Jackash

Despite the recent problems I've been having sleeping, I managed to get up early this morning so that I could go get ashes before work. I altered my morning commute and took the B Train to 50th Street. I walked through Rockefeller Center to get to St. Patrick's Cathedral as Katie Couric was interviewing someone about what the colors in your dreams mean. While I was waiting in line at St. Patrick's a man passed me a photograph that a women in his congregation took, you could see "Lucifer" in the bottom corner of the photo. "Look at his evil face and horns" read the description. It did kind of look like the devil, but I didn't unerstand what the greater meaning was.

I was not really paying attention to the different styles of the three preists giving ashes and I just stepped forward to the next available one. He pressed his thumb deep into the ashes, "Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return," he said in heavily accented English. I saw black stars. Outside, I caught sight of my reflection in a car window. I have a giant black smear on my face. Really, it looks like someone detonated a small bomb on my forehead. Of course, Ash Wednesday is not really about the aesthetics, so I didn't sweat it.

When I stepped into my office, I felt certain that FrauFoxtrot at least would say something with her very direct German style. As soon as she saw me she said, "Wow! They really got you good!". Thanks, but it's a Holy Day of Obligation, it's not like I just got Punk'd. "I saw a girl with a big cross on her forehead, but yours is even bigger! In Germany, they just give you a little thumbprint, but wow you really got it!". What could I say?

Five minutes later the WiseGuy walked by my desk. "You have something on your face," he said. I just stared at him. "Is it a holiday?" he asked.

"Yes, it's Ash Wednesday."

"Okay, but you have a giant cross on your forehead. I've never seen someone with so much ash on their face. I thought they just gave you the thumb."

"No, they make a cross."

"Yeah, but still, I'm telling you, I've lived quite a life and I've never seen ashes like that before."

I sat at my desk and continued to type away. Every time I moved my head in the slightest, showers of ash fell into my vision. My fingertips were black. I tried to remember if I had changed a printer toner cartridge recently, then I remembered, it's the ash! It's everywhere. I'm like a one woman Pompeii!

Fifteen minutes later, NewGuy walked by. Unlike all my other colleagues, NewGuy grew up Catholic. "Ash Wednesday," he said on the way to the kitchen to nuke his coffee, "They really nailed you." Finally, I had to laugh.

Last week, I was collecting my receipts for my Tax Return. Usually, I'm really good at keeping receipts, but I couldn't find any for the charitable contributions I made this year, so I was trying to run through them in my head. After a quick tally, I realized that I gave less than $100 to charity last year. For a person who lives in relative comfort (albeit a comfort largely financed by personal debt), this is really pathetic. I want to do better this year and I think Lent is a good time to start. Does anyone have any reputable charities they support? Right now, the bulk of my donations go to City Harvest and a homeless shelter in Providence.