The Roads Not Taken

I've spent a lot of my recent years thinking a lot about the choices I wish I had made instead of the ones I did. I wish I had stuck out my original plan to be a doctor, instead of the non-STEM degree I got. I think of old relationships, and wonder if I would have had a husband and children for years, instead of being single while all of my friends get married.I think of the jobs I didn't apply for and the risks I didn't take.

It's easy to live a life full of regret of all sorts. A wisp of nostalgia can seem benign, but it is so easy to wind up wallowing. The reality is that most of these regrets are phantoms, not reality. We made the choices we made for a reason. Yes, we may have grown or have new information we wish we could have acted upon. Maybe our choices would have been different, but the reality is that we did not have that information. We had not grown enough to make that other decision. We did the best we could through prayer and prudence.

That original plan I had at eighteen? If I had taken that path, I would have almost nothing of my current life. I wouldn't have the same friends. I wouldn't have my own place, or even my cat. I would never have met the man I love if I had married early. My original plan definitely did not involve converting to Catholicism, and that would have never happened if I had attended a different college.

Nostalgia is a human emotion, and is fine in small doses. A life filled with regret is like letting silly little foxes spoil the vineyard of content.

7QT

1. Kon Mari

So I got the brilliant idea of going for the KonMari method of getting rid of all the excess junk that has been cluttering up my place. Just for the record, it is not for the faint of heart. I have 3 trash bags full of clothes, and I'm not through with my wardrobe. I'm not sure how I got all of this stuff.

Naturally, the cat helped. By help I mean he took a nice long nap on top of clean clothes.

2. Tomato Season

The happy part of this part of the year is that it is now tomato season. I hate slices of tomato on sandwiches in restaurants. They are so slimy and tasteless. I do love the homegrown variety, and am so glad my little experiement with container gardening is going so well.

The green stuff is homemade pesto, with basil I grew. Yes, I'm proud, and no, I have no shame. ;-)

3. Sunsets

In between all of the rain we've gotten recently there have been some gorgeous Oklahoma sunsets. Yes, we may have earthquakes and tornadoes and fires and ice storms, but when I see a sunset like this, I think it's all worth it.

4. So cute!

I had no clue this was even a thing, but how can a fruit be cuter than a baby pineapple?

5. Marriage advice for wedding season

Treat marriage as an unbreakable, lifelong commitment: “Rather than seeing marriage as a voluntary partnership that lasts only as long as the passion does, the elders propose a mindset in which it is a profound commitment to be respected, even if things go sour over the short term. Many struggled through dry and unhappy periods and found ways to resolve them – giving them the reward of a fulfilling, intact marriage in later life.

Read the rest here.

6. I'd kind of like to go...

To the El Caminito del Rey walkway. Although with my (lack of) upper body strength, there's no way I will ever be a rock climber. I still think it would be cool to walk along some of these paths. More from the Daily Mail.

photo courtesy of the Daily Mail

7. Hahaha! This is definitely my brain!

Damn you Instant Gratification Monkey!

Also why I do not blog more regularly. I have tons of ideas in my head, but the monkey gets in the way of actual writing.

7QT

1. Need Coffee!

If I am kept up one more time by yet another thunderstorm, I am going to have to wear these to deal with all the flooding here in Eastern Oklahoma.

2. Oh no, no, no...

A newly discovered wasp named after the Dementors in Harry Potter.

Wait... it eats cockroaches? Okay, Cambodia might not be so bad.

Apparently they also discovered the longest bug, and a long fanged bat. On second thought, I think I'll just chill out in my stiletto flippers.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/soul-sucking-dementor-wasp/

3. For something different

Okay, now I think I've done enough to keep me up at night. While I'm up, I might as well have a nice, calming glass of wine, right? Right? The New York Times has some good suggestions on rose wines.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/20/dining/rose-wine-for-summer.html?_r=2

4. Getting cozy

While enjoying my wine, I have to have something to read. I've recently become obsessed with Kate Carlisle's cozy Bibliophile mystery series, starting with Homicide in Hardcover. A San Franciscan bookbinder and rare book expert stumbles into a murder, and into an attractive British man of mystery...

Again, these are cozy mysteries, so while there's murder and some romance, nothing is explicit.

http://www.cozy-mystery.com/kate-carlisle.html

5. Orphan Black

Speaking of obsessions, I'm also loving Orphan Black. Orphan Black is easily one of the most thoughtful and thought provoking shows on the air, as well as having one of the best actresses in the lead role. Tatiana Maslany carries the show as Sarah Manning, a grifter who uncovers a shocking truth about her past when she briefly sees a look-alike stranger moments before the stranger dies in train accident. The third season is airing now on BBC America, but you really should watch it from the beginning of the series to understand the plot line. Since the show has 10 episode mini-seasons, binge watching over a weekend isn't too bad.

