Money to Erase Love

On the front page of the San Antonio Express News yesterday was a story about a teacher fired from the city’s all-boys Catholic high school after marrying a divorcee. The reasoning given for her dismissal was that her husband’s previous marriage had not been annulled, meaning he wasn’t “officially” un-married from his first wife.
I have three close [...]

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News Anarchy

Why, not how, do we consume news?
With the advent of news blogs, specialty magazines and partisan Web publications, much has been made of how people are consuming news in the 21st century. The choices available to tailor our experience have exploded beyond FOX or CNN, beyond NPR or Rush Limbaugh. But few are asking why. [...]

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Nothing says “Christmas!” like your face

Now, what’s the meaning of the season, again?
Ahh, the Christmas cards. As early as last week, they began arriving in droves, wrapped in brightly colored envelopes and embellished with gold and glitter. Almost all of them featured a photo of the sending family on the cover. I never thought much of it until today, when a [...]

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The Aftermath

So not ready for life outside the bubble - The personal, political experience of an ex-Washingtonian
The election gave me great pause to reflect on the American political experience. Witnessing the campaigns from Texas was somewhat eye-opening, considering I attended college in Washington, D.C., at a university often ranked the most politically active in the nation. It [...]

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Re-Gifting

“…Thank you for a voice to sing, ears to hear the music, each other, and your words … This season, we return these gifts to you in thanks…”
Those words were part of a prayer spoken by the music director at church last Sunday, as he led a full orchestra and choir through a beautiful service [...]

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Imperfection, Humility, Uncertainty

One of my longstanding struggles with religion is its obscuring of faith. I have trouble finding comfort in something that mires itself in details, dogmatism and judgements. I have trouble signing up for something that professes an adamant certainty - a certainty that allows its followers to discard their free will, and one so strong that it allows a religion to look down [...]

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