This is my 34th post of this year. In the last two and a half months I have made as many posts as I did in from April to December of last year. I am pleased my habit of regular posting is developing. For this year I am averaging once every 2-3 days.
As an update to an earlier post, someone can be taken off of the online milk carton. His blog is back up and I am adding Grano De Mostasa to the sidebar. I met David through church a long time ago. Now he is one of those all too prevalent law students. He did the Jesuit Volunteer Corps so he is currently in his first year. When you are at his blog make sure you see what places he identifies as Paradise Lost and Welcome to Hell.
This drink has a name that sounds like it is fun for the whole family.
Jager Monster
1 oz Jagermeister
1/2 oz Amaretto
1 tsp Grenadine
Orange Juice
Combine everything in the same glass. The addition of the Amaretto is something I got from the The Bartender's Black Book by Stephen Kittredge Cunningham. It is a good reference with a lot of drinks and I would recommend picking it up if you want to make any amount of mixed drinks. I have one at home and it is often consulted.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
The Passover Seder and Unleavened Bread
There was another RCIA event this past weekend. It is not a standard event for people in the program, just something the team wanted to do to teach the people. In preparation for becoming Catholic, they prepared a Jewish Passover Seder. It is the ritual meal Jews eat every year to commemorate their liberation from Egypt.
While I have been to Catholic explanations of the Seder before, this was much more detailed and authentic. I directly participated in drinking the four cups of wine, washing of the hands, breaking one of the three matzo on the plate, eating a Hillel sandwich, dipping an herb into salt water, spilling ten drops of wine for the plagues, eating charoset (mixture of apples and nuts), and singing Dayeinu (about being grateful to God) among other things.
To get into the spirit earlier in the day, I made my own matza. Everyone got the recipe at the Sunday teaching earlier in the week, but I was one of the few who actually made it. The recipe is reproduced below.
Unleavened Bread
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp Crisco
1/2 cup very hot water
Mix flour, salt, and Crisco together - Put in a Tupperware type container and shake until it is the consistency of pie dough - crumbly.
Add water.
Shake about 3 minutes, or until dough forms a small ball. Then, take the ball and THROW it (not knead it) on your counter for about 15 minutes. (You may need to take an "arm rest")!
Divide into 3 parts - put on ungreased cookie sheet and flatten before baking to about 1/4 inch.
Bake at 350 degrees about 25 minutes.
NOTE: "Throwing" it on the counter is VERY IMPORTANT and for at least 15 minutes - if you don't, the bread will be tough.
In addition to this given recipe, I took a meat tenderizer and attacked the dough every few minutes to help soften it up. I also used the tenderizer to imprint a design on two of the pieces.
Back to the Meal
There is a lot of symbolism and meaning in the Seder. It focuses on how God brought the Jewish people out of slavery in Egypt. The teaching on Sunday explained some of the background. I wanted to know more, so I stared my own online research. I have been focusing on Jewish sources to explain the Seder. I want to learn about everything in its original context, not from sources or people who cherry pick only the most helpful information for their interpretation. There are some Christian sources that ignore much of the Seder and there are some Jewish people who celebrate the Seder and say the messiah has come in Yeshua (Jesus). I will not attempt a summary, but the Unnamed Geniuses are here to help explain the Passover Seder.
All of this stuff is important to Christianity because Jesus and his apostles were Jews. The Last Supper was a Seder that was prepared and eaten in accordance with Jewish custom and law. However, Jesus does not finish it in the proscribed way. Four cups of wine must be drunk in the meal, but Jesus stands up and walks out before he would have offered the fourth cup.
A few points were brought up in what I heard and read:
The Third Scrutiny
The Third and final Scrutiny for the Elect happened two Sundays ago. All the readings are online. The Gospel for the day was the raising of Lazarus in John 11:1-45. Refer to my post on the First Scrutiny for links explaining the Scrutiny since they are all very similar.
Next for RCIA will be the Holy Thursday mass, followed by a bunch of things on Holy Saturday before the Easter Vigil (which is another big bunch of things, three sacraments, and lots of grace).
While I have been to Catholic explanations of the Seder before, this was much more detailed and authentic. I directly participated in drinking the four cups of wine, washing of the hands, breaking one of the three matzo on the plate, eating a Hillel sandwich, dipping an herb into salt water, spilling ten drops of wine for the plagues, eating charoset (mixture of apples and nuts), and singing Dayeinu (about being grateful to God) among other things.
To get into the spirit earlier in the day, I made my own matza. Everyone got the recipe at the Sunday teaching earlier in the week, but I was one of the few who actually made it. The recipe is reproduced below.
Unleavened Bread
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp Crisco
1/2 cup very hot water
Mix flour, salt, and Crisco together - Put in a Tupperware type container and shake until it is the consistency of pie dough - crumbly.
Add water.
Shake about 3 minutes, or until dough forms a small ball. Then, take the ball and THROW it (not knead it) on your counter for about 15 minutes. (You may need to take an "arm rest")!
Divide into 3 parts - put on ungreased cookie sheet and flatten before baking to about 1/4 inch.
Bake at 350 degrees about 25 minutes.
NOTE: "Throwing" it on the counter is VERY IMPORTANT and for at least 15 minutes - if you don't, the bread will be tough.
In addition to this given recipe, I took a meat tenderizer and attacked the dough every few minutes to help soften it up. I also used the tenderizer to imprint a design on two of the pieces.
Back to the Meal
There is a lot of symbolism and meaning in the Seder. It focuses on how God brought the Jewish people out of slavery in Egypt. The teaching on Sunday explained some of the background. I wanted to know more, so I stared my own online research. I have been focusing on Jewish sources to explain the Seder. I want to learn about everything in its original context, not from sources or people who cherry pick only the most helpful information for their interpretation. There are some Christian sources that ignore much of the Seder and there are some Jewish people who celebrate the Seder and say the messiah has come in Yeshua (Jesus). I will not attempt a summary, but the Unnamed Geniuses are here to help explain the Passover Seder.
