St. Serge & St. Bacchus: When Marriage Between Gays Was a Rite

The very idea of a Christian homosexual marriage seems incredible. Yet after a twelve year search of Catholic and Orthodox church archives Yale history professor John Boswell has discovered that a type of Christian homosexual “marriage” did exist as late as the 18th century.

Contrary to myth, Christianity’s concept of marriage has not been set in stone since the days of Christ, but has evolved as a concept and as a ritual.

Professor Boswell discovered that in addition to heterosexual marriage ceremonies in ancient church liturgical documents (and clearly separate from other types of non-marital blessings of adopted children or land) were ceremonies called, among other titles, the “Office of Same Sex Union” (10th and 11th century Greek) or the “Order for Uniting Two Men” (11th and 12th century).

These ceremonies had all the contemporary symbols of a marriage: a community gathered in a church, a blessing of the couple before the altar, their right hands joined as at heterosexual marriages, the participation of a priest, the taking of the Eucharist, a wedding banquet afterwards. All of which are shown in contemporary drawings of the same sex union of Byzantine Emperor Basil I (867-886) and his companion John. Such homosexual unions also took place in Ireland in the late 12th / early 13th century, as the chronicler Gerald of Wales (Geraldus Cambrensis) has recorded.

Speechless

I was reading Wonkette when I spotted an article entitled Tsunami Relief and the Homosexual Agenda. I was . . . too outraged to be outraged? . . . horrified? . . . I'm not sure what I was but speechless is definitely part of it. I don't know why I'm always so surprised by hatred, but I am. The relevant part of my horrified speechless outrage is this flyer (from The Raw Story) put out by the Westboro Baptist Church.

I feel . . . unclean, as if I've been submerged in raw sewage.

A new menu option

I've added a new menu option - Disaster Relief. It takes you to a page which lists various organizations that are accepting donations for the relief / recovery effort in South & Southeast Asia. It is a work in progress.

FoxTrot by Bill Amend

Boys will be boys!

(If the title link has gone out of date, click here for the saved image.)

Urban Legends Reference Pages: Holidays (New Year's superstitious)

Until I married, I'd never practiced any sort of New Year related superstitious act, but my ex's family were of the 'eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Day' variety. Even after 10 years of divorce, I still eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Day.

Donation

I made a donation to the Red Cross this morning to help with the diaster relief.

I still cannot comprehend the magnitude of the diaster. The number of deaths in Indonesia alone are more than the total population of the town in which I live.

Update: You can donate to the Red Cross through Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/paypage/PX3BEL97U9A4I.

Hey, audience!

Guess what I found? Ded Bob's Web Paj! Sometimes I'm just unbelievably dimwitted, and no, I do not need you to make a crack about that, oh Best Friend of mine. It only occurred to me today to google Ded Bob to see if he had a site. He does and he also has the lyrics for . . .

Rudolph the Road-kill Reindeer

Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Used to have a shiny nose
Now if you were to see it
You would say it's stiff and froze

All of the other reindeer
Look before they cross the lane
They saw the snowplow coming
At least there wasn't any pain

On that foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
Even thoough we'll miss our friend
Tonight we're eating venisen

Then how the reindeer loved him
As they ate their christmas deer
Rudolf the Road-kill Reindeer
Not a bit of gristle here!

There you are, oh Best Friend of mine. Just for you and just because you asked. (Please note the spelling mistakes in the lyrics are not mine but come directly from Ded Bob's lyric paj.)

Yahoo! News - Court Backs Firing of Waitress Without Makeup

In a 2-1 decision, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling in favor of Harrah's. All three judges are males appointed by Democratic presidents.

"We have previously held that grooming and appearance standards that apply differently to women and men do not constitute discrimination on the basis of sex," Judge Wallace Tashima wrote for the majority.

Don't you just love the justification for gender discrimination posited by the judge?

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Wave toll 'could exceed 100,000'

CONFIRMED DEATH TOLL
Indonesia: 36,268
Sri Lanka: 21,715
India: 6,974
Thailand: 1,516
Somalia: 100
Tanzania: 10
Maldives: 52
Malaysia: 44
Burma: 30
Seychelles: 3
Bangladesh: 2
Kenya: 1

Millions long for immortality

"Millions long for immortality who don't know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon." -- Susan Ertz

He who will not reason

"He who will not reason is a bigot; he who cannot is a fool; and he who dares not is a slave." -- Sir William Drummond

A bore is

"A bore is a man who deprives you of solitude without providing you with company." -- Gian Vincenzo Gravina

Turn the Other Chick

edited by Esther Friesner.

I just finished the book. If you've read any of the other "Chicks" books, you'll know the kind of humorous stories included in this volume. There isn't any story that really stands out as exceptional, but there was one that I did enjoy more than any of the others. It was Jody Lynn Nye's Defender of the Small. It's a story of a mercenary hired by some cats to protect them from some abusive townsfolk who do not appreciate the worth of a cat.

Can I recommend this book? Not really unless you are already familiar with the other "Chicks" books. If you're not, start with Chicks in Chainmail. That one is the best for getting your feet wet.

