Special Sunday Edition

In light of the fact that it's Sunday and I just finished my first research paper for Catholicism in the US, I thought I'd share a little of what I've learned with you. 

First of all, my paper is an exploration of the impact of Vatican II's document Sacrosanctum Concilium, also called "The Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy," and the subsequent changes to the liturgy. To complete the paper, I read the whole document, an additional subsequent document, a motu proprio issued by Pope Benedict XVI, and four books written by priests, bishops, theologians, a Lutheran observer of Vatican II. I also did a lot of historical research about the different forms of the Mass to put everything in context.

You might be interested to know that the oldest surviving form of the Mass in the Tridentine Mass, which was celebrated, completely unaltered, for over 400 years preceding Vatican II. It's the Mass where the priest faces the altar away from the congregation and speaks mostly in Latin. The Mass we celebrate today is called Novus Ordo Missae, or "New Order of the Mass". In a lot of ways it's easier to follow and much more inclusive of the laity, but its departure from the Tridentine and close similarities to the Protestant services upset many conservative Catholics. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI issued a letter allowing priests to celebrate the Tridentine Mass at their discretion, an allowance that was widely celebrated by orthodox Catholics. (For reference, the above picture is of a stripped, modern Novus Ordo altar and celebration, while the photo below is of the Tridentine Mass).

Out of curiosity, I YouTube'd "Tridentine Mass" and found a full-length, totally accurate celebration of the Tridentine High Mass. I watched the whole thing, utterly transfixed with the beauty and mystery of it. It's crazy how the two Masses celebrate the same thing but are totally foreign. I highly suggest you check it out. I know it's tough to carve an hour out of your day sometimes, but you absolutely will not regret it, even if you decide you never ever want to experience it again (as for me, I found a Church back in Seattle that celebrates it every Sunday, and plan to check one out in person as soon as I can). If you decide to watch, also Google "Tridentine Mass English translation" and follow along with the side-by-side English-Latin online Missal. 

Do it tonight, as an extra dedication on Sunday, or really any other day of the week to infuse a bit of worship and faith tradition into your day. Or maybe if you're really busy, save it as a special sacrifice of your time during Lent. You won't regret it. 

You Won't Believe It

This is just a short little post to say that I had an unbelievably productive weekend. In the last 48 hours, I've hosted my friend Kaila, had some friends over for cookies (someone always brings break'n'bakes here since somehow I'm the only one with a baking sheet), worked out (twice!), ANDDDD wrote my English essay and my Catholicism research paper!! Those papers aren't even due for another two and three days, respectively, so I'm way ahead...

And speaking of things I'm ahead of: laundry, dishes, ice (I usually forget about the ice)...

Plus, USC beat WSU, which is always good. And Aaron Corp even got some play time in at the end, which he desperately needs. I mean, this is the guy who was literally THROWN OUT of a party last week. No lie. These guys were having a birthday party for this guy I know in TKE, and I guess Aaron Corp showed up, and people started throwing empty beer cans at him and being all "You suck, Corp!" until he finally left.

Which is really embarrassing, especially considering he showed up with a couple linemen, whose presence alone would generally deter any attacks on or off the field.  But yeah. These Trojans were really angry. And wayyy brutal. Hopefully Aaron can redeem himself sometime so he can be welcomed back into the Trojan family. It must really suck to be so ostracized you can't even show up to an off-Row house party...

Anyway. Like I was saying, I had a really productive weekend. I'm proud of myself. And I'm really excited to turn in those papers! 

This Picture

This picture drives me crazy. We're making these ridiculous faces - which looks playful on some people, but never seems to work for me - and the lighting is blown out all weird so my skin is paper white. But for some reason Kaila likes it, and since she was here for a couple of days, I'm posting it in her honor. 

Kaila was going to be my roommate this year. We lived across the hall from each other in the Radisson last year. She has six siblings (FIVE are younger sisters!) and always had chips, salsa and that canned cheese dip on hand. We'd snack on it while we watched Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill or listened to her bootlegged music.

This year her financial aid didn't work out, so now she's enrolled at Michigan and LOVING it. She came back to visit and move her stuff back home. While she was here we talked and laughed and ate all the things she can't get in the Midwest. We also decided she's going to use her next flight credit to come back and visit again.

Til then, I'm gonna miss that girl. 

Where I'm Going

So guess where I am going?

First up, I'm taking advantage of a ridiculously amazing opportunity to attend a fundraiser for the Minority Whip in Beverly Hills. I just need to figure out something to wear to that....

It'll be wayyy easier to figure out what I'm wearing for the MIKA CONCERT I'm going to in late October with B, my roommate Hye-young, and our friend Taylor.

It's gonna be at the Palladium in Hollywood, and since it's Mika we think we should all wear something completely ridiculous. Like metallic leggings. I'll keep you posted on that.

And I know EXACTLY what I'm wearing to the 2009 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS!! Troy Hall Building Government (thanks to yours truly) is offering significantly reduced-price tickets to the AMAs, which are being held at the Nokia Center in late November. I'm so psyched. Hye-young and I are going, and we've decided to dress up for fun. I know the exact, hot pink BCBG dress I'm borrowing for it! 

So yeah. That's what's going to be going on here. Politics and pop culture. I love LA...

Macintosh!!

I went mac!! 

I'd been thinking about it for quite a while and did a lot of research. Almost two weeks ago, I purchased myself a 13 in. Macbook Pro. I'm in love with it.

