Names, Ages, and a few large graves

This is the stone with the names and ages of people killed when my grandmothers village was massacred. I just found this photo.

Have you ever gotten an amazing idea to change the world... started a huge project... and then never gone back to it again? Can't blame him for trying.. leave comments!

http://humanprosperity.org/

The Catholic Bargain, at the cost of helping the homeless

Catholic Church gives D.C. ultimatum
Same-sex marriage bill, as written, called a threat to social service contracts

"The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington said Wednesday that it will be unable to continue the social service programs it runs for the District if the city doesn't change a proposed same-sex marriage law, a threat that could affect tens of thousands of people the church helps with adoption, homelessness and health care....."

Please check out this article.

As a follow up to my comment response in my last post: This is the cemetery. You can't see the ground really, but where the grass clears there are two parallel graves that run 15 to 20 feet. Each grave is a rise in the ground the width of a body, edged with wood and surrounded by miscellaneous crosses. There is one large, fairly new, headstone in the corner of the cemetery which includes the names and ages of all who were killed (maybe 50 people, maybe more maybe less) from children to the elderly. Perhaps the only testament to their lives, other than surviving relations. My grandmother at 17 witnessed the massacre and barely escaped. (She's one tough lady.)This was her village.

The cemetery is in the middle of the hills. There is no road or path to it, although it was possible to walk on some tractor markings in neighboring farms. The entire surrounding area felt like the Sound of Music. The cemetery is in this huddle of trees, offering shade. The sun was bright and the air was fresh. It was horrible to imagine the massacre, but the peace and beauty in this spot in the mountains was an odd juxtaposition to the graves. I thought how lucky anyone would be to live here, and how terrible it was for troops to march in and massacre this people. My trip was a revelation of beauty and terror.

My grandmother is 85. This is the house she was born in in Europe. I traveled across the world to Poland find it and her relations, not knowing a word of Ukrianian, just to hang out before studying abroad. A year later, I studied Polish intensively and returned to study in Poland, and return to visit. I have since been invited back, but I can hardly by groceries at the moment. I think that our names and our families mean a lot. I also think that "Life is brilliant."

A Brilliant Moment

When I studied in Rome, I didn't know anyone in the program and everyone was a year older. I became good friends with a variety of people from different walks of life.. called by Italy. (I studied French for 5 1/2 years before studying in Italy...it has a way of .. calling people.)

One very sweet girl who is now in her first year at a very good medical school was very dedicated to going to church on Sunday's, no matter what city we were in that weekend. God will return to you what you give to him, and he will bless you in your efforts to find a mass, she said. Church is surely a cultural experience, but when you are slightly hungover in the am or already sort of drunk in the pm, mass doesn't always seem that appealing. Clearly we were blessed, look at the view I stumbled upon following her directions to this particular church...

Inside, the congregation was sparse, mainly with older women and a few men. One women talked to us and repeated her Italian words over and over for us beginners...for a long time and gave us each a rosary. Surely, a cultural experience in the least.

A Beautiful Moment

Faith and Hope

I've been reading a lot that faith is different than hope. Hope is a sort of optimism; faith is more than optimism, its trust.



I stumbled upon this song on the radio...and I actually sort of love it, as corny as it is. It is sort of Jewlish. Anyways, maybe check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlL8LayF0uw



This blog, which also mentions Jewel (shout out to Maureen's comment about the song Hands), illustrates how close the beauty of the everyday is linked to hope.

http://allisonhopephotography.blogspot.com/?expref=next-blog

"Last Words"

In the far left corner of my apartment, between the doormat and the book shelf... I now have the Internet in my apartment (thank you to 12 dollars and kind neighbors on the other side of the building). I am conscious of keeping my red wine on the tile of the entry way and off the carpet... and aware that I do not yet have cable or the energy to head to the bar to watch the Steelers game.

I've been thinking a lot about my mother this past week, who raised four children alone working night shifts as a nurse in the trauma unit. She started working nights when my dad passed to increase the time she could spend on us... I think years passed where she spent days not sleeping more than three hours at a time. Staying up all night writing papers, I guess I have it easy.

Anyways, I wanted to draw your attention to an article I stumbled upon a few weeks ago titled "Last Words."