Orion

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Camera scoops amazing Orion snaps

BBC NEWS | In Depth | At-a-glance: Countries hit

There's really not much one can say about the death and devastation wrought by the tsumanis.

Green St. Stephen's Day: the view from the front yard

Isn't the grass a lovely green?

Green St. Stephen's Day: the backyard

The sun has been out all day and it is just cool enough to need a sweater to go out. Only the tiniest fragments of snow remain.

Sun's out

And the snow is starting to melt.



Looking up my street.



Looking down my street.



This is the pattern the melting snow falling out of my magnolia tree made under the tree. Everywhere else the snow is flat and smooth and under the tree it is pocked and pitted. It looks like hundreds of little feet went walking across the snow.

White Christmas: footprints

And last, but not least, my footprints leading down the driveway so you can see how deep the snow was.

White Christmas: my neighborhood

Standing in the road and looking down the street.



Standing in the road and looking up the street.



Snow covered trees down the street from me.





The view looking toward the new bank.



The view in the other direction.



The slush in the intersection of my street and another.

White Christmas: the view from my front yard

This is what I see when I look out my front door.



And this is the poor palmetto complete with raccoon tracks next to it.



The raccoon tracks leading off to the shrubbery separating my yard from the right hand neighbor's yard.



Looing down the street while standing in the middle of my driveway.



My snow covered house and front yard.



The walk leading to my front door.

White Christmas: the view in my backyard

These are all snaps I took standing just outside my back door on the stoop under the eaves. The snow on the roof is already starting to melt as are patches on the ground. I don't know how much longer we will have a White Christmas.

The Really Great Blizzard of '04

And the snow just keeps falling. Everything is covered in white.

The snow out my front door.


The poor palmetto in my front yard.


My front lawn.


Looking down the street.


Footprints in the snow.


The feet that made the footprints.


My front walk and the shrub next to it.

The Great Blizzard of '04

Looking down the street while it is illuminated by headlights coming towards me.





And an artistic photo of two cars passing in the snow in the night.



And another shot of the poor palmetto covered in snow.



There was a raccoon watching me take these pictures. Unfortunately, he surprised me as much as I surprised him when I turned around and saw him so I didn't get a snap of him. I suspect he's one of the family of 'coons that lives in my attic.

Footprints in the snow

Apple cheeked wonder

Yes, folks, the apple cheeked wonder is me.





I rather like the first picture. The Prodigal Son had the camera very close to his face so it picked up the fog from his breath and I look like I'm shrouded in something nebulous.

It's a snow storm

OK, maybe not for some of you, but for those of us on the Texas Gulf Coast, it's a blizzard!

Not just the next best thing

But real honest to goodness snow! That hasn't happened here since 1989.





Woohoo!

The closest thing to snow

My roof isn't normally white.


And neither is my car.

Christmas without family

It looks like I get to spend Christmas by myself. My folks are not coming up as planned and the Prodigal Son wants to spend Christmas with the girlfriend and her family. I intend to stock up on things to nasch and plug myself into movies and maybe even a book. I'm looking forward to enjoying quiet.

And what will I have for Christmas dinner? I'm seriously thinking about enchiladas or maybe chili dogs. I've already got my tamales for tomorrow night. I just need to make sure I have cheese and milk and I will be all set.

LotR comes to Houston

The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy Exhibition is coming to the Houston Museum of Natural Science. It will be here from June 5 through August 28, 2005.

No Christmas

That sounds a bit melodramatic, doesn't it? Oh, well. The Folks called last night to say they aren't coming for Christmas after all. Mum isn't feeling well and Dad doesn't think it would do her any good to travel in the cold. We're due for a really cold spell starting today and lasting at least through the weekend with the coldest temperatures due Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and with the possibility of frozen slush dripping on us from the skies on Christmas Eve.

The Prodigal Son informed me he did not want to go to see them. I'm torn between ignoring him and evicting him.

Something accomplished

I actually managed to get something totally done at work today. Given the limited number of staff we have, it's almost a luxury to complete a project. Everything I work on always seems to be a work in progress and never a done deal. So, not only did I get the project done, but I got it done a week and a half ahead of scheduled due date. I am filled with pleasantly warm fuzzies of contentment even though no one will ever acknowledge I done good.

Ein kleines Weihnachtsgedicht

Or as I would say, "A Little Christmas Poem". Karen posted the poem at Tati's Weblog and it was just too good not to pass along. Unfortunately, my German is almost non-existent so some of it is just Greek to me (insert silly smiley face here), but what I can't infer I will look up later when I have time.

Too bad the Best Friend and her husband are in Las Vegas. The Best Friend's Husband and I met an obscene number of years ago while taking German in college. It was he, in fact, who introduced me to my Best Friend. Anyway, I thought he might enjoy the poem to see how much of his German he's retained.

