May 3, 2005
over there singing the praises of other blogs again, while calling his own self-indulgent, forgetting the charm of lines like this:
If Nearer, My God, to Thee were written today it would be titled Nearer, My God, to Me.
Or:
Revised text of wedding vows of the Runaway Bride:
"Do you promise to love, honor, and wear a GPS tracker..."
The whimsical insight is not an oxymoron.
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Comments:
Yikes, that's embarrassing. So much for my attempt to bury that post. One thing I like about your blog, Bill, is your versatility and lack of snobbery. You might have a mouse poem contest one day while on another doing the extremely heavy lifting/thinking on end of life issues, stem cells, Truman's decision to use the bomb, etc...
Posted by TSO email at May 4, 2005 09:43 AM
We love TSO, too. And he makes us laugh. And we jockey among ourselves to try to make Spanning the Globe.
In short, we're addicted to him.
Posted by MamaT email at May 4, 2005 12:05 PM
Oh, and P.S., we're even still addicted to him even though he didn't even MENTION us among those blogs he was praising!
(Tee hee!)
Posted by MamaT email at May 4, 2005 12:06 PM
You're in his heart, which is vastly more important.
Posted by William Luse email at May 4, 2005 02:19 PM
Exactly Bill.
Besides, MamaT you did get STG mention today!
Posted by TSO email at May 4, 2005 02:42 PM
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Spanning O’Rama
Aug 13, 2004
Clinton wants to build a bridge to the 21st century, while I want to build a bridge back to my childhood innocence.
He also posts his first recipe. Lipsmacking hysterical.
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Spanning O’Rama, Peony, Alicia, Ellyn von Huben, Steven, Amanda, Elena, Summamamas, Sparki, Christine, Culbreath, and Lilac Rose
Oct 2, 2004
Meant to put this up a while ago. Found at Video Meliora, etc:
While telling us what doesn’t work in the fight against terrorism: Doing nothing. We tried it from '94 to '01, watching them blow up planes, trains and embassies while politely looking the other way as if someone farted.
While informing us of possible solutions: Outflank the Madrassas. This is one of the few solutions I've seen offered by the Left, although admittedly I don't read much liberal press because there's too much hate in the anti-hate crowd for my taste.
You can see I have nothing to say today, but blogs abhor a vacuum.
On Dan Rather: Even more difficult is to pun his first name since any idiot can pun his last name. Rather humorous, no?
Dan straight, TS.
The town where I went to high school knows what it's like to try harder. The rust-belt city of Hamilton has seen better days and is now trying to resurrect itself by renaming itself Hamilton!. Yes, they officially added an exclamation point a few years back though I'm not sure if Rand-McNally got the memo.
Better to be thankful in good times only than not to be thankful at all; best to be thankful in all times.
His email response to my pointing out his use of "somulent" when he probably meant "somnolent": Nice catch. I must've been sleeping when I wrote that. He posted it already at his own place, so the way I look at it is that he stole my idea.
By making every sin literally a federal crime, how does one freely choose not to commit sin? But that gets into the whole religious freedom and 'errors have no rights' debate, which is obviously way beyond my competence. Which this whole post already is.
So where were we? Yes, abortion.
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Found at Two Sleepy Mommies, concerning the wormhole in Peony's living room:
That space-time anomaly is at it again. That black hole in my house has eaten my travel mug -- the second one consumed this year. I'm really fond of this one and I wish the anomaly would give it back.
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At Fructus Ventris:
I read the Didache, and the early church fathers. I see that they were concerned that Christians not become part of their surrounding culture, where divorce was easy, where children were disposed of before or after birth at the whim of the parents, where the wealthy were slaves to their bodily lusts and the poor were kept enslaved by 'bread and circuses'. Then I look at what is going on in our world today and I become very much afraid.
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From Ellyn von Huben's Oblique House:
In the comment box [at Alicia's] I proclaim myself as a miracle. But that's the truth. I had difficulty explaining to one of my children that a baby born to a couple after six years of marriage, resigned to a life of raising cats and gardening and other hobbies because they figured that was the hand that had been dealt them, is a miracle, not an accident.
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From Steven Riddle's Flos Carmeli:
Why I Should NOT Post on Ms. Schiavo's Plight Just go read it.
