The Arrow's Path

It has been weird going all Halloween day and not seeing anything having to do with Halloween. I admit, it has been nice being able to walk into almost every store and not be bombarded with Vampires eclipsing Christmas trees that will soon be in full view. I have seen trick or treat chocolates and a black cat in one store window, but largely I feel a little let down, since Halloween is not so much a holiday over here, almost like Linus (at least I think it was Linus) when the Great Pumpkin never came in that Charlie Brown episode. I find this feeling sort of strange since I never really do anything for Halloween back home, save a showing of my classic black and white horror film collection while stuffing my face with Peep WMDs (wads of marshmallow desserts). Luckily I have my collection of old radio shows, so I may treat myself to the classic Mercury Theater production of Dracula with Orson Welles. I guess I could also console myself by burning some Catholics at Guy Fawkes day next wee...

I was told in no uncertain terms today that commercial crumpets are an abomination nor are crumpets "english muffins." Such was the scandalous topic of coffee hour after church today. Being an American, the need to properly educate me on the finite culinary workings of crumpets was what I needed. Here was the recipe I was given by a roly poly English lady, with directions to disseminate the recipe "by whatever means necessary." Here goes: Ingredients: 8 oz flour 8 oz strong white flour 2 tsp salt 1 pint milk and water, mixed 2 tblsp vegetable oil 1 tblsp sugar 1/2 oz fresh yeast 1/2 tsp baking soda 4 fl oz warm water Sift the flours and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the center. In a pan, gently heat together the mixed milk and water, oil, and sugar until warm but not hot. Mix the yeast with a quarter of this liquid. Pour this into the well, followed by the remaining liquid and beat well until smooth and elastic; about 5 minutes. Cover with a tea towel an...

I was told by my father today that one of the starting pitchers (Joe Niekro) in the first ever Major League Baseball he ever took me to died today at the age of 61. I don't remember it because I must have been under 2 years old, but my father would know. He can remember who pitched in just about every game he's gone to live, which is something considering that number is in the hundreds. Rest in Peace, Joe.

Since it was Saturday and I have been a good Archer this week by getting close to finishing two essays, I decided to take a day trip up to Norwich. I have read some stuff by the medieval anchoress Julian of Norwich, so I was curious if I could track her down. My quest began.I first came to the impressive Cathedral on Norwich. You can tell the Normans built it because it has that particular architecture all over it. Here is the inside near the organ. This was quite impressive. Here is the main area over the main altar. The stained glass was one of the most impressive I have seen. Notice the Romanesque arches. My quest for Julian of Norwich lead me to this altar at St. Peter Mancroft church, farther down from the main cathedral. Next I found myself at the Norman castle, not to be confused with an albino Borg cube. I walked down this street. There has to be a good story behind this street name. I walked past this pub, which has the second best pub sign I've seen. Nice iron mongery....

I would never have guessed any National League team had it in them to win the whole can of cheese whiz, but apparently I am mistaken . And gladly so. I stopped in St. Louis over the summer and saw their new stadium, which they christened well. Congrats, St. Louis

In my last post, I posted some pictures of the Roman ruins outside St. Albans. Here is the beautiful Rose Window from inside St. Albans that I have been meaning to post. The concentric circles are supposed to subtly represent Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water. There is also some other symbolism like the 12 disciples or something, but I never could see it and forget now what the tourguide said.

It is sort of an odd feeling to come upon Roman ruins, as you usually don't think about the Romans being in Britain. These pictures are from the Roman ruins around St. Albans Cathedral, which coincidentally I learned from Roger, who was visiting Westcott yesterday, that he was ordained there. My Seaburian readers remember know Roger. The Roman wall behind me is still pretty much intact. Romans were good at building things that lasted. Here's what the signpost said. It tells more than I could about these particular ruins.

In this week's episode, the Pewpotatoes meet the new priest, C. Barry Western. Apologies for the scan quality, as I am having to take a picture of the original with a digital camera. (Click on image to enlarge)

I haven't had to put up with any Halloween commercialism or nasty political campaign ads all over the place. It has been a lovely fall season over here. I have adjusted just fine to British culture, and I never had what might be called "culture shock." Although I have begun to notice the cultural oddities and various Anglia Eccentricia . 1. Given the very small sidewalks, I am amazed that British folks don't seem to understand the concept of walking single file. You have to squeeze through because they refuse to do so, and then they get in a bit "cross" even though you are the only one walking north and there are two walking south. 2. I understand more what Tiny Tim was about in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol . I have been amazed at the number of people with serious skeletal problems over here that force them to walk with limps and canes. It is almost reminiscent of pictures of the pre-1950s polio epidemic. 2a. Slightly related, I completely now unde...

