My Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church visit

Ah, Greece. Land of the gyro, home of the baklava. (Hush. I am occasionally culturally shallow. Plus, I *really* like gyros. There is nothing that is wrong with them. *Nothing.* They're like...the perfect food.)

Anyway, so I went to the Greek Orthodox church on Sunday. I loved it. I mean, it had all the same ups as the Serbian church I went to...99% of the women were in skirts, I didn't spot a single pair of blue jeans, everyone was at least in slacks. (Not that people can't go to church in blue jeans, it's just that the majority of the time, they don't need to. They just choose to because they lack a proper sense of respect for where they're going to be and what they're going to be doing.)

More people went up for Communion than in the Serbian church, and that's still a little weird to me. I mean, I understand and 'approve' (in so far as that term applies. The practice doesn't, of course, need my 'approval', but it's the best word I could come up with to say that I understand the reasoning and accept the wisdom behind it in so far as I understand it at this point) of the reasons why fewer people will be receiving, but I'm still used to the Catholic church, where the majority of people receive every Sunday. Most, if not all of the women covered their hair at least for Communion, if not through the whole service.

The Liturgy was in Greek, however, the homily was in English. Which is all I want, really. I could follow along in the broad strokes, thanks to the link M shared a while back. I'd printed it out and read through it before hand several times so I wasn't utterly lost. So I knew, broadly, what was going on at any given moment. I don't know, I hesitate to say that I like the Divine Liturgy more than the Mass, but...and here we're going to delve into that vague, 'psychic' kind of a place...I feel 'warmer' than I do in Mass. (It's nothing to do with the actual temperature of the building, you're just going to have to trust me on this. It's an inner sense.) Not that that's any reason to choose a faith, I'm just laying it out there. I failed to take the blessed bread, again. I *know* I can, but I just...I feel kind of awkward. Like I'm going to go up there and they're going to say 'nope. not you.' Which I *know* they wouldn't. I'm just saying, it's an inner issue. I'll get over it. Everyone was very nice and pleasant, but I forgot my allergy pill, and the incense got to me again, so I didn't hang around for coffee hour. Next time, hopefully.

Hmm...I think that's about it.

My Weekend in Preview

Sadly, my computer bit it last night. I'd gotten a virus the night before, we thought Sophos had dealt with it, but when I turned it on last night it asked me for a password (I've never had a password on it), and Dad checked it out (it's good to live with computer people) and says it's been screwed but good. So we're going to (and by we I mean he) get my files/links off sometime this weekend (he hacked into my computer to be able to do that) and wipe it out and start over again. He wants to put Ubunto on it instead of Windows, and I pretty much asked him if it was going to be some sort of weird, computer nerd system where I have to learn code to use it, and he said no, and I asked if I could still do the things I needed to do, and he said yes, so I told him to go for it if he thinks it'd be best. So. I'll be without a computer this weekend until (probably) Sunday evening.

Sunday I'm going to the Greek Orthodox church. The service starts at 10, so I'm assuming that it'll be over around 11:30, like the Serbian service. I will be letting you all know what's what on Monday if I don't get my computer back Sunday night, no worries.

Sunday afternoon, we're going to go to the movies. We're doing a double, which means we're seeing two movies. We're going to go see The Lovely Bones and The Book of Eli.

First, I *loved* the book The Lovely Bones. I also read the author's (Alice Sebold) memoir, Lucky. They're both excellent books, but if dark themes (rape and murder) bother you, best steer away. She doesn't sugar coat things, but she also doesn't go into excruciating detail, which can sometimes be a hard line to walk.

I've also been looking forward to The Book of Eli. 1) I love Denzel Washington. The man can act. He picks excellent movies to act in. 2) Post-apocalyptic movie. I'm a simple woman. I like stuff like this. Also zombies, which aren't in this movie, as far as I know, I'm just saying. Post-apocalyptic and zombies kind of tend to go together. 3) The Biblical theme. It's a button I have. They've pushed it. Again, with the simple woman thing.

And next week, we have Legion. Ummm...angels fighting. Apocalypse. What's not to love? Plus, plus, there's this scene in the trailer, where they're fighting, and Gabriel is ducked and swinging around because the other angel (whose name I don't think we have...) (I sit corrected. It's Michael!) is jumping over him, and it looks like he was using his wings to try and sweep the legs out from under the guy Michael and it's just *cool*. Um, yeah. So. In summary...Angels! *flail*

There's Something *Wrong* With This Man...