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From Amanda at Through the Narrow Gate, quoting Bishop Samuel Aquila:
Catholics who separate their faith life from their professional and social activities are putting the salvation of their souls in jeopardy. They risk the possibility of hell.
George Bush could have used that line night before last.
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From Elena, in her ongoing lovefest with a guy (I presume) named Cecil, with a J and a 3 (I keep forgetting the sequence):
Cecil: Joe walks to the subway station for his government-subsidized ride to work. It saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees because some fancy-pants liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.
Elena: Consequently Joe is late for work.
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At the Summamamas, from the comment box announcing yours truly as the 2,000th commenter:
Me: What's my prize? My very own summamama?
Terry: Mr. Luse!
Micki (aka Smockmomma): i say we send him an old fashioned TEXAS booby prize
As one occasionally given to posts on the propriety of breastfeeding in public, I biteth my tongue.
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In the comments to Terry's post announcing Smockmomma's birthday:
Me: So. How old are you?
Sparki: Naughty Mr. Luse...
Micki: Well, let's just say she answered. Not much phony about that girl.
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Terry, in the comments box of an exceedingly popular blog, on the Schiavo matter:
...this case shatters my heart every time I think of it. Because I know that when the Schindlers look at Terri, they see their baby. When Michael looks at Terri, he only sees a "thing."
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From Christine, taking note of the curtain calls for the Tricoastal Commission and Mark Windsor's Vociperous Yawpings:
There will likely come a day soon when I, too, will leave blogdom. In fact, I did leave my former blog in order to take a break and focus, frankly, on the needs of my soul...If St. Blog's becomes an occasion for sin (as I believe it has at times for many a blogger, and many a commentator), is it worth it to remain and endanger one's very soul? ...my "ministry" remains mostly in the private realm, in the depths of my soul, where human eyes cannot see or human ears hear, where God alone reaches and knows every prayer, every struggle, every hidden act of love--all for souls. Such things pierce the heavens and reach His throne as nothing else can; such things move Him to show mercy to others.
So rather than feel disappointment or sadness at bloggers leaving St. Blog's, I feel a certain joy that these individuals have the fortitude and wisdom to go where their souls can be more fully nurtured...
All right, she's got a point. I just hope she doesn't follow up on it any time soon. She's studying to be a lawyer. I think she'd make a good, one woman, Florida Supreme Court.
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At Jeff Culbreath's:
It is time for another blogfast of indeterminate length. Funny how one's prayer life seems to be inversely correlated with one's blog life. God keep you all.
He's been talking to Christine.
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From Susan at Lilac Rose, as Ivan smashed into Pensacola, after which we didn't hear from her for a week:
It sounds like my house is inside of a dishwasher.
Wish I'd written that. She nailed it.
Also wish I had time for more of you. Maybe another time, if O'Rama don't mind.
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Comments:
Micki (aka Smockmomma): i say we send him an old fashioned TEXAS booby prize
As one occasionally given to posts on the propriety of breastfeeding in public, I biteth my tongue.
Drat!!! I love those posts. And she set you up so well for that one too!!!!
Posted by Elena email at October 2, 2004 12:07 PM
I have decided that blogging is a penitential discipline for me, hence I have no intention of giving it up any time soon. What I have decided is that I am going to focus on areas that have not already been flogged to death by others. I am happy with my small community of readers, and have no desire to attract the attention of the kinds of whiny brats that populate the comments boxes of the "a-listers" in blogdom.Now if I could just get my columns to format properly I would be a much happier blogger! HTML has been teaching me humility, big time.
Posted by alicia email at October 2, 2004 04:12 PM
You got me: I chuckled out loud at "Dan Straight" line. The booby prize one too. Since I missed many of the quotes in this post you should do this more often and make up for what I miss. And I'm not necessarily saying that just because I got quoted. ha
Posted by TSO email at October 2, 2004 07:19 PM
Alicia, when all else fails, call Jeff Miller.
Elena, I'm now awaiting some old-fashioned, Texan, female revenge.
Posted by William Luse email at October 3, 2004 01:30 AM
boobies are boobies and breasts are breasts and never the twain shall meet.
