David Ancell / Sunday, August 05, 2007 / Comments(0)
My blogging has definitely slowed down since I began, but I’m also busier than ever. This has to be the busiest summer I’ve ever had. Still, I feel like there has been a summer or two in the past few years that I’ve wasted, so I wanted to make sure I made the most of it. Here’s a rundown of what’s going on for those who are interested.
First, I’ve decided to seriously curtail the computers and electronics I’ve bought. In some cases, I’ve bought two or more of the same kind of thing that I don’t really need one of. I’m also not buying many more books because I have more books than I can stand, and I have no place for them. Buying things has become a kind of addiction for me, and now I’m taking control and saving money. After all, I’m 32 and still don’t own a house even though I could more than afford to do it.
Second, I’ve been doing major cleanup on my apartment. I’ve thrown a lot of clutter away, and I’m working on getting rid of more clutter. I need to simplify life and make moving easier to do since I don’t want to live in this place forever. My place is already much cleaner than it has been in a while, and I plan to maintain it.
Third, I’ve been trying to make sure I spend more time with friends. We’ve had a couple of burrito nights this summer. Another friend has graciously begun a breakfast group each month as well. I went to the Defending the Faith conference in Steubenville last summer and had a couple of friends from the area to spend time with. They were great people to spend time with, and it is great to spend time in Steubenville with the Lord and people who love him.
Fourth, I’ve decided to look around and see if I can find another city I’d like to live in. At this point, I’m not sure what will happen next. The young adult ministry in this area hardly exists anymore, and most of my friends are either married or just aren’t available like they used to be (though, if you see above, I’ve made some headway). I’m also finding that I don’t really like Memphis as well as I used to. I have obtained licenses to practice pharmacy in Missouri and Kansas, and I’m also considering Nashville as a place to live.
Finally, I’m adding to my efforts on Catholic Match and Ave Maria Singles. Lately, especially in the past year, I’ve met some really good people there and have had some live meetings. Nothing has gone beyond friendship yet, but I’m still hopeful. There has to be someone out there.
I had my vacation last week, which included a trip to Steubenville and to Nashville, where I saw The Hermitage. I wish I could repeat the whole vacation. If I’m still here in the fall, I hope to go see Rock City. Next year, I need to go somewhere I haven’t been before. If anyone has ideas, please drop them along.
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David Ancell / Saturday, July 14, 2007 / Comments(0)
I was at an RCIA training meeting last night, and someone brought a can of cashews. On the label reads this description:
ALLERGY INFORMATION: Contains Cashews
I have to wonder what prompted this.
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David Ancell / Tuesday, July 03, 2007 / Comments(0)
The New York Times reports on the land of HIPAA confusion. HIPAA is the federal medical information privacy law that is causing all kinds of problems in health care. The article details it well. Family members can’t find their loved one’s condition because people are either afraid of HIPAA or are using it as an excuse not to do anything.
The law, at least from a privacy standpoint, was 100% unnecessary. It’s already illegal for a health care professional to disclose confidential health information. If I did that, I could lose my license to practice pharmacy. The problem with laws like these is that no one knows how the government bureaucrats will enforce it until someone gets big time busted. Sooner or later, someone in some government agency will make an example out of someone. I suspect that is what is driving the overzealous behavior.
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David Ancell / Tuesday, June 12, 2007 / Comments(0)
I’ve really let this go for too long. No, I’m not gone, and I certainly want to try to keep something up here. Things have been a bit busy. I’ve been at a baptism of a friend’s child, a retreat, and some other things. I have more planned starting Thursday. I’ve also joined a gym because I need the exercise. Being out of shape gets old.
Hopefully, I’ll be back again before long.
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David Ancell / Friday, May 11, 2007 / Comments(0)
I remember not long ago reading a New York Times article about how parents would abort their children with certain genetic diseases. With that having happened, it’s rather refreshing to see this article about the parents who have chosen to give birth to and raise children who have Down’s Syndrome. I’m surprised to see this in the New York Times, but it’s good to see this here.
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David Ancell / Monday, April 23, 2007 / Comments(0)
I have in the past brought forth how the Komen Foundation is diverting money that people donated for breast cancer research to Planned Parenthood. Needless to say, this prevents my giving to the organization. In the interest of fairness, I wanted to share what I got from Tennessee Right to Life.
There are five state associations that do not have a relationship with Planned Parenthood. Tennessee is one of them. So, if you live in Tennessee and want to contribute locally, you may not have to worry about unintentionally funding Planned Parenthood. Now, I’m not sure yet how this will affect what I decide to do. For one thing, this can change without it being publicized for some time. However, my main concern is how much they might be giving the national chapter. At this point, I haven’t decided to contribute to the Komen Foundation, but if anyone wants to chime in on the comment box as to why I should, please feel free.
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David Ancell / Saturday, April 21, 2007 / Comments(0)
I once listened to a six-part series on the Mass, and the book that was regarded highly by the Father of Mercy who gave the talks was The Pope, the Council, and the Mass. I just found out that it is now reprinted as I had heard that it would be. This book is an answer to the concern of Traditionalists about the Mass and what happened after Vatican II. I ordered it immediately even though my bookshelf runneth over.
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David Ancell / Saturday, April 21, 2007 / Comments(0)
I just found this letter written by Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo, Bishop of Richmond, VA, to the president of Virginia Tech. The message was simple, but I hope that the simplicity doesn’t keep it from being taken seriously. Our only hope is to turn to God and realize that death does not get the final word. Then again, it’s all we ever had anyway.
My hope and prayer is, of course, for both the souls of the deceased, including Cho Seung-Hui, and the survivors who will have to face what happened for some time. I pray that, through all the investigation that must take place, they will get past finger-pointing and seek to do what is best for everyone. This can be something to bring everyone together. It’s a sad thing that our society often requires such a shake-up to bring people together, but God can bring great good out of evil.
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David Ancell / Thursday, April 12, 2007 / Comments(0)
It seems like it would be a wonderful Christian thing to do to support research for the treatment of crippling or life-threatening illnesses. However, it’s getting harder and harder to do that in good conscience. Recently, I found out that the National Multiple Sclerosis Society has come out in favor of federal funding for stem cell research. Well, that’s it. I won’t give them another dime. If they favor federal funding, then it’s hard to imagine that they wouldn’t give grants from their own money. They might also use money given to them for activism in favor of embryonic stem cell research.
Their reasoning for doing this leaves out something very important. They say that “all promising avenues that could lead to the cure or prevention of MS or relieve its most devastating symptoms by repairing MS damage must be explored,” but they forget that one should not do an evil in order to accomplish a good. Using human embryos as products on which to do research is an offense against human life and dignity. It treats human life as a product to be exploited for one’s own purpose. As long as the MS Society supports this immoral research, I cannot in good conscience support them.
To their credit, they do say that, if one makes a request, they will direct funds that one gives only to other purposes. However, all they have to do is then take some other money from that purpose and send it for support of embryonic stem cell research. This just isn’t going to cut it. The MS Society must stop supporting embryonic stem cell research before I will give them any more money.
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David Ancell / Thursday, April 05, 2007 / Comments(0)
As I get ready to go to Holy Thursday Mass, I wanted to wish all of my readers a Happy Easter Triduum. One of these days, maybe the world really will stop to remember the reason why we have hope beyond this life. After all, we really do need hope beyond this life because we know for certain it won’t last forever.
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