Well, as 2009 draw to a close, it's time for some reflection and meditation.

1. I successfully completed my freshman year of college and also [not so successfully] started working on my sophomore year. Spring saw a romance interest turned sour [for him, not me], and the loss of a friend in that respect, but the reconciliation of another. Summer saw a long and relatively lazy couple months, spent mostly perfecting my score at the shooting range! Another new friend [Jeff, who you may have read about in my previous blog page] made his way into my universe.

2. Fall saw a month of boyfriend-ness with Matthew Planchard, who has been one of my best friends since coming to USM. Even though he broke things off, and I'm still finding it somewhat hard to move on, I count myself lucky for having him in my life at all, and we're still friends. I'm trying though - and there's a potential new interest I may pursue when school starts back up. That'd be Josh, a recent graduate who works at the local coffee shop I frequent. He's a fellow English major [there's another thing- I changed my major!] and is very nice. I think I've gotten some positive signs from him, so I'm considering making the plunge and asking him out. We'll see how that goes.
Fall also saw a renewed sense of faith, and finding myself being drawn to the Catholic church. From that has stemmed a personal growth and connection with God and many other people that I feel has changed me for the better.
My grades this semester weren't too great, but we all have rough spots, and I am determined to do better next semester.
I also picked up crocheting again, and have become mildly addicted. Knitting is next on my list of domestic hobbies, haha.
I made some GREAT friends, including but not limited to: Natalie, Heather, Marie, Allen, Seth, Jon, Mark, Joey [officially], Paul, Liz, Sam, Greg, Scott, and so many more. I love you guys.

Well...it is late, so I suppose I'll save my plans for 2010 for next time.

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So, I got a new computer the other day! It's awesome, I love it. It's a Gateway, and it's pretty much the best thing ever. :D Windows 7 is pretty darn awesome, for those of you who haven't had the chance to try it out yet. I think my favourite feature is that if you have multiple windows open and you shake one, the others all minimise. and if you shake it again, they all come back, heehee.

Yesterday I was suckered by a cute, smooth-talkin' Jew. I was at the mall, coming out of a store, and this adorable Jewish guy started giving me this spiel about the Dead Sea spa stuff, and I totally bought some, not cos I cared about the product, but because he was cute and Jewish. Heh.

Today Joseph and I are having a Day of the Dead party. I'm not entirely sure why, other than the fact that Joseph wants to have a party. *shrug* Should be fun. He said everyone has to dress up, but I don't really want to find a costume, so I'm not. I'm going to wear normal clothes, and if anyone asks, I'll say I'm a ninja, because ninjas never reveal their identity.

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So, I'm sick. I have been for the beetter part of a week and a half. Which really, really sucks. I'm not sure what's wrong with me - viral infection, I presume. It started out with nasty-feeling sinus drainage, then it became a general malaise, aching all over, head hurting, etc... now I'm sitting here with a fever, the heat turned on, yet freezing. I did buy vitamin C today... actually, I got GUMMY vitamins. How cool is that? They're like candy.

Also, I'm working on a drawing. I was inspired the other day by my close friend Matt Planchard [the one sponsoring me for RCIA], and I'm super excited. I've gotten some rough sketches/ a general idea of what I want to incorporate in the drawing on notebook paper, and I'm pretty excited. I don't want to say what it is though, in case he comes on my nutang [he does read it from time to time], so I'm afraid I'll have to leave ya'll in suspense, as well.

I don't think I've ever put any of my drawings on here before, so perhaps I should share some with you all.

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So, last night I went to the opera! How fun! I saw Gianni Schicchi and I Pagliacci, two operas put on by my university's orchestral/theatre company. My friend Chris was singing in the first opera, which is the main reason I came. I love hanging out with him, and he loves to sing and goof around, but I'd never seen him perform before, and he worked for quite a while on it. The whole experience was really great though, and I'm glad I went, because the experience in and of itself was worth it.

Gianni Schicchi was in English; it's a story of a greedy family whose wealthy relative [the cousin or uncle of most of them] has just died. They're more concerned and upset about the fact that he left all of his possessions to the Church rather than any of them, than that he's died [Chris plays one of these not-so-nice relatives]. So they get a local actor to pose as the uncle, on his death bed [since no one else knows he's dead yet], and have a lawyer rewrite the will to their tailored interests. Of course, the actor swindles them out of a mansion or two along the way! And there's nothing they can do about it, because otherwise they'd all be revealed... hee-hee-hee. Go, Schicchi, go!

