In another fine example of "piling on", 4 new lawsuits were filed against the Diocese of Tucson. The lawsuits claim sexual abuse by priests and were filed in California since that state has changed its laws (in a flagrantly unconstitutional way) to retroactively change the statute of limitations on such cases.

I guess I'd be remiss if I didn't point out the UA Wildcats got the stuffing beat out of them by WSU, 30-7. Still, by all accounts (the game was an away game and wasn't televised) the Cats played better and were more competitive. It's hard to be a Wildcat fan in times like these. Star columnist Greg Hansen says the Cats took a few steps forward.

Last night I went to see Lost In Translation, the new Bill Murray movie, with my friend Amber Lee (she's a big Bill Murray fan). I believe it's gotten somewhat mixed reviews, but I really enjoyed it. First of all I found the views of Tokyo to be really interesting. I've never been to Tokyo, and other than maybe a couple of early Bond movies I can't think of any movies I've seen that have been set in Tokyo. It was interesting to see a slice of Tokyo, although I'm sure it's hardly representative.

Warning -- Spoilers! Of course I found Scarlett Johansson riveting. She's a rare type, a pretty actress who's not so pretty as to seem unreal. I think the things I liked most about this movie are precisely what will annoy so many people -- it doesn't go where you'd like it to, or expect it to. Charlotte and Bob are not lovers, but their relationship is the more intimate for that. They respect their wedding vows but still can love each other deeply in a way that isn't seen often. Having been in relationships like that it really resonates with me. I thought it was terrific.

In 1997 the Arizona State Legislature passed a law allowing a tax credit (not a deduction!) for donations to private and parochial schools, so long as certain criteria were met. The tax credit has been pretty popular and has really helped Catholic schools. Of course the ACLU was not happy with this state of affairs, and sought to get the credit thrown out. The Arizona Supreme Court ruled against them, so naturally they went to the feds. The Arizona Daily Star is now reporting that the Supreme Court is going to review a 9th Circuit decision that allowed challenges to the credit. Apparently that's a good thing for supporters of the credit, including yours truly. The Star reports that some 40% of the $25 million donated last year went to the tuition support organizations for the Tucson and Phoenix dioceses.

The US House has once again voted to ban partial-birth abortion. I don't know what the chances are this bill will pass the Senate. President Bush has promised to sign the bill.

Okay, I'm in follower mode. Following the trend at St. Blogs (started by this post by Terry Teachout), here are my 5 books/CDs/works of art I'd have to take if I were leaving for a desert island Right Now:

• CD: Morten Lauridsen's Lux Aeterna as recorded by Pau Salamunovich and the LA Master Chorale
  
• CD: Avril Lavigne's Let Go
  
• Book: John Misha Petkevich's Figure Skating: Championship Techniques
  
• DVD: 1998 Winter Olympics Figure Skating Exhibition. Michelle Kwan... Tara Lipinski.. wow!
  
• CD: The Lane Justus Chorale, Cantoria. It's not because I'm on this CD, it's because it's one of the finest recordings I know.
  

Hey, thanks to Jane from Catholics, Musicians, Students, in that order for posting a comment. Check out her blog, it's way cool.

I've been putting together a private web page for our Ss. Peter and Paul Schola. Since I've blogged our music since I started this blog (August 2002) I was able to get a good snapshot of the music we've done... and while it's good, there's a lot of repetition. That's partly due to our limited rehearsal time and so forth.. still, we need new music. In particular I think we need some good songs for communion. If you have a suggestion for good (preferably Renaissance) motets for communion, please leave a comment or an email.

I had some good news over the weekend. I was cat-sitting for a friend, and while I was over there I used her scale. I'd not weighed myself since May or so -- I used to use the scale at my previous job but since I'd started my new job I'd not weighed myself. The good news is that I now weigh 208! I have lost about 14 lbs. since May, roughly a pound a week or so. This puts my Body Mass Index at 29.8. I have gone from "obese" to "overweight". My goal weight is around 175 - 180 lbs., which besides the fact it's about the high end of 'standard' BMI is also a little less than I weighed in college. I'm hoping that with a continuation of the things I'm doing now I'll get to this weight next spring.

This is good -- in case you ever needed the directions! (Thanks to Mark Shea for the link)

Yesterday afternoon I went to the Tucson Film Society's fundraiser, the West Side Story Sing-Along. This was a really fun event! There was a costume contest, and some introductory "study hall", followed by the movie itself. Each song in the movie had the lyrics subtitled for easy follow-along, and the audience dutifully sang along, snapped their fingers, hissed Officer Krupke, and generally had a terrific time. This is the second one of these TFS has done (the first was "Sound of Music"), but the first I had been able to attend. The next one is going to be "Wizard of Oz" sometime later in the fall.

Mackovic Fired

Wow! UA football coach John Mackovic has been fired. I must confess that despite all the rumors and so forth I'm really surprised that they would do this. While his tenure has been stormy to say the least, I really thought they would give him until the end of the season.

Saturday night I went to the UA football game against TCU. The Wildcats lost in overtime, 13-10. The game started very inauspiciously with an interception thrown on the very first play by the new freshman quartrback. Still, it was a much closer game than the blowouts we've witnessed in the last several weeks. Greg Hansen's column in the Star is excellent as always:

In any other year, involving any UA football team of the last 20 years, Saturday's 13-10 overtime loss to TCU would have created a weeklong crisis.

Instead, it was a reminder of why we care: a one-night seminar on why college football is so much fun. Oh, what Tucsonans would give to have a chance to win every week the way the Wildcats had a chance to win Saturday.

The losers played like winners.

Indeed. While it was saddening to lose a game they fought so hard, I was really proud of the team. They fought hard, played as a team, and they didn't give up. All this in spite of an atmosphere where fans are calling for Mackovic to be fired.