All of this stuff is important to Christianity because Jesus and his apostles were Jews. The Last Supper was a Seder that was prepared and eaten in accordance with Jewish custom and law. However, Jesus does not finish it in the proscribed way. Four cups of wine must be drunk in the meal, but Jesus stands up and walks out before he would have offered the fourth cup.
A few points were brought up in what I heard and read:
- The third cup of wine is for God's redemption of Israel. After this cup Jesus suspends drinking the fourth cup until He accomplishes His redemptive work.
- Jesus is the new paschal sacrifice. Like the lamb offered in the Passover Seder, He is without blemish.
- At dinner, Jesus says He will not drink wine again until He is in His Father's kingdom. He rejects wine offered to Him until His death.
The Third Scrutiny
The Third and final Scrutiny for the Elect happened two Sundays ago. All the readings are online. The Gospel for the day was the raising of Lazarus in John 11:1-45. Refer to my post on the First Scrutiny for links explaining the Scrutiny since they are all very similar.
Next for RCIA will be the Holy Thursday mass, followed by a bunch of things on Holy Saturday before the Easter Vigil (which is another big bunch of things, three sacraments, and lots of grace).
Monday, March 29, 2010
Meet the Wolf of the Sea
On Saturday I finished reading The Sea-Wolf by Jack London. I really liked it.
To follow a tangent, Saturday was also a great food day. It started with a cheeseburger combo at In-N-Out in the early morning after watching Greenberg with Aden and Frank. For lunch I made a trip to the Hometown Buffet. I have not been to one since elementary school, and the drought has been my loss. I had to stop myself after a few plates of food because a few short hours later I was going to a Seder meal. Why I attended a Seder meal will be explained in an upcoming post.
Back to the story of the story. By an accident, the literary critic Humphrey van Weyden ends up on the sealing ship Ghost. The title refers to the ship's captain, Wolf Larsen. Much of the book is how van Weyden, or "Hump," responds to Wolf Larsen and his immoral ways.
My first thought is to compare this to the other great sea stories I have read, namely Moby-Dick. Wolf Larsen is a more interesting character than Captain Ahab. Both of them deserve places in the pantheon of mythical sea captains. If I said anything else in comparison, it would say more about Moby-Dick than The Sea-Wolf.
The worst part of the story is a plot line that emerges later in the book. It is not as good, memorable, or plausible as what centers on Wolf Larsen. However, if an expert in sailing ships or other things I am ignorant of wants to correct me please do.
The Sea-Wolf is similar to London's other works. It explores the conflict when civilized notions and value systems clash with harsh realities and tyrannical rule. I liked this book better than London's Call of the Wild.
The story reads well and I recommend it.
To follow a tangent, Saturday was also a great food day. It started with a cheeseburger combo at In-N-Out in the early morning after watching Greenberg with Aden and Frank. For lunch I made a trip to the Hometown Buffet. I have not been to one since elementary school, and the drought has been my loss. I had to stop myself after a few plates of food because a few short hours later I was going to a Seder meal. Why I attended a Seder meal will be explained in an upcoming post.
Back to the story of the story. By an accident, the literary critic Humphrey van Weyden ends up on the sealing ship Ghost. The title refers to the ship's captain, Wolf Larsen. Much of the book is how van Weyden, or "Hump," responds to Wolf Larsen and his immoral ways.
My first thought is to compare this to the other great sea stories I have read, namely Moby-Dick. Wolf Larsen is a more interesting character than Captain Ahab. Both of them deserve places in the pantheon of mythical sea captains. If I said anything else in comparison, it would say more about Moby-Dick than The Sea-Wolf.
The worst part of the story is a plot line that emerges later in the book. It is not as good, memorable, or plausible as what centers on Wolf Larsen. However, if an expert in sailing ships or other things I am ignorant of wants to correct me please do.
The Sea-Wolf is similar to London's other works. It explores the conflict when civilized notions and value systems clash with harsh realities and tyrannical rule. I liked this book better than London's Call of the Wild.
The story reads well and I recommend it.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Forms due on the 15th and some comments
One downside to writing posts but not publishing them immediately is the identifiers of time. When I first drafted this, I said today because some of the events happened on that day. Now I have to change it to this week. On the plus side, I was able to come up with better phrasing in one part and learned some details to expand upon a point.
Due last week
Last week I filed paperwork to continue an alumni group with the University of California. The group has done absolutely nothing, but they have a website, working online signup form, Facebook group, and official recognition by the Cal Alumni Association. For reasons unknown to me, the California Alumni Association became the Cal Alumni Association recently. I had to change the name in a dozen places on the website (make that 18, I just found another place) and need to find a new graphic.
If you do visit the site linked above, take a minute to look at the people sitting behind the table. I am putting their pictures on an online milk carton. One has not posted on her blog for over a month and the link to the other's blog does not work :( I know where they are in real life, but they are missing from the blogosphere.
Next month
Now I am working on my taxes. Last year I did them without TurboTax or any other preparation software. This year I am going to continue the tradition. If I can get into the habit of doing taxes without software now, when my finances get more complicated in the future I will be able to handle them better.
In January I knew I needed to get three 1099 forms for my interest and dividend income. I received two of them in January and waited for the third one. As of earlier this week it was not in my possession; so I started a search. After looking through my bank's website and asking my Dad if the form had been directed to him, I learned something. If interest income on a bank account is less than $10, the bank will not send a 1099-INT and the interest income does not need to be reported. After checking online, my interest income for last year was $7.22.
Later on I observed a second interesting thing. My 1099-DIV did not list an account that had no dividends or distributions. I would have guessed the company would have listed the account and said it generated no income, but it omitted the account entirely.
Being a civic citizen
Doing your taxes by hand (without tax preparation software) is a good exercise to understand the government. Taxes show you what behaviors a government wants to encourage or discourage. It also shows how complicated it is to navigate the thousands of pages of regulation and rules. There was a time when we professed a government of the people, by the people, for the people. When I am doing my taxes, it looks like a government of the bureaucrats, by the lawyers, for the accountants.
