And for Your Daily Warm-Fuzzy...

A group of kids from Paraguay are making music on instruments made from recycled trash.  Music is one of those privileges I most of the time take for granted.  Take a look at the trailer for a movie about them: the Landfill Harmonic Orchestra.

Today

Yes, I am walking around the library in (bright pink) socks.  Without shoes.  No, I don't see a problem with this.  In my defense, the green stripe over my toes (kind of) matches my green sweater.

I have settled into my library nook and can't decide if it is a home or an office, but either way it is mine for way too many hours of the day.  I am cranking out papers like a mad woman, however, so good is coming of it.

Day-Maker #78

These exist:


















No, they are not disks... They are sticky notes from ThinkGeek!

Happy New Year!

Today marks the first day of the new year!  The liturgical new year, that is.  We start Year C in the lectionary today, which means that this year we read from the Gospel of Luke.  I'm excited because he's my favorite of the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke).  I celebrated this morning with French toast and Anne of Green Gables at breakfast time.

One More Way to Procrastinate

One last finals-related procrastination aid, and then it's back to serious blogging.  Here's a sleep calculator that tells you when to fall asleep, or wake up, based on when you will wake up -- calculated according to your body's natural sleep cycles.

A New Game

Today, let's keep it lighter:

Because xkcd did a picture this way, someone put together a place to try using only the 1,000 most used words. I wrote this bit using it. I promise it is harder than you would think. I wanted to use it to explain my paper but I can't write with the right meaning of words. God's pain, God feels bad, God feeling things, and things change God don't quite cut it. This is more straight forward than the one at xkcd, but can you guess from that what it might be about?

[Note: xkcd isn't one of the 1,000 most common words, but I needed to give credit!]

On Luminous Geckos

M ost of the time when I am on my soapboxes online -- here, Facebook, Pintrest -- I am on them because they are fun places to be.  Not that I see the problems as fun, but I like a good fight.  Sometimes, however, the problem part hits home, and I remember I am not passionate about these things because it is a good fight.  I am passionate because this is real.  It's the difference between a midnight bathroom debate about abortion with a hallmate who is swiftly becoming a best friend and standing outside a abortion facility praying for the scared women and the men who don't know another way to love them.

The abortion soapbox is made real every week in that way.  Today, I want to make the feminist soapbox real.  I have two quick reads to do so -- two of the best reads I've stumbled across (one through Julia and one by following links from Unequally Yoked) on this subject.

The first piece is an anecdote about a Luminuously Beautiful Woman and an Awkward Dude.  The second is a parable about a dog and a gecko to explain the concept of "male privilege."  Read these first -- they are good reads, I promise (though you will have to excuse the profanity).  All educated?  Good!

I have to admit, when I read the Luminous story, I stopped to try to figure out The Question, and I couldn't.  It bothered me for a bit until I fully processed the story and The Question -- and then I realized that I hadn't been able to figure out The Question, because I assumed the answer.  It didn't need to be asked.  As soon as Luminous started placing physical barriers (such as Dr. Glass) between herself and Awkward Dude, I realized that this guy was a serious threat to her safety.  We use emotional and social barriers to deal with awkward; we use physical barriers to deal with danger.

Hopefully you can see the connection between Luminous and the gecko.  I like both these pieces because they put into words what I had previously grasped intuitively and brought out explicitly what I have experienced but never crystallized into coherent thoughts.  They also show why, despite the substantial progress feminists have made since the early 1900s, more work is needed.

Yet Another HHS Update

I haven't posted about the HHS mandate recently, though believe you me it has been in the background or forefront of my mind.  I am both a beneficiary and a victim of Obamacare: I stayed on my father's policy later than would have been allowed, but now I am about to embark on my own healthcare voyage.  Because of the contraceptive mandate, my school has dropped student coverage, which was going to be my route.  In the wake of the elections, I've had a hard time not being depressed by the anti-life state of the nation.

Now, however, cases are starting to hit courts and courts are starting to give answers.  Here's an article about a Bible-publishing company who won their case... though I am sure it's not the end of the story for them.  And it's definitely not for others (such as Hobby Lobby) who lost and are appealing.  The rationale for decisions, based on the limited information from these two articles, seems to be that the courts want to exempt religious organizations but not religious employers (i.e. individuals) from providing contraception.

In Honor of Papers

As well as some grammatical mistakes that have hurt my heart lately:

Of course language is not an infallible guide, but it contains, with all its defects, a good deal of stored insight and experience. If you begin by flouting it, it has a way of avenging itself later on. 

~CS Lewis, The Four Loves

On the Opposite End

About a year ago, I witnessed a phenomenon of water not freezing in the cold, then suddenly freezing when disturbed.  Today I learned about an opposite phenomenon: water exploding in the microwave!  How cool is this?  (Yes, it was Sunday brunch conversation.  Yes, I am from a family of nerds. I also learned about the state of matter of Jello and the Bose-Einstein condensate.  Please tell me you want my life.)

Day-Maker #77

Five hour (plus traffic) road trips are so much more bearable with another human being in the car.  Especially when that other human being is a great conversationalist.

The Holidays Begin

It's a blessing to be with family and loved ones during holiday-time -- from Thanksgiving through New Years -- and I will get to do a lot of that.  It makes blogging hard, but certainly keeps me aware of the many blessings in my life.  My sisters and I came home late Tuesday... and have been cooking and baking ever since.  It's worked out well for the other people who live here/hang around and eat the fruits of our labor.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy belated Thanksgiving!  I'm still thankful for so many things in life: my thankfulness is not limited to one day.

Abortion: Who Decides?

Take a look at this story about a Nevada woman with mental impairments who became pregnant.  It apparently was newsworthy that a judge decided she could continue her pregnancy.  

A lot about this story bothered me.  Some of it has to do with the reporting (or lack thereof) rather than the details... though if I knew for sure, I might still be disturbed.  

First of all, the woman is said to have "the mental capacity of a six year old."  Yet it is questioned if she had "consensual" sex with the father of the child.  How is this even possible?  Does the idea of statutory rape not apply in the case of impaired mental capacity?  If not, whyever not?

Secondly, from the way the story reads, the judge stated that in some cases, the court would have the authority to force an abortion, in spite of the wishes of the woman and the parents (who are her legal guardians) -- and possibly even the doctors involved.  What? In what case ever would it be acceptable for a court to order a person to have an abortion?

If the woman and her parents do not want an abortion, why was it ever on the table to start?  What justification does anyone have to bring it to the discussion in that case?

Finally, a question not about details but about our legal process.  In this story, it appears that the woman and her legal guardians agree about carrying the pregnancy to term.  What would happen if they disagreed?  Whose "rights" would trump?  Whose rights should trump?  

Hipster Love, Part II

I've shared my love for hipsters on here before.  I believe I mentioned that I laugh at them and want to befriend them at the same time.  I find their skinny jeans amusing and their love of local endearing.  Their sense of irony, however, implies a cultural awareness and distance that I could never hope to achieve.

Of course, my mind went straight to my hipster-love when I clicked the link to this article on How to Live Without Irony.  The writer lambastes our entire generation for its trademark use of irony, which she characterizes as a "self-defensive mode" that acts as "preemptive surrender" to any critique or criticism.  While the scope of her attention goes beyond the hipster, she sees the hipster as icon of this irony that characterizes all that Millennial do and are.

I found especially interesting one little list, thrown in sideways:

Where can we find other examples of nonironic living? What does it look like? Nonironic models include very young children, elderly people, deeply religious people, people with severe mental or physical disabilities, people who have suffered, and those from economically or politically challenged places where seriousness is the governing state of mind.

