with cancer kept me here), I'll have a chance to check both of the schools out since I have Spring Break starting mid-next week. Also, I have friends who are basically threatening to kidnap me and take me to London (whoo! lol) so it'll work out. We'll see what happens.
Alright before this turns into a novel, I'll stop... but not before Music Monday's video. This is for all of you who are in the middle of midterms. Listen to Dinah Washington and "Relax Max."
Alright, I need to study. *sigh* Just a few more days until Spring Break. I can do it... I can do it... lol. :D Good luck to everyone who has midterms this week and next!
As always, thanks for reading and God Bless. :D
.
On Saturday, we took the bus to Sherman Oaks (where I did some of my growing up) to go shopping for a while. On our way back home, we encountered the rudest bus driver I've ever seen. A mentally disabled man passed by and tapped his card (we use TAP cards when we take multiple buses throughout a period of time) twice (on accident). When he figured it wasn't working, he went back to his seat. The bus driver, who already looked like he was in a bad mood, tried to explain to the man about the card but the man was focusing on getting to his seat so he missed the convo. The bus driver then started calling the man a *bleep*h*le and basically humiliating the poor guy. When the man said he was mentally disabled, the bus driver said "yeah, no kidding!" Completely uncalled for and all. The guy went up to the bus driver and showed his disabled card... but still continued to berate him with a number of profanities. I took the bus driver's number and info, all while the driver glared at me with a menacing look. I don't care how much you try to intimidate me, I'm reporting your butt for being such a punk.
Today's rides were interesting. I had no less than 3 former classmates in the same bus coming home from school. All 3 were guys I went to school with prior to the age of 13 so it was interesting to see them again. They all looked at me like "... do I know you...?" but two of them didn't say anything. Now, I don't know who thinks it's a good idea to divulge so much after not seeing someone for the past 12 years, but it's not a good idea to do so. Asking me for my number, after you tell me (with pride) that you just got out of jail and that you fathered a child at 15, won't get you that number. I don't care if we were in the same 5th grade class, it's just not gonna happen, kid. I've had some interesting experiences with guys on buses but this one takes the cake. Where's my bodyguard when I need him? lol. Oh, and did I mention that prior to all of this, the bus driver to school nearly ran over two elderly men... at two different stops? One of those times, the bus came to a screeching halt and all of us were thrown forward. I'm amazed no one got thrown on the floor or hurt in that. I won't be taking public transportation for the rest of the day. lol.
Something I WILL be doing the rest of the day is studying for my midterms. Well, one of them. I have my Philosophy of Ethics midterm on Wednesday. I don't think we have a midterm for English Lit, but we do have an essay due on Wednesday. My Philosophy of World Religions (one of my favorite courses ever) prof. pushed our midterm until after Spring Break. My Speech prof (whom I'm still fighting with) is unclear about the midterm for us but I am ready to take it whenever he gives it to us. I will definitely be saying a prayer to St. Joseph of Cupertino (patron saint of students and exam takers) just because I want to do really well on my midterms and he's come through for me in the past.
Another thing I have to think about in the next few days, and probably ask St. Thomas Aquinas for his intercession, is making my decision on where I'll transfer to. I didn't tell anyone that I'd applied elsewhere as back up options (because I didn't want to jinx it), but it seems I now have options to go elsewhere. I have the option for two universities in England, apparently there's a loophole for UBC (University of British Columbia) since I'd be transferring so that's an option again, as well as two public universities in L.A. I've already nixed going to UBC, even though living in Vancouver is basically a dream for me. I have friends near both schools in England (one near the English countryside, one up north) so that's appealing. If I were to chose one of the schools in L.A., I'd have to change my major to an English (with an emphasis on Creative Writing) major, Religious Studies minor. Or I could just keep going to Mount St. Mary's College. The only thing about that is that, out of all the options, MSMC is the most expensive. Yes, even more so than the unis in England. I just don't know. I have a lot of thinking to do, and only two weeks to make up my mind. If I decide to go to school in England (which I was originally going to do two years ago, before my father's second battle with cancer kept me here), I'll have a chance to check both of the schools out since I have Spring Break starting mid-next week. Also, I have friends who are basically threatening to kidnap me and take me to London (whoo! lol) so it'll work out. We'll see what happens.
