Found in the Irish Times

14 Irish phrases most people won’t understand abroad 
Handy seanfhocail to pass comment without anyone knowing what you mean

It is often said that Irish people are more inclined to use the first language when they travel than in Ireland.
Why is this one might ask? Why do they feel freer to speak Irish abroad than they might do at home?  Perhaps it is because they know they will not be judged by their peers or those around them. Perhaps they feel the need to be set apart as Irish. Or perhaps, it gives them the opportunity to pass comment without being understood. Of course it might be all, some, or none of the above.
Whatever the reason, Irish is a living language that can be used in any situation. The following is a list of handy seanfhocail you might use, with suggestions for when you might use them. Chances are those around you will not understand what you are saying.
And as the old saying goes: Beatha teanga í a labhairt (the life of a language is to speak it).

  Is lia gach othar i ndiaidh a leighis (every patient is a surgeon after he is cured). Listening to a punter on the tube talking loudly about his morning after cure.

  Ar mhaithe leis féin a bhíonn an cat ag crónán (the cat purrs only for its own benefit). On hearing a colleague talking loudly about his latest success.

  Déan mórán agus can beagán (do a lot and say little). Advice for the above.

  Ní dhíolann dearmad fiacha (just because you’ve forgotten a debt, it doesn’t mean you no longer owe it). When someone “forgets” it is their turn to buy the next round.

  Siúlach scéalach (chatty traveller). When someone next to you volunteers story after story after story.

  Sceitheann fíon fírinne (in vino veritas). To be used at the staff Christmas party.

  Tógfaidh dath dubh ach ní thógfaidh dubh dath (a garment can be dyed black but a black cloth cannot be dyed any other colour). It is easier to defame someone than to restore their reputation. To be used the day after the Christmas party (see above).

  Bíonn caora dhubh ar an tréad is gile (even the brightest flock has a black sheep). There is always one! To be used at kids birthday parties.

  Cuir síoda ar ghabhar is gabhar fós é (put silk on a goat, it will still be a goat). Friday night fashion.

  Tarraingíonn scéal scéal eile (one story always leads to another). A good motto for journalists.

  Is minic bréag ar aonach (there are many lies at the fair). To be used in the presence of salesmen everywhere.

  Má chailleann tú uair ar maidin beidh tú á tóraíocht i rith an lae (if you lose an hour in the morning you’ll be looking for it all day). Obey the alarm clock!

  Is ait an mac an saol (life is strange). When you hear Irish being spoken in a far-flung land.

  Is binn béal ina thost (silence is golden). What you say to someone when you realise they are speaking ill of you in Irish.

  Source

Hey fam, what's up? Here's a reminder for you to read in six months to a year that I exist in some shape or form up here in Illinois. Do you want to know what has not changed one bit in the couple of years I have spent living up here? I still loath waking up. It's my least favorite part of the day. It's the most painful part of my day (unless I've chowed down on some good Thai curry the previous day, but that's a different story).  In those 20 minutes to 2 hours I spend in between sleep and wakefulness, I become a creative monster dreaming up ridiculous schemes to avoid fully waking up, or at least dream up a very different sort of life. I usually look at the clock on my phone anywhere from 5-20 times before pulling myself - internally kicking and screaming, sometimes actually crying - out of bed with just enough time to throw on clothes, grab some sort of food substance, and literally run out the door. I spend the 40 minute commute to work becoming human, arrive, chat with boss man, make breakfast, and start my daily workflow.

I want to believe that there is a better way to experience the time between waking up and being at work. I'm trying to reimagine my life to make that a productive time, a time where I focus my energy for the day so that peak productivity isn't a thing that only happens in the fifteen minutes before I take lunch. Doing things in the early morning seems like it would be a good thing... I'll let you know if I develop a real plan to master my mornings.

Peace!

Dead eyes

Do you know what is one thing that is scary to me? A dead person’s eyes...especially when they are open...and moving around and blinking and seem like they should be alive...but they aren’t. That gives me a cold feeling in the pit of my stomach and, sometimes, I have to turn away. The worst is when the person doesn’t know that they are dead. They don’t know any better and so they walk around pretending like they are alive. Maybe, it’s all a grand scheme to make sure people don’t bury them.

Perhaps "dead" isn’t quite the right word. Maybe it is more like "undead." I’m sure that calls to mind zombies and such, but these are real. I see them walking around every day.

Maybe, if they knew they were dead they would go find their rest and find the life that is waiting for them there. But they don’t and no one has the courage to tell them that they aren’t alive.

“But I go to church...I have a life...I have my friends...I tweet nine times a day. A dead person can’t do that.”

But can’t they?

Can’t even a robot with no life in it at all tweet nine times a day and sit in a building and keep a log of what is happening around it? It still has no life in it. A robot can’t have passions, joys, pain, love. A robot can’t have moral integrity. It can have a program that tells it to accept and reject certain things based on a list of criteria, but then it can just be programmed to do whatever whoever is skilled enough to program it wants it to. It has no choice.

