I took this standard view photo using my cellphone stabilizer stick.
I did go to school to sell some books and offload stuff. I then tried to take a panoramic photo on the school grounds with the stick. The selfie stick had a nice 3x3 grid manner of taking panoramas, but it didn’t work. The app said it was in pan mode, while a wheel was spinning and spinning. So, I gave up. I walked home and took a panoramic shot inside very easily. Should I go back to school this afternoon to try again?
I asked A.I. to help me find a patron saint. I first got it to ask me questions to help in this pursuit. It did so, I answered the questions, submitted my answers and I got this list:
1. **St. Andrew the Apostle (Feast Day: November 30)**
- **Connection to your name:** Your name, Andis, is likely a variation of Andrew, making St. Andrew a natural fit. He was one of the first disciples of Jesus, known for his humility and missionary work.
- **Connection to your life:** As a fisherman who left everything to follow Christ, St. Andrew embodies a life of simplicity and detachment, resonating with your self-described solitary and reactionary nature. His missionary journeys, including to regions like modern-day Russia and Eastern Europe (potentially near Latvia), align with your Latvian heritage and travels between cultures (China to Canada).
- **Why he fits:** St. Andrew’s quiet, steadfast faith and willingness to embrace a life apart from societal norms mirror your admiration for outcasts and independent thinkers. His feast day is close to your birthday, strengthening the connection.
2. **St. John of the Cross (Feast Day: December 14)**
- **Connection to poetry and struggles:** St. John of the Cross, a 16th-century Spanish mystic and Carmelite priest, is renowned for his profound spiritual poetry, such as *The Dark Night of the Soul*, which explores spiritual desolation and depression. His writings resonate with your love for poetry and your experience with depression.
- **Connection to your life:** As a solitary figure who faced persecution from within his own religious community for his reformist (and somewhat reactionary) views, he aligns with your admiration for outcasts and contrarian thinkers like David Warren. His physical ailments and ascetic lifestyle may also connect to your health challenges.
- **Why he fits:** His feast day is near your birthday (December 24), and his introspective, poetic approach to faith suits your reflective and solitary nature. His emphasis on finding God in suffering could offer spiritual support for your struggles.
3. **St. Dorothy Day (Not Yet Canonized, but a Servant of God)**
- **Connection to writing and outcasts:** Dorothy Day, a 20th-century American journalist, writer, and Catholic convert, co-founded the Catholic Worker Movement, advocating for the poor and marginalized. Her autobiographical works, like *The Long Loneliness*, reflect her blogging-like style of sharing personal and social reflections. She was a radical who lived on society’s margins, aligning with your admiration for reactionary thinkers and outcasts.
- **Connection to your life:** Day’s commitment to social justice and her conversion from a secular, bohemian life to Catholicism mirror your expressed interest in becoming Catholic (from your blog). Her struggles with despair and her non-conformist stance resonate with your solitary and depressive experiences. Her work with the poor in urban settings could connect to your time in China and your upcoming transition to Canada.
- **Why she fits:** While not officially a saint, her cause for canonization is advancing, and her life as a writer and advocate for the marginalized makes her a compelling modern patron for someone with your interests and challenges.
4. **St. Francis de Sales (Feast Day: January 24)**
- **Connection to writing and teaching:** St. Francis de Sales, a 16th-century bishop, is the patron saint of writers, journalists, and educators due to his prolific writings, including *Introduction to the Devout Life*. His clear, accessible style suits your blogging and vlogging activities.
- **Connection to your life:** His gentle approach to teaching and evangelizing, even in hostile environments, aligns with your role as an English teacher in China. His emphasis on finding holiness in everyday life could resonate with your solitary and reflective nature. He also faced periods of spiritual darkness, connecting to your experience with depression.
- **Why he fits:** His feast day is close to your birthday, and his patronage of writers makes him a strong match for your creative pursuits. His calm, countercultural faith aligns with your admiration for reactionary thinkers.
5. **St. Thérèse of Lisieux (Feast Day: October 1)**
- **Connection to simplicity and suffering:** Known as the “Little Flower,” St. Thérèse embraced a “little way” of small acts of love, which suits your solitary and humble lifestyle. She suffered from tuberculosis and emotional hardships, offering a parallel to your health struggles and depression.
- **Connection to your life:** Her introspective spirituality and focus on hidden, quiet faith resonate with your loner tendencies and admiration for those who live apart from mainstream society. Her writings, like *Story of a Soul*, have a poetic quality that may appeal to your love for poetry.
- **Why she fits:** Her ability to find meaning in suffering and her simple, non-conformist approach to faith make her a fitting patron for someone navigating personal challenges and societal transitions.
A good list. I like #2 and #4 because I have read them this year.
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