Not My Fault. (For Once.)

Archive.org, the kind and public-spirited host of my many public domain soundfiles, is currently experiencing technical difficulties. Podcasting will resume whenever they cease having problems.

Yes, I’m Behind Again.

I was too tired yesterday, and I’ve got to get out of here early to go to a company function today. (Albeit a fun company function!) But when I get back later today, I will post the latest parts of Dark Night and Everlasting Man.

See you in a bit!

#709: Ch. 27, Bk. 3, Pastoral Care by St. Gregory the Great

Pastoral Care continues with some general pastoral problems of the married and the single.

Book 3, Chapter 27

14:03.

#708: Chs. 28-29, Bk. IV, Against Heresies by St. Irenaeus of Lyons

Against Heresies continues with a look at the foolishness of exaggerating New Testament mercies and Old Testament punishments to prove that different gods were responsible for them. Irenaeus also points out that people who know all about Jesus’ coming and teaching are held to a higher standard. In the next chapter, Irenaeus argues against the Marcionite contention that it was all God’s fault that Pharaoh did bad things.

Book 4, Chapters 28-29

12:05.

#707: Bk. 16A, Gerusalemme Liberata by Torquato Tasso

Gerusalemme Liberata continues, as the questing knights arrive at the witch Armida’s little secret lair/love shack. It’s time to free Rinaldo.

Book 16A

22:36.

#704: Ch. 7, Bk. I, The Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross

The Dark Night of the Soul continues with a discussion of spiritual envy and sloth in beginners. (Next week we actually get into the Dark Night stuff.)

Chapter 7

6:14.

UPDATE: Broken link fixed. Thanks, Wald!

#703: Ch. 24, Fatherless Fanny by Anon.

Fatherless Fanny continues. When we last saw the Duke of Albemarle, he was being forced to trust the word of an irresponsible poor little rich girl who likes playing pranks. No wonder this chapter is named:

Chapter 24: Painful Suspense

9:13.

#702: Part 2, “The Dope Fiends” by Arthur B. Reeves

Constance Dunlap’s most famous adventure, “The Dope Fiends”, concludes with a bit of what was then science fiction and a bit of 1913 noir.

“The Dope Fiends”, Part 2

22:51.

#701: Part 1, “The Dope Fiends” by Arthur B. Reeves

I’m going to start reading some Constance Dunlap stories by Arthur B. Reeves. Constance is a detective I really enjoy.

I thought it might be wise to begin with the most famous Dunlap story, “The Dope Fiends”, even though it’s set when she’s already been a detective for quite a while. “The Dope Fiends” is probably the first story ever to portray drugdealers with realism, and most people think Reeves got the research for it from his friends in the police. You’ll find all sorts of other modern touches appearing for the first time; Reeves loved to write on the cutting edge of technology, or ahead of it.

“The Dope Fiends”, Part 1

18:28.

The GOOPFIC Project

The GOOPFIC Project is a handy index of known fiction works that are full view books on books.google.com. Banshee says, “Check it out!”

#700: “On Lent - Sermon 8″ by Pope St. Leo the Great

More Lenten sermon action with Leo the Great! The Attila-braving pope briefs you on some of those little Lenten obligations you may have been forgetting — like forgiving your enemies, and reconciling with them.

Sermon 8 on Lent (Sermon 46 out of all his sermons)

11:46.

Of course you remember that I did one of Leo’s Lent sermons previously, but Father Z’s PODCAzT today covered part of Sermon 48.

#699: Ch. 26, Bk. 3, Pastoral Care by St. Gregory the Great

Pastoral Care continues with a look at people who get what they want in this world, and people who don’t.

Chapter 26

10:41.

#698: Ch. 27, Bk. 4, Against Heresies by St. Irenaeus of Lyons

Against Heresies continues, with a look at why Christians (and Gnostics) should learn from the mistakes and sins of people in the Old Testament, not think themselves better than them.

Book 4, Chapter 27

16:58.

A New Podcast of Note

Via Joy, I found out that Sharon Lee and Steve Miller are serializing a new novel online. They also have a friend simul-podcasting it. Fledgling tells the story of a university and school system of the future where a professorial mother and father and a student daughter are getting caught in the gears. But I have a hunch they’ll find a way to work the system instead of letting it work them….

Obviously, I haven’t read the end yet. But based on past experience? Recommended for fans of science fiction, romance, and/or cats.

(Miller and Lee are not only fun but reasonably reliable on common sense and values, although their novels do sometimes privilege situations which are not all that one might wish. This is about as wholesome as one can expect these days.)

Status Report

I’m feeling a good deal better. A lot of my strength has come back and the itty-bitty bits of gunk in my lungs seem to have gone away. (At any rate, I can’t feel them and they’ve stopped making that disconcerting whistling sound. Oxygen is your friend.)

The problem is that this is still late winter/early spring in lovely Sinus Valley, so I’m still getting enough drippage to stay slightly hoarse. However, I did manage to make it through both choir practice and Sunday Mass up in the choir loft without exhaustion or some kind of relapse. I think I’ve turned the corner on this sinus infection.

However, I won’t be podcasting during most of Holy Week, because that’s a busy week for us in choir. And I won’t be podcasting during most of the week before, either, because this year that’s our “parish mission”, aka week of Catholic revival meetings. So all in all, I’m afraid I’ve not been much spiritual help to y’all this Lent, although you seem to have gotten good use of my back catalog.

(Spiritual warfare, or Somebody telling Maureen she should have knocked off podcasting for Lent? We report, you decide.)