It was a great game.

It's been a busy, but fun weekend. Friday night I went to see my coworker Evan's improv group, Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed, with my friend Amber Lee. The performance was about an hour and was a lot of fun. Of course like all improv some things work better than others, but all in all it was a very enjoyable experience.

While we were there we bumped into a woman I went to high school with. It turns out her husband is a member of the troupe. Proving that Tucson is a pretty small place after all, the friends they were sitting with included a guy I used to work with back at Artisoft. He is now working with the founder of Artisoft (Jack Schoof) at NetMedia. Like I said, it's a small place sometimes.

For some reason there is no new Friday Five this week. However, since I forgot to do them last week, here they are a week late:

1. Who is your favorite singer/musician? Why?

Wow, that's hard. Among "professionals" it's probably either Rain Perry or Suzanne Vega, I really admire and respect them both a great deal. Among the amateurs it's probably my friends Maria and Amber Lee.

2. What one singer/musician can you not stand? Why?

That's hard to say. I abhor rap so basically any rapper.

3. If your favorite singer wasn't in the music business, do you think you would still like him/her as a person?

Yes.

4. Have you been to any concerts? If yes, who put on the best show?

Most of the concerts I attend are classical music concerts, that are concerts and not shows.

5. What are your thoughts on downloading free music online vs. purchasing albums? Do you feel the RIAA is right in its pursuit to stop people from downloading free music?

Well, of course they aren't downloading 'free' music, are they? They are downloading pirated music. If the artists in question wanted to release their work for free they would do so, so the RIAA undoubtedly has the right to do what they are doing. That said, I don't think it's a wise course of action for them to pursue, nor is it likely to be effective in the long run. They would make better use of their time and money to find ways to sell music online legally but inexpensively.

Check out Steve Greydanus's review of the upcoming film Luther. While he's not down on the film entirely, he does say:

...Luther is also a seriously flawed film. Relentlessly hagiographical in its depiction of Luther and one-sidedly positive in its view of the Reformation, the film also distorts Catholic theology and significant matters of historical fact, consistently skewing its portrayal to put Luther in the best possible light while making his opponents seem as unreasonable as possible.

Grr! Eric Johnson on Catholic Light (an otherwise excellent blog) wrote:

I'd have a lot more tolerance for the man if he talked about the injustice of abortion instead of his boutique moral concerns like the School of the Americas, or running interference for Marxist thugs like the Sandinistas. He prattles on and on about the poor, but in this country at least, the "root cause" of most poverty is bad morals: infidelity leading to divorce, illegitimacy, drug and alcohol addictions, etc.

My quarrel is with the last statement. In a comment, I replied, somewhat heatedly:

"Eric, if you really believe that addictions are caused by bad morals then you are a fool. I'm sorry to sound so harsh, but it's true."

To which he replied:

"Gordon, you have an erratic history when it comes to the quality of your posts.

I do think there is a moral component to addictions. Each addict differs in culpability -- some people are more prone to them than others, as medical science has pretty well established. Some are barely culpable. In the later stages of addiction, the addict's will is probably so hollowed out that to say he "chooses" to persist in his behavior may be an exaggeration.

But there is always the element of free will in any action, however small it might be. Addictions aren't like breathing or heartbeats. They do require some kind of cooperation with the soul. If the person chooses the wrong thing, that's a moral problem.

So yeah, I'll stand by my statement. In closing: I pity the fool who calls me a fool! "

To which I reply:

I stand by my statement, and I notice that Eric did not actually disagree in his followup. Instead, he sidesteps the issue and talks about a 'moral component to addictions' which is a VERY different point than the one I replied to. It's side-stepping the question.

I did not for a moment say that addicts bear no responsibility for their actions, that there is no culpability. What I take issue with is the notion that Eric evinced in his statement that 'the "root cause" of most poverty is bad morals... drug and alcohol addictions, etc.' Drug and alcohol addictions are most certainly NOT merely "bad morals" and it is, pardon me for saying so, unChristian to suggest that it is. It also does not square with a great deal of real research which shows real causes for addictive personalities. To deny them is, in fact, foolish.

I'll point out in closing that if I have "an erratic history" in posting, to my knowledge it's only in response to you. I have few or no problems with your colleagues at Catholic Light.

Update: Eric has posted a separate entry on this topic. Here's my response from the comments there:

My objection is that morals has absolutely nothing to do with addiction itself. Addiction is a medical condition that is predisposed for in certain individuals, and is morally neutral.

What is NOT morally neutral, and is in fact sinful, is drug or alcohol use by a person who knows himself to be an addict, or to have an addictive personality. Indeed, the CCC reference doesn't refer to addictions at all, but instead to 'abuse'. Of course, I have no quarrel with the CCC so long as one reads what it actually says.

To put it another way, addiction in and of itself is not sinful, just as SSA is not in and of itself sinful. There is no choice involved whatsoever, and therefore no sin. What IS sinful (with varying degrees of culpability) is acting out that addiction. But to simply say that it is "bad morals" is a dismissive way of dealing with people who are often struggling with a horrible, terrifying condition. Having known a few addicts (alcohol and drugs) myself, I can tell you that an atttitude that characterizes them as having bad morals is cruel and, yes, unChristian. I trust that you meant to state your point more finely and don't really intend to say that addiction is "bad morals", but that abuse is "bad morals".

To put it another way, reading the CCC in context would certainly say that gluttony is a sin. By your way of thinking you would claim that obesity is simply "bad morals." It's much more complex than that and you do a disservice to others when you try to reduce it to a simple formula.

I'll duplicate this on my blog."

