Many Musings
Jun. 21st, 2004 08:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
teleidoplexThis post went through a lot of titles, one for each thing I wanted to talk about, before I finally gave up. Witness now as I attempt a cut for those of you who don't want to wade through it all...
There...and there again, a Kitsune's tail...er, tale
So, I have now learned the valuable lesson that if I'm going from B-town to catch a flight in Chicago, I need to leave at least 9 hours in advance. I learned this because I stupidly got on the road only 7 hours before my flight, thinking that would be *plenty* of time to drive the 3 or so hours to ancientwisdom's parents, the 1 or so hours from there to O'Hare, and still leaving me with 2 or so hours before my flight.
What I didn't count on was the jack-knifed truck on the I-65 near that stretch around Renssalaer that doesn't have an exit for, like, fifteen miles. Not that an exit would have done me any good since I didn't move more than 20 feet in the hour and change that I sat there. In desperation I finally risked the ditch. Luckily my car didn't get stuck (I think the fox would have, so phew on that one). I then had to take this big detour to get around the accident and back to the 65.
So I ended up getting to the airport 1/2 hour before my flight left, and since they won't check anyone after the 45 minutes before departure mark, I was shit out of luck.
That's right, I left 7 hours early, and I still missed my flight.
Luckily, the lady at the counter was very nice (well, she was actually kinda rude in that Roseanne Barr "I'm so funny when I'm rude" kind of way that I really don't understand, but she did a nice thing for me, so I'll assume that she was nice). I had to pay a change fee (which I shouldn't have been allowed to do since they were expedia tickets), but she booked me for the flight the next day (cause there's only one, apparently). She also gave me a hotel voucher that reduced my room rate to a piddly $20. So, it cost me about $175 total, which sucks, and really put a dent in my already jalopy-esque budget, but I got here. I'll be eating ramen a lot while I'm here, but at least it will be Irish ramen! Er...ew.
Canada the UnCanny
I had a funnier title for that, but I can't remember what it was.
So, my flight was through Toronto, which means I got to experience the uncanniness of Canada. For the most part, being in Canada feels like being in the U.S., but then you start to notice little strange things that emphasize that what seems familiar is really rather alien. For instance, Canada smells funny.
I don't know what it is. Maybe it's just the knowledge that you're in a foreign place that causes you to be more aware of things like olfactory input. Maybe Canadian Airports and U.S. Airports have the same funny smell, and I just never noticed it, but I don't think this is the case. Nor could I really identify the quality of the smell, although there did seem to be a stronger odor of human bodies that may or may not have anything to do with the type and quantity of deorderant used.
At any rate, no real musings here, since I was only there for a few hours. There were just a bunch of little things, like the lack of unsweetened iced tea, the no free drink refills, the absence of chain burger joints in the terminal (like McDonalds), that kept glitching me up.
Christ Church Cathedral...or is it Fox Church Cathedral...or maybe it's Raver Church Cathedral. You decide.
So, as per my usual when I am in Dublin, I made my pilgrimmage to Christ Church Cathedral on Sunday. I am not religious in the typical sense, and I don't usually go to church, but Christ Church has become a very important spiritual node for me, and as such I always return. I've wondered and worried a lot about whether this is inconsiderate of the people who attend services there, because I am not going there as a catholic or even a christian. I do think that I approach the place and the services there with a deep reverence and respect, and that at the core I share many of the good intentions and sense of wonder that people attending services are supposed to approach such a place with. Maybe that's just equivocation.
At any wise, this visit was just as special for me, though as always in a different way. Firstly, I apparently accidently stumbled in on Ordination to the Diaconate day, which meant that instead of the normal communion mass, the Archbishop of Dublin held an Ordination Mass. It was really wonderful and uplifting to be there to witness those two people (Ian Cruickshanks and Norma McMaster) make such an important step in their lives, and to pontificate on how this moment would touch not only their lives, but the lives of all the people they would touch in their ministry.
So, there was some ecstasis there for me.
But on a more personal note, there were two other kewl things. First, the Cathedral got new chairs, and on the backs of every chair were carved the two foxes that are kind of the icon/logos of Christ Church Cathedral. They're basically little fox pilgrims with staffs and backpacks and hats, and their hands are held out begging for alms. They are on the tiles that form the main motif that runs up the center aisle, and now they're on the chairs too. Yay!
