Blogging Again

Hello, to anyone who will read. My wife has taken up blogging lately, and she is so diligent about it that she inspired me to resume my blog. I was having a hard time figuring out what to write about until I got some awful news.

In short the friend of a close friend recently had an abortion. I was alerted to the situation beforehand. My wife and I prayed. Our close friend prayed. But in the end, it happened anyway. I'm struck with a feeling of grief and helplessness. Why didn't I do more? Why didn't I help? I'm a man. I'm supposed to protect. There's also guilt there.

I decided to name the baby. I looked at gender-neutral names and came across Sage. Seemed appropriate. Lately, I've been feeling as though I'm not pushing myself hard enough - like there's a better version of me somewhere out there. This tragic event has brought that feeling into focus, and I can honestly say that I will try to keep Sage in my mind every day.

So if you're reading this, and you have the chance, pray for Sage and his/her parents. There is pain to come. Actually, it's already here. God love you all.

Off to Atlanta

Well, I leave tomorrow morning - very, very early. I'm looking forward to the events (the Eucharistic Congress and the SQPN New Media Celebration). However, I'm also going to miss Holly and Tessa (and Hio) terribly. And the weather is perfect here in Wisconsin - finally! And now I have to leave for hot, balmy Georgia. Maybe it won't be that bad, and I've always wanted to visit Atlanta. Anyway, my flight leaves at something like 5:30 am, which means I'll have to be up at about 3:30. Reminds me of my days working at Relevant Radio.

I was thinking of driving down to Albany to go to Sherwood Baptist Church (the Church that funded and produced Facing the Giants and the upcoming Fireproof). However, it's a three and a half hour drive, and I'm not sure it would be worth it. I know the Kendrick brother are hard at work on post-production for Fireproof. Still, it would be nice just to visit.

Oh, I watched Lawrence of Arabia last night. It was looooooooong. Beautiful film though. And the acting - my gosh! Omar Shariff and Alec Guiness are two of the greatest actors ever. You can see why Lean worked with them again. It was also nice to see a movie about men. I think love stories are just a standard operating procedure for epics these days. Here is a movie that is about men and the friendships they forge. Not surprisingly, the script was co-written by the great Robert Bolt, who also wrote A Man For All Season and The Mission - two more great movies about what it means to be a man. I have to say, though, that the story waned a bit for me in the second half. Still, I'd say the film deserves its reputation.

Anyway, have a great weekend. I'll try to blog on the road. God bless.

June Update

Wow, where have I been? The Apostleship of Prayer is going well. We're in the process of launching ministry videos on various sharing sites (YouTube, GodTube, CatholicTube, Love To Be Catholic, etc.) It's going really well, and the videos turned out better than I thought they would. We're also in the process of connecting with various Catholic radio stations in the country. A large portion of our new members are Catholic radio listeners.

Otherwise, Holly is good. She stopped getting morning sickness, which means this may be a more "normal" pregnancy. With Tessa, she was sick for almost eight months - pretty much the entire pregnancy. Tessa is good. She has the "b" sound down, and she enjoys using that to the fullest advantage. Hio (as Tessa named her sibling) is growing and growing. I think he/she is like the size of a hand now. It's crazy how fast they grow. Speaking of which,

Ten Weeks is coming along nicely. I'm probably 75 percent done. So, I'm happy with that. I might post another scene one of these days or a trailer. The script for Zero Toxicity is coming along. I have a better idea of what I want to do with it. Now it's time to execute.

Also, the Giants completed the four-game sweep of the National yesterday, which is pretty cool. For a team that's supposed to be a non-factor, they're sure looking competitive in a weak NL West. Randy Winn is hot, and Rowand is still looking strong. Zito pitched average on Sunday, which was enough to get him the win. My boys Cain and Molina are still workhorses. Lincecum, of course, is a rock star. And Sanchez looks stronger with each start. Bonds? We don't need no stinking Bonds!

Young Adult's Day

Wow, it has been a while since my last blog. It's crazy how fast time goes by. Anyway, this past weekend, I was involved with an event at Holy Hill up here in Hubertus, WI. The event was Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Young Adults' Day. For those who don't know anything about Blessed Frassati, this guy did it all. He helped the poor, he was a man of prayer, he loved the Church, he was a hiker, he played sports, he was a prankster. And he did this all by the time he died at the ripe young age of 24! Man, I'm 26, and what have I done? Kind of puts things in perspective.