I stayed home today, feeling sniffly and having a sore throat. I thought it was a cold but the StarNet website says that the fall allergy season has arrived with a vengeance, so maybe it's that. Anyway I wound up sleeping until 3 p.m. which usually means I was definitely sick.

Over the last couple of weeks I've been doing a lot of fiction reading. In particular I've read the first two Harry Potter books, and all 7 of the Chronicles of Narnia. I was struck once again and how profound Lewis's writing is, and how he conveys such important truths in the allegory form. If you've not read them in a while you might consider going through them again; I think I got a lot more out of them the second time.

Music for Mass
SSPP Latin Schola
Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Prelude: Attende, Domine (Pius X #202)
Gathering Song: This Day God Gives Me (BUNESSAN)
Penitential Rite: Kyrie (Chant Mass)
Gloria: (Chant Mass)
Responsorial Psalm: (OCP Respond & Acclaim)
Gospel Acclamation: (Chant Mass w/verse of the day)
Preparation of the Gifts: Locus Iste (Bruckner)
I Have Longed For Thy Saving Health (Byrd)
Holy,Holy: Sanctus (Chant Mass)
Memorial Acclamation: (Chant Mass)
Great Amen: (Chant Mass)
Our Father: (Traditional Chant)
Lamb of God: Agnus Dei (Chant Mass)
Communion: O Salutaris Hostia (St. Gregory Hymnal #226a)
Tantum Ergo (St. Gregory Hymnal #242b)
Recessional: Lord Of All Hopefulness (SLANE)

The misery continues. The UA Wildcats were creamed by Purdue yesterday, 59-7. It's been a miserable season, and the really sad part is it's likely to get worse before it gets better.

Speaking as I was the other day 'bout my alma mater, Amphi High is having an alumni reception at homecoming. Check out AmphiPanthers.com for info!

Prayer request. I talked to my best friend tonight, and her daughter B is ill. She's been having problems walking, and after two MRIs and a bunch of other stuff they think she has some kind of tumor in her back. It's unclear at this time how bad this is and what the treatment options are. Needless to say it's very scary. B is a beautiful child, 13 years old. Please pray for her and for the family. Thanks.

Wow. A heartbreakingly moving post about 9/11 by an expatriate American (thanks to Aristotle Esguerra for the link). It helps if you know Fauré's Cantique de Jean Racine.

I don't know. I know God was there, that day, and is there now. Not because He favors New York City, particularly, but because He is in every city. (Just like the tenor's voice is particularly, heartwrenchingly beautiful in the second syllable of "fidèle," but is beautiful in every syllable.) The important thing is constancy, and perserverance. Not of architecture, but of the soul. Something that underlies the incidents and accidents, the events and anecdotes, something that remains, even through a massacre, beyond the loss of temporal hope, beyond human frailty and meanness and error. Something that knows we are not perfect but striving to give what we can, what we have, and to live with the knowledge that it is sometimes inconsequential, or unrecognized. And that is much of the time.

Another sad and disturbing story. The body of a fetus was found yesterday at a sewage treatment plant. The fetus was 6 inches long, about 20 weeks of gestation.

"You could see it and know it was human," said Fairbanks, who caught a glimpse of the fetus before it was taken to the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner.

Yes, if we could see fetuses we would know they were human, and there would be no such thing as abortion. Or would there? The human heart can be a stony thing.

Update: The Star reports the medical examiner has determined the unborn girl was miscarried.

More woes as the Wildcats get whomped by the Oregon Ducks last night, 48-10. It was just grim. The Wildcats under Mackovic have only won 3 Pac-10 games, a 3-14 record for him. Columnist Greg Hansen puts it bluntly, UA football has reached rock bottom.

As a birthday present to myself, I stayed a night at the Royal Elizabeth Bed & Breakfast in downtown Tucson. This place is just awesome. The house was built in 1878 and has been very lovingly restored. I stayed in Nick Anthony's room. Since I spent a good part of my childhood in older houses (though certainly not this old!) I feel very much at home in them. My room was terrific and the ambience of the house was like a balm. Saturday morning's breakfast was amazing, some kind of fancy pancakes, sausage, fruit, and OJ. There were only 5 people staying there that night and we all had a nice breakfast conversation. It was my first time staying at a B&B but I know I will be back. The Royal Elizabeth is suprisingly affordable. I highly recommend it!

Woo-hoo! My alma mater Amphi High beat CDO 21-17 last night! That's a good feeling!

So I turned 40 today. It was a day with a lot of mixed emotions. In many respects I'm mourning my youth, which I now have to admit is truly gone. I have to say that my capacity for self-pity still can surprise me at times. I've felt a great deal of grief, mourning, loneliness, aridity, and maybe a bit of despair. I look at all the things I don't have and have wanted so much... a wife, children, love.

Perhaps God's particular gift to me is that my birthday now is a day of national mourning. It's hard to allow myself to really get into a pity party when I'm faced so starkly with the realization that for so many this is a day of intense and well-founded grief; that while I face my own loss, others are daily dealing with a real loss so much more intense, deep, and wounding.

There's also the realization that in many ways my life is better than a year ago. A year ago I was unemployed (having been laid off 8/15/02). Now I have a good job, I have lost 25+ lbs. and 4 inches off my waist, I am in better health than ever. Truly I can't complain, God has been very good to me.

Finally, I had many reminders today that I am loved... not perhaps in all the ways I would like to be, but still there are many people who care about me and show me that they do. First of all my family -- all my siblings called me today to wish me happy birthday, as well as my younger niece; my older niece wished me a happy birthday yesterday when I talked to her (9/10 is her birthday). My friends Tom and Amber Lee and Jerry called or wished me the same in person. And I had six birthday cards waiting for me when I came home tonight.

Thank you, God, for the gift of my 40th birthday.

