Cherish every day, today!

Some lighthearted humor for St. Patrick's Day

Here's an old Gaelic blessing for ye: 

May those who

love us, love us

And those that

don't love us,

May God turn

their hearts;

And if he doesn't

turn their hearts

May he turn

their ankles

So we'll know them

by their limping

~ Gaelic Blessing

Here is a favorite, rather emotional, rendition of the Londonderry Air, "Danny Boy", by the Muppets! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OCbuRA_D3KU

Here is how St. Patrick REALLY drove the snakes out of Ireland! 

and here's the ill-fated blind date....

Pi Day, 2015

Yesterday was Pi Day and Albert Einstein's birthday!

Happy #PiDay 3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679821480865132823066470......zzzzz...

Here's some more info about the day itself - http://www.piday.org/

Also, a couple of fun articles:

1. From Slate

and

2. From NPR

I got myself up and out and down the street to the Cafe Rose Nicaud for a slice of pecan pie. It was really empty when I got there so I decided to stay and have my pie and add some coffee and enjoy the visit. My friend Connie happened to come by so we chatted for a while and by the time I finished my pie, the place was full! :-) It's a terrific cafe and if you're in the Frenchmen Street area of New Orleans, do try to stop by. Their hibiscus iced tea is fantastic, great pecan pie, and they feature a host of sandwiches, wraps, and other croissants and desserts.Since it was 3/14/15 the trick was catching 9:26 and 53 seconds....which I ended up doing both morning and evening :-)

MONDAY.....yawn

Yawn....oh hai Monday...zzz

LMEA adjudication of Large Group Choral Festival

So honored and excited to adjudicate for the LMEA (Louisiana Music Educators Association) Large Ensemble Choral Festival (Tuesday, March 11 - Thursday, March 13). Excellent leadership and organization by Dana Lux and helpers!

They have about 50 choirs abd I'm hearing a wide variety of repertoire ranging from excellent to schlocky! Such royal treatment from District IV! Hot lunches & dinner, accommodations, little snacks, parking, and fun! First Baptist of Baton Rouge is also a SUPERB host! So friendly and helpful too!

Here's to choral music in the schools! 

You Are the Peace

You are the peace of all things calm

You are the place to hide from harm

You are the light that shines in dark

You are the heart's eternal spark

You are the door that's open wide

You are the guest who waits inside

You are the stranger at the door

You are the calling of the poor

You are my Lord and with me still

You are my love, keep me from ill

You are the light, the truth, the way

You are my Saviour this very day.

This is another day, O Lord

This is another day, O Lord. I know not what it will bring forth, but make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be. If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely. If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly. If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently. And if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly. Make these words more than words, and give me the Spirit of Jesus. Amen.
#Episcopal #prayer #Anglican

St. Paul's Episcopal Church, NOLA. Photo by C. Carson

A Hymn for Daylight Saving Time

DON'T FORGET! Change your clocks! ‪#‎SpringFORWARD‬ Here's a little hymn (to the tune of 'God of Grace & God of Glory') to help you remember! ‪#‎DaylightSavingTime‬
(Thanks to The Choir Project & Marian Dolan for sharing on FB!)

Gregory of Nyssa

Today the church celebrates the life of Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335 - c. 395 C.E.)

* A collect for today:
Almighty God, you have revealed to your Church your eternal Being of glorious majesty and perfect love as one God in Trinity of Persons: Give us grace that, like your bishop Gregory of Nyssa, we may continue steadfast in the confession of this faith, and constant in our worship of you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; for you live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

* A little history from the Internet School of Philosophy http://www.iep.utm.edu/gregoryn/ 

" - Gregory was bishop of #Nyssa from 372 to 376 and from 378 until his death. He is venerated as a saint in Roman #Catholicism, Eastern #Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, #Lutheranism, and #Anglicanism. Gregory, his brother Basil of Caesarea, and Gregory of Nazianzus are collectively known as the Cappadocian Fathers."He spent his life in #Cappadocia, a region in central Asia Minor. Together, the Cappadocians are credited with defining Christian orthodoxy in the Eastern Roman Empire, as Augustine (354—430 C.E.) was to do in the West. Gregory was a highly original thinker, drawing inspiration from the pagan Greek philosophical schools, as well as from the Jewish and Eastern Christian traditions, and formulating an original synthesis that was to influence later Byzantine, and possibly even modern European, thought. A central idea in Gregory's writing is the distinction between the transcendent nature and immanent energies of God, and much of his thought is a working out of the implications of that idea in other areas--notably, the world, humanity, history, knowledge, and virtue. This leads him to expand the nature-energies distinction into a general cosmological principle, to apply it particularly to human nature, which he conceives as having been created in God's image, and to rear a theory of unending intellectual and moral perfectibility on the premise that the purpose of human life is literally to become like the infinite nature of God. "

* More information - http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_of_Nyssa

#Episcopal #Saints #Anglican #Gregory #philosophy #EDOLA

Tiny Planet

I can't believe that I JUST found this photo app! It turns your photographs into either tiny planets or rabbit holes and is pretty cool! You have to take a panorama shot and the edges of your picture should be on the same plane for it to work well. Here are some of my tries. The first one is one from two years ago in Innsbruck, Austria when I was teaching there over the summer and the second one is from this past Fall's UNO Space Day. (I need to finish writing that blog post!) Since I'm headed to San Francisco, I expect I'll be trying it out some more over there!

