I was *totally* singing that song to Em today!!! Her new nickname is "Punk", shortened from "Punkin".

I love the hivemind.

I was *totally* singing that song to Em today!!! Her new nickname is "Punk", shortened from "Punkin".

I love the hivemind.

Plate of shrimp.

I love the hivemind.

It's so dead on sometimes, it's scary. It's almost like my mother calling right at the moment I figure out my newest neuroses comes from her.

I have to say my own catechism classes were massively Teh Lame. All I remember from them is:

(a) memorizing the Apostles' Creed
(b) watching The Silent Scream
(c) watching a short movie starring Bob Newhart as God.

I think also, possibly, we sang Christmas carols at a retirement home across the street from the church.

Everything else I know about Catholicism is a freaky doctrinal patchwork stitched together out of bits of Chesterton, Flannery O'Connor, Thomas Merton, the Catholic Worker, Julian of Norwich, and my mother. I suspect my version of orthodoxy would make the Pope cry -- which is fair enough, as his certainly makes me cry.

I suspect my version of orthodoxy would make the Pope cry -- which is fair enough, as his certainly makes me cry.

A thousand hallelujiahs to this!

Cash, I love the violet hair. I could never do it, because I'm the square root of square. That, and I'd probably get some funny looks on Capitol Hill. My job doesn't allow me a lot of variety in fashion choices.

Pretty hair, Cash.

t puts "make my hair all merlot-colored again" higher on the list of "things to do as I start getting The Money"

Speaking of The Money and the spending thereof, I bought two adequate bras at LB. Apparently I'm a 40DDD for now. Yowza. Guess my rib cage did expand, since I spent my pre-baby adult life between 36D and 36DDD. Though the sales clerk who measured me came up with 40DD, and was miffed to be wrong. Hey, I tried the DD's, and they gave me quad-boobs.

I also wandered into a bookstore, because it was THERE. I bought Annabel Is Your Mama a Llama? and myself the new Jo Beverley, A Most Unsuitable Man: [link] Is that a yummy cover or what? Give the cover model chestnut hair instead of blond, and he'd be perfect for my wip's hero.

Susan has a new tag.

I don't know if this is an offensive question or not, and I really really really hope it isn't; if I do offend, please accept my apologies.

OK, my question: if the official doctrine of the Catholic Church as put forth by the current Pope makes a person want to cry, why not join another church? My (admittedly limited) understanding of Episcopalianism is that it's very similar to Catholicism in belief about Jesus Christ and the Apostles and Mary and the saints and everything, but with more liberal social policies in some parishes. What is it about Catholicism that is so different from, say, Episcopalianism, that it's worthwhile to stick around while the current Pope makes a mockery of the Word? What does a person get from Catholicism that a person wouldn't get from another institution?

I really hope this isn't an offensive question. It's just something that's mystified me for a while; I can't wrap my mind around pro-choice Catholics or gay Catholics. If the Church thinks you're evil for believing what you do or having sex with who you do, why not find a church that doesn't shit on you?

Huh. I guess I always just called them "Father (Firstname)". But then, if I'd known one of them before he was a priest, I probably wouldn't call him anything other than his first name.

One of my coworkers used to be a priest, and when we were talking about this the other day (go hivemind!) he said that he ususally got called Father Lastname, or actually Father Nickname, but he didn't care for Father Firstname.

I really hope this isn't an offensive question. It's just something that's mystified me for a while; I can't wrap my mind around pro-choice Catholics or gay Catholics. If the Church thinks you're evil for believing what you do or having sex with who you do, why not find a church that doesn't shit on you?

It isn't. As for why I remain Catholic, my primary interaction is with my local parish, which happens to be less dogmatic than Rome would like. The American Catholic Church has butted heads with JPII on a number of issues. I stay because it's part of who I am. I can't change things from outside the church doors.

Edit: This article is does a good job of explaining my perspective. [link]