12 years of catholic school and they never told me anything about what you are supposed to do during lent. What are catholics supposed to do during lent?
From what I remember, you're supposed to give up things you enjoy (people tend to give up sweets, alcohol,etc.) as part of your 40 day reflection. And no meat on Fridays.

This has always caused conflict for my mother's Irish Catholic family, since St. Patrick's Day always falls during Lent. There was a rumor you got a pass since it's a saint's holiday, but since that's been disproven, they just stick their fingers in their ears and go, "LA LA LA I CAN'T HEEEEAAARRRR YOU* " every March 17th.


*Not literally, because I know one of you will ask.

EDIT: I guess "indulgences" would be more accurate, but tomayto-tomahto. Some of the funniest things I read were people giving up sex or masturbation for Lent.
 
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When I was a teenager I used to give up things like video games or whatever my favorite book series at the time was for Lent, but since I cannot stand fish we just kept eating meat and my mother would pay lip service to it by eating the McDonald's Fillet-o-Fish sandwich on Friday if she had McDonald's instead of her normal Big Mac.
 
This has always caused conflict for my mother's Irish Catholic family, since St. Patrick's Day always falls during Lent. There was a rumor you got a pass since it's a saint's holiday, but since that's been disproven, they just stick their fingers in their ears and go, "LA LA LA I CAN'T HEEEEAAARRRR YOU* " every March 17th.
I know a few Dioceses are willing to grant dispensation about eating meat on St. Patrick's (it's usually restricted to corned beef though). But you're supposed to do something else in exchange for doing this, generally in the form of some volunteer work or something like that during the second week of Lent as penance. Alternatively, you can give up something else... like alcohol completely, during the second week.

And yes, the Fillet-o-Fish has always been a staple of the others in my family as well. Me? I just get some sushi.
 
I know a few Dioceses are willing to grant dispensation about eating meat on St. Patrick's (it's usually restricted to corned beef though). But you're supposed to do something else in exchange for doing this, generally in the form of some volunteer work or something like that during the second week of Lent as penance. Alternatively, you can give up something else... like alcohol completely, during the second week.

And yes, the Fillet-o-Fish has always been a staple of the others in my family as well. Me? I just get some sushi.
Their conflict was the alcohol, because they'd all give it up for Lent.
 
I almost posted this in the Whine thread, but hell, I brought it upon myself:

You know the movie Can't Hardly Wait? I feel like remaking it, but I'll call it Can't Hardly Move.

This message brought to you by The Department of Nick Did Too Much Goddamn Yoga Yesterday and is Now Sore As Hell.
 
In a totally different train of thought:

Would it be too self-indulgent to write an semi-autobiographical novel about my struggles with depression? I've been thinking about doing it for years and have what I think would be an interesting take. it all takes place within my own mind, with characters from my writing or people in my past populating it. A little bit like that DS9 episode where it all takes place in O'Brien's mind.

But I don't know. I don't know if anyone would want to read about all the crazy shit in my head.
 

GasBandit

Staff member
In a totally different train of thought:

Would it be too self-indulgent to write an semi-autobiographical novel about my struggles with depression? I've been thinking about doing it for years and have what I think would be an interesting take. it all takes place within my own mind, with characters from my writing or people in my past populating it. A little bit like that DS9 episode where it all takes place in O'Brien's mind.

But I don't know. I don't know if anyone would want to read about all the crazy shit in my head.
Even if you don't end up publishing it, writing it could be a very therapeutic exercise. One of the things that helped get me through rough patches these last few years has been writing stuff on a blog literally nobody but me has access to.

But maybe you'll finish it and want to publish it after all. Or maybe midway through writing it, it'll morph into something else that you'll want to publish.

Regardless of outcome, I wouldn't consider it a waste of effort, anyway.
 
In a totally different train of thought:

Would it be too self-indulgent to write an semi-autobiographical novel about my struggles with depression? I've been thinking about doing it for years and have what I think would be an interesting take. it all takes place within my own mind, with characters from my writing or people in my past populating it. A little bit like that DS9 episode where it all takes place in O'Brien's mind.

But I don't know. I don't know if anyone would want to read about all the crazy shit in my head.
Depression affects tons of people, and the nature of its effects mean that people often feel they are alone in how they feel. Writing something about yourself is probably by definition self indulgence, but I fail to see how this is inherently bad. Anything that opens yourself to others takes courage to create, and anything that allows others to glimpse into the mind of another, and maybe realize they aren't as alone in their struggles as they think, is a good thing.
 
In a totally different train of thought:

Would it be too self-indulgent to write an semi-autobiographical novel about my struggles with depression? I've been thinking about doing it for years and have what I think would be an interesting take. it all takes place within my own mind, with characters from my writing or people in my past populating it. A little bit like that DS9 episode where it all takes place in O'Brien's mind.

But I don't know. I don't know if anyone would want to read about all the crazy shit in my head.
Do it.
 
