A friendly circle

Hello, all!

It seems to be about


My own circle is quite narrow; I've been reading these 'blogs for many times longer than attempting to write this one. So it's a genuine surprise to me when a friend found only through her 'blogging so far tagged me in a "pick-five" game.${}^1$

There also seem to be rules:

1) Save the image above so you can upload it on your own blog without direct linking.
2) List 5 things you absolutely love to do
3) List 5 friendly bloggers, and comment on their blogs to let them know they've received an award!

...

Five things I absolutely love to do

(I) I love learning new things; whether it's isolated words in a foreign language or Thomistic good sense or beautiful new maths, it's a real joy. It happens with maths more often than the others, for obvious reasons... thank goodness I'm not trying to earn my keep by philology; it looks like fun, but I couldn't keep my categories straight, I'm sure.

(II) I love cooking and baking. This reminds me that I should eat something, soon, today... but you can really derive a sense of accomplishment by it when you mess about in the kitchen a while (I like to make a mess, too, in a little way, by-the-by), and you end with something pleasant and filling to eat! (And if other people are there to enjoy it, that's even better!)

(III) I love following in my missal the ceremonies of the Extraordinary Form of Mass. The meditative psalms and the prayers that accompany every gesture... they're thick as raisins in a pie! (did I mention I enjoy cooking?) and manifoldwise juicier for the soul!

(IV) I love listening to musical art. That may seem an odd expression: but I propose there is a great quantity of stuff out there you could call music, possessing melody, rhythm, and harmony in various proportions, but which remain flat, artless, and heartless. I don't mean those, I mean the stuff that's written to sound beautiful, performed with care and appreciation, that draws you in rather than driving you away. I dare to include in this the time I have spent playing chamber music myself with other (better) musicians, under the excuse that at least we could all hear and immagine what it was supposed to sound like; and that was good. I might also include poems and paitings with musical subjects, e.g. this one;

(V) In the remaining spot, I really love having a good chat with dear friends --- a leisurely talk, quiet and thoughtful. There are one or two friends I see almost daily who are always good for such a chat. It will usually about not much of anything, but nontheless refreshing. Enbrethiliel has conjectured that 'blogging is like a performance art; I'm inclined instead to think it a kind of conversation, and I include that sense here. You who generously share your insights and take the time to consider my meandering musings, in voice or text, are a great comfort to the soul. For you, and for those times, I thank God.

List 5 friendly bloggers

Thinking back, the two most-referenced fellow 'bloggers here are Enbrethiliel, who reminded me about apostrphes recently, and Meredith who reminded me of the other meaning of apostrophe the *first* time she linked here. They've both already been tagged, and now here we all are!

So... I wonder if I can think of five new 'bloggers... I can't say any of them seem the sort to play these 'blog games, but that's OK, I don't mind. In no particular order,

1) erev; he plays dress-up as a latin trad like me sometimes (but with much shorter hair). He's not-so-secretly actually a Greek Catholic! (It's all true, and he's super friendly, but now he's quit blogging... :P False alarm! He just moved and turned tacks. hmmm... doesn't seem to be a commenty-blog... but no worries!)

2) OYTIΣ --- says of nobody "Just a nobody. But by the grace of God I'm a Catholic nobody." Nobody's blog is dedicated to highlighting the little treasures of a relatively young archdiocesan Cathedral. In the light of the faith and illuminating the faith, pictures are accompanied by intriguing passages from scripture, Patristics, and the writings of later saints.

3) the sober sophomore. I suspect she isn't really a sophomore; but then, I'm not really a bat ... while you're over there, stop and listen to Bruckner's Os Justi setting. She also makes a point of intermitently counting out five blessings in thanksgiving: a fine example for all of us in life!

4) the fallen sparrow. From his 'blogging, all I can say is he is intense, and I feel ashamed at times to be so comparatively lukewarm. Also that he seems friendly. He's the only one on this list I've neither met nor e-mailed.

5) Dawn Eden. God bless her! God sustain her work! She's more famous for The Dawn Patrol and her book The Thrill than her occasional column at the Bistro, but as the latter has a better chance of being updated, there 'tis to whither I'm linking.

There you go, five friendly 'bloggers.

I think that's about it.

some guy on the street

${}^1$ Some people call it a "meme". That means there's a funny meme running around distracting people from what memes are about. Or maybe it's a funny mime! I think we can enjoy playing without trying not to call it a game ;-)