Reading this debate on illegal immigration from a religious worldview has brought up for me some thoughts about how as Americans our outlook on the issue is influenced by politics more than faith.

( Cut for length, and for the sake of those who choose not to be involved in the conversation )

In case anybody here wasn't aware, my weakness is books (especially of the religious/historical and liturgical variety) and I tend to buy way more books than I have the time to read. About a week ago I added to my collection with a new Bible (fourth full Bible that I own, and third distinct translation). It's a Douay-Rheims Bible, adding to the ( Read more... )

( View if you dare! )

If the conditions of the roads at this point, with only a few inches at most of snow out there, are any indication, then it's going to be a long night and tomorrow might be impossible as well. I can't call out again tomorrow as I did today, but it's going to be difficult to get to work and home. It figures that we get the potential 2nd worst ( Read more... )

Let us pray for workers on this Labor DayLet us pray for those who are treated as the least in our society while they contribute the most to its workings. The laborers who risk their life and health, working long hours in detestable conditions for low wages, to provide even a meager livelihood to their families. The service workers who are paid ( Read more... )

So, it's bad enough that I had to turn 29 today (just one more year to 30, yeah I know) but it just got worse from there. Work was absolute hell today, just one thing after another. First I slipped and fell twisting my ankle and slamming my elbow into the floor, which caused me to be in pain for most of the day. Then we get a freak torrential ( Read more... )

So apparently fate decided to bring us our first and probably only substantial snowstorm on the weekday that I already had off from work. Of course, I feel much worse for those who had places to go today, including udoswald whose day was ruined by the weather (sorry, bro). I was hoping to actually get some meaningful work done today, but of course 3:30 ( Read more... )

In case you were wondering, I haven't fallen into some abyss in the earth. I also haven't vanished into thin air. I'm still around, I just haven't had the time to update recently. October has been a long month. I'm still working at Staples, although that's about to change. That's right, I've found a new job. I'm going to be a teller at the Commerce ( Read more... )

So, for the past few days I've been having the most horrible back pain. Okay, maybe not the most horrible because there's no falling down writhing in agony or demon hands bursting out of the skin or bursting into flames or anything but it's still pretty bad. Yesterday I had to leave work after two and a half hours because I just couldn't stand the ( Read more... )

Wow, it's been quite a while since I posted anything of substance here (although I think that my regular fare's status as "substance" might be a subject of debate anyway). I've been getting back into the routine of working after five months of unemployment, which is made that much more difficult by the fact that my schedule doesn't stay the same ( Read more... )