My First 7 Quick Takes For 2011

Welcome once again (my first this year) to 7 Quick Takes Friday, in which I share a few personal items I feel are at least somewhat newsworthy and a few that are there to fill out the full seven takes.

1)  First I would like to thank all the heavy hitters who were kind enough to link to my March For Life post, making me feel like a major blog if only for a week or so.  It's really the only time I get massive numbers on Sitemeter (when I cover the March).  Lisa Graas, Jennifer Fulwiler, Elizabeth Scalia, Jeff Miller (Curt Jester), Allen Troupe, and Mary DeTurris Poust [Our Sunday Visitor (Daily Take)] who said some really nice things about the work I did, all linked to me giving me more exposure in one week than I get all year long.  Added to that was attention from the foreign press.  It's nice to be noticed, and then to slip back into virtual anonymity (yeah, right).  But I'd gladly end it if we didn't have to march at all anymore.

He got paid $120 for doing this!

2)  The snow storms we had 2 weeks ago seem like a distant memory, and I thought at one point I would be routed around them, but no such luck.  The picture you see is of a trailer I picked up in Hiawatha, IA that was backed against a building, causing the snow to drift toward the rear of the roof.  If only I had taken the picture before the overpass on I-380 knocked the 5ft tower of snow off the rear.  But as you can see I still had to hire someone who weighed less than me to climb up there and shovel it off, lest an avalanche fall upon an unsuspecting 4-wheeler en route.  Plus, I went under another 14'6" overpass which knocked most of the rest off.  The original sight looked like an elephant laying on its back with its hind legs in the air.

3)  How is that stimulus (porkulus) from 2 years ago working out for YOU?

4)  I mentioned sometime ago I was discerning a vocation for monastic life.  Well, I still am but need to slow things down.  Everyone wants me to attend their Triduum at Easter, and I'm expected to take time off work for a week to get acquainted.  So I may put things off 'til next year.

5)  In case you haven't yet heard, The US House of Representatives have voted bipartisanly to DE-FUND Planned Parenthood of the over $300 million it receives each year from the US Goverment.  Now on to the Senate where stiff opposition resides.  Phone your senator!!!  Read more HERE.

6)  Living out on the road in a semi for 4 weeks at a time, even though I have an apartment, is like living out of a suitcase.  The cat and I came home today only to realize that the only thing I forgot to bring to the apartment was his medicine.  It's specially made by a pet pharmacy located over 2 hours away (in the other direction), so I had to drive 45 minutes back to the truck to pick it up, and then another 45 minutes back home.  Gasoline costs too much for mistakes like that.  Number 6 is filler, in case you didn't know.

7)   For other takes from other bloggers, including host Jennifer Fulwiler, click HERE.