Pic Me! Pick Me! MeMe!

well, what was bound to happen has happened... I have been tagged! woo hoo!
thanks Cate! it is the "Personal Policies" meme here is the original description:

"I think it would be safe to say that we all have personal rules that we live by. Surely it's not just ME. I'm not talking about moral rules, like "Do not kill." I'm talking about the silly policies we impose on ourselves, like "Never eat anything you can't identify," or "Don't step on sidewalk cracks." For some reason, I started mentally listing the quirky rules I follow and got curious about other people's personal rules. Hey, why not start a meme?"

mmm... so here we go.

1. When someone is smoking I have to get close and smell.
(I know, disgusting but my dad used to be a smoker, one day during lent he went cold turkey, no withdrawal or anything. But little me, unaware of it, had become a second hand smoker! I have never put a cigarette in my mouth but I just love (a.k.a I am semi-addicted to...) the smoke of cigarettes)

2. When I travel internationally I ALWAYS have to carry my passport and immigration documents on my own person. ( losing them is a personal cause of paranoia)

3. When I am driving I will NOT start the car until every single person puts on their seatbelts (I refuse to have someone die on me!)

4. When I get home I have to take off my shoes and go around barefoot
(being at home with shoes seems to be absurd)

5. This is my personal order of doing things after I get on the internet... I almost always follow this sequence: open the Adoration online window, check Outlook, check my 3 yahoo e-mails, check facebook, check blog... and then whatever. (if I don't open the Adoration window first I feel guilty, ha!)

6. When I go Jackrabbit watching (odd hobby, I admit) if I see one I do not walk towards him, I don't like scaring little animals, and no, even if you tell them you don't want to hurt them they still can't understand you, so don't walk towards them!

so yeah! here it is, if you want to, consider yourself tagged!

stuff # 2

Note: sorry for the lack of continuity in this post. Just wrote as the thoughts came to my head. enjoy the randomness!
--------------
Man! you gotta read the fiction of Father Robert Hugh Benson! I finished "Come Rack! Come Rope!" two days ago and I just finished today "No other Gods." You can find his stuff here. My favorite one is "No other Gods." This one is not a historical novel, so no references to Martyrs or nothing that actually happened. But the story is beautiful in that it leaves unsaid what it has to be unsaid. You half-finish the story in your mind. But well, I have to say I've been accused of making too much out of novels and reading too much between the lines. But personally I think it is a beautiful, inspiring, joyfully Catholic (yet not overly-pious) story.
--------------
Anywho. Next week I am taking the driving test. Another cultural barrier that's coming down, first was English, now driving, woo hoo!
----------------
Now in a less joyful note, I have a prayer intention... I dunno if things can be solved. As for now I don't think so, but then again, God is all powerful... Please join me:

"Oh Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee"

I throw myself at the feet of my Mother. Surely she'll know what to do next... Maybe She'll just tell me to shut my big mouth and listen and be quiet. Gosh.
----------------------
Father DeSales has been kindoff far off lately. I don't feel him "instructing me" as much as he did for a while. I'm not reading his letters as much as I used to, even though I ask for his intercession from time to time. Presently I think he is standing aside so other members of the Mystical Body can work their influence in me. Like Brother Rafael, the English Martyrs, our Beloved Mother and very specially the Spiritus Sanctus.

Father DeSales knows, like a good father, when to step away for a while.
Still, I pray for his intercession.

Beloved Father Francis, Ora pro nobis!

a letter and a rant.

A letter to the Holy Spirit:

Beloved:

How beautiful and powerful you are! Fountain of Eternity, my Consoler! I write to ask you to forgive me, Beloved. My eyes have just been opened. In the depths of my heart, even though I did not acknowledge it in my mind, I felt abandoned by You. I saw others weep at your Presence while I remained unmoved. I wanted miracles worked in my soul, and it seemed to me that I received none.

But now I see, just how much you are in me and I in You. You know how much my enemies hate me, how they attack me. I felt tossed by the waves and wept. But now I see that while I wept you kept the boat in control. While I lamented my weakness you were there fighting my enemies. Thanks to You, I've remained in You. And now my eyes are opened at how much you breathe into my Life. And suddenly my life, my past and present which seemed to me engulfed in mild darkness, shines forth by the memory of Your work in it. And my future shines with the promise of Your continued Presence. Beloved, forgive my ingratitude. Now I sing, Thanks! Hosanna to the Spirit of the Lord!

Beloved, please, conquer me.

