Couldn't log on

Well, I tried to post Friday but could not log on.  Here it is 2/3 of the weekend is gone.  Watched the Bruins win to get to the Stanley Cup finals Friday night at the local Mexican restaurant because we do not get Versus with our 200 channels on Dish Network.  You have to get 250 channels to get Versus.  Looks like I'll miss at least two games - game 2 is during our Rite of Candidacy weekend and Game 3 or 4 is during my trip to Baltimore.

Tried to have a yard sale at Mom's Saturday, but we arrived late and the weather did not co-operate.  So we'll try tomorrow now that summer has arrived in New England.  Should be 90°F tomorrow.

Got the garden tilled today and K got all our vegetables and flowers planted.  While she was planting I did some work for a customer at my hobby bench in the basement.  Made a bit of progress there.

10:30 and off to bed soon.  Busy week ahead - last week of my online class with a paper due Thursday.  I also have a meeting Thursday with the Hospice Volunteer Co Ordinator and I have to complete a take-home test before that meeting.

Bible Study

Tonight, the adventurous three ventured out to a Baptist Bible Study.  We arrived at the church at 6:55 PM but the parking lot was rather empty.  Not to be deterred, we found some folks and met the pastor and learned the bible study would be at a local home.  Great!  We were still welcome to join.  It seemed to even out - 3 women, 3 men and 3 Aspiring Catholic Men, along with the pastor.  Unlike the Church of Christ visit a few weeks ago, everyone knew early on that we were Catholic and looking to experience and learn about other faiths.  We studied Romans 12:17-21 for about 90 minutes.  A great group, very welcoming and we made some new friends while sharing our faith.

I'm on the hook to choose our next experience.  Perhaps something local...

Tuesday

Another busy week begins.  Monday evenings are usually the only weeknight where I don't have a commitment. Have a lunch today with a colleague from a prior job, that will be nice.  Tonight is Eucharistic Adoration.  It's a great weekly quiet time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.  I have two more weeks of my online class, so I use this time to do some of the reading in addition to prayer and meditation.

Tomorrow I'll be visiting a Baptist church with a few other Aspirants.  It's also my 20th wedding anniversary.  I think we're heading to dinner Saturday night.  Thursday night is a Knight of Columbus business meeting.  We will be electing officers for the coming year.  As Financial Secretary, my position is appointed so I will just participate in the elections.  I should also be hearing from Hospice soon to complete my training and schedule some volunteer hours in the next few weeks.

A few more Sugarland photos

MoSJ and Laurel & Hardy

A full Saturday.  I gave up my favorite time to attend the monthly Men of St Joseph ministry at my parish.  This is where Catholic men get together once per month in prayer and fellowship looking to strengthen each other spiritually.  There are 2 other Deacon Aspirants that attend regularly as well as an average of ~23 others.  I find the two hours to be well led, spiritually helpful and I really like the sharing with others.  Every month I meet someone new.  Next month I plan to venture out to another parish's MoSJ meeting to meet more new people.

Tonight was also the last "Tent Meeting" of the Laurel and Hardy film club that my brother runs.  Fans of Laurel & Hardy gather in clubs called "Tents" and watch movies - silent films and/or features.  Tonight were some of their funniest films to date and still after about 7 years we still have movies that we haven't seen.  R has about 4-6 meetings per year with some great guys that gather for laughs, food and conversation.  I left a little early to pick up C & M (the kids) at their friends house.  So at 11:40 PM we're all safely home.

Looks like I'm getting in the swing of this blogging, posting much more regularly now.

Also, no update yet on the book mission from Friday.  Went to Borders with a 50% off coupon and B&N tonight with a 15% off coupon, but neither store had any of the titles I was searching for.  So the hunt continues....

