Veneration

 Quite the interesting stretch here... last night I decided to venerate the relic of St. Jude -- on tour with its only stop in Cleveland -- so after work I hauled dupa to St. Sebastian's in Akron for Mass.  I just made it -- the trek from Avon is far, and the crowd was quite immense, so I had to park and hoof it.  And it was... nice.  Mass was a bit long -- not sure we needed a 30-minute homily with 9,000 people there -- but informative homily.  The relic itself was interesting; basically someone carved a wooden hand and there it is inside, but it was certainly awe-inspiring in front of it.... in so far as one can venerate properly after 10 seconds.  But it was the thought and prayer that counted, and there is something to be said for that... especially now, considering what people did to venerate a relic back then.  A long drive to Akron is hardly the sacrifice.  

Since I was in Akron, I decided to hit a local restaurant on the food list, and thus went south to Luigi's (never been).  It's off of downtown Akron (I took Market in, and it's interesting. you start in a nice place, go through a grittier area, and end downtown), and while there was some parking, it was quite tight, so I ended up parking underneath a bridge.  On the one hand it was lighted and there were people around, and on the other... well, I saw a drug deal going down, and there were all sorts of interesting people about, if you get my drift.  The place itself has an interesting vibe (to be sure, I arrived just before 10 PM); a mix of old-school Italian, college students and younger types, and people looking for a late nite dinner.  It was good; not great, not sure worth $30 with tax and tip, but quite decent and the service was prompt (to say I was slightly ravenous would be an understatement).

Today I had the plumbers over and they snaked the back sewer line (which was jammed, just due to use and time; I joked there would be no more double-ply TP here).  While it set me back $600, it was fixed, it had to be done, and considering that it happens about every five years...well, I waste more money on many other things.  

I had planned on hitting the bed early, but Brandy called -- not sure what I was expecting, but it was NOT helping with her homework, and a current events class, no less.  I have thankfully refined my history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict so that went over well, but a couple of map exercises regarding Russia-Ukraine and China-Taiwan/Philippines... well, it was certainly an interesting and entertaining soiree.

The Decadeslong Travesty That Made Millions of Americans Mistrust Their Kids’ Schools (msn.com)
I always get a kick out of these articles, especially when people bitch about vouchers and homeschoolers; I mean, I get it, but teachers have put themselves in this position....

The Strange Return of George W. Bush - POLITICO
I don't know; after Trump, or even during Trump, all the people who hated the guy suddenly began to say he wasn't that bad, for one.  Two, he was President a long time ago -- not really, but certainly so in many ways.  Three...well, as the article noted, the same shit he dealt with we are doing so now, and as such, maybe people realize there is a bit more nuance there than they first thought.