Retro

New facial topiary: is a return to an old style. But I’ve not seen my chin in over 15 years…

Rainbows!

After Church, this AM, and the noon-time sermon discussion, I spent the day at the Buffalo Pride Fest, hanging out at the Trinity Church booth/tent and socialising. The Mayor showed up, along with several hundred folks who took our flyers, several kids who played with out bubbles and balloons, and not a few attractive sorts. I’ve a galore of pictures on the flickr site.

The Weekend’s Pics (Pt 1)

This picture is of the Annunciation Orthodox Church. I’m certain it used to be some other denomination. I love the way they have merged Western Architecture with just enough Eastern Elements - kind of an essay on the GOA liturgical tradition, actually. It’s disconcerting to see (from another angle) huge organ pipes behind the iconostasis, but I want to attend a liturgy there before I say anything critical about it. The space was beautiful - and fully restored - the ceiling painted, etc. I’m no fan of pews, of course, and, oddly, the floor slopes down to the altar, like stadium seating.

The festival, itself, was very fun: there were many vendors and LOTS of food. But I took advice from our locksmith at work and didn’t pay the extra money for food I can get at several eateries around town.
The Parish Bookstore was amazing - filled with books from Byzantine, Russian and other Orthodox traditions. The staff was positively welcoming. There were very few books at all not in English and while, yes, there were a few Greek cultural things for sale, there wasn’t a predominantly “ethnic” feel to it at all. This is unusual considering the parish styles itself an “Hellenic Orthodox Church” - which I expected to mean “ubergreek”. It actually made me want to visit.

The photoset also has quite a few images of local buildings.

Network-athon!

I’m asking a little help on behalf of my former housemate, Todd, who’s now living in LA. The economy tanked just as he arrived there to be with his fiancee so I’m doing a little West Coast networking.

I’ve got readers all over the world so I’m hoping for a little LA connexion. A friend of a friend? A cousin’s ex? Anyone?

He does graphic design (currently earning a degree in same) and that’s where he’d like to be. But he’s also good with tech - cables, machine support, etc. Worked installing/supporting cable in NC.

He’s been out there a couple of months and, at this point, he’s actually looking at standing the queue with all the day-labourers - which will make him very popular in LA, I’m sure.

If you have any help, let me know and I’ll get you in touch with him, or you can also find Todd Ricker on my facebook friends.

Feel free to pass this note along to anyone and everyone.

Come on Internets! Let’s Get him a Job!

Voguing Bear + Bunny

New Cross

I purchased this hand-painted icon this morning at Trinity Church, Buffalo. It’s from El Salvador as indicated by the stamp on the back, and entitled “La Nueva Creacion” (written in the yellow clouds on either side of Jesus’ head). It includes an image of the Holy Trinity (with the Father represented by the Sun at the top of the Cross) a healed earth, a community centred on Jesus and the Holy Spirit descending on the community of the Apostles surrounding Mary. There’s also a rabbit. :-)

I’d say it’s about half a metre tall.

Chick-Fil-A

Some things have changed since last I was there: you can now get cheese? and lettuce? OMG. I got the traditional pickle and nothing else. Waffle fries and, of course, the lemonade. YUM.

Then we went shopping. They have a mall for Teh Gayz there: on one end, the Shoe Store, then a Bear Store (ie, Camping Gear) then a Linen and Housewares store, then an Arts and Crafts Store and finally a Borders. It was most enjoyable.

Nate walked to my boarding house this morning, announcing as he got in the car, that his company had recently moved to the neighbourhood and so he needed to learn how to walk into this part of town from his apartment. Then he said they had moved to a rented office at Virginia and Niagara, which is, lo, my own office: they are renting from us! Starting tomorrow they are tenants in the new co-working space, sort of a boarding house for small, incubating companies.

Corpus Christi Desktop

Normally we are a chatty bunch: any time before service all spaces are filled (as at St Gregory’s church) with people chatting and reconnecting after the week. The garden this AM was no exception. Eventually the conversation drifted to Hillary’s recent Kennedy gaff. And the tone became decidedly edgy.

Into the midst of us walked Father Steve who went up to the altar and busied himself. Suddenly, he turned around and, rather loudly, announced, “My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, the blessed sacrament is now exposed on the altar for our meditation and adoration.” He bowed and stepped aside and, lo, there was the monstrance, as you see here.

Total silence descended on the garden and the gathered faithful and it stayed so for the next 20 minutes or so.

I was reminded of one of the saints who said that the difference between us and God is so vast that, when standing in the presence of God, to point out the difference between one human and another would simply be rude.

And so there is the solution, I think, to Lambeth, General Convention and the Schism. Perhaps, even, of Vestry or Parish Council meetings.

A Family Affair

A little guilt trip never hurt anyone. These two statues are on the street… they look rather like altar images: I wonder if the inside of the parish has suffered a V2-Redo.

Seat of Wisdom

The new Seat of Wisdom image (info), hanging in my icon corner. She is hand carved, from Venezuela. I purchased her at a local Fair-Trade shop on Elmwood. Easily half a metre tall.

I was hanging out with Nate: an impromptu meeting arranged via Twitter, text and cell when I stumbled on some free WiFi at the bus stop across from the Lexington Co-Op. We did the Spot Coffee, some gossip, some walking and some shopping. It was a totally cool afternoon - very Web 2.5!