(Nota bene: There are some explicit scenes in the show, so it isn't appropriate for children. I think the great parts of the show more than balance those scenes, but others may have a different opinion.)

 6. Throwback

I was also recently reminded of how music can be associated with certain times and places in my past.

For example, classic U2 songs remind me of my college days.

Shakira reminds me of panicked all-nighters during finals week, where I didn't sleep for 48 hours.

Carbon Leaf reminds me of living with my first roommate after college, and the fun socialization and deep uncertainty we experienced as single 22 year olds.

 7. Dogs, Cats, Dancers, and Beauty

The magic of Ursula K. LeGuin.

“There are a whole lot of ways to be perfect, and not one of them is attained through punishment.”

 http://www.brainpickings.org/2014/10/21/ursula-le-guin-dogs-cats-dancers-beauty/

Back from Hiatus

Well, that was an unexpected hiatus...

Life's thrown me a big curve ball, and the stress and depression resulting from the curve ball has led to my creativity drying up.

It has recently occurred to me that the best way to deal with writer's block is simply to write. Even if it isn't that great, the practice will eventually lead to being a better writer.

Super Bowl and Other Things

Hello everyone,

I've been a bit remiss in updating the blog, but I'm back and writing this blog in between Super Bowl commercials. (Hey, I'm in flyover country... I have no dog in this game. Alabama's loss to Ohio State was enough heartbreak for this football season.)

First, my cat can be a jerk. Oh, he looks super beautiful when he poses, and has innocent blue eyes, but don't be fooled. Here's a pic of what he did with the anchovy filet he BEGGED from me.

Dragged from the plate to the carpet, then LEFT.

There's a group of people that are putting others in danger of more than stepping in anchovy, and that is the anti-vaxxer movement. The misinformation and outright lies are a serious public health issue. Rational Catholic has done a wonderful job of taking down the arguments, as well as illustrating the proper role skepticism should play in our lives. From the blog:

Catholics should be particularly receptive to the fact that even if an idea were popular, that does not make it right. Smoking tobacco was popular, even among physicians, in the past. Yet, an increasing body of scientific evidence revealed its associations with health maladies prior to the 1930s. Still, it took decades to shift popular perceptions about the risks of cigarette smoking, and, to this day, you will find smokers downplaying the seriousness of the risks. As for measles, Dr. J. Mayer notes this very point in his address to the State Society of California:

It is hard to combat the old notion that measles is something akin to a common cold with a rash…. The truth is that we, ourselves, too often encourage indifference by some such remarks as “It is only measles.”…
In conclusion, perhaps I can do no better than quote, with due acknowledgment to ‘Twentieith Century Practice of Medicine,’ some extracts from a pamphlet which, during an epidemic of measles in Glasgow, was distributed to the people by the health authorities:
‘Measles is a dangerous disease—one of the most dangerous with which a child under five years of age can be attacked….It is therefore a great mistake to look upon measles as a trifling disease.’

Mayer said this in 1904. Even at the beginning of the last century—decades prior to a vaccine— the medical community was trying to combat a nonchalant approach to measles. Those who made light of measles back in the “good old days” were wrong, even according to their contemporaries.

Read the whole article, it is well worth it.

Happy New Year!

Hello everyone!

I am still here, things just got a bit crazy in my real life during the holidays. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas season. I will have more posts up soon. :-)

In Praise of Dates

...Girl Dates, that is. A what? Yes, you heard me. Girl. Date. It's when two women go out and have dinner at a place their boyfriends or husbands don't want to or will not go. It's great fun, and I just got back from one with my sweet friend from church. It's also a reminder that despite our culture's emphasis on pair bonding, one person can never fulfill every need we have.

Pictured above is a be-yooo-tiful french martini from the restaurant. It was truly a thing of beauty, unlike the ugly church I went to yesterday for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. 

I rarely make it to my parish for holy days of obligation since I work longer hours across town. This parish is fairly large, but the architecture is ugly. It reminds me of a boxy, arena style Protestant church. There's quilted tapestries that are straight out of the 1990s style church decor, along with carpeting and pews a certain shade of green that was ubiquitous in that era. I kid you not, I've walked into many different churches that had the same. shade. of. green. The congregation looks down at the altar. As I was telling my friend at dinner, I can't lift up my heart in that environment when the ugliness is pulling my heart into the abyss. In contrast, my parish is the Cathedral, a beautiful neo-gothic place where vaulted ceilings soar. It points to transcendence, and makes it easy to lift up my heart. The architecture has meaning. Yes, I know that it's not everything, but this poor sinner needs all the aid she can get.