An author/ journalist Claire Cameron wrote the last words of execution prisoners she found in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice website, published in the NY Times. Here are a few pieces of what she found.

Go ahead?

Nothing I can say can change the past.

I done lost my voice.

I would like to say goodbye.

I am nervous and it is hard to put my thoughts together.

I don't think that the world will be a better or safer place without me.

I am sorry.

I am taking it like a man.

I couldn't do a life sentence.

Let my son know I love him.

I want to tell my mom that I love her.

Lord I lift your name on high.

From Allah we came and to Allah we shall return.

For everybody incarcerated, keep your heads up.

VALUES

The following is an inspiring story from the VALUES website. How can you best share your goodness? Here's one guys story..

Find Your Mission!
Sixteen years ago I set out on a path of writing a life skills book for young people and creating a foundation to donate this book to youth organizations and schools. As a high school basketball coach my “Mission” was to teach and inspire kids around the world to “Achieve Straight A’s in the School of Life!” I recently turned age fifty and the book is now published in English as well as Spanish; plus, the foundation is launched. The organization is called the School of Life Foundation and the book that we give to kids is called Learn to “School” Your Toughest Opponent. Over the past two years we have placed this curriculum in the lives of close to 20,000 youth across sixteen states and eleven countries. The School of Life Foundation continues to grow each week.
The “Straight A’s in Life” system contained in the workbook has ten steps as follows:• Appreciate – Have more gratitude in your life• Assist – Serve others everyday• Attitude – Choose yours each morning• Aim – Learn to focus by setting goals• Associate – Make good people a part of your life• Align – Get organized• Action – Make things happen or watch and wonder• Avoid – Stay away from things that will harm you• Adapt – Turn every challenge into an opportunity• Always – Remember to pray and ponder each dayMy heart and soul is touched everyday as I learn of a new story of a young person’s life improving by using this journal workbook while “Living the A’s” in life!
I am now “Living My Dream” of making a difference in the world. I chose to not give up over the past sixteen years when obstacles and discouragement got in the way. You have to perform with passion!
Your mission in life may be large or small, but is vital to all of us no matter what it may be. What are doing today to find it? Are you living your dream? I am simply the guy next door encouraging you to get started today!
Jack R.

http://www.values.com/your-inspirational-stories/994

Billboard.

"He wrote a book about living, while dying."-Randy Pausch...


.....reads a billboard where Bigelow Blvd splits before Baum.

I was sort of moved. In researching how the values billboard campaign came to be, and other billboards... I came across the Wikipedia entry for The Foundation for a Better Life. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Foundation_for_a_Better_Life

which is strangely interesting... I support their mission, but the Foundation itself strikes me as strange.

Here are some of their quotes.

“The greatest ability is dependability.”Robert Bob Jones

“I would rather be able to appreciate things I can not have than to have things I am not able to appreciate.”Elbert Hubbard

“We can do no great things - only small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

“Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.”Vaclav Havel

Happy Sunday!

Betting on Good Health, by Karen Barrow

As many as 46 million adults and children in the United States lack health insurance, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. A recent short in the NY Times highlights this guy that lost his healthcare (a freelance writer, age 58). At first he was scared at the thought of having no insurance. Then, and I'm quoting him, "I decided, look, when you have insurance you are betting that you are going to get sick."

So, he took his health into his own hands and changed his lifestyle including eating and exercise. Now he says, "I am in control of my health."

We very much can have control over our general physical health. It is empowering to feel good about trying on clothes, knowing you can run a few miles no problem... If you can choose to feel better about yourself, why wouldn't you?

Don't Worry, Be Happy

According to Peter Handke's Kapsar, we are defined by language and language confines us. We see someone frown, we immediatley understand that "He is Sad." Language is this wonderful tool to descibe the world, but it cannot describe the color red or the soul.

I have to disagree, I think. Shouldn't Handke's "soul" enjoy the power of language as a tool and the challenge of trying to descibe the world around us?

If you see someone flash an ungaurded smile in reaction to a funny remark, you recognize their smile before you think the words, right? And so, "He is happy," descibes that person. We descibe and are descibed by language, not defined by language.

The Blue Grotto

I want the focus of my blog to be the sub-title, even if it is a little bit long and abstract. Cheers to challenge.

Take comfort, the power you need to pursue your greatest passions is already inside of you.