I Pagliacci was in Italian [with English supertitles aired for our convenience, yay]; the storyline revolves around a travelling performer, Pagliacci, and his wife, and their little company. They travel around Italy putting on a comedy about how he catches his wife with a lover, but of course the whole thing turns out relatively happy in the end. But when Pagliacci catches his wife with a lover in real life, things don't take nearly so nice a turn. In a fit of passion, he stabs both her and her lover, on stage, in front of the audience.

The whole thing was an absolutely amazing experience, and I'm so glad I went. It was also a really nice opportunity to dress up, something I don't have the chance to do very often [or ever, really. I skipped out on both my proms]. So I got to wear one of my very nice black dresses, and do my hair so it had a purty, etc. I wish I had a picture to show ya'll, but I didn't bring my camera. Oh well.

Also, in other news, I've recently taken up crocheting again [I used to do it a few years ago], and I'm making my friend David a hat. David recently shaved all his hair off, just in time for winter! And I don't want his head to get cold... so, hat! He has requested I put ears on it, hee-hee.

Also, I got my car back the other week, and BOY does it feel great to have the freedom to drive!

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No, really. I'm going on a retreat today with the CSA. We're leaving around 4pm, and going to St. Augustine Seminary Retreat Centre in Bay Saint Louis. I'm pretty excited.

On the list of things we were to bring, was a rosary. I don't own a rosary; I can't even pray the rosary yet. :/ But Mark was kind enough to loan me one, and I suppose I shall learn this weekend, heh.

When I went over to McCary Hall to borrow his rosary, we somehow started talking about literature and politics and stuff... and somehow the subject came on feminism, and I stated that I'm not a feminist [ah, I remember! Marriage! We were talking about marriage... and Methodists] and how I'm pretty politically conservative... and he said that that was awesome [since he's a conservative too], and that the first impression he had of me was that of a "yoga-loving hippie," which I think is pretty amazing/funny. It made me happy for some reason. :D He was right about the yoga-loving [yoga is my favourite!] but I'm not really a hippie, haha. Just cos I don't dress like a sorority girl with bottle blonde or brunette hair, haha.

Anyway, yeah. Apparently I'm a yoga-loving conservative hippie. Whewt. ^^

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It's Carol's birthday!!!!!!! <3

Today's blog is divided into two main parts. A rant, and then a continuation of some RCIA stuff. I didn't mean to turn this exclusively into a religious blog, but that seems to be what's happening. I mean, I love religion and I love writing about it, but I also want to ensure there's some diversity to my blog as well. However, Monday/Tuesday blogs will in all likelihood be devoted to whatever I learnt at RCIA.... but I will post other stuff too! I promise. Those of you who have suffered in silence, rest assured, I have other things to bore you with as well. :D

Anyway...

The Rant.
This is directed at girls specifically; also, it is perhaps of more... unorthodox content.

Restrooms. We all use them. Ladies, we seem to go in flocks and spend 10 minutes in front of the mirrors, adjusting hair, applying makeup, and chatting.

But ladies, there's something I just don't understand. Clue me in, if you can. As a girl, maybe I'm just odd in not getting this, but this has bugged me for a while, and I'm down to my last straw.

What, oh what makes it so hard to keep the seat clean? It's not that hard, I promise. To be perfectly frank, I don't understand how you manage to miss! Guys at least have the excuse of standing up, but women sit down... so how do you manage to get urine all over the seat?! And why oh why don't you bother to clean it up? Do you people not have any idea how nasty that is? Other people shouldn't have to come behind you with a wad of toilet paper and clean up your bodily mess because you're too lazy to take care of it yourself. Ugh. Just... uhh.

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Which leads me rather... not so neatly, to the RCIA/Catholic portion of today's blog. Enjoy.

So, not too long ago I posted some questions I had about Catholicism. I've recently been reading through my RCIA book, and I managed to find a lot of answers for myself. Others, I had the opportunity to consult with Father Tommy on after Mass on Wednesday. However, he told me I should ask my questions in RCIA anyway, in case someone else has those same questions at some point. So, here are my questions and their answers.

