Odd feast day today: The Conversion of St. Paul. It's odd because it's an event. The major feasts (Christmas, Easter, etc.) are also events, but most non-obligatory feast days are saint feast days (St. John, St. Thomas, St. John Kennedy [for my Boston readers], etc.).
Wrote St. John Chrysostom of St. Paul: "[I]n being loved by Christ he thought of himself as possessing life, the world, the angels, present and future, the kingdom, the promises and countless blessings. Apart from that love nothing saddened or delighted him; for nothing earthly did he regard as bitter or sweet."
According to Chrysostom (a man whose opinion I rather trust), St. Paul is all about love. Not surprising, Paul wrote the "love is not jealous, love is . . ." verses that I heard at 99% of the weddings I attend. It's quite odd that the sexual libertines in our culture have labeled him a man of hate.
In response to my post yesterday regarding goths, a reader sends me this. Christian Goths. I glanced through their site, and I'm not sure I understand their point. They love darkness because it's broken up with the light of Christ, I guess, but that doesn't seem to make sense. That's like loving drunkenness because I'll be sober tomorrow. The question is, is the darkness/drunkenness good in itself? If not, you shouldn't relish it.
But I'm wasting my time. Better stuff:
The 2002 documentary movie about Marshall McLuhan, McLuhan's Wake, is out on DVD. I'll have to check it out, but I'll probably wait until I can get it used.
The American Idol fury continues. First, people said the judges are being cruel (like, no kiddin', dude; they're cruel every year). Now, they're accused of being arbitrary in their selections. Okay, I buy that. But I don't really care. On Tuesday night, Jason "Sundance" Head made it. He blew everyone away. And the best part: He's the son of Roy Head, the singer of "Treat Her Right" (re-made by The Commitments and George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers--both versions recommended). One of my favorite songs of all time (great over-imbibed singing/yelling song). I'm pulling for him this year, though I fear he has the moral fiber of a Kennedy.
Technology shrinks on: The most dense computer memory circuit ever fabricated -- capable of storing around 2,000 words in a unit the size of a white blood cell -- was unveiled by scientists in California.
Two late night shots:
In a series of TV interviews this morning, Hillary Clinton said her favorite movie as a little girl was "Wizard of Oz.” Her favorite movie in college was "Casablanca.” Then, after she got married, it was "Kill Bill.” Leno.
Judi Dench was nominated for her role as a mean lesbian. Even if she doesn't win the Academy Award, she has a standing offer to join "The View." Letterman.
Teenagers understand the danger of drinking and driving but still don't grasp the risks of driver distractions such as cellphones, loud music, [rolling a joint,] and young passengers, says an extensive new study of teen habits behind the wheel.
(Alright, I added the block insert, but somebody had to.)
