ALEX FLORES dragged DAN MILLER to a frat party.



Yeah, other interesting things happened today, but that's the strangest.

Ash Wednesday

So, yes, yesterday was Ash Wednesday. I woke up early to go to the 8:30 mass, and I ended up having some time to spare, so I ended up on Fr. Keyes' Blog reading his pdf file of lenten meditations. I highly reccommend it.

So I looked up the first reading: Joel 2:12-18, and here it is:

Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;
Rend your hearts, not your garments,
and return to the LORD, your God.
For gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger, rich in kindness,
and relenting in punishment.
Perhaps he will again relent
and leave behind him a blessing,
Offerings and libations
for the LORD, your God.

Blow the trumpet in Zion!
proclaim a fast,
call an assembly;
Gather the people,
notify the congregation;
Assemble the elders,
gather the children
and the infants at the breast;
Let the bridegroom quit his room
and the bride her chamber.
Between the porch and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep,
And say, "Spare, O LORD, your people,
and make not your heritage a reproach,
with the nations ruling over them!
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?'"

Then the LORD was stirred to concern for his land
and took pity on his people.

I don't know why, but this is certainly now one of my favorite Bible passages, especially the first stanza. It was the perfect way to open a season of penitence. I meditated on it for quite a while.

So, in summary (I really need to go do Calc,) I feel gloomy, for other reasons... but my heart feels full to bursting with love for the Lord.

I'm just too overwhelmed by today to write about it. Tomorrow I shall. I may get up early and go to breakfast before class... no, I like being lazy in the dining hall. Well, I shall see, I shall see.

So, Interesting Story...

Last night, in physics lab:

Alice: "Yes, our dorm has several devout Catholics."

Girl: "Oh, the Shoreland has some of those... mostly concentrated in Michelson House."

Alice: "Yeah, I know, I'm dating someone in Michelson."

Girl: "Oh, who?"

Alice: "Patrick..."

Girl: "Really? I'm dating his roommate. So you're Alice..."

Much giggling. Now I have met this Nick, because I ran into them at the dining hall as well.

Never fear, hijinks will ensue.

Back to writing my essay.

Plan for the Day

Breakfast with Dan at C-Shop, Library time at the Reg doing Calculus, Move to Harper around 2:00 (maybe Patrick will show up... hint hint hint), 4:30 off to Mass at Calvert, RCIA, back to Breck, more homework, bed.

Goals: Finish Problem Set and reading Montaigne (I'd like to get the essay started, but Calc comes first).

Hrm.

Just checked my calc homework.

"14.7 (again, and be careful this time.)"

uf.

Went to the Breckinridge Open Mic last night. I had fun. I sorta needed the experience. Twelve of Nine is a reasonably good band. I enjoyed their music. Kelly read Hamlet's "To be or not to be" solliloquy in klingon (speaking of experiences...)

Oh, and Eric (who is Eric, not Hans Eric or Eric who is not Hans or EJ) is an amazing musician. We were short on performers so we had him & John go get their guitars and play for us... John was great, and then Eric was great... it really impressed me. I wish John had played more. He seemed a little embarrased.

Steven recited digits of pi.

Maureen sang Simon & Garfunkel.

There was a really good writer/spoken word performer, named Dave... I must remember to ask Steven the name of the poem he recited.

Tonight's Conversation

D: "Yeah, we don't really send out links with wedding rings... our style is more to buy the Victoria's Secret "Here Comes the Bride" thong and say, "here, use this."

J: "Umm... what? Were we saying something?"

A: "Yes, Dan was just talking about the Victoria's Secret thong that plays "here comes the bride."

J: "Let's try this again. Were we saying something?"

A: "No."

J: "Good."

A: "Dan was just talking about the Victora's Secret..."

D: "I've never met a guy before who was scared of Victorias' Secret."

(Jared raises hand)

D: "Jared... we're going to drive you out of y-chromosomeville."

A: "It's being recalled for repairs."

J:"What?"

D:"Your y-chromosome."

J: "There's nothing wrong with my y-chromosome!"

D: "No, it just looks like a lot like an x."

J: "It's supposed to be small!"

(Alice chokes on tea)

J: "THE Y-CHROMOSOME!"

So the only question left is... which is more datable, Jared's y-chromosome, or a cauliflower?

Best Advice Ever

"The secret to untangling rosaries is the secret to life. Start at the cross... and go from there."
- Anne Pretz

For those of you counting...

54 days until Easter Vigil.

3 days until pitchers and catchers reporting.

And in case you were counting hours...

as if something is over and something has barely begun...

My heart is full to bursting.

Valentine's Day

I hope everyone had a happy feast day of Sts. Cyril and Methodius.

The dress has been described in detail by Jared and Dan. Apparently, it is red, vintage, and stunning.

Do you remember Natalie Imbruglia? I thought so. She sang "Torn," and that was all anybody ever heard of her.

Here's a question: Who coined the phrase "friend with benefits?" Alanis Morissette? "Friends" writers? Some bored society page writer?

Sigh, sigh, sigh.

So, today the bulletin with my article in it comes out. I can't wait to see people's reactions.