I wanted to ask for a prayer for the repose of the soul of John Badagliacca, and for those who mourn him. I wear a Mercy Band with his name on it. He died in the World Trade center.

There's a lot to say and blog about today... I'll do it in chunks. For starters, some good columns about today's anniversary:

• Rod Dreher's column at NRO from last year.
  
• David Early's column from the SJ Mercury(thanks to ElfGirl for the link!).
  
• The Arizona Daily Star's editorial.
  
• Leonard Pitts Jr., "Dear Osama – You can knock us down, but ..."
  
• Jay Ambrose, "9/11 gives Americans new sense of vigilance"
  
• Suzanne Fields, "Let grief arm the spirit to fight back vs. terror"
  
• My main blog entry re: 9/11 from last year.
  

And, a particularly moving and painful piece, The Falling Man (warning, disturbing image). (Thanks to Mark Shea for the link.)

Help out a good cause! I saw an ad on Blogspot for a volunteer choir for a wedding. If you live near Frederick, MD, you might consider giving 'em a hand. They are not Catholic, but they've chosen some really nice music -- music that ought to be heard on such occasions. Spread the word!

Latin pronunciation questions... My friend Maria called to ask about some Latin pronunciation for the Pachelbel Magnificat that her school choir is doing. While answering them I did a Google search and found a handy pronunciation guide for the Magnificat. In listening to it, though, it occurs to me that I've always tended to pronounce "Magnificat" with a hard "g" even though I would never (for Church Latin) use a hard "g" anywhere else (not for "magnum" or "regnum" for example). Has anyone else noticed this? The aforementioned website doesn't use a hard "g" so I suspect I'm just tending to be wrong.

One of the things I'd hoped for when our new Bishop came to the Diocese of Tucson was more open and active communication. It looks like this is happening! Bishop Kicanas now publishes his Monday Memo on the Diocese of Tucson website. I think it's terrific.

Over at Catholic Light, John Schultz asked about appropriate hymns for All Souls Day, which this year falls on a Sunday. While the Stanford "Justorum Animae" that he mentions IS a wonderful piece (I performed it with the Lane Justus Chorale), perhaps it's not as good for All Souls Day as it is for All Saints. Alas, at my parish we will probably content ourselves with Sine Nomine (For All The Saints) -- which is a good song, to be sure. For All Saints Day I'd tend to look for a wonderful piece like the Bruckner "Os Justi", which, properly performed, should make even the hardest of hearts melt and grown men weep like babies. The translation of Psalm 37:30-31 is:

The mouth of the righteous shall meditate wisdom,
and his tongue shall speak justice.
The Law of his God is in his heart
and his steps shall not falter.
Hallelujah.

There's an excellent recording available from the University of Arizona Symphonic Choir.

President Bush addressed the nation tonight (here's the transcript). I guess the excitement was that he put a price tag on what needs to be done, and not surprisingly it's pretty high. I find it difficult to get excited about; we all knew this would be expensive and difficult, and of course it is. I'm more concerned with achieving the desired results than with how much it's going to cost, although of course I wish it weren't so expensive.

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

This is disturbing. The Arizona Daily Star reports that Al-Quaeda and other terrorists have operated in Tucson at various times in the past. One of those was one of the 9/11 hijackers, who apparently briefly attended The University of Arizona™ in 1991.

I spent my Saturday night watching the UA Wildcats get the living daylights beat out of them by LSU. It was not a pleasant game to watch at all, but I stayed to the end as I always do -- I figure the team doesn't get to leave early, so as a fan I shouldn't either.

I was amused, at least, by the pregame show, where the Pride of Arizona Marching Band marched off (as always) in their (in-?)famous floating block "A". This time besides the block A formed by the band there was a trailing "®". I laughed my head off at this -- UA guards their trademarks religiously, which is why you so often see me refer to it as The University of Arizona™. So the addition of the ® was very funny to me.

Here are my Friday Five:

1. What housekeeping chore(s) do you hate doing the most?

That would be cleaning the bathroom.

2. Are there any that you like or don't mind doing?

I don't mind doing dishes. I do them by hand, and have since I was a kid. I find it relaxing actually.

3. Do you have a routine throughout the week or just clean as it's needed?

Being a bachelor it's what we'd call demand-paged. That is, as absolutely needed.

4. Do you have any odd cleaning/housekeeping quirks or rules?

Not really. My house has a lot of stuff that I need to throw out; I've been in packrat mode and I'm coming out of it now, so there's a lot to do.

5. What was the last thing you cleaned?

I think it was the bathroom sink.

BBC has a report on a new electronic bugle that the US military is rolling out to play at military funerals because there are not enough human buglers to play at all the military funerals these days. The shortage is acute because so many WWII veterans are passing to their reward. There's also an organization called Bugles Across America that is trying to recruit buglers to play for these funerals. If you can bugle, you should consider volunteering -- it would be a great service to our country, and to the families of our veterans.

YACCS is now saying that commenting will probably be down until Monday 9/8 or so. Until then you can always email me (link at right).

The Star has a really cool article about the Rillito "river" (those of you who speak Spanish will get the point), including some nice pictures. If you've never been in Tucson in the summertime, you've never gotten to see these rivers flowing as we residents have. It's an awesome sight.

On the way back from the dentist, I passed a truck with a sticker that said "Our Drivers Test Drug Free". I couldn't help but think how amusing it would be to add an "s" to "drug"...

I had a dentist appointment today, a checkup on my periodontal disease. Fortunately it looks like it is under control and shouldn't be a problem. The dentist and hygienist are both very impressed with my progress and that I've been (*gasp*) actually doing what I was asked to do! Hey, they are my teeth and I want them to be with me till I die!