Alright before this turns into a novel, I'll stop... but not before Music Monday's video. This is for all of you who are in the middle of midterms. Listen to Dinah Washington and "Relax Max."
Alright, I need to study. *sigh* Just a few more days until Spring Break. I can do it... I can do it... lol. :D Good luck to everyone who has midterms this week and next!
As always, thanks for reading and God Bless. :D
.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Quick Note: Popple at Catholic Underground!
Just a quick note for y'all in Southern California. Tomorrow Popple is performing at the next Catholic Underground (L.A.) meeting. If you haven't heard of them, please check out their website... or simply go see them live! The event is taking place at St. Victor's Church in West Hollywood. I believe they start at 9 p.m. Hope to see some of you there. :D
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Thursday, March 19, 2009
Merging Two Cultures; The Mission Continues; Catholic Blogs.
I interrupt my studying/homework thing for a much needed blog. Okay, so the blog isn't necessarily needed but I need this break for the sake of my sanity. I only have about two more pages to write (or roughly 500 words) and then I am done. So close... so close! lol.
I know it's not Music Monday, but, darn it, I am having music problems... sort of. It's music and cultural problems. First, I have to find a way to merge Mexican folklorico with Spanish flamenco into one dance. How I'm going to do that, I have NO clue. All I know is that if I don't find a way, there's a good chance I will offend either the Mexican or Spanish side of the familia. I've already been advised to just stomp my feet a lot. Haha! Yes, they have that in common but doing too much of that will only make my feet angry at me. I don't even want to think about the music, or even what I'll be wearing. Oy. I'll figure something out.
This is something I have to do quite often, and sometimes it's hard because I think there's still some bad blood between both countries/cultures. If I say I really want to go to Spain (especially for the World Youth Day in two years), but decline an invitation to vacation in Mexico, I get "the look". I want to eat posole but not paella, or vice versa, I get "the look". It doesn't help that when I speak Spanish I don't have an accent... and when I do, the dialect is more Spanish (Castilian) than Mexican. The only safe thing that I can talk about, without offending either, is the religion. Thank goodness both are primarily Catholic (though Spain seems to be more and more secularized than Mexico). I can show my love of St. Teresa of Avila (a Spanish saint) and St. Juan Diego (a Mexican saint) and have everything be fine. I love that there's no religious intolerance between these cultures.
While there are no religious issues between countries, I am still struggling with it in my family. One parent refuses to go to Mass (and even puts up a fight every Saturday I go to confessions and every Sunday I want to go to Mass). The other is a little more willing but I've probably gone to Mass by myself more often than not recently. I even volunteer to go to the Spanish Masses so they can go, but nothing. When I told my mom I was open to a religious vocation, a while back, she was against the idea. I have since then figured out that it is not what the Lord has in store for me, which made her happy. Her reaction, she says, comes from attending a Catholic boarding school and having to deal with "mean nuns" in her childhood. The only people that have had an influence on me have been my mom's Godparents (whom we don't see often), one of my paternal aunts, and my paternal grandmother (may God rest her soul). In fact, I still have a mantilla my grandmother handmade for me before she passed away a few years ago. She used to go to Mass every day with her veil. I remember her wearing them, when she took to take me to Church as little girl. There's something about that that I find absolutely beautiful. I've had a couple of priests ask me how it's possible that I'm so into the faith, while my parents are the opposite. Trust me, I don't know. All I know is that my mission to get my parents back to the Church continues. I've seriously made that my ultimate goal and I won't quit until I get them to come back. And if you know me well enough, you know I'm stubborn enough to get this to happen... eventually. Haha. I only use the "stubborn mode" for good. lol.
I should probably stop writing and get back to my homework. *groan* Just two more pages and I am done for the week. I'll only have one more class to work on (which I can finish in about half an hour) and I will have the weekend free. Whoo! :D Alright, I'm off to watch the Seattle Sounders vs. New York Red Bulls match... while I finish my Speech assignment. Yes, it CAN be done. It's impossible during a Liverpool F.C. match, especially with the amount of screaming, dancing, and celebrating I do (teehee :D), but for all others I can multi-task. :D.