"Parade Sunday" at St. Paul's 2015

The Sunday before Mardi gras is known as Bacchus Sunday or "Parade Sunday" in NOLA. Yesterday was Samedi gras and tomorrow is Lundi gras with Tuesday being Mardi gras. I haven't heard anyone calling today Dimanche gras and it just sounds weird so I'm sticking with Parade Sunday and Bacchus Sunday. I had the idea to tell my St. Paul's Episcopal Choir to bring beads and headresses, wigs, throws, and the like to church today. 

During the final hymn, (which was #460 in the Episcopal Hymnal "Alleluia! Sing to Jesus" to get plenty of Alleluias out before Lent), we recessed and threw beads, stuffed animals, toys, and lots of things to the congregation! It seemed like they really liked it. I saw more people smiling than in a long while! Also, I made absolutely sure to do it after Fr. Rob's blessing so the Liturgy itself would be only minimally disturbed (no worse than announcements, I daresay).

I also asked Fr. Rob to wear these gigantic pink beads on the way out. One of our sopranos, Tanya, brought them and it just seemed perfect.

Here is one of our tenors, Ernell, rocking a purple wig

Here is Tory, a soprano, dancing up the aisle!

I also felt that it would be a good idea for our choir tot take a photo out by the St. Paul's Church sign and it turned out GREAT!

A super fun ending to the morning!

Flying to San Francisco

I am on my way this evening to San Francisco for the wedding of two dear friends. I've never been and I'm thrilled to be going and that so many friends, about 35, will be there for this couple! 

Having never been to SF, I'm hoping to see a lot on the Hop-On / Hop-Off city bus tour tomorrow and then go to see Muir Woods and the famous redwood trees on Tuesday. I've heard all sorts of stuff from well-meaning friends who are "seasoned" San Francisco visitors about how that's not "the real" redwood area to visit or that I'll never have time etc. To that, I hold that since I only have a little bit of time and who the heck knows when I may be back out here again, that it's better than nothing! LOL!

This post shares some photos from my flight from NOLA to DFW to SFO. I love flying! The sunset was much more stunning than the picture below shows. 

BROCCOLI PIZZA CRUST

OK! I AM SO HAPPY THAT THIS WORKED!
I made broccoli pizza crust! The recipe is below, BUT you have to know I forgot the tomato sauce so will make it again and have a more traditionally topped pizza! I've been wanting to try this for three weeks, but haven't had the time. This evening after choir rehearsal, I picked up necessary ingredients at the store and then FORGOT the tomato sauce. I decided to try it anyway as I had most everything else. It turned out beautifully! I made it because I hate cauliflower, even in pizza crust form, and I love broccoli and thought I could make a healthier pizza! WARNING: Still not the most healthy food...
Here's how it looks as a finished product:

Ingredients:
- one egg
- parmesan cheese (maybe 1/4 cup)
- Spices: salt, pepper, garlic powder, curry, rosemary, Basil, Greek spice mixture, ground oregano, whatever (healthy shakes)
- a head of BROCCOLI

What I did:
- cleaned a bowl (woot!)
- chopped a head of broccoli up, nice and super fancy fine like a real chef (I'm sure some folks would use a food processor)
- shook some garlic, salt, pepper, and curry over it while chanting (just kidding)

- making it a second time, I eliminated the salt & pepper & curry, only used a lunch of garlic.
- cracked an egg into it
- added the parmesan cheese
- stirred it
- added a minor sprinkle of cheddar cheese
- gathered the lump and placed it on a baking sheet sprayed with Pam
- took pictures :-)

Cooking the lump:
- 400 degrees
- cook 10 minutes or until starting to get brown on edges
- take out and add toppings (I added mozzarella cheese and pepperoni and would have added tomato sauce and oregano if I hadn't forgotten the sauce)
- Cook 10-15 more minutes until it looks like it's done
- take a picture :-)
- EAT IT

How does it taste?
- A little eggy, a lot broccoli-y
- tasty :-)
- the tomato sauce will add necessary ZING!

OPTIONS
- Make thinner. After it has cooked 10 min., lift, re-spray pan
- drizzle with olive oil, dash with rosemary
- spread tomato sauce over it before topping with cheeses etc.

