Whew. The last few weeks have been, er, interesting. I’m hoping that more normal posting can resume, at least for now. The Indy area has had floods, historic levels of flooding even, which has me thinking even more about preparedness. There have been other things going on as well, including some thankfully minor health issues.
Also, next week starts the first week of classes at seminary, and — of course — one professor kicked things off a bit early. I’m actually glad he did as I needed to get some books ordered and have added some reference books to the Amazon wish list. Anyone wanting to help with tuition or books, feel free to hit the tip jar!
More soon, possibly even this afternoon. Who knows. Things are quite busy at church this week as we approach the Dormition of the Theotokos. Our priest is on a sabbatical, so some of us are pitching in to take care of things, which in my case also includes helping with the production of the Vigil texts (Vespers, Matins) as well as helping with the candles, lamps, and getting the sanctuary ready for all the different services. That is going to jump a bit as our Deacon is going to be on vacation and I’ve agreed to help cover some of his non-Deacon duties. Perhaps more on this soon.
Getting hit by lightning is not fun!It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. If you would like to help me with seminary courses, pilgrimages, and more, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods.There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. Thank you.
It’s just been an interesting time. Ended up in the ER with a foot problem this weekend. Good news is, it was not an infection but something else. Had to spend time elevated and iced, joy.
Today and tomorrow morning are mostly being spent at Church. Old calendar, tomorrow is the Feast of the Transfiguration so today we have Vespers and other things going on, and tomorrow morning a full service. Let me get through that, and I will hopefully start getting things caught up here. Also, seminary starts soon which will be adding to the fun.
For the record, I’m doing okay overall. It’s been interesting on several fronts, from health to weather. Indy has suffered the worst flooding in decades, and I’m thankful I live where I do. Lots to talk about in terms of preparedness, health, and life.
Be good, there is more to come. Remember, preparedness pays! Keep your family and friends close, and your things where you can find them in the dark.
Getting hit by lightning is not fun!It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. If you would like to help me with seminary courses, pilgrimages, and more, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods.There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. Thank you.
Sorry to be absent, as it was not intended. Last week, I drove down to Georgia to visit relatives and friends. I had intended to post as I went, but the plans for the trip went out the window early — with some good things resulting from what would otherwise be a disappointment. More on that soon.
Since then, I’ve been a bit under the weather. To the point I don’t remember much after getting home from church on Sunday and Monday being a very weird day. On the mend I think, though I’ve had the wind knocked out of my sails a bit.
More soon, as I’m not dead yet. There is more to come.
Getting hit by lightning is not fun!It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. If you would like to help me with seminary courses, pilgrimages, and more, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods.There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. Thank you.
Well, I thought I had sold the last of my collection. However, a friend who had bought a painting several years ago returned it to me as a gift. Sadly, it arrived damaged so I have to take it to a framer here soon for repair. Once that is done, will decide the best way to go with it.
For all that part of me is sad that my art collection is (essentially) gone, I do find it a good thing that most of it has gone where it can be viewed and enjoyed. Art, good art, is meant to be viewed and enjoyed. For all that I enjoyed my bronzes and paintings, it is better for them to be out in good homes where more people can appreciate and enjoy them.
More soon. Posting may be spotty for a bit as there is a lot going on behind the scenes, but will do my best to share and entertain.
Getting hit by lightning is not fun!It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. If you would like to help me with seminary courses, pilgrimages, and more, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods.There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. Thank you.
There is a lot going on in the world, and a LOT going on here at home. From the revelation that people conspired to kill thousands for profit and power to the normalization of the abuse and bullying by adults of children simply over a difference of opinion (the children hold an opinion seen as major heresey by those who worship a perverse social religion). There is much I could say, but instead I will simply share a modified prayer that I feel is appropriate for the situation.
The original prayer was created during the heyday of communism and socialism (two parts of the same evil coin) for a particular country. It also, I believe, got adapted for other countries in similar situations. I created this version several years ago, and thought I would share it:
O Lord Jesus Christ Our God, forgive our iniquities. Through the intercessions of Thy most pure Mother, save the suffering people of Earth from the yoke of the godless authority. Amen.
As we see what I hope is a last desperate effort to gain power and control by an evil ideology, I share this prayer for us all. Meantime, be prepared. Keep your family and friends close, and your things where you can find them in the dark. More soon.
Getting hit by lightning is not fun!It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. If you would like to help me with seminary courses, pilgrimages, and more, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods.There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. Thank you.
Sorry nothing got up yesterday, but there was a reason. A lot had to do with schedule. I had breakfast with a priest I know who also teaches music. In fact, he was a choir director for a while. The breakfast was great, and what was planned to be a discussion of Byzantine chanting and if he could help myself, and possibly some others, start to learn it turned into a freewheeling and wide-ranging discussion on a variety of topics.