Recent legislation is taking us further down the wrong path. Under a new law, people will soon have to talk about their health insurance when filing taxes. People who are able to buy health insurance but chose not to will be fined (but not "criminalized") by the IRS. You would have to be a slick lawyer to invent a justification for this.
I would like to recognize Derek for doing his taxes by hand. We need more people with that old-fashioned attitude.
Due last week
Last week I filed paperwork to continue an alumni group with the University of California. The group has done absolutely nothing, but they have a website, working online signup form, Facebook group, and official recognition by the Cal Alumni Association. For reasons unknown to me, the California Alumni Association became the Cal Alumni Association recently. I had to change the name in a dozen places on the website (make that 18, I just found another place) and need to find a new graphic.
If you do visit the site linked above, take a minute to look at the people sitting behind the table. I am putting their pictures on an online milk carton. One has not posted on her blog for over a month and the link to the other's blog does not work :( I know where they are in real life, but they are missing from the blogosphere.
Next month
Now I am working on my taxes. Last year I did them without TurboTax or any other preparation software. This year I am going to continue the tradition. If I can get into the habit of doing taxes without software now, when my finances get more complicated in the future I will be able to handle them better.
In January I knew I needed to get three 1099 forms for my interest and dividend income. I received two of them in January and waited for the third one. As of earlier this week it was not in my possession; so I started a search. After looking through my bank's website and asking my Dad if the form had been directed to him, I learned something. If interest income on a bank account is less than $10, the bank will not send a 1099-INT and the interest income does not need to be reported. After checking online, my interest income for last year was $7.22.
Later on I observed a second interesting thing. My 1099-DIV did not list an account that had no dividends or distributions. I would have guessed the company would have listed the account and said it generated no income, but it omitted the account entirely.
Being a civic citizen
Doing your taxes by hand (without tax preparation software) is a good exercise to understand the government. Taxes show you what behaviors a government wants to encourage or discourage. It also shows how complicated it is to navigate the thousands of pages of regulation and rules. There was a time when we professed a government of the people, by the people, for the people. When I am doing my taxes, it looks like a government of the bureaucrats, by the lawyers, for the accountants.
Recent legislation is taking us further down the wrong path. Under a new law, people will soon have to talk about their health insurance when filing taxes. People who are able to buy health insurance but chose not to will be fined (but not "criminalized") by the IRS. You would have to be a slick lawyer to invent a justification for this.
I would like to recognize Derek for doing his taxes by hand. We need more people with that old-fashioned attitude.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The Great Divorce
Last week I finished The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis. It was recommended to me by Aden.
The Great Divorce refers to the gulf between Heaven and Hell. The book is a speculative vision of what the two places are like. It follows a character as he narrates what he sees and how he responds to his surroundings. The book describes some of the obstacles that prevent people from reaching heaven and different ways people can hold onto negative things.
I enjoyed the book. By comparison with the other two books I am currently reading, it was shorter and easier to read. This allowed me to spend more mental energy following the action and what it meant.
In the introduction, Lewis refers to a "Scientifiction" story he read that gave him some ideas he incorporates. While it does not match his description, I was reminded of the stories "Submicroscopic" and "Awlo of Ulm" by Capt. S.P. Meek (Sterner St. Paul Meek). Near the end Lewis footnotes an idea which is exactly the same as one from these two stories published in 1931. I read both of them in an anthology last month.
I do not want to say anything else about The Great Divorce, except that I recommend this easy to read book.
The Great Divorce refers to the gulf between Heaven and Hell. The book is a speculative vision of what the two places are like. It follows a character as he narrates what he sees and how he responds to his surroundings. The book describes some of the obstacles that prevent people from reaching heaven and different ways people can hold onto negative things.
I enjoyed the book. By comparison with the other two books I am currently reading, it was shorter and easier to read. This allowed me to spend more mental energy following the action and what it meant.
In the introduction, Lewis refers to a "Scientifiction" story he read that gave him some ideas he incorporates. While it does not match his description, I was reminded of the stories "Submicroscopic" and "Awlo of Ulm" by Capt. S.P. Meek (Sterner St. Paul Meek). Near the end Lewis footnotes an idea which is exactly the same as one from these two stories published in 1931. I read both of them in an anthology last month.
I do not want to say anything else about The Great Divorce, except that I recommend this easy to read book.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
A new bike, cuts on my hand, and 7-Eleven
A week ago my bike broke. I had to walk, gently ride, and finally carry it 2.25 miles back home. The gear shifter was destroyed because the rear tire hub failed. I was mad. The bike had worked wonderfully for over 18 months, but was taken to a bike shop just a month ago. After putting on new tires, a new seat, oiling everything, putting some other new stuff on and generating a $93 bill I thought the bike would would be good for a long time to come. I was wrong.
My Dad and I took the bike back to the shop and they said the hub failing has nothing to do with what they did. They said it was a cheap three piece hub and they fail often. The shop had a bike on sale they wanted to sell us for $250. I said I would think about it. To aid my thinking, I went to a biking superstore. It had ten times the floor space. I found a better bike there. It only cost $20 more and that was for the installation of a kick stand. I was very pleased and planned to never return to the other bike shop.
This new bike is sharp. More than looking good, I actually cut my finger moving it. I was able to apply a band aid and some antibiotic that expired in 1/04 on it so everything is better. Luckily my right middle finger is not used excessively in typing. One time last summer I was adjusting the spring on the garage door (the one with the warning tag that says serious injury or death could result if improperly adjusted by non-trained personal) and cut my right pinky finger. Normally, that finger is infrequently used in regular typing. However, I was doing some programing in PHP and HTML which require heavy usage of ; / ? : ' " ) = + and even some { } []. All of these are typed by the right pinky.
Springtime
Earlier today it became spring and this should be celebrated. When I lived at the Yee Tenement House, I involved my roommates in a celebration. We went to the local 7-Eleven and brought in the new season with a Double Gulp and some fine Hostess Twinkies. Well, that is what I did while Derek looked on with mixed feelings and Rohit bought a smaller sized soda.