 What a crazy group of bedfellows.  The funny thing is that this list could be one of people that Christians see as especially blessed by God.  The writer goes forward with the small child example to illustrate her point, but I am more intrigued by, well, everyone else on this list.

I'm particularly interested in the "deeply religious people" category, because I might fit in there, but also because that is the category that is out to bring others in.  Yet the writer doesn't mention religion as a solution to irony.  Yet its ghost is there.  Here's the last question on her irony self-inventory -- are you seeing the word "conversion" as well?

The most important question: How would it feel to change yourself quietly, offline, without public display, from within?

One Down...

... two to go!  I finish all the work I have for my bioethics class today.  We don't have any papers or exams, just a final presentation.  Guess who got assigned to the first presentation time, so that she has nothing more to do for that class, other than show up twice a week?

This arrangement is especially fantastic given the large amount of work I still have for two classes.  So prayers of thanksgiving for that presentation and petition for two papers and exams, if you have a moment to talk to God.  Thanks!

Brain Death, Soul Death, and PVS

Because I spend too much time on Facebook once papering time comes around, I found this article the other day.  It's about a man in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) who is able to communicate with doctors via fMRI.  This development certainly complicates the debate about the care of patients in PVS -- something we are discussing in my bioethics class today.

John Paul II, everyone's favorite Polish, pro-life pope, stated that brain death -- the complete and irreversible cessation of all brain function -- could be considered the death of the person.  That is to say, it is an indication that the soul has departed from the body.  (From a Catholic perspective, that is the definition of death.  Medical signs are indications that this event has happened.)  He also stated that patients in PVS are alive and, as living human beings, deserve the care given to human beings, specifically food and water/nutrition and hydration.

[Note: A patient in PVS has some brain activity.  This person demonstrates lower brain function and sometimes higher brain activity as well.  This condition is not medically (or morally) equivalent with brain death.]

JPII of course caused a stir by this second statement, but this latest medical finding lends support to his position: this person's soul is still present.

Day-Maker #76

When I am searching the web from Tim Horton's wireless, Google thinks I am in Canada.  (Yes, I do have that many tabs open.  Don't judge.)

How to Change the World

I like to joke that in my family, we solve the world's problems over the dinner table.  So far, we haven't really solved any problems, but we certainly spend much conversation time discussing what is wrong with the world and how to fix it.

One topic we hit on again and again is education disparity.  Why do certain people (i.e. races, ethnicity, genders) enter certain fields of study more frequently?  Is this a problem and if so, what needs to be done?  My siblings all went to an elite high school that started an affirmative action program while they were there.  Is this a good thing?  One sister is a female engineer.  Why aren't there more women in her field and in the maths and sciences in general?

In general, we agreed on one thing: to solve the problem for real, you need to start earlier than high school.  The gaps are there already, and ultimately the solution comes from keeping the gaps from being formed, not closing the gaps.  But how do you do that?

This morning, I stumbled across part of the answer to the gender question: Goldie Blox.  One woman's (brilliant) quest to bridge the gap and bring more women into engineering.  If you want women engineers, where do you start?

With little girls.

This solution in brilliant because it is made to appeal to little girls as little girls.  The subtle message is "You can be an inventor and keep your femininity" (but in a language little girls can understand).

Logic Puzzles

Too much research for my morality class, and my brain hurts.  However, this xkcd seems appropriate:

To Be a Flirt

Today, I stumbled across this article on flirting in a women's magazine with conservative values.  The basic message seems to be "don't flirt to get things," although I have to admit, I found it slightly hazy.  Either way, the writer offers a different view from the Wall Street Journal's take, which seems to be "flirt to get what you want; just be careful."  Neither of them analyzes the study that they both cite, which seems to be more interesting than either commentary.  (I just need to find time to hunt it down.)

Both these articles beg the question: What is flirting?  Only once we know what flirting is can we decide whether or not flirting is acceptable -- and if so, when and how.  So I pose these questions:

1) What is flirting?
2) For what purpose is flirting acceptable?  Unacceptable?
3) Does your "relationship status" (single, dating, married) make a difference?  Why or why not?
4) What is the difference between flirting and emotional manipulation?

Game Time

This weekend, Shelly and I played a rousing game of "What's your favorite heresy?"  It's inspired by reading too much from the patristic period.  The game is simple: ask yourself, "What twisting of the truth appeals the most to my inner heretic?"  Answer out loud!

Mine is easy: gnosticism.  There is a part of me that instinctively rejects the material world and wants to live as pure intellect.  However, I live in a world created by a good God, and luckily for me, God threw in a healthy dose of love for the sacraments when He made me.  My equally instinctive understanding of the sacramentality of the world is my saving grace.  Even the physical order mediates God to us, so I can see Him everywhere.  How then can I reject the material world for real?

Day-Maker #75

This weekend, as I slogged my way through more research, a certain young man made his way west to visit me.  I warned him that I was overwhelmed with schoolwork and so much of Saturday evening would have to be dedicated to studying.  So he cooked as I read.

Now I have leftovers that someone else made sitting in my fridge and packing dinner for tonight was so easy.

Day-Maker #74

Watching a little boy try to receive Communion.  His parents were ahead of him, so they didn't see; his older sister shook her head at the priest, who simply gave him a blessing.  The boy went away grinning at his near success.

Catch-Up

I missed Saturday and Sunday.  Shame on me!  Consider this Saturday's post.

In addition to the two papers I mentioned before, I am also doing a presentation for my bioethics class.  I am looking at the ethical discussion surrounded cesarean deliveries at the mother's request -- when a woman wants a c-section, in spite of the fact that no medical reason suggests it.

What I am swiftly learning is one undisputed fact: we don't have enough research regarding childbirth.  No one knows the range of medical risks and benefits.  Also what I am learning is that as a society we are seeking more and more control.  We don't like the idea of our bodies working, unless we can choose the when and how.

New Friends?

I no longer have room for friends in my car, so it's a good thing I don't have to drive people places.  I am carrying around a library in my car.  My backseat and passenger seat have been converted to bookshelves.  It's easy to tell that it's paper time!  This semester I am comparing Gregory of Nyssa and Augustine's views of gender in Eden and the eschaton (were we male and female in the beginning?  will we be in the end?) and I am reading everything there is to read about divine impassibility (God is not changed by the world; i.e. he cannot suffer)... at least what's been written over the past hundred years or so.

This state of affairs means that I eat, sleep, and breath theology, so these posts might be a little school-oriented.  I will do my best to moderate my inner nerd!

Resurrection Bodies

This semester, I am researching early understandings of gendered bodies at the time of the resurrection.  Will our glorified bodies be male and female?  St. Gregory of Nyssa thinks we will not be man and woman at the resurrection.  St. Augustine of Hippo disagrees:

In the resurrection, the blemishes of the body will be gone, but the nature of the body will remain.  And, certainly, a woman's sex is her nature and no blemish; only in the resurrection there will be no conception or child-bearing associated with her nature.  Her members will remain as before, with the former purpose sublimated to a newer beauty... Her womanhood will be a hymn to the wisdom of God, who first made her a woman. (City of God, Bk 22, Ch. 19) 

How beautiful is that!  I just want to sit and meditate upon it for a while.  Sadly, I have to keep working, so I am blogging it instead.

Day-Maker #73

As I was driving up to Ohio on Sunday, I pulled into a toll plaza and rolled down my window to take my ticket.  I encountered a common problem in my life -- I could not reach the ticket while remaining buckled in my seat with my foot on the brake.  At that exact moment, a toll worker was walking across the plaza... and he took the ticket out and handed it to me.  Thank you, kind sir!