Episcopal Prayer at the Close of Day

O God, your unfailing providence sustains the world we live in and the life we live: Watch over those, both night and day, who work while others sleep, and grant that we may never forget that our common life depends upon each other’s toil; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
From the Book of Common Prayer (1979)
#Episcopal #prayer #night #Anglican #BCP

Photo by Caroline Carson, 2014

Blessing for a Meal

Bless, O Lord, this food to our use and us to thy service, and keep us ever mindful of the needs of others. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Remembering Fanny Crosby

Today, celebrate the life of hymnwriter Fanny Crosby (Frances Jane van Alstyne 1820-1915). Although none of her hymns are in the 1982 Episcopal Hymnal, the "Lift Every Voice and Sing" supplement contains five, the most famous of which is probably "Blessed Assurance": 

# 29 – Near the Cross

# 122 – Close to Thee

# 129 – I Am Thine, O Lord

# 139 – Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior

# 184 – Blessed Assurance

* Here is more about Fanny and her work: https://liturgyandmusic.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/february-11-frances-jane-fanny-van-alstyne-crosby-hymnwriter-1915/

* A Collect:  O God, the blessed assurance of all who trust in thee: We give thee thanks for thy servant Fanny Crosby, who, though blind from infancy, beheld thy glory with great clarity of vision and spent her life giving voice to thy people’s heartfelt praise; and we pray that we, inspired by her words and example, may rejoice to sing of thy love, praising our Savior all the day long; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God in perfect harmony, now and for ever. Amen.

#Episcopal #Methodist #FannyCrosby #hymns #hymnwriters #music #gospel #BlessedAssurance

Up to No Good...

This stained glass window lamb always cracks me up at St. Paul's! He just has this look - like he's up to some mischief! :-) 

NASA Social #StateOfNASA at John C. Stennis Space Center

I was VERY fortunate to be selected to attend the NASA Social event for the #StateOfNASA address given on Monday, February 2, 2015! 

Here is a bit more about the event. I chose the John C. Stennis Space Center because it's close to me than any other AND I have been remiss in not visiting it these past years I've lived in New Orleans! It was about time! 

"If it goes to space, it goes through Mississippi!"
"If it has engines, it goes through Mississippi"
~ Charles F. Bolden, Administrator of NASA

Here's an article The University of New Orleans put out and I am SO excited and happy that they didn't alter my quotes. I truly feel this way about STEM / STEAM education and space exploration!

The day was AMAZING! I got to meet the movers and shakers at the John C. Stennis Space Center, have behind-the-scenes tours, ask questions about the programs and work done there, watch a live broadcast of the national #StateOfNASA address with other media, and be one of the voices of Stennis during this day. It was such an incredible honor and I absolutely LOVE and admire the important work being done there. There were only three of us so I truly felt like I had a significant voice that day! We also got to go out to the engine testing stands - the GIGANTIC B-stand and both A stands. The Stennis Center, grounds, fee area, and buffer zones are absolutely massive. NOAA offices, various research buildings, and universities also share the grounds. 

After that, we spend some time inside the Aerojet Rocketdyne building and got to see engines being put together in various stages. 

There was even a room where 1.6 billion dollars worth of finished engines were being stored under giant white tarps (being pumped with dry air). SO COOL!!! I am planning to take a group of UNO Physics students up to visit Stennis! I'm including the link to my twitter transcript for that day in this blog post because it's too long to paste the text, shared articles, and photos! Here's the LINK Do check it out if you have time!

I was tweeting under myself @Conductor222 and The Solar System @The_SolarSystem 

Though it's rather lengthy, I'm thrilled that I was able to get so much information out about what I was experiencing, what we learned about Stennis' role, and fun times during the day. I was able to do it with two twitter accounts. Most of my Solar System followers are scientists, photographers, educators, big space fans, folks who work on NASA missions, some NASA missions themselves, and even accounts such as ESA's Rosetta and the CSA. I'm pretty proud of the fact that the account has a solid science, space, and STEM reach. I also learned a TON by preparing a few info. tweets beforehand from articles I had read about the work that has been done at Stennis!

I hope you enjoy reading about it!

https://twitter.com/search?f=realtime&q=%23StateOfNASA%20OR%20%23NASASocial%20OR%20%23NASAStennis%20OR%20%23Stennis%20from%3AThe_SolarSystem%20OR%20from%3AConductor222%20since%3A2015-02-02%20until%3A2015-02-03&src=typd

Episcopal Prayer at the Close of Day

Look down, Lord, from your heavenly throne. Illuminate the darkness of this night with your celestial brightness, and from us, the children of light, banish for ever the deeds of darkness. God our judge and our teacher, let us not waste time when the day is done in guilt or self-reproach. Give us rather the courage to face whatever has been, accept forgiveness, and move on to something better. Amen. 

~ from the New Zealand Prayer Book
#Episcopal #Anglican #EDOLA #prayer #night # BCP#celestial #universe #space
Link to image: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100413.html 

Unusual Spiral Galaxy M66 from Hubble
Credit: #NASA, #ESA, #Hubble Heritage

Scenes from St. Paul's Episcopal in New Orleans, Louisiana

I thought I'd share some of the collages and some of the pictures I've put together for our St. Paul's Episcopal Church Facebook page! I need to do it every so often since there are SO MANY!!! I love doing it and when I do it on a Sunday morning, I call it "Scenes from St. Paul's" :-)