Elena 
Join Jen and the other Quicktakers over at the Conversion Diary
1. So how about that debate eh?!! I watched all 90 minutes of it with my 14-year-old son Noah, and throughout the process I tried to remain as open minded as an opinionated person such as myself could be. I was pretty sure that no matter what, the pundits on the left would say Obama won, and the pundits on the right would give the win to Romney. But as the program went on, I was feeling more and more confident that Romney took the day! He answered questions directly, he didn’t let Obama mischaracterize his position, and he kept a pleasant demeanor. Win, win and win.
2. Of course the entire matter was discussed thoroughly on Facebook. One of my younger FB friends was concerned that his young niece and nephew will not get a chance to see Big Bird and Barney. Not that I have anything against either Big Bird or Barnie, but my generation grew up with Captain Kangaroo and Shari Lewis’s Lamp Chop, neither of which are around today – and life went on!! So it will if Big Bird and Barney become extinct – although I doubt that will happen considering their popularity and merchandising and advertising appeal.
3. Another young friend expressed how she was “embarrassed with how some Catholics are behaving regarding this presidential race. It seems to me that Jesus was an open minded man who loved all… even those deemed unlovable… take a lesson and please do not leave nasty comments on this post.”
I don’t know what she was seeing. I hadn’t seen any Catholics “behaving” badly regarding the race. I do have a lot of Catholic friends in my news feed who are reacting strongly to this presidential race – which is quite another thing, although sometimes it doesn’t get interpreted that way. I left the following response:
Reminds me of this quote:”I believe it to be a great mistake to present Christianity as something charming and popular with no offense in it….We cannot blink at the fact that gentle Jesus meek and mild was so stiff in his opinions and so inflammatory in his language
that he was thrown out of church, stoned, hunted from place to place, and finally gibbeted as a firebrand and a public danger. Whatever his peace was, it was not the peace of an amiable indifference.”–Dorothy Sayers
4. A few things are ending soon. Soccer reffing season is almost done for Gabe. I did pretty well for him- managing to get him almost $500 worth of games to ref. I really need him to find a regular job after this ends.
5. Wedding season is done now too!! Woo Hoo!!! I did my last wedding yesterday and if no one schedules one for over the Christmas season, I should be able to go almost 5 months or more before the next one. Not that I don’t enjoy these weddings, because on some level, I still do. But they do require sometime beforehand dealing with the bride and sometimes extended family, then at least an hour the night of the rehearsal and a good two hours or so on the actual wedding day, navigating the wants and needs of the wedding people along with the requirements of the parish. I actually am getting paid by the bride and groom, but I am also performing a function for the church – it reminds me a lot of my time in middle management – all the responsibility and none of the actual power! I think I’m just at a time in my life where I am missing the time with my family and wondering if the problems and adjustments my absence causes are worth it… something I am still pondering.
6. Cross country is almost done too. It has been very strange to only have one child in cross country. And Izzy hasn’t exactly been thrilled with doing it. It’s been sort of a time marking position for her between Noah, who loves to run, and Rosie, who is anxious to try.
7. Last year I bought a mum from my grocery store and planted it outside. It is now huge! and full of buds and just waiting to bust in to bloom! But it sure is taking its time!