Oh, before I go, I'd like to point out that I have a couple of new Catholic blogs listed. A few were requests and a few were added because I thought they deserved to get more readers; I liked all of them. If you're a St. Jude devotee (like me; he IS my patron saint, after all), St. Jude Novena Blog is a great place to visit. And, Verbum Veritatis (Word Of Truth) is one of my new favorites, as well. If I have yet to add yours, please let me know. I want to help y'all get more readers. :)
I'm stalling, aren't I? Okay, I'll shut up now. lol. :D As always, thanks for reading and God Bless. :D
.
I know it's not Music Monday, but, darn it, I am having music problems... sort of. It's music and cultural problems. First, I have to find a way to merge Mexican folklorico with Spanish flamenco into one dance. How I'm going to do that, I have NO clue. All I know is that if I don't find a way, there's a good chance I will offend either the Mexican or Spanish side of the familia. I've already been advised to just stomp my feet a lot. Haha! Yes, they have that in common but doing too much of that will only make my feet angry at me. I don't even want to think about the music, or even what I'll be wearing. Oy. I'll figure something out.
This is something I have to do quite often, and sometimes it's hard because I think there's still some bad blood between both countries/cultures. If I say I really want to go to Spain (especially for the World Youth Day in two years), but decline an invitation to vacation in Mexico, I get "the look". I want to eat posole but not paella, or vice versa, I get "the look". It doesn't help that when I speak Spanish I don't have an accent... and when I do, the dialect is more Spanish (Castilian) than Mexican. The only safe thing that I can talk about, without offending either, is the religion. Thank goodness both are primarily Catholic (though Spain seems to be more and more secularized than Mexico). I can show my love of St. Teresa of Avila (a Spanish saint) and St. Juan Diego (a Mexican saint) and have everything be fine. I love that there's no religious intolerance between these cultures.
While there are no religious issues between countries, I am still struggling with it in my family. One parent refuses to go to Mass (and even puts up a fight every Saturday I go to confessions and every Sunday I want to go to Mass). The other is a little more willing but I've probably gone to Mass by myself more often than not recently. I even volunteer to go to the Spanish Masses so they can go, but nothing. When I told my mom I was open to a religious vocation, a while back, she was against the idea. I have since then figured out that it is not what the Lord has in store for me, which made her happy. Her reaction, she says, comes from attending a Catholic boarding school and having to deal with "mean nuns" in her childhood. The only people that have had an influence on me have been my mom's Godparents (whom we don't see often), one of my paternal aunts, and my paternal grandmother (may God rest her soul). In fact, I still have a mantilla my grandmother handmade for me before she passed away a few years ago. She used to go to Mass every day with her veil. I remember her wearing them, when she took to take me to Church as little girl. There's something about that that I find absolutely beautiful. I've had a couple of priests ask me how it's possible that I'm so into the faith, while my parents are the opposite. Trust me, I don't know. All I know is that my mission to get my parents back to the Church continues. I've seriously made that my ultimate goal and I won't quit until I get them to come back. And if you know me well enough, you know I'm stubborn enough to get this to happen... eventually. Haha. I only use the "stubborn mode" for good. lol.
I should probably stop writing and get back to my homework. *groan* Just two more pages and I am done for the week. I'll only have one more class to work on (which I can finish in about half an hour) and I will have the weekend free. Whoo! :D Alright, I'm off to watch the Seattle Sounders vs. New York Red Bulls match... while I finish my Speech assignment. Yes, it CAN be done. It's impossible during a Liverpool F.C. match, especially with the amount of screaming, dancing, and celebrating I do (teehee :D), but for all others I can multi-task. :D.
Oh, before I go, I'd like to point out that I have a couple of new Catholic blogs listed. A few were requests and a few were added because I thought they deserved to get more readers; I liked all of them. If you're a St. Jude devotee (like me; he IS my patron saint, after all), St. Jude Novena Blog is a great place to visit. And, Verbum Veritatis (Word Of Truth) is one of my new favorites, as well. If I have yet to add yours, please let me know. I want to help y'all get more readers. :)
I'm stalling, aren't I? Okay, I'll shut up now. lol. :D As always, thanks for reading and God Bless. :D
.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
"Catholic" Colleges; Haunted Dorms; Belated Music Monday.