Posted by smockmomma email at October 3, 2004 09:58 PM
Hi Bill,
I've been remiss in thanking you for the complement. When I wrote that, the storm was just getting started. It got worse...much worse. I was very, very scared for many hours.
Posted by susan b. email at October 12, 2004 11:22 PM
I know you were, and I thank God He took care of you.
Posted by William Luse email at October 13, 2004 02:48 AM
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TSO
July 21, 2004
remembers St. Cecilia. It got to me because Cecilia is the older daughter's confirmation name. When she was of age, I showed her some saints' stories, and something about this one captured her. In the photgraph, the line around Cecilia's neck is the mark of the swordsman's blade. The Roman soldier charged with her beheading lacked the heart to finish the job. The story goes she lay like this for several days before dying. One finger of one hand is extended, two on the other, in homage to the Trinity. She was (and still is, for all I know) among the Incorruptibles.
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Thank God…
June 12, 2004
TSO is back, free-associating (in a linear sort of way) in a long post covering everything from Oscar Wilde to Scott Hahn to Paul Tillich, the whole interspersed with poetry and accounts of his attempt to establish a running routine. Literally. The result? By nightfall I feel more torn up than a defeated bull rider. I used to run, TS, eight miles a day. Once you get in shape, you feel like you're on the road to eternity. But, as you rightly point out, we're not, and I wasn't.
The priest began his sermon Sunday by telling us how Tillich began his theology classes. He’d say, "Who do you think of when you think about God?" (Pause.) "Everything you just thought was wrong. Too narrow. God is much more than we can conceive."
I'd like to quibble with Mr. Tillich. When I think about God I think of Jesus. Too narrow?
You've got to love this: I’d be remiss if I didn’t keep an eye on cultural concerns here. The local legislature apparently passed a law requiring all women under the age of 30 to wear really small bikinis. Coverage here is receding faster than a balding man’s hairline. This "modesty" was presaged by a lean girl wearing a T-shirt that exclaimed: "Objects under this shirt are larger than they appear".
There's only one way to find out, my friend.
Did I mention that it's a long post? You can parcel it out to yourself over the next week. Or re-read it daily to make sure you've captured its subtleties. The mind works in mysterious ways. Mine doesn't work like that when I'm on vacation. On the other hand, it's been so long since I've had one, maybe I've forgotten.
Poor fellow. I think he might be chained to a desk in an office most of the day with all that poetry burning to break free.
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Comments:
Sometimes I really wish TSO had a comments feature. I send him e-mails, and he replies, but it's not the same.
Posted by Jeff Culbreath email at June 12, 2004 02:31 AM
Ha, thanks Bill. Eight miles a day? Wowsa. Mighty impressive.
I was going for the Guinness Book of Record's longest post, on the theory that I could squeeze in more poetry. Contrary to the impression that the post might've given there were some parts I edited out, for various reasons.
And regarding the sermon, interestingly the priest did mention that if you want to see God, look at Jesus, and I remember wondering why he didn't try to square that with what he'd just said about Tillich.
Jeff, I can always post parts of emails out on "Spanning the Globe", call it a sort of delayed comment system. I see a Glober in your Reagan post, that's for sure.
Posted by TSO email at June 12, 2004 07:57 AM
Jeff, I share your wish, and I have an idea, but I can't talk about it.
Posted by William Luse email at June 12, 2004 06:21 PM
There were similarities between the lengths of post when both of you did not post for some time.
"Absence makes the writer blog longer"
I read his post yesterday and there were many parts that were good. My favorite was when he said the hell with feeling holy, he wanted to be holy.
His writing on a blessing via a son of Scott Hahn was also both deep and fun. You know that sounds like a good B movie: Son of Hahn. Or perhaps Star Trek: XXI The Wrath of Hahn.
Posted by Jeff Miller email at June 12, 2004 07:44 PM
Thanks for the kind words and the link, Jeff. Absence does make one blog longer, although vacations, more than absence, does it for me. Something about a beer and a beach that make me want to write.
Posted by TSO email at June 13, 2004 07:47 AM
There's something about a beer and a beach that makes me want to drink.
Posted by William Luse email at June 13, 2004 12:45 PM
We agree on the correct order: beer and beach, not beach and beer. Writing there also helps for purposes of sublimation. Supposedly.
