Random Theological Post

Here's an interesting article on the Catholic view of a literal six day creation, “Reading Genesis with Cardinal Ratzinger.” I love Cardinal Ratzinger's frank questions: “Is the distinction between the image and what is intended to be expressed only an evasion, because we can no longer rely on the text even though we still want to make something of it, or are there criteria from the Bible itself that attest to this distinction?”

Sometimes I think that if I did not feel catholic enough to claim unity with all of Christendom, I would follow Chesterton down the path of Orthodoxy and become Catholic.

I Want - Part I

I want to work in a room with real walls, and windows that open when the weather is good, with a view to red brick and green plants through white wooden window frames. Preferably old and slightly peeling. I want the light in the room to change when the clouds and sun move. I want to be able to take a walk during the middle of the day without feeling that I should stay that many minutes extra at the end. I want to be able to leave early on Friday if I have worked well, not if I have worked 40.0 hours.

Tyrannosaurs in F-14s

I was listening to "I saw three ships come sailing in" on Sufjan Stevens' Christmas album, and looking for more information.

I found an old carol, mentioned for its similarity:

All sons of Adam, rise up with me,
Go praise the Blessed Trinitie, &c.
Then spake the Archangel Gabriel, said, Ave, Marie mild,
The Lord of Lords is with thee, now shall you go with child.
                                        Ecce ancilla domini.
Then said the virgin, as thou hast said, so mat it be,
    Welcome be heavens King.
There comes a ship far sailing then,
Saint Michael was the stieres-man;
    Saint John sate in the horn:
Our Lord harped, our Lady sang,
And all the bells of heaven they rang,
    On Christ's sonday at morn, &c.

There's something magical about the imaginative willingness to place saints, disciples, Jesus and Mary in a boat, as sailors and musicians! It's a conglomeration of favourite images, bundled together out of sheer delight, with no regard for any kind of organizing principle. Oh God, awake my imagination, and let me delight in you and everything you have made, realistic or not!

Spenser

Here's the newest member of our family: Born on Sep 23, 2005, Spenser is a black Standard Poodle. He's adorably cute, and the sweetest thing ever.

Why do you work so hard?

Hmmm. Why do you work so hard?

Skype?

Does anyone out there use Skype? I just installed Skype, and I'd like to try it out to see whether it works on my computer. My usernam is zellynhunter

Long Time No Post

Okay, since I haven't posted for a while, and since I haven't thought about Sufjan for a while, here's a couple of articles that I found interesting:

• tikkun.org
• observer

---

We had a fabulous but busy weekend. On Friday, we took Marta to Atlantic Station, Atlanta's new close-to-downtown outdoor mall, a cross between a couple of city sidewalk blocks and a shopping center. Right now the perfectly regularity of the brick facades, as they change colour and texture from building to building in an attempt to simulate a real grown city is a little creepy, since it's all brand new. The effect is something between Disneyland and a model railroad prop version of a city district. I'm guessing they went with a cheaper architecture firm, and should have been more daring. Of course, that would have cost much more.

Perhaps surprisingly, it's not as bad as it sounds, and I think it will grow into itself over time, especially as it gets busier. The Atlanta skyline definitely helps. It was fun to take public transport and walk, instead of driving.

We were there to see H.P. That's Harry Potter for you non-teens. The auditorium was large and full of kids and teenagers, which was fun. The movie was pretty good - I think I may have to buckle down and read the books at last. Damn.

On Saturday, we helped Nathaniel and Shauna (Bevin's brother and his wife) a little as they put new floors into their house before the baby arrives, and then went to a church fellowship, where we sat outside and roasted marshmallows and talked. Yesterday, we skipped church, had brunch with Rob and Mindy. It was great to see everyone.

Now we're ready for Thanksgiving, which is interesting, because all plans are tentative: we have no idea when Ian Sims will be born! We're going to be Uncle Zellyn and Aunty Bevin for the first time, so we're very excited.