Frank Deford asks us not to hate Anna Kournikova just because she's beautiful. Hey, I think she's terrific. Okay, as a tennis player she's not the best, but I'm sure she could beat the heck out of me. Of course I'd be a bit distracted :-).

The Arizona Daily Wildcat reports on a police raid that resulted in 57 people being taken to jail. Not surprisingly the underage students are griping that police should have more important things to do than arrest people who've been drinking. Personally I think it's terrific. In a community that's seen some tragic deaths recently due to underage drunk drivers, the more that this sort of thing can be prevented the better off we all are.

While heading to the rink today to skate, I almost had an accident -- the person ahead of me was turning right into Walmart, and I of course was intending to go straight. A person trying to make a left turn coming out of Walmart evidently assumed I was going to make a right turn as well and almost hit me. Fortunately we both jammed on our brakes and I avoided her by 2 or 3 feet. Sheesh.

Here's an article that suggests that men and women really can be "just friends". Speaking as a man with several close female friends (my two closest friends in the world are both female) it's nice to see some affirmation that I'm not insane :-).

Music for Mass
Gordon Zaft and Peter Dodge, cantors
Kathie O'Sullivan, piano
22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

Gathering Song: For The Beauty Of The Earth (DIX)
Penitential Rite: spoken
Gloria: spoken
Responsorial Psalm: (OCP Respond & Acclaim)
Gospel Acclamation: Refrain from Praise His Name (Joncas), verse of the day
Preparation of the Gifts: All Good Gifts (Keil)
Holy,Holy: (Hurd)
Memorial Acclamation: (Hurd)
Great Amen: (Hurd)
Our Father: Yantis
Lamb of God: (Hurd)
Communion: Blest Are They (Haas)
Recessional: I Sing The Mighty Power Of God (ELLACOMBE)

The University of Arizona(tm) Wildcats whomped the UTEP Miners last night 42-7. Fortunately or not, that's about the only "gimmee" on an otherwise tough schedule.

Noted engineer and author Henry Petroski weighs in on NASA's engineering culture. Petroski has written a number of good books and he's a good writer, check it out.

More cool info on food and nutrition -- some nutritionists believe the Glycemic Index is a key factor in blood sugar levels. It raises more questions about the role of carbohydrates in nutrition, and in particular which carbohydrates are "good" and which are "bad". There's also a link to Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load values.

I know you thought I'd forget -- here are my Friday Five:

1. Are you going to school this year?

I am going to skate school, and also I'm taking a 6-week yoga class in about 3 weeks. Beyond that, I have a paper to revise.

2. If yes, where are you going (high school, college, etc.)? If no, when did you graduate?

Skate school at Gateway Ice Center. Yoga class through Pima College. I got my Master's in EE (2001) and my B.S. in computer engineering (1985) from The University of Arizona(tm).

3. What are/were your favorite school subjects?

History, philosophy, science and technology studies (STS).

4. What are/were your least favorite school subjects?

Math and physics. Ironic, no?

5. Have you ever had a favorite teacher? Why was he/she a favorite?

Favorite teachers... hmm. Of course I have to give a shout out to my thesis advisor, Dr. Bernie Zeigler. And my STS mentor, Dr. Jen Croissant. My instructor/coach at Gateway, Glenn, is topnotch too. And of course my very first skate instructor was the lovely Dawn!

Some good reading for today -- check out Lose The Buddha. This is a great blog about health and fitness -- a lot of her struggle sounds reminiscent of others' stories and to some extent my own. Erin is a good writer with a lot of good stuff to say, so check it out.

For all you aviation buffs, here's a piece of history -- the Boeing 707 prototype has been refurbished and sent to the Smithsonian for display. While the 707 was not the first commercial jet airliner (that was the de Havilland Comet), it had a huge impact and became a workhorse of the airline industry for many years. It's cool this piece of history has been saved.

I went with my friend Amber Lee to Steward Observatory last night, to look at Mars. Steward was hosting a public viewing session using their 21-inch telescope. Besides Steward, the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association and the Flandrau Science Center were all hosting viewing with various telescopes (Flandrau's planetarium hosts a 16-inch telescope). We first looked through a smaller (8-inch, I think) telescope and then went to stand in line for the Steward 'scope. We waited almost 2 hours to get to the telescope, but were rewarded with a terrific view. The wait was worth it in part because it was partly cloudy earlier but cleared up before we got to the eyepiece. Anyway, the view was terrific -- Mars was incredibly bright and one could see the ice cap and some other features. A very fun and memorable evening!

As most readers are aware, I'm very interested in transportation and how cities can improve their transportation systems. A CNN report shows how the recent gas crunch spotlighted Phoenix's miserable public transit system. While Tucson's transit system is, I think, much better than Phoenix, it too needs improvement. Tucsonans will be voting on a ballot measure to raise taxes to improve bus service and build a light-rail system.

I meant to blog yesterday about the latest UA news -- some students have filed a lawsuit against The University of Arizona(tm) (and, presumably, the Arizona Board of Regents) because of the 40% tuition increase for this year. The Arizona Daily Star claims they're naive. The basis of the lawsuit is the Arizona Constitution's requirement that the state universities be "as nearly free as possible." Of course the UA student newspaper, the Arizona Daily Wildcat, reports on the issue as well.

Personally, I think the students have a point. The state's level of support for the university system has decreased over the years, and tuition has increased dramatically. When I started at UA as an undergrad in 1981, tuition was something like $530/yr in-state. This year, with the latest increase it's something like $3500/yr. That's a huge increase in 20 years.

Yow! We had a heck of a storm yesterday. Fortunately I missed most of it as I was in Phoenix for work. The scariest is probably the 6 cars that were trapped when live power lines fell on them. Fortunately they all were smart and stayed in their cars until help came.

