The NO vs. the TLM

I recently ended the discerning of a relationship with someone I met on a Catholic dating site (it was a mutual decision), but during that time we were discerning, I visited her half a dozen times in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.  In those visits, I came to a conclusion regarding the Church and my relationship with it.  I am a convert.  Had I converted in that Archdiocese, I would have fled to the TLM right away.

I go to a Novus Ordo, it's all that is offered in my diocese as far as I know, but other than some rather "small" overall abuses, it's not usually that bad, at least to me.  Then I went to visit her.  The first parish we went to, the priest kept trying to make a joke out of everything and he asked all the guests to stand up and for the parish to applaud the guests for visiting.  Twitch-worthy, yes, but not too bad yet, in comparison.  Some of the other parishes, including her home parish?  30 minutes for a Sunday Mass due to barreling through it full speed.  People complaining about how "Father shouldn't be shoving things down our throats" at the most wishy-washy homily I've ever heard since converting about 4 years prior.  Entire parts of the Mass skipped.  I nearly caused a pile up at the EMHC in one parish by bowing and was shot a dirty look at the EMHC for bowing.  People being urged by their fellow parishoners to sit while the vessels were purified and as the vessels were purified, announcements were read from the church bulletin (the glares I got for continuing to kneel on the floor...).  I lost count at one parish at the tenth liturgical abuse that was serious enough for me to notice!

I never understood the folks over on Fish Eaters and their loathing of the Novus Ordo.  However, if I had come to the faith in that archdiocese, I would have fled for the Traditional Latin Mass and never looked back.