A Husterical Moment!

I awoke this morning with a layer of sweat on my body. The fan was all for naught, because the heat decided to ignore the modern appliance and attack me anyways. I get up to work at the normal time, I do the normal thing, I leave at the normal time.

I get home to my non air-conditioned apartment, and try to remain as still as possible. I make a trip to the local mall knowing full well that the air conditioning will be on full blast. I do my necessary errands, and sit in the food court eating fries with cheese sauce. Take the fry, dip it, put it in my mouth. Take. Dip. Eat. I look at the surrounding persons, and all are locked into conversation with their shopping partners. I grab some ice cream and head home to the 7th circle of heat.

Though, the heat cannot compare to the heat that Jan Hus had to deal with at his execution taking place this day 1415.

JAN HUS

Born: c.1372
Died: July 6, 1415

There is little known of Jan Hus' childhood and family structure. The best estimate of his year of birth is 1372, though it could be as early as 1369 or late as 1373.

What is known is that in 1392, Hus graduated from the University of Prague with a bachelor of arts degree, and obtained a Master's Degree in 1394.  He began teaching at the university soon after, the university had been going through some changes, due to the bitter feud between the Bohemians and Germans.

One of the earliest dissidents of the Catholic Church, he was influenced by the ideas of  John Wycliffe, which were transmitted by the servants of the now deceased Anne of Bohemia, Queen of England.

The University of Prague was been ripped apart by the Papal Schism, whereby there were two popes, Pope Gregory XII and Avignon Pope Benedict XIII, allegiances were divided. A solution to this problem was to elect a third pope, Alexander V, who was known as the Anti-Pope. The King of Germany, Wenceslaus, supported Benedict XIII for he felt Gregory would interfere in his plans to become Holy Roman Emperor.

Hus spoke out against (via his writings, pamphlets and lectures)

• Papal indulgences: where sins would be forgiven for a nominal fee. 
• The Crusades: he said that no man should take up the sword on behalf of the Church. Rather the pope should pray for his enemies.

Such ideas were considered heresy and were punished. Hus was sent to trial, where he was encouraged to recant everything he claimed, not venerate his predecessor Wycliffe and quit preaching his ideas. He resisted and was burned at the stake. 

Inaugural Post

Today started as per usual, I got up, brushed my teeth, went downstairs to watch television before I begin my long start to the day.

The inglorious suburbs ... there's no work here, just homes, strip malls and plenty of space for kidlets to play. I loathe Mississauga. Its lack of culture is astounding to the wannabee culture aficionado. The extreme planning of these communities leave no room for spontaneity. Rigorous planning rarely breeds character.

I start my morning commute on the Mississauga Chanceit (aptly nicknamed for its unpredictability at times). I got the friendly bus driver this morning, who I greeted with a cheery "Good Morning!" I do this with all bus drivers, in hopes that the days where I may be running for the bus they may wait for me. I sit down opposite the sun, I am grumpy in the mornings and a speck of sunshine is not conducive to my mood.

The bus drops us off at the GO Transit, where I catch the train into downtown Toronto. My bias is obvious, as I love the hustling, bustling city life. I believe there is beauty in chaos, and that is epitomized in the downtown core. Union Station a beacon of organized chaos reaches epic proportions of commuters at rush hours. There is only one direction you may go, safely that is.

I manage to avoid this by taking a shortcut. I walk from Union Station to my workplace. Ahhh, there has been major construction going on as of late. I see a construction worker with Bass Pro Shops hoodie, and giggle to myself.

Day at work goes as normal.

Nothing special, nothing too bad. Just a whole lot of meh.

The day ends with a quick retreat from the office. I am not alone in this, I am sure. As with most suburbanites, our desire to get home as soon as possible prevails. I've seen people jump into the train at the very last moment, even with a train leaving a mere 15 minutes later. Some people see their jobs as not a joy in their life, but a necessity in order to have the two cars and the suburban "dream".

I hasten my normal pace to get to the train station. I too wish to get home as soon as possible if only so I can do what I wish I could paid to do. That is write a bit, learn about history and surf the internet for time consuming websites.

I jump on the train with a few minutes to spare and pop open my recent book, a gift from a dear friend. The book, Medieval Queens by Lisa Hilton, has me enraptured and intrigued. Since my distaste for commuting has grown even stronger as of late, I force myself to only read that book only during those times. Thankfully, my commuting will not continue for much longer as I will be moving downtown for the summer, where an adventure begins.

I come home to the sound of the television blaring, the smell of dinner cooking, a warm smile and a dog wagging her tail. These are warm thoughts, and will be something greatly missed.

Until next time, keep fit and have fun!

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