Now, enough about the misery. Let's go back to the trip to Des Moines. Got to hang out with my middle sister and her man. That was a lot of fun. I really wish we had more time to catch up.

Whole family went to Mass this morning (Sunday). Oh Lordy. There was an elderly man, most likely mentally ill, who sat in the pew ahead of me. He started to sing very loudly. He knew the melody to the song, but was making up his own (albeit appropriate) lyrics.

He then began to respond to every part of the Mass in song. When the priest said, "May the Lord be with you," he responded in one ghostly tone, "AND -ALSO -WITH - YOU." This, and the singing went on throughout the entire Mass. Uncle Tom kept shooting him semi-dirty looks FROM ACROSS THE ROOM, so my sister tells me later.

I chuckled a little at the beginning. But I really didn't mind. He simply seemed like a lonely guy who just took Mass very, very seriously. For all I know, he could be dying of cancer and this is where he finds grace. Perhaps he simply has nothing else and this is his hope.

While it was easy to shrug this guy off, it was not as easy to shrug guy #2 off. He also came in late. He then sat next to me about three feet away. Then, this past middle-aged unkempt man kept mumbling to himself. I got a tad bit worried that he was going to pull out a gun and start shooting. Seriously. He started to mumble random anti-church and anti-God things under his breath, most which I could not understand, even sitting that close. But most likely he is a schizophrenic looking for some shelter from the cold wind. A part of me, the part that thinks up random comedies in my mind, thought, gee, wouldn't that be funny if guy #1 turned around and started to yell at guy #2 for his lack of churchy groove?

Well, guy #2 made it through the first reading, the second reading, the Gospel, and from what I remember, the homily. Then he split when the ushers started to pass the offering basket around. Praise God! No really. I'm serious. I didn't know what that guy would do. Interesting thing about church however, about the energy in general generated within a holy place (even a yoga studio). Somehow, people like that just don't last long in a place filled with mainly positive energy. Violence finds difficulty gaining momentum when so many people are transcended toward peace and forgiveness, even if temporarily on the Sabbath. Guy #2, with all his grievances, left the building. Amen.

Guy #1 was still in his "zone" however. And when it came time to offer peace, as most parishoners express this to strangers and even family members with a simple handshake, guy #1 turned to the stranger next to him and said, "I'm going to give you a hug." Very loudly.

You know, I'm sure the lone man on the receiving end of the hug may have been a tad freaked out. But hey, I bet he could have used a good hug, as everyone could. Honestly, I thought I was on in the middle of a Seinfeld episode. Jerry!

Well, the Mass and now this blog have ended. May you go in peace.

WAIT! I forgot the most important part of the blog! Hu Hot! OK, after Mass, we went out to some random strip mall to eat Hu Hot: Mongolian Grill, a very interesting chain restaurant. Basically, you get a bowl and then choose your meats, noodles, vegetables, and oils/sauces. The cook takes your bowl and stir fries it. Then he (or she) puts it on a plate and you garnish it w/peanuts, almonds, coconut, etc. It was a nice meal. I paired it green tea for an almost authentic experience. I used BTD-friendly ingredients in the stir fry. It was wonderful.

OK, the girl who cried wolf will officially end this blog tonight and hit the hay. Goodnight.