What an interesting week. My business partner flew in from out west so we can sign the paperwork for the new building. Hopefully by the time I do this post next week, I’ll finally own the building that my wine bar is going into! It’s very exciting. The cafe is hampered by the small kitchen and not owning the building. Getting the new building gives us a lot of latitude to grow the business, while we simultaneously open a new business.

I wanted to go to Mass yesterday. Even though I am a Quaker, I still sometimes crave the structure of Mass and programmed services. There’s something comforting for me about the sensory experience of going to a Catholic service. My Quaker Meetings are incredible, but it’s nice to go to a service and not be the minister. It’s nice to sit there and be ministered to. But, life being what it is, I didn’t make it to Mass.

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My fiancé and I have come to the realisation that the electrician we hired was taking us for a ride. We did some research. We talked to people who know the guy, and then we had three additional unrelated electricians come in and look around. And yeah, we got taken for a ride.

I came across this article about contractor red flags, and he had most of them. Didn’t show up consistently. Dramatically overcharged upfront. Didn’t show up to the meeting to sign a contract. Padded his receipts, and drank beer while working.

So now I have to figure out how to navigate the fall out. I am hoping beyond hope that he goes peacefully, but frankly I’m not convinced he will. It is an awfully small town.

I really enjoyed this video about an ancient graveyard in Scotland. The graveyard and the church itself dates back to the dark ages, and there’s a lot of mystery surrounding the Govan Stones housed on the property.

I never really knew who the Elks are until this week. Kinda interesting. I’d love to hear from an Elk what the benefits are and what they get out of the community.

And last but not least, what is Longan?

Orthodoxy Links

I received a question the other day: “Is Orthodoxy and Orthodox Quaker the same thing?” The short answer is no. I’ll do a full post about what an Orthodox Quaker is.

But, even though I am a Quaker first and foremost, I find myself deeply intrigued by the Eastern Orthodox Church. The structure and the theology is fascinating to me. It’s not something I have been exposed to nearly as much as other religions. This is an academic study and not a flirtation with a new religion.

The Divine Liturgy for 5 November 2023 from Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Johnstown, PA. I really enjoyed this. I haven’t watched it start to finish, but I have had it on in the background as I’ve been driving or working today.

I find myself wishing this cathedral was closer. I googled it, and it’s absolutely gorgeous.

Beyond that, I have questions. This church is the head of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of North America, which I didn’t know was a thing until today. A little reading informed me that “Carpatho-Russians received Christianity from Saints Cyril and Methodius from Constantinople.”

Thanks to this video I also discovered that Orthodox Wikipedia is a thing.