So, as you can see, I've changed the format of my blog. The picture is from my trip to the Island of Capri on the Amalfi Coast. Friends and I took a ferry ride to the Blue Grotto, a cave along the coast. One to three people then fit into small very small rowboats (think The Little Mermaid, while Kiss the Girl is playing...or The Notebook). You must lie down in the boat to pass through the small opening into the cave with the boat.

The sunlight passes through the seawater and the small opening, giving the water inside the cave this magnificent blue color in the darkness of the cave. Take comfort, the power you need to pursue your greatest passions is already inside of you.

PS I have a video of us getting into the cave. I'll post it next time I have my computer!

Pre-Game Gradeschool Prayer

The following is an excerpt from the Diocese of Pittsburgh memo on the role of sports in Catholic schools...

"All Catholic School activities must begin with both teams coming together for prayer in the middle of the court or field. The following prayer is to be said by the home coach or player.

Dear Lord,
You have blessed us with many gifts and talents.
We thank you especially for the ability to participate in sports today.
Help us play in a Christ like manner.
Help us to play in a way that fosters good will and teamwork.
Help us play to the best of our abilities.
Win or lose we hope to have fun, make friends and celebrate life.
Amen"

I remember having to say this prayer before basketball games at my small Catholic grade school. It was just something we did, like classrooms saying the pledge of allegiance.

I was strangely reminded of having to say this specific prayer through gradeschool when my youngest brother (who just started at my Catholic high school and went to the same gradeschool) added me on facebook. I had to chuckle when I saw his information...

Age, 14
Sex, Male
Relationship Status, Single
Political Views, Republican
Religious Views, Christian-Catholic

So much of who we are, especially at the age we start high school, is taught to us in our homes, families, and schools. The things we learn, (example saying this prayer before games and my little brothers republican political affiliation at the age of 14), are the building blocks of who we are going to become... the things that we bring to the table when while we are figuring out who we are out in a bigger world. I don't say this prayer before games, but I hold the values it taught me. The values it professes hold true beyond Catholic Doctrine, anyways. And so, I'm glad I said it all of those years.

Inspired Jewelry

"Soul, spirit, search, faith, harmony, hope, balance, inspire, trust, dream, endure, love, peace, love, faith, balance, inspire, search, soul."

Walking to turn in my rent check in Shadyside at the end of summer, I stumbled upon a jewlery sale. I'm not always one to take advantage of a yard sale. Don't get me wrong, I'm strangely interested in people's old things... But I hate the awkwardness of the people selling their stuff watching you appraise their things and deciding whether you are interested or not...

It was a beautiful last summer day and I decided to stop.

The Beatles were playing and I realized that under thetent in the front yard, the tables were filled with jewlery. Only jewlery. This family collects the jewlery for the entire year, and then sells it in their front yard once a year during the Shadyside festival. Everything is sold for $2 the first day, $1 the second and third day. They aren't doing it for profit. They said, they do it for the community. Anyways, the words at the top are the etched into the metal bracelet a bought there, among other things. In a small way, it keeps you centered when you are late for work, forget your umbrella, and your bannana explodes in your purse in the middle of the confusion. Damn bannana.

"Soul, spirit, search, faith, harmony, hope, balance, inspire, trust, dream, endure, love, peace, love, faith, balance, inspire, search, soul."

Smile because...

Everday is the start of something beautiful.

Listen to it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_as3ntBxgs

"There's a joke that calorie restriction may or may not extend your life, but it will most assuredly make your life feel longer."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/magazine/11Calories-t.html

"Passionate Life"

I was looking for a photo, googling images of abstract ideas - my search for peace and grace returned Dove women in their underwear, "power" turned up windmills, "passion" turned of images of Chirst in a crown of thorns and people going at it on the beach, "passionate life" turned up this image- which links to this blog much like my own... http://www.thecalmspace.com/2008/04/thespace-passion/

Prelude to Expectation and Gratitude

Here is some food for thought...

Can you have a genuine selfless ambition that seems to constantly fail?

I'm pulling out The Secret.

Okay, so think of it what you will, but I am pulling out The Secret, the Oprah phenomenon.

The basic rule of the secret is that life returns to you what you put into it. That is in part why American's believe in hard work, not so far fetched. The Secret, however, gets a little bit more mystical- whatever energies you project into the universe will likewise be returned to you.

