Devshirme

This Toyota Prius acceleration business brings to mind one of the (many) strange things that happened in the ’80s – the whole “Audis accelerated by themselves” phenomenon.  There is a good article by Walter Olson here comparing this Toyota episode with the Audi one.

One of the first grade Sunday School classes recently did a “Name Day Train” project.  Each car of the train has a little sign listing major name days for that month.  The poster in the back includes quotes from the students about what they think of God.  Check it out as you enter the Cathedral from the side door (and yes, that is Vaia in one of the pictures checking out the train

I just went down to the cellar to retrieve a book.  As soon as I hit the stairs I could smell a skunk.  Was there a skunk in the basement?  All was quiet.  I descended the stairs with hysterical thoughts of reaching for the book and having a skunk jump on my head.  Years ago at the law firm our supply closet was ravaged and there was a hole in the ceiling.  We patched the hole and the next day found the closet a mess again.  It turned out there was a possum to blame.  So when we were patching the hole the possum was probably hiding in the closet very close to us.   This too was running through my mind.  So…I grabbed the book and came upstairs without incident.  I opened the front door, smelled the strong scent of skunk and realized that the critter had probably made his statement outside.  It just goes to show how powerful the scent of a skunk is, since it seeped into the basement, and how powerful suggestion can be.

The latest press release from His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios is here.  I have blogged on the issue of H1N1 and communion before, and the original press release from the Metropolitan came out in October.    The Metropolitan addresses the issue of an Orthodox priest using plastic spoons for communion in an addition to the original statement:

Regrettably, a priest serving in New England — surely pressured by well meaning parishioners concerned with the outbreak of the H1N1 flu pandemic — utilized plastic spoons to distribute Holy Communion.  This unacceptable violation of Church order was addressed in accordance with Ecclesiastical procedure. 

            The Metropolis expresses its regret that this lapse of judgment resulted in widespread controversy, and is appalled that some individuals questioned whether this practice was authorized.  It expresses its fervent prayer that those who arrive at rash judgments — hurling paranoid condemnations in the press and on the internet — will rather invest their time in prayer and self examination during the Great Lent.  They should reflect on the countless passages in the New Testament which urge the followers of the the Crucified Lord to avoid gossip and the sin of judging others.  Let us all etch in our hearts and souls the prayer of St. Ephraim,

O Lord and Master of my life,

Give me not the spirit of laziness,

curiosity, lust for power, and idle talk.

But give to me your servant a

spirit of prudence, humility,

patience, and love.

Yes, Lord and King grant me to see

my own faults and not to

judge my brother.

For You are blessed unto the ages of ages.  Amen.

The boiler in the church building finally gave and we were able to get a good deal on a new one.  The house committee worked diligently on this and made some improvements to the rarely-seen sub-basement of the Cathedral, which is where the boiler is, including putting in a bunch of lights so it is less dungeon-like down there.  We also had a chimney sweep come in to clear out the chimney.  Apparently this had never been done in 60-odd years because he removed 55 gallons – 55 gallons! – of soot.  The sweep, a fellow Orthodox Christian, did the work gratis, for which we are extremely grateful.  Here are some pictures of the new-look boiler room:

Yesterday afternoon I pulled into the parking lot during the middle of Greek School time and noticed a whole bunch of crossovers, SUVs and mini-vans.  Something clearly was up!  Sure enough, the Greek School PTA mothers were hard at work in the Tonna Room decorating Easter candles.  They will be on sale after church to benefit the PTA and add a lot of color to the services when they will reappear at Pascha.  Here is Olga holding a couple of freshly decorated candles and doing her best to try to duck out of the picture:)

Earlier I posted the prototype for this year’s festival artwork.  Here is the final version, with artwork by Joan Gage and design by Sarah Kyriazis and very much in the style of a classic Alex Gazonas festival poster.    If you live in Central Mass. prepare to see this image all over the place leading up to the first weekend in June…

1  jar grape leaves

1 large bunch parsley, chopped

4-5 medium onions, chopped (4 cups)

2 cups rice (Carolina)

1 cup canola oil

1/4 cup pomegranate syrup

juice of 2 lemons

2 T tomato paste

1/2 tsp black pepper, salt to taste

1-2 T dill, chopped

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/4 cup golden raisins

Add oil to deep pan.  Heat.  Add onions until softened.  Then add all remaining ingredients, with the rice coming last.  Taste test and allow to cool.  Line pot with broken or tough leaves.  Layer the rolled (stuffed) leaves onto those.  Cover with another layer of remaining leaves in a flat layer.  Cover with 1 and 1/2 cup boiling water mixed with 1/2 cup lemon juice.  Pour over leaves.  Bring to a boil then simmer 45 minutes – 1 hour.

We went away for a few days – more about that later – and I am still trying to get organized and back into the swing of things.  For now, check out this great article on the mismanagement of the city of San Francisco.  Hat tip to the Baseball Crank.

This is most definitely not a Lenten recipe but I feel I need to celebrate the new blog with a recipe, since recipes are by far my most popular posts.  I am especially ebullient right now since, after reviewing pending comments, I noticed that the new software eighty-sixed my first spam comment (you will recall that these nefarious comments plagued the old site).  So here is the recipe.  As usual it is a Prez original.  She says it is good for pasta, fish or poultry.  Add to a food processor:

2 cups baby spinach, 2T olive oil, 2T grated parmesan or romano, 1T pine nuts (optional), 3 cloves garlic, salt and pepper.

Process until a paste-like texture.  Use as a topping.