Okay, I think I have fixed the problem with the comment number not being correct. I guess this has been broken since Blogger did their software update a few weeks ago. Ooops :-(.

I guess we should have seen this coming -- convicted pedophile and former priest John Geoghan has been killed in prison.. It's a sad end to a very sad story.

The lovely Jeanetta has informed me that YACCS (the commenting system) is screwed up on my blog, and even when there are comments it doesn't say so. I suspect it's been broken a while. My apologies, I'll try to get it fixed! In the meantime you could always email me (link at upper right). Thanks J!

Thanks to Mark Shea for this link -- Howard Dean supports legalized euthanasia. How sad to see how far the party that once supported the rights of all now has abandoned the weakest and most defenseless at both ends of life.

HD: I think states have to make up their own mind. It's a very difficult moral problem,. I as a physician would not be comfortable administering lethal drugs, but I think this a very private, personal decision and I think individual physicians and patients have the right to make that private decision. I am very amused by the Right Wing--including the president and administration--who talk about liberty but then decide they're going to scrutinize everyone's behavior and tell them what they can and cannot do. There can't be a much more personal decision an individual makes than how to die and I think that is a personal decision left to individuals, their physicians and families.

My Friday Five:

1. When was the last time you laughed?

Last night, hanging out at 'an establishment' with my friend Amber Lee.

2. Who was the last person you had an argument with?

Hmm. I don't have too many arguments. Probably Amber Lee, or Michele.

3. Who was the last person you emailed?

My friend Tim.

4. When was the last time you bathed?

I showered this morning. If this means taking an actual bath... wow, I don't remember. I rarely take baths anymore, although now that it's mentioned a bubble bath sounds pretty good right now!

5. What was the last thing you ate?

I had some maple & brown sugar oatmeal for breakfast this morning.

Robert Cringely's column this week is about Microsoft and, in passing, an introduction to the Mailinator. The Mailinator is a truly awesome idea -- it's like General Delivery at the post office. Have mail sent to any username you want, and go pick it up later. Of course the problem is that others can read it too. Still, it has a number of uses that could make it a very handy tool in your arsenal.

Happy birthday Tucson! Yep, Tucson celebrated its 228th birthday yesterday. It's nice to remember in our country that tends to think of things in an Anglocentric fashion that this city was founded long before many others in our country.

I didn't mention it yesterday, but at last night's meeting I was elected Vice-Chair of the Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee, a City of Tucson committee that advises the Mayor and Council on transportation issues. I've served on the committee since November of 2000 and with the previous Vice-Chair stepping down and my schedule having cleared up a bit now that I 've finished the Living Stones program, I was glad to be able to pitch in and help in this way. It should be a good experience.

Today's Star has an article about the latest in self-mutilation: suspension. Yep, apparently people pay good money to have hooks inserted into themselves so that they can be strung up by 'em. And you thought tongue-splitting was depraved.... Sheesh.

Wow, this is sad. A 21-year old woman was convicted of burying her newborn baby alive. Of course the ironies abound in this situation -- the woman knew about the "Safe Baby" program where mothers can drop off their healthy newborns for adoption, no questions asked; but she didn't use it. And of course the irony of the statement from the deputy county attorney:

Mayer wondered, "When will people stop making excuses for killing babies?" and said the baby's life was "snuffed out by the selfish and callous actions of the defendant."

Indeed, some of us have been wondering that for a long time. Porzel pleaded guilty to manslaughter and will be sentenced to 5 years.

If you, like many people, wondered (in the aftermath of last week's blackout) why Texas has its own power grid, Slate gives you the answer. In brief it's a combination of dodging Federal regulations and Texas stubborness. Did you know Texas uses more power than any other state (including California!)? It was news to me!

The Star has an article today about my alma mater, Amphitheater High School, and their 2003 football prospects. Coach Friedli has been there for 26 years; my junior year was the last year they won the state football title. It's been a tough ride lately, and the school has just moved down from 5A to 4A due to declining enrollment. Though much has changed, I can still say I'm proud to be an Amphi Panther.

Here's a really cool article from MSNBC on last week's blackout. There are a lot of interesting bootstrapping questions in getting a grid restarted. In some ways it's comparable to getting a new CPU booted with an operating system for the first time. Stories like these remind me of the Stephen King novel, The Stand. The part of the book where the survivors are trying to get the power plants restarted always fascinated me.

The Arizona Daily Star has a nice special section on the Aspen Fire today. It's good coverage of a very sad subject, but thanks be to God no one was injured.

Music for Mass
Gordon Zaft, cantor
Liz Jones, flute
Kyle Frank, piano
20th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Gathering Song: The King of Love My Shepherd Is (ST. COLUMBA)
Penitential Rite: spoken
Gloria: spoken
Responsorial Psalm: (OCP Respond & Acclaim)
Gospel Acclamation: Refrain from Praise His Name (Joncas), verse of the day
Preparation of the Gifts: Servant Song (McGargill)
Holy,Holy: Mass of Creation (Haugen)
Memorial Acclamation: Mass of Creation (Haugen
Great Amen: Mass of Creation (Haugen)
Our Father: Yantis
Lamb of God: Mass of Creation (Haugen)
Communion: This Alone (Manion)
Recessional: I Am The Bread Of Life (Toolan)

Bishop Kicanas was present at this Mass, which usually has no music.

Friday Five:

1. How much time do you spend online each day?

Hmm. That's hard to say. At work I am basically online all the time since I test web-based apps. For personal pleasure, probably 2-3 hours a day.

2. What is your browser homepage set to?

My browser homepage at home is set to this blog. My browser at work is set to an intranet site.

3. Do you use any instant messaging programs? If so, which one(s)?

I have AIM but I'm almost never on.