Short version is that he can indeed help us, and is going to forward me some material to help us get started. Meantime, he’s going to come up with a cost for some in person single or group lessons would cost.
After we wrapped up, there was just enough time to take care of a few things around the house, then I headed down to the church to set up for the small compline service we did in lieu of full vespers. It’s been a while since I’ve helped do one, so it was a learning experience. That said, it went well and my Deacon and I split the different parts between us. He also provided a history of the compline and how it can be modified for specific circumstances as well as being used as part of a household prayer routine as we went.
Getting hit by lightning is not fun!It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. If you would like to help me with seminary courses, pilgrimages, and more, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods.There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. Thank you.
Well, last night proved that preparedness always pays. Sometimes in multiple ways.
The house where I rent my room is an older home, a duplex my landlord bought from a relative. The design was very popular in the late 1930s/1940s: drives ran down both sides of the house and there were steep drops down to garages in the basement. There is no real back yard on ours, only paved surface. Which means, given terrain and the steep drop, that water tends to flood down the slope and towards the garages.
There is a trench at the bottom connected to the sewer drain that is supposed to handle things; but, even after replacing the sewer line out to the property line it is easily overwhelmed. So, my landlord put an emergency sump pump in it that activates when the water gets to a certain depth. The pipe actually runs up our drive and to a point where the water runs away from the house and to the street (and the storm drains).
A couple of lines of severe storms rolled through last night, with the first being the worst. I was in my room and heard some commotion out in the other part of the basement so got up to see what was going on.
Turns out, someone (and we all know who) had unplugged the sump pump for some reason and forgot to plug it back in. That had been fixed by the time I joined the housemate and landlord, but water was coming in under the garage door and was flooding that end of the basement. I quickly got on the rubber muck boots I had bought a few weeks ago for another project, and quickly joined in on the bailing effort.
Thankfully, between the rain finally letting up a small bit and the sump pump getting going, we limited how much got in and how far it got. Between buckets and a floor squeegee, we got pretty much all the water out. By this morning it was mostly dry in that area.
Four different areas of preparedness came into play last night: proactive checking by the landlord and/or housemate; sump pump in the trench (when plugged in); buckets, bins, and floor squeegee, etc.; and, waterproof (and electrically resistant) boots. The response was a defense in layers with backups. Six years ago, the water actually came back up the sewer lines and that was fun! I actually have sand bags to drop over the big floor drain just in case that ever starts to happen again. Having the light pair of rubber boots I could get into quickly got me into the fray quickly and kept me dry. Or at least my feet.
So remember: make your plans and have multiple layers in place so that if one doesn’t go as planned, you have means to limit the damage. Might be time for me to suggest an emergency generator the landlord again so we can keep the sump pump running, and the refrigerators/freezers going, if the power goes out.
Be prepared. Keep your family and friends close, and your things where you can find them in the dark.
Getting hit by lightning is not fun!It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. If you would like to help me with seminary courses, pilgrimages, and more, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods.There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. Thank you.
Long-time readers know that I’ve been following the DCA crash since it happened, and have shared reports from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) when they came out. It caused some readers to get upset that I refused to place blame at the start, and said to let the process play out. Especially as there was plenty of blame to go around.
Six months ago, the NTSB issued a report with 75 findings and 50 safety recommendations. Turns out there was indeed plenty of blame to go around, a lot of it system failures that put the pilots into a situation where they had no chance.
Today, the Chair of the NTSB issued a statement regarding the lack of progress in those 50 mandatory recommendations being implemented. Partisan bickering in Congress has stalled some critical items, and rather than deal with that the Senate is going to go on yet another vacation.
There are some important and long-needed changes to systems underway, and frankly the Senate needs to sit down, work things out, and pass the necessary legislation. My thoughts on them not doing so are less than kind, to the point of being unprintable. We need to get things fixed to help ensure nothing like this happens again.
Getting hit by lightning is not fun!It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. If you would like to help me with seminary courses, pilgrimages, and more, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods.There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. Thank you.
I mentioned a while back that I was planning on selling a good bit of what I own. I both want to “get light” so I can move at need; I want to get money for seminary and other expenses; and, I want certain things to go to good homes and I’d rather do it now than have someone else have to take care of it when I’m gone (hopefully not any time soon).
Me throwing an axe
Yesterday, I sold off my kilt and related wardrobe. When I was down South, I frequently attended various highland games and was a member of the society for one of the Scottish clans I belong to. I actually could join more than one, but that never truly felt right to me. Besides, that particular group was often known in the day as the “Donnaichaidh Diner” so I fit in there.