The other cool thing was the bathroom. So, you have to go through this heavy wooden door and down these dark stairs into this huge underground crypt with stone walls and sarcophagi and all sorts of dank and spooky stuff. Then you have to go to the complete other side of the crypt (that runs the length of the Cathedral), and open the door to the bathroom, which is basically a windowless room with walls of rough crypt stone, a toilet, a sink and...
A blacklight!
That's right, the only light in the room is a blacklight, and it looks so wickedly cool when you close the door and the light picks up the toilet, the sink, the tp, and the little flecks of white in the stone. And it got me to thinking how cool it would be to have a rave in the crypt at Christ Church Cathedral.
And More Foxes!
So, there's probably a whole bunch more that I'm forgetting, but this is already getting way long, and I still have Irish homework to do. I'll close with the observation that I saw a fox today. He was hanging out in a patch of sunlight in a garden behind Newman House, which is where the seminar is being held. We were being given a tour of the house, and we walked into this absolutely beautiful room of pale gold, that had floor to (very vaulted) ceiling windows looking out into the gardens behind the house, with the late afternoon sunlight streaming in. I went up to the windows to look out, and lo and behold there was Mr. Fox. Apparently you see foxes out back fairly frequently, especially on the rooftop of the priory building that is back there, but also lounging in the gardens. This was a very fine fellow, with his fur all rusty red in the sunlight, and a long inquisitive nose, and slightly overlarge paws. He reminded me of ancientwisdom, and with that, I'm signing off so I can call my very own foxboy.
Fare you all well til later. Tomorrow the actual seminar starts, so I'll have more to say then, including the dish on my new seminar friends, all of whom seem very cool and interesting.
kitsune
So, I have now learned the valuable lesson that if I'm going from B-town to catch a flight in Chicago, I need to leave at least 9 hours in advance. I learned this because I stupidly got on the road only 7 hours before my flight, thinking that would be *plenty* of time to drive the 3 or so hours to ancientwisdom's parents, the 1 or so hours from there to O'Hare, and still leaving me with 2 or so hours before my flight.
What I didn't count on was the jack-knifed truck on the I-65 near that stretch around Renssalaer that doesn't have an exit for, like, fifteen miles. Not that an exit would have done me any good since I didn't move more than 20 feet in the hour and change that I sat there. In desperation I finally risked the ditch. Luckily my car didn't get stuck (I think the fox would have, so phew on that one). I then had to take this big detour to get around the accident and back to the 65.
So I ended up getting to the airport 1/2 hour before my flight left, and since they won't check anyone after the 45 minutes before departure mark, I was shit out of luck.
That's right, I left 7 hours early, and I still missed my flight.
Luckily, the lady at the counter was very nice (well, she was actually kinda rude in that Roseanne Barr "I'm so funny when I'm rude" kind of way that I really don't understand, but she did a nice thing for me, so I'll assume that she was nice). I had to pay a change fee (which I shouldn't have been allowed to do since they were expedia tickets), but she booked me for the flight the next day (cause there's only one, apparently). She also gave me a hotel voucher that reduced my room rate to a piddly $20. So, it cost me about $175 total, which sucks, and really put a dent in my already jalopy-esque budget, but I got here. I'll be eating ramen a lot while I'm here, but at least it will be Irish ramen! Er...ew.
I had a funnier title for that, but I can't remember what it was.
So, my flight was through Toronto, which means I got to experience the uncanniness of Canada. For the most part, being in Canada feels like being in the U.S., but then you start to notice little strange things that emphasize that what seems familiar is really rather alien. For instance, Canada smells funny.
I don't know what it is. Maybe it's just the knowledge that you're in a foreign place that causes you to be more aware of things like olfactory input. Maybe Canadian Airports and U.S. Airports have the same funny smell, and I just never noticed it, but I don't think this is the case. Nor could I really identify the quality of the smell, although there did seem to be a stronger odor of human bodies that may or may not have anything to do with the type and quantity of deorderant used.
At any rate, no real musings here, since I was only there for a few hours. There were just a bunch of little things, like the lack of unsweetened iced tea, the no free drink refills, the absence of chain burger joints in the terminal (like McDonalds), that kept glitching me up.