So, we all know my feelings on televangelists, 'evangelicals', etc. (For those who don't, they're not good, warm fuzzy feelings.)

Because I hate strongly dislike them, I don't listen to them, for the most part. All that results is that I get the urge to either figure out a way to reach through the tv and start beating people upside the head or chuck things at the tv. Either way, I wind up frustrated and chewing on the furniture in anger. Not productive. Anyway, because of my trying to pretend that they don't exist for the most part (under the long proven theory of 'if I don't see it, it isn't *real*), I didn't hear about this little gem of Christian compassion and concern until I was driving into work this morning, and the radio show hosts were raking Pat Robertson over the coals for being...well...not to put too fine a point on it, but a douche bag.

I'm sure you guys have all heard this, but just in case, here's the quote:

"It may be a blessing in disguise. ... Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. Haitians were originally under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon the third, or whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, we will serve you if you will get us free from the French. True story. And so, the devil said, okay it's a deal. Ever since they have been cursed by one thing after the other." –Pat Robertson, on the earthquake in Haiti that destroyed the capital and killed tens of thousands of people, Jan. 13, 2010

And if you google 'Pat Robertson Haiti quote' you can find links to the video itself. Or here's a link to the search I did on YouTube for it. Just so you can see it really did come out of his mouth. We're not making this up. He's *really* that big of an ass.

I want to know, where's the compassion? Where's the concern for our fellow man? I know of at least a dozen private aide movements that have come about in response to the Haitian earthquake in *fandom*, wherein the vast majority of the people would not label themselves as any particular religion or denomination, if they're not out and out atheists. But Pat Robertson, who is looked up to by, oh, it pains me to say it, hundreds of thousands of Christians, instead of counseling aide and help and compassion for these people who have been struck by a natural disaster, basically sits back and says, 'it's their own fault'. Really? REALLY? I mean, I shouldn't be surprised, given his and his ilks reactions to the September 11th attacks and Hurricane Katrina. And yet. And yet, *every single time* he opens his mouth and shit like this flies out, I want to scream and cry at the same time.

Bravo. Way to show people the Christian reaction to people in need.

Do nothing, and claim that they're pawns of Satan. Kudos. *sarcastic thumbs up*

I try not to judge people, whether they're 'really' Christians or not. I try not to do that, because only they and God know what's really between them. But it's hard, it's hard when faced with people like this, to not out and out say what I feel, which is that they're *not* Christians at all. They're money hungry, power mad despots who've built themselves an empire on feeding people utter *dreck* in the guise of Scripture and God's Word, and some day, they're going to have to answer for that.

Joshua 6:5

5. So Joshua the son of Nun went to the priests 6. and he spoke to them, saying, "Command the people to go around and surround the city, and let the men of war pass on armed before the Lord.

(I include verse 6 because the study note refers to both verses.)