Do you know how much soda is in a Double Gulp? They did not have the size on the cup I purchased, but from my past experience I know it is 64 oz. For comparison, that is half of a gallon, or 1.9 liters of soda. Double Gulps bring back musical memories of when I was in stage crew in high school.
Earlier this week, I went to celebrate early so I could take a picture and get it online. I bought the Double Gulp of Dr. Pepper, a Twinkie, and even threw in a Slurpee for my Mom. When I was paying for the items, the clerk asked if I wanted a donut for free. Few things in the world are better than free food so I took it.
I consumed all three of the items when I got home. With all the sugar I could feel my risk of diabetes going up. It was glorious. I do not endorse doing this every week, but I would recommend you do something to celebrate the new season in a non-pagan way.
My Dad and I took the bike back to the shop and they said the hub failing has nothing to do with what they did. They said it was a cheap three piece hub and they fail often. The shop had a bike on sale they wanted to sell us for $250. I said I would think about it. To aid my thinking, I went to a biking superstore. It had ten times the floor space. I found a better bike there. It only cost $20 more and that was for the installation of a kick stand. I was very pleased and planned to never return to the other bike shop.
This new bike is sharp. More than looking good, I actually cut my finger moving it. I was able to apply a band aid and some antibiotic that expired in 1/04 on it so everything is better. Luckily my right middle finger is not used excessively in typing. One time last summer I was adjusting the spring on the garage door (the one with the warning tag that says serious injury or death could result if improperly adjusted by non-trained personal) and cut my right pinky finger. Normally, that finger is infrequently used in regular typing. However, I was doing some programing in PHP and HTML which require heavy usage of ; / ? : ' " ) = + and even some { } []. All of these are typed by the right pinky.
Springtime
Earlier today it became spring and this should be celebrated. When I lived at the Yee Tenement House, I involved my roommates in a celebration. We went to the local 7-Eleven and brought in the new season with a Double Gulp and some fine Hostess Twinkies. Well, that is what I did while Derek looked on with mixed feelings and Rohit bought a smaller sized soda.
Do you know how much soda is in a Double Gulp? They did not have the size on the cup I purchased, but from my past experience I know it is 64 oz. For comparison, that is half of a gallon, or 1.9 liters of soda. Double Gulps bring back musical memories of when I was in stage crew in high school.
Earlier this week, I went to celebrate early so I could take a picture and get it online. I bought the Double Gulp of Dr. Pepper, a Twinkie, and even threw in a Slurpee for my Mom. When I was paying for the items, the clerk asked if I wanted a donut for free. Few things in the world are better than free food so I took it.
I consumed all three of the items when I got home. With all the sugar I could feel my risk of diabetes going up. It was glorious. I do not endorse doing this every week, but I would recommend you do something to celebrate the new season in a non-pagan way.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Irish Cocktail and Corn Casserole
In the past week I have read 100+ pages in three different books and over 30 pages of a textbook, but have not yet finished any of them. (Actually, since I wrote that line yesterday I finished one. A post will be forthcoming.)
As an update to a previous post about GRE scores, I have my actual report to share. My Analytical Writing score was 3.5 out of 6 which is in the 23rd percentile. For the other two sections, the percentiles are exactly what I guessed in the previous post, Verbal 90th and Quantitative 62nd.
As I said before, I know I can do much better on the test. While ETS says people who retake the test usually do not see a significant change in score, I have some personal experience that differs. Once upon a time back when Writing was a separate SAT II subject test (May 2003), I took it. The first time I got 520, which is the 21st percentile (from a chart I found). Before the test I had a lot of literal drama and trauma. It was one of the craziest and most surreal weeks of my life. When I took the test a second time without the extenuating circumstances, I scored 760 (or 92nd percentile). If I ever do retake the GRE, I will be preparing and aiming for 90th percentile or higher in all three sections.
Now for the next installment of Chris's Cocktails & Casseroles.
Plain and Fancy Corn Casserole
1 can creamed corn
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup cut up pepper
Little cut up onion (I used half an onion, but use less if you like it less)
2 tbsp melted butter
1/2-1 cup shredded cheese, divided
2 egg yokes
Combine and place in an ungreased (I do not believe in ungreased, but you can try if you want to) casserole pan. Top with more cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.
I doubled this recipe and added a can of whole corn. It was delicious.
This recipe was on a card in my Mom's recipe box at home. The title of Plain and Fancy comes from the TV show of the same name in Buffalo many years ago.
Even though St. Patrick's Day has passed, there is nothing wrong with enjoying this next cocktail year round.
Irish Car Bomb
Bottle Guinness beer
0.75 oz Jameson Irish whiskey
0.75 oz Baileys Irish cream
Fill a large glass half full with Guinness. Then take a shot glass and fill it half full with whiskey and then float the cream on top of that. If you want to be fancy, slowly pour the cream on the back of an inverted spoon into the already half full shot glass. Next, take the shot glass and gently (or aggressively if you don't mind a mess) drop it glass and all into the glass with the Guinness. Immediately chug the drink, as the reaction of the ingredients will start to curdle.
As an update to a previous post about GRE scores, I have my actual report to share. My Analytical Writing score was 3.5 out of 6 which is in the 23rd percentile. For the other two sections, the percentiles are exactly what I guessed in the previous post, Verbal 90th and Quantitative 62nd.
As I said before, I know I can do much better on the test. While ETS says people who retake the test usually do not see a significant change in score, I have some personal experience that differs. Once upon a time back when Writing was a separate SAT II subject test (May 2003), I took it. The first time I got 520, which is the 21st percentile (from a chart I found). Before the test I had a lot of literal drama and trauma. It was one of the craziest and most surreal weeks of my life. When I took the test a second time without the extenuating circumstances, I scored 760 (or 92nd percentile). If I ever do retake the GRE, I will be preparing and aiming for 90th percentile or higher in all three sections.
