The Lowest Possible Bar

When you are reading a romance, it is not supposed to be considered a plus that a romantic hero manifests a normal quality of adults who are not criminals, and who are able to walk, talk, and hold down a job.

That is a lack of red flag, not a plus.

Also, when your heroine has “high standards” that are really incredibly low, depressing standards, it is not a plus if the romantic lead manages to shimmy over that low bar.

The new romance trend is for heroes and heroines not to have been involved with anyone ever, because they are just that much of workaholics, or because any free time is spent on the Internet. This is probably realism, sadly enough.

However, such persons are then supposedly ready to have sex almost as soon as they meet the right person, even though they are no longer teenagers and have severe levels of social inexperience. Yeahhhhh, I think it might take a tad bit more than that.

Also, “anyone having sex a lot with X will eventually marry X, no problem” as well as “all your relatives are cool with that. and they will treat your new significant other just like you are married now” is not realistic. Hoboy, nope. Maybe you could do worldbuilding of this sort, where “sex = unbreakable monogamous bonding for life,” but in that case, you would expect some fairly major world building consequences.

(It’s a world built around psychic powers, and I was reading a book several books into a series, so maybe psychic powers are the monogamous pair bonding mechanism, and I just hadn’t gotten that far. Shrug.)

Even with psychic powers, it’s ludicrous to say, “Everyone is very worried about the heroine having gotten a concussion,” and then say, “Right after she gets out of the hospital, she should be nursed only by the guy she just met.” Even if they are empathic toward each other, and even if the guy is a nice guy who previously saved her life, how does this make sense? Does that give him magic nurse powers?

And why would a family want to put the guy in this position? No pressure, just an assumption that the guy wants to spend 24/7 with an injured person he hardly knows. If you had just fallen in love with someone, wouldn’t it be awfully stressful to see that person injured, and not be able to take any time out whatsoever?

Also, they are in a foreign country, and magically they have a kitchen full of American foods for the guy to cook, even though they are in a place where it would make more sense for food to be prepared elsewhere and for him not to have to cook. Because she’s sick, liable to throw up at any time for any reason, and he’s nursing her 24/7!!! Come on!

Oh, and the guy IS NOT AMERICAN, and yet is supposedly able to make typical American foods for sick people, as opposed to typical foods for sick people in his own country. I’m a little more likely to extend some grace on this one, but still.

Oh, and when you have a concussion, you should take a long bath in a hot tub, with the guy you just met. Because it’s totally safe to engage in an activity that sometimes causes healthy people to faint, as long as you have one person with you. Sure.

Finally, a major life event that screams “the heroine has no judgment or self-esteem” is not something you want as cute backstory for her, when she holds down a high security job and is supposedly trustworthy, and has never been abused, and in fact is held in high esteem by pretty much everybody around her.

It’s especially bad when you have the heroine being careful in other ways, and when all the terrifying backstory is just supposed to be quirky and funny.

I was really disconcerted to find all these problems in a humorous, fluffy, and not terribly explicit romance series. I know romances tend to have dreamlike logic, but holy cow. I also felt bad, because the narrative style really was fun and funny, and I can see why the writer has a lot of fans.

Public Service Announcement

It is possible to get an ingrown fingernail. At the top of the nail.

Why, yes, that is painful. It also was messing with my nerves and circulation, so that was pleasant.

I did not notice at first, because I had several painful cuts toward the top of my finger, as well as others on the sides of the same finger, so I was wearing a bandage a lot. Once I did notice, the fingernail tip had already pushed into ingrown territory overnight.

So there are various ways to lift the nail and redirect its growth, or to get into position to cut it or use an emery board on it.. They pretty much all start with soaking the finger and nail, either in warm soapy water or in saltwater. I did saltwater, to shrink the skin back while softening the cuticles and nails.

I basically spent a few hours soaking my hand while reading, and then fiddling with the nail, off and on. I was actually patient about it, and got the nail cut little by little. It was a great relief to get it done.

Generally this is something that happens with the middle or ring finger, since they have more curved fingernail beds. Do not let it happen to you.

Tax Day…

Yup, I just finished rendering unto Caesar the other day. Not optimum, but I did leave myself enough time to figure out anything I’d done wrong. Those forms stink.

After finishing, I rewarded myself by eating some really good Mexican food and drinking some Modelo. I needed it.

For those of you who are bacon lovers, there’s a Mexican dish called alambre which is made out of steak, bacon, and white cheese. Highly recommended.

(Alambre means wire, literally, but apparently here it refers to metal skewers.)

Since I was free of obligations today, I went shopping. My shoes are getting a little small in the toebox, and the soles of my feet have been complaining very loudly as well. So I have been asking around, getting recommendations for my foot comfort and survival.

