Day: Monday 5 June 2006

  • Happy Fortieth, Father Milt!


     

    Yesterday I worked with Ivan and Wayne on getting the Hogwarts Live Action 3:  The Centaur of Hogsmeade event descriptions up on the Phoenix Con Games web site. 

     

    In the afternoon, my mother, grandparents, and I went to my church for the 40th anniversary mass for Fr. Milt.  My mother was a EM who volunteered at St. Joseph's Hospital (where he works) when she first met him.  He also presides over some of the weekend masses for my grandparent's parish.  When I moved 12 years ago I discovered that he also presides over some of the weekend masses for my current parish.  Fr. Milt was ordained at the Pentecost mass in 1966, so our parish celebrated by having a special mass and a reception afterward.  Because my grandparents' parish won't be having something for Fr. Milt for a few more weeks, they wanted to show their support by coming to his anniversary mass at our parish. 

     

    As I've mentioned before here, Fr. Milt is one of the finest homilists I've had the pleasure to hear.  Yesterday was no exception.  He related how the Church of today (naming examples from within our parish) and the Church of the Gospel reading (those touched by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost) are the same, and how the Church motivates him in his vocation.  I can't really replicate it, but suffice it to say that both he and the majority of parishoners couldn't help but get teary in his heartfelt thanks to the Holy Spirit and His people. 

     

    There's a reason there was an uproar in the parish when they (Fr. Greg) talked of not needing Fr. Milt anymore a few years back.  He makes the listener both think and feel about the subject of his homily, which always ties into the readings of the mass. He engages the community as he reads the Gospel in a way few can read.  Outside the mass he makes relationships with parishoners.  Often times my grandparents say that Fr. Milt will stop by their parish before mass to greet people even if he isn't scheduled for that mass.  I know he will help folks in private matters after mass once the majority of people have gone, through email, or elsewise with prior arrangements.  He is a blessed man, and he blesses the people whose lives he touches.  Thank God for Fr. Milt.

     

    After mass there was a nice reception with two-layer chocolate cake with cherry filling and your choice of punches (sugar free, sweet, and tart) all provided by the Womens' Guild.  A huge card for the parishoners to sign and a collage of photographs from his early priesthood were on display.  And Fr Milt was kind enough to slowly mingle with everyone who had showed up to celebrate with him. 

     







    Your Theme Song is Beautiful Day by U2

    "Sky falls, you feel like
    It's a beautiful day
    Don't let it get away"

    You see the beauty in life, especially in ordinary everyday moments.
    And if you're feeling down, even that seems a little beautiful too.









    "Dependability: The more we can rely on each other, the higher we can set our sights." ~ Motivations: Inspired Visions Planner for 2005

  • Last Week in Review


     

    Busy, busy week.  Devon, Jason, Wayne, and I saw X3 on Tuesday.  You could tell that it was by a new creative--both the good and the bad that comes with that--just like in the comics!  So, yeah, it's worth seeing. 

     

    We tried watching Supernatural again on Wednesday, but as we reached the climax the file corrupted.  So now we'll never know how the brothers survived the "Hell House."  Well, at least not until it reaches reruns. 

     

    Friday night was Who night.  The episode "Bad Wolf" was awesome!  I also had the opportunity to play Run for Your Life, Candyman--a violent parody of Candyland.

     

    Saturday Monte once again ran his Star Trek:  Secret War campaign.  As we approached 2006 Earth under cloak we noticed a colony on the far side of the moon which according to historical records shouldn't have existed.  Capt. Maddox requested that Lt. Cmdr. Priam (my character) create an away team to investigate it.  It was then that we began receiving a signal broadcast at the ship. When we received it on the view screen, it was a recorded entertainment titled, "Fear Factor".  When the comm officer went to turn off the broadcast he couldn't.  The signal increased until it backlashed through the consol and nearly killed him.  Luckily, Lt. Cmdr. Fiona (Kitty's character) was on the bridge and was able to pull him back from the brink of death.  Capt. Maddox then put the ship on yellow alert, had all active sensors turned off, and moved to put the moon between us and the planet. 

     

    Not wanting to tip our hand with the use of the teleporters, Grace Bannon suggested we use her Romulan shuttle which also contained a cloaking device.  Because I wanted a backup away team, I asked Grace and her family to come along and stay in the ship in case we needed assistance or rescue.  Capt. Maddox approved of the plan but suggested taking additional security personnel.  So we went to the lunar surface with an additional 30 security personnel in tow.

     

    After putting on our prototype spacesuits Lt. Cmdr. Fiona complained that we stuck out.  So, Lt. Cmdr. Priam demonstrated the use of the Sprint chameleon devices.  After a bit of experimentation, the group decided on looking like 2006 spacesuits was best.   The airlock could only fit three suited folks at a time, so Lt. Cmdrs. Fiona, Keok (Rusty's character), and Priam went in first, followed afterwards by Lt. Cmdr.Johnson and two others.  An empty corridor led to a vast six-story room with catwalks around the atrium and generators visible below the glass floor.  Throughout the room on each floor were doors the size of a personal replicator behind which was an individual in suspended animation.  Between Lt. Cmdr. Keok's engineering skills, Lt. Cmdr. Fiona's medical skills, and Lt. Cmdr. Priam's Betazed empathic skills, the team as able to determine that the folks were genetic augments "on ice" following the Eugenics Wars.  They were tapped into a virtual combat game, in which if your character was killed the system would cut off your life support.  Deciding not to alter history by saving any of the people so entrapped, we left.

     

    Upon leaving, the base showed automated defense systems which prevented escape.  Luckily, our advanced technology easily skirted them.  Unfortunately, our escape triggered a change in the virtual game program the augments were experiencing.  Lt. Cmdr. Keok masked our presence to the base's systems, but could not return the game to its previous level.  As the six of us returned from the airlock to the shuttle we were rocked by an explosion.  Looking above, we saw debris from the explosion scatter, including a warp nacel which hit something causing a secondary explosion.  The Grace Bannon had uncloaked the ship and used its shields to survive, while Keok used a 20' radius personal shield he had developed to protect the away team.  Upon return to the shuttle we discovered that our starship was destroyed by a couple of cobalt atom bombs just floating out there.  Appearing as space debris to the passive sensors, the ship and its crew never had a chance. 

     

    We set down on the roof of the lunar base, recloaked, and set about repairing the shuttle and its crew.  How will we complete the mission?  How will we return to our own timeline?  Have we already altered the timeline irrevocably?  The only answer Dr. Sprint was able to determine was that the cobalt bombs were no doubt triggered into use when we unwittingly altered the virtual game program.

     

    I've got to go.  I'll pick up with today hopefully sometime tomorrow. 

     

    Maybe there's hope for me yet:







    Your Ideal Relationship is Marriage

    You've dated enough to know what you want.
    And that's marriage - with the right person.
    You're serious about settling down some time soon.
    Even if you haven't met the person you want to get hitched to!









    "Optimism: Seeking the positive in every situation awakens golden opportunities." ~ Motivations: Inspired Visions Planner for 2005