On a Lighter Note

Friday Five Summer Vacation

It is a holiday weekend here in the UK (and in the US too), and the weather forecast for much of the country is not good!!! But we can still dream and so with that in mind I bring you this Friday Five.

1. Getting ready for summer, do you use the gradual tanning moisturizers
(yes gentlemen you too can answer this!!!), or are you happy to show your winter skin to the world?
I redden so quickly that I don’t need the artificial tanners. One time in the sun, I burn then tan and that’s the beginning of the summer for me!

2.Beach, mountains or chilling by the pool, what/ where is your favorite getaway?
I prefer the beach, BL prefers the mountains, and usually we end up at the pool deck on at our Health Club on 42nd St. Could you stop that honking?

3.Are you a summer lover or does the long break become wearing?
There’s no break for me, but I much prefer the sunny, hazy, sweaty, humid, nasty days of NYC summers.

4.Active holidays; hiking swimming sailing, or lazy days?
Lazy days, Though I like to swim and used to like to sail!

5.Now to the important subject of food, if you are abroad do you try the local cuisine, or do you prefer to play it safe?
Local food, if it’s safe from parasites. Italy was great!

No Friday Five-What’s a Girl To Do

It’s a Sad Thing.
I went to the RevGalBlogPals page and all of the RevGals are off to some RevGals event-so lots of hits on their sitemeter, but not FF. I’ll make my own, and you’re welcome to play along. So, what shall it be? Hmmm…
I’ve just finished reading “Take This Bread” and been thinking about sharing food as communion. Also it’s almost lunchtime and I’m really hungry.
What five experiences and foods can you identify with communion? I know this is kind of vague, as it is for me, but give it a try.
1. Bread-obviously, as that’s what is used for communion, but not stale pita bread which is commonly used in churches these days-I hate it-but nice warm yeasty bread, or Challah-sweet egg bread used in synagogues with the sweet wine on Shabbos.
2. Lasagna-Think potluck or church supper or a shared meal. Warm and steamy and spicy. With lots of cheese and no meat except maybe some in the sauce.
3. Macaroni and Cheese- I had Stouffers last night and even that was comforting. Another pot luck special, at least in this office when we have International Day
4. Here I’m thinking of all the Christmas cookies my mother made and gave to everyone. Then when I moved to NY, she boxed them up and sent them to me in great quantities, so that I would take them to the office where they were appreciated by all.
5. I’m a little stuck here so I’ll throw in egg salad, the dish of mourning, served when sitting shiva for a loved one who has died and what I’ll will probably have for lunch as I’ve discovered that Starbuck’s makes a pretty good one. The egg’s roundness signifies the continuity of life.

Going to Church

(picture of Church of Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen)

It's Sunday and I'm thinking of going to church.

I don't go to church. I've been estranged from church going since probably sometime in my sophomore year in college when my mother stopped going to church and church going was losing it's meaning to me. I was coming to the conclusion that I was a lesbian although I continued to "act straight" having a steady boyfriend for several more years. My mother, I believe was depressed, something that I have struggled with on and off. She became angry with the church-Catholic-I can't remember why. I stopped going because I was feeling that if indeed I was gay, well they didn't want me there anyway. I never felt any community there. I felt like a stranger in the pew. It was my hometown, but it was about 1969 or so, so lots of people were dropping off. I never felt any home at that church. Women could only play one part and that was cleaning the church and altar area. (I always wanted to be an altar boy!)

But now, I'm feeling a deep yearning to find a spiritual community.My partner attends a gay synagogue and I tried that but I was not really a part of the place because I didn't want to convert-the Jesus thing, you know?

I've been reading books and attending the The Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Lesbian Group (:-@) The Lesbian and Gay Groups are out and in public and announced in the weekly bulletin. I'm hesitant to get too comfortable in the Catholic church, because I remember 20 years ago, by decree of the archbishop, the gay Catholic Dignity, who had their masses there, were ordered out. We had a candlelight march from there to the GLBT Community Center and everyone was very angry and sad-I was there. I'm afraid that could happen again with the new regime of the Catholic Church.

In my neighborhood, Is a nice Episcopal Church. I've been reading Take this Bread by Sara Miles. And MomPriest has said that she thinks this denomination might be a good fit.

What should I do?