I arrived back at Saint Meinrad around 6pm on Friday, and set about the task of unpacking and bringing order to my cell to that I can start packing and making chaos for the move to Indianapolis. It was soooo good to be back to my personal space, bed and pillow and shower .... in the immortal words of Dorothy "There's no place like home."
During the stop in Indy on Friday, there was some discussion about the coverage for this coming weekend, so I offered to come ahead on Saturday and be there for the weekend schedule. I had planned on driving up on Sunday afternoon or first thing Monday morning, so this isn't too much ahead of schedule. This little modification of plans will be advantageous in lots of ways for a number of people ... besides, I'm kinda itchin' to get settled in and started.
Sugegstion has been made to continue the blog from Indy ... I won't exactly be on the loose anymore, but it's an up and running vehicle for keeping in touch. I used to think that blogs were only by/for psychological exhibitionists keeping a public diary, but I have to admit my mind has changed on that ... at least it's easier to say than admitting I've become a psychological exhibitionist. So ... while entries may not be daily, there will be postings coming from the heart of the largest American capitol city not on a navigable body of water.
BTW, my new contact info, effective Saturday, 29 September, is:
Sts. Peter & Paul Cathedral
1347 North Meridian Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Phone: 317.634.4519
FAX: 317.630.9621
In the meantime, I'm making rounds by offices here on the Hill saying hello and goodbye, taking care of stuff with the Business Office, and starting to pull things together for the move. It will be a busy but exciting week ... making ready for the next adventure.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Corporal Work of Mercy
These days I am in Memphis, TN, for the funeral of my best friend's mother. She died Sunday morning, so I flew to Memphis yesterday (Monday), presided/preached for the funeral this morning (Tuesday) and fly back to Detroit/Toledo tomorrow (Wednesday). The original plan was to return to Saint Meinrad on Thursday, but since I won't be getting back to Mom and Dad's until Wednesday evening, we (M&D are driving me home) are deferring the Indiana trip till Friday. We'll stop in Indianapolis on the way down, so I can show the Folks the new digs, introduce them to a few people, and take a bit of inventory to see what exactly I need to bring with me on October 1st.
This Memphis trip has actually been a wonderful way to conclude the sabbatical. I always find presiding over the the Rites of Death and Burial to be some of the most powerful moments of Priesthood ... committing one's body to the earth while commending their soul to God ... standing at the threshold of eternity ... "Go forth good Christian soul ... Saints of God, come to his/her aid, Come to meet her/him angels of the Lord ... Receive his/her soul and present her/him to God the most High..."
Now it's time to go home and get back to work ...and I'm ready.
This Memphis trip has actually been a wonderful way to conclude the sabbatical. I always find presiding over the the Rites of Death and Burial to be some of the most powerful moments of Priesthood ... committing one's body to the earth while commending their soul to God ... standing at the threshold of eternity ... "Go forth good Christian soul ... Saints of God, come to his/her aid, Come to meet her/him angels of the Lord ... Receive his/her soul and present her/him to God the most High..."
Now it's time to go home and get back to work ...and I'm ready.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Comfort Food
Haven't been doing much these last days except indulging in comfort foods of yesteryear and watching Discovery Channel and Animal Planet. I am, however, getting round to downloading pics from the camera onto a CD, which will finally make it possible (that means simpler) for me to post some here.
Stay tuned ... it ain't over yet!
Stay tuned ... it ain't over yet!
Saturday, September 8, 2007
1978 Revisited
Yesterday evening I went to the wedding of the daughter of my Senior Prom date. I haven't seen either of them (mother or daughter) in almost twenty years (my Ordination celebration in Toledo) but have kept in touch over the years with Birthday/Christmas correspondence, and more recently, some email. The Bride and Groom met while undergrads at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and their relationship grew while they did their Masters there, so that's where the wedding was. It was lovely, and I'm really glad I went. It was wonderful to visit with these old friends, and I got some good pics with Cindy (the Bride's Mother) ... only this time I'm not wearing a lime green tux.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Jet-lagged Backlog
Yes, I know ... it's been a while. Among other things (details below) I didn't have computer access in England ...nor is it readily available here at my Parents' place (they don't even have an answering machine!) So, now, finally .....
The days in Finland were beautiful for sure, and came to good conclusion. Steve and Drew left for their Father-Son campout on Friday afternoon, and Barbara took me to the Jyvaskyla train station for my jaunt to Tampere. The train was a Pendolino, which means it was clean and fast and smooth. Once I got to Tampere, I took a taxi to the airport, to the Ryanair shack ... I mean, terminal.
Ryanir is definitely a no-frills budget airline geared to commuters and short vacation travellers. While the basic airfares may be cheap, they have VERY specific baggage weight allowances and surcharges ... in the end, I paid more in baggage surcharge than I paid for my ticket. It was a looooooong two-hours in a crowded plane ... complete with screaming child across the aisle from me ... but it got me to England.
We got in to Stansted about 11:30pm, and then had to make our way through immigration. While we were in line at Passport Control, one of the passengers took it upon himself to begin loudly exhorting the immigration people to efficiency. That of course brought several (armed)guards into closer proximity while one of the officials tried to get the guy to calm down ... the rest of us just wanted to get out of there. Finally, things settled and moved along. I had been led to believe that Stanbsted was a smaller, quieter airport ... not so. At midnight the place was a madhouse. Even getting a taxi was complicated by construction outside the terminal, so nothing about this part of the trip was easy. I got to the hotel (a small place near the airport where I had made a reservation for overnight) around 1am. Checkout time wasn't until Noon, so I knew I could at least get some good sleep.
Saturday I set out for Gravetye Manor, where I would hook up with friends from Canada. Stantsted is on the far north-east of London, and Gravetye is out in the countryside, way south of London, so the transfer took a bit ... three hours, actually ... by a variety of trains and taxis.
