Nate Knows Nada

It’s one of those days where I don’t feel like doing the tasks right
before me, but I think I can get them done.  I have my independent
study student coming in a bit under two hours, and I need to read her
assigned book so that we can talk about it over lunch.  The West Wing paper is coming along VERY slowly.

I had a fantastic coffee with my friend Brad last night, after having attended a Latin Sarum-rite mass in Emmanuel Church’s Historical Liturgies
series.  I’ve never been to a full Latin Mass before, and, per the
bishop’s authorization, this was not a recreation but an actual
Eucharist, and so we had some of the feeling that a fifteenth century
English person might have upon going to Mass.  Which will make
next month’s introduction of the English Reformation liturgy all the
more dramatic.  Then Brad and I had a good two hours discussing
religion, friends who are dating, our childhoods, work, and whatever
else might come up.

I feel a need to mention that a professor in my old department at UC
Berkeley has recently been diagnosed with inoperable brain
cancer.  Lots of people here and there have been praying for
her.  She’s jewish, but I know of Jewish, Christian, and Buddhist
prayers that have been said for her.  BF’s priest-boss even
offered Mass for her, her family, and my friends who work with her last
week.  One of the first things I thought of when I heard the news
was the line from the New Testament, “The prayer of a righteous person
is powerful and effective.”  I don’t know any righteous people,
but as a good social scientist, I figure that if we get enough people
praying, we’re bound by random selection to hit at least one righteous
person….  *wry, somewhat sad grin*

BF and I leave for a weekend in New York tonight, to stay with my friend Kjrste, the opera singer, and her husband, Rob.

Right.  Back to work.