The Things For Which People Die

I know I am just jumping on the blog/Facebook/Twitter/everything else bandwagon here, but today is election day.  People died so we could have the right to vote.  As a woman, I am part of the last group to attain this right.  Women have had the vote for under one hundred years in this country.  (Think about that, ladies!)  However, no matter who you are, someone sacrificed his life for you to be able to have a say in your government.  I know politics can be disillusioning.  I know there are few (if any) good choices.  But your vote still matters.  Go find a poll.

P.S.  If my little spiel didn't convict you, try reading this (from the maker of xkcd.com).

National Something Month

For a while, I have I have known that November is National Novel Writing Month.  Then I learned it is also "National Facial Hair Month" (to people not in my head, it is more commonly known as as "Movember" and "No-Shave November").  Much as the Novel Writing appeals to me, it does not appeal enough to make it happen.  And there is no appeal of the facial hair bit, so I will not be vicariously participating (much to a certain boy's disappointment). Then I discovered the bit of November for me: National Blog Posting Month -- the lazy-man's version of the Novel Writing.

I am getting on the bandwagon late, but this challenge will hopefully jumpstart my creative juices that have been sadly lacking on the blog-front lately.  Since I am starting five days late, I will go five days into December.  Wish me luck -- or better yet, read and respond regularly, so that I have some encouragement in this act of discipline.

How a Grammar Nerd Grows to Love God

Doing research for my Natural Theology paper, I started to ponder how we talk about God.  I am reading about divine impassibility: God's ability to stand unaffected by external influences.  "Impassible" and "passive" are, of course, etymologically related, and so I began to wonder if we can use passive verbs to talk about God.  Well, we do: "was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary... was crucified... was buried..."  All these verbs describe the Incarnation.  How beautiful is the divine humility of the Incarnation, that it allowed the All-Powerful God to take on passive verbs?

Women and Office Supplies

Due to politicking, retreating, and researching, I don't have a long time to get on my soapbox about the most recent presidential debate.  Much as I would love to comment on my mental image of "binders of women," which then led to images of filing cabinets overflowing with women and eerily dovetailed with recent discussions of pornography and sex trafficking.  (I don't understand the objectification of people.  I really just don't.)

However, in spite of the fantastic images Romney conjured, the plan of action he gave (for use on an individual level) was laudable.  In place of my analysis/soapbox, have a look-see at this one here.

Crisis Averted

Besides the president, several other political offices will appear on my ballot in two weeks, including Senator and Representative.  Being a "swing voter" (I've rarely if ever voted a straight ticket for one party), I ponder each position before voting.  And I was having an impossible time figuring out upon whom I should bestow my vote for the House.

The two choices in VA 11th: Chris Perkins (R) and Gerry Connolly (D).  I'm not a fan of Connolly.  Besides being tired of him for voting against pro-life and for pro-abortion legislation, I have watched his poor constituent relations annoy my sister for the past few years.  However, Perkins is a pro-choice Republican, so basically disagrees with me on everything.  I broke my rule about never voting in primaries to vote against him, so I would not be in the situation.  Up until this weekend, I had more or less decided to leave that question blank.

However, by the grace of God, I have a sister who is politically aware and takes the time to help me out.  So she found the candidate for whom I should vote: Chris DeCarlo, who is rapping his way to Washington.  That's right; this modern-day Mr. Smith is using educational raps to make his way to Congress, where he will fight political corruption.

Crisis averted.  I  have found a politician to support.

Voting Catholic

One of the most consistent frustrations for a politically and religiously aware Catholic preparing to vote comes from her fellow-Catholics: the tendency to collapse all differences between candidates to this issue of "pro-life."  Don't get me wrong -- abortion and other policies about human life are huge.  I have an "I vote pro-life first" sign in my window.  (The other side, the one I really like, says, "I AM the pro-life generation!")

Our obligation to protect the life of pre-born children, however, does not overturn or cancel out our obligation to care about other issues or to be guided by moral standards to create just policies in other areas.   (Really, it just shows the tragedy of our modern political divide.  Could you imagine not having to vote pro-life, because both candidates were?)  So even if we vote pro-life first, we need to know there are other important questions in politics.  Even if they do not change our vote, they exist, and we as Catholics need to care about how our government addresses other issues of justice.  We also need to know what our Church teaches about them.

The Virginia Catholic Conference puts together voter education literature every election.  They publish candidate's approaches to issues that are of interest to a Catholic understanding of justice.  It's not the most comprehensive resource, but it at least puts questions other than abortion on the table.  Take a look-see here (for the presidential race) and here (for the VA senatorial race).

If you aren't sure on Catholic approaches to the issues, read the senatorial one first, because it contains more information about the bishops' position.  There is, of course, no official Church teaching on policy matter.  The bishops offer guidance based on the Church's teaching and their understanding of the current national situation.  It's called prudential judgement.  The first criterion will not change; the second can and does; and opinions of how the two fit together can legitimately vary.

That doesn't get anyone off the hook about caring about these issues.  It just raises our obligation to become informed so we know how to become involved in the political process.  Even if we vote pro-life first, 364 days of the year (or 365 in the case of presidential election years) are not election day.  Those days require our involvement as well.

A Long Overdue Feminist Rant

Mostly because you haven't had one from me in a while.  This article came across my radar very recently.  The headline is provocative and also wrong: "Saudi Arabia’s Alternative to Photoshopping Women Out of Ads: Scribbling All Over Cleavage."

The article discusses Ikea's decision to photoshop women out of ads in catalogs shipped to Saudi Arabia and subsequent repentance of that decision.  It comes fully equipped with photos to show Ikea's artistry as well as the alternative --"Scribbling All Over Cleavage," according to the headline.  Take a look though.  The women's cleavage has not been covered: in many cases the entire woman has, leaving a black shadow or pixelated ghost where a woman had been.

It gives an eerie visual for a sexism that we sometimes here about in America, but rarely see, reminding us of the work yet to be done in the world.

Day-Maker #72

Quote of the Day: "I would create the universe again just to hear you say that you love me." ~Christ to St. Teresa of Avila

This made me stop in the middle of campus, smile, and ponder the greatness of God's love.

In Which I Wish I Went to Fordham: Dolan & Colbert

On Busted Halo this morning I stumbled across this article that linked to the NY Times coverage of the same event.  Apparently, earlier in September, Stephen Colbert and Timothy Cardinal Dolan spoke together at Fordham University about joy and humor in faith.  Just in case I wasn't already completely in love with Colbert.

According to the Times, Fordham did not let the media in, so (as far as I am aware) there are no videos of the talk.  Just a few tantalizing descriptions of the encounter: enough to make me dream of an encore.

Let Love Grow

I know I have not been keeping this blog up well this semester -- I should be posting at least twice a week.  Oops.  So now I am going to backtrack and cover the wedding in Houston!

Meemaw got married a mere two weeks ago.  Ana, Em, Triss, and I all made it out to her wedding -- only Byrd couldn't make it.  I hadn't seen Meemaw or Triss since they left St. Louis over two years ago.  I was surprised, though maybe I should not have been, at how easily we picked back up, as if we had parted only weeks ago.  As the four of us drove around and about Houston, we fell into community again.  So of course I remembered the beautiful thing about our VSC covenant: we never put a time limit or an end date.  We are bound by sacred kinship bonds forever.

