..I love my little band of misfits

I love them, too, just from the description!

That article about Catholic Charities ending adoptions is from 2006. Not sure what their stance on singles adopting, but some of religious agencies won't work with singles and some won;t even work with couples unless they can show that they are unable to conceive. special place in hell.

I haven't contributed to anything but emergency funds to fix the roof

Yes you have. You're one of my touchpoints when I'm tempted to regard the entire Catholic Church as a bunch of hypocritical misogynist fucktards. You're the baby that stops me throwing out the bathwater.

Randomly, I need to share traditional Icelandic cuisine:

Most national Icelandic foods are based around fish, lamb and dairy products. Þorramatur is a national food consisting of many dishes and is usually consumed around the month of Þorri. Traditional dishes include skyr, cured ram scrota, cured shark, singed sheep heads and black pudding.

Cured ram scrota and singed sheep head!

Like that makes it better?

The Vatican-II-era Pope John XXIII took that name (and number) to supercede the Antipope John XXIII, which I always thought was a cool way to smack down someone in an historical sense--just disappear him entirely.

Yes, and then they go to Avignon! (Okay, only one of them did, but still. [link])

Oh my God, that is so hilarious. I can't believe that's a thing. Oh, people.

By the way, any Bay Area Middleman fans: Javier Grillo-Marxuach will be performing at Writers with Drinks at the Make-Out Room this Saturday at 7:30.

cured shark

I think this is a reference to hákarl. Yuck.

Can someone come take care of mac tonight? I just want to have him bathed (without me needing to be in there) and go to bed while I veg in front of the tv.

And, er, yes, I realize that in the second sentence above I basically just completely described the Episcopal church in America. It's just...I love my little band of misfits, standing vigil at the gates of San Quentin when there's an execution, stubbornly using the gender-inclusive and neutral language that was recently forbidden, speaking up during the Prayers for the Faithful to ask for the ordination of women, getting arrested every Thanksgiving crossing the line at Fort Benning/SOA, marching on every union picket line in the East Bay, the priest who preached against Prop 8.

I posted the above before seeing this. I've almost gotten arrested outside Fort Benning! Good times. And there were a lot of good Catholics with me. So I guess I should add to what I said before - you remind me of some of the fucking remarkable people I've known, and you're the most present person in my life who shows me what Catholic faith can be at it's best.

So, um, from an unbeliver with massive religion issues. Thank you.