The event itself went really well. I got to talk with a lot of great people, and I handed out a lot of materials for the Apostleship of Prayer. One of the people I met was Christine Wohar, of FrassatiUSA. She is a great woman with lot of great stories. She actually knew Pier Giorgio's sister, Luciana, who lived to be over a hundred! Also in attendance was Mary Beth Bonacci, who is super cool. Her talk about joy was absolutely fantastic. I wasn't able to stay for Mass, but I was able to hear a little bit of the St. Anthony choir before I left. For those who haven't heard a top notch choir before, I highly recommend. Their voices resonate and carry through the church in a truly profound way. I was so glad I got to hear that.

I also got to meet our the recently appointed Bishop William Callahan, who is a standup guy.

If you ever happen to be in the Milwaukee area, I highly recommend that you check out Holy Hill. It is a truly unique experience. I would also advise you to walk the Stations of Cross, which are located on the grounds of the church. God bless.

April Fool's Prank

The folks at work got me big time. I haven't had an April Fool's prank played on me in years. My boss, Father Kubicki, called a staff meeting this afternoon. I had to go to the bathroom first. When I got back, we all sat down at the conference table. We were just talking and laughing when all of a sudden, Father said with a very solemn face that he was being transferred to a different Jesuit community. I was stunned. Father Kubicki is the face of this organization. What would we do without him? It was then that Father blurted "April Fool's!" Then I realized that everyone else was in on it. They had schemed it while I was going to the bathroom. Apparently, Father had thought of it earlier but thought it would be too cruel to play on the whole staff (for me, however, he had no reservations). I'm told my reaction to this "news" was priceless.


Otherwise, all is well in Rutchik-ville. Holly is starting to feel the effects of our second child. Nausea and fatigue have begun to set in. However, we are extremely happy.


Our friends the Andrasteks are coming to Milwaukee to visit today. Peter has an interview this evening. After that, we'll all have dinner. Krissy and the boys (John Paul and Joseph) will hang out with Holly and Tessa this afternoon. We're really excited. We hardly ever get to see them since they live so far away. It should be a lot of fun.


In film news, I finished editing the second scene of 10 Weeks. It's a montage of the three male leads playing mini-golf. It was the most expensive scene in the movie (as I had to pay for all three guys to mini-golf). Total cost: a whopping $19.50. I think that was more than half my budget. Here's the final cut of the scene:

I've now moved on to the next scene. This is the first meeting between Brad (played by Hartley) and Greg (played by Noah). Noah is a brilliant actor. When you consider the entire scene was improv-ed, you'll know what I'm talking about.


Writing on Zero Toxicity has slowed down. I need to hammer out the driving need of my main character.

Happy April Fool's Day, everyone. Hope you have as much fun as I did. God bless.

Another Baby!

Wow, what a second blog. I am happy to report that my wife and I are expecting another baby! This means that our daughter Tessa will only be thirteen months older than her little sibling. Wow! Holly and I found out the news last night. We were very happy but very stunned. For the most part, our parents just laughed. I think my sister was more shocked than we were. My father-in-law predicted this one would be a boy, and he was one of the few to predict that our first child would be a girl.

As stunned as we were and as sure as I am that some will roll their eyes at us, I am convinced that this baby is a gift from God. He never gives us more than we can handle, and if God says we can handle it, I'm inclined to agree with him. This is a great day. Praise God!

About Me

Greetings and blessings. My name is Joseph. I am 26 years old and I live in Milwaukee with my wife Holly and baby daughter Teresa. Holly and I have been married for over a year now, and I already love her far more deeply than I ever thought possible. I can't imagine what it will be like in 20 years!

My daughter's full name is Teresa Rose. We call her Tessa for short. She is absolutely precious. At four and a half months, she is a smart little cookie. She likes to grab things (like Mommy's hair) and she wants to walk and talk so badly. Little does she know it will be months before she can do either. Still, listening to her babble makes my day.

I work as the outreach coordinator for the Apostleship of Prayer. We promote a devotion called the Daily Offering, which involves offering one's entire day to God in union with the Eucharistic Sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

I also write and produce films in my spare time. I am currently editing a film called "10 Weeks." It's about a group of young adults who encounter parenthood in different, unexpected ways.