The four of us stayed with Em's aunt and cousins and her parents and sister came into town. Which means that for the weekend we were adopted into a beautiful Mexican family.  At the wedding, we were surrounded by Meemaw's Vietnamese family and her Filipino in-laws.  The Mass was tri-lingual, featuring English, Latin, and Vietnamese and included Filipino wedding traditions.  I have never felt so white or so blessed to be in a place where so much beauty can come together.  The reception made it even better: ten courses of Vietnamese food that three white girls and a Mexican tackled with chopsticks!

The only bad part was, of course, the parting.  It's easy to forget how much you miss people when missing them becomes a part of your everyday life.  When that hole is filled for a few days, suddenly, it's even worse to be apart at the end.

Things My Inner Grammar-Nerd Needs to Hear

Sometimes, xkcd is too math-y for me.  Sometimes, I swear the writer is inside my head:

Note: To get the full effect/story of my life, you MUST read the mouse-over.

Cupcake Summer Finale

At long last, I have reached the last stop of the Summer 2012 Northern Virginia Cupcake Tour!  The final stop of the summer during my final few days at home took us to Persnickety Cakes in Manassas.  Like Cupcake Heaven (did I mention we went back there?  I am still in love.) this shop consisted of cupcakes and coffee.  No coffee for this over-caffeinated girl -- I'm working on cutting back, I swear.  However, to make up for the lack of coffee, I got a coffee cupcake.  I was torn between that and the mocha, and the chocolate covered espresso bean sold me.

The cupcakes were cold.  I guess the displays are refrigerated.  While the temperature did not affect the taste, it did make them seem less fresh -- Persnickety was the only place we wondered if all the cupcakes were baked that day.  The temperature also affected the frosting.  Buttercream is a thick, heavy frosting on its own, and cold it is thicker and heavier.  I would have been content with half the frosting -- which is saying something, because normally I am all about that deadly combination of sugar and butter.

So the texture was off, and the frosting slightly overwhelming.  The chocolate cake, however, was amazingly chocolatey and perfectly complemented by the coffee flavor of the frosting.  I felt like I was eating a deliciously cakey mocha.  The shop itself was bright and cheerful and adorned by a display of Civil War artwork, as the town was gearing up the celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Second Battle of Manassas.

Verdict: 3.5 of 5 stars.  I'm not 100% sold I would get a cupcake there again, even if I were passing through and craving dessert.  If I did, it would be because they are priced extraordinarily well -- only $1.89 for the cupcake.

Larry's mom agrees with this rating, though her review sounds more upbeat than mine:

Shop - simple, nice view of street for people watching.
Cupcakes - D1 - Pina Colada - very good, moist & lots of flavor. I would recommend it.
D2 - PB - OK, basic. on all 3 cupcakes, by the time I got them home, the frosting was smeared & they were falling under the cardboard "holder" part. They were too small for the holder.
Size - smaller than usual & the price reflects this at $1.89 each.
When shopping in Old Town Manassas & wanting a snack I would consider going into the shop. They had a nice variety of flavors & they were fresh.

Another Gem: Lavender Moon Cupcakery

For our first trip to Alexandria, Larry's mom and I decided to go to Alexandria cupcakes.  It had the town in its name, it had a cooler website, and it was on King Street.  Luckily for us, we made it back to Alexandria to try out Lavender Moon Cupcakery.

The main problem with Lavender Moon is that I can't spell "lavender."  Seriously.  Every time I have typed it for this post, sans one, I have tried to spell is "lavendar," only to get little red squiggles.

I ate a chocolate raspberry cupcake.  Chocolate + raspberry = amazing.  I was surprised to bite into the frosting and taste cream cheese.  Surprised, but not unpleasantly so.  The cream-cheese-raspberry-chocolate-ness worked well.  The cake was dense and moist, my favorite kind.  The shop used to be a house and now functioned with one room to order cupcakes and another to sit and eat.  The seating area was small, as it has been with most of the cupcakeries, but had enough seats that another group could have eaten there with us.  The pink and purple walls and indoor plants made the place bold and feminine, but somehow not overwhelmingly so.  They had a few bottle drinks (nothing hot like coffee or tea) but the cupcakes stood on their own.

I would bring someone to Lavender Moon in a heartbeat if we were walking through Old Town.  As long as they didn't make me spell it.  I just did it again.

Overall: 5/5.  Larry's mom gave it a 4 of 5:

Cost - reasonable ($3).
PB - cupcake was good the pb was hidden under choc fondant that added a little something to it. It wasn't too dry.
Store - Comfortable & bright & cheerful It felt welcoming w/the 2 shades of lavender stripes. It was nice to sit inside.
No hot beverages, only some cold
I took a Blackberry to go. Your uncle thought it lack flavor & tasted very basic.
I would go here before Alexandria Cupcakes.

Day-Maker #71

Inspirational quotes on coffee shop napkins.  Why do more people not do this?

The Return (Cliff's Notes)

As I mentioned almost a week ago, I am back in Ohio.  The new semester has started and I have found myself... without time to blog.  And short two cupcake reviews.  The cupcakes will come; this promise is more to myself than to any readers still following my ramblings.  For now, here are some Cliff's Notes on my return to Franciscan:

1) The reason I am so busy: I saved one paper from my summer courses for the very end, once again show casing the marvels of procrastination.  The first week of classes, I enjoyed my light reading load by writing desperately.  I did finish and turn in the paper on time, by the grace of God, through the intercession of His mother.

2) I am so excited for my classes.  To the point where, when people ask me what I'm taking, I get a ridiculous grin on my face and end by saying, "I'm super-exited!"  On the plate: Bioethics, Natural Theology, and Gregory of Nyssa.  All small classes with classmates who know how to have real discussions and professors who encourage it.  And the papers look like so much fun.  Yes. I'm a nerd.

3) I have forgotten what it means to cook only for yourself.  I played the 1950s housewife for the first bit of the summer, having dinner on the table when my parents got home from work.  Even when they both were home, I cooked a good deal for the four of us at home and baked a good deal for social gatherings.  Now I have one me and a tiny, counterless kitchen.  I have to remind myself to cook real food.

4) My poor car survived the trip!  I got a new muffler as a part of a new exhaust system because apparently I had 80* exhaust leaks and such things can kill you.  Now my car sounds different when I accelerate.

5) I finally saw the Hunger Games movie.  I give it my stamp of approval.  It disturbed me more than the books, however, and I spent at least one night dreaming about Katniss.  I think this is because in the movie, the games and the political themes drive the plot more than the characters do.  So much happens inside of Katniss's head that she is hard to translate to film.

6) More to come as the semester progresses!


*Rule of thumb: If a number I give has an 8 and seems unreasonable, assume it is an exaggeration.  For some reason, 8 says to me, "I am unreasonably large."

Mindless Entertainment

I have made it safely back to Ohio and have started classes for my penultimate semester.  Time really flies in a two year program!

I still have some summer catch-up to do on here, including the end of the Cupcake Tour, which I promise will be forthcoming.  In the meantime, play this game for some entertainment.  It might actually make you think.  Then let me know if you figured out the pattern!  (I did; it just took a few seconds of thoughtful reasoning.)

Assorted Blasphemies

As I wander further into the blogosphere, I am discovering more and more on Patheos that is interesting to read.  One of my favorites is Get Religion, which picks apart the mainstream media's coverage of religious news.  I don't like all of their coverage of Catholic news, which makes me question the strict accuracy of their approach to other religions, but at least they add a more reasonable and nuanced voice to the discourse than most, if not all, other media sources I read. 