Here in Indy, there are not the multiple real highland games around like in the South. Besides, the parent society in Scotland for my prime clan started acting like things I’m not allowed to say anymore towards the American group(s) and it pretty well killed them. Add in that I also resigned from any English orders to which I belonged, and just not a lot of reason to keep the gear.
There is someone at church who is into kilts, and he gave me an offer for all the gear. He gets a deal (bit below half the value) and I get a nice chunk to put towards seminary and other expenses. Better than it ending up at Goodwill when I pass.
I also had one major piece of art left (after the bronze was stolen), and the artist is going to buy it back from me for what I paid for it. It really needs to be somewhere that people can view and appreciate it, and I trust him to find it a good home.
My next goal is to get back over to the storage unit soon and start pulling more stuff for another yard sale. I need to get the boxes of books out to see what condition they are in, as if they are in good condition I may well look at selling off a chunk of the science fiction if I can. Provided mice or such have not gotten to them, I have a number of autographed books and books I put aside in mint condition. We will see.
I want to get it down to hand tools/tools of all types; kitchen gear; books I want to keep; a few sentimental items; camping gear; and, a few preparedness items. Everything else either gets sold or given to the people I want to have them. I get things where I want them, I can get rid of the storage unit and its expense, and be far better prepared to move at need. After all, among other things, if things go well and everything gets approved, I could find myself attending seminary in person in a year or so.
Getting hit by lightning is not fun!It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. If you would like to help me with seminary courses, pilgrimages, and more, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods.There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. Thank you.
I had a lot of good food while on pilgrimage; but, a few stand out above the rest. Today, I’m going to share a few with you starting with Sofia and then two in Thessaloniki.
Cafe 1920 (Maria Luiza 60, Lavov Most, Sofia, BG 1202) is located near the Lion’s Bridge and does very good breakfasts along with some other fare for the brunch/lunch crowd. It is usually packed at opening, though the afternoons tend not to be as crowded. They also have a bloody mary that I would rate as one of the five best I’ve had anywhere in the world. It is not spiced anywhere close to a typical American bloody mary, which is good thing IMO, and the spices reflect Bulgarian culinary culture. Good service, and it is also a good spot for simply people watching. Alas, their website is FB, and I won’t link to that.
Which reminds me that I need to note that the wait staff in most restaurants and such in Bulgaria tend not to fawn over people. Some people see it as stand-offish or that they are ignoring you, which is not the case. They simply don’t try to rush people for turnover purposes and as long as you seem content they won’t bother you. The idea is for you to relax and enjoy the meal, and signal if you have a need. I found it rather pleasant, and a welcome change.
Very good pizza is to be found at Caruso Pizza (52 Georgi S Rakovski Street, Sofia 1202). It’s a small shop, with a table on the sidewalk, primarily focusing on take out. They have a good menu and everything I tried there was good. Give it a try.
My favorite bakery in Sofia is Hle Bar (Oboriste Str, 16, Sofia 1504 Bulgaria). Loved their bread, they had very good savory banitsa, and good coffee. They are also a small grocery and their house wine is decent. They are not too far from Sofia University and the Cathedral, just down the street from the French ambassador’s residence.
My favorite traditional Bulgarian restaurant is Manastirska Magernitsa (Monastery Magernitsa, 67 Khan Asparouh Str., Sofia, BG 1000). A friend at the church I was attending in Sofia recommended them, and I’m glad he did. The menu is extensive and even features a page of vegetarian dishes from historic Bulgarian monasteries. To be honest, with the weather being as nice as it was, I enjoyed dining in the courtyard rather than the historically furnished and very nice interior. If you are looking for traditional dishes done well, this is the place to start.
In Thessaloniki, allow me to recommend Katsamaka (18 Athonos, Thessaloniki 546 33). I smelled the delicious odors coming from it as I was walking to a church, did a double-take, then followed them to the source. One look at the meat roasting and I knew where I was eating dinner latter. Had I more time in Thessaloniki I would have eaten there more than once.
The other place I will recommend in Thessaloniki is not my usual forte. I love sweets, but try to stay away from them. I’m so glad I didn’t when it came to trying trigona panoramatos, and also very glad I had it at Trigona Elenidi at at their location near the White Tower (Dim. Gounari 13, Thessaloniki 546 22). Trigona is their specialty, and they do this traditional dessert right. You will have sticky fingers after eating the delicious cream/custard filled cone, but that’s part of the fun. Besides, if you’ve been walking all over Thessaloniki, you deserve a sweet treat.
Those are my top recommendations, and there are a lot of honorable mentions. There is a lot of good food in Sofia and Thessaloniki, but this list will get you off to a good start with any culinary explorations you want to do. Enjoy.
Getting hit by lightning is not fun!It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. If you would like to help me with seminary courses, pilgrimages, and more, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods.There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. Thank you.
