Pancake Day/Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras

[monster]

OK, so I'mm'a probably offend here, but I have to ask.... what is it with the ash this year? My dad taught at Catholic school, so I've been familiar forever with the concept of a dot of ash on the forehead from early morning mass. It's a dot, it wears off during the day. Wikipedia tells me it's a cross, but I've never seen that. But this year, I encountered several people who looked like they face-planted in a bonfire, even late in the evening. I was going to keep this to myself, but my walking partner brought it up this morning, mentioning that she had seen a couple of evening TV presenters who looked like they had elaborate forehead tattoos. Not a cross, but a huge swirling pattern. So it seems the humbling ash is becoming a f-ash-ion statement. or is this just me? and her?

[plthijinx]

Originally Posted by monster

.....So it seems the humbling ash is becoming a f-ash-ion statement. or is this just me? and her?

Don't know about up there but down here it's very serious. i am religious myself but not of the catholic nature. on ash wednesday you definitely know who is catholic and who is not. just sayin.

[monster]

Originally Posted by plthijinx

Don't know about up there but down here it's very serious. i am religious myself but not of the catholic nature. on ash wednesday you definitely know who is catholic and who is not. just sayin.

I don't doubt the seriousness of it, but I've be here 10 years and familiar with ash weds all my life..... and I've ever seen these huge splodges before -always the discrete dash

[glatt]

Originally Posted by monster

I've ever seen these huge splodges before -always the discrete dash

I don't know what the deal is, but I noticed it here too. A fair number of people walking around with huge ash crosses on their foreheads instead of the typical small smudge. Maybe a memo came down from the pope or something. That's one thing the Catholics have going for them. Serious leadership from the top. All on the same page.

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by glatt

I've been drinking a little more wine lately and I noticed that around the time of my increase in wine consumption, I've also had a bunch of itchy spots on my face. Not sure if the two are related, so I figure 40 days without wine is enough time to test the theory. I hope the itchy spots go away, but at the same time, I don't. You know what I mean? I don't drink enough that there's any sort of problem. Just a glass or maybe two a few nights a week. And I'm not giving up alcohol altogether for lent. When I get around to it, I might buy some beer. But beer is so filling and bloat inducing, I probably won't drink it as often as the yummy wine. So I'll be drinking less in general.

Anyway, I'd been thinking about it recently, and lent seems like a decent enough excuse.

Any rosacea in your family? Sounds like it could be the beginning. I hope not.

Originally Posted by monster

OK, so I'mm'a probably offend here, but I have to ask.... what is it with the ash this year? My dad taught at Catholic school, so I've been familiar forever with the concept of a dot of ash on the forehead from early morning mass. It's a dot, it wears off during the day. Wikipedia tells me it's a cross, but I've never seen that. But this year, I encountered several people who looked like they face-planted in a bonfire, even late in the evening. I was going to keep this to myself, but my walking partner brought it up this morning, mentioning that she had seen a couple of evening TV presenters who looked like they had elaborate forehead tattoos. Not a cross, but a huge swirling pattern. So it seems the humbling ash is becoming a f-ash-ion statement. or is this just me? and her?

Saw it too the other day and was all WTF?

Originally Posted by glatt

I don't know what the deal is, but I noticed it here too. A fair number of people walking around with huge ash crosses on their foreheads instead of the typical small smudge. Maybe a memo came down from the pope or something. That's one thing the Catholics have going for them. Serious leadership from the top. All on the same page.

I think Glatt is right. Catholics need to rally under their cross especially in light of all the bad press lately. They need to let their figurative freak flags fly and let the world know that a few hundred bad apples don't spoil the whole church. To paraphrase "a liberal is just a conservative who hasn't gotten mugged yet" A devout Catholic is just a lapsed Catholic who hasn't been molested by a priest yet.

saw this:

I woke up to an empty room

No more angels watching over me.
No more demons to be held at bay
by the invocation of
an Anglicized version
of a Hellenized version
of a Hebrew name

I woke up to an empty room:

Just a room. Four walls, ceiling, floor.
Just a room. Nothing more.

I woke up to an empty room
and embraced the solid air.

I woke up to an empty room and knew myself

awake.

Copyright © 1999 Secular Pagan
Used by permission

[Spexxvet]

Only the ones who have been molested have the big smudges on their heads.

[Pete Zicato]

Originally Posted by monster

I don't doubt the seriousness of it, but I've be here 10 years and familiar with ash weds all my life..... and I've ever seen these huge splodges before -always the discrete dash

Yeah we got big ol' black crosses here, too. Might have something to do with the changes in the liturgy coming up. Or might have to do with last year's crop of palms.