{"id":4584,"date":"2021-01-30T21:37:26","date_gmt":"2021-01-30T21:37:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/?p=4584"},"modified":"2025-09-17T17:08:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T17:08:13","slug":"weather-but-mostly-desks-and-principles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/weather-but-mostly-desks-and-principles\/","title":{"rendered":"Weather: But Mostly Desks and Principles"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20201109ff\/20210130-0926-US-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\"><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Oh, the weather outside is frightful<br \/>\nBut the fire is so delightful&#8230;.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DnCIQ5t7EJY\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>This morning&#8217;s forecast reminded me of &#8220;Let It Snow.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But the weather outside isn&#8217;t frightful. Overcast, with a promise of freezing drizzle in the forecast, yes. Frightful, not so much.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, freezing drizzle and the snow that&#8217;ll likely follow can make driving chancy. Walking, too, at least for folks like me. I&#8217;ll be glad to stay inside.<\/p>\n<p>In any case, the Winter Weather Advisory for my part of the world is in effect until midnight. After that, we&#8217;ll see. Minnesota weather is \u2014 variable.<\/p>\n<p>Now, about &#8220;Let It Snow.&#8221; I found a brief discussion of the song on Wikipedia. Wikipedia&#8217;s Armenian version:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;&#8230;The song was written by poet Sammy Kahn and composer Jules Stein on a hot July day in 1945&#8230;.&#8221;<br \/>\n(<a href=\"https:\/\/hy.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Let_It_Snow!_Let_It_Snow!_Let_It_Snow!\">Let It Snow!&#8230;<\/a>, \u054e\u056b\u0584\u056b\u057a\u0565\u0564\u056b\u0561 (Wikipedia)(Trans. by <a href=\"https:\/\/translate.google.com\/\">Google Translate<\/a>))<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I don&#8217;t understand the Armenian language, but do have access to Google&#8217;s &#8216;translate&#8217; function. Which works well enough for this sort of thing.<\/p>\n<p>And that&#8217;s not what I was going to talk about today.<\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"my\"><\/a>My Alternatively-Tidy Desk<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/plans-prescriptions-an-exoplanet-and-me\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20201109ff\/20210129-DSC08932-morning-658.JPG?w=640&#038;ssl=1\"><\/a><br \/>\n(My desk, yesterday morning: clutter and all.)<\/p>\n<p>Maybe I&#8217;d be a more productive writer if I decluttered my desk. But probably not.<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s a profusion of helpful how-2 hint articles about decluttering. Many of which aren&#8217;t obvious long-form advertisements for desk accessories.<\/p>\n<p>But don&#8217;t hold your breath, waiting for me to post an &#8220;after&#8221; photo, presenting nothing but the basic essentials.<\/p>\n<p>I like my desk the way it is.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/world-day-peace\/#golden\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20130220ff\/20150502-798px-Mariawald_zelle_lectio_2007-08-20_bmd-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Trappist monk, reading. Daniel Tibi's photo, used w\/o permission. (2007)\" align=\"right\"><\/a>Even though it doesn&#8217;t resemble a Trappist monk&#8217;s workspace.<\/p>\n<p>What looks like clutter to you \u2014 and probably most folks \u2014 suits me fine. And is more organized than it may seem.<\/p>\n<p>The keyboard and monitor are front and center, since they&#8217;re what I&#8217;m almost constantly using.<\/p>\n<p>Sitting on the desk&#8217;s left corner is a book I plan to do a review for. Eventually. The rosary beads between it and the keyboard are there as a reminder that I do Divine Mercy chaplets daily. Cheat sheets for my morning prayers are in a folder near the photo&#8217;s right side.<\/p>\n<p>I wouldn&#8217;t claim that it&#8217;s the most streamlined workspace in North America. But it&#8217;s organized and efficient. For me, by my standards.<\/p>\n<p>One of my daughters is at another end of the desk organization continuum. Her workspace makes that Trappist monk&#8217;s desk look like a thrift store&#8217;s sorting table.<\/p>\n<p>She&#8217;s said that she couldn&#8217;t write at a desk like mine. I believe her.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe I could write at a desk like hers, but I wouldn&#8217;t want to try. I like having doodads, thingummies, knickknacks and frequently-used objects in sight and ready at hand.<\/p>\n<p>I also like baroque and rococo, and that&#8217;s almost another topic.<\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"personal\"><\/a>Personal Preference, Unchanging Principles<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/natural-law-our-rules\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20160719ff\/20170129-TelephoneTelevisioncollage-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\"><\/a>So, how come I&#8217;m not upset that my daughter&#8217;s desk doesn&#8217;t look like mine?<\/p>\n<p>And why isn&#8217;t she on a crusade to rid the world of insufficiently Spartan desks?<\/p>\n<p>Starting by purging mine.<\/p>\n<p>I figure her reason is pretty much like mine. As long as we&#8217;re not both trying to use the same desk, it doesn&#8217;t matter.<\/p>\n<p>There are unchanging principles, woven into the very fabric of reality. (<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/o-tempora-o-mores-oh-well\/#poodle\">September 13, 2018<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/natural-law-our-rules\/\">February 5, 2017<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Cluttered desks are bad&#8221; is not one of those unchanging principles.<\/p>\n<p>Besides, we&#8217;re both human. And Catholic. So I&#8217;d jolly well better recognize that my kids are not just like me: and accept that.