[Lent: day 4/40]

So, last night I was thinking perhaps I should post a more God-centered Lent poem, and "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee" had been in my head a lot, plus music had been kind of a theme that day.  I couldn't recall the name of the hymn, though, so I wikipedia'd "Ode to Joy".

It told me: "The following is the text of Schiller's poem, as modified in Beethoven's setting. Note that it is an excerpt from Schiller's original text, and that Beethoven has changed the order of some of the strophes. The original verses of Schiller are in parentheses and italics."

In German     Freude, schöner Götterfunken     Tochter aus Elysium,     Wir betreten feuertrunken,     Himmlische, dein Heiligtum!     Deine Zauber binden wieder     Was die Mode streng geteilt. (Original: Was der Mode Schwert geteilt)     Alle Menschen werden Brüder (Original: Bettler werden Fürstenbrüder)     Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.     Wem der große Wurf gelungen,     Eines Freundes Freund zu sein;     Wer ein holdes Weib errungen,     Mische seinen Jubel ein!     Ja, wer auch nur eine Seele     Sein nennt auf dem Erdenrund!     Und wer's nie gekonnt, der stehle     Weinend sich aus diesem Bund!     Freude trinken alle Wesen     An den Brüsten der Natur;     Alle Guten, alle Bösen     Folgen ihrer Rosenspur.     Küsse gab sie uns und Reben,     Einen Freund, geprüft im Tod;     Wollust ward dem Wurm gegeben,     Und der Cherub steht vor Gott.     Froh, wie seine Sonnen fliegen     Durch des Himmels prächt'gen Plan,     Laufet, Brüder, eure Bahn,     Freudig, wie ein Held zum Siegen.     Seid umschlungen, Millionen!     Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt!     Brüder, über'm Sternenzelt     Muß ein lieber Vater wohnen.     Ihr stürzt nieder, Millionen?     Ahnest du den Schöpfer, Welt?     Such' ihn über'm Sternenzelt!     Über Sternen muß er wohnen.

In English     Joy, beautiful spark of God,     Daughter of Elysium,     We enter, fire-drunk,     Heavenly one, your shrine.     Your magic reunites     What custom strictly parts. (Original: What custom's sword has parted)     All people become brothers (Original: Beggars become princes' brothers)     Where your gentle wing alights.     Whoever has succeeded in the great attempt     To be a friend to a friend;     Whoever has won a lovely woman     Mix in your joy!     Yes, who calls even one soul     His own on the earth's sphere!     And let whoever has never achieved this     Steal away crying from this group!     All beings drink joy     At the breasts of nature;     All the good, all the bad     Follow her trail of roses.     She gave us kisses and vines,     A friend, proven in death;     Great pleasure was given to the worm,     And the cherub stands before God.     Glad, like his suns fly     Through heaven's splendid plan,     Run, brothers, your race,     Joyful, like a hero to the victory.     Be embraced, millions!     This kiss to all the world!     Brothers, over the starry firmament     Must live a loving father.     Do you bow down, millions?     Do you sense the Creator, world?     Seek him beyond the starry firmament!     He must dwell beyond the stars.

Wikipedia also provided "A different version of the English translation (altered so as to make the words rhyme as much as possible)" and I pulled up cyberhymnal.org for "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee" words.

English Version, Take Two Praise to Joy, the God-descended Daughter of Elysium! Ray of mirth and rapture blended, Goddess, to thy shrine we come. By thy magic is united What stern Custom parted wide, All mankind are brothers plighted Where thy gentle wings abide. Ye to whom the boon is measured, Friend to be of faithful friend, Who a wife has won and treasured, To our strain your voices lend! Yea, if any hold in keeping Only one heart all his own, Let him join us, or else weeping, Steal from out our midst, unknown. Draughts of joy, from cup o'erflowing, Bounteous Nature freely gives Grace to just and unjust showing, Blessing everything that lives. Wine she gave to us and kisses, Loyal friend on life's steep road, E'en the worm can feel life's blisses, And the Seraph dwells with God. Glad as the sun His will sent plying Through the vast abyss of space. Brothers run your joyous race, Hero-like to conquest flying O ye millions, I embrace ye! With a kiss for all the world! Brothers, o'er yon starry sphere Surely dwells a loving Father. O ye millions, kneel before Him, World, dost feel thy Maker near? Seek Him o'er yon starry sphere, O'er the stars enthroned, adore Him!

Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love; Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away; Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day! All Thy works with joy surround Thee, earth and heaven reflect Thy rays, Stars and angels sing around Thee, center of unbroken praise. Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea, Singing bird and flowing fountain call us to rejoice in Thee. Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blessed, Wellspring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest! Thou our Father, Christ our Brother, all who live in love are Thine; Teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine. Mortals, join the happy chorus, which the morning stars began; Father love is reigning o’er us, brother love binds man to man. Ever singing, march we onward, victors in the midst of strife, Joyful music leads us Sunward in the triumph song of life.

Lenten Evening Prayer at Emmanuel Lutheran Church: Blessed are They

There were fewer white taper candles than usual, and the tea light candles or whatever they are in colored glass were in purple glass.  There had been a vase full of colorful fake flowers beneath the cross for quite some time (the whole of Epiphany possibly?) and that was gone.  The cross itself was draped with a semi-transparent purple cloth.


Per usual, I wasn't all that taken with the chants, but I did enjoy comparing the English to the Latin.

     Chant: "Our Eyes are Turned to the Lord"
Our eyes are turned to the Lord Christ.
Our eyes are turned to the Lord God, our Savior.
     Latin:
Oculi nostri ad Dominum Jesum,
oculi nostri ad Dominum nostrum.

     Chant:
We adore you, Jesus Christ, and we bless your holy name;
truly your cross and passion bring us life and healing.
     Latin:
Adoramus te, Christe, benedicimus tibi,
quia per crucem tuam redemisti mundum,


As previously mentioned, Evening service through Lent is themed "The Beatitudes of Promise."

"Tonight's reading is from Matthew 5:1-12."  Since this is the whole of the Beatitudes, I imagine it will be the reading every Thursday through Lent.

¹Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ²and he began to teach them saying:
³"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
      for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴Blessed are those who mourn,
      for they will be comforted.
⁵Blessed are the meek,
      for they will inherit the earth.
⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
      for they will be filled.
⁷Blessed are the merciful,
      for they will be shown mercy.
⁸Blessed are the pure in heart,
      for they will see God.
⁹Blessed are the peacemakers,
      for they will be called sons of God.
¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
      for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Lenten Reflection: "Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit" by Robert Wells

I Googled, but the speech on the Beatitudes that I found wasn't really what was read.  Anyway, it talked about surrender to God and how we can't do anything on our own and suchlike -- stuff that is wholly appropriate to Lent, and to Christianity more generally, but tha doesn't really ping me because, as I was telling Ari recently, Christianity is very much in tension with my intense self-sufficiency.


The prayer was a new variation -- Lord, we poor sinners ask you to hear us. / Hear us from heaven and grant your blessing. -- still spoken, and I still prefer the chanted one.  ( full prayer )

---

There was a sign up in the foyer about Grace Episcopal's Lenten series -- Narnia, Tuesday nights 6-8pm with a "light dinner" served.  And something about showing a short animated film for those who don't know the story.  I'm hoping the film is at the beginning because I can't get there until ~6:30 anyhow and would really like to miss animated!Narnia.  Looking at their calendar it looks like they're just doing The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, which I supposed makes sense as they're probably only going to have ~1hr of discussion time each night and that's pushing it.  So we'll see if I last through all 5 Tuesdays.