Would it be too self-indulgent to write an semi-autobiographical novel about my struggles with depression? I've been thinking about doing it for years and have what I think would be an interesting take.
One of the things that helped get me through rough patches these last few years has been writing stuff on a blog literally nobody but me has access to.
Anything that opens yourself to others takes courage to create, and anything that allows others to glimpse into the mind of another, and maybe realize they aren't as alone in their struggles as they think, is a good thing.
Aye. Sounds like an excellent idea for a book.
It was. I wish I could remember the title, as it's one I most likely have packed away, but the story was one of a society where everyone alive had access to a recording device that allowed them to "scream down a hole," as it were. The recordings themselves were never released nor listened to until after a person's death, and the narrative was of a female college student whose assignment was listening to some of these archival recordings with the task of attempting to derive why the act of doing so (creating recordings that would never be heard during the utterer's lifetime) was so important to society as a whole.

--Patrick
 

fade

Staff member
On the Lent thing---I never knew much about this until I moved to Lafayette in 2007. I had no idea so many people observed it. I grew up in SC, where as far as I remember there weren't many Catholics. And to top it off, my parents were more or less atheists (were, not because they're dead, but because they got more religious later).
 
This evening I keep hearing my phone alarm's chime at random intervals (20s-20m), almost always after moving my head. I've checked my phone and it ain't it. It's not coming from the neighbors, or anywhere in the house--the sound is just there.

Can't shake the feeling that I'm not awake.
 
This evening I keep hearing my phone alarm's chime at random intervals (20s-20m), almost always after moving my head. I've checked my phone and it ain't it. It's not coming from the neighbors, or anywhere in the house--the sound is just there.

Can't shake the feeling that I'm not awake.

Ý͖͚̯̪̳̜͇̙̇ȍ͇̣͖͇̙ů̱̫̘̤̬̄ͮͣͨ̾ͫ̎ͅ ͉̳͕̱͈̓̆͒ͬͫh̝̮̑̔̋å̪̭̳͖͙̊͋̒͑v̹̟̜̦̽̾̇ͥͩ͗ͪͧ̆e̲̟̠̦̤̫͓ͮ͆̓͋̋ͅ ̮̩̮͇͚̔̾͆t̫̯̽͊ͭ̇ͭͩ̽ͫo͓̥̔̈̓ͯ ̙̻̖̟̻̭͎̦̇̈́̄w̜͇̻̩̮ͣ̄̓à̻̤̟̰̟̤̐̓͗̑k̙͉ͥͭ̽ͦ͆e̦̥͇͊ͭ͑ͮ ̗̪̱̠̞̱͉͓ͧͮ̈̏̍̊ͤṷ͔̮̫͑ͮͪͫ̄ͅp͚̰͚̙̙̹͗͂̎͂͌ͮ̇̐
 
Ý͖͚̯̪̳̜͇̙̇ȍ͇̣͖͇̙ů̱̫̘̤̬̄ͮͣͨ̾ͫ̎ͅ ͉̳͕̱͈̓̆͒ͬͫh̝̮̑̔̋å̪̭̳͖͙̊͋̒͑v̹̟̜̦̽̾̇ͥͩ͗ͪͧ̆e̲̟̠̦̤̫͓ͮ͆̓͋̋ͅ ̮̩̮͇͚̔̾͆t̫̯̽͊ͭ̇ͭͩ̽ͫo͓̥̔̈̓ͯ ̙̻̖̟̻̭͎̦̇̈́̄w̜͇̻̩̮ͣ̄̓à̻̤̟̰̟̤̐̓͗̑k̙͉ͥͭ̽ͦ͆e̦̥͇͊ͭ͑ͮ ̗̪̱̠̞̱͉͓ͧͮ̈̏̍̊ͤṷ͔̮̫͑ͮͪͫ̄ͅp͚̰͚̙̙̹͗͂̎͂͌ͮ̇̐
https://github.com/minimaxir/big-li...ter/naughtystrings/internal/resource.go#L1226
 

fade

Staff member
Yeah... that shotcrete. That's never going to work. Maybe it'll stablize the outer layer long enough to do something real, a thin candy shell ain't going to hold back the force of the earth.
 
In a totally different train of thought:

Would it be too self-indulgent to write an semi-autobiographical novel about my struggles with depression? I've been thinking about doing it for years and have what I think would be an interesting take. it all takes place within my own mind, with characters from my writing or people in my past populating it. A little bit like that DS9 episode where it all takes place in O'Brien's mind.

But I don't know. I don't know if anyone would want to read about all the crazy shit in my head.
The one where he went to prison for 20 years in his mind?? I'm watching it now?!
 

Dave

Staff member
So I went to a tech conference today that turned out to be nothing more than a 3.5 hour sales pitch for a product we already own and use all day. But they had food and free drinks (although I don't drink) so that was cool.

The reason I'm making this post, though, is because they were very insistent that we should join the Greater Omaha Tableau User Group.

GOTUG. They wanted us to join GOTUG. Yeah, it might be a good organization, but I can't see myself telling anyone that I was going to a GOTUG meeting. They'll think I'm a pervert.
 
GOTUG. They wanted us to join GOTUG. Yeah, it might be a good organization, but I can't see myself telling anyone that I was going to a GOTUG meeting. They'll think I'm a pervert.
So basically your scenario is that you would only be telling people that didn't know you when you're telling them you are a member of GOTUG? I'm sure that everyone that actually knows you knows you are a pervert. I mean, just look at the cat incident...



;)
 
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