Καλό μήνα Popeless Lion

Retiring to Cancun? Via con Dios!

Today there is no Pope (well, there is, just not a Roman Catholic one) and March came in like a lion around here.
There is an old saying that goes something like, in like a lamb, out like a lion.  In other words, if the March starts out mild then it will end bitter and cold.  I've always considered the opposite to be true too, in like a lion, out like a lamb.  So this lion business today is good news.  It was snowing this morning and in the mid 20s (F).

Pope Benedict XVI's resignation was official yesterday so there going to have to elect a new Pope.  I am putting up a new poll about what you would do if you were elected.

Before I get into that I wanted to report on my goal progress.  I'm continuing with P90X fairly well.  I've got some aches and pains which seem to come to me right around the 60th day.  The wear and tear gets to me and I'm going to have to fight through it.  I have been bouncing around the weight I started with (actually I've been yo-yoing under it) so I'm hoping the last 30 days is when you loose all the weight.

I've been very lax on working on Greek.  I've let it slip and I'm going to have to buckle down.  It's mostly a matter of discipline.  I have some things to work on and I planned on working on it whenever I get a free moment, to fill up the empty minutes between things.  I haven't actually been doing that though just because I've had a hard time motivating myself.

I've also let the job hunt slip a bit.  They've changed the job search system  here at work and the automatic notices of posting has stopped working.  I haven't figured out how to get it back yet.  That's the next thing I need to work on.

I have to get my Girl Scout training in this month, so I'm going to be VERY busy doing that.

We are moving our Commissioner meetings starting this month.  I think that is an important step in getting our Commissioner staff right.  We will see what we can do with that.

I've been reading a lot of Chicago history blogs and forums lately.  I have a bunch of DVDs produced by WTTW and Geofery Baer about Chicago and I watch them pretty often.  I think I've decided that I'm going to go with a detective theme for my Chicago History Podcast. 

I've figured out a way to synergize my spiritual and Archaeology goals by learning how to make fire the Amerindian way.  This will involve learning the correct woods to use, which involves learning the trees.  I love it when a plan comes together.  I'm going to work on it after it gets warmer, later in the Spring.

My last goal is to join a club.  As you can see I've been pretty busy and this is my last priority so I haven't done anything with this.

Last month's poll was, "When do you think the USA will fall from superpower status?"  This poll didn't get very much traffic at all.  There were only 3 votes including mine.  Within the next 15 years won by two to one against, "In this century."

Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria

My new poll will hopefully garner more enthusiasm.  Since the College of Cardinals is currently meeting to elect a new Pope, and conceivably they could elect ANYONE that God tells them to, they could elect YOU (or me).

The poll has this in mind as a starting point.  Assuming you are elected Pope and assuming you accept the job (pretty secure and it includes room and board, and uniforms) AND assuming (and this is the biggest assumption) you can actually change some things, what would be the FIRST thing you change?

• Homosexuality is no longer a sin - This would allow gay priests and presumably gay marriage etc.
• Priests can get married,  and/or married people can become priests (all clergy really)
• Women can be priests (bishops, Pope, etc.)
• Birth control is not a sin, do it people
• Fertilized human egg cells are NOT people - we can argue the validity of abortion and so forth so other time, but here I'm thinking about the RC policy that as soon as a single egg cell is fertilized it is a human and must be treated as a human, even if it would be naturally aborted and COULD NEVER develop into an actual human being.
• Zero tolerance policy on pedophilia and other sex crimes - if they are found they are out, excommunicated, turned over to the law enforcement community instantly, no exceptions
• Reunite with the Orthodox Church
• Other

Oddly enough none of these things are really theological except maybe reuniting the churches.  They don't really deal with who God is, but more about who we are.  I don't know if these are really the most important issues, even though they are certainly the issues we more secularly minded people are most interested in.

Let's talk about it and certainly vote on it.  Come on people let's vote.  The Cardinals are doing it, so should we.