How Did I Get Here?

The internet is a wild and unpredictable place.  This morning I found myself reading an article that included the following paragraph:

Dampness caused by rainwaters began to consume the body very quickly. It was, therefore, quite easy to disattach the head from the rest of the body without violence. There was no need to actually "decapitate" Catherine as some have mistakenly believed and written. By means of tests carried out at the base of the skull the lack of the first few cerebral vertebrae has been discovered: this discovery confirmed the above-mentioned dissolution of the softer nerves and tendons which had already begun to take place, thus facilitating the separation of the head from the trunk. (Original Page)

So, because it's killing you to not know how I ended up there, here's a quick recap of how I went from "Houston Rockets" to "Severed Head" in less than 10 steps:

1. Houston Rockets - I received an email about an offer for discounted Houston Rocket tickets.  While reading, I thought to myself, "Where do the Rockets play?"

2. Toyota Center - Where the Rockets currently play.  However, they used to play at a different arena.

3. Compaq Center - Where the Rockets used to play, and where mega-church dude Joel Osteen currently holds...whatever he calls the massive gatherings of people who are throwing handfuls of money at him while listening to Jesus Rock music.  But Joel's congregation isn't the only mega-church in Texas.  There was one near my parent's house in Plano.

4. Prestonwood Baptist - It turns out the overall membership is 30,000 at Prestonwood, but the arena only seats 7,500 (compared to Joel's 20,000).  That's a tad bigger than the little Catholic church I attended when I lived there.

5. St. Catherine of Siena: Carrollton- Small Catholic church in Carrollton, Texas where I completed the majority of my sacraments.  It turns out that there are many other churches with the same name all around the country

6. St. Catherine of Siena: Austin - It turns out there is a church by the same name here in Austin, Texas where I am currently living.  What a coincidence, right? With so many churches named after Catherine, I thought maybe I should learn more about the actual person. 

7. St. Catherine of Siena: Siena - St. Catherine was born in Siena, however she died in Rome in 1380.  She was buried there, but the good folks of Siena wanted the body of their beloved fellow citizen interred in her home town.  But they couldn't get all of her (for reasons discussed above) so they settled on the "head-only" option.  Upon hearing hearing of this cerebral solution, I had to know more.  Where is the head kept?  Can you see it?  Is it totally gross?

8. Basilica Cateriniana San Domenico - Final resting place of St. Catherine's cranium.  See below.  And, for the record, it is totally gross.