7 Quick Takes

1

Welcome back! I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving. I had a great one, even though the time with family was short. I cooked the turkey, some of the sides, and TWO pumpkin pies. Alas! I did not get a picture of my bea-YOO-ti-ful turkey before it was all carved up.

2

What I'm currently reading:
Elena Maria Vidal
The Night's Dark Shade

I believe this is the author's first work of fiction. Vidal previously wrote fictionalized biographies of Marie Antoinette and her daughter. (The history is true, but Vidal takes us inside their minds.)

3

What I previously read:
Elena Maria Vidal
The Paradise Tree

I quite enjoyed this novel, and it deserves it's own review. This is a fictionalized account of the author's Irish immigrants to Canada in an era where Irish "Need Not Apply."

4

It seems that humans have been making carvings far longer than thought.

5

Evidence that women's fashion has always been crazy.

This is Catherine the Great's wedding dress. What a tiny waist! It's nearly 17 inches. To put this in perspective, a size zero is usually 24/25 inches. Combine that with panniers that require a woman to walk through doorways sideways, and I'm glad to be living in the 21st century.
Via Tiny Librarian

6

I love these decorated mailboxes from Victoria Magazine.Too bad that I don't have a mailbox of my own to decorate! It's one of the down sides of living in a high rise.

7

I need to get another cat after the holidays are over and I'm not traveling as much. It is becoming apparent that my Siamese is very lonely since Lily the bunny passed away. This is the third day in a row I've come across this.

This was all neatly in one bag when I left in the morning

And now the cat says it's time to quit!

Back

Hello everyone! I'm back from seeing family this Thanksgiving, and checking my blogroll to catch up.

This Single's Bingo from the Orthogals definitely caught my eye. Turn all that agony over nosy relative's questions into a game instead.

via Orthogals

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello friends,

Things have been very busy around here as I've been getting ready for the holidays. My family is celebrating Christmas at Thanksgiving since my sister is moving to Australia the first week of December. That means that I've had to complete 90% of my Christmas shopping very early, on top of wrapping up a busy work week. Whew! It's done, thankfully.

I expect blogging this week to be light. (No 7QT for this week or next week.) I hope to have a few things up, but no promises. :-)

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

On Loss- 5 Quick Takes

1.

Some days are tough. I had to say goodbye to my sweet bunny yesterday after 9 1/2 years. I'll miss you, sweet friend. You were loved by all my friends, not just me.

2. 

I'll never forget how I got out of a traffic ticket because you were in the car with me. The state trooper saw your cage covered in a sheet and was instantly suspicious. I always wondered what he thought I had. Drugs, probably. Instead he saw your cute fluffiness and your floppy ears. He let me off with a warning.

3.

You never were afraid of the cat. And chased the dog around. They both remember their bunny friend and wonder where you've gone.

4. 

Greedy and mischievous you were. We could never walk through the room without paying our toll of treats. You repaid us by eating the carpet, then looking up innocently as the bits stuck on your whiskers.

5.

November is a month of loss. All Saints and Souls and the lost in war. You too, dear one. Yet I'm so thankful I turned around and brought you home.

Veteran's Day

via http://friendak.com/1112/Red_poppies_1280x1024_wallpaper.jpg

Happy Veteran's Day to my veterans. Boyfriend, grandfather, uncles, and friends. Since becoming Catholic I've always found it appropriate that Veteran's Day is right after All Soul's Day. It's a nice couple weeks to care for my dead. Although I'm too far away from the graves to tend them, I still pray for their souls.

7 Quick Takes

1. 

Well, it's been a tiring week.Dealing with stupid cattiness can be draining. I also got to deal with a tax issue that consumed most of my day.  But thank you internet for this awesomeness! This is becoming my theme song for the next bit.

2. 

I love this movie! It's turning 25.
http://www.today.com/popculture/steel-magnolias-turns-25-13-things-you-didnt-know-about-1D80257300

3.

Early detection of cancer is becoming an issue in South Korea. Ignorance is bliss? Well, I can see that some cancers might be very slow moving and never impact a person's life. Sometimes the benefits do not outweigh the costs. From the story.

An epidemic of diagnosis is not good for anyone’s health. Resources are needlessly diverted; people are needlessly scared. But the biggest problem is that it begets an epidemic of treatment.

 4. 

