Dr. James Patrick lecture in Dallas. Thursday, June 2.

A Liberal Arts Education in the Oxford Tradition.

presented by:
The Walsingham Society
http://WalsinghamSociety.com

For lovers of great ideas and great conversations -- and rare opportunities in learning and the arts --the Walsingham Society, a new center of culture and critical thinking, announces its inaugural Thursday night Salon, June 2, 2011, 7:30 pm, at the Church of the Holy Cross, Dallas, Texas.

Dr. Patrick, founder and former president of Fort Worth’s College of St. Thomas More and author of the “Magdalen Metaphysicals” will speak on “The Idea of a University: Education in the Oxford Tradition.”

Thomas Shivone, age 21, who entered Philadelphia’s famed Curtis Institute of Music as its youngest vocal student, will perform selections from “The Marriage of Figaro.” A wine reception follows. Mr. Shivone will also headline a Walsingham Society Concert on July 15, open to the public.

Future lectures will include founding member of the Walsingham Society, Mary Moorman Armstrong. Mary is an expert in the interaction between religious legal systems and medieval and contemporary Christian theology. A cum laude graduate of Boston University School of Law, Mary also holds a Masters of Art in Religion from Yale University and is a doctoral candidate and lecturer in systematic theology at Southern Methodist University. Her topic will be: Leisure the Basis of Culture: Judeo-Christian Concepts.

The Walsingham Society begins its first summer lecture series with a lecture by Dr. Patrick at Dallas’s Church of the Holy Cross, located at Herschel and Douglas on June 2. Lectures are Thursdays at 7 p.m.

For more information call Brinton Smith at 817-925-5658 or visit the website: http://walsinghamsociety.com

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In praise of pomp, and circumstance.

I had the good fortune to attend my daughter-in-law's medical school commencement last weekend in San Antonio. It was a joyous affair for all.

While waiting for the faculty and students to process, my son Andrew and I were discussing the virtues of the ceremony's robes, hoods, caps, tassels, and the colors for all the above. Our commencement, the University of Texas, San Antonio, School of Medicine was filled with students wearing green, the color of the medical sciences.

The commencement program made note of the tradition:

"The contemporary tradition of wearing academic regalia for university ceremonies dates to the eleventh and twelfth centuries when the great European universities were being established."

So here we are 1000 years later carrying on a tradition of medieval Europe. In the Middle Ages the dignity of a high office, such as a king at court, or a marching army, or a royal wedding, required a display of respect, a pomp-ous display, for much the same reason that we do not attend our graduation ceremonies in jeans and a t-shirt. Some occasions, some offices, are special.

Shakespeare, in Othello, coined the oft-repeated phrase that is the title of this post:

O farewell,
Farewell the neighing steed, and the shrill trump,
The spirit-stirring drum, th' ear-piercing fife;
The royal banner, and all quality,
Pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war!

So I say bring on the pride, pomp and circumstance. Not just for the aesthetics, but because ceremony is something. Because man is more than matter, he is enlivened by the breath of God, and because our ceremonies on earth reflect, if imperfectly, the order of heaven.

Congratulations to the proud graduates, especially Elizabeth.

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In-N-Out Burger Video. Allen, Texas.

In case you thought I was kidding about the lines.

And is there something wrong with us? We'll wait in line for hours for a hamburger?

I think the answer is, yes, there is something wrong with us.

Sent to me via Facebook.



More In N Out posts:

in-n-out-burger-report-may-15-2011

in-n-out-burger-according-to-d-magazine

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The Lucky Strike fiasco.

I'll say this for the public relations firm that handled the Lucky Strike pre-open: they gotta bunch of folks out there.

And maybe everybody had a good time. If I had the patience of Job I might have too. But I don't. And I wouldn't say anything except for the fact that their pre-open invitation should have said that everyone in Fort Worth looking for a free Miller-Lite was invited.

When I arrived I did a quick in-line body count, stopped at 75, and said the hell with it.

Gutter-ball. That's the way I see it.

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In-N-Out Burger Report. May 15, 2011

FRISCO, TX.

This report just in from a friend of mine (a Californian, of course) who drove to the newly opened In-N-Out Burger in Frisco.

We drove to In-N-Out today but didn't eat there: the lines were STILL insanely long -- the guy at the drive-thru told me it was a 3 hour wait, and there were a good 75 people out the door in line to walk in. This was the case at BOTH locations. Insane. 

That's it folks. I guess you could say it's a Can't-Get-In-N-Out Burger right now. (Sorry couldn't help myself.)

Stay tuned!

(Thanks, Travis)

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St. Thomas on Friendship

"First of all, among all worldly things there is nothing which seems worthy to be preferred to friendship. Friendship unites good men and preserves and promotes virtue.

Friendship is needed by all men in whatsoever occupations they engage. In prosperity it does not thrust itself unwanted upon us, nor does it desert us in adversity.

It is what brings with it the greatest delight, to such an extent that all that pleases is changed to weariness when friends are absent, and all difficult things are made easy and as nothing by love."

St Thomas Aquinas.

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I still like Mi Cocina's. But has something changed downtown?

We decided late Sunday night, Mother's Day, to go out for dinner. Our first thought was Pappasito's because we hadn't been in a while and because we were going to walk along the river afterwards.

Bad idear.

Pappasito's had a waiting list pouring out to the driveway -- I discovered later that Mother's Day evening is one of their busiest nights of the year.

We drove over to 7th. La Familia is closed Sunday night, Chuy's, Patrizio's, and Gloria's: packed and pouring out the doors. This might bother some people, but I'm always happy to see restaurants busy especially when they are supposed to be.

We then drove east on 7th towards downtown to try Mi Cocina's, and found an only-half-full restaurant. Mi Cocina's it was. Marian and I both ordered the beef brisket tacos. I have to say they are as good  as you can get anywhere. Packed with brisket and just the right dabs of melted white cheese and fried onions. Perfect. And for $13 you get more food than I can eat at one sitting.

The change downtown? Why is 7th and the Pappa's area overflowing and downtown dead on the evening of Mother's Day? Grace wasn't open, I guess because it was Sunday night. Is downtown becoming more and more dependent on conventions and tourists and less of a draw for locals?

Thoughts anyone . . . anyone . . . Bueller . . . Bueller?

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Trader Joe's coming to town?

Word is grocer, Trader Joe's is coming to DFW.

As far as I have been able to tell it's just the D and not the FW. If you know differently let me know.

We shopped at Trader Joe's several times a week during our two year stay in Philadelphia. Trader Joe's is kind of a smaller, discount Whole Foods with tatts. Body markings, as well as ear, nose, and tongue jewelry were employee de rigueur. I am fairly certain I was the only Republican in the store at any given time.

But as non-hip as I am, I liked it. The prices are great and some items like the big bars of chocolate, the coffee, and the peanuts-only peanut butter are very good and inexpensive.

I hope they make it to Fort Worth.

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