Some of these undead people seem to do just that. If something is viral on social media, it must be worth attention. If five people they know like something, it must be good. If it lines up with the thoughts they were taught in school, then surely it is right. Their foundation is only as solid as those external parameters that they have been taught. Those are not lasting - and even if it were, if that undead person’s external circumstances change, that person’s identity changes, their principles change.

Sometimes, despite my squeamishness at dead eyes, I want to get in one of their faces and yell, just to see if it elicits any response other than an eye roll and filing me away in their brain as an odd creature. Perhaps I am one, but at least I am alive.

A Different Music

It's been an odd season for music.  Odd related thoughts.

"He who sings, prays twice."  I think Augustine remarked.

Is it possible that music is our highest mode of expression?   Even now we have fragments of this in our hymns, gregorian chant, musicals, concerts in which the experience is shared.

All of these have more meaning than just the written or spoken words that they carry.

***

This was brought to mind when I came across first "Lachto Drom" or "Happy Journey".  It is a telling of the experience of the Romani.  Please, even if you don't understand the words, listen, watch with compassion.  Learn about this people from their voices.

***
Second and related is also Rom related:  the Barcelona Gypsy Klezmer Orchestra.  This is an amazing group that I had never heard before.  It seems a sad that they are no longer playing with their extraordinary original clarinetist,  Robindro Nikolic.  May they none the less continue the fine musical adventure. 

Let me know what you think.

Two young ladies go to Washington

From July

When we saw the Washington Monument from the Station, Emily had a flash of excitement and then both of us recalled a certain Mr. Smith who took off to see the monument.  We, however, very exhausted and recognizing a schedule, took our bags and hastened to College Park, to leave our bags there before proceeding.  It was a nice place to stay but we were too late to get back to the capitol for our scheduled tour, so after getting some food at the Bagel Place (very good espresso and excellent bagel sandwiches) we went to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.  I was a little worried that it would be over tourist-y, but it was not.  It was very beautiful and had a contemplative sort of atmosphere, one that encouraged prayer.  We entered one little alcove that, inlaid in the entrance, had the lines of a slave ship.  On the right hand wall was a sculpted plaque that portrayed progressively people being captured, sold into slavery, whipped in the fields, liberated, and standing in a mixed group facing the cross together on the far wall.  It was very striking.  We were about to leave when a woman who was sitting in a corner asked strongly, "Do you understand?"  I was reminded of the house of Mr. Interpreter.
In the sanctuary was a shrine set up by descendants of Eastern Europeans who had been forced from their homes during the thirteenth century by the Turks.  I was reminded of today's problems of terror and displacement, so while we were there I prayed for those displaced by ISIS and those who have received the refugees.
On the second day we did actually go down to the monuments.  We did not plan to see, and I was unaware of, the United States Navy Memorial.  But when we came out of Archive station, there it was.  It was pretty neat to see how the sculptures in the plaques reflected all the different levels of participation and assistance and history of the Navy.  We took some time (and Emily took pictures) before moving on.  We went to the Museum of Natural History and accidentally spent six hours there.  It was a lot of fun.  I especially enjoyed the skeletons and the stones.
Afterwords, we grabbed a bite to eat and headed out to the Washington Monument.  It is majestic.  As we walked away we could see a stage and speakers and lights being set up.  It turns out, there was a big event planned to show and encourage Christian unity and growth with lots of performers and speakers.
Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Korean War Memorial, a John Paul Jones Memorial, a little tribute to the volunteers from D.C. for "The World War"--we saw a lot.
Saturday evening we went to St. Matthew's.  Coming outside from that peaceful service, we walked through panhandlers.  I asked one of them about sharing with each other.  That idea was met with scorn.
We spent a long time at Union Station waiting for our bus home at 12 or 1 in the morning--I forget which--but that was a beautiful place.  There were statues up high on a ledge in the walls surrounding the big room in the old front.  Emily took some pictures.  When we went to the more specifically designated waiting area for our bus, it was less grand, but still decently comfortable.  Then at last the long ride home.
I'm very glad we went, and very glad we made it safely home.
"Good bye to the street lights, hello to the sweet pines..."

Homesick

I could call it boredom. After all, I'm just sitting here, lethargically stirring my oatmeal that isn't really appetizing.
I could call it apathy. After all, there are so many things I should do, but I just don't have the motivation.
I could call it lack of stimulation. After all, if my expectations of life here should be based on this week, I should always have something going on, something to entertain me.
I could call it being very tired. After all, this week has been so busy and I haven't gotten enough sleep.
I could call it waking up too early on a Saturday morning. After all, who wakes up before eleven o'clock on a Saturday around here - except, of course, for those baseball players.
I could call it slight illness. After all, I had a headache last night and a slight sore throat this morning.
Or...I could call it homesickness, because that's what it is.