One of the more interesting ones I've read is this piece about the Russian band that was sentenced to two years in prison for their actions in a Orthodox Cathedral.  I reacted to the mainstream media as would any good feminist/believer in freedom of speech (shock! horror! outrage!)... then this article made me think again.  Take a look-see and discuss!

Red & Blue

That last political post was supposed to go down a different road, but I got sidetracked when I started typing about seeing Romney.  Before I do Take II, I want to give a shout-out to Maggie and Frank who answered my trivia question about running mates!

So.  Major election coming up in November.  Hold your breath and get excited for the upcoming onslaught of promises, attacks, and counter-attacks.  I love the energy that grips the nation at this time of year.  I hate the partisan lines that get drawn and the foolish inflexibility follows them.

I'm pretty sure I have linked to Leah Libresco at Equally Unyoked before, but since I found her blog it has become hearty food for thought, so you will keep seeing her.  She wrote about her experience in a debate group that focused on not just valid but true and convincing arguments -- and the value they found in admitting that they had been wrong.  

Leah did not take the topic into national politics, but I want to.  Consider Romney's stance on abortion and the flack he is getting for changing it.  This issue showcases the Catch-22 of US politics: if you are wrong (and we are all bound to be at some point), you can hold on to the wrong for dear life and be consistent, or you can change views and be thought a flip-flopper.  (Is that a word?  It should be.)

While we certainly need a leader who can stand strong and firm, there is virtue in taking in new information and letting it inform your views.  As Leah points out, there is virtue in knowing how to handle being wrong.

Campaign Season

It's my favorite time of every four years: election season!  As of Saturday, all the speculation about who will run with and against whom ended, and we know the players: Obama-Biden against Romney-Ryan.  (Random question and a prize for the winner: has any president ever switched his VP when he ran for re-election?)  I get fed up with the intra-party politicking that leads up to this moment, but now we have the real players in the game.

In honor of having the real players in the game, I attended a rally for Mitt Romney on Saturday.  I would not let my parents get photographic evidence of this event, but now I am admitting in writing.  He announced Paul Ryan as his running mate earlier that day in Norfolk, so I had the unexpected luck of seeing and hearing both of them.

After waiting in a winding line and hearing my mother's worries that we would not get in, we made it to the rally and found standing room where, if I stood on my tiptoes and twisted my neck and the lady in front of me was not standing on the edge of the pillar, I could see illuminated faces of politicians floating over the podium.

This prime viewing real estate became extremely valuable when the speeches ended and the crowds rushed forth to watch the buses pull away.  We were at the front then, pushed up against the barriers at the side of the street.  George Allen was working the crowd from the pavement, so we shook hands with him, and he stopped to chat with each cluster of people along the way.

To my blue friends: do not worry -- I am not turning red!  To my red friends: do not worry -- I still don't like Obama.  I simply loved the chance to be in the middle of our beautiful, messy political process and feed off the emotional energy of the excited crowds.  Also, I got to snap a few photos for a little old lady standing next to me and enjoy her delighted gratitude, possibly the best part of the day.

Buzz!

I looked back over my last few entries before starting this post... It would appear that my entire summer consisted of eating cupcakes.  I will try to post some other adventures soon, because there have been a good number of them this summer that do not involve cupcakes.  Cupcakes are just easier entries, so I can dash them off in just a few minutes.

The adventure to Buzz Bakery in Ballston involved my mother and Wendy along with Larry's mom and myself.  It started out with a gift of Muppet cupcakes decorated by Wendy's fiance.  I felt awkward walking into a bakery already holding cupcakes, but since we bought deliciousness and coffee, I got over the awkward.

Unfortunately, I do have to distinguish between the deliciousness and the coffee here.  I ate a "Buzz" cupcake, a sweet mocha-flavored concoction.  It is one of the more sugary cupcakes I have eaten, so Buzz lived up to its name here. The coffee was mediocre at best, to my vast disappointment, because a great cup of coffee could have cut through the sweetness.

The bakery had a variety of pastries along with the cupcakes, from personal sized carrot cakes to unbelievable-looking pies.  They also offered a tea and alcohol in addition to the coffee.  To my surprise, the ambiance of the shop fit this unusual combination of menu selections.  The whole place was sleek, smooth, and upscale, yet remarkably comfortable.  It was filled with young professionals, many of whom were plugged into their laptops.  When I made it back a week or so later for coffee (poor choice, but it offers coffee and alcohol, so was a good compromise), they had a bubble machine going to entertain small children playing in a fountain outside.

I give it 4.5 of 5 stars for a great shop and good cupcakes, but sad coffee.

Larry's mom was indecisive and gave it a 3.5-4 out of 5.

I had the PB cupcake.
Cake part not too dry.
Frosting about right not overly sweet or greasy.
I liked having a little bit of a filling, that could be what kept it from being dry.
Shop - welcoming, customers & staff friendly. It was busy with people reading & doing school work which made it feel like you could stay for a while. Nice variety of teas.
I wouldn't go out of my way to go here, but if I was in the neighborhood & wanted a cupcake I would.
Good company always makes a difference :)

That Awkward Conversation

... that seems to happen too often in my life.  This is the reason why new social situations are so tiring.  Click to read the mouse-over too.

Warm-Up Exercises

My mother, who is adapting quite well to the technological age: "You have to warm up your computer first with Facebook and Gmail before it can do anything else... Yes, Pintrest helps too."

Stop VII: Cupcakes Actually

I am fallen lamentably behind in the grand cupcake tour.  Stop VII at Cupcakes Actually happened longer ago than I would care to admit.  Cupcakes Actually is a tiny little cupcakery (smaller than Alexandria Cupcakes) in the middle of Fairfax Corner, so basically in the heart of Yuppie-ville.  We came in after a day of shopping, which tends to put me in a bad mood.  (Why do I go shopping if it puts me in a bad mood, you ask.  I recently asked myself the same question and gave up shopping malls.)

The girl behind the counter looked like she was having a bad day and I wanted to make her smile.  So I made a joke about her apron, which she appreciated.  Then I ordered the Italian Stallion, a cannoli cupcake.  My mother and sister did the same, and Larry's mom got peanut butter.  The cake itself was merely okay, but when the combined experience of it with cannoli cream (is there a name for that?) and almond frosting, bumped it up significantly.  Not enough to bring it up to par with some of the other places we've been, but definitely up, and I appreciated the way they played with combining flavors.

Like Alexandria Cupcakes, this place serves primarily as a take-out place and had limited seating. We had to sit outside and pray the rain held off, and even outdoor seating was limited.  I had a tough time deciding stars for this one, but I ended up with a 3.5 of 5 stars: they lost a fraction of a star for their prices: higher and not worth the difference.

Larry's mom gave them an even lower ranking: 2.5 of 5 stars.

Cupcake Actually in Fairfax Corner:

I had the Peanut Butter/Chocolate cupcake.
The cake was basic chocolate
The frosting was a bit of a surprise. The shiny chocolate was tasty w/the PB right under it like a layer instead of mixed into the frosting as others had done.
The shop was small so we sat at a small outside table. It seemed like it was more of a take out place. We were the only customers I saw come & go when we were near the store.
The clerk was friendly.
The price was high. The cupcakes ran from $3.25 - $4.00. Mine was $3.75 & I didn't feel it was worth it.
I wouldn't go out of my way to return here despite the clever, cutesy names. I think the Cannoli filling w/almond frosting may have been better.

Day-Maker #70

The NBC newscaster, after a commercial break, declared: "We're back, though that would appear evident." Thank you, Bob Costas, for noticing this little unnecessary moment of life!