According to Maya Angelou,

"Love life, engage in it, give it all you've got. Love it with a passion, because life truly does give back, many times over, what you put into it."

According to The Secret, love is the most powerful energy you can send into the world. "As you radiate love, it will appear as though the entire universe is doing everything for you, moving everything joyful thing to you, and moving every good person to you. The truth is, it is."

Perhaps this is why they say "love finds you where you are." ( as a post script, I'm not talking about romantic love, although that is part of it. Love of life, of self, and of others is most important. A significant other falls into the "others category", being a larger component of it, like your family and close friends would.)

So Happy Together

Both of these people survived cancer. Their son has cancer. Still, they look pretty happy.

(The following is an excerpt from the May 2009 PPG article.)

Bob Fescemyer has been the mayor of Oakmont since 2005, and is running again. He was unopposed on the Democratic side in Tuesday's primary, and will face Republican Patrick Dolan in the general election.

Mr. Fescemyer, 67, is distinctive in many other ways.

One distinction, however, isn't pleasant: the high incidence of cancer in his family and that of his wife, the Christmans.

Judy and Bob Fescemyer are cancer survivors themselves. Their son, Michael, has advanced prostate cancer.

All four of Bob and Judy's parents had cancer, three of them dying from it. And Bob and Judy each have had a sibling with the disease.

But another way Mr. Fescemyer stands out is the combination of courage, activism and acceptance with which he plays the unfair hand he's been dealt.

"We take it day by day," he said of himself and his family. "Over the years, we've found that's the best approach."

Being active in the fight against cancer is one way Mr. Fescemyer said he copes with the huge role the disease has played in his life.

"At times, the feelings of helplessness can get to you," he said. "It's important to feel like you're doing something that might really make a difference."

Check out this entire article at http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09141/971486-56.stm#ixzz0TlEZR3LI

Double Hand Transplant, May 2009

I've mentioned that I like papers. Not just reading online, but the physical paper, because I can save articles etc. The following are photos that I saved when I subscribed to the PPG. This is from an article about a double hand transplant. "A miracle in their grasp," the caption reads. This is he and his wife's favorite painting, Michelangelo's "Creation of Adam." The hands in the painting are so remarkable because although the hands are not touching, the there is a sense of power and energy in the space between them. Jeff Kepner, the man in the picture, is most looking forward to holding his daughters hand.

Inspiring article at...
http://post-gazette.com/pg/09125/967691-53.stm

Okay, one more.

Waiting for a friend I hadn't seen since traveling in Italy in 2007, I stumbled into Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago. The Church was rebuilt after the Chicago fire in the 1800's and this past February, there was another fire that destroyed parts of the roof. She was taking a long time and people were filtering in for mass, so I figured- I have a marathon tomorrow, why not?

During the homily, the priest began talking about holy life in terms of a marathon. You don't just wake up and decide to run, you dedicate yourself over a period of time. During certain miles, you are going to hurt like hell and be all alone with your mp3 player, but God will be there to carry you through. God is preparing your heart for something much like you have been preparing your body.

So.. he calls all of those planning to run the marathon in the morning up to the sanctuary. He was expecting 20-25. Nearly half of the packed cathedral got up, flooding the sanctuary. He had planned to give Holy Cards out to each of us, but ran out. "Um, this isn't Holy Communion. We Can't break these cards in half," the usher chuckled. Think loaves and fishes! I wanted to respond.

I was amazed to see the number of runners in church. I'm talking attractive runners. The mass I stumbled upon definitely helped prepare me for the marathon.

Last marathon related post, I promise

Okay, so you all will be reading back-posts, as I have had a lot of trouble not having the internet. I got in from Chicago last night. The Chicago Marathon was yesterday morning.

26.2 miles is sort of nuts, I admit.

Why keep doing it? Because all of these people have trained and worked hard to complete the run together, family and friends cheering, often for reasons bigger than themselves.

I nearly cried when I saw an older man with a strapped attached to a younger man's hand. The younger man, about my age- was blind. The older man was helping him to run the marathon.

On another run I saw a petite woman pushing an unusually large stroller. Everyone was cheering as she passed with her yellow stroller. As I passed her I saw that the boy in the stroller (about the size of a fourteen year old) was autistic or had another mental incapacity. He was laughing and clapping uncontrollably seeing the crowd that sidelined the course cheering, for him.

