Flashback - ING Direct Electronic Orange Checking Account!!

One year ago I was elated to finally open an ING Direct Electronic Orange Checking Account.

I blogged about it on my blog then, which is now defunct, so I figured I'd repost it today. It's sad that we dropped even further from 1.4% to a 1.1% interest rate at ING.

August 21, 2009
I'm so excited! I just opened an Electric Orange Checking Account with ING Direct! I am a huge fan of ING Direct's savings accounts because they are extremely easy to use and offer highly competitive interest rates (1.40 APY right now, which is paltry, but still great compared to brick-and-mortar banks). 

So now I am excited to be able to use ING's excellent online checking account to pay my bills and be the destination for my direct deposits. Thought I'd share my excitement with you, now I'm off to play with my new electronic checking toy...

Carroll County Times Letter to the Editor

My Letter to the Editor of the Carroll County Times was published today.

Responding to the O'Malley administration's plan to pay for AP exams throughout the state and the Times' editorial the following day, I discussed that AP courses are a great opportunity for high school students, but that educational opportunities shouldn't be used solely as political tools during Maryland's upcoming Gubernatorial Election.

Life is Worth Living - Angels

Archbishop Fulton Sheen discusses the presence of Angels in the world and having devotion to them. Pray to your Guardian Angel!



Angel of God, my guardian dear,
to whom His Love entrusts me here
ever this day be at my side
to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

Servant of God Fr. Patrick Peyton

Today at 12:10 Mass at the Basilica of the Assumption, I was blessed again to have the Archbishop as celebrant. (Which I suppose is his prerogative since the Basilica is one of his Cathedral churches).

Archbishop O'Brien was celebrating today the closing of the Diocesan Cause for the Canonization of Fr. Patrick Peyton, an American Holy Cross Father often known as the "Rosary priest."

He had great devotion to Our Lady in his life and promoted families praying the Rosary together daily. He also coined the popular expression "the family that prays together stays together."

I pray for Fr. Patrick's intercession on our families, State, Country, and World that we may realize the importance of family prayer and devotion to the Rosary. Our Lady of the Rosary, Pray for Us.

Walking Humbly with God

Today I marched up he hill for 12:10 Mass at the Basilica of the Assumption and was pleasantly surprised that Archbishop O'Brien would be celebrating Mass along with Bishop Madden, Bishop Rozanski, and about a dozen other priests.

The first reading was from Micah, and as Archbishop O'Brien expounded upon in his homily, the Lord makes it very clear to us what we must to do merit eternal life:

You have been told, O man, what is good,
and what the LORD requires of you:
Only to do the right and to love goodness,
and to walk humbly with your God.
-Micah 6:8

Too often we worry and get caught up in what we must do to be good Christians, good Catholics, good followers of Jesus. Remembering yesterday's Gospel story of Martha and Mary, often we can be like Martha, caught up in the work to be done in the world around us when we should really be like Mary - "[sitting] beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak."

It isn't always easy to follow Our Lord, to walk humbly with him. Jesus told His Disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Luke 9:23.

Let us Pray to Our Father in Heaven that we might have the courage to pick up our crosses daily, and follow Jesus. Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have Mercy on Us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pray for Us.