La planète suivante était habitée par un buveur. Cette visite fut très courte mais elle plongea le petit prince dans une grande mélancolie:
--Que fais-tu la? dit-il au buveur, qu'il trouva installé en silence devant une collection de bouteilles vides et une collection de bouteilles pleines.
--Je bois, répondit le buveur, d'un air lugubre.
--Pourquois bois-tu? lui démanda le petit prince.
--Pour oublier, répondit le buveur.
--Pour oublier quoi? s'enquit le petit prince qui déjà plaignait.
--Pour oublier que j'ai honte, avoua le buveur en baissant la tête.
--Honte de quoi? s'informa le petit prince qui désirait le secourir.
--Honte de boire! acheva le buveur qui s'enferma definitivement dans le silence.
Et le petit prince s'en fut, perplexe.
Les grandes personnes sont decidement très très bizarres, se disait-il en lui-même durant le voyage.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
ATTN: UPSING INFIDEL WHO TRIED TO DELIVER MY PACKAGES ON APRIL 17TH
YOU SUCK.
I had two packages due to come on April 17th: a couple shirts that were on sale and a book I need to prepare for my second actuarial exam about a month from today. I also had orders delivered almost every other day that week to the exact same address because they were ordered from the same vendors. YET, the delivery man on the 17th said an exception occurred, the address I am at does not exist or something, so he'll send a postcard to that address (which doesn't exist? I never received it) with instructions on what to do and then return my packages to the sender! So here I am, it'll be two weeks after I was supposed to get my packages when I finally do get the book I need, two weeks of precious studying time. I had packages delivered by UPS to that very address every other day that week! Is the problem with my address? I AM THINKING NO. IT IS WITH THE MAN WHO TRIED TO DELIVER MY PACKAGES ON APRIL 17TH. I AM POSTING THIS ON ALL MY BLOGS BECAUSE HE SUCKS SO HARD.
I had two packages due to come on April 17th: a couple shirts that were on sale and a book I need to prepare for my second actuarial exam about a month from today. I also had orders delivered almost every other day that week to the exact same address because they were ordered from the same vendors. YET, the delivery man on the 17th said an exception occurred, the address I am at does not exist or something, so he'll send a postcard to that address (which doesn't exist? I never received it) with instructions on what to do and then return my packages to the sender! So here I am, it'll be two weeks after I was supposed to get my packages when I finally do get the book I need, two weeks of precious studying time. I had packages delivered by UPS to that very address every other day that week! Is the problem with my address? I AM THINKING NO. IT IS WITH THE MAN WHO TRIED TO DELIVER MY PACKAGES ON APRIL 17TH. I AM POSTING THIS ON ALL MY BLOGS BECAUSE HE SUCKS SO HARD.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Him that cometh to me...
...I will in no wise cast out.
I opened the foreword of Wisdom from Mount Athos and that was the first sentence. An appropriate quote for Palm Sunday, I should say.
I opened the foreword of Wisdom from Mount Athos and that was the first sentence. An appropriate quote for Palm Sunday, I should say.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Happy Annunciation!
Time to celebrate in the proper way! That and reconsidering the relation of God to man, reconciliation to the fallen world, etc etc. OK I love sandwiches.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
ATTN: BLOGGER SOFTWARE INFIDELS
YOUR LOGGING SOFTWARE SUCKS. It did not let me put footnotes in my comment on Gabriel's web-log. Here is the comment I would have posted on his log:
Fortunately, I think most modern readers1 will read The Ladder quickly, pick up a couple good moral lessons in each chapter, and end up with something interesting to say2. All things considered, a profitable read. Maybe not the best use of the book, but not the worst use of their time3. Then again, I can definitely see that there are some pathological sorts who aren't terminally shallow but rather terminally emo for whom the prohibition would do some good, lest they fall into despair4. I'll never understand them, I suppose, so I guess I'll just have to call them interesting and leave it at that.