CSI 6.16 "Up in Smoke"

( Read more... )

Without a Trace 4.16 "The Little Things"

( Read more... )

Circle (2002)

IMDb
transcript

My mom was sulky ‘cause the library closes at 5 on Fridays so she couldn't veg out to The Green Mile.  I had Eddie Izzard's Circle, though.

She sent me out to get SmartFood Popcorn and Doritos.  Normally I toss a wallet etc. into a bag when I go out, but this time I was just going down the street and my mom had given me $5 so I thought, Why bother?  Well, when I got rung up, the total was $6.48.

So on top of my usual 4 sets of 10-15 minute walk plus 4 flights of stairs twice, I did a 10-15 minute walk 4 more times on Friday.

Anyway.

Short version: Not as good as Dress to Kill, but better than Glorious and Definite Article.
I noticed the lack of transitions less, and his losing his place was less bothersome, and it just seemed funnier.

( Longer version. )

life update: Wednesday-Saturday

Wednesday

I dreamed that I talked with Joe about Mardi Gras and Lent.  And that pardalis05 called.  Gee, do we think I miss people?

Then on the Red Line that morning a girl asked me if I'd gone to Smith.  I didn't recognize her, but we probably had class or something together at one point. She was a Skarda advisee but not a groupie. Now working in the Kendall area.

Florian gave Amanda and I Lindor chocolates.  And the orange wrapped one turned out to be peanut butter.  Yum!

On the Red Line home I saw a woman with an HBS Exec Ed bag and a dark ash smudge on her forehead.  She was the only ashed person I saw all day.

Going back and tagging entries, December 2002 I was watching Ice Wars.  Who knew?  I remember seeing ads for ice skating events in TVGuide when I was in high school or whatever and not watching them 'cause I didn't have time, so I just assumed I'd stopped watching all together.

My mom was watching these performance feedback videos for work and zomg, make my brain bleed.
The employee gets difficult-to-read information from sales reps and so she guesses as to the numbers for the purchase orders because she doesn't wanna bother the sales reps (plus it slows down her process since she often gets their voicemail).  And when she gets their voicemail she just leaves her name and number.  That was the killer for me.  Who doesn't know to leave a detailed message with the reason for your call?  [I know it's a scripted scenario, but you only include things you think might actually happen.]  Even when I called friends when I was in high school or whatever I would say why I was calling (just to say hi, question about homework, whatever).

Midday ABCNews: 1 in 5 could name all 5 members of the Simpsons.  Only 1 in 1000 could name all 5 freedoms enumerated in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
My reaction: Come on, who remembers freedom to petition?  Press and peaceable assembly maybe.  But basically everyone knows speech and religion, and everything else kinda comes under that umbrella anyway.
Later my dad told me about Dale Carpenter further problematizing it.

Assorted Millionaire questions for you:

Before Alaska and Hawaii in 1959, the last state to join the Union was:
+ Montana
+ Arizona
+ New Mexico
+ Utah
( Answer )

First baseball game broadcast on tv was:
+ Syracuse-Ithaca
+ Ohio-Penn State
+ Harvard-Yale
+ Princeton-Columbia
( Answer )

I enjoyed that Mary Alice and I both had the same random guess before they listed the answers -- Red Sox-Yankees :)

Oprah premiered in 1986 (!) with the following topic:
+ celebrating teachers
+ finding the right person to marry
+ loving your body
+ moms who do it all
( Answer )

Thursday

Amanda called a theatre in Arlington and its automated menu had showtimes "through Feb. 30" (theatres do Thursday-Thursday schedules).

Searching for contact info [name, title, address, phone, e-mail] for profs was way more difficult than it should have been. Boo on unhelpful university faculty pages.

Prof.D: "Do I really have to reformat my whole CV?"
Prof.B: "No.  You get your assistant to do it."
Me, who supports both of them: [something like, "Gee, thanks."]
Prof.B: "Yeah, I knew you'd love that."

carpdeus and I on the Monty Python's Flying Circus "Spam" sketch.