Day-Maker #69

We ate lunch at Austin Grill, a little Tex-Mex place we stumbled upon in a shopping center between church and home. Our waitress brought a dessert menu we couldn’t turn away – photos of the food on a View-Master.

Psychedelic Mary and the Washtub Bass

It sounds almost like it could be a band name, right?  Other then, what would that band play?  Please ponder and comment.

Believe it or not, I discovered both in the same house on the night of the Gorilla Challenge.  The boy and I went to a coffee house later that day.  A group of Catholic men have a house next door to a convent of cloistered nuns in the city.  (Yes, this exists.  Tell me you are as excited as I am.)  This group of guys is musically inclined and at semi-regular intervals will set up a coffee house in their front parlor (er, living room?), where awesome and talented people gather to share their musical gifts.

As I stood taking in my surroundings and trying not to be overwhelmed by the excess of new places and people, I noticed Our Lady of Guadalupe hanging in a corner.  Her sunbeams were neon beams streaming out from behind her to meet a rotating circle of neon light.  From this auspicious beginning, the boy pointed out to me a conglomeration of religious images such as St. Brigid’s lake of beer, along with a few other essential pieces, such as a large cardboard cutout of Homer (Simpson) and a tiny figurine of Tinkerbell. 

In case you were wondering how the night could get better than that, the entertainment impressed me from start to finish.  We heard everything from a song mocking short people (possibly my new favorite song) to a capella Irish ballads.  Joni Mitchell made an appearance, along with Sarah McLachlan.

The last act of the night stole the show.  Just as I was telling the boy that I was falling asleep and we should go, a group of people began pulling out instruments – a guitar, a banjo, an accordion, and a washtub bass.  How could we possibly go before hearing them play?  Yes, they were every bit as awesome as your mental picture and more. 

In Which Two Guys Chase Down a Gorilla

When Larry sent me a Groupon link to the Gorilla Challenge, I thought, Why not? without really considering what I was getting myself into. I only began to realize a couple weeks later, when we registered and he informed me we were entering the costume contest.

The Gorilla Challenge is a scavenger hunt race. This particular one, being in DC, would take us running through the city, following clues, to take ridiculous pictures in classic DC places. Larry recruited another of our cousins and a girl from a running club, while I recruited a boy.

We settled on ’80s costumes, which made me freak out immediately. 1980s, according to every source on Google, meant bright colors and outrageous accessories… pretty much the opposite of my normal, understated fashion choices. However, I raided my little sister’s wardrobe to come up with something I found decently acceptable, although embarrassing for the Metro ride. I felt better when a random stranger turned to his friend and said, “See what she’s wearing? That’s what you should have done!”

We started in the middle of the city and followed clues that made us hug trees outside of the EPA and build a human pyramid on brick. (I got to be on top, so this was less painful for me than other members of our team.) We sang to random strangers and danced the YMCA in a city park.

In addition to the scavenger hunt, a man in a gorilla mask roamed the city and if we caught him, we got a prize. So of course the male-folk on the team wanted nothing more than to catch this gorilla-man. They spotted him at the same time another team did. As we watched, the gorilla ran from the other team and our guys sprinted at a diagonal toward him – intercepting him midflight. We got a gift card toward lunch.

That was our sole prize of the day; we didn’t place in the race. However, we acquired some excellent photos and had an excellent time. And I learned that with enough hairspray and three strong hair ties, my hair will stay in a high ponytail for several hours of running.

Ye Old Citty

On Friday my parents and sister and I took a trip to Historic St. Mary's City in Maryland.  The tiny recreation marks the first English settlement in Maryland and the first place in the nation to establish freedom of religion -- interestingly, termed "freedom of conscience."  If it weren't so far in the middle of nowhere, it would be an excellently symbolic place for our current fight for that same freedom.

The recreation was small -- only a few buildings, a handful of re-enactors, and a boat -- but everyone there was eager to talk to us about history and culture.  The place wasn't crowded either, so each place we stopped, we had extended conversations.  My mom was interested because we have old relatives who lived there; I was interested because culture fascinates me; and my dad was interested because he likes to talk to people.  Between the three of us, we talked a lot and my sister got to sit back and listen.

Besides the main settlement, there is a tobacco plantation that, like Williamsburg, takes visitors back in time.  We chatted with an indentured servant who was very fluent in her assumed accent and diction, which impressed me, and wandered through the herb garden, increasing my desire to have a beautiful, useful garden of my own.

Some fun facts:  

*During their first year, the settlers lived with the Yaocomaco clan, side by side with them in their dwellings.  Eventually, each moved on from the area without violence.

*Maryland started with a guarantee of religious freedom, but later Catholicism was outlawed in that colony as well.  We never learned that second bit in history class.

*Margaret Brent, who is a distant cousin of mine, was fighting for women to have the vote way back in the 1600s.  

Day-Maker #68

On my early morning run, I encountered a mother walking with her three children.  One of them, lagging behind her mother and siblings, clenching a baggie of Cheerios, was decked out in a Batman costume, complete with a cape.

I don't know who that child was, but she has the best method of dealing with being up at 7am: Be Batman.

Matthew 5:15

I'm not sure I am making a wise choice, but here is the link to a talk I gave at the local young adult group.  The recording also include Father's comments and some group discussion.  The topic: Maintaining the Spiritual Life during Times of Transition.  Thanks to my wonderful sister for her input and all my many CCMers who helped me learn.

And While We're Into Feminism...

I found this on Julia's tumblr.... Enjoy!

Feminism and Femininity

Not terribly long ago, there was an internet hype about this article by Anne-Marie Slaughter of Princeton University.  I think I promised to blog about it.  The article is titled "Why Women Still Can't Have It All."  I took a while to get around to reading it, assuming it was just another feminist rant that might be true but missed the point and offered no realistic solutions.

Instead, Slaughter offers something new to the debate surround the work-family conflict.  She legitimizes women who feel this conflict deeply.  It is very rare to find an academic woman who states, "Women can't have it all."

Like the young women Slaughter brings up in her article, I find great relief in a woman of her position admitting it.  I am currently not balancing work and family, but I spend perhaps too much mental energy figuring out how I might be able to achieve that balance.

Not only does Slaughter admit the problem, but she sees it manifesting differently in men and women --and admits that this is okay.  Women not only seem to feel the separation from their families due to work differently than men do, but they also react differently.  Rather than suggesting that the two genders try to equalize their feelings, she suggests ways to keep women in the working world.

I don't necessarily agree with all the solutions Slaughter offers (longer school days would mean more institutional parenting and less parent parenting), but I am glad to see this piece entering the academic conversation.  I keep searching the Christian side of things to find the joining point between feminism and femininity, but maybe I should be scouring social sciences as well.

Close to Home: Confections

Cupcake Heaven has a rival!  Confections, a small cupcakery that started as a home-business and has grown, impressed us during the heat wave.  My mother and sister joined Larry's mom and me on this stop.  Actually, they are basically part of the tour now (although neither has provided reviews in writing) since my mom is out of school for the summer and my sister is back from Francophone adventures.

We came on a day of high heat and humidity and, after walking in, wished we had joined the patrons who brought iced coffee from Starbucks to enjoy with our sugary deliciousness.  The selection of drinks was narrow, which I would not have minded, except that I waited fifteen minutes for a cup of tea that was heated in the microwave.  The cashier was friendly and apologetic however.


