Is My Phylactery Showing?

I'm not one to comment on the MSM or political matters much. There are far better blogs for that information. However, I heard an interesting comment today by a local weather person who also happened to be in emergency planning for many years. He went down to Louisiana last year to help with hurricane-recovery efforts. He mentioned that national emergency plans available to the public well before this disaster indicated clearly that FEMA will respond in 72 hours and that local and state goverments, as well as individuals, are essentially on their own during this time.

Hmmmm. You mean FEMA Isn't supposed to respond beforehand or in the immediate aftermath?

Nope. That's the job of the people closest to the problem.

Siggy has more information here, and the Anchoress has a round up here.

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I had an active imagination as a child. I mentioned some of my antics here and wrote about a family friend and religious sister here. And I've been hinting at telling another story from my childhood.

My father's family lived in New England. The matriarch, my grandmother, lived in Montpelier, Vermont, while her niece, my dad's cousin, lived with her family (my second cousins) in Manchester, New Hampshire.

I have a confession to make. I like writing essays. Unfortunately, I like writing them under different conditions than which I'm currently operating. So that's my kvetch for the night.

My paper's mostly done. Which I guess means I'm slightly not done. Good thing, too, since my wife and I are leaving for a brief vacation on Sunday. My final is on Friday, and this semester will be completed.

I've been struggling with this decision, but I've decided to sit out again next semester.

I apologize in advance to all polka, zydeco, or mariachi fans who might be offended by the title of this post. It's more of a pop-culture allusion (Gary Larson's Far Side) than anything else. And, in actuality, the allusion was triggered via free association (and the otherwise odd workings of my brain) by another Far Side cartoon in which Arthur Fiedler is guided to his room in Hell, an orchestra hall filled with banjo players.

My father works with a boys' chancel choir at my church.

Jennifer F. asked for a sign from God. What did she get? Just another lousy lightning storm framed neatly between two mountain peaks in the Southern Rockies.

This new convert has some great stories to tell about her conversion.

Maybe I'll get around to writing a conversion/reversion story someday... along with that story about crucifying myself on my grandmother's lawn.

One last set of study questions before the final and the last paper. I don't think any Christian can study the Protestant reformation and Catholic counter-reformation without feeling the need for a good shower afterward. Fortunately, we have the likes of Sts. Philip Neri, Ignatius Loyola. Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Francis de Sales, and Vincent de Paul to remind us of the fruits of the reformative work.

Jennifer F, a young mom in the process of becoming Catholic, is looking for a Catholic hematologist. If you know of one, please drop Jen a line at her blog, Et tu, Jen?.

It could happen.

Jack Chick buys popular comic strips

Sorry. I've been a lame blogger lately. I'll try to post something interesting soon. Maybe that story about crucifying myself on Grandma's front yard.