Ascension Perfection

Today I have off of work because yesterday Light Bright's computer stopped working, and so she convinced me to stay home (which took a LOT of convincing, you know?) so she could use mine.  So I got a haircut, met Toque McToque for lunch (Indonesian tofu curry from a food cart), and now am blogging.  Why couldn't every day be like this?  My biggest problems today are that my birthday pedicure is still a little bit visible, so that the top half of the nails of my big toe are sparkly teal, and that on the Throwback Lunch they played "Don't Believe the Hype" by Public Enemy immediately followed by "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice.  Quiz: which of these songs is totally old skool and which is totally old suckiness?  Just because something is old does not make it worthy of Old Skool status.

Yesterday I had a very good day too.  Among my many strings of prayer beads, I have a string of ten sacrifice beads like St. Therese used.  (They were giving them out at the rosary march on May Day, but somehow I never got one, so Richard Bonomo gave me his since he wasn't planning to use it.)  The idea is to slide a bead over for each act of love or sacrifice you make, and I had yet to slide all ten beads over.  But yesterday I did it!  Here is a quick rundown:

1. morning prayer
2. Sacred Heart chaplet
3. rosary
4. Mass
5. gave up one of my rosaries to Rockstar Tailor
6. evening prayer
7. three Hail Marys before bed
8. nightly prayer
9. Byzantine chaplet
10. Salisbury chaplet

OK, so I know a lot of that is part of my daily prayer routine, but as far as I know, that still counts.  I went to Mass for the Solemnity of the Ascension, but of course they must have moved it to Sunday because the readings were just for the daily Mass, and they never even mentioned the Ascension.

Perhaps #5 surprises you; it was certainly a pleasant surprise for me.  Rockstar Tailor has suddenly developed an urge to learn to pray the rosary, and while Hardingfele did go to Catholic high school, she figured I would be a better teacher than someone born a Russian Jew who is now a lapsed Unitarian.  I collected my pale pink rosary with pearly heart-shaped beads, in a matching pink pouch that says:  "My Rosary," and the brochure entitled "The Rosary for Children" that came with my Lego rosary.  As it happened, Rockstar Tailor was wearing a T-shirt and shoes in the same shade of pale pink as the rosary so she was very well-coordinated.  Hardingfele helped me clip the bunnies' nails, and Charlie was his usual mellow self while Cashmere was a little bitchkin.  She was literally punching Hardingfele with her paws.  OK, Cashmere, we get it - you don't like having your nails cut.

Then we all went to Jerkins, where Hardingfele and I had summery salads and Rockstar Tailor had her usual free kiddie meal.  I was showing her how to use the rosary when we realized the crucifix and starting beads were missing, so we looked all over the restaurant and the whole way we had walked, but it was just sitting on my futon the whole time.  I suppose one cannot expect top quality in a free rosary that came in junk mail.  Knowing children don't like to be talked down to, I told Rockstar Tailor the brochure was a bit below her level but still very informative, with all the prayers and a brief description of each mystery.  To my extreme annoyance, Hardingfele looked at the brochure and said no, it was exactly her level.  Why, Hardingfele, why?  Honey always works better than vinegar!  Anyway, it wasn't a lie, since it was easy enough for an average child of seven to read, and Rockstar Tailor is a very sharp ten-year-old.  Nothing wrong with a little flattery when you are trying to get someone else to do something, right?  Like, say, learn to pray the rosary.

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