If you haven’t gone Mac, you probably should, especially if all you use are common applications around the house or for school. The operating system is just so, so easy. Ask anyone you know who has a Mac. When you’re considering how to do a particular thing, think of the EASIEST POSSIBLE SOLUTION. Looking to get a photo off the internet and onto your computer? Literally drag it off your browser and drop it on your desktop. Want to edit it? Label it? Catalog it based on event, date, location taken and people pictured? Drag-and-drop into your iPhoto application and it will automatically DO IT ALL FOR YOU!!! Wow. My life made easier.

 Perhaps the biggest shock, though? Windows for Mac is vastly superior to any Microsoft product operated on an actual Microsoft system. It is faster and has better features, like a note-taking interface and Publisher-type operations integrated into Word. And I hate to weaken my argument by sounding so shallow, but it just has to be said: this thing is so pretty. And durable. And portable. The entire thing is made out of ONE SINGLE piece of aluminum and weighs less than five pounds.

 Oh, and restarting the computer? Less than ninety seconds. NINETY SECONDS, PEOPLE!!! I’ll race your PC (or mine, I kept it and still like it – I am from Microsoft country, after all) any day of the week.

 So yes. Call me a lemming if you must. I have joined the 80-some percent of college students who now use Macs as their primary computers. And I really did feel shallow for about five seconds. Well, okay, not really, but only because this thing is so darn fantastic, I just felt SMART for making the purchase. You should too!!

 

The Gas We Pass

Last Tuesday, I submitted my very first official essay as an English major. The assignment, for my British Literature to 1800 class, was vague: four to six pages, on Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales (we read it in its original Middle English). This particular professor seems to like really quirky and original essay topics. 

I called my paper, “The Gas We Pass: Flatulence in The Canterbury Tales”. Needless to say, that was also its topic. I was very happy with how it turned out, and even though it only received a B (the lowest grade I have EVER received on any essay in my entire life!!), it still earned the highest grade in the class, so I’m okay with that. In the process, I also learned a lot about the approach this professor likes (loved the topic, hated one of the four arguments I made, and had hugely valid points against it I hadn’t considered) so if any of you are interested in reading it, let me know by leaving a comment on this post (hit the comment button at the end of the post) or sending me an email, and I’ll get it to you. 

Patrick Swayze, 1952 - 2009

Wow. I can't believe that, as I type this, Patrick Swayze has passed on from this life, has succumbed to pancreatic cancer after a long, eighteen-month struggle. 

 I do not have a lot to say on the subject that has not already been said, will not certainly be repeated, by others older and more qualified to eulogize than I, but I will say this:

 I will never, ever forget the first time I watched “Dirty Dancing.” My Mom insisted, and though I wasn’t excited to turn it on, as soon as it started I never wanted to turn it off. As the credits rolled, the three of us all looked at each other, and my mom finally said, a little giddy, “You wanna watch it again?”  It was what we had all been thinking. She rewound the tape (yes, tape!) and we played it again, right away, not even getting up from the couch.

 I love that movie. I will always love that movie. Thank you, Patrick Swayze. That is how I will always remember you.

 

Just remember

You’re the one thing

I can’t get enough of

So I’ll tell you something,

This could be love because

 

I’ve had the time of my life

No, I never felt this way before

Yes, I swear, it’s the truth

And I owe it all to you

My New Roomie

So one night last week while I was drooling over my Mac, minding my own business, and I heard a key in the door. And someone came in. Actually, three people came in – my roommate and her parents. They quickly dropped off her stuff and left, and I quickly panicked. I was really hoping to hold onto my single; I had grown accustomed to living alone, and didn’t want to deal with all the roommate drama of last year.

Fortunately, I seem to have lucked out. My new roomie’s name is Hye-Young (pronounced Hey-Young). She’s a sophomore transfer from UC Davis, and she’s taking classes in PR right now, and hoping to work her way into the film industry here in LA. She’s originally from here, so she goes home on weekends to work and spend time with her parents. I was hesitant at first about the whole roomie thing – especially since her placement kind of dropped out of nowhere – but it turns out we have some mutual friends here, people she knew in high school, which is nice.

So far we’ve had a great time hanging out, watching movies, listening to music, and experimenting with cooking. Hopefully there are many good times to come!!

My Boys

First things first.

Yes, I have a new roommate. Yes, I purchased a 13-in MacBook Pro. Yes, I have submitted and received my very first college paper, and received a grade on it. But first things must come first. I DO have my priorities (no worries, my roomie fully understands and respects my priorities too).

So before  I talk about any of that other stuff, I HAVE to talk about my boys. By that I mean my Trojan football team. Did any of you catch their game against Ohio State on Saturday? Admittedly, there wasn’t a lot of action, but if you didn’t see it, I highly recommend you check out the game recap on ESPN.com. It’s only a couple minutes long, and it covers that final, long drive that I think is a huge harbinger of success.

Barkley – after being sacked at least three times, and under enormous pressure in a packed-to-capacity stadium full of Buckeyes looking for retribution, not to mention a crazy time crunch – showed he can operate at level worthy of top-10, Division I football at barely 19 years old. This could be the beginning of an era, people. With this current offensive line-up, and Taylor Mays (my all-time FAVORITE Trojan player, from my brother school back home in Seattle – he’s #2, keep an eye out!) at safety, barring any atrocious and unexpected failings (coughOregonStatecough), we could really be in it this year.

Just for a little walk down memory lane – and because we didn’t take any pictures on Saturday because it was a home game and we were too alternately stuffing our faces with nachos and wringing our hands – here’s one of my favorite pictures taken just before LAST year’s game against Ohio State at the Coliseum, my very first Trojan home game.

We won that game 35-3. Ohio State didn’t even get a touchdown. We won this game 18-15, but it was in Columbus and with a freshman quarterback. Ohio hasn't fared so well against the Trojans. Poor Buckeyes.