I hate it when my hall monitors are absent.

So, we had CCD tonight and my Hall monitors were out. And I had:

• idiot 7th graders stuffing toilet paper into bathrooms sinks trying to flood the place
• and an idiot 6th grader on the roof.

And the public school kids wonder why they have such a bad reputation. Unbelievable.

I got to meet Penni

of martha, martha fame. Penni and Jimbo's cafe is delightful. Frought with drama as most businesses are. Penni is even more delightful and charming in person than she is on her blog, if you can believe it. DH and I were down the shore since our anniversary was this weekend (a last evening alone before the new baby comes and we are never alone again.) and I said to myself, well, Penni is near Atlantic City. Atlantic City is on the ocean. We'll be near the ocean. Let's drive down there for breakfast. And it was totally worth the drive to get there. We're going to have to get together again, Penni. I think Penni, Barb, and me and everyone else in the NY/NJ area should get together. I'd really like to meet Arthur the Angry Twin. Is he as intense in real life as he seems?

About breakfast:The DH and I had wonderful pancakes. Mine with a side of scrapple because i am from Pennsylvania and no one in North Jersey knows how to make it (OK, if you don't know what scrapple is, it's a breakfast, um.....meat which you slice very thin and fry and you don't ask what's in it or you will never eat it again. It's like sausage, only very finely ground with no casing and it has corn meal in it. It's spicy and extra nice with pancakes or eggs.). The DH had Taylor Ham because he's from North Jersey. That's pork roll to the rest of you. If you're near Atlantic City for anything, you should totally go by the Cologne Avenue Cafe. It's got really good food and the prices are quite reasonable.

Tonight I learned

that when red pepper flakes are overheated in oil in the frying pan, the fumes will cause everyone in the house to choke and the chef's nose to burn.

But the Frutti de Mare in puttanesca sauce I made tonight tasted soooo good. It was worth burning my nose for!

Red Hot Links

I have added 4 new pages to my sidebar. I check the blogs daily, and have for several months:

Martha, Martha... by Penni. I love reading Penni's page. She really makes me think. And her comment boxes are very interesting. She's got a great group of readers.

Testosterhome by Rachel Swenson Balducci. You probably know this page, but I had to add it since I check it nearly every day. Rachel has four boys. I love to read their adventures, gives me some idea of what I have to look forward to as Primo and Bubba get older...

Whispers in the Loggia, by Rocco Palmo. Another one I check daily. Rocco always has good scoop. His editorializing (and high opinion of himself) sometimes makes my blood boil, but he's never been wrong in his predictions as long as I have been reading him. And he's a Philly boy, so he can't be bad.

The Cowbell sketch from Saturday Night Live, starring Christopher Walken. I quote from this all the time and no one seems to know what I'm talking about. This is probably the funniest thing that Saturday Night Live has ever done. I just love it. The link takes you to a fan site about Christopher Walken. If you scroll down, you will find another link to the cowbell sketch. there is also "The Continental" sketch which is creepy and hilarious. I wouldn't have thought Christopher Walken could be so funny, but he is hysterical.

There's something about ashes

For various reasons, I was present for 3 of the 5 opportunities for ashes here at the parish yesterday (Ash Wednesday). First, 8:30 Mass. I was Mommy Helper in Preschool and we took the kids over at the end of Mass to receive ashes (I was told there was "no room" for the Pre-K in Church yesterday to go to Mass. Bunch of crap. The whole class, plus the teacher and me would have taken up one pew.). The Church was very full. Probably like 600 people, but the kids from the parish school were there too, comprising 425 or so of the attendees. Side note: I went home after Primo's school and Bubba looks at me and goes: "What you GOT?!"

3:30, Dispensation of Ashes. No Mass. At least 600 people.

7:00 p.m. Mass. The church was packed, 700 people. Well, it was at least packed at the beginning. See, our celebrant distributed ashes in the middle of Mass, after his homily, and at least 200 people left after recieving ashes.

This leads me to wonder, what is it that people even go to get Ashes if they are not going to Mass on Sunday? Now, anyone who reads this page will know that I am very happy when people come into Church at all. It's always an opportunity for conversion, especially when they aren't here that often. But what is it about those ashes? What is it that makes people who don't normally step a foot into a Church except on Christmas and Easter head out to church in the middle of the week "get ashes?"

I also have to wonder why people will come to Mass to "get ashes" and then leave before the really big deal (the Eucharist)? "Hmmm.....dirt on my head, or the body and blood of Christ? Dirt or Jesus....Jesus or dirt.....I'll just stay for the dirt. If I stay for the Jesus, I'll miss American Idol." I know most Catholics are very poorly catechized, but even ones who know better are leaving Mass early, before the Main Event. I also wonder what possesed the priests to decide that distributing the ashes in the middle of Mass was a good idea. Our guys usually do it after the final blessing. Trying to avoid people receiving the Blessed Sacrament unworthily?

I just wonder...