I was wandering about after class today. I happened to walk by St. Edward's to go through the bookshops near there and I ran into this poster (.pdf reader required). I was immediately thrilled. I love Duke Ellington and his Sacred Concert suite is one of best works from one of the best jazz composers in the States from the '40s-'50s era. I have a CD of this very concert at home, and it is still a favorite. Ellington was classically trained, and his initial project was to set out and do a Jazz mass setting. Being the Pre-Vatican II era, he got a lot of flack for the idea. (The fact that he was black probably didn't help any either.) To make it more palatable to Cathedral deans, he opened it up to include gospel music and big band jazz amongst other things. Foreshadowing Liturgical reform a decade later, the work became a cult hit and any Cathedral in the US that put it on usually had to turn people away because it was always a sell out. As a musical piece, it was speci...

Yesterday, when I was in Flamstead to visit St. Alban's Cathedral, I popped around the corner to an Indian restaurant for lunch. It was a somewhat formal place with lots of fru-fru on the tables. An excellent dinner. Of course, I would expect nothing less as London has the best Indian restaurants outside of Bombay. The lasting benefits of Empire, I suppose. In any event, I was wearing my Seabury sweatshirt. I ordered my meal, etc. The proprietor happened to be walking about and noticed my shirt. In proper Victorian English (People from Bombay are the only people who still speak proper English I've been told because they still talk that way in Bombay, having not so much been influenced by American or postmodern British speakers of English due to Television) asked if my shirt was from Seabury Western(pronounced Sea-burry not Seaberry) in Chicago. I was surprised because most folks over here, even at Westcott, couldn't find Chicago on a map if you held a gun to their head. I s...

I went with a group of folks from Little St. Mary's, the church I have been attending here in Cambridge, to St. Alban's Cathedral in Flamstead. This is the site that holds the shrine of St. Alban, the first English martyr. The church itself was built shortly after the Romans abandoned the garrison there. I have some pictures of the Roman ruins that I will post later. The church began as a little monastery and grew to one of the largest abbeys in Britain before Henry VIII brought down the hammer. Interestingly, you get a history lesson in Western church architecture in one camera shot here. Notice the right side...all Roman arches from the pre-Middle ages. Around the 11th century, the abbot decided to expand. Thus the right side of picture shows the expansion, built in the Gothic style. Here's a view from the outside. No, you are not looking through the wardrobe to Cair Paravel. Here's the ceiling over the main altar. And here is one of the paintings done about 1000 ...

Two weeks ago, I would have been willing to bet serious money if you had made a bet with me that neither New York team would make it to the World Series. Believe it . Of course, that means that the TV ratings for the World Series are going to be way down again. I am more than happy to trade that for the ability to laugh at both New York teams to the tune of Money can't buy you love championships. Cardinals v. Tigers. I love it .

I sat in on a particular service here in Cambridge of an extremely evangelical C of E church, and I would have mistaken it for an Assembly of God service or something. There wasn't speaking in tongues, but there was a 45 minute sermon with drums and electric guitars in front of the altar. There was no liturgical structure in any way that I could see. The priest was wearing a tie. I have been amazed during my time here in England that there is a sizable stand of mostly Evangelical folks in the Church of England that will absolutely refuse to use the Book of Common Prayer in any way, shape, or form. Granted, the Elizabethan 1662 BCP is not language that is everybody's cup of tea, so to speak. But coming from an American perspective where if you ask Jane and Joe Pewpotato what defines Episcopal liturgy, they will likely answer, "The BCP, silly!" Since it takes an act of Parliament to authorize a new BCP over here, the C of E is largely using what is called Common Worshi...

I realized today that there were a few cool places I visited on Saturday that I forgot to upload pictures of. I got to spend most of the morning at the Tower of London. The first picture here is the white tower...the place you didn't want to be taken if you ran afoul of Henry VIII. Its a great place to visit, but quite morbid when you hear all the dreadful tales. There is more than just the White Tower, which is just the center of a huge castle complex. I am probably violating copyright law, but I snapped a photo of this postcard I bought to give you a frame of reference for the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. Click to enlarge it, and you will see what I mean. (Cameo appearance by The Archer's thumb.) If you did manage to tick off the royal heinie, you were brought by boat through the traitor's gate. Most people who were brought in here didn't live to see the outside of it again. The chapel photo below is the Monarch's Chapel. After a hard day of ordering behe...

