Random Dots of Wednesday

• I preached at Community Eucharist at the seminary. I used the Sunday sermon, and it was well-received. Some of our new students were there. It's hard to imagine seminary without last year's seniors. Another year and we will be the ghosts in the machine.

• We took both cats to the vet's this morning. One will have to go back on Friday to have a broken tooth extracted. Major $$$ today, more major $$$ on Friday. Gulp.

• The sermon for this Sunday is just not happening yet. I'm going to have to get serious about it tomorrow. Elijah in the cave, to be preached to a congregation that is seriously committed to social justice ministry. I'm thinking about how even the most committed prophets get tired and go hide in their caves, especially when society attacks them for their prophetic words. Any ideas, folks?

• The weight loss isn't happening either. I had such grand plans at the beginning of the summer, and now we're in August and I weigh more than when I started. I feel like a human dumpling.

Vacation cannot come too soon. I need to be out of town for a few days to decompress.

Blah

For some reason, I'm not feeling very energetic today. I'll have Thursday through Saturday off for the 4th of July, so I should be feeling more lively, but today just isn't that day.

I stayed up late finishing the new Elizabeth George novel, "Careless in Red." It's the latest in her Inspector Lynley series. I recommend it highly. The Lynleys are not a book series - they're an addiction. Anyway, staying up late reading it has taken my edge off, I think.

PH is having The Medical Test That Shall Not Be Named today. He was up as late as me drinking the prep stuff and dealing with the results. I think he got some sleep, but I decided I would sleep in the spare bedroom in case he was up and about every hour. It turned out to be a wise choice.

I've been walking several mornings a week with a friend who is the wife of a classmate. We both have weight to lose and could use the exercise. Why is it so much easier to keep to a walking routine when you've got a walking buddy? One would think that I, as an introvert, would prefer doing it alone, but it does seem to make a difference. We've been doing 2.5-3 miles each time we go out. Not quite as energetic as PH's 3000+ mile ride across America, but it will do for me. The weight loss is stalled and I'm hoping this will start it up again.

Plans for the 4th: a BBQ at PH's colleague's house, an organ concert and dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence at a historic church nearby (we have many historic churches...some even use the word in their web addresses). Chilling out. Going to the Farmer's Market. Sleeping.

It's all good.

Saturday Random Dots

• After last week's great big drop in weight, I'm up almost a pound at Fat Club. Sigh. I know this is the way it goes sometimes, but...

• 2nd Stepson turned 31 yesterday. It seems like only yesterday he was five years old (when I first met him). He was cute then, and he's still cute today. Happy Bday, B.

• Stonemason requested a replacement engine for his mini-bike for his 22nd bday, in two weeks. They may be chronologically adult, but there's a still a little bit of little boy in all of them. Thank goodness, I think.

• Today is a busy day. I went to Fat Club, came home to do a very light workout on the elliptical, and will leave soon to do icon-writing, then out to Saint Middle School for our Saturday Night Contemporary Service. It feels good to be getting back into the swing of things, although I still get tired. Yes, I'm being careful.

• This week will be rock-'em sock-'em. As with all folks in the religion business, this is our busiest week of the year. Tenebrae on Tuesday, Maundy Thursday service, Good Friday Service, sunrise service on Easter morning, later service, Easter egg hunt, potluck brunch...thank goodness there's no school. Somehow I think I'll be relying heavily on Trader Joe's prepared foods rather than cooking this week. No time to do ANYTHING domestic (which is why I'm doing wash today and sorta giving up for the next eight days. I think I've got enough clean clothes...

• The cats are very grateful that I have made it easier for them to get their daily supply of water by leaving a cup of water at my bedside. The cup is just big enough to get a paw into. They are also grateful that I left out my meds, which roll very amusingly across the nighttable when batted by a paw.

Friday Five: Time and Transitions

1. If you could travel to any historical time period, which would it be, and why?

Venice in the time of Vivaldi (early 1700s). It would be interesting to see one of my favorite cities and hear the first performances of one of my favorite composers, the Red Priest.

2. What futuristic/science fiction development would you most like to see?

Clean air, clean water, food for all, nonpolluting transportation.

3. Which do you enjoy more: remembering the past, or dreaming for the future?

Definitely the future. I love possibilities.

4. What do you find most memorable about this year's Lent?

Participating in the Holy Week activities as a seminarian - very different from behind the altar.

5. How will you spend your time during this upcoming Holy Week? What part do you look forward to most?

As usual, I'll be assisting at the Palm Sunday service. I'll be singing in a Tenebrae Service on Tuesday, assisting in footwashing at the Maundy Thursday service, assisting at the Good Friday evening service. I'll be "off-duty" on Saturday, then helping with the whole wild Easter Sunday celebration, from the Eucharist to the Easter Egg Hunt. I think I'm looking forward to helping with the footwashing the most, because it feels like such a "first" for me.

After all these years of cooking Easter Sunday dinners, I think I'll be doing something very simple since it's just PH and me this year. Maybe I'll have him grill some lamb. No, I won't be eating chocolate bunnies. Too many Fat Club points....