urbantrappistblogastery

Bake the pumpkin, spice the syrup,
Poke the pudding, sweep the floor.
Wipe the tables, check the oven,
What’s that burning?  Buy some more.
Open windows, boil spices,
Probe the turkey, drop the heat.
Roll the pie crust, cross the lattice,
Drop the roller, ice the feet.
Twist the crepe blinds, primp the bouquet,
Place the settings, buff for shine.
Chase the cat off, smooth [...]

I’ve been gloriously disconnected in the Great Lakes State for a couple weeks. Here are some things that have happened up here in years past. The usual ideological blathering (up next: bodies) will resume shortly, so enjoy this moment of respite. That’s what happens in Pure Michigan.
A Jan DeOrio Moment
We always feared [...]

Re-rising after yet another month-plus hiatus! But I repent of that and shall sin no more.
First, in narcissistic news, I’ve updated The Scriptorium with excerpts from some of my MFA Year 1 productions. The full versions are all freely available; simply remember that I always try to follow the word of the Lord. [...]

For those fortunate enough not to be plagued by my holy day emails:
Anyone sitting through an unabridged performance of Messiah probably spends much of the oratorio waiting for the famed “Hallelujah!” chorus. And why not? Its glorious strains resound so magnificently that they were deemed worthy to accompany Clark Griswold’s incomparable Christmas illumination. [...]

In any new city, it’s a personal imperative to explore. Through internet browsing, daylight runs, and nighttime wanderings, I work to find the places. Internal loci as well: the monastic rhythm during my retreat at Gethsemani, artistic inspiration in a trip to NYC, or the full pursuit of a new passion while returning [...]

As the World Churns (drama about the war of ice cream moguls)
Malice in the Chalice (documentary on the evolution of communion rituals - intinction, the rail, closed or open, etc)
The Matrices (physicists try to explain the concept of a multiverse to Keanu Reeves who tries to explain kung fu. in slow motion.)
Strays of Our [...]

I have a foolproof editing strategy that also happens to amplify my social life. It’s called the Hangover Test, and it works like this:
- Writer writes.
- Writer edits. And some more.
- Writer feels satisfied with work.
- Writer gets crunk.
- Writer revisits and revises the work the following morning.
Now, if that final rereading finds [...]

Already believing, Christ descended: “Enough flawless God; hell invokes justice.”
King lamented.
Mephistopheles never omitted pointed questions: “Relinquishing sanctity?”
“To ultimately vanquish worldly xploits, yet Zion awaits.”

This is lifted from an email to a wise man who suggested that my linguistic skills need an “emotional core” to transform them from mere play into something potent. You probably wouldn’t have noticed that contextual theft, because my email style is rather similar to my style on here. Must be the virtuality [...]

I’ve spent most of the past two months creating new linguistic artworks, but I have declined to show most of them. Largely, this demonstrates wise discretion and good taste. It also betrays insecurity and cowardice.

So, today I faced the music and submitted some of these creative efforts to various publications. I’m significantly [...]