So the bad news is that, if you want to get some really comfy shoes for standing around on concrete, after you’ve already made your feet mad at you (like I did), you are going to have to spend a big chunk of change.

OTOH, shoe technology has gotten to the point where that big chunk of change is justified. Holy cow. My new shoes are an instant cure for foot pain, as well as some kind of engineering masterpiece.

(If your feet aren’t totally beat up before you start wearing the shoes, you can pay about 100 dollars less and still make your feet happy. And then they probably won’t get beat up, so you can continue to buy midrange priced shoes.)

I went with a pair of Hokas Bondi 8, but there are a ton of brands now catering to this: Brooks, Oofos, AOn Running/On Cloud, Vionic, and so on.

The thing is, there are a ton of styles, and not just for looks’ sake. You have to look for what will fit your foot, and what will solve your problems. So doing your research at home is good.

Also, even if the store has availability listed on the Internet, it’s ten to one that the availability list is wrong by the time you get to the store. So research a lot of brands and shoe lines, because probably you will not get your first pick.

The thing I needed, apparently, was to have a slightly raised and padded heel in a walking shoe, so that I stopped hitting my heel so hard while walking. This makes the shoe look bizarre on the outside, but it’s very practical in its construction inside.

Anyway, that kinda eats up my funds, but it’s more of a health and survival investment than a cost thing.

In Memory of Her, vs. In Memory of Me

Very similar translations into English. Very different wording in Greek.

At the Last Supper, Jesus said for us to “Do this,” “eis ten emen anamnesin.” Anamnesis is a special and particular word for memory, which means to make a past event become present in your mind, to become part of a historical event, to realize that it happened to you also. It’s associated with things like the proper Jewish attitude toward Passover, IIRC.

But at the anointing with perfume at Simon the Leper’s house, Jesus said that this would be a “mnemosynon” to the woman whenever it was told about, wherever the Gospel was preached.

Elsewhere in the LXX of the OT, this is a translation of “memorial sacrifice,” and it also shows up in Acts 10:4 as a description of how the centurion Cornelius’ good works and prayers have been received by God, for himself and his household.

Meanwhile, there’s a command in the OT that the Israelites blow their shofar trumpets at certain holidays and at the beginning of months, so that their normal sacrifices will be received as memorial sacrifices. So there’s an association of sound with the memorial sacrifice concept.

Anyway… it’s a big thing, but not the same as “In memory of me.”

Spy Monday Update

My dad is still doing well after both his balloon angioplasties to put stents in his heart. He is getting some physical therapy starting this week. In general, he is a lot more spry than he has been, because oxygen is good.

I’ve still got some pain in my behind-the-knee ligament, if I overdo things, but it’s not major.

I got myself a mild case of plantar fasciitis again, during all of my dad’s stuff. I regret nothing, because I had to do the stupid thing I did; but I also got a foot massage cushion for ten bucks at the Gabe’s store. It really makes a difference at night, along with icing my feet when I need it and going back to my sturdy plantar fasciitis shoes.

My production speed at work has gone way up, with better shoes/feet and less exhaustion. So whatever has been wrong with me seems to be clearing up.

OTOH, I’m having a lot more (non-diabetic) low blood sugar incidents, even though I have been very good about keeping abstinence only, and using the Church’s permission not to fast. So obviously my body is still stressed, and I need to work harder on eating correctly.

Non-diabetic low blood sugar is not well understood. Sometimes a person’s blood sugar drops like a freaking rock while they have plenty of food in them, because the pancreas decided to let loose a ton of insulin, more than needed. Sometimes the blood sugar is measurably fine, while the rest of the entire body is reacting as if it got a ton of insulin. Some of it might be problems with how the body digests, but they aren’t sure. (There’s even a related problem where you eat a lot of protein, or only protein, and your body reacts as though it hasn’t eaten anything in days — while still digesting the protein normally and delivering the goodies.) It’s also related to things like falling asleep when stressed, or feeling exhausted for no good reason.

There’s a whole host of things that come along with non-diabetic low blood sugar, and I’ve gotten to experience most of the list of symptoms at some point.

And yet, other times, everything works hunky-dory. I feel like I’m a healthy person, generally speaking. I guess everybody has something weird in their health history, and this is mine.

Update on Stuff

So… at the end of January, I strained a ligament at work and couldn’t stand up without help for a few days. I was staying at my parents’ house and was not on the Internet much. I got better, and then I sprained my wrist a bit. I got better, but I wasn’t on the Internet much.

Then I caught a really bad flu that wanted to turn into pneumonia, so I was spending most of my time at home asleep, fighting it off. Again, not much Internet.