Oh please. The solution isn't married priests... it's loyalty to a vow.
Sure, I know that attractions happen between priests and women. Priests are human. The reality is that the priests make a vow, just like a man who gets married makes a vow. I seriously doubt that these women would be petitioning the Vatican to allow them to have extramarital relationships with anyone they pleased.

There's certainly room to discuss the possibility of allowing Roman rite priests to marry without the crass emotionalism. There is no denying that celibacy is a long tradition with incredibly strong theological roots.

The rest of the story here: In Love with a Priest

5.

Hahaha! Speaking of celibacy, thanks for the laugh, Babes in Babylon! Here's a list of the stereotypical chastity speakers that come though youth groups across the country.

She’s glamorous in an 80s kind of way, all big, blown out blonde hair and red skirt suit. She may or may not hold a beauty pageant title. She tells a tale of woe that would make the ancient mariner sit up straight and reach for the popcorn.

 It's good to have talks with youth about chastity, I just think it often backfires. The kids are often either scared of having sex ever, or premarital sex winds up sounding unintentionally glamorous.

6. 

I haven't forgotten about the review of Ceremony of Innocence I've just been overwhelmed.

7. 

Happy Bunday!Via cute overload

 and here are some pics of my bun!

Perspective

   Today I went through the day annoyed at a catty coworker. The complaint is warranted, as this person repeatedly tries to present me in the worst light possible. It's mean, immature, and unwarranted behavior from the coworker.

  This evening has put today in perspective. While it's quite annoying to deal with hostile coworkers, there are much bigger things in life to worry about. My dear friend is pregnant after a heartbreaking miscarriage, and just found out that her ultrasound is abnormal. I don't know details, but St. Gerard, pray for her.

   There are also people who have been falsely accused in Pakistan, and have just lost their lives because they were Christian. From the story:

The two victims, Shahzad Masih and Shama Masih, who had four children and were believed to be in their mid-20s, both worked as laborers at a local brick kiln. The accusations against them began after burned pages of the Quran were said to have been found in their trash.

And to think that I was upset by cattiness! May God have mercy on the souls of this couple, and console their young children.

7QT!

1. Yes, Saturday

Okay, I know it's Saturday, not Friday... Friday just didn't turn out as expected, so was short on blog time. Which brings me to...

2. Vampires

I had a doctor appointment at on Thursday, so I went down to the lab to get the routine blood work. When lo! The fire alarm started ringing, which meant I had to come back on Friday to get it done instead. Thankfully the phlebotomist wasn't dressed as a vampire. While very appropriate, I don't think I could have gone through with it if she had been dressed as a vampire.

3. Parking Garages

While parking in the parking garage to get to the lab appointment, I was thinking of my sister's misadventures in cooking. She recently thought that a rice cooker and a crock pot were the same thing. (In case you don't know, they are NOT.) She's smart, but certain common sense parts of life are things that she has had to learn, they don't come naturally to her. I chuckled to myself, parked the car, and took care of the blood work.

I came back out to the same level I had left, and I couldn't find the car. I kept my cool and decided to nonchalantly walk down the ramp, certain my car would be there. I couldn't find it, so I walked down the other ramp with a rising sense of panic. This parking garage is huge! Fast forward 20 minutes. I go inside, up the elevator to the ramp above, and start walking down again, wondering how I can call a security guard to help me find the car. I get to the end of the ramp, no car. I turn around to go call for help, and THERE IS MY CAR!

As I got in, I noticed that the parking garage spaces are numbered. Duh. Remember, pride goeth before a fall... and sometimes that fall is wandering around cold parking garages.

4. Girls Night!

This Halloween I had girl's night. It didn't start out that way, but when the one other guy that was coming got free tickets to a hockey game, boyfriend decided that 3 women and a chick flick was not his scene. Smart man. We had a great time, complete with white chicken chili I made, and apple cider.

5. Roast Chicken

I've realized that I have spent too much money on food, so I've decided to roast a chicken once a week and make separate meals out of it. So far I've gotten 5 meals from the chicken, and have at least 4 more. Since I'm cooking for 1 person normally, I will probably do this every 2 weeks instead of every week. If I made my own lunch I would finish the chicken in one week, but I go out to eat with boyfriend during the week.

6. Happy Hallowe'en!

I didn't dress up this year, but hope that everyone had fun! I did get lots of candy, which certainly isn't helping the diet.

7. Happy All Saint's Day!

In honor of All Saint's Day, here's the Patron Saint Generator from Jennifer Fulwiler. Edit: Here's the link: Saint Name Generator Tell me who your patron saint is!