After Cupcake Heaven, Confections had the largest shop of the tour, and they obviously expect people to sit and enjoy.  They had cute tables and Top 40 music and big windows and a little old grandma who mixed cupcakes as we ate them.  I think she was the secret weapon of Confections. 


Whatever the secret weapon, it worked!  I ate a salted caramel pretzel cupcake.  I don't know who thought of such a thing, but that person is a genius.  The caramel cake by itself was so-so, but it had a salted buttercream frosting and when their power combined, that effect was one of the most surprisingly yummy things I've eaten.  It came topped with a chocolate covered pretzel, so it even satisfied the not-at-all-hidden chocoholic in me. 


I give them a 5 of 5 stars.  The grandmother bumped them into the extra-credit zone that Cupcake Heaven occupies, but the slow tea brought them back down.  Not too far though.


Here is Larry's mom's review.  Normally I paste them in exactly as she sends them to me, but this one is edited with the proper pricing, which she was unsure of when she wrote the review.


Confections Cupcakery in Manassas/borders Woodbridge:

4 1/2 overall
I had the Pink Champagne cupcake which was different w/a slight taste of champagne in the frosting.
The cake was moist but plain vanilla.
The frosting was what made this cupcake. Pretty in pink, hint of champagne & not too sweet or greasy.
They had a nice variety of cupcakes & some pop-cakes. You could watch them make up the sweets as you relax in the well lit, spaciousness of the shop. You could also enjoy sitting at one of the tables outside on a nice day.
Drinks were limited. One could just cross the street to get Starbucks one & then sit outside either place.
The shop was clean, constantly busy which bodes well for the place, as well as in a very good location.
The price was reasonable ($2.50) & the size average.
I would return to & try another flavor.

Resistance and Martyrdom

I've struggled for a while with the Church's teaching on self-defense -- and just war since the two are linked.  I'm not sure how a religion that values martyrdom and eschews violence can come up with a theory that allows the killing of people.  I know they are not "innocent people," but my Church teaches love for the bad as much as the good and that none of us are innocent.

With this mindset, I found myself nodding in agreement when I read this post on lethal resistance, written by an atheist blogger who recently made waves by announcing her conversion to Catholicism.  Her basic point is that lethal resistance has no redemptive value for either soul involved.

My assumption here is that I need to read more Aquinas, not that the Church is wrong.  If any of my faithful readers want to recommend a good read on this topic, please send it my way!

Virile Agitur

I have a secret love for the website The Art of Manliness.  It consists of posts addressing how to -- you guessed it -- be a man.  Not that I am secretly trying to be a man; it just has a lot of good life advice, either that I want my male friends to take or that applies to all who seek a virtuous life.  It stopped being secret approximately now because of this post that falls into the latter category.

The post is about how to feel like a man: by acting like a man.  Substitute "man" and "manliness" for whatever virtue you seek, and it's a pretty good map for how to become whomever you want to be.

Latchkey Kids and Time to Shower

When I was in undergrad and it got to be crunch time for exams and papers, or retreats and SFL events, I used to turn to Wendy and say, "I can do without sleep.  But you know it's bad when you don't have time to eat, pee, or shower."  (That might be the crassest language my mother has heard me use.  Sorry, Mom; be assured it's just about as crass as I get.)

At the College, being busy was a badge of pride.  I don't remember ever comparing GPAs  (I only looked at mine when I update my resume), but we compared how much or how little we slept, the tiny amount of free time we had in a week, the number of overlapping and conflicting events each day.  It was a strange, twisted form of competition:  whoever is the least healthy wins.  I still, unfortunately, take a twisted bit of pride in often winning.

Busted Halo had an article that referenced a Times blog about the cult of busyness in our society.  Tim Kreider, who wrote the Times piece, refers himself as part of the latchkey generation, who grew up roaming wild after school, rather than jumping from activity to activity.

I'm not sure if I count as a latchkey kid, since my mother's work schedule changed throughout my school career and I was rarely home alone for hours.  However, I related to Kreider's description of his childhood activities: "everything from surfing the World Book Encyclopedia to making animated films to getting together with friends in the woods to chuck dirt clods directly into one another’s eyes, all of which provided me with important skills and insights that remain valuable to this day."

Our Encyclopedias were not World Book, we wrote stories instead of animating films, and we  tended to make homes under bushes rather than through dirt (the females were dominant in that group).  I too learned valuable life-lessons that I am rediscovering now that I have stepped back from the life Kreider describes.  (Not as dramatically as he has, but still back.)

I am discovering silence.  The Busted Halo writer, Phil Fox Rose, mentions this aspect that Kreider doesn't cover.  I could go on about silence, but as others already have, I will stop chattering at you and let you get to reading these two pieces and clicking the links in the Busted Halo post.

Sugar Buzz: Cupcakes and Cannoli

My own mother and Wendy joined Larry's mom and me for the most recent stop on the cupcake tour. We went to Sugar Buzz, a cute cupcakery and coffee shop in historic Occoquan.  I had done a reconnaissance mission a few weeks ago, and the owner told me they are "the anti-Starbucks." 

[Side Note: I love local coffee shops.  Little, non-chain places where you order in English and can sit for hours with a book or computer and secretly people watch.  In case you haven't figured it out, I am like the uncool cousin of a hipster.  We are vaguely related and have some similar tendencies, but clearly do not have all of the same genes.  (I have lots of real cousins, some of whom are "cool."  None, as far as I know, are hipsters.)]

Larry's mom and I got cupcakes and iced coffee.  The presentation was by far the least impressive we've seen: simple frosting and a few sugary sprinkles.  I think I've made prettier cupcakes.  However, the chocolate and white frosting on the marble cupcake called to me, so I chose it.  This was a mistake on my part.  I don't like marble cake.  Marble cake takes two elements that stand well on their own and mixes them into a grayness of appearance and taste.  That being said, the frosting upon which I based my decision was perfect and the Boston-cream filling in the center made me savor every bite.  The cake was dense, which I like best, but marbled.  Which you only expect when you order a marble cupcake.

Wendy went for a cannoli instead of a cupcake, and it satisfied her Italian taste buds.  They apparently buy the shells and make the filling.  The girl behind the counter made her first cannoli for Wendy.  By this and by her difficulty making change, I am guessing she was new.  In spite of slow cannoli and problematic mathematics, the service was lovely: both she and the owner were friendly, helpful, and talkative and helped accommodate a party of four, which seemed to be larger than they expected.

My main complaint about Sugar Buzz is that it is only open Thursday through Sunday.  Their iced coffee was yummy and I would love to become a regular to do schoolwork there.  Alas, I need a coffee shop for Monday through Wednesday.

Overall, I give Sugar Buzz a 4.5 of 5 stars.  You might not believe it based on the review below, but Larry's mom and I do review these places separately.

Rating 4 1/2
I would return because the cupcakes were good, it's close by & the owner/employees were friendly & helpful.
Price - average low @ $2.50 (was this right?).
The drinks were priced a bit high & OK. They did have bottle water sodas, fresh teas & decent coffee.
Variety small but decent.
Shop small but comfortable. It would be nice to sit outside on nice days.
Its hours are limited to Thurs - Sun.
The frosting amount, texture & sweetness were just right, not too greasy.
There could have been a little more filling on the inside. I had the boston cream. I was afraid of it being too donutnutty but it was light. Some of the cupcakes were made from pound cake instead of regular cake like mine was.
The company I was with was very good.

In Defense of Doubting Thomas

Happy Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle!  He has a rather negative reputation, since he is best known as "doubting Thomas."  If you don't know his story, he was absent when Jesus first appeared to the Apostles after the Resurrection.  He didn't believe that they had seen Jesus and told the others, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."  The next week, Jesus came back and allowed Thomas to put his hands in His wounds.