Sugarland wrap up

As you an see above, we had pretty good seats (actually it was a General Admission section, so we stood) for the Sugarland show last night at the Comcast Center in Mansfield.  We actually set a record for the exit.  Knowing the set list in advance, we left during the first of two encore songs and got out of the aprking lot at 11:05 PM.  Usually its a 1 hour standstill minimum.  Unfortunately, we got there too late to grill, but it was a great show.  Very similar to the set done at Meadowbrook last August, but we were much closer this time.  Not bad for a last minute purchase.  Plenty more photos, but you get the idea.

Only scheduled to go see the Tubes in November at Tupelo's but I'm sure I'll squeeze ina  few other shows before then.

BTW - click on the photos above for the full size version!

Sugarland

Pulled up a ticket in the pit (first 11 rows, center) last night, so we're heading to Mansfield to see Sugarland tonight!

Home and on a mission

Got home around 6 PM, K provided dinner (thank you my lovely wife) and I got Paper #3 done for my online class.  Missed the chat session, but posted an addendum to the transcript.

Now I am on a mission.  There are a few books I have been wanting and now I am on the hunt to try to find them as discounted as possible.  When I get like this, there is no stopping me until I have scoured the internet and stores for every possible discount.  Off on a mission....will report back after I am complete.

Leaving NC today

Will be leaving the hotel in about an hour for the airport.  I must say I really enjoyed my time in NC.  It could be my new favorite place, replacing Dallas.  I like the airport - small like Manchester.  I liked the rental car - a VW CC, first VW I've driven and it handles well and quite sporty.  I like the hotel - same as most hotels, except I would have preferred a flat screen TV in the room.  I really like the area - easy to navigate, not like NYC - and plenty of restaurants, friendly people and good customers.  Cheap flight - last minute was only $425 which included a "Wanna Get Away" fare from SW.  Can't wait to come back.

North Carolina

Decided Monday mid day to make a trip to North Carolina.  Of all the places I've been, I've only passed through RDU airport.  It's strange to make a trip where I actually have to think and pay attention to where I am going.  Rented a VW cc.  Nice car.  Area is really nice - rural even around Raleigh, Durham and RTP.  Two customer visits completed with one more to go, hopefully with multiple attendees.  Business prospect are good here.  Of the three accounts I am visiting, two would be new accounts for us.  Always fun to visit a new area, find my way around and meet new people and learn about companies on their turf.  No better place to learn than from the employees.

Heading back tomorrow (Thursday) and preparing for Men of St Joseph Saturday morning and our bi-monthly Laurel & Hardy tent meeting.

A family weekend

Attended my brother's surprise 50th Birthday Party.  His wife planned a grand event and no one spoiled the surprise.  He was suspicious enough and knows his wife well enough that he wasn't caught completely off guard. Had a great time and stayed until the event ended at 11 PM.  Wanted to head back to his house for the after party, but I wanted to sleep in my bed and the Designate Driver (wife) said I had to go.  Just as well, I didn't miss much sleep.
Today was my nephew's first Communion.  Mass at 11 followed by a gathering and my brother's in-law's house.  Good service but loooong.  Good gathering after with good company and good food.  A little rest this afternoon after all this activity and I am ready to start another work week.

Seems I'm getting the hang of regular posting!

Saturday - EARLY

It's 5:15 AM Saturday as I write this.  It is the absolute best time of the week.  The kids are home, safe and asleep (for many hours yet), Kathy is awake, as usual at least an hour earlier than me.  Coffee is made, that first cup is the best.  The newspaper is in the house and no work today.

I got a car prepped last night before I went to bed to read, so I felt like I had accomplished something I wanted to do rather than needed to do.  I'll finish it today and offer it for sale.

Today is another in many busy Saturdays - Down to mom's house to continue cleaning out her belongings after her passing in January.  Tonight is my brother's surprise birthday party - he's 50.  Tomorrow is mass, followed by first communion for my nephew, then a party.  Weekends are busier than I'd like, but I enjoy the activity.  It just makes the alone time early in the morning even better.  Saturdays from 5-10 have long been my keep out zone.  I really miss when my mom and dad would arrive every Saturday around 10 AM and we'd spend the day together.  But life continues after their loss.

