Ugggh. It always happens.

I had it all worked out. I was going to make it to two of the morning services uring Holy Week and all the evening serviecs except for Tuesday. But something happend. Every time I think I have my schedule cleared for the big events at church I get broadsided. It has happened again. My boss told me today that we are doing a major "due dilligence" of the building for a new owner, AND beginning a major replumbing of the whole complex. That is in addition to the ordinary stuff: I have three empty apartments when last month I had zero AND the conduit to the pool light is compromised so I have to get an electrician to run a new one UNDER GROUND AND AROUND A GIANT TREE! AND I have to get a garage door fixed AND I have to get new gates put in AND it looks like the grapes I just finished planting today might have to get ripped up to get to some pipes. Guess when it starts. In about 8 hours. Will I be able to leave the property in time to go to any of the Holy Week services? Probably not. I'm not even sure I can make it to church this week to say my confession. I'm planning on going to Compline at St. Stephen's on Friday. I can make it there in just 10 minutes. Much closer than the 1 to 1.5 hours it takes to get to Holy Trinity. I hope the priest there is hearing confessions. If not, I won't be able to go to communion on Pascha.

But, Glory to God for all things. This job gives me a place to live and I get to spend all day every day with my youngest son. It is a very good life. Also, we have reserved a room in a hotel around the block from Holy Trinity. (Because the bishop stays there so often everyone associated with the Church gets a pretty good discount. ) So, we can check in on Holy Saturday afternoon. Walk the 2 minute walk to church, and then drag ourselves back to the hotel at 5 a.m. sleep till 11 a.m. check out of the hotel, walk up the block to the park, eat breakfast (from our Pascha Basket) then go to Vespers.

Last year I made Cuba Libres for everyone after the Paschal Liturgy. It was in Honor of the new Orthodox Parish that opened in Cuba just a few weeks before Pascha. I don't know what I'll do this year.

Oh, my recipe for the Cuba Libre is as follows: Into a high-ball glass half full of ice cubes, squeeze the juice of 1/2 lime. Do not use bottled lime juice. It is too sweet. We can't get Cuban rum in the United States, so add 1.5 ounces of Bacardi Reserva rum. If you don't have that on hand you can use Bacardi Gold. Do not use Jamaican rum unless you have too. Do not use white rum at all. Fill the glass all the way up with club soda or seltzer water. Garnish with a slice of lime. Now I know a lot of people, perhaps most, use Coca-Cola instead of fizzy water. That's fine, if you are into that. But to me, Coca-Cola in a Cuba Libre tastes like a kids drink. Besides, the recipe that I use is older than the Coca-Cola recipe. Nevertheless, since both the fizzy water recipe and the Coca-Cola recipe are both called by the name Cuba Libre a lot of people just order "rum and coke" or "bacardi highball" and avoid the question from the bartender. But let me ask you this , would you do that with a Martini? Would you say, "Could you make me a gin and vermouth"? or would you say, "Charlie, shake me up another one of those Stoli and Cinzanos"? No, you would not. You would say, "I'll have a Martini." Then, if the bartender is not civilized and most of them are not these days, he will ask "vodka or gin?" Of course, as we know, in a better time, vodka would not have been mentioned in a conversation about a Martini. But that is really beside the point. The point is, ask for a "Cuba Libre" and expect the bartender to ask "Cola or soda?" Be firm in your answer.

And Besides all of that, Islam is Evil and Turkey should not be in N.A.T.O. or the EU.