Then, on Monday last week, my mom called to say that my dad was going to the hospital for very high blood pressure. He had the same gunk that I had, so the doctors thought it might be stress from coughing, or some kind of walking pneumonia. Mom wanted me to go stay with her, so I did.

It turned out that at some point, within the last two years since my dad got an extensive checkout with MRIs and ultrasound and all sorts of things, a couple of his heart valves had clogged up. He had to have almost immediate surgery to put in stents (using one of those balloon things that they run up through your blood veins and then inflate at the desired place).

It went very well, and my dad is more himself already than he has been. He is home.

They will be doing more stents in a couple of weeks, and I would appreciate prayers for him.

I don’t think it’s saying too much to say that the timing was miraculous, and that the doctors and nurses were very alert to have figured this out. It’s also providential that his therapy exercise trainers were so adamant about encouraging my parents to consult their doctor, when they found out that Dad’s blood pressure was too high.

So anyway… that’s why I haven’t been on the Internet as much lately. I literally don’t know what to feel, because so much has happened; and yet I do have mundane matters to take care of, in the next day or so. I don’t have much control over the situation, so I guess I just have to mind what I can actually affect for the good.

Penthera = Mother-in-Law

Penthera (the wife’s mother) and pentheros (the wife’s father) are ancient Greek words used in the Bible. They were used in Homer. The etymology is unclear.

Fat-Tailed Sheep for Christmas!

Gastro Obscura has a very good article on the deliciousness of fat-tailed sheep.

Lots of pictures of said sheep.

Another article on fat-tailed sheep, with bonus alteration of Bible art. From an Instagram person called Anatomika Science, via Media Chomp.

Exodus 29:22 — “Then take the fat of the sheep, the fat tail, the fat covering the innards, the fat joining the liver and both kidneys, and the fat around them, and the right leg….”

Please Pray for the Victims

There was a shooting last night at the local Walmart, and four people were hurt. Luckily Soin hospital is right across the street, so hopefully they have a chance.

The shooter killed himself, so we should pray for his soul.

WHIO’s video coverage has an audio-only interview with a witness, on the news story page from last night. https://www.whio.com/news/local/large-police-presence-called-greene-county-walmart/ZPDB46MBKZGH5PO7Q2EFUEKOXI/

Walmart just had a malicious arson by teenage customers at the same store, a few weeks back, so things are not great for the workers.

Deny And Reverse Victim and Offender

DARVO (Deny, And Reverse Victim and Offender) is the classic narcissist move.

When a narcissist is confronted by a victim reporting the narcissist’s offense to a higher authority, or even just demanding justice from the narcissist, the narcissist will immediately reverse the situation.

“I didn’t make you cry! You made me cry!”

“I didn’t hit you! You hit me!”

So it’s no surprise that the Palestinian Authority is now claiming that Hamas didn’t rape, murder, and kidnap thousands of people, including babies. “No, it was Israel all the time! And it’s Israel committing war crimes on Gaza!”

The Palestinian Authority and Hamas are not sorry for their actions, and now they are using the DARVO strategy. Because they’re war criminals who broke the Geneva Conventions; and therefore, under the Geneva Convention, Israel has the right to treat them like a pariah state and a bunch of war criminals.

UPDATE: I got an Instalanche!

Also, the acronym is supposed to be Deny, Accuse, and Reverse Victim and Offender.

But my point still stands.

Hanukkah Is Connected to Christmas

In the Jewish lunar calendar, Chanukah falls on 25 Kislev, every year.

But on the solar calendar, when did they celebrate the first Chanukah in 165 BC, the actual re-dedication of the Temple?

On December 25, according to the Julian Roman solar calendar that was in use during Emperor Augustus’ reign, when Jesus was born.

(Apparently there are various calculations, so some people say it happened in 164 BC; and some people say that it was 165 BC, but that 25 KIslev fell on Dec. 24. It would be nice to clear this up; but

So yes, besides the evidence from the Temple service “portion” that Zechariah was in, and the time of the birth of St. John the Baptist, and the fat-tailed sheep being out in the fields in December, giving birth to lambs….

There’s actually a very good theological reason for the earliest members of the Church to remember that Jesus was born on December 25. Because His Body is the new Temple (“I will tear down this Temple and build it up again in three days”), and thus the “dedication day” of the New Temple was on the solar date of the first Chanukah.

And so, when Jesus went up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Dedication, Chanukah, He was probably also celebrating His lunar birthday! Ha! (John 10:22-39)

And at another time, He told them that He was the Light of the World.

