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| Libraries, salvation, and forumsThe title of this entry is a brief summary of the things that are taking up much of my time. Included under the heading of "salvation" is still that Augustinian Thought essay. Learning 300 Greek words before classes start fits under one of those categories as well.
Anyways, this entry is to serve as a notice that I will be on noitacav until roughly the end of August.
Things to do:
-Memorize 303 Greek words (75 down, 228 to go)
-Finish Augustinian essay (the in-depth analysis is currently on Book VII, hopefully I'll be able to finish up through Book IX or so tonight/this morning
-Prepare OLSWA's library (with somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 books and the process being more-or-less a one man show, this is no small task.)
- Pull out all books printed before 1900, put in separate collection in Dawson room. Pester higher-ups about setting up a more controlled environment for things like first printing Dickens.
- Pull out all unnecessary duplicates, leave best copies in main collection and set up other copies in the Dawson room. Get department heads to look through the duplicate stash and decide how many extra copies of each book would be worth setting out.
- Pull out all books by Christopher Dawson, John Henry Newman, Gilbert K. Chesterton, and Hillaire Belloc and put them into separate collections in the Dawson Room.
- Pull out all books by Saint Thomas Aquinas, Jacques Maritain, Fr. Reginald Garrigou-LaGrange, and Etienne Gilson and put them into separate collections in the main library room.
- Figure out how we're going to fit all the reference books we want and still have room for reserve shelving.
- Distribute duplicate copies of reference material among the Dawson room and the residences. Catholic encyclopedias for all!
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| ~NSRL~And it's go, boys, go,
They'll time your every breath;
And every day you're in this place,
You're two days nearer death,
But you go.
Well, a process man am I and I'm telling you no lies,
I work and breathe among the fumes that tread across the sky;
There's thunder all around me and there's poison in the air.
There's a lousy smell that smacks of hell and dust all in me hair.
And it's go, boys, go.
They'll time your every breath;
And every day you're in this place,
You're two days nearer death.
But you go.
Well, I've worked among the spinners and I breathed the oily smoke,
I shoveled up the gypsum, and that nylon makes you choke;
I've been knee deep in cyanide, got sick with a caustic burn,
Been working rough, I've seen enough to make your stomach turn.
And it's go, boys, go.
They'll time your every breath;
And every day you're in this place,
You're two days nearer death.
But you go.
There's overtime and bonus opportunity galore,
The young men like their money and they all come back for more;
But soon you're knock'n on and you look older than you should,
For every bob made on the job is paid with flesh and blood.
And it's go, boys, go.
They'll time your every breath;
And every day you're in this place,
You're two days nearer death.
But you go.
Well, a process man am I and I'm telling you no lies,
I work and breathe among the fumes that tread across the sky;
There's thunder all around me and there's poison in the air,
There's a lousy smell that smacks of hell and dust all in me hair.
And it's go, boys, go.
They'll time your every breath;
And every day you're in this place,
You're two days nearer death.
But you go.
And it's go, boys, go.
They'll time your every breath;
And every day you're in this place,
You're two days nearer death.
But you go. | | |
| I saw a deacon/medical doctor/psychotherapist today. Basically, if he were also a mechanic, he would be able to fix/cure anything.
And then I posted some lyrics on my Xanga. A hymn, in honor of the feast of the Transfiguration, which I didn't know was today until I went to Mass in the evening, although I had had a strange feeling that today was a feast day all day.
...wow, I can only find the first verse with Google 
Lord of all power I give you my will
In joyful obedience your tasks to fulfill
Your bondage is freedom, your service is song,
and, held in your keeping, my weakness is strong.
Lord of all power I give you my mind
Rich truth that surpasses man's knowledge to find
...
And I forget the rest. Maybe I'll look it up and post the whole thing later.
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| All right, busy busy busy.
