Just another writer
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Catholic nerd pilgrimage: Saint John Vianney
The parish of Saint John Vianney is located in the nearish suburb of Northlake, which is not so named because it’s near a lake but because it is located at the intersection of Lake Street and North Avenue. For some reason, I had it in my head that the Mass began at 8a even though…
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A visit with my younger self: 22 August 1988
A very short entry this time: The story of Marconi enters my mind. At this point in my trip to Montréal, I had relocated to the hotel where I would be staying for the conference. It was in a nicer neighborhood, but ironically, access to the McGill campus by public transit was less convenient. What…
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Writerly resolutions: July status
This was a moderately productive month writing-wise. I got fair work done on the novel, finishing the rewrite and revision work on the newly inserted chapter two, along with rewriting chapter six and now I’m doing post-workshop revisions on chapter five. Chapter two, a flashback chapter, felt like something that could stand on its own…
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Catholic nerd pilgrimage: Saint Martha
Today is the feast of Saints Martha and Mary, and their brother Saint Lazarus. For this feast, I traveled to St Martha church in Morton Grove. The church hosts the Shrine of All Saints, with relics from over 3200 saints, but apparently it requires an appointment for a docent-led tour. In any event, I forgot…
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Today’s saint picture: Saint Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception
Today’s saint is Saint Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception, an Indian (Indian as in Gandhi, not Geronimo) nun who was the first Indian woman to be canonized by the Catholic church. Having taken a break of nearly a week since my last picture, I can see my skills weakening with this image.
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Catholic nerd pilgrimage: Saint Celestine
Today is the feast of Saint Celestine, a fifth century pope. The church of that name is in Elmwood Park, thankfully only a short drive away. The parish is unapologetically suburban in its feel, a post–Vatican II building (although the parish itself is much older). The Sunday Mass was, well, suburban. I do note…
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Catholic nerd pilgrimage: Saint Ann(e)
The Archdiocese of Chicago has two churches of Saint Anne (while one Saint Anne and one Saint Ann) along with a Shrine of Saint Anne. That last does not have Saturday Masses anymore, something I only learned today when I noticed that the church which hosts the shrine has a newer website and the older…
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A visit with my younger self: 21 August 1988
My stay in Montréal continues. I was still at the auberge at this point in the trip. Montréal is the city where Groucho losdt his virginity. Montréal is also the city where Don Hosek was asked for instructions on the subway. I don’t know, maybe I look helpful. Last night I met three French-speaking girls at…
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Catholic nerd pilgrimage: Saint James
Today is the feast of St James the Great and while there are five currently open churches of St James, apparently, no one is exactly sure which Saint James any of them is named for, although not only is there confusion about which Saint James the churches are named for, there’s also confusion about which Saint…