4. Where was your first webpage located?

My first webpage was either on my old StarNet account or on my University of Arizona(tm) account.

5. How long have you had your current website?

"current website" is hard to define, as I have this blog, my skating blog, and my personal homepage. The oldest is definitely my personal homepage, which has been hosted where it is now for about 3 years, I think.

One year ago today I was laid off from my job at NewMonics. What a year it's been.... out of work for 9 weeks, then a job at TCI Solutions... learning to skate... finishing up my Living Stones program... and finally, a new job at Scientific Technologies. Lots of ups and downs... I'm very grateful for all God has done for me in the past year, and for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin.

Music for Mass
SSPP Latin Schola
Feast of the Assumption of Mary

Prelude: Ave Maria (Victoria)
Gathering Song: Immaculate Mary
Penitential Rite: Kyrie (Chant Mass)
Gloria: (Chant Mass)
Responsorial Psalm: (OCP Respond & Acclaim)
Gospel Acclamation: (Chant Mass w/verse of the day)
Preparation of the Gifts: Alma Redemptoris Mater (Palestrina)
O Sanctissima (St. Gregory Hymnal #206)
Holy,Holy: Sanctus (Chant Mass)
Memorial Acclamation: (Chant Mass)
Great Amen: (Chant Mass)
Our Father: (Traditional Chant)
Lamb of God: Agnus Dei (Chant Mass)
Communion: Servant Song (McGargill)
Recessional: Hail, Holy Queen

We often complain that the bishops aren't teaching, aren't doing their job. Well, here's one who is. Thanks, Bishop Galeone! And thanks to Mark Shea for the link. There's also a cool article on NFP on the St. Augustine diocesan website.

I don't know whether this is insulting or amusing (ElfGirl?), but check out the Hawaiian Pidgin Bible. Thanks to Catholic Light for the link.

If you, like many people, buy and sell things on EBay, you may have received emails like some I've received claiming to be from EBay and asking you to click on a link they provide. Don't do it! In every case I've seen, these are attempts to trick people into revealing their EBay confidential information. Ebay has published information about this problem, and suggests you forward suspicious emails to spoof@ebay.com. Be careful out there!

A belated Friday Five:

1. What's the last place you traveled to, outside your own home state/country?

That would be Dallas, TX from 6/28 to 7/5 of this year, to visit Maria, Rob, Kristen and Bethany.

2. What's the most bizarre/unusual thing that's ever happened to you while traveling?

That would probably be getting stuck at Gitmo for a week when I worked for the Navy. Several of us were finishing up a CSSQT aboard USS Eisenhower (CVN-69), but since the COD plane was broken we missed our flight to Norfolk and wound up in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for about a week until we could get home via Jamaica-->Miami-->LA.

3. If you could take off to anywhere, money and time being no object, where would you go?

I would love to visit all the lower 48 by car, preferably in each season. And of course, Rome, Paris, London... also I have friends in Portugal and Chile I'd love to meet. And Beijing!

4. Do you prefer traveling by plane, train or car?

Mmph. Probably car. I've never traveled any appreciable distance by train. Planes are pretty much a necessity for any long distance but all you ever see is airports.

5. What's the next place on your list to visit?

Hmm. No current travel plans. I'm thinking about trying to organize a family reunion for next summer though, that would probably be in Ann Arbor, MI.

President Bush visited the Tucson area yesterday and made a speech about his Healthy Forests initiative. The Star has a nice online slideshow of his visit. Of course not everyone was glad to see him.

Wow, a great piece by Michael Novak on the controversy over the William Pryor nomination. He's right on. Ellen Goodman wrote a really stupid piece about this last week, claiming that for people to say that the Democratic Senators who are trying to stuff this nomination are anti-Catholic is "chutzpah." I tried to write a response but I was so mad about it I couldn't write anything that sounded reasoned and logical.

Are we to understand the Democrats as asserting that only religious people who have "shallowly held" beliefs are reliable as judges? Will judges of "shallow" beliefs have the courage to override their own feelings in order to apply the law impartially?

Whew! Tucson had a record-setting high of 110 degrees yesterday! That's damn hot! Phoenix was 116...

The Arizona Daily Star published a brief synopsis of letters they received. It's really quite surprising -- they only received 165 letters, and published about a third of them. All the more reason to get off your duff and write when something's important to you.

Happy Blogiversary!

Yep, one year ago today I started this blog and made my first post. I have to say it's been quite a year. I've worked at three different places, finished up my Living Stones program, and began taking skating lessons.

I was thinking the other day that for all my occasional complaining about still being single, being lonely, and whatever other problems I've had, I really am very lucky. I've been very blessed, and while I do think that fairly often I don't express it a lot. I am blessed to have generally good health, family, good friends, a good job. A place to live, food on the table, all the material things I really need. More importantly many spiritual gifts, a wonderful parish, and of course a loving God and Father who gives me many gifts that I don't deserve. I'm very grateful.

So what's to come in the next year of this blog? Who can say? I hope that I'll be able to retain my readers (both of you! :-)) and maybe gain a few; be able to contribute some to the discussions around St. Blog's Parish; and perhaps learn a little about myself in the process. Thanks for your patronage, and I hope you come back often!

Transportation is always an issue in Tucson. Last year we had a failed transportation initiative that the city spent lots of money to promote. Now a citizens group has an initiative on the November ballot to build a light rail system in Tucson, as well as make improvements to the bus system and other improvements. It will be interesting to see how the discussion and debate shape up.

Well, they've gone and done it, the ECUSA has elected a practicing homosexual as a bishop. He's divorced too. So now the ECUSA basically has committed itself to saying homosexual acts are okay, that sex oustside of marriage doesn't matter, and that divorce doesn't matter. In doing so they've pretty much turned their backs on Scripture and the constant practice of Christians since the time of Christ (and the Jews before that). It's a sad day.