Okay, so I originally started this post last Friday but due to insane amounts of homework and other things have prevented me from updating. Anyway, I have time now so...
I'm wondering how many people out there attend "Catholic" colleges and universities. Why did I use the quotation marks around the word Catholic? Simple. "Catholic" colleges were founded by/for Catholics but have strayed from the teachings of the Church. These schools usually have performances of the V-Monologues, birth control access on campus, gay/lesbian support groups and festivals, and other things. Though I have been a student at my particular college for nearly 2 years now, I have yet to actually attend it. Financial issues have prevented me from physically attending the school but I still consider myself a part of it. I still get emails from the college (to my student email account) about film screenings, volunteer work, and events happening at the college. All of it gets me excited about finally attending it this Fall (when I will finally be able to apply for the loan to pay for it myself). I was doing some research, because there is only so much you can find out from friends and from campus visits, and I found out two things that made me cringe. 1) It's held performances of the V-Monologues, and 2) they've had pro-choice/pro-abortion speakers at the graduation ceremonies. You can argue that since the school is compromised of about a 97% female student body, it would make sense that these types of things happen... except that it's a CATHOLIC school therefore those things shouldn't have taken place in the first place. I know they haven't performed the V-Monologues in about a year or two (or three), which I'm happy about. Still, I know that with other things, I will probably have issues with. I was considering applying elsewhere, maybe to a place like Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, CA or Ave Maria University in Naples, FL... somewhere more faithful than where I'm at. I was really considering it until Andrew (from Per Fidem) sent me this quote:
"If you want your kids to defend their Faith send them to a public school, if you want them to lose their Faith send them to a Catholic School."
-- Archbishop Fulton Sheen
I'd actually started thinking about staying at my school, and fighting against any anti-Catholic activities that might take place, prior to getting the quote. Reading it only re-affirmed my decision to stick it out and do what I can to make sure it remains Catholic. I'm not much a fighter, and consider myself more of a pacifist (with occasional sarcasm, lol), but for this I would totally step up and say something. I know someone high in the ladder of administration thinks the school should be seen as "truth-seeking" instead of a "church"... which really bugs me because I know exactly what is meant by that. This person should listen to Bishop Martino about how "because it is a Catholic institution, it also has a responsibility to transmit Catholic teaching to its students in ways that are not ambiguous or confusing." I don't know just how much of a fight I have ahead of me but I welcome any challenge because it'll only make my faith stronger. I mean, students have fought against birth control being distributed on campus (with a positive result). More and more universities, such as Santa Clara University, have begun banning the V-Monolgues.
Oh yeah, and that whole thing about the dorms being haunted... uh, the scariest thing I've found on that campus is how slow the elevator in the Humanities building is. lol. We received an email, from the school's newspaper, asking for stories about haunting that have been going on on campus. Apparently, a ghost of a nun is seen walking through the halls of one dorm, and another ghost is seen in the elevator of another dorm... neither of which I am signing up for. Haha. That wasn't intentional either. I chose my dorm/apartment a year ago. :D I don't know what to make of it. I'm not a fan of supernatural things. Psychics? Don't believe 'em. One once told me that I'd be married with a child by my 23rd birthday. I haven't come close and my next birthday (the big 2-4) is a little under 3 months from now. :D Ghosts? Uh, I get enough fighting with them and demons in my nightmares, thanks. A friend said this was common is all schools? *shrugs* Thoughts? Comments? All are welcomed on this topic.
So, since I missed Music Monday yesterday (I was literally out from 6:30 a.m. until 6:15 p.m.) I have a belated video to share. The song is called "Typical" by Mute Math.
I LOVE Mute Math. Rumors are that they started out as a Christian Rock band but have asked that the label not be put on them. Knowing this and listening to their songs, especially "Chaos" you can see there are many ways you can interpret the songs. *shrugs* Even if they weren't, I'd love their music. :D
Alright, that's it for now. I hope to write another one tomorrow because I have some special requests I've been asked to write about... and I want to get those done as soon as I can. As always, thanks for reading and God Bless. :D
.