Now for the next installment of Chris's Cocktails & Casseroles.
Plain and Fancy Corn Casserole
1 can creamed corn
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup cut up pepper
Little cut up onion (I used half an onion, but use less if you like it less)
2 tbsp melted butter
1/2-1 cup shredded cheese, divided
2 egg yokes
Combine and place in an ungreased (I do not believe in ungreased, but you can try if you want to) casserole pan. Top with more cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.
I doubled this recipe and added a can of whole corn. It was delicious.
This recipe was on a card in my Mom's recipe box at home. The title of Plain and Fancy comes from the TV show of the same name in Buffalo many years ago.
Even though St. Patrick's Day has passed, there is nothing wrong with enjoying this next cocktail year round.
Irish Car Bomb
Bottle Guinness beer
0.75 oz Jameson Irish whiskey
0.75 oz Baileys Irish cream
Fill a large glass half full with Guinness. Then take a shot glass and fill it half full with whiskey and then float the cream on top of that. If you want to be fancy, slowly pour the cream on the back of an inverted spoon into the already half full shot glass. Next, take the shot glass and gently (or aggressively if you don't mind a mess) drop it glass and all into the glass with the Guinness. Immediately chug the drink, as the reaction of the ingredients will start to curdle.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Forgiveness through Reconciliation
This past weekend there was a reconciliation retreat for RCIA.
Before the candidates are received into the church at the Easter Vigil, they have the opportunity to go through the sacrament of Reconciliation. To this end, the retreat explained the basis behind Reconciliation, why we need it, and how it helps us. It also covered the motions and words of the sacrament itself since neither the candidates nor the elect had completed it before. For those of you not familiar with the rites of the Catholic Church, I will give a summary of Reconciliation.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation
Movies and TV often portray Reconciliation happening in a wooden box where a person speaks to a priest through a screen. While this was the standard setup in olden days, most churches now have small rooms on the side for the sacrament. A person can either speak to a priest anonymously through a screen, or sit and talk face to face.
In the first part of the sacrament, a person goes to a priest and confesses his sins. They could be serious like "I killed a person" or "I cheated on my spouse" to the less serious like "I told a lie" or "I stole a candy bar."
The priest is not allowed to talk about what people tell him in confession. Priests have been excommunicated from the church for breaking this rule. This confidentiality is also protected in civil law. Priests cannot be legally compelled to reveal what they are told in the sacrament. To avoid getting sidetracked, I will not cover all the legal details here.
After the confession, the priest will often offer some advice. At this point, there could be a scripture reading or a prayer such as an Act of Contrition. The priest will then give a penance to the person. The completion of the penance shows the person is sorry and willing to make amends for his actions. A normal penance is praying a certain number of prayers, but they can be more direct such as apologizing to a person who was wronged or returning what was stolen. The priest then gives absolution. It is not the priest who forgives sins, but God who works through the priest.
Back to the Retreat
At the end of the retreat, the candidates (the baptized from other denominations) all went to Reconciliation. The elect (the unbaptized) did not, since baptism would cleanse them from sin before they received the Eucharist. Since I am sponsoring an elect person, I sat through six hours of explanation of something I have done a dozen times to support someone who would not be going through Reconciliation at the end of the day.
It had been a year since my last confession so I went. Afterward I felt the burden of my sins removed. It was not just me. Several of the people who made their first Reconciliation felt as if a weight was lifted off of them.
The Second Scrutiny
The motions and prayers of the Second Scrutiny are very similar to the First Scrutiny. All the readings that were used are online. They are different from the regular readings used for the Fourth Sunday of Lent. While RICA had the Gospel of Jesus healing a blind man in the ninth chapter of John, everyone else heard about the Prodigal Son.
If any of our Protestant friends have comments about Reconciliation, I would enjoy hearing them.
Before the candidates are received into the church at the Easter Vigil, they have the opportunity to go through the sacrament of Reconciliation. To this end, the retreat explained the basis behind Reconciliation, why we need it, and how it helps us. It also covered the motions and words of the sacrament itself since neither the candidates nor the elect had completed it before. For those of you not familiar with the rites of the Catholic Church, I will give a summary of Reconciliation.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation
Movies and TV often portray Reconciliation happening in a wooden box where a person speaks to a priest through a screen. While this was the standard setup in olden days, most churches now have small rooms on the side for the sacrament. A person can either speak to a priest anonymously through a screen, or sit and talk face to face.
In the first part of the sacrament, a person goes to a priest and confesses his sins. They could be serious like "I killed a person" or "I cheated on my spouse" to the less serious like "I told a lie" or "I stole a candy bar."
The priest is not allowed to talk about what people tell him in confession. Priests have been excommunicated from the church for breaking this rule. This confidentiality is also protected in civil law. Priests cannot be legally compelled to reveal what they are told in the sacrament. To avoid getting sidetracked, I will not cover all the legal details here.
After the confession, the priest will often offer some advice. At this point, there could be a scripture reading or a prayer such as an Act of Contrition. The priest will then give a penance to the person. The completion of the penance shows the person is sorry and willing to make amends for his actions. A normal penance is praying a certain number of prayers, but they can be more direct such as apologizing to a person who was wronged or returning what was stolen. The priest then gives absolution. It is not the priest who forgives sins, but God who works through the priest.
Back to the Retreat
At the end of the retreat, the candidates (the baptized from other denominations) all went to Reconciliation. The elect (the unbaptized) did not, since baptism would cleanse them from sin before they received the Eucharist. Since I am sponsoring an elect person, I sat through six hours of explanation of something I have done a dozen times to support someone who would not be going through Reconciliation at the end of the day.
It had been a year since my last confession so I went. Afterward I felt the burden of my sins removed. It was not just me. Several of the people who made their first Reconciliation felt as if a weight was lifted off of them.
The Second Scrutiny
The motions and prayers of the Second Scrutiny are very similar to the First Scrutiny. All the readings that were used are online. They are different from the regular readings used for the Fourth Sunday of Lent. While RICA had the Gospel of Jesus healing a blind man in the ninth chapter of John, everyone else heard about the Prodigal Son.
