Life Among the Penguins

This has nothing to with Earth Day or the MARCH OF THE PENGUINS (2004).
First of all it's tied to two of my favorite movies (both top ten). The first is NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE (1978). The story line was about fraterity life in the early 60's. This was my time; these were my peeps (peops?). It was the first major role for John Belushi, who later ODed on drugs.
The second movie, THE BLUES BROTHERS (1980) also starred John Belushi, along with Dan Aykroyd, as Jake and Elwood Blues. They are on a "mission from God" to save their old orphanage by putting on a benefit concert. The orders have come from the head penguin, the Mother Superior of the orphanage, who still frightens the Blues brothers.
Secondly: it reminded me of my seven years at St. Judes. It was like boot camp for little kids. We never referred to the nuns, who still hadn't kicked the habit, as "penguins" on the school grounds. It was never invoked anywhere that the possibility could possibly exist of being overheard by a "penguin." A student had to be in at least fourth grade before he/she was deemed trustworthy to use that reference when referring to nuns. If word got back that a student had used the tabooed metaphor when referring to his/her teacher, that student would be condemned to a life of infinite number of laps around the beads or recitation of Hail Marys until death or Social Security, whichever came first.
When I left St. Judes and stood up to answer a question for the first time in public school, the teacher and students almost went into shock. Where had this weirdo come from? Old habits (pun intended) are hard to break.