Advent is a temporal paradox. It is the end of the calendar year, but also the beginning of the liturgical year. It is a chance for a fresh start with your faith. It is, in fact, one of the two holiest seasons in our Christian year. It may also be the time where we are weakest in our faith. Consider... Read more
Archive for November, 2008
The Paradox of Advent
November 30 | Posted by Vinny | Faith Tags: advent, blackfriday, Faith, Marriage and Family, walmart
Holiday Stress, Family Style
November 27 | Posted by Vinny | Marriage and Family Tags: fighting, gravy, holiday, Marriage and Family, relationships, stress, thanksgivingThanksgiving trials and tribulations are so common that most years there is some sort of fight. It’s easy to do, really. All you have to do is let the stress get to you, suspend common sense, and let it fly. The holidays are a very stressful time of year, mental health professionals say. I don’t have empirical data on this, nor... Read more
How We Do Video
November 26 | Posted by Vinny | Technology Tags: camera, canon, flip, flipvideo, mino, powershot, sony, Technology, videoMy house is filled with videos of the family. I have 8mm video tapes I took on my first video camera. Well, it’s not actually my first camera. The first one my wife and I bought from Tops Appliance City. It was not really very good, and it had clearly been opened before. When we decided to go with a... Read more
Thanksgiving Blessings
November 23 | Posted by Vinny | Faith Tags: grace, Marriage and Family, meal, prayer, thanksgivingWestern Grace, originally uploaded by kretyen. With Thanksgiving coming up this week, I’m considering what I will say at the table. Not for small talk, but in prayer before the meal. As the guy who works at a church, people assume I must be the most religious in the room at our Thanksgiving feast. I’m not. My wife is far more... Read more
My Hearing Problem
November 21 | Posted by Vinny | Marriage and Family Tags: marriage, Marriage and FamilyI’m told I have a hearing problem. Either that or an earring bra bum. It’s hard to tell. But to quote Inigo Montoya, “I do not think that means what you think it means.” I do have trouble with my hearing. Years of sitting in front of the trumpets in Band, coaching and playing drums in Marching Band, and a childhood... Read more
TDD-016- Surviving Financial Disasters and Turkey Trouble
November 21 | Posted by Vinny | The Daddy DialoguesRoland and Vinny talk about some belt-tightening measures around the house, and a few funny (and stomach churning) turkey issues. [05:00] Belt tightening tips for these rocky financial times [29:45] Listener feedback [32:30] What’s on your iPod? [37:35] Thanksgiving disasters and safety tips Links Mentioned: Bankers Are Almost as Unloved as Prostitutes, Playboy Germany Reports Escape Pod Wait Wait… I know this! Turducken Turducken song #1 Turducken song #2 Deep-dried disaster Turkey drop Fryer... Read more
Digital Memories
November 19 | Posted by Vinny | Technology Tags: facebook, flickr, Internet, youtubeI’m the worst when it comes to maintaining relationships. There may be only one thing that I do worse- deal with photos. Lately I’ve found a way to take care of both- Facebook. I’ve met people on Facebook I haven’t seen in decades. I’ve starting singing with a bunch of my friends from High School (many of whom went into the... Read more
Cafeteria Catholic- Same Sex Marriage
November 15 | Posted by Vinny | Cafeteria Catholic, Faith Tags: CA, california, gay, marriage, olbermann, prop 8, same-sexThe 2008 election was an historic election. No, not for Barack Obama. The residents of the State of California decided that the right for any two people to marry, regardless of their gender, was no longer to be sanctioned. The text of Proposition 8 read, simply, that “(o)nly marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in... Read more
Band Parents
November 13 | Posted by Vinny | Marriage and Family Tags: band, cheerleading, children, football, kids, little league, parentingMy wife and I are Band Parents. Not only am I a Band Parent, but as a music teacher, I’ve met a lot of band parents. They are… different. They are not cheerleader parents killing another flute player’s mom for a solo. They are not Little League parents who yell at the director after some kid blows the trumpet feature they think... Read more
No Internet?
November 12 | Posted by Vinny | Technology Tags: Internet, skype, terrorMy internet went down. Funny, I expected creepy music, or more drama as I wrote that. Picture little japanese people running through the streets with giant rubber dinosaur feet in pursuit. Cows and picket fences flying through the air as a pickup swerves madly on the road. Cary Grant face down in the cornfield as a small plane streaks overhead, bullets... Read more
