Well, I am not Catholic, but if I had to give something up, I think it would be drunk dialing! Getting to be a bad habit of mine.

I'm also a product of the 13 year Catholic school system.

I should really refrain from posting what I'm giving up...but, for a hint...check out the previews for the upcoming Josh Hartnett movie. My friends are doing the same for me. ;)

Last year I gave up religion for Lent, and it stuck! So I guess now I'll have to find something new to give up...

i have never given anything up and don't plan to!

I'm giving drama. Not theatrical drama, will die before i give that up. On the stage hopefully. I'm giving up BS in my personal life. I'm not the savior to everybody (read:pledges). Let'em screw up.

ok the read :p ledges was suposed to be read: pledges

off subject for just a minute!
 

this is totally off topic--

billy, i just noticed the little song you have as your signature. i thought my chapter made that up! ours goes like this (CAPS are said first and lower case is echoed by other sisters):

HIGHTY TIGHTY, highty tighty
GOSH ALMIGHTY, gosh almighty
highty tighty gosh almighty who the hell am i?
flim, flam, hot damn, i'm an ALPHA CHI!!

:D

what a great song!

I'm a product of 9 years of Catholic School, and a pretty strict Catholic upbringing. I always fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and abstain from meat on Fridays.

I never usually give anything up for lent. My reasons are thus: There are two types of things in my life - things that are necessary for sanity and things that are merely dispensable, that I can take or leave. I figure if I give up something I can take or leave (watching Friends, for example) it doesn't do much for me. If I give up something necessary to my existance (i.e., caffiene) I'll go nuts.

Therefore, I always try to just be a better person during lent. I don't let the collection basket pass me by at Mass just because its not my home parish. I set aside more time for prayer each day. I think the spirit of the season is to prepare oneself for Easter, and in that preparation, we should focus on becoming more Christ-like. To me, that is achieved by doing more, not a mindless act of self-deprivation.

The only thing I hate is the fasting! I can go a whole day on one meal no problem any other day. But when you tell me its what I have to do, I go NUTS. Man, its only 12:45 AM and I'm starving already! :p

I am giving up "fressing" (pardon my Pennsylvania Dutch) from the lunchroom vending machine for Lent. My cubicle-neighbor is under orders to kick my butt if I come out with M & M's or anything other than a can of pop. If I gave up caffeine, the results would be dangerous for both myself and everyone in my orbit. :p

I'm giving up chocolate, which is a biggie for me since i'm a chocolate freak.

VERY WELL SAID!

12 years of Catholic school, er, 13 with kindergarten here.

my plan is to simply work harder at inner peace. :) Sounds awfully Buddhist for a Catholic girl I know... but I think too much, analyze too much and what if this and that WAY too much. I need to learn to live in the moment and take things as they come. I can't worry about next week, because that's next week. And its ridiculous to worry about next year, because as the past few months have taught us, life can change in the blink of an eye.

and its my hope that if I can cut back on or stop my compulsive obsessing over things I have little or no control over, it will set a good example for my friends who do the same thing to themselves, some of them worse than me, IMO. ;)

And I fasted today and DAMN the headache it gave me! BLECK!

Honestly, I probably would have forgotten about Lent if my friend hadn't mentioned it to me yesterday. I too have decided not to give anything up for Lent, which has been going on pretty much since I came to college. Instead, I'm going to begin frequenting our campus gym at least twice a week. Why give something up when you do something good for yourself instead?

Lent
 

I'm not Catholic but my stepfather is and I usually do give something up. This year I am going to quit drinking Dr. Pepper. I've got pretty good will power...I gave up drinking Mt. Dew in 1998 and haven't touched it since. Pop rots your body, we should all drink more water anyway :)

Wow, I would love to be able to give something up for Lent. That would be a blessing.

We Greek Orthodox types give up meat, dairy, fish with backbones, and olive oil for all 40 days. :eek: I can't do that, because I would starve. I usually just give up meat for all 40 days, plus dairy on Wednesdays and Fridays.

I gave up ice cream last year... Easier said than done. (Well, it would have been easy if I didn't work at Dairy Queen.) I think I'll give up homework this year :)