( Wisdom )

Since I arrived I have noticed that a number of people here seem familiar to me, though I have met only a few of them before (and none of them more than two or three times). Slowly I've been able to figure out who they reminded me of: Timbo, Justin Hidima (I have no idea if I spelled that right), etc ( Read more... )

"It would be a disaster if today's . . . culture could only conceive freedom as absence of obligation."

That about sums it up.

Today is the first day of the annual Mount Angel Oktoberfest (it's in September because of the rains, or lack thereof). It's a pretty big deal in this town of 3,500. Especially since they get about 350,000 people coming ( Read more... )

I haven't posted much lately. The following may be of interest to some, none, or all of you ( Read more... )

I believe that I promised this to someone. If not, just bear with me ( Read more... )

I made it to Oregon in one piece and am slowly unpacking.

From the dinning hall you can see Mount Hood on the right, Mt. Adams in the middle, and Mt. St. Helens on the left. Quite impressive.

Nothing more to report (Val, I have most weekends off to one degree or another, the 5-7 of September is completely free, FYI).

Two announcements to make, the first a bit more important than the second, the second dependent upon the first ( Read more... )

Most of you are aware of my rather large (150,000+ words) current project These Violent Times. I've finished a little over half the book but the first Act (it's divided into five acts) is quite a bit worse than the rest. So I'm posting the first chapter here and would like any and all comments.

Thanks!

( Chapter I: Storms )

I mentioned to some of you an absurdly ambitious project (I'll probably never finish) and I'm now telling the rest of you.

( Warning, Catholic Project )