I’m hopped up on cold medicine right now and trying to conserve what energy I do have into not falling completely behind in current projects, so here’s a saint of the day copied directly from Catholic Encyclopedia: Born in the castle of Castiglione, 9 March, 1568; died 21 June, 1591. At eight he was placed … Continue reading Low Effort Blogging: Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
Author: DBreitenbeck
Poetry – “Ode to Duty”
Stern Daughter of the Voice of God!O Duty! if that name thou loveWho art a Light to guide, a RodTo check the erring, and reprove;Thou who art victory and lawWhen empty terrors overawe;From vain temptations dost set free;And calm'st the weary strife of frail humanity! There are who ask not if thine eyeBe on them; … Continue reading Poetry – “Ode to Duty”
Words of the Saints: St. Louis to His Son
(Meant to have something of my own, but I've fallen down with a bad cold and don't have much in the way of thinking powers. So enjoy the advice of St. Louis IX to his son) 1. To his dear first-born son, Philip, greeting, and his father's love. 2. Dear son, since I desire with … Continue reading Words of the Saints: St. Louis to His Son
Niceness is Fun
Detective Philosophy at ‘The Everyman’
My latest essay (first in a little while) is now up at The Everyman, this one critiquing our tendency to insist that this, that, or the other fact 'doesn't matter' by applying the analogy of detective literature. I read a lot of detective fiction (I also write it, though I’ve written much less than I’ve … Continue reading Detective Philosophy at ‘The Everyman’
Friday Flotsam: Some Reading and Some Thoughts
1. Read classic noir pulp short Angel Face by Cornell Woolrich, about a savvy stripper-with-a-heart-of-gold trying to save her loser of a brother from a false accusation of murder with help from a sympathetic detective. Really exactly what you want in this kind of thing: snappy dialogue and narration (“One of them was kind of … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Some Reading and Some Thoughts
Scene Dissection: Rattlesnake Jake
Gore Verbinski’s Rango, starring Johnny Depp, is a very strange and uneven film. On the surface, it’s weird and creative, but at its core it follows a fairly strict and by-the-numbers formula, with mostly pretty flat characters living in the service of the jokes. It’s not a bad movie by any stretch, and it’s become … Continue reading Scene Dissection: Rattlesnake Jake
Thought of the Day: On Breaking Laws
When you break the law, you do not in fact find chaos. You find older, stronger laws. This is true whether the law be of man, God, or nature. All created things that we know of are composite beings, formed of smaller natures set in a particular relation to each other. A car, for instance, … Continue reading Thought of the Day: On Breaking Laws
‘Uncharitable’ is the Preferred Term
Uh, X is actually considered an offensive term for Z-types. It’s okay for other Z-types to calls us that, but not for someone else to. Y is the preferred term. “Ah. Do you speak for all Z-types?” Well… “So, as I understand it, X is the most common term. It’s been in use for time … Continue reading ‘Uncharitable’ is the Preferred Term
Poetry – “Veni Creator Spiritus
Creator Spirit, by whose aidThe world's foundations first were laid,Come visit every pious mind,Come pour Thy joys on human kind;From sin and sorrow set us free,And make Thy temples worthy Thee.O source of uncreated light,The Father's promised Paraclete!Thrice holy fount, thrice holy fire,Our hearts with heavenly love inspire;Come, and Thy sacred unction bring,To sanctify us … Continue reading Poetry – “Veni Creator Spiritus
Serpent's Den 