If any of our Protestant friends have comments about Reconciliation, I would enjoy hearing them.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
A book that lacked depth
Sometime I need to see a doctor and get an MRI to see what part of my brain comes up with titles for my posts.
I finished the novella Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin Abbott Abbott. While I first heard about the story a long time ago in the context of dimensions and their perception, I was actually inspired to pick up the book when it was listed at the end of Animal Farm's Wikipedia entry. It was mentioned as similar in being satirical of society. However, this connection is tenuous and I would never purpose a link between the works myself.
The story is about a two dimensional character called a Square. He relates his existence in a two dimensional world and what he has learned of other worlds that contain zero, one, and three dimensions. The commentary on Victorian society (the book was published in 1884) is done by transferring social values to the world of Flatland. Different classes of people are portrayed as different shapes with interaction rules between them. However, it is the experience and description of other dimensions that makes this book worth reading today.
This is a great library book. It is fun to go through once and the scenery is great for thinking about and describing other things. The two dimensional world of a Square is a wonderful place to imagine yourself. It's society is well developed.
I finished the novella Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin Abbott Abbott. While I first heard about the story a long time ago in the context of dimensions and their perception, I was actually inspired to pick up the book when it was listed at the end of Animal Farm's Wikipedia entry. It was mentioned as similar in being satirical of society. However, this connection is tenuous and I would never purpose a link between the works myself.
The story is about a two dimensional character called a Square. He relates his existence in a two dimensional world and what he has learned of other worlds that contain zero, one, and three dimensions. The commentary on Victorian society (the book was published in 1884) is done by transferring social values to the world of Flatland. Different classes of people are portrayed as different shapes with interaction rules between them. However, it is the experience and description of other dimensions that makes this book worth reading today.
This is a great library book. It is fun to go through once and the scenery is great for thinking about and describing other things. The two dimensional world of a Square is a wonderful place to imagine yourself. It's society is well developed.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The First Scrutiny, including Exorcism
In the continuing journey of RCIA, Sunday was the third Sunday of Lent and the First Scrutiny for the elect.
The readings for the day, specifically chosen for the First Scrutiny, were from Exodus 17: 3-7 and Romans 5:1-8. The Gospel was from John 4: 5 – 42. This is a passage I do not understand as well as I would like to. Before going any further, if you would like to read the long Gospel passage of the woman at the well you can follow the link to See More...
[Jesus] came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there. Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well. It was about noon.
A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, "How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?" (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." (The woman) said to him, "Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water."
Jesus said to her, "Go call your husband and come back." The woman answered and said to him, "I do not have a husband." Jesus answered her, "You are right in saying, 'I do not have a husband.' For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true." The woman said to him, "Sir, I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem." Jesus said to her, "Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth." The woman said to him, "I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Anointed; when he comes, he will tell us everything." Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking with you."
At that moment his disciples returned, and were amazed that he was talking with a woman, but still no one said, "What are you looking for?" or "Why are you talking with her?" The woman left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people, "Come see a man who told me everything I have done. Could he possibly be the Messiah?" They went out of the town and came to him. Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat." But he said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know." So the disciples said to one another, "Could someone have brought him something to eat?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, 'In four months the harvest will be here'? I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest. The reaper is already receiving his payment and gathering crops for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together. For here the saying is verified that 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the work, and you are sharing the fruits of their work."
Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me everything I have done." When the Samaritans came to him, they invited him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. Many more began to believe in him because of his word, and they said to the woman, "We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world."
Observations on the Gospel
These are two things I have heard other people bring up.
If you have any insightful comments they would be appreciated.
The First Scrutiny
There were no programs for this like there were for the Rite of Election. However, there is a summary of what happens here and a complete text available in pdf here. My comments about links three weeks ago bear repeating if the message has not gotten across.
The Scrutiny consisted of praying over the elect. The priest prayed a prayer of exorcism that the elect be delivered from all mistrust and not be misled. At the same time, the congregation prayed quietly for the elect. After more prayers for the elect, the priest placed his hand on each of the elect to bless them. Since there are only three elect in the parish, it was easy for him.
The Second and Third Scrutinies are happening on the next two Sundays. If you get a chance you can find out at what mass they do the RCIA stuff and go at that time to see it for yourself.
The readings for the day, specifically chosen for the First Scrutiny, were from Exodus 17: 3-7 and Romans 5:1-8. The Gospel was from John 4: 5 – 42. This is a passage I do not understand as well as I would like to. Before going any further, if you would like to read the long Gospel passage of the woman at the well you can follow the link to See More...
[Jesus] came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there. Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well. It was about noon.
A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, "How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?" (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." (The woman) said to him, "Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water."
Jesus said to her, "Go call your husband and come back." The woman answered and said to him, "I do not have a husband." Jesus answered her, "You are right in saying, 'I do not have a husband.' For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true." The woman said to him, "Sir, I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem." Jesus said to her, "Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth." The woman said to him, "I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Anointed; when he comes, he will tell us everything." Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking with you."
At that moment his disciples returned, and were amazed that he was talking with a woman, but still no one said, "What are you looking for?" or "Why are you talking with her?" The woman left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people, "Come see a man who told me everything I have done. Could he possibly be the Messiah?" They went out of the town and came to him. Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat." But he said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know." So the disciples said to one another, "Could someone have brought him something to eat?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, 'In four months the harvest will be here'? I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest. The reaper is already receiving his payment and gathering crops for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together. For here the saying is verified that 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the work, and you are sharing the fruits of their work."
Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me everything I have done." When the Samaritans came to him, they invited him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. Many more began to believe in him because of his word, and they said to the woman, "We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world."
Observations on the Gospel
These are two things I have heard other people bring up.
- The woman is at the well at midday. Most people drew their water in the morning or evening to avoid the heat. Only the outcasts would go to the well at midday, so this woman must be an outcast of the village. Samaritans were also looked down upon by Jews of the time.