Posted by TSO email at June 15, 2004 02:49 PM
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Subtle, but Moore-dant
June 3, 2004
TSO destroys Michael Moore with an efficiency that ought to be the envy of any long-columned pundit, or any frustrated screaming head on a cable news talk show.
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Comment:
Far too generous but thanks none-the-less...You like how I "dissed" satire yesterday while engaging it myself? That's my blog title at work!
Posted by TSO email at June 4, 2004 12:41 PM
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Memo to TS O’Rama
Apr 23 2003
and anyone else heeding the whisper of the muse, or even considering it: Poets die younger than writers, study finds. Obviously, since poets are writers, there is a problem with the title. They meant to say.."than other writers." It's best to be an author of nonfiction, but even he will not see his seventies. Of course, the study does not take into account unpublished writers. It could be that those live a very long time. Frustration of one's vain aspirations might be good for the constitution. On the other hand, since the advent of the internet and that mirror of vanity par excellence, the blog, no one goes unpublished anymore. So it looks like we'll all be dead somewhere in our sixtieth decade. Better to be a reader with book in hand than a writer with pen in hand sweating words onto paper, like one signing his own death warrant.
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Comments:
But then there are the birds of paradise like P.G. Wodehouse, who grace every branch of writing that they touch, and live -- and live well -- to the century mark.
So, Bill, ad multos annos!
Posted by Francis email at April 23, 2004 09:24 PM
Hope you're right, Francis. Still, there's a sign in the window of our local 7-11: Now hiring, all shifts...
Posted by William Luse email at April 23, 2004 09:37 PM
Fortunately I'm not much of a poet, but even if I were my ambition has never been a long life. Methinks the alternative (heaven) is better.
Posted by TSO email at April 24, 2004 12:13 AM
I wonder where the writers of non-fiction fit in there.Driving in to work this morning, I was listening to Leonard Cohen again, marveling at the imagery in his lyrics, and thinking about how my 15 y/o daughter has become enchanted by the power of good writing. It is a travesty, indeed, a tragedy, that more of the young generation are not even exposed any more to good writing. She comes home talking about the images, the symbols, the allegories and allusions in what her English teacher is having them read. (She is a sophoomore, so they are doing American Lit) She recently went to the bookstore and bought Steinbeck and Hemingway. I am trying to persuade her to read some of the Catholic authors as well, but I think I will have to approach her English teacher first for some reinforcement! Maybe I can get a buy in on Willa Cather or the lovely Flannery......
Posted by alicia email at April 24, 2004 08:33 AM
I guess an old saying does not apply to poets. For them it becomes "publish and perish."
Posted by Jeff Miller email at April 24, 2004 07:12 PM
i hate to sound like mr. hand, but i think it's because people drawn to writing poetry are all high. or, perhaps they're just moribund from the get-go. yes, it's possible. just look at the stats!
ps - steinbeck and hemingway repulse. surely our kind mr. luse could refer y'all to better authors.
Posted by smockmomma email at April 24, 2004 11:58 PM
I'm sure Alicia knows plenty of good authors. I'm with you on Steinbeck, but why do put Hemingway with him?I knew Jeff Miller would find the perfect aperçu. Punsters are writers too.TSO is too laid back about it. He's going to live an awfully long time.
Posted by William Luse email at April 25, 2004 12:09 AM
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On the other hand…
Apr 23, 2004
...I think Francis will live a long time. The lack of self-reference on his blog sometimes obscures the fact that he can write, in this case a reflection, as he strode the Jersey shore, on encountering the gambling universe of Donald Trump ("...Taj Mahal, an almost inconceivably vulgar building, at the same time garish and tawdry."), and the alternate universe of soldiers and sculpture..." with the signature of pain and loss, of duty and weariness, on their faces."
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Comments:
I logged on this morning to find that there'd been a flurry of visits prompted by your generous words, Bill. My thanks, and may peace be on your house.
Posted by Francis email at April 24, 2004 11:38 AM
And I was so glad to read that! I have been to Las Vegas twice in my life. My husband enjoys it. I think it is the saddest place I have ever been. Woo hoo! I'm not alone!
Posted by Terry email at April 26, 2004 10:12 PM
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