Procrastinator's motto

"There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it." -- Mary Wilson Little

Oh, my

I just did a quick browse of who's been visiting seitherin.com and how they got there. Some mysterious someone did a Yahoo search for "RANCH Saltine CRACKERS", and the top two sites it returned are the recipe for ranch crackers I put up back in July. The first link is to the old seitherin.blogspot.com page and the second is to the same page at seitherin.com. That is just too funny.

Adeste Fideles

1. Adeste Fideles laeti triumphantes,
Veníte, veníte in Bethlehem.
Natum vidéte, Regem Angelorum:

Veníte adoremus,
Veníte adoremus
Veníte adoremus Dóminum

(I've always liked the first verse in Latin better than in English. I don't know why. Anyway, this site not only gives you the original Latin verses, but several English translations as well as a history of the song. Enjoy!)

I was reminded of D&D this morning

Yes, I was. By a piece of spam in my inbox at work. The email was from Garth and offered advice on how to keep your marriage safe.

And what is it that Garth thinks will keep your marriage safe? A masturbatory device, shaped like a flashlight, for men.

It's one of those 'you had to be there' kind of things, but I found it incredibly amusing. If Raelerin reads this, she might find it amusing as well.

Philip Pullman responds

Chris Weitz, New Line, 'The Times', and how to read

'Tis the Season

A Christmas story by China Miéville in the Socialist Review.

Hrodulf the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

The history according to Snopes.com.

And they lyrics, just in case you've forgotten them:

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

Johnny Marks (c) 1949

You know Dasher and Dancer
And Prancer and Vixen,
Comet and Cupid
And Donner and Blitzen.
But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all?

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
(reindeer)
Had a very shiny nose
(like a light bulb)
And if you ever saw it
(saw it)
You would even say it glows
(like a flash light)
All of the other reindeer
(reindeer)
Used to laugh and call him names
(like Pinochio)
They never let poor Rudolph
(Rudolph)
Play in any reindeer games
(like Monopoly)

Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
(Ho Ho Ho)
Rudolph with your nose so bright
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?
Then all the reindeer loved him
(loved him)
And they shouted out with glee
(yippee)
"Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
(reindeer)
You'll go down in history!"
(like Columbus)

Yahoo! News - Cuba Erects Sign Linking U.S. and Nazis

Tit for tat, I say. If you're going to make a political comment about the host country in which you are staying in the host county in which your are staying, you have no right to complain if they make a political comment about you.

BBC NEWS | Technology | Gamer buys $26,500 virtual land

I wonder if said gamer has a significant other and what said significant other thinks of spending that kind of money on game play.

Space News | Major Climate Change Occurred 5,200 Years Ago: Evidence Suggests That History Could Repeat Itself

BBC NEWS | Health | Boys 'cured' with gene therapy

I watched it

The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition), that is. OK, I've only watched the actual movie and one of the Easter egg things and I've got to say the movie is lovely. Nothing earth shattering added, but what has been added does improve the flow of some parts that needed something extra to explain what people who've read the books knew, and other parts are just neat to have. I give it two thumbs up.

I actually bought the gift set with Minas Tirith included. I bought the other two sets so I have the Argonath on my bookcase and Gollum nestled between my cable box and VCR so I definitely had to have Minas Tirith to round out the set. Right now it's still sitting on my nightstand in the bedroom. Of the three "gifts", it is the shortest of the lot but it has a nice weight to it. I'm not sure yet where its permanent home will be.

I really like my Christmas present to myself! I especially like it 'cause I've got it already!

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Scientists find new Indian monkey

Yahoo! News - Wal-Mart Sued Over Evanescence Lyrics

If I were a judge, this is one of those lawsuits that I would throw out of court as being spurious and a waste of time and money.

FoxTrot by Bill Amend

Thumbs up for creative baking!

(If the title link has gone out of date, click here for the saved image.)

It's here

The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition) ! Woohoo! Guess what I'm going to be doing tonight and tomorrow night and the night after and so on and so on . . . You've been warned!

Only a mother

can appreciate what it feels like to be awakened at six a.m. by the phone ringing when her son has spent the night at a friend's house and should be on the way home to take said mother to work.

Yep, happened to me this morning. I leapt out of bed like some startled super hero attempting to leap a tall building in a single bound without taking a running start first. I grab the phone and what are the first words I hear out of the Prodigal Son's mouth?

"Can you name two Shakespeare plays besides A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, or Romeo and Juliet?"

~ sigh ~

I spent the next 20 minutes on the phone answering questions like "List 20 words that rhyme with plan" and "What are the last six words of the Gettysburg Address" and "Name the eight parts of speech."

~ sigh ~

I just love doing homework at six in the morning.

hoi polloi

from Dictionary.com/Word of the Day:

hoi polloi \hoi-puh-LOI\, noun:
The common people generally; the masses.

Hoi polloi is Greek for "the many."

Usage: Some argue that the definite article ("the") should not be used in front of "hoi polloi," as hoi means "the" in Greek. However, "the hoi polloi" has been used since the earliest recorded instances of the term in English and is considered correct by most authorities.

Dear President Bush

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's law. I have learned a great deal from you and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God's Laws and how to follow them:

1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, b