- The woman has five husbands. At the time, Israel had been occupied by five different countries. The woman can be understood as Israel, giving itself to five different foreign forces and their gods.
If you have any insightful comments they would be appreciated.
The First Scrutiny
There were no programs for this like there were for the Rite of Election. However, there is a summary of what happens here and a complete text available in pdf here. My comments about links three weeks ago bear repeating if the message has not gotten across.
The Scrutiny consisted of praying over the elect. The priest prayed a prayer of exorcism that the elect be delivered from all mistrust and not be misled. At the same time, the congregation prayed quietly for the elect. After more prayers for the elect, the priest placed his hand on each of the elect to bless them. Since there are only three elect in the parish, it was easy for him.
The Second and Third Scrutinies are happening on the next two Sundays. If you get a chance you can find out at what mass they do the RCIA stuff and go at that time to see it for yourself.
Acknowledging a few people
I have some comments related to people and blogs.
I would like to welcome and acknowledge two recent readers. First is Aden. We attended the same high school. He has a blog reviewing the movies, music, and books he comes across. Aden has made many comments on posts, even if the posts are well beyond the homepage.
Next there is James. We lived on the same floors freshman and sophomore years of college, were in the same political club, and wrote/edited/managed/promoted/traveled the state and country for/distributed the California Patriot magazine. James's blog covers working for a Korean accounting company and bringing the redemptive power of Jesus into people's lives. At one point there were rumors we were brothers because of some similarities in appearance.
Lastly, I am rolling out a blogroll. Also on it are other frequent readers and commentators (since commenters is not a recognized word). Their 10 second introductions:
I would like to welcome and acknowledge two recent readers. First is Aden. We attended the same high school. He has a blog reviewing the movies, music, and books he comes across. Aden has made many comments on posts, even if the posts are well beyond the homepage.
Next there is James. We lived on the same floors freshman and sophomore years of college, were in the same political club, and wrote/edited/managed/promoted/traveled the state and country for/distributed the California Patriot magazine. James's blog covers working for a Korean accounting company and bringing the redemptive power of Jesus into people's lives. At one point there were rumors we were brothers because of some similarities in appearance.
Lastly, I am rolling out a blogroll. Also on it are other frequent readers and commentators (since commenters is not a recognized word). Their 10 second introductions:
- Amanda is attending law school in the District of Columbia. We met in college and worked together in a lot of things at church. Between leading Seekers Bible study for 5 semesters, being on the Student Ministry Team for a year, and a bunch of other things we spent a ridiculous amount of time working together. The vast majority of the time was fun.
- Linda lives in San Francisco and is a fan of fashion. We lived on the same floor freshman year and she spends a lot of time with my Associate. Linda has a degree in English and is a people person.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
An Introduction to the Manor Farm
On Sunday I finished reading Animal Farm by George Orwell.
Why I picked it up at the time I did: When I read some things about Jack London it linked his dystopian novel The Iron Heel to Nineteen Eighty-Four. That put Orwell in my mind. Later when I went to the library and was reading God is not Great, it mentioned Animal Farm and asked why heaven hates ham? In light of my earlier posts about BBQ, I knew I had to read the book immediately.
Under the original title Animal Farm, A Fairy Story, it was written by Orwell to express what he saw happening in Russia after the revolution. The promises and subversions of the revolution leaders are examined by the actions of animals who take over a farm. If you have not read the book, it is short, easy to understand, and enjoyable.
If possible, you should read Orwell's purposed but originally unpublished introduction to the novel. There is a copy of the introduction available online. It summarizes his struggle to find a publisher and is a tract for freedom of the press. Also floating around out there is Orwell's introduction to the Ukrainian edition of the novel. It basically introduces Orwell as the author, establishes his involvement in the Spanish Civil War, and why the story is important to him. However, reading the previous paragraph of this post is more introductory material than you need to reap the knowledge of the book. These are both good introductions, unlike the one in front of the edition I read.
A word on Introductions
Why do publishers put writing in the front of books and call them introductions if they give away details of the plot and slant viewpoints of the readers? Are works really so hard to understand or people so stupid that they need to be told the lessons and points of the story before it begins? An introduction that comes before a work (novel, short story, etc.) should respect the plot and actions of what is to follow.
As a person who writes things and tells stories, I would be offended if my work was preempted by spoiler type information. Surprise, contradiction, and sudden plot twists can be used to great effect. However, if a publisher has given away the farm with dissemination of details up front the reader is robbed of the full force and experience of reading the work.
In Animal Farm, when something bad happened to one of the characters at the end of the book, I knew it was going to happen because the introduction had already hinted at it. Any feelings of outrage or betrayal I felt were tempered, because I knew what was coming long before the end.
There is something called an afterword. It is placed after the work and read after the work. As such, it can give a fuller discussion of the book and mention any details of the plot it wants to.
As I have said before, I will not carelessly reveal any details of books or other works on this blog that could take away from experiencing the works themselves for the first time. The following image does not tell anything about the story or what will happen to any of the characters so I will post it. It is what I imagined the flag to be like when I was reading the book.
Now it is time for something else.
Drama Queen
2 oz Rum
1/2 oz Peach schnapps
Orange juice
7-up
After combining the rum and peach schnapps, fill with half 7-up and half orange juice. I found this drink at Bar None Drinks.
Why I picked it up at the time I did: When I read some things about Jack London it linked his dystopian novel The Iron Heel to Nineteen Eighty-Four. That put Orwell in my mind. Later when I went to the library and was reading God is not Great, it mentioned Animal Farm and asked why heaven hates ham? In light of my earlier posts about BBQ, I knew I had to read the book immediately.
Under the original title Animal Farm, A Fairy Story, it was written by Orwell to express what he saw happening in Russia after the revolution. The promises and subversions of the revolution leaders are examined by the actions of animals who take over a farm. If you have not read the book, it is short, easy to understand, and enjoyable.
