This is about the time of year when I make it clear that I really, REALLY despise forced corporate frivolity.

I have to keep reminding myself that just because a person cannot spell or use English properly, especially on social media, that doesn’t mean that they are idiots.

Attended a midday Latin Mass at our parish for today’s feast of the Immaculate Conception.

It was a particularly interesting experience after a vigil Mass the night before at another parish that is decidedly less, well, reverent than ours:

  • fully blinged-out Christmas trees behind the altar;
  • strict adherence to arcane diocesan rules that all but discourage reception of the Eucharist on the tongue;
  • a small army of laypersons armed with hand sanitizers before you receive;
  • and an “extraordinary” Eucharistic minister helping to hand out Communion next to the celebrant, even though there was another priest available to do so.

And for all of that, today’s Latin Mass – in the middle of the day, a somewhat more inconvenient time, really – had more than twice as many people attending, and our pastor distributed the Eucharist himself.

I really don’t want to be one of those stereotypically cranky and indignant TLM types. I’m fine with the so-called Novus Ordo liturgy in the vernacular, so long as it’s celebrated by clergy and parishioners in a reverent and respectful manner. This is rarely the case in the three parishes in our DuPage County suburb, which is one of the reasons why we are registered at a more orthodox parish down the road in a decidedly more working-class Cook County area.

But every time I attend Mass in our town, I’m immensely grateful for our parish, where the faith and the Real Presence is taken seriously. It’s been a gift.

Oh, come on, Amazon.

Bought a wreath at church today. The marbled paper star that F made in school pairs up nicely with it.

Today’s amusing catechical moment: sitting behind the older CCD boys at Mass and, when the priest mentioned in passing that there would be no video games in Heaven, hearing their audible gasps.

Christmas fudge season is officially under way. Experimenting here with a vanilla mint batch. (Annoyed that I had to get my preferred Guittard mint chips online because they’re not sold here anymore.) The swirling and red nonpareils were Frannie’s idea.

So far, we’ve also produced batches of milk chocolate, plain (using fat-free condensed milk and sugar-free semisweet chips made with stevia), snickerdoodle, walnut, almond joy, and mocha.

Before the weekend is out, looking to create chocolate mint, vanilla mint (stevia and fat-free condensed milk version), and possibly a vegan fudge using condensed oat milk I found at the grocery store today. Still need to try making caramels (regular and vegan) after some uselessly hard batches made a couple of weeks ago.

And then I can start packing little boxes to ship to colleagues and a few friends and family members. Will make fresh batches later for Frannie’s friends and teachers/counselors next week.

I think I’m on my 12th viewing of the “Ted Lasso” Christmas episode in the past week. I’ve lost count. #ComfortViewing

First night of Advent. Painted a papier-mâché calendar (with Frannie’s color scheme, snowflakes, and numbers) and a wooden tree, and set up the Advent candles.

(The bucket of holiday candy in the middle of the candles is not in accordance with tradition, but it fit there.)

Posting this a day late. We hit our favorite Polish smorgasbord for Thanksgiving after missing it last year. (Sawa’s, like most restaurants about this time last year, had shut down because of the pandemic.)

We really missed this place over the past year and a half. The extra carbs were worth it.






Watching “The Beatles: Get Back.” The most interesting thing so far is seeing whatever Yoko seems to be doing in the background to kill the time.

#EatingAnIceCreamBar
#ReadingANewspaper
#SortingHerMail

“I would like more pinches of your fish sandwich, please.”

I may have sprained or even broken my hand in a screaming rage. This reminder of a little “Ted Lasso” wisdom came along on Reddit at just the right time, though not at quite the right time to save my hand from injury. (In my case, just insert “dad” with “other relative who shall not be specified at this time.")

And now, time to plan to go to confession for all the horrible things I spouted off in my rage, though not actually at the person to whom those things were actually directed.

My list:

BBQ pork rinds
“Ted Lasso”
Fried chicken (Popeye’s or Jollibee)
Coke Zero Sugar

Once I stopped constantly and loudly virtue signaling my faith on social media, my faith deepened. Funny how it’s worked that way.

Hell is being force-fed local TV news at all hours of the day.

You know it’s fall in the Midwest when you see a guy walking down the street in a leather jacket and shorts.

Didn’t realize that it has been weeks since I’ve posted anything of substance here.

Been up late a lot with work and stuff. Have posted periodically on Twitter, less often on Insta/Facebook. The rest of the time, I’m either baking with F, watching “Ted Lasso” with C, or reading.

Haven’t missed the posting here, sad to say.

I stumbled onto “Ted Lasso” when the first 2 episodes were featured on the flight from my mom’s funeral in June. This show has been such a godsend these past few months, almost as if it was Mom’s parting gift to me or something.

The only reason I’m following the Emmys is “Ted Lasso.” I am reminded with each bad “comedy” bit and every tedious speech tonight why I avoid awards shows.

Always interesting to glance at a friend’s social media feed and remember why I don’t follow them anymore.

Today, I learned that our local high school has a bass fishing team. At last, something for F to aspire to next year.

Big mistake: Watching “Ted Lasso” at bedtime soon after it premieres. Now I’m wide awake and watching the Reddit back-and-forth about it.

Thoughts keeping me up at 1 a.m.:

  1. Doctor Sharon is the therapist I’ve always wanted.
  2. If I wasn’t married, I would want my very own Roy Kent.
  3. Nate is severely testing my belief that nobody is irredeemable.