It's That Time Of Year Again...

...Yeah.  Lent.

With the Carnival Season over, and we know the flesh has been bid a tender au revoir until the T-Bone season comes back around, LENTEN SPECIALS ARE ON EVERY MENU.  That means FISH, FISH, FISH on every plate, and that means OUR RECRUITING NUMBERS GO WAY UP. 

CLIFFIE'S NOTES ON LENT:

>> I have still not really grasped how the meat from a fish is not meat to some humans.  This curious detour into self-deception reaches its pinnacle of absurdity when you meet a "vegetarian" eating a Shrimp croquette.  But it affords us certain interesting recruitment opportunities, that's for sure. 

>> I am a little older than I look, and I can clearly remember the days when people didn't give up just one thing for Lent.  They gave up EVERYTHING that gave them any sort of pleasure or satisfaction.  Once upon a time, you see, Lent was about denying yourself earthly indulgences. Now the Shaved Monkeys generally give up just one thing that won't inconvenience them.  Like chocolate, or their favorite video game.

>> A lot of Shaved Monkeys now observe this half-baked version of Lent even though they are not Catholic.  I wonder what that's about?

>> Many Shaved Monkeys also observe Lent without observing the Carnival Season these days, which is interesting.  Observing the Carnival Season means partying your monkeys brains out, cheating on your spouse and eating everything in sight for weeks, culminating on Mardi Gras (which appropriately translates as "Fat Tuesday").  Interesting.  Of course, a lot of people head to New Orleans to celebrate Mardis Gras without going on to observe Lent, so figure that out if you can.  That's easier to understand than the reverse arrangement, I guess.  But I thought the two were really supposed to go together. 

>> While I'm not that thrilled that somehow in the Catholic mind, DENYING YOURSELF equals EATING FISH.  Bu the ones we successfully recruit have a greater chance that way of becoming Monkfish, which should make everyone happy. 

>> One change I do really object to is that when I was growing up on a Great Lake, the fish-on-Fridays rule was for EVERY WEEK OF THE WORLD.  Now somehow it's for Lent only.  Lent used to mean FISH EVERY SINGLE DAY, unless you went the rabbit-food-only or macaroni-and-cheese route.  What's happening in this world?  I ask you.