Gravetye is an old manor house built some hundreds of years ago, turned into a hotel of about 20 rooms. It's elegant, finely appointed, very quiet, with marvellous gardens. When my friend offered to have me as his guest there, I had no idea I would be stepping into an episode of Brideshead Revisited.
We planned to go into London on Monday so I could do some sightseeing, but by the time we finished breakfast and got on the way, it was nearly Noon. Once we got into the city, I headed for Westminister Abbey. From there, I set out to see Westminister Cathedral, stopping for fish 'n chips along the way. By then, the afternoon was quickly spent, so I made way to our meeting point at Harrod's.
Meanwhile, the tube (subway)strike began ... and it was the evening rush hour. When we came out of Harrod's it was obvious that any further movement about the city, even on foot, was going to be complicated and crowded, so my friends decided it best to head back for the Manor. We managed to get a taxi to the train station, and headed for home. So much for seeing much of London.
On Sunday I had some occasional sneezes, and attributed them to something blooming on the grounds. Monday, it became increasingly apparent it wasn't a pollen problem, and by time I woke on Tuesday it was definite that I had gotten myself a very bad cold. Subsequently, I spent much of the day Tuesday in bed ... venturing out only briefly to let my friends know I was still alive, and to order the taxi for my Wednesday morning departure. Despite the good friends and fine food and drink available, it seemed prudent to lay low, so I ordered a sandwich(egg salad and watercress... it was England, afterall)sent up to the room for lunch, and a mixed green salad for dinner.
The European segment of the sabbatical may have started out with a bang (thunderstorms that kept us on the Philly runway for five hours) but it ended with a whimper (the headcold that put me in bed). That's OK ... everything inbetween made up for it.
So I headed homeward ... this time there were no storms or significant delays, and my Sister met at the Detroit airport as scheduled. Now I'm nestled in at Mom and Dad's, reclaiming bits of summer I missed while in Europe ... things like sweet corn and fresh tomatoes.
But the sabbatical isn't over yet, so there will still be things to post ... after my nap, that is.
The days in Finland were beautiful for sure, and came to good conclusion. Steve and Drew left for their Father-Son campout on Friday afternoon, and Barbara took me to the Jyvaskyla train station for my jaunt to Tampere. The train was a Pendolino, which means it was clean and fast and smooth. Once I got to Tampere, I took a taxi to the airport, to the Ryanair shack ... I mean, terminal.
Ryanir is definitely a no-frills budget airline geared to commuters and short vacation travellers. While the basic airfares may be cheap, they have VERY specific baggage weight allowances and surcharges ... in the end, I paid more in baggage surcharge than I paid for my ticket. It was a looooooong two-hours in a crowded plane ... complete with screaming child across the aisle from me ... but it got me to England.
We got in to Stansted about 11:30pm, and then had to make our way through immigration. While we were in line at Passport Control, one of the passengers took it upon himself to begin loudly exhorting the immigration people to efficiency. That of course brought several (armed)guards into closer proximity while one of the officials tried to get the guy to calm down ... the rest of us just wanted to get out of there. Finally, things settled and moved along. I had been led to believe that Stanbsted was a smaller, quieter airport ... not so. At midnight the place was a madhouse. Even getting a taxi was complicated by construction outside the terminal, so nothing about this part of the trip was easy. I got to the hotel (a small place near the airport where I had made a reservation for overnight) around 1am. Checkout time wasn't until Noon, so I knew I could at least get some good sleep.
Saturday I set out for Gravetye Manor, where I would hook up with friends from Canada. Stantsted is on the far north-east of London, and Gravetye is out in the countryside, way south of London, so the transfer took a bit ... three hours, actually ... by a variety of trains and taxis.
Gravetye is an old manor house built some hundreds of years ago, turned into a hotel of about 20 rooms. It's elegant, finely appointed, very quiet, with marvellous gardens. When my friend offered to have me as his guest there, I had no idea I would be stepping into an episode of Brideshead Revisited.
We planned to go into London on Monday so I could do some sightseeing, but by the time we finished breakfast and got on the way, it was nearly Noon. Once we got into the city, I headed for Westminister Abbey. From there, I set out to see Westminister Cathedral, stopping for fish 'n chips along the way. By then, the afternoon was quickly spent, so I made way to our meeting point at Harrod's.
Meanwhile, the tube (subway)strike began ... and it was the evening rush hour. When we came out of Harrod's it was obvious that any further movement about the city, even on foot, was going to be complicated and crowded, so my friends decided it best to head back for the Manor. We managed to get a taxi to the train station, and headed for home. So much for seeing much of London.
On Sunday I had some occasional sneezes, and attributed them to something blooming on the grounds. Monday, it became increasingly apparent it wasn't a pollen problem, and by time I woke on Tuesday it was definite that I had gotten myself a very bad cold. Subsequently, I spent much of the day Tuesday in bed ... venturing out only briefly to let my friends know I was still alive, and to order the taxi for my Wednesday morning departure. Despite the good friends and fine food and drink available, it seemed prudent to lay low, so I ordered a sandwich(egg salad and watercress... it was England, afterall)sent up to the room for lunch, and a mixed green salad for dinner.
The European segment of the sabbatical may have started out with a bang (thunderstorms that kept us on the Philly runway for five hours) but it ended with a whimper (the headcold that put me in bed). That's OK ... everything inbetween made up for it.
So I headed homeward ... this time there were no storms or significant delays, and my Sister met at the Detroit airport as scheduled. Now I'm nestled in at Mom and Dad's, reclaiming bits of summer I missed while in Europe ... things like sweet corn and fresh tomatoes.
But the sabbatical isn't over yet, so there will still be things to post ... after my nap, that is.
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