'Keep the Lines Burning'

Leaving aside the debate about the origins of today's subject line, and the myriad of other older expressions we could delve into here, allow me a moment to discuss... communicating.

This may be summertime for everyone, whether you are an active or an alumnus. For actives, unless you are attending summer session classes, this is the time when many of you normally return to quieter times. Whether it's a recurring summer job, staying at home and soaking up the A/C with the family, or jaunting about the country/world on a long vacation, you needn't be concerned with studying for finals for quite some time. No more dormitory living; no more grotesque dining hall food; no more 8:00am classes.

Many alumni also consider this a sort of vacation, though. Congress will soon be out of session for a long time, and many businesses (except in destination towns) use this time to take their own time off. Family trips abound; theme parks and pools will be clogged with tourists; airports and train stations will see an increase in traffic. Things definitely tend to quiet down somewhat all around during this time of the year.

Still, this is no reason to lose touch with everyone! In fact, given that responsibilities and projects are at a yearly low, now is the time to do all those things you promised yourself you would do once you had the time. Among them: call good ol' what's-his-face from back in the day.

I hope everyone vegs out quite appropriately in the coming months, but I hope you also take some time to stay in touch with everyone, especially your brothers. Convention is coming up sooner than you think, and if you want to find out more about the hoopla, you'll need to pick up the phone (or fire up the Outlook) once in a while. Stay in touch, everyone, and enjoy this most excellent time of the year!

(On a personal note, I rather cannot stand this time of the year, but that has everything to do with the weather. I'd much prefer to be freezing than melting. Guess who has two thumbs and cannot possibly look forward to Autumn more? That's right: this guy.)

Ad Dei Gloriam