A passion for truth

     When I entered the room set aside for the seminar, there were not many people.  As more people began to come in, I enjoyed listening and observing.  There was a student who was not here because she had to, but was grateful that Franciscan hosted these conferences and that she had the opportunity to learn from the speakers.  There was a man in olive pants, tweed jacket, and slightly muddy shoes whom I judged to be a speaker.  Especially when the student who was messing with the sound equipment came up to him with a little clip microphone.  There was a student with maybe a German accent (I discovered that I was correct in that assumption later) behind me, talking about classes and theology and marketing.  I caught a glimpse of her dark, long coat and skirt, and bright blue scarf in my peripheral vision.
Most of the people on the first day seemed to be older than myself.  I overheard talk of coming from Pittsburgh and New York, but it did seem as though most people probably had some connection to Franciscan University.
     To start the conference, a priest was invited up to pray.  His eyes were mostly directed up, but were very lively and warm.  It almost seemed as though he was uncomfortable standing in front of the group.  But he prayed.  It was a very earnest prayer, not long; but just thinking back to his prayer--I do not remember any precise words--still as he prayed for the Holy Spirit to work amongst us and bless our efforts to bear to witness to the truth I felt like crying.

Then James Kalb was introduced and he did an excellent job of introducing all that was to follow.  It was a thick sort of discourse.  I am very glad I took notes, but I certainly plan to go back and do some reading, which is the idea of this sort of thing--whet people's appetites for what is true and good and beautiful, and they should then continue to pursue the true and good and beautiful.  I am afraid I do not do that enough as a teacher.  Anyway, back to the topic.
     One of the points that stood out in the first discourse was the idea of restoring a healthy understanding of Natural Law.  This was brought up as a way to confront the current technocratic approach to life and law.
What is technocracy? "the government or control of society or industry by an elite of technical experts." This definition exactly fits what Dr. Kalb was talking about.  Part of his complaint against the current liberal technocratic approach is that there is a tendency to disregard the voices of those not considered experts and expertise is increasingly defined by an increasingly atheistic humanist world-view.  What is reality is described as atoms, the void and sensation.  Also, there is a denial that they are exercising power.  They merely recognize the power and rights of every person, and act as arbitrators--the neutral protectors of everybody else.
So how do we respond?  Compromise?  Emphasize our traditions in terms of symbolism?  Emphasize functionality?  These are not adequate.  There is no compromise, because they see themselves as outside the debates about right and wrong--the "technical experts" inform us of what we need to do and if we don't understand, we must be ignorant.  Remaining loyal to tradition and defending it with symbolism and rhetoric only plays to their claim that traditionalists are illogical and narrow-minded bigots.  Functionality--well, how can we even begin to talk about function unless we agree that things are ordered to purposes?  This is where an understanding of natural law could really help.
We also need to have a renewed understanding of ultimate goods, the importance of sacrifice in society--our need for God.  We cannot merely tell the world that something is wrong; we must show them something better.  "Nothing is going to get better unless we get better."

I'm not sure if it was in answer to a question, but at the end of my notes on the first presentation was this, "Not anti-institutional
                      God, thinking, church, community
                                                                   Goal?  Christendom?"

One of the criticisms leveled against the technocratic world view is that it is reductionist, broadly-- figure out what the properties of a thing are in order to do what you want to do with it.  This stands against a more traditional approach of seeing a whole system of life that cannot necessarily be completely understood.

The next lecture was not delivered by the author as the author was ill.  While the first had been somewhat dense in information, technical, thoughtful, and engaging; the next was engaging in a very different way.

It had more of an element of anecdote--describing writing, looking out the window and remembering growing up as a "free-range kid."  He spoke of the sense of wonder in childhood that some grow out of, and some grow out of early on in their childhoods.  He spoke of the importance of wonder in accepting God and in seeing the world for what it is rather than what we can get.  He illustrated the idea of wonder and its opposite, excessive ambition, by the way of Shakespeare's Tempest.  Now, The Tempest is a familiar play to me, and one of my favorites by Shakespeare, but to hear it described in terms of wonder--think of all the magic and music of Prospero's island--made me want to revisit the play.  I would absolutely love to see an excellent presentation of it.

Another lecture that still stands out after a year was by Sheila Liaugminas, a journalist.  She spoke about the power of words and the importance of telling stories that tell truth.  In that, she also emphasized reading and writing from a heart centered on the ultimate Truth.

For a few little thoughts:
Nihilism--This word keeps cropping up as a word to describe the current situation of culture in the West generally and in the United States in particular.

Humpty Dumpty language and the LBGT movement--turning words inside out to insist that what is bad is good, what is wrong is right.

Objective good--a restoration of this idea being near impossible without the restoration of a right understanding of natural law, which also came up in various people's talks.

Ultimately, it comes back to a need to recognize who God is and what has He called us to be.