May 31 Link Collection

(if anyone can think of a better description let me know)

It's so simple, why didn't we think of it before?


Those Iranian Satirists can be funny...although probably not as much as the original letter from their president.


It's got everything ... including the kitchen sink, the fridge, the dishwasher, the shelves, the microwave, etc.


And saving the best for last...

A very cute, humourous post by a homeschooling mom
Possibly because I like kissing, but who doesn't? (besides young kids :P )

My favorite quotes from the above,

"On one such recent occasion she ran screaming from the room with her fingers in her ears shouting, "Oh, Gross! I can still hear it! How can they stand it?! "She just doesn't know yet that the quiet ones are actually better," the Headmaster leaned over and whispered to me."

and

"And you see, now I have not only successfully embarrassed the youngest two children, I have completely grossed out and embarrassed the older Progeny who have read this blog entry and cannot believe that I am telling the entire internet world that their parents still kiss."

So Dark the Con of Mac

For all you members of "Apple Dei" out there.


Da Vinci Code boosts Opus Dei numbers

On a smiliar subject, God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform.
via The American Papist



The Wanderer

Methinks this is one of Pete's better poems... at least, I like it.



"Don't tell me you take the Bible *literally*?"

How to respond to this oft-heard question, according to Mark Shea
via The Happy Catholic

Fire-breathing Lego Snowman

Maybe it's just me, but I think this is pretty cool.





Legoland champ triumphs in trial by fire - and ice

Visit to the Milwaukee Public Museum

Last week my family and I drove up to Milwaukee to visit the exhibit St Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes.


Unfortunately, no photography was allowed inside that exhibit, so I have to rely on images culled from google.
However, the exhbit itself was amazing, and traced the architecture, art, religion, and politics of the Vatican and popes through the ages in a very informative respectful manner.

The sheer amount of articles in the exhibit was amazing, and I'll just list a few of the things that especially struck me.




For one thing, I didn't know we worshippped agiant pineapple.
No, just kidding,that was suposedly the sarcophagus of St. Peter in the Basilia of St. Peter built on the Vatican by the Emperor Constantine.

What I actually found really neat was the original stone carvings they had taken from the first basilica of St. Peter.



They also had a neat recreation of what it would have been like for Michaelangelo to work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.




Another exhibit had a letter written from Pope Pius IX to the Christians in China. It was written on red silk, which normally was accorded only to the Emperor, to show the pope's authority. I like it when the Catholic Church uses local symbols like that to signify things, kindof like Our Lady of Gaudalupe.





At the very end of the exhibit, there was a bronze cast of the hand of Pope John Paul II (put there at his own request), which seemed a very fitting note to end on.



I was able to take photographs in other parts of the museum though.


The Biggest Fabre Project Ever!

Must've been a freshman for a long time to collect all those.

Roll Out the Barrels

Part of the Nunnemacher Arms Collection at the Milwaukee Public Museum.

Pretty

This one's for Will.

Crashing at the Beach after Finals

Group of Dead Sophomores

Will, Michelle, JB, Mary Steichen, and I drove to the beach after our philosophy final on Friday, and set the afternoon hanging out, sleeping, reading, and resting, before going to In 'n Out for dinner.

*squint* ... *grunt* ... "just lemme read."

We TACers are so pathetic, we go to the beach after finals week, and every one of us brings a book and reads it.

JB Dozing

Movie + Finals = Crazy Tired

Stones Set in Sand

Gull Guardian

Starfish hiding under a rock

Hello Mr. Crab

Gull Soaring over the saltwater

Ocean Spray

Will chowing down on a 4x4

The Finals Zone

Fog and mist

Freshman Studying at 3 AM

Globes in the distance

A light in the distance...

The crazed student studying by lamplight outside

Light and shadow

Eerie Luminescence

Finals week

As he walks out of the coffee shop, the murmur of studious voices dies behind him, replaced by a ghastly silence. The moon shines brightly through the thick haze that hangs over campus, lending an appropriate surreal atmosphere to the tranquil night.
The pathways, usually traversed frequently at all times of day, lie empty, betraying the anxiety and stress of examinations that causes their abandonement.
Is it just coincidence that we read Dante this semester, and still have the quote "Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here" lingering in the recesses of our minds?

He continues his walk across campus, thoughts flickering through his head, when he realizes the mist is so thick he can't see any of the buildings, even though he stands in the middle of campus, under the solitary lamppost, the flourescent light illuminating the fog almost as brightly as the moon, and the jasmine bush overwhelming his sense of smell. He tries not to think about the relation of sense to potential and agent intellect as expounded upon by Aristotle in De Anima.

Suddenly, out of the fog, three freshman come skipping down from St. Bernard's, singing lustily, their crazed demeanor evident from their gait.

It is not surprising, dementia is one of the most common symptoms of finals week.
They pass by him, back into the haze whence they came.

As he continues his walk in the swirling mists, a theme starts in his head.

Finals week truly turns TAC into "The Twilight Zone."

Apology

The past month has been very rigorous scholastically, and there have been many others events, leaving me little time for blogging. Life in general has been pretty rough this semester, so accept my apologies for the lack of consistent posting.
However, finals are going well so far, and I'm half-way done.
Over the summer I'll be trying to post more than once a week, so watch this space when I get home next week.
God Bless,
~Nick