So, as per my usual when I am in Dublin, I made my pilgrimmage to Christ Church Cathedral on Sunday. I am not religious in the typical sense, and I don't usually go to church, but Christ Church has become a very important spiritual node for me, and as such I always return. I've wondered and worried a lot about whether this is inconsiderate of the people who attend services there, because I am not going there as a catholic or even a christian. I do think that I approach the place and the services there with a deep reverence and respect, and that at the core I share many of the good intentions and sense of wonder that people attending services are supposed to approach such a place with. Maybe that's just equivocation.
At any wise, this visit was just as special for me, though as always in a different way. Firstly, I apparently accidently stumbled in on Ordination to the Diaconate day, which meant that instead of the normal communion mass, the Archbishop of Dublin held an Ordination Mass. It was really wonderful and uplifting to be there to witness those two people (Ian Cruickshanks and Norma McMaster) make such an important step in their lives, and to pontificate on how this moment would touch not only their lives, but the lives of all the people they would touch in their ministry.
So, there was some ecstasis there for me.
But on a more personal note, there were two other kewl things. First, the Cathedral got new chairs, and on the backs of every chair were carved the two foxes that are kind of the icon/logos of Christ Church Cathedral. They're basically little fox pilgrims with staffs and backpacks and hats, and their hands are held out begging for alms. They are on the tiles that form the main motif that runs up the center aisle, and now they're on the chairs too. Yay!
The other cool thing was the bathroom. So, you have to go through this heavy wooden door and down these dark stairs into this huge underground crypt with stone walls and sarcophagi and all sorts of dank and spooky stuff. Then you have to go to the complete other side of the crypt (that runs the length of the Cathedral), and open the door to the bathroom, which is basically a windowless room with walls of rough crypt stone, a toilet, a sink and...
A blacklight!
That's right, the only light in the room is a blacklight, and it looks so wickedly cool when you close the door and the light picks up the toilet, the sink, the tp, and the little flecks of white in the stone. And it got me to thinking how cool it would be to have a rave in the crypt at Christ Church Cathedral.
So, there's probably a whole bunch more that I'm forgetting, but this is already getting way long, and I still have Irish homework to do. I'll close with the observation that I saw a fox today. He was hanging out in a patch of sunlight in a garden behind Newman House, which is where the seminar is being held. We were being given a tour of the house, and we walked into this absolutely beautiful room of pale gold, that had floor to (very vaulted) ceiling windows looking out into the gardens behind the house, with the late afternoon sunlight streaming in. I went up to the windows to look out, and lo and behold there was Mr. Fox. Apparently you see foxes out back fairly frequently, especially on the rooftop of the priory building that is back there, but also lounging in the gardens. This was a very fine fellow, with his fur all rusty red in the sunlight, and a long inquisitive nose, and slightly overlarge paws. He reminded me of ancientwisdom, and with that, I'm signing off so I can call my very own foxboy.
Fare you all well til later. Tomorrow the actual seminar starts, so I'll have more to say then, including the dish on my new seminar friends, all of whom seem very cool and interesting.
kitsune
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no subject
Date: 2004-06-21 01:25 pm (UTC)That's it; I need to go back to Ireland so I can see the blacklight crypt bathroom. <noddy-nod>
no subject
Date: 2004-06-21 01:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-06-21 01:45 pm (UTC)Am I remembering correctly that Christ Church is the one that has the wall that's kinda leaning in at a visible angle? The one on the right-hand side if you're standing at the altar and looking back over the pews, that is....
no subject
Date: 2004-06-21 02:25 pm (UTC)most churches won't throw you out or even be mad at you for not being a member of their particular faith. they might prefer that you follow some of their rules (for instance, the mosque in Plainfield has chairs at the back for non-Muslims who are observing to sit in, but that makes a lot of sense since you'd be in the way of all the people trying to stretch out and do their prayers if you were up sitting on the floor), but i've never heard of any sort of closed-door services. if they didn't want you there, they'd probably have some manner of religous bouncer at the door!1 (;
the Catholics as a whole are totally fine with non-Catholics attending services. their only real rule is that you don't take Communion, because for them it's a ritualized sacrament that you have to prepare for and have to undergo a rite of passage (First Communion) in order to be recognized by the Church as eligible for Communion (although you don't have to pull out your Catholic ID Card when you go up--my friend Gram took Communion at every school mass he attended even though he wasn't Catholic). they ask that non-Catholics merely approach the priest with everyone else and cross their arms in front of them when they reach the communion minister--this is what Kelly means when she talks about how she gets to obfuscate in front of the priest when she attends Mass with Megan before Changeling games. then the priest/communion minister gives you a blessing and usually makes a cross with her or his thumb on your forehead.