1: Myself included. I'm pretty shallow.
2: This is crypto-Protestantism, perhaps not in spirit, but labelled as such because it's what Protestants do whenever they sniff around the boutique.
3: Unless they write a log about the interesting tidbits and post it to the internets.
4: Or, worse, one of those schismatic groups that can only be found 1000 miles away from their present location, so they become too pious to go to church.
Fortunately, I think most modern readers1 will read The Ladder quickly, pick up a couple good moral lessons in each chapter, and end up with something interesting to say2. All things considered, a profitable read. Maybe not the best use of the book, but not the worst use of their time3. Then again, I can definitely see that there are some pathological sorts who aren't terminally shallow but rather terminally emo for whom the prohibition would do some good, lest they fall into despair4. I'll never understand them, I suppose, so I guess I'll just have to call them interesting and leave it at that.
1: Myself included. I'm pretty shallow.
2: This is crypto-Protestantism, perhaps not in spirit, but labelled as such because it's what Protestants do whenever they sniff around the boutique.
3: Unless they write a log about the interesting tidbits and post it to the internets.
4: Or, worse, one of those schismatic groups that can only be found 1000 miles away from their present location, so they become too pious to go to church.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
on advising people looking for an Orthodox parish
At this discussion board I occasionally frequent, completely new inquirers sometimes post saying, "I'm thinking of visiting an Orthodox parish this Sunday, it's called St X in $CITY. Does anybody know anything about it?" The correct response is not, as some people apparently think, "That doesn't, upon a cursory examination, look like it's a bunch of schismatic liberal fakers pretending to be Orthodox. They're Greek, though, so you'll probably suffer extreme culture shock."
Proper Response: either silence or, "I once stayed a month in that town and the people were amazing," depending on what the case is. If nobody else pipes in and you know it's not a bunch of schismatic liberal fakers, you can say, "Sounds great, I'm glad you'll be going there," or something else generally supportive.
Under no circumstances, save when they have actually run into them, mention bizarre vagante groups. I also recommend against FM-G's "12 things..." guide because it really sucks, but, lacking better material, it may be acceptable. Part of the problem with it is the problem with the first response: acting like the whole thing will result in a giant case of culture shock because it's bizarre and foreign. Grant that the thing might be bizarre and foreign. Don't treat it like it is. Orthodox worship is natural to the people who do it, it's what they do. Present it as such. Essentially say, "Here is what Orthodox worship is like, it's not weird, they're doing what they do: it's what they do." To say, "Here is what Orthodox worship is like, I know it looks really weird to you, but you might get used to it someday or something," is a grave mistake.
I hope this short note helps correct some of the errors I have seen others fall into. Be glad that these things you (perhaps not you, Dear Reader) fall into are mere misstatements and blunders, and not sins, as is the case with my failings.
Proper Response: either silence or, "I once stayed a month in that town and the people were amazing," depending on what the case is. If nobody else pipes in and you know it's not a bunch of schismatic liberal fakers, you can say, "Sounds great, I'm glad you'll be going there," or something else generally supportive.
Under no circumstances, save when they have actually run into them, mention bizarre vagante groups. I also recommend against FM-G's "12 things..." guide because it really sucks, but, lacking better material, it may be acceptable. Part of the problem with it is the problem with the first response: acting like the whole thing will result in a giant case of culture shock because it's bizarre and foreign. Grant that the thing might be bizarre and foreign. Don't treat it like it is. Orthodox worship is natural to the people who do it, it's what they do. Present it as such. Essentially say, "Here is what Orthodox worship is like, it's not weird, they're doing what they do: it's what they do." To say, "Here is what Orthodox worship is like, I know it looks really weird to you, but you might get used to it someday or something," is a grave mistake.
I hope this short note helps correct some of the errors I have seen others fall into. Be glad that these things you (perhaps not you, Dear Reader) fall into are mere misstatements and blunders, and not sins, as is the case with my failings.
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