RAINSTORM ALL NIGHT

I'm not on the schedule to do any lectoring this weekend. My turn's not until next weekend. I'm pretty sure it's Sunday at 10:00. Because it's Mary's turn today, not Cheryl's I shall most probably not have to be bothered with covering for her. Oddly yesterday afternoon I didn't end up drinking an coffee. I came quite close to making tea though. I haven't drunk tea regularly in very many years unfortunately. I especially like it with sugar & honey. Last night I broke open my Beatle book yet again & played some of my very favorites of theirs. Uncle Frankie showed up for a while yesterday. He & my parents went shopping for a few hours. Maybe he didn't go with them. All I know is he left at the same time they did. I read more of "The Possessed" yesterday. Seven hundred pages can be very time consuming.

PLAYING GUITAR

Uncle Frankie came over for a while yesterday. As far as I know that's the first time he's shown up since the weekend. Fran called too, just in time for him to talk to her. Her birthday is on August 2 & there's supposed to be a party for her this coming Sunday. Uncle Frankie wants to make a pineapple cake for her. It rained a little for a while yesterday. It was only a slight storm though. Last night I tried recording "Burn Notice" again. I made a mistake though & most of it didn't come out. I've done that a few times before too. Yesterday & this morning I read a lot more of "The Possessed". It's always been one of my favorites. I got a nice letter from Grace in Lindenhurst yesterday. She sent me some very nice pictures of Daren & family. Daren's birthday was July 21. Of course I made sure I played my guitar yesterday. My old Ovation, although I got it around twenty years ago, still sounds mighty good. Today we must do quite a rousing Friday dance. Nicky's birthday was four days ago, so we shall say happy birthday to her. She lives in Italy. I assume she's a cousin of mine because we have the same last name.

EWTN

There was a visiting priest at St. Joseph's this morning. Our new pastor must not have been available. Yesterday for supper I ate pork chops & apple sauce. That's quite a traditional Brady Bunch meal. I read more of "The Possessed". It was very controversial when it was first written. Like all Dostoevsky's works it deals with things like religion & politics & the meaning of life in general. Last night I made one of my quite regular attempts to get through to Fr. Mitchell Pacwa on EWTN to ask a question on his weekly talk show. There was a Benedictine priest on the show talking about Gregorian chant. I got through & asked a question. I practiced my guitar yesterday too. "Oh! Darling" has always been a very favorite of mine so I practiced it for a while. The mailman showed up later than usual yesterday. He was somebody other than the regular guy in my neighborhood. Whenever somebody covers for the usual guy, there's trouble because he's never on time. I didn't get anything interesting anyway.

GOT GAS

Uncle Frankie's been a little ill since Sunday night so we haven't seen him lately. His sinuses were giving him trouble lately. Maybe they've kicked in again on him. I made sure I read some more of "The Possessed" yesterday. It goes by fairly fast for such a big intense book. I'm also consistently practicing all those old Beatle songs. "P.S. I Love You" & especially "Do You Want to Know A Secret" are getting easier each day lately. I went for gas & the paper this morning at the Unimart over on Shoemaker Avenue in West Wyoming. Gas there is the least expensive in the area these days. It was only $2.39.9 per gallon. Today we have to wish a rousing happy birthday to Agnes in Newfoundland, Canada. I've never seen her in person but because of the internet, I know she's out there somewhere. KrissyKrissyKrissy recently hurt her foot. Hope all goes well for her.

NICE FEAST

The library was crowded yesterday so I got kicked out early. I went to Barnes & Noble for a while. There was nothing interesting going on over there. It was just an average day. It was also the fortieth anniversary of man's very first steps on the moon. I can still remember that day even now, even though I was only nine years old at the time. I saw Woody Allen's "Match Point" yesterday. I've always been quite interested in Allen's movies. They consistently appeal to my very offbeat side. On Saturday & Sunday I made sure I went over to St. Anthony of Padua in Exeter, to their annual feast. My parents, Uncle Frankie, Fran & Lisa, & Gino & Michelle went on Sunday. There was quite a lot of eating & gambling for one & all. I even got some beer too. This year I didn't win anything though. I'm still playing "Do You Want to Know A Secret?" every day on the guitar. It's easy to play but hard to remember the exact chords for it. Today would have been Daren's birthday. Unfortunately she died around four years ago. I'm still reading "The Possessed". It gets even more interesting each time I read it.

