Almudena

I was brought up to believe
The universe has a plan
We are only human
It’s not ours to understand

The universe has a plan
All is for the best
Some will be rewarded
And the devil take the rest

All is for the best
Believe in what we’re told
Blind men in the market
Buying what we’re sold
Believe in what we’re told
Until our final breath
While our loving Watchmaker
Loves us all to death

-Rush


I am listening to the new Rush album and i am blown away at how Geddy can still hit those high notes. He can still screech. He's 58 years old! And the rest of the band sounds great as well. There are a truly unique group.


Maria was at Bender Tuesday and i gave her a disc with part of the new live album on it. She really loved it. She says she still listens to all the discs i gave her when we were dating eons ago. I'm kind of like a one man support group for women who really like Rush.

Save Them, For They Are Precious Few

That's the PSA. I'm going to be on the George Papandreou show next month. Check your listings! 10:00 GMT + 1 on channel ΦΣΔ.


Now i'm going to grill a 1/2 kilo steak before i go teach! Today is a holiday; St. Almudena. Only in Madrid.


from traditioninaction.org;


The devotion to Our Lady of Almudena, patroness of Madrid, began in the 11th century. Tradition tells us that when Dom Alfonso VI conquered Madrid in 1083, he immediately ordered the purification of the Church of Santa Maria, which had been profaned by the Moors.

Since the statue of Our Lady, which the Apostle St. James had placed in that building in the early days of the Chuch, had disappeared, the King, together with the religious authorities, made a procession praying to Our Lord to help them find the statue. The pious cortege processed around the walls of the city, singing and praying.

At a certain moment, part of the wall fell and they found the statue of Our Lady that had been hidden there for over 300 years. On either side of the statue were two candles – still lighted and burning – that Catholics had placed there in homage of the Virgin before closing the niche where they had hidden her statue. Almudena means market or granary, and this name was given to the statue because the place where it was hidden was near the Moorish granary.


What a load of moosh.