Off to enjoy the day.  I feel good to be 'journaling' more regularly now.

Saved

Whew!  My longest post so far and the site had some problems... Thought I lost the post, but it's back.

Friday night - best night of the week.  Kids are out for movie night.  I hope to get a few cars done.  I spend my free time detailing Formula 1 die cast both for myself and for sale.  Fun hobby and slightly profitable, which helps my collecting habit.

Got my paper done last night for History of Christianity 500-1000 AD.  Second of five papers.  Started week 3 and I expect to read the material much earlier than usual this week.

Holy cow - 11 days!

If this is supposed to be a journal, I am failing.  Perhaps I am too busy.  It's been 11 days since my last post and I intended to post every two days after the last one.  FAIL!  I also fully intended to read my material for class well before the chat sessions and paper was due.  Guess what?  Paper is due tonight, chat session at 5 PM and I haven't read a word.  I took it to Tuesday Eucharistic Adoration fully intending to read it there after rosary and Evening Prayer (my two starting points for weekly adoration) and discovered I took LAST WEEK's lecture material with me.  Another fail!

However, it is a good day to write.  Last night I went with two other Aspirants to a Bible Study at the Church of Christ.  This was my first ever venture into another faith community in their meeting space.  I've talked with many other faith filled people, but have never ventured into their territory.  I probably would not have if Doug (thanks brother!) offered up the invite.  Following my plan of "just say Yes" I ventured out, with support in numbers.  It was painless and eye opening for me.  I went in thinking "I am a Catholic in your midst" with a mix of fear - would I know enough about my faith to defend it if necessary?  and anxiety - will they think I am here as a spy?

Instead, everyone went out of their way to welcome us strangers and make us feel at home.  No one asked the right question early on - What brings you here.  But everyone introduced themselves to us, welcomes us, asked where we were from and then treated us as one of them.  We opened with singing and lots of it.  I like to think "these are not Catholic songs" but then there are no such things.  We have Christian music, some of which we sing regularly in the Catholic church.  Then we shared the Pastor's lead in discussing Mark 8:1-21, the feeding of 4,000, the second feeding of a multitude in Mark.  I recalled my NT instructor last year - How dumb were these disciples?  Jesus had just fed 5,000 and they still wondered how they were going to feed 4,000 now with some loaves and fish?  These guys really had short term memory problems.

Anyway, at the end of the hour, we engaged in conversation with a few people, including the pastor.  Eventually someone asked where we worshiped and BAM - straight between the eyes.  We announce (gasp!) Catholic Churches.  That caught the inquirer off guard, but not most others.  We then spent the next 30 minutes talking with Pastor about their faith, his faith journey, our Formation as Aspirants.  As we left, we spotted a Baptist church across the street and quickly planned our next venture out.

OK - off to work - but now my goal is to post a few short bursts over the next few days....

Back from retreat and off to Texas

Just got back from our 5th Formation Weekend.  Topic was the Person of Jesus Christ.  The facilitators and topics seem to get better each time.  Perhaps it's more our desire for more knowledge and fellowship that makes each retreat better.  These Formation Weekends allow us to put the world aside and focus, at least for a day and a half, on our spiritual development.  The challenge seems to be how to keep obtaining these feelings while engaged in ministry.

Tomorrow off to Texas for a few days to attend a supplier conference.  Looking forward to the travel although I'll miss my son's 18th birthday.  We have a trip planned to a Baltimore Orioles game in June which will include his first plane trip.  I know - waited until he was 18 for his dad to take him on a trip, but we did always have 2 consecutive weeks each year at the beach together.

Hoping to continue in the travel mode for a few weeks when I return with plans for Philadelphia, N Carolina and Florida.  Then it will be Rite of Candidacy in early June followed by a week long business trip to Baltimore for an annual trade show.  Lots of reconnecting there with industry friends and contacts.

Perhaps a blog entry from Texas will be in order!