Sometimes It’s Hard to Keep the Rite Order

In a sermon on religious tolerance, the Rev. Christian R. Mondor mentioned to his Catholic congregation at Saint Simon and Jude in Huntington Beach that the church is sometimes used by members of a small synagogue. Which can create a bit of confusion.

Last year, at Yom Kippur, a Catholic parishioner wandered into the Jewish services and stayed. As she was walking out, she was heard to say to another worshiper, “The strangest Mass I have ever been to.”

The future doesn’t look so good ... : At least on the bus benches snapped by Ed Kaston of Huntington Beach (see photo).

Unclear on the concept (1): Bob Boyd of La Canada Flintridge said he found some thin logic in the recipe for an eggplant dish (see accompanying).

Unclear on the concept (2): Lee Hayashi of San Gabriel spotted a parking place that she figures must be for sub-subcompacts (see photo).

Everyone makes mistakes: And some are more understandable than others, including one that attorney Dan Olincy of L.A. came across in the ABA Journal (see accompanying).

By Jupiter! After Gov. Gray Davis’ recent startling statement that “we have people from every planet on the Earth in this state,” I speculated that some of the politicians might be from Jupiter because it’s full of gas.

“Sure, make fun of us Jovians,” wrote Dave Middleton of Palm Desert. “As a graduate of Jupiter (Fla.) High School, I’m used to it. Even NASA disses us by crashing satellites into us. Don’t want to contaminate the nicer moons, where there might be some life, don’t you know. But don’t blame us for politicians.”

He added: “I suspect they come from the seventh planet.”

That’s an insult to Uranus.

I never saw this on “Baywatch”: The police log of the Seal Beach Sun said that “a man in a wheelchair reportedly spit at lifeguards after they disturbed his kite during a water rescue.”

MiscelLAny: McCormack’s California Almanac says the most popular names for newborn males in 2002 were Daniel, Anthony, Jose, Andrew, Jacob, Joshua, Michael, David, Matthew and Angel.

OK, not the most exciting news. Just thought you’d like an item that didn’t mention Arnold, Gray or Cruz.

Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LA-TIMES, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A. 90012 and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.