Que? Communication Breakdown!

Volume Six:

ONE

Yesterday, the Christmas season officially ended. Today, we return to Ordinary Time until Lent. Not before, however, The Management posted this sign in my house's foyer:

Oh, you want to read it? Well okay...

It says: "Robison Family, If you see this sign: STOP. Go into the Christmas tree room and claim ALL YOUR OWN PRESENTS. If this is not done by JANUARY 9, 2011 your presents will be recovered by a team of highly-trained Arabian flying monkey ninjas and sold on the Black market for $1/ a peice [sic] --The Management"

TWO

Have I ever explained The Management? The Management is technically every member of my family. When a Public Notice goes up, it is usually signed "The Management" -- notices like "KEEP OUT!" or "Please do not turn off the fan in the attic." The Management is the Bogeyman who keeps order without being able to take any blame. If the sign said "Julie" then everyone would say, "You're not the parent!" If the sign said any of the younger siblings (in this case, my youngest brother wrote this sign), then people would  pull rank.

The Management is parent-approved and sibling-proof. It's also really fun. If you've ever been to my house, you've probably seen post-it notes stuck to the fridge or doors with little instructions. They're mostly ignored, but it's the process that counts.

A few anonymous members of The Management:

THREE

On NYE, a friend of my oldest friend died in a car accident. Please take a minute to keep him and his loved ones in your prayers. He was 24.

FOUR

Fr. Tim Finigan is awesome:

I am heartily sick of the protest "I don't go to Mass because my parents forced me to go when I was young." OK Son, what else did your parents force you to do?

Your parents forced you to wash before you went out in the morning. Those cruel tyrants made sure that you cleaned your teeth before you went to bed. They dragged you kicking and screaming to school so that you could learn to read - and the teachers collaborated by forcing you to learn the alphabet and put the words together.

To top it all, after looking after your physical needs, they had the temerity to exercise their authority by looking after your spiritual needs and taking you to Mass on Sunday.

If they had neglected to see that you were clean, had suitable clothes, eat some sort of nourishing food, get some education and cross the road safely, they would have been visited by social services and given a care plan so that you could be healthy and safe.

And you are complaining because they took responsibility for your eternal life?

In this context, it is relevant to quote again the classic:

Ten reasons why I never wash:

1. I was forced to as a child.
2. People who wash are hypocrites - they think they are cleaner than everybody else.
3. There are so many different kinds of soap, I can't decide which one is best.
4. I used to wash, but I got bored and stopped.
5. I wash only on special occasions, like Christmas and Easter.
6. None of my friends wash.
7. I'll start washing when I get older and dirtier.
8. I can't spare the time.
9. The bathroom is never warm enough in winter or cool enough in summer.
10. People who make soap are only after your money.

I think he does a nice job handling the subject in a funny way.

FIVE

My sister got offered a coaching job for CJRC, her high school rowing team! She was coaching for her college but... they have a really, really bad program. CJRC is a phenomenal team and I am stoked to have a reason to go to regattas again*. She started this week.

*Before my youngest brother starts rowing, that is...!

SIX

Speaking of my awesome siblings... without further adieu, a parody of the hit British comedy show Fawlty Towers written by my sister Muffy, and performed by all my siblings. Oregano (Basil in the actual show) owns a hotel with his wife Sybil; Manuel is their Spanish waiter and Polly is their waitress and general helper:





I was not living at home when this was filmed, and as I was not able to go back as often as I would have liked, my role was given to my youngest brother. Heidi even has a part! Enjoy!!

SEVEN

I recently came across a blog called The Literary Order and it combines two of my favoritest things in the entire world: Austrian Economics and Literature. Be sure to take a peek-- you won't be disappointed.

Another blog worth mentioning: Molly Meets Dolly. It is written by a clinical laboratory specialist in molecular biology. She is a practicing Catholic and does a really great job covering genetics, genetic engineering and biotechnology in an honest and balanced way.

A relatively new news aggregator site worth a mention is The Pulp.it, which collects from around the Catholic blogosphere. Birzer's awesome piece on Tolkien's 119th birthday made it on there this week (Monday Afternoon Edition), as did my Tuesday post (on the Wednesday Morning Edition). It's a nice collection for a few quick reads.

Happy first Friday of 2011! See Conversion Diary for more.