Thomas may have doubted, but he got to place his hands into the wounds that saved him.  Although Jesus tells Thomas, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe!" I am filled with awe at the thought of the immense privilege Thomas had.  I have been contemplating the wounds of Christ lately, so this awe is part of an on-going wonderment.

Thomas experiences this wonderment.  When he touches Jesus, he doesn't say, "I was wrong!" or "Sorry I didn't believe you, guys!"  He exclaims with awe and reverence, "My Lord and my God!" immediately worshiping his Redeemer.

Stop IV: Georgetown Cupcake

Although it's not in Virginia, we could not turn down the opportunity to visit Georgetown Cupcake for the tour when we passed by.  It's famous (apparently on TV?) and thus constantly busy.  It's a cute shop on a street corner in a cute town.  The day we visited, it was full of Girl Scouts, but I don't think that's an every day occurrence.  However, I think the stream of customers that created a line out of the shop was a constant, including the employee at the door handing out menus and regulating admittance to the indoors.  I'm pretty sure he was responsible for creating a line on the sidewalk to make it look like an awesome place to be.  Neither he nor any of the other employees seemed excited to be there.  For all the shop knew it was awesome, it didn't make anyone who worked there happy.

On the upside, the cupcake element was awesome.  They offer a variety of flavors that rotate throughout the weeks, months, and seasons.  They are decorated gorgeously -- I'm glad I chose based on the menu rather than appearances, or else I would not have been able to decide.  I had an Earl Grey Lavender cupcake.  The cake tasted amazingly like earl grey tea (my favorite!), complemented by a delicate lavender icing.  Whoever thought of that combination was a genius.


If I were rating just on the cupcake, they would have a higher ranking, but since I include the entire cupcake experience, they get a 4 of 5 stars.  I would enjoy going back to try some of the other specialty flavors.

Larry's mom gave the same rating:

Rate 4 stars - a little too much peanut butter to taste the cake, what I could taste was light & delicious & not overly sweet.

Shop - hard to tell sense they run off their TV reputation. It seemed quaint, but assembly line w/no personally. If you want to just get a cupcake & go, this is your place.

Size - average small

Price - Average.

Elsewhere in the World

I wrote for the Catholics on Call website again.  You can read the reflection here.  It's not my best ever, but it's about Jesus!

My Demure Feminist

From the hype about American nuns to a recent article about the work-family balance (more on both of those later), my inner feminist has been getting a lot of exercise lately.  I stumbled across this gem at Busted Halo this morning.  The author, Vanessa Gonzalez Kraft, contributes thoughtful, well-written pieces to Busted Halo, so while I sometimes disagree with her, I respect her (and actually read her pieces).


This time, I think Kraft hits something very true and not often discussed.  She writes about a shy smile and sweet look she used to avoid criticism in art class and generalizes this strategy to strong women who appear "precious" -- sweet and crushable -- as a method of downplaying their own strength.  I recognized myself in the description.  


When I moved up to Steubenville l last August, I tried to moderate my intense personality.  I smiled sweetly, sat quietly, and commiserated with confused students.  At that point, I was trying to figure out if I could change to become that quieter girl.  By second semester, I knew I was not happy with that change, so I re-embraced my bolder self.  


However, my "precious" avatar did not die.  She still makes appearances to disguise to bold Beth.  Like Kraft's soft-spoken self, she hides my true gifts when I am reluctant to show them.  I can get on the "Stop being precious" bandwagon.

Day-Maker #67

Friday discoveries:

*A book written about me called How to Hug a Porcupine.  (I tried to find it online, but the one that came up doesn't look like the same book.)

*Politically themed wine.  Only in the DC metro area would you find such a thing.

*A restaurant/pub called Bilbo Baggins -- how did I not know this existed?

Semina Verbi Extra Ecclesiam

I realized in writing about hipsters and Catholics (see my previous post) that I never posted my findings from my research papers this past semester.  I kind of want to post the 17 page papers here, but I'm fairly certain that no one would read them.  So instead I will do my best to summarize some of what I found.  I am going to address first my paper for Theological Foundations. Probably half of this post about the paper will be explaining the premise of the paper.

One day in class, Dr. Sirilla took a tangent (tightly related to the class actually) to mention that the Fathers of the Church talked about the semina Verbi, or seeds of the Word, found in pagan culture -- that something of goodness and truth existed among the pagans.  My mind took off running with all the implications of this idea and before class was over (I don't have very good notes for that day, other than tangents to investigate further) I had connected it to another idea that intrigued me: the statement of the Council of Trent extra ecclesiam nulla salus, outside of the Church there is no salvation.  What were seeds of the Word doing among pagans if there was no salvation outside the Church?  What exactly were these seeds?  How do they relate to the Church's belief that people with invincible ignorance of the Gospel can still be saved?

That last question especially tugged at me, and after talking to Dr. Sirilla, I decided to start investigations there.  He directed me to a couple passages from encyclicals and conciliar documents that dealt with that question.  My paper was a literature review, which meant the assignment read: Read ALL THE THINGS ever written about your topic.  I tried to construct my topic as narrowly as possible while still giving myself enough room that someone had written about it: How do Catholic thinkers, post Vatican II, relate the idea of the semina verbi to the soteriological value (i.e. their power to save) of non-Christian religions?  I excluded Judaism and Islam from my reading, because both of them explicitly acknowledge the same God Christianity does.

I found the beginnings of the questions more than the answers in three Vatican II documents: Ad Gentes (On Missionary Activity), Nostrae Aetate (On Other Religions), and Lumen Gentium (On the Church).  Ad Gentes article 11 reads:

[Missionaries] should be familiar with their national and religious traditions and uncover with gladness and respect those seeds of the Word which lie hidden among them… [they] should know and converse with those among whom they live, that through sincere and patient dialogue they themselves might learn of the riches which a generous God has distributed among the nations.  They must at the same time endeavor to illuminate these riches with the light of the Gospel, set them free, and bring them once more under the dominion of God the savior.

Nostrae Aetate article 17 says essentially the same thing, but specifically about institutions/communities with "traditions of asceticism and contemplation."  Lumen Gentium doesn't use the phrase semina Verbi, but rather speaks in article 18 of the good "found sown in the minds and the hearts of men" that are to be "not only preserved from destruction, but are purified, raised up, and perfected for the glory of God, the confusion of the devil, and the happiness of man."  The idea comes up in a few more places without those exact words, but these bits give you a good feel.


As with many other parts and pieces of the Council documents, these phrases have been interpreted in various ways.  Paul VI (I read this great book, Missionary Pope on him) saw these semina as natural elements, the growth of natural law in different cultures.  JPII on the other hand seems to understand them more as supernatural elements present within other religions (see Redemptoris Missio and Crossing the Threshold of Hope).  Among theologians, there is a legitimate debate (albeit with some unorthodox participants) as too exactly how much these seeds contribute to the salvation of those outside the Church.  Are they somehow viae or ways to God or are they preparatio evangelii, preparation for the Gospel?  (Orthodox people tend more toward the latter, but the dialogue continues.)  The bottom line is that Jesus is the one Savior and the Church the ordinary means to salvation, but debate rages around the meaning of these terms and phrases.


I didn't read nearly enough to know nearly enough to contribute to the debate.  I have hunches about where I fall in the discussion, but I have a lot  more reading to do before I say anything with any confidence.  Other than that it is possible that hipsters have semina verbi strewn in their culture.