I'm wondering how many people out there attend "Catholic" colleges and universities. Why did I use the quotation marks around the word Catholic? Simple. "Catholic" colleges were founded by/for Catholics but have strayed from the teachings of the Church. These schools usually have performances of the V-Monologues, birth control access on campus, gay/lesbian support groups and festivals, and other things. Though I have been a student at my particular college for nearly 2 years now, I have yet to actually attend it. Financial issues have prevented me from physically attending the school but I still consider myself a part of it. I still get emails from the college (to my student email account) about film screenings, volunteer work, and events happening at the college. All of it gets me excited about finally attending it this Fall (when I will finally be able to apply for the loan to pay for it myself). I was doing some research, because there is only so much you can find out from friends and from campus visits, and I found out two things that made me cringe. 1) It's held performances of the V-Monologues, and 2) they've had pro-choice/pro-abortion speakers at the graduation ceremonies. You can argue that since the school is compromised of about a 97% female student body, it would make sense that these types of things happen... except that it's a CATHOLIC school therefore those things shouldn't have taken place in the first place. I know they haven't performed the V-Monologues in about a year or two (or three), which I'm happy about. Still, I know that with other things, I will probably have issues with. I was considering applying elsewhere, maybe to a place like Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, CA or Ave Maria University in Naples, FL... somewhere more faithful than where I'm at. I was really considering it until Andrew (from Per Fidem) sent me this quote:
"If you want your kids to defend their Faith send them to a public school, if you want them to lose their Faith send them to a Catholic School."
-- Archbishop Fulton Sheen
I'd actually started thinking about staying at my school, and fighting against any anti-Catholic activities that might take place, prior to getting the quote. Reading it only re-affirmed my decision to stick it out and do what I can to make sure it remains Catholic. I'm not much a fighter, and consider myself more of a pacifist (with occasional sarcasm, lol), but for this I would totally step up and say something. I know someone high in the ladder of administration thinks the school should be seen as "truth-seeking" instead of a "church"... which really bugs me because I know exactly what is meant by that. This person should listen to Bishop Martino about how "because it is a Catholic institution, it also has a responsibility to transmit Catholic teaching to its students in ways that are not ambiguous or confusing." I don't know just how much of a fight I have ahead of me but I welcome any challenge because it'll only make my faith stronger. I mean, students have fought against birth control being distributed on campus (with a positive result). More and more universities, such as Santa Clara University, have begun banning the V-Monolgues.
Oh yeah, and that whole thing about the dorms being haunted... uh, the scariest thing I've found on that campus is how slow the elevator in the Humanities building is. lol. We received an email, from the school's newspaper, asking for stories about haunting that have been going on on campus. Apparently, a ghost of a nun is seen walking through the halls of one dorm, and another ghost is seen in the elevator of another dorm... neither of which I am signing up for. Haha. That wasn't intentional either. I chose my dorm/apartment a year ago. :D I don't know what to make of it. I'm not a fan of supernatural things. Psychics? Don't believe 'em. One once told me that I'd be married with a child by my 23rd birthday. I haven't come close and my next birthday (the big 2-4) is a little under 3 months from now. :D Ghosts? Uh, I get enough fighting with them and demons in my nightmares, thanks. A friend said this was common is all schools? *shrugs* Thoughts? Comments? All are welcomed on this topic.
So, since I missed Music Monday yesterday (I was literally out from 6:30 a.m. until 6:15 p.m.) I have a belated video to share. The song is called "Typical" by Mute Math.
I LOVE Mute Math. Rumors are that they started out as a Christian Rock band but have asked that the label not be put on them. Knowing this and listening to their songs, especially "Chaos" you can see there are many ways you can interpret the songs. *shrugs* Even if they weren't, I'd love their music. :D
Alright, that's it for now. I hope to write another one tomorrow because I have some special requests I've been asked to write about... and I want to get those done as soon as I can. As always, thanks for reading and God Bless. :D
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