The stars were out last night-- we also saw a satellite. Which, of course, reminded me of an Urban trip... sleeping out under the stars on the shore of the Klamath river with Nick and David, although we didn't get much sleeping done - just a great deal of star gazing, and we saw satellites traveling across the sky.

I'd rather go back to High School, when I was every boy's little sister. Love. Bah.

Dan said, "you're wearing the dress for you. The rest of us staring is just a side benefit."

You have probably already read Jared's blog.

If you haven't, go do so.

What can I say? I'm confused.

The Further Adventures of Alice's Journalistic Career

I can hear Father Yakitis laughing from here.

"It has to go in. I mean, dump the liturgical schedule... it's *so* good!"

Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle

Those who are following the saga may be wondering why I haven't stopped throwing insults at Patrick yet. Isn't he already out to get you? I am rapidly nearing the point where the only appropriate revenges he will have are killing me or marrying me. I told him I'd prefer murder.

I May Have Been Reading Too Many House Minutes...

Here's my Broomball Article. I'm going to send it to Bette before I can do any more damage.

Well fortified by the Rice and Beans served by second-year Danny Wasserman at the Undergraduate Dinner, the Calvert House Papal Bulls spilled onto the Midway Ice Rink with the unifying cry, "Unam Sanctam!" They were cheered on in their quest by several passionate spectators, who made the night air echo with cries of "Give me an A! Give me an M! Give me a D! Give me a G! What does that spell? AD MAJORAM DEI GLORIAM!"

Father Michael Yakitis, still peeved by threats of liturgical dance to the tune of "Hey Mickey," refused Patrick la Victoire's request to pronounce anathema upon the other team -- and everyone else seemed to have problems pronouncing it as well, as Suzanne Lawler's cries "Give me an A! N! A! T! H! E! M! A!" Were met with profound silence worthy of a Carmelite Monastery. There was, however, one unfortunate sidelines brawl between Ms. Lawler and Mr. la Victoire, that appeared to be over the title of "executioner." Despite both parties' lovely curls, no hair-pulling occured.

The Broadview Brawlers, who came without a pep sqad, found themselves short one girl, and so several Calvert girls, including Erin Sweeney, played against their own team. Out of true Christian charity, they refused to sabotage the Brawlers, and (it is still being debated) may have aided the one goal of the game, against the intimidating goalie Adam Molnar in the first half. The Beatitudes were perhaps too present, as the Papal Bulls lost the game 1-0, despite the quintessentially dorky cheer of "Yeah our team has got momentum! Et Antiquum Documentum!" Patrick is being blamed.

The absence of ardent Broomball fan Jared "Robo" Sagoff was duly noted. It may have been due to his erronious belief that Papal Bulls are Church pets. Alice Hutton has informed him that such creatures are politely referred to as liturgists.

A-M-D-G!

Boys, boys, boys. Maybe Dawn is right, and I should just give boys up for Lent.

So, just got back from the Broomball game. The newly re-christened Papal Bulls lost, 0 to 1, but I don't know what that means exactly because there was no IM rep present.

It does mean that I have one slightly sore throat from cheering. "Give me an A!" shouted Patrick. "Give me an M! Give me a D! Give me a G! What does that spell?! Ad Majoram Dei Gloriam!"

Also: "Everybody repeat after me! Unam Sanctam!" "Unam Sanctam!"

Father Yakitis and Bette were laughing so hard at us, I thought they might cry. Especially Father.

I love this school. I love Calvert House. Heck, I really like everybody, except perhaps my Hum teacher.

Seasick

Well, homesick for the sea. It's raining in San Francisco and the waves are coming up over the piers and onto the Great Highway and I wish I were there to see it.

Which is probably why I chose the name Amphitrite, the Greek personification of the sea, and the passage from the Odyssey where they name her. Jared says that my eyes look like a kelp-filled bay, and that's something he might be right about. I don't care what those boys say, calling the Lakeshore the "beach." It couldn't be the same.

When we were in Cambria last summer, we were right across from Moonstone Beach, and we could take long walks along the boardwalk to the tide pools and watch the seals and otters playing in the waves. I don't think we found any moonstones. The first time I remember being there, it was after the Urban Agriculture conference in Goleta, and the one seal we saw was busy preening for us-- "don't you like my whiskers?" and showing off his somersaults.

And in Monterey we saw dolphins.

And close to another Cambria, across the world in Wales, in Aberystwyth, we had the smallest hotel room known to man, and the tiny window looked out over the sea and as the sun sets, the sky was indigo-light turquoise near the horizon. Clouds there looked like distant mountains. I could hear nothing but the waves against the dark gray sand. Where the water met the sand, the sea foam was white under the lights of the boulevard. It was a very high tide, and I thought that it climbed still closer. The sea turned black. It was so dark I could not see where the sea ended and the sky began.

I had been reading old myths, and I could have believed in sunken cities. I could have believed in mermaids.

I didn't learn to swim until I was eight, and after that they couldn't drag me from the water for anything. I almost drowned-- twice, so it took me longer than most children to conquer my fascinated fear.

I love the sea. I don't know that it is raining at home, but it is in my mind.

I'm at Calvert. Danny is laughing in the kitchen. I'm going to marry that boy (or maybe Patrick). He just doesn't know it yet.