<\/p>\n<p>Humans aren&#8217;t cookie-cutter critters. We&#8217;re not all alike. That&#8217;s okay. We&#8217;re not supposed to be. But we each have equal dignity. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p1s2c1p6.htm#361\">361<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p1s2c1p6.htm#369\">369<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p1s2c1p6.htm#370\">370<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p3s1c2a3.htm#1929\">1929<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p3s1c2a3.htm#1934\">1934<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p3s1c2a3.htm#1938\">1938<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p3s2c2a6.htm#2393\">2393<\/a>)<\/p>\n<h5><a name=\"desks\"><\/a>Desks, Daughters, My Son and Differences<\/h5>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/estate-sale\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20190304ff\/20190311-1200-LNKaasEstateSaleSign-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"L. N. Kaas estate sale. (March 2019)\" align=\"right\"><\/a>Which reminds me of a story<\/p>\n<p>Back when my wife and her siblings were in high school, someone from the school called their father with a disturbing message.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Do you know,&#8217; said the educational official, &#8216;that your daughter wants to take <em><strong>shop?<\/strong><\/em>!&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Putting the school official&#8217;s concern in historical and cultural context: this was around 1970 in the Upper Midwest.<\/p>\n<p>Boys took shop. Girls took home economics. And guys like me enjoyed art class, anyway: which is yet again another topic. Topics.<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, presented with a presumably-horrifying pronouncement, my father-in-law-to-be said <em><strong>&#8216;so? Let her!&#8217;<\/strong><\/em> She took shop, one of my brothers-in-law took home ec. And so did a whole lot of other guys, once they twigged that home ec was where girls were.<\/p>\n<p>Which I figure was why my brother-in-law signed up. Other than his interest in cookery.<\/p>\n<p>The point is that responsibilities come with being a parent. (Catechism, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p3s2c2a4.htm#2221\">2221<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p3s2c2a4.htm#2231\">2231<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Those responsibilities do <strong>not<\/strong> include telling my kids whether or not they should marry. Or who they should marry. Or what their profession should be. (Catechism, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p3s2c2a4.htm#2230\">2230<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Desk preferences aren&#8217;t explicitly mentioned, but I figure the &#8216;your kids are people, not property&#8217; principle applies there, too. (Catechism, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ccc_css\/archive\/catechism\/p3s2c2a6.htm#2378\">2378<\/a>)<\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"next\"><\/a>Next: Coffee Break<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pan_Twardowski\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20201109ff\/20210126-463px-Twardowski_z_diablem-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Micha\u0142 Elwiro Andriolli's Pan Twardowski and the devil. (1895)\" align=\"right\"><\/a>Good news: I got some writing for my next &#8220;Dr. Faustus&#8221; post done yesterday.<\/p>\n<p>Bad, or at any rate frustrating news: I can&#8217;t use what I wrote. Not the way it is now. The ideas are okay, but how I expressed them would be a snooze-fest.<\/p>\n<p>At least, I think the ideas are okay. I&#8217;ll be taking a look at that, along with deciding whether or not to delete what I did and start over.<\/p>\n<p>Whatever I decide, I&#8217;m pretty sure that a coffee break is in order.<\/p>\n<p>Right after I slap together my usual &#8216;stuff that&#8217;s sort of related&#8217; list:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/life-and-death-laws-and-principles\/\">Life and Death, Laws and Principles<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(January 22, 2021)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/rereading-christopher-marlowes-doctor-faustus\/\">Rereading Christopher Marlowe&#8217;s &#8216;Doctor Faustus&#8217;<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(January 6, 2021)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/apollo-11-50-years-later\/\">Apollo 11, 50 Years Later<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(July 16, 2019)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/god-love-and-clouds\/\">God, Love and Clouds<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(February 25, 2018)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/natural-law-our-rules\/\">Natural Law, Our Rules<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(February 5, 2017)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Oh, the weather outside is frightful But the fire is so delightful&#8230;.&#8221; This morning&#8217;s forecast reminded me of &#8220;Let It Snow.&#8221; But the weather outside isn&#8217;t frightful. Overcast, with a promise of freezing drizzle in the forecast, yes. Frightful, not &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/weather-but-mostly-desks-and-principles\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[215,192],"tags":[84,139,241],"class_list":["post-4584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-being-catholic","category-journal","tag-family","tag-natural-law","tag-upper-midwest"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Dwtw-1bW","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4584"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4584\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6040,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4584\/revisions\/6040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}