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On:

I recently realized I was lonely–most of my friends are in Texas or the UK, so I rarely see them. I joined a couple of "ladies" clubs, but found them unsatisfactory. One of them seems to be mainly about playing cards, while another is filled with querulous old gals who are constantly complaining about their health.

I’ve had long email "conversations" before, but this time I thought I’d make it official: I decided I hate better go "virtual," and join Facebook.

When I log on, I’m immediately sucked into a huge, poignant wave of humanity–of the joys and sorrows of people I hardly know. It can be emotionally overwhelming.
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On:

The baseball season is here and as usual, all the fans I know are in despair about their respective teams (since one of them has to win every game–there are no ties in baseball–you’d think SOMEONE would be happy, but nobody seems to be).

In many ways, baseball is a metaphor for life, and this is best expressed in movies about the sport. Some examples:

"Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. Sometimes it rains." (Bull Durham)
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On:

Or that’s how the old saying goes, anyway. Pope Benedict appreciated the idea of dressing to fulfill a role–in fact, Esquire magazine put him on its best dressed list, saying that he had a way with accessories and advising their male readers: "It could be a pocket square or a chunky watch or a tie clip, but make it your own." One way Benedict did this was by wearing handmade red leather loafers.

He also brought back the white and red ermine-trimmed capelets, and reintroduced the little red velvet cap trimmed in the same fur. His fondness for ermine angered some Italian animal rights groups.
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On:

The current papacy is actually an extension of the old Roman Empire. The bishops of Rome took over the administration of the church using the governing methods of the Romans. As the Empire fell, that government became the curia (governing body) of the Catholic church. The pope is the "Pontiflex Maxiums," a Roman term meaning "great bridge." That title goes way back, to the high priests of the old Roman religion.

The Catholic position of pope all started because of a sentence in the gospels that Jesus probably didn’t actually say, and even if he DID say it, I think the real meaning has been totally lost amidst all the papal pomp.
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