(I don’t know how accurate the online “TorahCalc” is, but it calculates that in 5 BC, 25 Kislev also fell on December 25; and in 7 AD, 25 Kislev fell on December 24. So it’s extremely possible that Jesus’ birthday was always associated with Chanukah primarily, and only secondarily was associated with dates like January 6 being the Theophany/Baptism of the Lord.)

I learned this today from listening to Sam Shamoun’s YouTube channel. This particular show takes a while to get to a lot of interesting stuff (Jesus as WIsdom and the Chanukah date come after a long discussion on Bible translations and the name of YHWH)., but it is really good once you get there.

It also turns out that the Book of Wisdom has tons of Christological material that isn’t usually brought up, including God’s Wisdom being described as “only begotten” (“monogenes”).

I forgot to mention that Shamoun swears and cusses, a lot, so this is not work-safe or kid-safe. He really knows his Biblical and Trinitarian theology stuff, but is groping his way back to liturgical churches after leaving his Assyrian Church of the East roots, becoming a Calvinist, and then coming back. He is a notably good converter of Muslims, so his very different apologetics style does work.

Our Lady of Thanksgiving?!

Yup, this is one of the little-known minor titles of the Virgin Mary.

There’s a place in Mauron, Brittany called the Monastery of “Notre-Dame de l’Action de Graces”, which in English literally would be something like “Our Lady of the Action of Thanks.”

It was associated with an old confraternity centered on the Blessed Sacrament. The idea is that the lay confraternity members would focus on both Communion, and on giving thanks for the Eucharist Himself.

Eucharist can be translated as “giving thanks,” which is why it was used to translate the Jewish “todah” sacrifice that gave God thanks for some special favor or rescue.

So “Our Lady of Giving Thanks” is also “Our Lady of the Eucharist.” A very fun piece of wordplay, but also very deep.

There’s also a Monastery of Notre-Dame de l’Action de Graces in Castelnaudary, France, near Carcassonne.

But there’s more! You’ve probably heard of the title “Our Lady of Grace,” but in Italy “Santa Maria delle Grazie” is also associated with giving thanks, because “grazie” is how Italians say Thank you!

So any picture of Our Lady of Grace is a picture of Our Lady of Thanksgiving!!

And where did Leonardo da Vinci paint “The Last Supper”?

At the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, in Milan!

So the Last Supper is the world’s greatest painting of a Thanksgiving dinner!

(Sorry, Norman Rockwell… yours is definitely second behind Leonardo!)

Our Lady of Grace’s day is on February 7.

Jesus Trolls the Pharisees Some More

In terms of teaching, there is no question that Jesus’ teaching is closer to that of the Pharisees than anybody else, and so maybe He was calling them harder… which is why he was so glad to grab St. Paul. But it’s also why there’s a lot of mutual frustration, I think.

A lot of folks think that Jesus criticized the Pharisees more harshly, because he expected more of them. (Much like the rich young man.)

But… in the Matthew 23 Gospel reading today, Jesus talks about the Pharisees tying on burdens that are “heavy” (barus) and “hard to carry” (dysbastaktos). This is an exact Greek reference to the Septuagint version of Proverbs 27:3, which says:

“Rock is heavy, and sand is hard to carry, but a fool’s wrath is heavier than both.”

(The Hebrew is “a fool’s provocation.”)

I mean, obviously you can’t beat God in a game of Biblical references, but hoboy.

He also says that they love “the first reclining places (protoklisian) at banquets, and the first seats (protokathedrias) in the synagogues.”

They also love “greetings” (aspasmous), which was a respectful, joyful greeting that usually involved hugging and kissing the man hello.

The Virgin Mary gave Elizabeth this kind of greeting, which was why the hug is such a common trope for showing the Visitation.

Hugging and kissing people could slow you down a lot, if you knew a lot of people, which is supposedly why that when Jesus sent the apostles out on the one journey with no purse, bag, or sandals, He also told them not to hug/kiss/greet anybody “on the road.”

When Mary received a greeting from the angel Gabriel, it was apparently only a verbal one. (Which was normal, since he was acting as an official messenger and go-between.) A greeting written in a letter would also obviously be verbal-only.

The reading talks about the titles of father (totally normal word), teacher (didaskalos, also normal), and not master, but “guide” (kathegetes). It was a fancy word also for a teacher or trainer/master, sort of like we would call someone a “spiritual guide.” It’s not in the Septuagint, so I guess Jesus was talking about a title that specifically annoyed Him.

But there are various Biblical images of God as the guide of the Israelites during the Exodus, so I imagine that bit would annoy Him.

The word for servant in “The greatest among you shall be your servant” is “diakonos.” So there’s a quote to put on a t-shirt for your deacon, heh!

Mdou Moctar

I haven’t a clue what they’re singing about, but this Tuareg band from Niger is just so darned listenable!