In response to Billy's question, Saint Augustine's Confessions should be available at the library. If not, the library = fail, because it's a pretty major and important literary work. The world's first autobiography and all (late 4th century). And if the library isn't easy enough for you, the complete text is available in several locations online, such as here: http://www.stoa.org/hippo/
Anyways, here's another ALOUD from the Confessions:
"My misery was complete when I remembered how, one day, you made me realize how utterly wretched I was. I was preparing a speech in praise of the Emperor, intending that it should include a great many lies which would certainly be applauded by an audience who knew well enough how far from the truth they were. I was greatly preoccupied by this task and my mind was feverishly bus with its harassing problems. As I walked along one of the streets in Milan I noticed a poor beggar who must, I suppose have had his fill of food and drink, since he was laughing and joking. Sadly I turned to my companions and spoke to them of all the pain and trouble which is caused by our own folly. My ambitions had placed a load of misery on my shoulders and the further I carried it the heavier it became, but the only purpose of all the efforts we made was to reach the goal of peaceful happiness. This beggar had already reached it ahead of us, and perhaps we should never reach it at all. For by my laborious contriving and intricate maneuvers I was hoping to win the joy of worldly happiness, the very thing which this man had already secured at the cost of the few pence which he had begged.
Of course, this was not true happiness. But the state of felicity which I aimed to reach was still more false. He, at any rate, was cheerful, while I was unhappy: he had no worries, but I was full of apprehension. And if anyone had asked me whether I would rather be happy or afraid, I should have replied that I preferred to be happy. But if I had then been asked to choose between the life which that beggar led and my own, I should have chosen my own life, full of fears and worries though it was. This would have been an illogical choice and how could I have preferred myself to the beggar simply because I was the more learned, since my learning was no source of happiness to me. I only made use of it to try to please others, and I only tried to please them, not to teach them. This was why you broke my bones with the rod of your discipline.
My soul, then, must beware of those who say that what matters is the reason why a man is happy. They will say that it was drunkenness that made the beggar happy, while my soul looked for happiness in honor. But what sort of honor did it hope to find? Not the kind which is to be found in you, O Lord. It was not true honor, any more than the beggar's joy was true joy, but it turned my head even more. That ever night the beggar would sleep off his drunkenness, but mine had been with me night after night as I slept and was still with me in the morning when I woke, and would still be with me night and day after that.
Yet I know that it does matter why a man is happy. There is a world of difference between the joy of hope that comes from faith and the shallow happiness that I was looking for. There was a difference too between the beggar and myself. He was certainly the happier man, not only because he was flushed with cheerfulness while I was eaten away by anxiety, but also because he had earned his wine by wishing good day to passers-by while I was trying to feed my pride by telling lies." (Book VI, Chapter 6)
Oh, and for the record, adding a view counter to individual posts is the first change that Xanga has made in the last long while that I approve of. Apart from that, trying to make me change my password and having some sort of new layout, as well as these "credits" is/are very annoying.
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| We just go nuts at Christmas time...And it's another year before we're together again.
Another passage from Saint Augustine's confessions for you all (ALOUD is one element of my Xanga that I enjoy). This one's ALOUD on friendship:
"Friendship had other charms to captivate my heart. We could talk and laugh together and exchange small acts of kindness. We could join in the pleasure that books can give. We could be grave or gay together. If we sometimes disagreed, it was without spite, as a man might differ with himself, and the rare occasions of dispute were the very spice to season our usual accord. Each of us had something to learn from the others and something to teach in return. If any were away, we missed them with regret and gladly welcomed them when they came home. Such things as these are heartfelt tokens of affection between friends. They are signs to be read on the face and in the eyes, spoken by the tongue and displayed in countless acts of kindness. They can kindle a blaze to melt our hearts and weld them into one." (Confessions, book IV chapter 8)
For the record, the copy of Confessions that I'm using is translated by the unfortunately named R.S. Pine-Coffin. Say what you will, I wouldn't be caught dead making cracking jokes about such an excellent translator. This guy really has Augustine nailed down.
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