People run for all sorts of charities. You don't choose a charity blindly. You choose one that has touched or helped you in some way. Charities for families of soldiers, children's groups. People running for family members who died of cancer and supporting research to find cures. Here are runners personal stories for why they are doing this. http://www.chicagomarathon.com/CMS400Min/Chicago_Marathon/inspiration/index.aspx?id=5125

There is so much love and determination in one place, how can you not be moved to keep running?

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” Emerson

According to Amazing Yoga, a local Pittsburgh yoga studio that has been gaining increasing popularity in the area http://www.amazingyoga.net/amazingyoga/home.html
the purpose of yoga is to make you feel good; to tone, heal, and strengthen your body mind and soul.

The classes encourage you to find and build power from within yourself.

A lot of exercise encourages you to change yourself. Run to burn calories and lose weight, diet with special K and drop a jeans size..

Yoga is different in that it encourages you to be where you are, do poses in the best way for your body, and find power within yourself for the sake of leading a more balanced life.

You still burn an awful lot of calories in the 90 degree room. Below is an article from the Pittsburgh Trib on power yoga's appeal to athletes. The owners are a very nice married couple, the husband having played for the Philadelphia Eagles before an injury.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/outdoors/s_526157.html

Here is an excerpt from a more recent article on why the studio draws in so many new students.

"Julie Podgorski, 33, of Lawenceville says she felt intimidated at first but soon relaxed when she realized that nobody was judging her. She's been attending classes for eight months. She says hot yoga has helped her to lose weight and firm her triceps.
"I've noticed the difference," she says. "You use a lot of arms. You're lifting your own body weight."
Steve Swantner, 55, of Plum has run 14 marathons. He runs less these days but divides his time between weight lifting and hot yoga three times a week.
"I heard so much about it," he says. "I had no idea what it was like, exercise or meditation. You kind of learn to breathe your way through the discomfort. I like how it opens up my body. ... When you're running a marathon you hit those rough parts. You learn to breathe through it, just let the discomfort be there.""

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/lifestyles/health/s_636205.html

Much like life, you let the discomfort be there- you work through it- and you remember to breathe.

The tortoise and the hare...

"Training is 90% physical and 10% mental. Race day is the exact opposite. Your body is trained, rested and ready to go. Your mind is in charge on race day. Keep your mind actively engaged in the race and think your way through the course. Review the course map and break it up into smaller, more digestible segments. It's easier to stay focused and engaged for shorter periods of time than for several hours.Understand marathoning is like life and you're going to go through peaks andvalleys. Bring power words and positive mantra to carry you through the valleys. Words like "strong and steady" are useful in keeping your mind focused and positive."




This is an excerpt from a mass motivational emails that the Chicago Marathon runners recieve.

It is mental. I learned the trick to running 26.2 miles from a middle aged balding man, short with a heavy build.

"You know," I approached him talking to a runner beside him. Mile 18, the worst.

"The trick is," deap heavy breathing.

"You just keep moving." Red face, he let out a heavy chuckle.

"Until mile 19.... My kids are at mile 19... We got three of them... beautiful..... even... if... I want to fall over..... I run like hell..... when I pass them and ..... they think.... I'm superman."



We all have our own motivations. Running Boston, I carried a small post-it with 26 people and things that I was grateful for, each assigned a specifc mile. Our most important source of strength is always the heart.

Living with pupose vs. living with goals?

I still remember being told by someone I’d known loosely in an academic setting, “You’re going to great things.”

I remember the look in his teacherly eyes and how they held my puzzled gaze. “What sorts of things?” I wanted to ask. I figured I should take the compliment as it was, and figure what sorts of things on my own.

Recently, the country station 98.3 turned Christian. There has been a recent surge in Christian music in Pittsburgh. Flipping through channels, I heard this song… “The Words I Would Say.”

“Be strong in the Lord.
Never give up hope.
You’re going to do great things, I already know.
God’s got his hand on you, so don’t live life in fear.
Forgive and forget, but don’t forget why you’re here.
Take your time and pray.
Thank God for each day.”

If you take out the references to God, the song is less powerful, but still works.

