Clucking in Church

We walked into the chapel at TAC for a look and a prayer.  There was one student kneeling in a pew, and the three of us, T, L and I, instinctively sat on the other side so as not to disturb her.  We chose a pew in the Catholic way...not too close, but not too far, and knelt for our own silent prayers....

I think I heard the other person leave.

Suddenly, in the quiet of that place, I got an urge.  Oh, I tried to suppress it, I really did, but the desire grew in my mind.  In that very silent space, hearing nothing but the sound of my silly mind, I had the urge to make a clucking sound with my tongue...you know,  just to test the acoustics.  I am sure you will all be happy to hear...

I resisted.

Suddenly, next to me (and I won't say which of my offspring it was who did it), I heard a "cluck."

The chapel has great acoustics.

Angelic guardians of the acoustics.

I hope the confessionals are soundproofed.

Libby and Friends Play Ravel

Images of Greece

Here's my mom (in blue) with some of the folks on the tour:



Here's an amphitheater:



Here's the Ensemble playing in an open air venue in Athens:



Here's an impression of the Acropolis from the hotel. Blurry, but you get the idea :


Seems they are having a great time. One of the group actually just graduated from Trip's high school. Trip had no idea that he was coming, or that his younger brother was one of the members of the ensemble. I am glad there is such a nice group of teen boys on the tour!

A Wrecking Ball Christmas

This is not an optical illusion, but a Christmas ball with a 36" diameter. I imagine the neighbor-in-the-tower might look out on a windy night and worry that the decoration of death is coming to strike him down. One big gust, and it's all over.

Sleeping Bag (A "This Old Ktichen" Post)

Definition: A (mobile) bag of happiness and joy that you can go into.--Paul

OK. The house is a bit cold. The kitchen renovation, the one I started 7 years ago, is being completed by a professional. He had the doors open all day, and the house has a decidedly chilly feel to it. The kitchen, with its "bones" exposed, is not much of a barrier between the sub-freezing night air and the inhabitants of the house. Brr.

So, you wanna see? It's a mess!







I'll post more photos when there's more to see. The demolition is ongoing. You should see the pile of electrical conduit, and I heard a rumor about moving a pipe. Just one...so far.

Convince Me

There is always some talk of having immigrant-owned shops put up signs in English, especially in case of an emergency. If the firemen, police or EMS can't read your sign, they can't find your workplace if there's a fire or robbery, right? The corollary is: Make sure you use the correct translation. I have a feeling that this is not the place to be convinced of anything, but, as it is a local corner shop, it's really supposed to be there for convenience. Also, those looking for a "Pone Card" might have found the only shop in NY that sells them. ;)

ETA: Or perhaps they are running a Cribbage Game.

Or maybe it is a place to be convinced first, and then smoke...in which case, would you send your children in for a half-gallon of milk?

Why I Love NYC

So, a week ago, Libby gets a call to do a recital at a school named Blessed Sacrament on W. 70th Street. We were not familiar with the church or school, so it was all a surprise. We thought we might visit the church on our way out, after the recital. As it turned out, we parked on the block with the church (71st, back to back with the school) and figured we'd take a shortcut through the church itself, since it was about 26 degrees outside! We passed through the dark Gothic doorway which is modeled after a Vatican doorway by Rafael, and...

Gasp!!

It was stunning! High altar (with a bare, cold "People's Altar" in front of it), communion rail, tabernacle front and center...architecture, inside and out, that is so very Catholic. I would definitely put it on the list of great churches to visit when studying architecture.