There's a big stink brewing over the nomination of William Pryor to be a federal judge. Some ostensibly Catholic members of the Senate are against him, apparently because he actually accepts the teachings of the Church (gasp!) on such things as abortion, euthanasia, and contraception. Check out Hugh Hewitt's article, as well as Archbishop Chaput's column. For the other side check out Ellen Goodman.

According to Senator Durbin (as reported by EWTN), "Many Catholics who oppose abortion personally do not believe the laws of the land should prohibit abortion for all others in extreme cases involving rape, incest and the life and the health of the mother." This kind of propaganda makes the abortion lobby proud, but it should humiliate any serious Catholic. At a minimum, Catholic members of Congress like Senator Durbin should actually read and pray over the "Catechism of the Catholic Church" and the encyclical "Evangelium Vitae" before they explain the Catholic faith to anyone. -- Archbishop Chaput

UA beats ASU, again! Yep, that's right. The University of Arizona(tm) has been awarded its largest grant ever, $325 million to design and build a mission to Mars. Woohoo! UA beat out ASU among others to get this award. This is a very exciting project. UA's press release and info package on the Phoenix mission gives more details.

It's official -- my old company, NewMonics, has been essentially bought-out by Aonix. I say "essentially" because Aonix bought the IP and got (almost all) the employees:

Aonix acquires all of the software assets and intellectual property
rights associated with the PERC platform. PERC, the first Java
offering to provide real-time control, strongly complements the full
range of real-time software solutions Aonix is building. Aonix plans to
integrate hard real-time support into the PERC family, enabling it to
meet the needs of hard real-time and safety-critical applications. To
ensure effective integration of the NewMonics' technology, Aonix has
incorporated all NewMonics' employees into its organization and has
appointed Kelvin Nilsen chief technology officer of Aonix, Tim
Tumilty, vice president of North American sales and Randy Rorden,
vice president of engineering, PERC development.

This is really good news for my friends that are still employed there. I'm really glad they found a buyer.

I forgot to mention that I finished the first Harry Potter book last Thursday. I really enjoyed it. It was an easy read and a lot of fun. Of course, having seen the movie I knew the basic plot. Still, I enjoyed it a lot. I don't have any strong opinions as to "what it all means" or such things. If I had kids, I'd encourage them to read it.

Whee! I went shopping for clothes today, and as I thought, I've dropped another 2 inches off my waist. I'm now wearing jeans in a 34 waist, down from 38 a year ago!

Friday Five:

1. What time do you wake up on weekday mornings?

My nominal time is 8:10. However lately it's been as late as 9:15. Eeep! Fortunately I have some flexibility about my work hours...

2. Do you sleep in on the weekends? How late?

When possible! Ideally on the weekends I'd get up at 10, but if I'm up really late Friday or Saturday night it might be as late as noon.

3. Aside from waking up, what is the first thing you do in the morning?

Get out of bed? Er, after that, it's take the cell phone off the charger, and jump in the shower.

4. How long does it take to get ready for your day?

Without skipping anything, it takes me about 30-35 minutes from out of bed to out the door -- 25 minutes on a good day.

5. When possible, what is your favorite place to go for breakfast?

I almost never go out for breakfast, but when I do it's Frank's restaurant on Pima and Alvernon.

The Anglican church continues its downward slide -- CNN reports that a practicing homosexual has passed the first step toward approval as a "bishop." Meanwhile the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith came out with its long awaited document, Considerations Regarding Proposals To Give Legal Recognition To Unions Between Homosexual Persons.

The Church teaches that respect for homosexual persons cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behaviour or to legal recognition of homosexual unions. The common good requires that laws recognize, promote and protect marriage as the basis of the family, the primary unit of society. Legal recognition of homosexual unions or placing them on the same level as marriage would mean not only the approval of deviant behaviour, with the consequence of making it a model in present-day society, but would also obscure basic values which belong to the common inheritance of humanity. The Church cannot fail to defend these values, for the good of men and women and for the good of society itself.

Update: Check out this article in the Christian Science Monitor on American churches and their differing approaches to homosexual unions. Also check out this article at CNN on reaction by homosexual activists to the CDF document.

Thanks to Catholic Light for the text of Boston Archbishop O'Malley's installation homily. It's very inspiring.

In a community of faith, we learn to worship our God, to forgive one another and to serve those around us. We discover the true dignity of each and every person made in the image and likeness of God. No matter how small the unborn, no matter how debilitated, and unproductive the aged and infirm, we must take care of each other. No one is expendable. Each and every person counts in God’s sight. The Gospel of Life will always be the centerpiece of the Church’s social Gospel.

The Motley Fool has a article about cohabitation and finances. Am I the only person who finds it amusing that people who don't want to go through the paperwork and commitment to get married now want to have all the legal rights of people who do? Especially now when they are basically setting up an alternate structure ("domestic partnerships") which are making people jump through many of the same hoops anyway.

It's not surprising to me, but Tucson ranks #1 on the list of bad cities for asthma. Unfortunately asthma, like type II diabetes, seems to be one of the growth diseases (scourges, really) of the 21st century. It's really a huge problem. Some folks think the high incidence among children is due to environmental factors, others think it's due to lack of exposure to dirt/dust/pet dander. I think there's something to this last theory, myself, at least in some cases. Kids don't eat enough dirt! It builds their immune systems.

You wouldn't know it from reading the secular press, but Bob Hope was a Catholic when he died. Apparently years of prayer by his wife eventually had their effect :-). He was married for 69 years; how often do you see that?

Mark Shea is hilarious. Check out his version of the Nigerian email scam.