1. Praying to the saints.
What is praying to the saints, when we think of prayer as worship? Obviously we don't worship saints, so what's the deal?
— Catholics do not pray to the saints in the sense that we pray to God. Only God is worthy of worship. One definition of pray, however, is to raise an "earnest petition." So when Catholics say they "pray" to the saints, they are asking the saints in "earnest petition" to pray for them. It's no different than asking a friend or family member to pray for you, except this person already happens to be in Heaven.

2. The Pope.
Who is he? What is his role? What's this whole "vicar of Christ" thing? And how about the infallibility of the pope?
— "Let's start at the top," says my RCIA book. "Christ is the head of the Church. From Him "the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God" (Colossians 2:19). Jesus gave some of his disciples special authority, however, to continue his mission. Catholics believe this authority has been passed down through the centuries.
"You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church." (Matthew 16:18)
This gave Simon Peter a position of special authority and leadership among Jesus' followers. Tradition has it that Peter went to Rome and was martyred there. The pope, as bishop of Rome, is looked upon as Peter's successor, inheriting the title of "rock" upon which the church is built.
The pope is the recognised leader of the Catholic Church on earth. Acting in union with all the bishops of the world, the pope preserves and spreads Christ's teaching as embodied in Catholic understanding of Scripture, the traditions of the Church through history, and the unfolding understanding of divine revelation. The pope also inherits Peter's responsibility to serve the whole Church and the faith that has been handed down...
The meaning of the infallibility of the pope is often misunderstood. It does not mean that the pope can never make a mistake. It does not mean that the pope cannot commit sin. Infallibility means that under certain rigorous conditions the teaching of the pope is preserved from error by the Holy Spirit. The conditions are these:
— The pope must be speaking in his capacity of chief leader and shepherd of the Church.
— He must be clearly defining a doctrine as being a truth of faith to be accepted by the whole Church.
— The definition must be concerned with matters of faith or morals.
The number of statements that fulfill these conditions is very small... Catholics recognise that the ordinary teachings of the pope (in sermons, speeches, etc) do not fulfill these conditions and are therefore not infallible. Catholics do, nevertheless, give due respect to all the teachings of the pope, whether infallible statements or not.
Also, I looked up "vicar" again, as per the request of Father Tommy to be further discussed. In addition to "substitute," it also means a "deputy" or a "person who is authorized to perform the functions of another." So there you have it.

I also asked Father Tommy about the Cathechism, and how often it's changed, and how the content is chosen. Apparently it's a pretty intensive things where all the cardinals get together, and it's very, very rarely changed or edited in any way.

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Also, something else I'm researching is the concept of Confirmation names. Assuming I continue with the RCIA process, and go through my decision to convert, and don't change my mind, then on Holy Saturday before Easter, I'll be formally accepted into the Church.
One of the traditional practises in the Church at the time of confirmation is choosing a name that will remind you of this sacrament and its purpose. Carol tells me that although the confirmation name isn't in and of itself a big deal, it is a very personal thing. Some people choose names that "run in the family," others choose the name of a saint who represents the type of Christian you want to be. I'm taking the entire RCIA/conversion process very seriously, and I think the idea of choosing a name that represents the kind of Christian I want to be is a good one. I don't have any family who's Catholic anyway, so that throws the first part out of the window. I've been researching various saints [female saints, specifically, ha], and I've come to a few thoughts. Also, I'm going to be really lame and use wikipedia as my main sources on this blog, since I'm in the computer lab at uni. and don't have my windows open in firefox at home available to me... Also, I seem to have a penchant for royalty, ahaha.

I like the name Adelaide, after Saint Adelaide of Itay, who was known for her charitable acts and kindness. The Catholic Encyclodepdia also says "her administration was characterized by the greatest wisdom. She took no revenge upon her enemies; her court was like a religious house; she multiplied monasteries and churches in the various provinces, and was incessant in her efforts to convert the pagans of the North." Kindness, a willingness to give/serve others, and a love for spreading the word are all things I would like to embody. Adelaide is also Carol's confirmation name. As if we needed another reason to be sisters of the soul even more. :-P

I also like the name Elisabeth, after Saint Elisabeth of Hungary, who was also a charitable and giving figure, who devoted her life to helping the poor and needy. She died at the age of 24. The Catholic Encyclopedia has THIS to say about her.

They're both people who, despite all that they had, station, influence, personal wealth, chose to focus not on themselves, but on others. They were both people who chose to use their influence in a positive way, as a means to aid and love those who needed that aid and generosity the most. Their kindness, love, and selflessness are all things I would like to have more of. A desire to serve and to give of myself.