If possible, you should read Orwell's purposed but originally unpublished introduction to the novel. There is a copy of the introduction available online. It summarizes his struggle to find a publisher and is a tract for freedom of the press. Also floating around out there is Orwell's introduction to the Ukrainian edition of the novel. It basically introduces Orwell as the author, establishes his involvement in the Spanish Civil War, and why the story is important to him. However, reading the previous paragraph of this post is more introductory material than you need to reap the knowledge of the book. These are both good introductions, unlike the one in front of the edition I read.
A word on Introductions
Why do publishers put writing in the front of books and call them introductions if they give away details of the plot and slant viewpoints of the readers? Are works really so hard to understand or people so stupid that they need to be told the lessons and points of the story before it begins? An introduction that comes before a work (novel, short story, etc.) should respect the plot and actions of what is to follow.
As a person who writes things and tells stories, I would be offended if my work was preempted by spoiler type information. Surprise, contradiction, and sudden plot twists can be used to great effect. However, if a publisher has given away the farm with dissemination of details up front the reader is robbed of the full force and experience of reading the work.
In Animal Farm, when something bad happened to one of the characters at the end of the book, I knew it was going to happen because the introduction had already hinted at it. Any feelings of outrage or betrayal I felt were tempered, because I knew what was coming long before the end.
There is something called an afterword. It is placed after the work and read after the work. As such, it can give a fuller discussion of the book and mention any details of the plot it wants to.
As I have said before, I will not carelessly reveal any details of books or other works on this blog that could take away from experiencing the works themselves for the first time. The following image does not tell anything about the story or what will happen to any of the characters so I will post it. It is what I imagined the flag to be like when I was reading the book.
Now it is time for something else.Drama Queen
2 oz Rum
1/2 oz Peach schnapps
Orange juice
7-up
After combining the rum and peach schnapps, fill with half 7-up and half orange juice. I found this drink at Bar None Drinks.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Some things from Christmas: Legos, Star Wars, Indiana Jones
As many of you know, I have a lot of Legos (61,172 pieces in 330 cataloged sets to be exact). If you have not seen them, give me a call and a stop by my house can be arranged.
These are all sets I got around Christmas time. While I only opened the last of them last week, I had the idea of giving a pictorial tour.
This is the Home One Mon Calamari Star Cruiser set. There are a few things to highlight here. The A-Wing is on a stand that turns it and can move it forward and back in the bay. Moving one control, the ship can be perfectly situated. This makes it easy to use the crane above to remove part of the engine. There is a similar set up for Admiral Ackbar's chair. Lets not forget the other exciting part of the set, the mini-figure of Admiral Ackbar himself!
Assembly Process
The set of the Home One above has 789 pieces (which is at the high end of piece counts). The pieces came in numbered plastic bags. First a person opens all the bags labeled 1 and puts together the first part of the set. Next, all the 2 bags are opened, the second part of the set is completed with those pieces, and so on. The advantage is a person only has to look through one part of the pieces at a time instead of all the pieces. For the three bag sets of this model, this means the most pieces a person has to deal with at a time is under 300.
Separated bags can be very helpful. However, the idea is not consistently applied. My example is the next set, the Medieval Market Village. This set contains 1601 pieces, over twice as many as the above Star Wars set. (For comparison, 1601 is in the crazy section of piece counts. Of my 330 sets, only 3 have more pieces.) There were no separated and numbered bags with it. This makes no sense. If you are having trouble visualizing what that many Lego pieces look like before assembly, I can help.
While many pictures are wroth a thousand words, this one is a step above at sixteen hundred pieces.
All of these pieces come together nicely. There is a little blacksmith shop with a water wheel that drives a hammer and a furnace. Next door is a stable with stalls for two horses. Upstairs is a chimney with an enclosed oven. The other building has an inn or someone's fancy house. A door opens to a table and keg of beer. A stairway up leads to a bedroom with a bed, fireplace, dresser, and a table with a view out on the village square. The Lego website has some pictures and even a 360 view of the set.
There was also an Indiana Jones set. It is the Venice canal chase. One of the boats even has a detachable back end for when it gets destroyed.
These are all sets I got around Christmas time. While I only opened the last of them last week, I had the idea of giving a pictorial tour.
This is the Home One Mon Calamari Star Cruiser set. There are a few things to highlight here. The A-Wing is on a stand that turns it and can move it forward and back in the bay. Moving one control, the ship can be perfectly situated. This makes it easy to use the crane above to remove part of the engine. There is a similar set up for Admiral Ackbar's chair. Lets not forget the other exciting part of the set, the mini-figure of Admiral Ackbar himself!
Assembly Process
The set of the Home One above has 789 pieces (which is at the high end of piece counts). The pieces came in numbered plastic bags. First a person opens all the bags labeled 1 and puts together the first part of the set. Next, all the 2 bags are opened, the second part of the set is completed with those pieces, and so on. The advantage is a person only has to look through one part of the pieces at a time instead of all the pieces. For the three bag sets of this model, this means the most pieces a person has to deal with at a time is under 300.
Separated bags can be very helpful. However, the idea is not consistently applied. My example is the next set, the Medieval Market Village. This set contains 1601 pieces, over twice as many as the above Star Wars set. (For comparison, 1601 is in the crazy section of piece counts. Of my 330 sets, only 3 have more pieces.) There were no separated and numbered bags with it. This makes no sense. If you are having trouble visualizing what that many Lego pieces look like before assembly, I can help.
While many pictures are wroth a thousand words, this one is a step above at sixteen hundred pieces.
All of these pieces come together nicely. There is a little blacksmith shop with a water wheel that drives a hammer and a furnace. Next door is a stable with stalls for two horses. Upstairs is a chimney with an enclosed oven. The other building has an inn or someone's fancy house. A door opens to a table and keg of beer. A stairway up leads to a bedroom with a bed, fireplace, dresser, and a table with a view out on the village square. The Lego website has some pictures and even a 360 view of the set.
There was also an Indiana Jones set. It is the Venice canal chase. One of the boats even has a detachable back end for when it gets destroyed.
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