-------------------------------------------

So, the other day, I saw a huge jackrabbit... let me rephrase that... I saw a MONSTROUSLY ENORMOUS Jackrabbit. It was as big as a middle-sized dog! See, there aren't many animals around here that like jackrabbit for supper...therefore the jackrabbits remain unchallenged. The only thing that threatens their life are cars whenever they decide to cross a street.

But man, this thing was HUGE.

I saw this jackrabbit while I was driving...now, read that again. DRIVING... I know for all of you western people of the world driving is a common activity. But I am almost 22 and I didn't know how to drive until some months ago. I have finally broken that cultural barrier. I am almost "westernized" now... ha! (probably "westernized" is not the right word to use, after all, Mexico is in the western hemisphere...but you get the idea).

I think I am finally ready to take the driving test... please pray that I pass it! If I do my friends have promised to throw a "she-finally-drives" party, just like the "she-got-a-work-permit" party when I received permission from Immigration to work.

Moving up my friends, moving up the social scale

stuff

Ha! so by now all the readers are gone...sad! sorry for not posting in 4 days! wow! Its because I've spent all my time online reading "Come Rack!Come Rope!" online...mm yeah, my eyes hurt! Beautiful, beautiful. A little "old-school," at the beginning hopelessly cheesy but that just makes it better. Its pretty much the same basic story as "By What Authority?" just different characters and slightly different setting... but still pretty good.

Anyway, at my parish we are starting a Young Adult Group, for those people who don't really fit into the "college student" category anymore but don't feel like joining the 50 year olds who get together for Bible Study... and, we are supposed to write our "testimony" for next week... eek!
I mean, during High School and College I gave my "testimony" several times, but I dunno, this time I am in a weird spiritual place... I think I've gone forward...somehow-ish...I think...mmm..

maybe writing it out will help me realize where I am right now, not that it really matters... my spiritual director keeps telling me "don't worry so much about your soul" not that he wants me to be lukewarm but because I tend to get the over-analyzing/scrupulous/rely on myself instead of God sortof attitude. Maybe I should just write it to "sing the mercies of God" like St. Therese of Liseux.

I might post it once I am done.

God bless!

p.s. I feel that I need get back in touch with Father Francis, I feel I've kindoff neglected him lately... but I bet he would smile and say "the freedom of the children of God!"

second post of the day

In the John Paul II movie I mentioned in the previous post there is a part when college-aged Karol Wojtyla says "in the face of this abyss of evil, we should respond with an abyss of love!"

What goes on between a soul and God is so intimate it cannot really be expressed with words, so I'm not gonna try to. But when I saw that in the movie I replayed it. Turned off the t.v. and went to take a walk. And I was greatly consoled.

Yay for Mass Media!

So I am reading "Under What Authority?" a great novel about the English Reformation, I am looking forward to reading "Come Rack! Come Rope!" by the same author on the Project Gutenberg online. They have a bunch of his writings there so I foresee sore eyes from reading a novel in a computer monitor! :) The author is Father Robert Hugh Benson and anglican convert (1871-1914).

"Under What Authority?" is pretty great, specially because it is a historical novel and most of the characters and places are REAL... awesome! It has a great narrative of the martyrdom of St. Edmund Campion and others. I am about to finish it and unless it has an incredibly bad ending I recommend it :)

As I've mentioned before Father Francis De Sales is the patron saint of writers and the Catholic Press, so I am absolutely sure that he would have loved the development of Catholic Fiction. Even thought its audience is pretty limited (I can totally see how a non-catholic would be offended if he read some catholic fiction novels) I think that those who read them benefit tremendously. Fr. Hugh Benson makes a great job of incorporating spirituality and apologetic lessons into the story. I have had to stop at times in my reading in order to take in what he just wrote.

Oh!, I sense an opportunity for shameless advertisement!: talking about Catholic Fiction don't forget to visit my other blog Catholic Parables and enjoy! *end of shameless advertisement*

Another great piece of media is the DVD John Paul II by Ignatius Press. Orthodox, with some artistic freedom but still historically accurate. I am glad finally we are starting to see some good Catholic Movies...some saint movies are... well... lets say that as an Electronic Media and Mass Communications major I wonder how in the world the producers passed Introduction to Film Making!

oh well... (sigh contentedly) I love criticizing Media... after all that is what I was studying for the last 3 years.

end of transmission

Yo People!

in a pathetic attempt to encourage an exchange of ideas and words I call unto you, oh beloved readers.... Comment!
-----------
So I've never been in England... and in fact I just know ONE english person.... but for some reason I've been reading/learning lots about the Persecution against Catholics during the English Reformation. wow! St. Edmund Campion pray for us!
-----------
nothing else to report on the front...