Happy new Year

It´s been quite a year and I can only pray that 2006 builds upon the foundation of 2005. Since I last posted, I've managed to get in trouble, thanks to this conversation:

Magda: Hey, look, it's Orion.
Me: It's always about the Irish, isn't it?
Magda: Huh?
Me: O´Ryan.
Magda: Go, run to the top of the hill. This is what you get for making horrible puns.

I've also managed to use 53 eggs in two recipes. One was a Romanian sweet-bread traditionally made at Christmas and Pascha (35 egg yolks for 12 loaves; using the egg whites was quite another adventure). The other was schnitzel and I used 18 more eggs in that. Nothing too exciting there, I just couldn't quite believe the number of eggs used.

There were many "bloggable" moments through the year that got lost either because I forgot them too soon or because I got too wrapped up in work and, while I would like to say that things will be rectified for the new year, I know better. That being said, a blessed new year to all of you.

pre-Christmas

Well, the semester's over and I think I survived. I'll let you know when I find out with certainty. Beyond that, I am hoping my voice returns from its vacation, before this Saturday. I am spending the break mostly learning the Holy Week services in Greek and using the Rosetta Stone for modern Greek. The Rosetta Stone has been going well; the Holy Week services have hit a snag once my voice decided it needed some time away from me. There are a couple of articles I need to finish for OrthodoxWiki and I'll link to them when I finish (hopefully before the end of the year).

Quote

I've had this for a while from my ethics professor and now that I'm reviewing for the final, I remebered that I liked it, so here it is.

"The pressing question for an Orthdoox ethical life was not whether to marry or remain single, but whether to marry or to 'take the veil.' I have come to feel certain that the universality of this rule and its consistent application accounts in part for the disappearance of adult baptism in Eastern Orthdooy. The 'adult confirmation' of your faith in Christ came when you were crazy enough to either trust him in monasticism, or to trust him in marriage, and this trust was ritually and publicly proclaimed in the sacrament of either tonsure or matrimony."

Phew

What a day! Orthros and Liturgy - check. Provisional green card - check (Magda and I have been married less than two years, and thus the provisional status). New car - check. Vespers - check. I'm sure we couldn't have done it without the help of St. Spyridon, whose memory we celebrated today.

Taking Shortcuts (or how to inadvertently introduce liturgical innovation)

Tonight we had Great Vespers for St. Spyridon and I was in charge of the right chant stand. I went a couple of minutes early, started getting ready for the service, and then we had to decide what we were going to do about the readings (we usually do one of the three readings in Greek). As we were deciding, a good friend of mine and overall wonderful person was on the other side setting up the English, even though the left chant stand was chanting in Greek this week. We finally decided that we would have the first reading on the left, in Greek, and the last two on the right, in English.

At this point, I decided to be lazy and not search for a Bible on the right side of the chapel. Instead, I went and asked if the readings were set on the left side. When I was told they were, I asked if I could take the Bible over to the right. I was told that I could and this is where I made my second short-cut: I did not check the readings. I took the Bible, asked a couple of the other students who were at the chant stand to read the second and the third readings and left it at that. Imagine the surprise (both on my part and that of the reader) when he opened the Bible to the third reading and out of his mouth came the words "The reading is from the Song of Solomon." Thank God the equivalent verses to the corresponding Wisdom of Solomon passage that should have been read were relatively tame. It would also help if it were called the Song of Songs, as other languages (e.g., Romanian) do.

I wonder what the odds are that a Song of Songs passage has been read liturgically previously in the US...

Santa Claus? Who, me?

Tonight was the HC/HC Christmas party. Lots of singing, presents to the kids, fun stuff. But there was one moment I will never forget. I decided I would get into the spirit, so I wore my red bow tie and Santa hat (thank you, Notre Dame Glee Club). A few minutes after getting there, a mother with two children (I think) walked by. The boy, who was probably about four, saw me, grinned, his eyes got really big, and he waved at me and said: "Hi, Santa." I couldn't help smiling and ruffling his hair...