I got to thinking about what it means for someone to genuinely have faith in you. You can provide people with an education and tools for success, but empowering someone even in the periphery of your life to dream bigger than what exists immediately in front of them requires something more.

Living with purpose is different than living with goals.

Perhaps having faith in someone, a human connection, creates a greater sense of purpose in that individual. That sense of purpose in turn leads that person to do greater things than he or she imagined because in this case, the goal isn’t the driving force. The journey, living curious and inspired day to day, is the driving force and the goal is just the result.


http://learningfromdogs.com/2009/09/22/passion-word/#more-1166

On Selfish Ambition

I was prompted to go to church for the first time in a long time. Is it wrong to rip a page out of the church missalette? They just throw them out at the end of every month, anyways…

“Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy…without inconstancy or insincerity.” Thessalonians 2

(the verse number is still attached to the missalette, sitting in some empty pew)

Body and Soul?

The marathon is coming up quick!

http://www.active.com/donate/Rmhc2009/jsywyj

The New York Times Magaizine features the article, "What Sort of Exercise Can Make You Smarter?" http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/what-sort-of-exercise-can-make-you-smarter/

An experiment was conducted in which they forced mice to get off their asses to run on minitreadmills and swim water mazes (which, I admit, does bother me in some little way).

Throughout the experiment, they allowed some of the mice to run inside their rodent wheels, "an activity most mice enjoy."

For the other mice, they increased the speed and duration of their runs on their minature treadmills.

After forcing some mice to "endure unpleasant stimulus" aka exercise and graciously allowing the others hang out on their superfun rodent wheels, they tested their skill and memory.

The treadmill mice proved smarter. The result of the experiment and others simmilar is that performing aerobic positively activity affects your brain.

The science: "'...Various growth factors must be carried from the periphery of the body into the brain to start a molecular cascade their' creating new neurons and brain connections." The dramatic blood flow caused by aerobic activity is a main cause. With non-aerobic activities such as weightlifting, however, the growth factors stay in the muscles and do not go to the brain.

The mice that were forced to physically push themselves improved their bodies and their minds.

I'll always remember an interview I heard somewhere along the way with Matthew McConaughey. When asked about how he stays fit, he replied "I like to break a sweat everyday."(I once repeated that in a job interview, when asked about training for marathons. Note, probably best not to quote Matthew McConaughey during a job interview).

These days, it can be a big deal to take the steps, park near the end of the lot, or walk an extra few blocks rather than bus it all of the way. And while all of that is helpful (not to mention sometimes a reflection of character, proving yourself not lazy) it is important to set aside time to sweat. If nothing else, it might make for a better shower and you can quote Matthew McConaughey at will.

If you're not crazy, you're boring.

The back of every Kashi cereal box suggests that you eat healthy (specifically, lots of Kashi products), be fit, and practice yoga.

At first, I was sort of struck that Kashi was promoting yoga. But then, less so.

Those ladies with their yoga mats sticking out of their excessively large bags and those men on the bus with their mats strapped to their high adventure backpacks (Nalgene bottles hooked at every possible location) are probably the people who shell out the extra dollar for Kashi, rather than settle for Cheerios.

I am one of those people, sort of.

I run marathons. I do yoga. I own dumbbells and one of those large exercise balls. I buy Kashi cereal and choose my other foods based on protein, fiber and then calories.

I believe in living well. There is a popular shirt sold at marathons. "I run so that I can eat chocolate cake." Mine might say "I run so that I can eat chocolate cake, drink pumpkin spice lattes by morning and red wine by night." That is living well.

I'm going to explore the relation between the physical body and spirituality as an individual, in various religious contexts, and in popular culture in my blog this semester.

I attended Catholic school for twelve years, choosing to study at a catholic university for my first year of college. I transferred after one year. Studying in Rome, I found a strangely similar disconnect between the grandeur of the buildings, the stature of the pope, the sentiments of the Romans, and God.

I believe (well, I know) that life is brilliant. Life is bigger than I can imagine, and so my problems are smaller than I can imagine. But I often wonder about the relationship between religion and God, or faith, the goodness.. whatever you'd like to call it.

I plan to talk a lot about being healthy (for example which vegetables are substantially better for you when they are cooked, rather than raw) living strong, having hope, and finding peace in a world where the real news is often the funniest (possibly most terrifying) thing going.