What the Heck is Holy Week?

When one thinks of Christians and their religious celebrations, one tends to think of Christmas as the ultimate Christian holiday. In fact, they're wrong.

As a Catholic Christian, I really am an Easter person. Huh? What do I mean by that? Catholics celebrate Easter each and every week at Mass. Easter is all about the sacrifices and Resurrection of Jesus. Each week at Mass, Catholics receive Communion which celebrates and makes real for us Christ's resurrection. Not all Christian religions celebrate Communion each week; for many it is reserved for only certain times per year.

Bustedhalo is a great Youtube channel that explains Christian religious practices or beliefs in highly visual, brief clips. Below is the one for Holy Week, the final week of Lent which is also the week before Easter.

Will You Attend? Yes, No, Maybe

I have a friend who when she receives an Evite to an event or party, always answers "maybe." Not that she is any busier than the rest of us, but regardless, the initial answer is always maybe. It isn't until the day of the event, or if you prod her with an email because you need to firm up your plans, that she finally give you a definitive answer. Her constant waffling drives my friends and me positively crazy.

Today in WTF: Booze, The Great Equalizer

Do you feel oppressed by affluent, white males? Are you struggling to fit in with your peers? If so, you may want to start binge drinking in order to boost your social status and satisfaction. A study is out which examined levels of alcohol consumption and the relationship with social satisfaction in selective Northeastern liberal arts colleges. Some interesting results were found. Binge drinking is defined as 4 or more drinks for a female and 5 or more drinks for a male. Sounds like a typical Tuesday Friday night right?

Celebrate St. Patty's Day by Drinking Irish Wine

I don't like beer. I haven't liked it since 1988 when I was drinking Budweiser products at the basement of the Sigma Chi house at UW:Madison. It isn't snobbery, I'm just not a fan of the taste. I've struggled over the years to properly celebrate St. Patrick's Day without drinking Guinness, Harp or the gawdawful green beer.

Then I met my husband and everything changed. My husband's ancestors are known as 'Wine Geese." What are Wine Geese? Well it comes from Wild Geese, which refers to exodus of Irish soldiers to France at the end of the 1600’s following the Willamite-Jacobite war. The damn Catholics and Protestants always fighting. Catholics were forced to skip town. Wine Geese refers to Irish emigrants who became involved in the wine trade in other countries.

Valentine's Day Thoughts: Wine, Women and Song

Have you ever blamed being over-served as an excuse to cheat on your lady love? Sorry guys, that excuse doesn't hold water (or wine) anymore. Two wine economists (who knew those existed and what an awesome job!) noticed that societies which embraced multiple wives, polygyny, do not consume alcohol. Two notable examples of this in today's world are parts of the Muslim world and parts of the Mormon church.

Don't be an Ash This Wednesday

As a good Catholic girl, this is the time of year I think about how I can be a better person. I think given the recent news of Pope Benedict abdicating this Lent may be a bit more interesting.  I think New Year's resolutions are foolish, but for some reason I have no problem with Lenten "resolutions".  I was pondering why there was such a difference between the two periods of personal improvement and reflection for me.

Today is National Girl Scout Cookie Day

I saw on the morning news today that we are celebrating Girl Scout Cookie Day today. The CEO of Girl Scouts, Anna Maria Chávez, called it a "girl entrepreneurial" program. She also called it a "parent-supported" program which allowed girls to grow as individuals. Not sure what world Ms Chávez is living in today, but that is not my experience.