23/365 Trivia Night

All I got to say is that St. Cecilia's is on Alaska. We got the question right but the church is on Alaska. I know. The address is for the rectory. It still got me going. That's where Mike and I got married.

There was a whole category of that--the questions were all addresses of St. Louis city Catholic churches, and we had to name the church. We got 10/10, of course. We had two nuns at the table and I've got genealogy on my side. It was my favorite category this evening. That and the state capitals one. My least favorite? Talk show hosts. We had, umm, two nuns and me and Mike at our table. We were undermined by that category. Thank goodness for mulligans.

We came in third, which should not have happened. We were doing so poorly. I say this as someone who pretty much always places in the top three at trivia nights. At least in the last 8 years or so. I love trivia nights. They're my favorite fund raiser.

I hope this one made us some money. It was crowded enough and seemed to be a good time had by all sort of evening.

Miguel mentioned to me in an email earlier this month that a couple of questions he thought to himself, oh, Bridgett will know this one. I hope I got them right....and I wonder if he threw in the hardscrabble question because I use that as one of my internet handles.

Astrid's daughter Nissa babysat for us. We came home and lo and behold, all three kids were asleep. I'm going to stop this wrap up. I think there's some 30 Rock to catch up on. Or, perhaps the second-highest rated show in 2009. That would be Dancing with the Damned Stars.

72/365 St. Patrick's (Sort Of)

Today is the parade downtown. We have a float in the parade with our Irish dance school, and afterward the girls dance at a bar and grill downtown that is a work program for a Catholic homeless shelter--teaching folks how to work in a restaurant to give them skills to go out and find good work doing just that.

A lot about our school is like any other. We go to shows and we go to feiseanna (that would be competitions). We spend a lot of time doing hair in side rooms at nursing homes before the girls head out to dance on the cafeteria floors. There is competition between some girls, there are teams that get along, there are parents whose animus is only thinly veiled. And there is a lot of what I thought was lip service paid to Catholic tradition. Lots of references to Our Lady and asking what parish we go to and all that. Here in St. Louis it's expected that if you're not Catholic, you at least understand Catholic culture. And most of this I cynically accepted as a load of blarney.

But then sitting there eating my Irish stew and drinking my Irish coffee and watching my girls dance, I realized that McMurphy's Grill isn't usually open on Saturdays. They're a lunch place for downtown workers. But they're open for the St. Patrick's Day parade (the Saturday before St. Pat's). So that we can come and dance. Huh. And then in the bathroom a woman with a name tag said to me that "when they hired me they said I'd make more money today than any other day of the year and they're right, it's crazy kind of busy."

And suddenly I was glad. Glad that we dance there on St. Patrick's Day instead of some smoky bar, or even just back at the studio for parents (most of the patrons were connected to the school). It seemed like we meant it.

127/365 Weddings Suck

I hate brides.

There, I said it.

Fiona called yesterday. There's a wedding this weekend, the weekend I'm at a girl scout camping trip, and the bride doesn't want our plants.

There are a lot of plants on the altar.

"They will clash with her flowers," Fiona explains. She's doing the wedding flowers and wondered, on behalf of the mother-of-the-bride, if we could move them.

The mother-of-the-bride, Gillian, is a parishioner. Long time parishioner. I like Gillian just fine. But I'm not parish staff. I'm not an event coordinator or something. I don't get paid to arrange and rearrange flowers. I'm not there to please brides.

I sighed. Fiona backed up and tried again. Gillian could meet me Friday morning and move things with me. And then, maybe could I move them back after the wedding? Fiona could do some right before or after 4:30 mass.

I explained the girl scout weekend. Fiona was silent. I don't know--I like Fiona a lot. I don't know what she expected.

"Have you talked to Sr. Hildegard, or Fr. Miguel?" I asked.

"Well, not yet. We just, Gillian thought if maybe just you and she could handle it, it would be better."

"But if I'm not there, I mean, I think we need to bring them in on the conversation. I'll call Hildegard."

I do. Hildegard is not impressed with the bride either. She goes down the hall to tell Miguel. Jack is there--all three think it's a bad idea. Count me in.

But Gillian is a long-time parishioner. Rules are set down for a reason, but exceptions can be made.

So I'm meeting Gillian on Thursday at 8:30 to remove flowers, and Fiona is setting them back up before the 4:30 mass.

I hate brides.

231/365 Mission

We're having a parish mission in October.

I've never been to a parish mission.

I'm mission-curious.

252/365 More Mass in the Park

253/365 Cool Guy in Shades

260/365 Just Sayin'

At the mass in the park last weekend, there was a potluck that followed. All I remember was that my part of the alphabet (you know, A-G bring salad, H-M bring casserole, etc) for a change was not responsible for dessert, but for vegetable or rice or salad or something like that. I don't recall which. I totally cheated and made peanut butter celery sticks because kids go to potlucks too and who wants another scoop of three bean salad?

But I don't think I remember a part of the alphabet being assigned "chips." But man, did we have a lot of chips at this potluck. Enough that I debated taking the whole bag of cheetos there on the right and just putting them in the back of the stroller. One of my vices. But I refrained.

263/365 A few barbecue shots

264/365 Irish Dancers