My saint was St. John of God. He's the patron saint of booksellers, which is perfect for a blog called Papyrus and Parchment. He sounds like quite an interesting guy!

7QT- Will Be Up Soon

I'll have the 7QT post up soon...

7 Quick Takes

 

1. TGIF!

Seriously... thank God. It's been a hectic, hectic couple of weeks. In the past two weeks I have spent the weekend with my family and with the boyfriend's family, and coordinated a dinner for 60+ people that had a former mayor, a former Secretary of State of Oklahoma, and a former ambassador as guests. Whew... all I can say is that I'm glad I don't have to work tomorrow!

2. Dieting

I keep telling myself that I'm going to lose some weight before Christmas... I'll start tomorrow... Ahahaha! My coworkers and I have a contest, and whoever wins gets a massage at a spa. So far no one's doing a great job, so I'm still in the race.

Seriously, this is really about being healthy, like eating healthy food and exercising.

3. Meal Planning

Related to the  second topic, I realized that I eat out way too much. To be quite frank, it's a convenience thing. I work long hours, and when I get home the last thing I want to do is spend thirty minutes to an hour cooking. I like cooking, but I'm just tired. I'm going to experiment with meal plans that work for me. It needs to be simple, tasty, and it has to be a 1 person serving. The one person serving is probably the most challenging, as I don't like leftovers. If anyone has suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

4. Cuteness for Your Friday

5. What the Hey... More Cuteness

And proof that a tiger cub is just a really big house cat.

6. For Halloween

WHY have I never seen this before?
I'm not sure of the original source, but I found this via Tiny Librarian

7. Faithful

It's hard to believe how different my life is from a year ago. A year ago I was in a full back brace, barely able to walk short distances. It has been just over a year since my second hospitalization. Now I just got done dancing at a wedding, driving cross-country, and running around with a busy life. Life happens, and it is easy to forget how far I have come in the last year. God has surely been faithful to me.

7 Quick Takes

1. Craziness!

I just realized that I forgot to schedule a photographer for the event I have this Tuesday! Ack. I normally don't do this. Fortunately it's not a wedding or anything like that, but we were hoping to get some good shots to use for promotional use throughout the year. It's times like these that I hate living so far away from family. I have a cousin and an aunt that both do wedding photography, and would have been able to help me in a snap. Unfortunately, they are both in the great North, so are unavailable. My friend who does photography is taking a round the world trip with her 1 year old and husband. That's a different kind of craziness altogether.

2. Prost!

 

I went with the boyfriend to Octoberfest on Wednesday. I mentioned I love fall, and the weather was really perfect for it. They actually had some German bands playing. It was a great night, and the crowd wasn't nearly as rowdy as the weekends.

3. Alabama Snow

For those of you that don't know, this is what we call Alabama snow. Confused? Here's a closeup.

That's right, y'all! It's cotton!

4. Weddings

I went to Alabama this past weekend to go to my sister's wedding. It was a pretty wedding, and my sister looked lovely in her dress. I also got to meet my brother-in-law for the first time. I should probably explain that my brother-in-law is from Australia, and it was a whirlwind courtship, so I never met him before the wedding. It was a fun weekend, and he BIL has a wonderful extended family. I also got to hang out with my far-flung family, so it was nice.

Fortunately, there was not too much of the question "When are you getting married?"

5. Things Not to Ask Women

Number 4. brings me to questions that are better left un-asked.

First, don't ask a woman when she is getting married. Do you see an engagement ring on her finger? If not, don't ask. If you do, chances are she will tell YOU. Otherwise, it goes over like a lead balloon. I know that the question is well meant, but really it just puts pressure on the single person to explain why she isn't married yet.

Second, don't ask if she's pregnant. Enough said. You will know soon enough.

Third, don't ask if she's a mother, then go on about how awesome it is to have kids after she says no. You never know what someone is going through, and people tend to be very private about things relating to infertility, miscarriages etc. In this case one coworker said this to another coworker, unaware that she desperately wants children, but her husband is determined to get a vasectomy. I felt so bad for her, because the male coworker rubbed salt into a very tender wound, and had no clue he was doing so.

6. Road Trips

 

I've just been to Alabama for a family wedding, now I'm off to go visit the boyfriend's family. I plan to have more posts up soon, but I've been on the road!

7. Book Review

I have read the book, but will have a review of it up on this blog soon. 

 

Back

Hello- Just got back from my sister's wedding and a cross-country drive. I'll have more posts up soon.

Six Word Saturday

I've decided to try some blog prompts: today's is Describe your current life in six words.

Cool Weather State Fair Fried Food