Can I just say, quick, that looking at this illustration makes me think I've got to come up with crazier chores for my kids. These children walked somewhere, purchased an animal that is bigger than they, and made it come home with them. I find that very impressive.
Anyway, we are home after two lovely months with my terrific in-laws in Chicago, where the weather was quite mild and I wrote a kind of ridiculous number of blog posts. We returned to a non-functioning one year old desktop computer, so I'm blogging atcha from the husband's old macbook. And we're going to go computer shopping this weekend.
We are thinking about making the switch from PC to mac. We're already an iPhone and iPad family, but I'm still worried somehow about making the desktop switch. I really do prefer to do my writing on the desktop, and I'm used to the PC. But we do not wish to have to replace the computer every year. So . . . thoughts?
Speaking of thoughts, it seems like I'm not the only one feeling a bit of bloggers malaise lately. There are so many heavy things happening in the world and on the internet and I'm not particularly qualified to comment on any of them. But it seems off, somehow, to NOT comment on them. And it's the end of summer, and real life needs some attending to. And this laptop is reeeeeally slow. But, I promised you an Answer Me This, so an Answer Me This you shall have.
Hi-diddly-ho neighbors. And a very warm welcome to Answer Me This . . . the internet's favorite virtual cocktail party* in which I ask six totally random questions and we all answer them and get to know each other a little better.
Isn't that nice?
*this statement may not be true.
So, here goes this week's edition:
1. What is your favorite room in the house?
I like our kitchen. When we moved in to the house seven years ago (I think, maybe eight?), the thing I was most excited about was the weird ugly kitchen. The previous owners had done all sorts of tedious but useful remodels in a 60s era home, like replacing all the windows and removing the popcorn ceiling, but the kitchen was original. So we got to design a new one.
It's functional, between the table and the counter we can seat twelve or fourteen people pretty comfortably (the kids seem to have run off with two of the stools). I like the brick and the stainless and the wood and the blue. And, ya know how on Friends, Joey has a dream about a TV that appears as if from nowhere? MY dream was about a stand mixer that appears as if from nowhere. And it came true.
Now you see it . . . now you don't.
2. Do you subscribe to any magazines or other periodicals?
I get the Magnificat, so I can follow along and hope to pay attention at Mass, and the kids get MagnifiKid, same idea, more colorful.
We also have gotten Disney Family Fun, but now that I think about it, I haven't noticed one in a while. I liked it though, it's got cute ideas, especially for DIY Valentines and Halloween costumes and upcycling-type crafts.
I kept meaning to subscribe to Verily, and never quite got around to it, then they ran out of money and stopped making a print edition, which is clearly my fault. So, sorry.
3. How do you feel about the sign of peace in Mass? Enriching? Awkward? Overdone? Just right? Some combination of the above?
After nine years of study and consultation, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments has told Latin-rite bishops around the world that the sign of peace will stay where it is in the Mass. (read more here)Basically, they opted NOT to move or eliminate the sign of peace, despite concerns that the tradition wasn't being practiced reverently enough. They did advise, though, that there shouldn't be a song played, we shouldn't move from our places, and the priest shouldn't leave the altar. And, if the priest forsees that the sign of peace won't be practiced properly, he can omit it.
Here's my take on it: First, I think it's kind of adorable that it took them nine years to decide on this. Nine years. She's a slow church, God bless 'er. Second, I'm glad they left it right where it has traditionally been in the Mass.
When I read Four Witnesses, I was blown away by how familiar sounding were the Masses described by the early fathers of the church. It's the same Mass, it's the same church, as year one. That's pretty cool.
So, I'm kind of offended by the suggestion that *we* today, now, two thousand years later, *we* just can't handle the sign of peace. If there are abuses, let's reign those in. For sure. But don't tell me *I* can't handle it.
I think it's nice to make some eye contact with the people around me. Sharing a kiss of peace with my family is a lovely moment. And I still laugh about Frankie and his loud, "Peace be wif you dinofawer." Good times.
4. What is your least favorite sound?
It's a tie between shrieking children and jazz music.
5. What was your favorite TV show (or shows) growing up?
I was a big fan of Fraggle Rock, and the Cosby Show. And I remember watching them with my parents. It seems like with so many homes having multiple TV sets these days, there isn't much interest in making "family" shows anymore. The kid shows have gotten more infantile and the grownup shows have gotten more "adult." Which would be more of a problem if we had time for much family TV watching. Which we really don't.
Oops. I just remembered Saved by the Bell, which kind of negates my above point. No grownup ever watched Saved by the Bell. Also there were some cartoons that I really loved as a kid that fail utterly upon re-watching now. Jem (Why are they making a movie?!?), He-Man, She-Ra, the Smurfs. They're all pretty terrible. Lots of characters just standing around and blinking, and no one seemed especially concerned that the plots made any sense. Especially not Jem. That show was straight up crazy.
6. What are your favorite TV shows now?
What with Netflix (and Acorn) being the only way I watch television, "now" is a relative term. But these are shows I have watched and enjoyed over the past year or so (most of them thanks to reader suggestions!):
- Doctor Who
- Freaks and Geeks
- The Walking Dead
- Downton Abbey
- Sherlock
- Firefly
- Foyle's War
Next on my list is Jeeves and Wooster, and a new season of Downton Abbey is coming up, yay! Look, Sibbie!
Here are next week's questions:
1. What is your favorite picture book?
2. Are you a boycotter?
3. How do you feel about cheese?
4. How many pairs of sunglasses do you own?
5. How long has it been since you went to the dentist?
6. If you could visit any religious site in the world, where would you go?
Next week's installment will go live at 10pm Pacific Saturday night, and will be open until 10pm Wednesday night.
So, please, answer this week's questions for yourself in the comments. If you have a blog, answer the questions there, link back to this post, and link your blog post up below. For bonus points, you can even tag a couple other bloggers so THEY can play along too! So fun.