Raisin gave me the idea, over on her blog, about a new idea for my ongoing Archer Comics series. It was such a good idea for a serial that I decided to do whatever it took to get my cartoons back in action. I have been lacking a scanner, but I realized that I have a digital camera and can just take pictures of my drawings! And to think it took me all summer and into the fall to think that up.

Dadgummit...I hate that I live in a blogosphere where I have to use the "word verification" to approve blog comments. This is to prevent spammers of course. And it is necessary I guess. But for the love of C. Barry Western, I hate when you go to type the letters of the word verification, and the letters are so messed up that you have to use clairvoyance to figure out what they are. As you do everything short of holding your computer monitor up to the light, you realise don't read the language of hippie tie-dye. Could that be a Q? Perhaps an aleph? Omega perchance? Hey, this one has a hanging chad! Then you go and type what you think they might be, and you get the menacing red line of scorn, "Enter the letters as they are shown in the image," Chump. d'Oh! I'll show you some letters! How 'bout these apples?: $%@# %$#!!!!

I decided to take a day trip to London yesterday before the quarter got too hectic. Excluding the British museum (I am going to devote a whole day to it later), I managed to see just about all the big stuff in London in a day. The above pictures are of Westminster Abbey and the Tower Bridge. I got to tour Westminster, although I have to admit I was a little disappointed at the way all the people were herded through like cattle and you couldn't take any pictures on the inside. Ely was much nicer and just as impressive. Big Ben says, "hello" St. Paul's Cathedral from across the Thames. The Globe theater is directly behind me in this shot. How this massive building survived the Blitz is truly a miracle, as it dominates the skyline on the East End. Being a Sherlock Holmes fan, I could not resist going to the Holmes museum at 221B Baker street. It was a well down museum but still a bit touristy, but it made my day to have this picture taken.

Yesterday, when I was at Ely Cathedral, the priest did a mass setting in plainchant that was really beautiful. I had never heard that particular mass setting before, so I asked him afterward if I could have a copy of it to post it on my blog. The priest said he would be happy to e-mail me a copy, so here it is if anyone is so inclined to use it. I was impressed he had a scanner and knew what a blog was because he looked like he was 120 years old. Thanks to the Cathedral of Ely for this. It is similiar to one used at Westcott House, but a little different key settings I believe. UPDATE: I now have all these scans uploaded correctly. Initially, I accidentally had the first piece up twice.

I have a cardinal rule of not discussing politics on this blog. I have this rule for many reasons, the biggest of which is that the US is so polarized right now that Americans largely can't seem to discuss politics in any calm and/or civil way. I am going to keep that policy as it is. However, for the sake of the following public service announcement , I have created an Off-blog Blog. I don't intend to use it very often because I really have grown to despise both the superficial cancer of polarization that has infected the American body politick and especially those who misuse religion to ride their political hobby horse and/or beat their political war drums to the tune of Amazing Grace. I would add that both the Right and the Left are equally guilty of this. If you feel you need to make a comment, please do so on that blog. If I wasn't afraid that the comments would bleed over into this blog, I would just turn off the comments on that blog altogether. Thank you, -The Arche...

I only have like one audit class from 9 to 10 on Thursday mornings; so I had a crazy idea as I was walking back from class. It was a nice day, so I decided to go hop on the train and see the cathedral at Ely (pronounced ee-lee), which is about 15 miles north of here. I had heard it was an impressive cathedral that rivaled Canterbury. It was most impressive. I ended up taking all the pictures I could on my camera (about 150). The cathedral also had a stained glass museum in the upper part of the cathedral, so I strolled through that as well. I also managed to hit up the noon Eucharist in one of the side chapels. The house in the foreground was Oliver Cromwell's family home. Many places in the church (like here behind the Touchdown Mary Lady chapel altar) where statutes of saints would have stood are now empty, thanks to Mr. Cromwell's Puritanical rampage. The cathedral was absolutely huge, bigger than St. Patrick's in Dublin even. I have several more exterior pictures bec...

Lovely place, Cambridge. I pass this place going down to my OT lecture at Ridley Hall. This is the Cam river with a punter. No, not a football kicker. One goes punting with a boat and a 10 foot pole.

An 800 year old church with a website ! And, yes, they do a Goth Eucharist . I can't wait to read the comments on this one. (The sound you are hearing is Hugh Latimer turning in his grave).