Oh, and they have pretty names. :-P

Likewise, I apologise for the novel-esque nature of the length of this blog.

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Yoga. RCIA. Ballroom dance. Back to back. Whew! My Monday evenings are going to be insane the next few months!

Yoga was awesome, as it always is. :] I really really enjoy it, and I recommend it to anyone looking for something to increase their flexibility and/or fitness. I'm still such a terrible beginner, but it doesn't matter - it's so much fun. I can't tell you how much I love it. 3x a week is really not enough to get my fix, as it were. And it's a great time to focus on entirely yourself. You spend so much time, constantly worrying or stressing over things... but to take that hour or so and just put all that aside and focus on just yourself... it's great.

RCIA was great, too. My friend Jessica [from yoga, as a matter of fact] signed up, too, so I know at least one other person there. :] Yay. Father Tommy talked a bit about registering for RCIA, and what RCIA is. He talked about the schedule and what we'll be doing, and had us introduce ourselves. Matthew came in a little late - he'll have to, since he has to finish yoga, clear the room, and clock out of the Payne Center - but it makes me exceptionally happy that he'll be my sponsor. Father Tommy talked about that, as well. He said our sponsor is a little like having someone teach you to drive; you might initially feel inclined to pick your girlfriend, boyfriend, spouse, whomever, to be your sponsor, but they're also your teacher, so would you pick someone who would get frustrated at you for not "getting" it? And, of course, he said to be wary of picking your boyfriend/girlfriend, because should you break up while in the middle of RCIA, that puts ya'll both in a rather awkward position, ha. He said something to the effect of "you should choose someone you hope to be with for the rest of your life, as a friend" - which is perfect. Matt is one of my best, best friends in this whole world. I'm so incredibly blessed [I'd say lucky if I believed in luck] to know him. ^^
Father Tommy gave the candidates a notebook full of the material we'll be going over, and I've already started reading through it. Next week we're doing a "Tour of the Church" which should prove interesting -- a road trip, as it were, woot! I'm a little sad we're only meeting on Mondays, though. I'd love to have the meetings say, twice a week. And it's so stretched out - 21 meetings, all following the school calendar, so we're off when the school is, so it doesn't finish until right about Easter of next year. Oh well. It still gives me something to look forward to.

Ballroom was fun! Week 3 of the waltz, and we did a pretty involved sequence, it was great. I'd describe it, but I'm not sure I could do it justice. To sum up, though:
Open box --> closed box --> half box/underarm turn [ladies] --> developé --> open twinkle --> open/close/open/3-point-turn.... I can't even remember, haha. It was loooonnnng. XD

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I woke up to a bird singing outside my window this morning. :]

I realised something very important about myself, my goals, and my life.

I bought a notebook in preparation for RCIA, and I already have a few questions I wouldn't mind having Father Tommy or another person answer for me...

Last time I talked to him, he helped clear up something I was having a very hard time wrapping my mind around: chiefly, the "infallibility" of the Pope. He cleared up some misconceptions I had, and explained to me exactly what the "infallibility of the Pope" meant. Now it makes sense to me. But I do have some other questions.

1. Praying to the Saints. I understand that the concept behind that is to ask those in Heaven for intercession on our behalf. I don't have any issue with that. Actually, and maybe this is silly of me, but the problem I'm having is with the word choice. Praying. If worship is for God alone, and we pray to Him, why do we use the term "praying" to the saints to be synonymous with "asking for intercession"? Praying brings to mind an act of worship, yet no one actually worships the saints. I don't know, it confuses me.

2. Who is the Pope, really? I get that he's the head of the Church, blah blah. He's also Peter's successor. The Catechism refers to him as the Vicar of Christ [882, 936, 1560] - but what does that mean exactly? The dictionary defines the term "vicar" as:
—noun
a person who acts in place of another; substitute.
a person who is authorized to perform the functions of another; deputy.

How can the Pope - who is just a human being, like all of us, be Christ's substitute? How does he take on the entire role of Christ and His earthly ministry? He's a human - capable of messing up. So what exactly is the role of the Pope? How does he fit into all of this exactly?

That's all I can think of at the moment. I know I have other questions, but my brain is pulling an epic fail on me at the moment. I'll write down any other questions just as they come to me, I suppose. As it is, I need to record those two in my notebook.

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Also, it is randomjunk's birthday!

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