most religions merely ask that you be respectful of both the services, the physical space and the rituals. i doubt anyone's going to be mad at you for being open and reverent to the atmosphere and to the church itself. some of the more hardcore ones probably encourage that in the hopes that things will "click" with you and you'll want to convert. but if you're being reverent and respectful, i think you're fine.
whew!1
-k-
no subject
Date: 2004-06-21 09:37 pm (UTC)I made that mistake once. Oops. See, another reason I'm bound for hell.
no subject
Date: 2004-06-21 04:13 pm (UTC)Can I have a real address to mail schtuff to please?
no subject
Date: 2004-06-21 06:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-06-21 09:35 pm (UTC)If any of them are cool, interesting, cute and single, bring them back with you. Bonus points if they're Irish :)
From the RPC (Resident Practicing Catholic)
Date: 2004-06-22 07:37 am (UTC)Everything k8 wrote is spot on, including the policy on Communion and being blessed.
Personally, I'm all for it if you check out a mass/ceremony without it having religious/theological meaning to you. Coming to check the ritual and atmosphere is just fine.
I think part of the reason I like Catholic Masses is because of the ritual and pattern to it. I can go to Mass anywhere in the world and know what is going on in each part of the ceremony. For example, I attended Mass one day in Italy and I knew when it was time for the Lord's Prayer and was able to launch into it in English while almost everyone else around me did it in Italian. I knew when to stand and rise and could even kind of get a grasp on what the priest was saying over the Communion wafers and wine because I know the words in English. Its comforting to be able to enter any Catholic Church and know what is going on. One thing the Church does is cycle the readings in each mass so that over the course of three years (assuming you attend every mass) you will have heard almost every passage from the Bible read or sung, or even discussed in the homily. Yeah, you could read it on your own but the Catholic Church doesn't emphasize bible study as much as other Christian faiths do, so Mass is where a lot of Catholics (I bet/guess) hear the Bible.
Re: From the RPC (Resident Practicing Catholic)
Date: 2004-06-22 08:08 am (UTC)And I think it's these kinds of observations that ensure that I will never be able to convert, even if I do (subjectively and personally) feel Christ Church to be a spiritually significant place for me. But then, I wouldn't be comfortable in a belief system that was designed to make me feel comfortable and safe. My need for and love of analysis won't let me.
And I suppose it's because I'm coming from this point of view that I'm continually concerned about my presence being disrespectful to the other worshippers, because on one level I am constantly analyzing and critiquing what is being said and how it is being framed. Now, because I'm basically optimistic about people, I have a need to try to understand what is being said with my own ethical and spiritual conscience. Most of the time I can re-contextualize things to fit within my paradigm, but sometimes there will be a portion of the sermon or readings that I just can't rationalize. Something that I have to take fundamental issue with because of its ramifications (like your comment about the comfortable quality of the Mass).
Hence my concern, and why I don't think I can ethically stop being concerned about it.
Re: From the RPC (Resident Practicing Catholic)
Date: 2004-06-22 08:39 am (UTC)I am a practicing Roman Catholic, although much more lax than I used to be. I call myself a "Cafeteria Style" Catholic because I pick and choose which parts of Catholicism I want to keep (i.e. there are some things I disagree with that are part of R.C. doctrine). It is something I got from my parents and have expanded upon the last few years in particular (as I have been out in the world on my own and exposed to more options/faiths/perspectives).
I don't suppose I'll be able to ease your concerns about attending/being present, but I'll say that for my part I am not offended. I'm always interested to hear what others think of my religion, and especially interested in finding out what they believe themselves and why. Its something I want to do more of, sit down with folks (like you or your fox-man) and just *talk* about personal theological and philosophical perspectives.
If you are interested, I'd like to go to a Catholic Mass with you some time and then talk afterwards about what you noticed or analyzed. The things you liked, disliked, questioned, noticed, didn't understand, whatever. This isn't an attempt to "convert" you or anything, more a way to have an interesting conversation I think.