Note: Israel, which prefigures the Church, has been made ready. Now the people must act in faith and obedience. The Lord Himself will bring down the walls, which speak of sin and death. He will destroy the enemies and lead the faithful to safely inhabit a world once held captive by darkness.

~~~

Plus, you get a bonus, 'phrase of the day': "I'm not saying that you're lying, I'm just saying that I don't believe you." - me to H2

Movie: Daybreakers

This is one of those posts where I inflict my nerd on you guys. So...you've been warned. There is no substantive information in this post, aside from wild, dare I say it, 'academic' speculation.

For those who know nothing of this movie, the basic premise is that approximately ten years ago, there was an outbreak of a virus that turned the vast majority of the human race into vampires. Transmitted originally from a bat bite (we're not told *how* this bat got this mutated virus), it was thence transferred through the bits of humans-turned-vampire feeding, until the human population is 'endangered'. At the point in time when the movie opens, the remaining humans are kept in 'blood banks' and bled dry to feed the vampire population, and the 'free range' humans are being hunted down. The vampires have reached a critical point, where if they don't find a substitute for human blood (they can feed on animals, but the virus turns the animals into vampires, and so that population has been depleted as well) they will run out of blood in a month, and that's no good, because at that point the lack of blood begins to mutate them into these batlike monsters they call Subsiders (the hunger also drives them to feed on other vampires, which speeds up the mutation). So, there's the set up. Of course, there's a human resistance, and they find a vampire who doesn't want to be a vampire, who wants to help the humans, and they search for a cure, and there's lots of fighting and blood. All the things we need for a good vampire movie. That's not the point though. Here's the point:

Early in the movie, we see that the vampires don't have reflections. This is a common bit of vampire lore, that they cast no reflection. Now, most legends would say it's because they have no soul, what with them being damned reanimated corpses and all. However, let's be fair and say that, even in the legends, that makes not a bit of sense. I will accept the lack of reflection in mythologies where the vampires contain some sort of mystical factor. For instance, in those worlds where a vampire can turn into mist, bats, wolves, or any sort of animal for that matter, control peoples minds, etc. I can accept that there may be a magical reasoning behind the lack of reflection. However, in worlds where that is not the case, most authors give the vampires reflections. Why? Because they have solid forms, and therefore should, according to the laws of physics vis a vis light, cast reflections.

Have you figured out my problem yet?

In the world of 'Daybreakers', the vampires do not possess any sort of magical 'touch'. Everything that they are is a mutation caused by a virus. It's a 'scientific' universe. So why, pray tell, do the vampires not reflect?

A friend of mine, while we were discussing this on our walk, brought up the example of the Invisible Man, saying, perhaps, that there was some sort of chemical component to the mutated virus that caused light to refract around the vampires. I have to reject this theory based on the fact that the vampires were not, in point of fact, invisible. They could see and be seen. Just not in a mirror. She then brought up Superman's x-ray vision, asking if he could have seen the Invisible Man, and no, I'm not sure where she was going with this one, and I said yes, but now I wonder...depending on how the Invisible Man's ability worked, x-ray's may have bent around him too. Which begs the question, could Superman see Wonder Woman's invisible plane?

And...this is why I have no life. :)

I Almost Made My Trainer Cry...

....by...

losing 8 lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks be to God for making this easy for me. I mean it. I haven't missed the soda, I haven't been hungry, and while the exercise is hard, I've been sticking to it.

Why is there not a sparkly font? With which to better express my sparkly joy?

Kinder & Various Other Things

Kids: We had a small class yesterday, 8 kids. It worked out well - we did the Gospel, which was the Baptism of Jesus from Luke. Debbie had also found a worksheet for them to do with the Beatitudes, so we did those, which the kids like. Funny thing, the New Testament books that we usually use for the class (bigger print and 'smaller' words), were a different translation than the worksheet, so the kids were having trouble figuring the questions out. So I pulled out the full Bible's we have in the class, and they were the same translation, so we used those. The kids were funny, asking who 'Genius' was...they meant Genesis, but couldn't say it quite right. They've heard us say it, but I don't think they'd ever seen it written out before. We did four or five 'words' and that was about it. Busy busy.

Mini Me (Deb's daughter, who shares my name) had a scarf on because of the cold. Of course, she sees me with a scarf on my head all the time, and when we were in the class, before classes start and she had to go to hers, wrapped hers around her head and tied it under the chin. I laughed and told her she looked like a little babushka now. Then I showed her how I do mine for the cold, without tying it, which is just to wrap it around and throw the ends over each other. So, at the end of the day (10:30 am...), when we were leaving, she and her family were going across the property to church, and I was leaving, and she had me help her wrap her scarf so her ears would stay warm. :)

Speaking of cold...our pipes froze last night. Or, well, the water froze. We're on well water, and we covered the well, and kept water running during the night, but it just got too cold. I've had *ice* on my car and in the pond. My abaya makes a great housecoat, and I've been wearing it as an extra layer outside to keep warm. You should see me walking the dogs. I've got regular clothes on, so, pants or skirt & top, socks, abaya, shayla scarf (very early in the morning, the past two mornings, I've worn it niqab style, to boot), winter jacket, and gloves. I may look funny, but I'm *warm*! Oh! And we're having a 'snow day' at the schools down here. FPL is doing load control, and so they've shut down the schools in our county because they won't be able to run the heat.

Hmmm...My first weigh in (well, second, but the first doesn't really count since it was just a 'let's see what we've got to work with kind of thing) is tonight. I'm praying I lost at least the two pounds. I'm just afraid I'll go there, and have done all this stuff, and been eating right, and not have lost any weight!

Next Sunday we're 'off' school, so I'm going to the Greek Orthodox church: Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.

And...that's about it. The Holmes movie has made me break out my copies of The Canon so I'm reading those at the moment. So much love.