And A Very Merry Drunken Lent To You!

If we look back through the mists of time, all the way back to Feb/March 2003, we will find precedent to the current situation.

What is that situation, you ask? Nicole is inebriated during Lent.

Why is she inebriated during the traditional time for Catholics to abstain from their favorite things, you ask? Because she gave up beer and is now drinking wine.

All joking aside, I really do love the idea behind Lent and I practice it without irony. It's 40 days a year during which you abstain from things you love.

(Side note: some interpret it as abstaining from "vices" but I think that is taking a rather dim view of the matter. God is not about stopping you from biting your nails. Give up something you love whether it is good for you or not. Jesus DID go into a desert for 40 days and he didn't just stop leaving dishes in the sink.)

This year, I am giving up beer and going to my favorite Korean restaurant. That is a pretty big sacrifice as I go to this place at least 3 times a week and it's healthy and cheap. Hopefully, this will force me to cook more and learn Korean recipes for my favorite dishes.

Lent is also about prayer and service so I'll be hauling ass to Mass on Sundays and volunteering around town. It's all about winter/spring death/renewal, man.

Ash Wednesday and the Korean lunar new year all happened in the same week, which I feel is very auspicious. My hippie friend Maria is calling this year "2000-zen" and I think she's on to something.