Friday

Reformatting Prof.D's CV I decided I needed background music to sustain me, so I did Yahoo!LaunchCast.  Apparently the majority of my musical taste is "Adult Alternative," which I suppose isn't all that surprising.

'Twas amusing seeing why it played certain songs.

+ "Flake" by Jack Johnson [Reason: Recommended by fans of Coldplay]
+ "Insensitive" by Jann Arden [Reason played: Recommended by fans of Matchbox Twenty // Genres: Soft Pop, Adult Alternative ]
+ "Ordinary Day" by Vanessa Carlton [Reason played: Recommended by fans of Evanescence ]

I've heard "Say My Name" by Destiny's Child a lot before, but listening to the words this time I couldn't help thinking of "Don't Ever Call Your Sweetheart By His Name" by Christine Lavin.


I had a Huntington mailing waiting for me when I got home. 
+ Breaking Ground Festival of New Play Readings: April 6-9 [That's a Thurs-Sun.] at the Calderwood

The flyer had blurbs about 4 of them.
+ Kind Hearts and Coronets, which movie I swear Emma has mentioned to me a million times. (This version is a musical; book by Robert L. Friedman, music by Steven Lutvak, lyrics by Robert L. Friedman and Stevenm Lutvak)
+ Persephone (Noah Haidle) "Guiseppe is trying to carve an image of the Greek goddess Demeter from an unyielding block of marble --- she's the love of his life. But relationships are always hard, especially when stretched over centuries."
+ Property -- based on the Valerie Martin author also of Mary Reilly, for you Skarda Telling & Retelling folk novel I read in UMass Brave New Worlds class.  I'm undecided as to whether I actually wanna see this play.
+ Voyeurs de Venus (Huntington Playwrighting Fellow, Lydia Diamond) -- "Sara, a black scholar specializing in pop culture, is writing a book (or, trying to) about Saartjie Bartmaan, known derogatorily as the Hottentot Venus. Sara's own issues of racial identity emerge as she struggles to recount Saartjie's life for a largely white audience. All the while, Sara navigates a minefield of personal intimacies between her husband and lover. Past and present merge as their stories collide in this piercing drama."

Saturday

Went grocery shopping with my mom and picking up a box of Always cleanweave my mom initially thought it said cleavage *g*

On a whim we purchased this.

Stacie Clayton performs at Singspiration a lot, and tonight they sponsored a concert by the Community Gospel Choir (which she directs).  There were five little girls -- three in black with dashiki print sashes and two in gypsy/pirate type white blouses.  The adult performers were all in black, women in dashiki print stoles and men in orange ties.

(It felt a little bit odd to schedule a "We Shall Come Rejoicing" concert for the first Saturday in Lent. My mom wondered if perhaps they could take the giant, brightly colored, "King of Kings" and "Lord of Lords" banners down from the front of the church for Lent. Did we mention I come from a church that really isn't very liturgical calendar oriented? :) )

They opened with a reading of Revelation 7:9-17 and JoeF read it I don't know where from but not the front of the sanctuary though they had the sound wired so that's where it came out. Very nice.

I actually wasn't all that taken with most of the concert. The spiritual "Hold on," with its line "Keep your hand on the plow" was very powerful, though. And I really liked "Le Lo le lo lay lo" (William Loperana, Puerto Rico) -- text from the Sanctus (Heaven and earth are full of your glory ... Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord ... etc.) Also ♥ the male soloist on that one. He reminded me of Chris Dalton.

Saw JoeF briefly afterward. He asked me "what world [I was] going to conquer next." I literally threw my head back and laughed (okay, that was partly because my mouth was full). He knows I'm a writer (he is, too) but it's not like I wrote much of substance for the Times, and my writing for the Bulletin was Letter(s) to the Editor articulating views I'm fairly certain he disagrees with. And yet he thinks very highly of me. About the world conquering he said something like "I have no doubt that you will." So hey, I'll take it.