CARMELITE MEETING

Thursday afternoon I took my car over to AA in Exeter to get its air conditioner fixed. I left it overnight for yesterday. Uncle Frankie drove me to the place & my father drove me home. It was only a minor problem, a small leak. It was very inexpensive. So far it's been working out quite well. Lately I've been regularly practicing the Beatles' "Do You Want to Know A Secret?" on the guitar. It's fairly easy to play & it's always been quite a favorite of mine. I recently started re_reading Dostoevsky's "The Possessed". It's very hard to handle so I have to pay close attention to it. This morning I went to the Carmelite meeting in Wilkes_Barre. Rosemarie Lancellotti & Fr. Garth showed up. We have to make a lot of changes from now on. Yesterday I saw Kenneth Branagh's "Othello" with Laurence Fishburne & Irene Jacob on a video tape. This weekend is the feast at St. Anthony of Padua in Exeter. It started last night but there was a violent rainstorm so I didn't go. Walter Cronkite died last night. He's the latest in a long line of recent famous deaths.

OUR LADY OF MT. CARMEL

I'm now in the West Pittston Library on Exeter Avenue. I got kicked out of Wyoming's library because of the crowd. Our new pastor, Fr. Michael Marchetti, showed up this morning for 9:00 Mass at St. Joseph. He seems pretty good so far. Last night I went over to the Victory Pig on Wyoming to meet those people from that group I'm in. Ada & Lynn Marie showed up but Jonathan & Neil never got there. We ate pizza & played miniature golf. The parking lot was absolutely packed because every Wednesday night they have some kind of a car show over there. All worked out really well except for the frustration because of traffic congestion. It was an especially nice change of pace for me. I can't even remember the last time I ever played miniature golf. As far as I know that was also my very first time at the Victory Pig. Mary Anne called very early this afternoon. There doesn't seem to be anything new going on over in New York.

PATRONAL CARMELITE FEAST DAY!

today is the Feast of Our Lady of MT. CARMEL. ave regina decor carmeli

BUON COMPLEANNO

There's been nothing going on so far. My car's air conditioning, although I took it to AA recently to get it fixed, still doesn't seem to be working. I shall have to take it back this week. Fran called my mother yesterday. Uncle Frankie showed up too. My mother decided she couldn't handle the big sandwich my father got her at O.L. Mt. Carmel so I ended up having to eat most of it. That's a habit I must most certainly not even so much as think of getting into. Last night I saw the movie "A Man For All Seasons" again. It's always been quite a favorite of mine about the life & times of St. Thomas More". Unfortunately it's two hours long but I handled it quite well. Lately I've been going home a different way from St. John's in Pittston each morning. It's a nice change of pace. I go home by way of Main St. instead of Wyoming Avenue. Today we wish a very happy birthday to my (I should assume)cousin Davide. He's in Italy. That's the right spelling of his name. All I know is that his last name is the same as mine.

O.L. MT CARMEL FEAST

The weekend was nice. It was pouring out all night Saturday. Uncle Frankie came over for a little while each day. On Saturday night I watched "The Maltese Falcon" & "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" again. I stayed up entirely too late that night, until past midnight. I couldn't go to the O.L. Mt. Carmel feast because of the miserable weather. My father, Uncle Frankie & I made sure we spent a few hours over there last night though. Even the parking wasn't so bad. I ended up pigging out on the usual soda & beer. The beer was inexpensive so I got two cups. I was afraid to get any more because too much beer makes me sick. I made sure I got a caramel ice cream cone. I also made sure I got my usual share of contest tickets. Of all the people at the feast there were only four, out of everyone I saw, whom I've ever met before. Two were the priests.