Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Lent

I was going to post a picture of lint rather than Lent, but the random photos of people's disgusting belly buttons grossed me out to the extent that now I need the calm blankness of nothing. Still, tomorrow begins Lent, which is the reason for Mardi Gras in the first place. You indulge to sacrifice. You feast to go without. That is what I was taught about Mardi Gras. Somewhere along the way it became Spring Break in New Orleans, a time and a place where vomit is welcome everywhere and if you don't get your identity stolen or date-raped than you just aren't putting your back into it.

I long to be a person in the know, who attends Mardi Gras in the company of the local and the privileged. Bead thrower, rather than groveler.

Let's talk about Lent though. Is it supposed to be capitalized? I'm not sure about that and while the Internet rests literally beneath my fingertips I prefer to learn some things from you all, my dear readers.

I am not a Catholic, or do you drop the article and just say, "Im not Catholic?" Once again with the question of capitalization. catholic? I doubt it. The seasons are not capitalized, and they seem so much more powerful than religion. It seems weird. Spring I understand, even if it is not correct.

Will you give anything up? Me? I'm thinking I will give up everything. All will and determination, all excesses and crutches, all beliefs and principles. For lent I will float and shuffle like a corn husk- cast from a tamale and discarded under a Mexican sun. mexican? For 40 days I will have no opinion, no favorite song, no particular bedtime. I might drink coffee. I might drink tea. There's no way to tell.

For Lent, we are going to let the Great Magnet decide all things. great magnet?

-Juancho

14 comments:

libbyllama said...

That sounds very liberating and I'm pretty sure that is *not* the intention of Lent. lent.

Juancho said...

WHO ARE YOU WHO DARE SPEAK AGAINST THE GREAT MAGNET?

Ms. Moon said...

This one made me very happy.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Juancho said...

Sorry mags. That kind of talk attracts the wrong kind of Google traffic.

Anonymous said...

damn, I wonder what I wrote? Give me a hint.

Juancho said...

Why were you loaded?

nicol said...

Hahaha! Well at least you get traffic over here, Juancho, even if it's brought on by Mags' comments. :) And, no fair you've got the great magnet (Great Magnet?) and what seems to be many "life coaches" at your fingertips. You've got it made!

lopo said...

Go with a capital L for Lent, and C Catholic for anything related to the Catholic/Pope Church but small c catholic in the unlikely event you use it as an adjective in one of its other unrelated meanings which I found to be:
1 .Of broad or liberal scope; comprehensive: "The 100-odd pages of formulas and constants are surely the most catholic to be found" (Scientific American).
2. Including or concerning all humankind; universal: "what was of catholic rather than national interest" (J.A. Froude).
You're on your own on other matters but I can't let you slaughter the English language. ;)
From the road, I'm signing off. Will be available in Merida tomorrow night for further consultation. :)

Anonymous said...

Just some short term memory loss, Juancho.

For Lent, I'm giving up caring about the rampant Catholic Priest child molestation problems; the Pope just did.

Taliban, cocaine, terrorist, hot moms, FBI, Clooney...
How's that for a Google list?

Juancho said...

At least you're putting your back into it now.

Steph(anie) said...

I work at a college and we capitalize the names of the semesters... Spring Semester 2010, and now I can't break the habit. Spring will always be Spring.

Juancho said...

Must be a fine school.

Human Wrecking Ball said...

For lent I will float and shuffle like a corn husk- cast from a tamale and discarded under a Mexican sun.

nothing but net.