5 Quick Takes Saturday - Vol 21

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Greetings this fine day, oh fair readers! I pray thou will forgive mine form of speech this day. For I am of a Shakespearian turn of mind this weekend! On the fair forum we art having a party - aye, and a fine one at that - to celebrate All Hallows Eve, All Saints Day and the second anniversary of our Forum! 'Tis a wonderous good time we are having... all masquerading as characters from the plays of Shakespeare. I am enjoying this verily much!

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"Can one desire too much of a good thing?" - As You Like It

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Aye, and another thing of Shakespearian turn that I am looking forward too with eagerness is the release of the November "Ink and Fairydust". Quite excited am I, for it has been transformed into the shape of a magazine this month... with 44 pages! By Jove, what a joy that shall be to read! Here is the cover for this month, is it not comely to behold?

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I have a confession to maketh to thee all... I have become quite entranced with Shakespeare! Those of ye who have heard me proclaim Shakespeare to be dry and dull in my youth shall wag their heads at me, but 'tis the truth. Verily I like him now!

The change didst come upon me with an adventure upon our forum. 'Twas revealed that one of the members was in truth Laertes of Hamlet fame, and his sister was the fair Ophelia. Having not read that play, and being curious to read a classical work featuring one of mine friends, I took up the book and was snared. I have since re-read As You Like It for the third time and started Macbeth. I plan next to cast mine eyes upon A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Taming of the Shrew... and as many as I can well fit into my school year!

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I shalt now leave thee with some o' mine favorite quotes.... Rose and Lanta style.

"Is this a bubble I see before me?"

"Oh happy bubble! This is thy sheathe! There pop and let me die!"

"To pop, or not to pop? That is the question!"

"Were we to call a bubble by any other name, 'twould pop just as well!"

"All the world's a bubble, and the men and women merely pop it."

"Frailty, thy name is bubble!"

"But bubbles are bubbles; the best sometimes pop. "

"Be not afraid of bubbles: some are born bubbles, some achieve bubbliness , and some have bubbles thrust upon them."

More stuff to make you laugh

Because you know, the more you laugh the longer you'll live!

(Though how anyone ever proved that...)

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Sometimes newspaper headlines just go a little screwy:

Grandmother of eight makes hole in one

Deaf mute gets new hearing in killing

Police begin campaign to run down jaywalkers

House passes gas tax onto senate

Stiff opposition expected to casketless funeral plan

Two convicts evade noose, jury hung

Milk drinkers are turning to powder

Safety experts say school bus passengers should be belted

Quarter of a million Chinese live on water

Farmer bill dies in house

Iraqi head seeks arms

Eye drops off shelf

Squad helps dog bite victim

Dealers will hear car talk at noon

Enraged cow injures farmer with ax

Lawmen from Mexico barbecue guests

Miners refuse to work after death

Two Soviet ships collide - one dies

Two sisters reunite after eighteen years at checkout counter

Nicaragua sets goal to wipe out literacy

Drunk drivers paid $1,000 in 1984

Autos killing 110 a day, let's resolve to do better

If strike isn't settled quickly it may last a while

War dims hope for peace

Smokers are productive, but death cuts efficiency

Cold wave linked to temperatures

Blind woman gets new kidney from dad she hasn't seen in years

Man is fatally slain

Something went wrong in jet crash, experts say

Death causes loneliness, feeling of isolation.

Man murdered, police suspect foul play.

Include Your Children when baking cookies

Clinton wins on budget, but more lies ahead

Plane too close to ground, crash probe told

Juvenile court to try shooting defendant

Stolen painting found by tree

Red tape holds up new bridges

Kids make nutritious snacks

Hospitals are sued by 7 foot doctors

New Vaccine may contain rabies

Man struck by lightening faces battery charge

Feast Day!

Today is the feast day of one of my closest Saint friends... Saint Jude Thaddeus. I first really discovered and came to know Saint Jude about two years ago. My theatrical group I am with was preparing for our first production of "The Seven Last Words of Christ", and in addition to being given the part of one of the angry mob, I was also made one of the apostles at the Last Supper. Our directoress randomly assigned all of us an apostle - I was given Saint Jude. I wanted to really get to know him, so I could do better with my part... and the rest, as they say, is history!

He really is an amazing saint. Saint Jude was the brother of Saint James the Lesser and a blood relative of Jesus. He is reported to have resembled Our Lord greatly in looks - hence the reason Saint Jude is sometimes pictured holding a medal of Our Lord.

Saint Jude is traditionally venerated as the patron saint of lost or impossible causes. This stems from the fact that his name is very similar to Judas Iscariot, the traitor. (A variant of Jude often used in the Bible is Judas.) Because of this similarity, people would confuse the two. They did not ask for Saint Jude's intercession, basically rendering him "a lost cause". (Things have improved since then. ;) )

Here are two of my favorite prayers to Saint Jude.

Saint Jude Prayer in the Morning
Saint Jude, giver of hope, let the promise of this new day fill me with wonder. Goodness surrounds me this morning. The sun rising to greet the earth recalls the joy of Easter morning, when Christ's light burst forth, showing the world His glory. St. Jude, place a spark of hope in my heart and ignite in me a fire burning with the love of God. Help me in my work today. Help me to forgive readily and to know and do God's holy and true will. May everything I am bring glory to God, and lead me closer to you, my ever-loving friend. Amen.

Saint Jude Prayer at Night
Come St. Jude, dearest companion. Quiet my heart and free my spirit. Help me to recognize the gifts of this day. I go now to rest. Refresh me this night with peacful sleep. Hold me and my loved ones close to you, keep us safe, and protect us from the evil one. Guide and heal my tired mind and body. Bring me safely to another day, that I may live to serve Jesus and walk with you in hope toward my heavenly reward. Amen

Saint Jude... pray for us!

Random Funniness

Yay! A long week of studying for the ACT is done and over with, as is the test. Now all I have to do is wait for the scores to come in and my voice to become un-lost. (I managed to lose it somewhere yesterday. =P )

In the meantime, here's something to make you laugh.

Letter from Mom

Dear Son,
Just a few lines to let you know that I am still alive. I'm writing this letter slowly, because I know that you cannot read fast. You won't know the house when you come home. We've moved.
About your father. He has a lovely new job. He has 5,000 men under him. He is cutting grass at the cemetery.
There was a washing machine in the new house when we moved in, but it isn't working too good. Last week I put 14 shirts into it, pulled the chain and I haven't seen the shirks since.
Your sister had a baby this morning. I haven't found out whether it is a boy or a girl so I don't know whether you are an aunt or an uncle.
Your Uncle Dick drowned last week in a vat of whiskey at Dublin's Brewery. Some of his workmates dived in to save him, but he fought them off bravely. We cremated his body, and it took us three days to put out the fire.
Your father didn't have much to drink at Christmas. I put a bottle of castor oil in his pint of beer and it kept him going until New Year's Day.
I went to the doctor on Thursday, and your father went with me. The doctor put a little glass tube in my mouth and told me not to open it for ten minutes. Your father offered to buy it from him.
It only rained twice last week. First for four days and then for three days. Monday it was so windy that one of our hens laid the same egg four times.
We had a letter from the undertaker. He said that if the last installment wasn't paid on your grandmother within seven days... UP SHE COMES!

Your loving mother

P.S. I was going to send you $10 but I had already sealed the envelope.

ACT

Just asking for prayers for tomorrow! I'll be taking the ACT, starting at 8 in the morning. I'm pretty confident about it (all but the Math section =P ) but prayers would be great none the less! Especially since I got a sore throat this morning... ick.

So remember me in your prayers, please!