Life without Facebook

At the beginning of the year, I did something that I had been wanting to do for a long time… I quit Facebook.

Salutations from the Literature Review

First, I know I have been slack with the writing on the blog. I’ve been buried in paper and Scrivener trying to force some momentum on the literature review now supplemented by an impending deadline. For it to be serious (or I won’t actually write anything) I’ve requested my supervisor enforce a consequence.

Into the Desert Writing

Last week, I wrote a half-assed thought on what I was going to do for Lent. It really was half-assed so I wanted to expand and provide a little context.

2017 on BNi$

It’s a little over a month into 2017 and it has so far begun with a really strong sense of fresh, new start after a very intense end to last year. I suppose getting married and starting a new stage of adulthood has amplified this sense, but I digress…

This post is an official record of my writing goals and changes that I want to implement on this blog. It’s here because writing it down makes it real and will stand as a measure of progress.

Over the years this blog has been a travel log, rant-container, attempt at serious commentary, and random bits and pieces that have come out of my head.

I’m now doing a PhD, I’ve gotten married and it’s time to take the blog along a maturing process. I’m still going to discuss impolite dinner conversation topics of religion and politics together. But it’s going to be more disciplined, but still a more personal outlet to complement and enhance my professional writing.

Concretely turning that into action, I aim to:

Millennial Catholic Problems: Ash Wednesday

Yes it is here! Quick! Is there anything else I can give up apart from chocolate that won’t kill me slowly, like coffee??

I went to Mass at 7am and got ashed and then walked to work and had all of the double takes, looks and gestures which inspired me to write this list. This is just a starting point so feel free to tell me what other problems you’ve had on Ash Wednesday.

How Pope Francis helped me survive five months of no income

At the beginning of last year, I recognised that this semester just passed would be a taxing one and so I made a decision to quit my job and live of my meagre savings for the semester.

Happy Feast Day To ME!

Today is the Feast of Saint Clare of Assisi who is my patron saint. The more I learn about this woman, the more I’ve come to love her. She had some serious spunk and is the only woman to have ever written a religious rule (which is a key constituting document that set down the rules for religious orders). In Italian, she is Santa Chiara and has a gorgeous basilica dedicated to her in her home town.

I’m still Catholic because it lacks something

^My poor Guardian Angel will finally get some rest one day!

A little while ago, Elizabeth Scalia posed a simple question to the Catholic Blogosphere: Why are you Catholic? I found that post and made a mental note to do something with that after semester was over.