I’ve managed to get myself organized, after a bout with some mystery disease that made me feel as if I ought to be a lot sicker than I was, and which I’m assuming was just a light case of what everyone else was getting as they were dropping like flies all around me. Maybe it was the flu. Having taken a flu shot, maybe I wasn’t necessarily immune, but merely buffered. Whatever. As evidence of my recovery, I have posted a couple of podcasts. First, there’s a recording of the piece I did here on sovereignty. That was a very basic take on the concept for Mar-Apr that might also come in handy for some future topic, but it will sink quickly into the mire of regular blogging, so I figured capturing it to the side now wouldn’t hurt. And I’ve finally gotten back to Nostrum, in which we are now up to episode 39. What I’m really looking forward to is the “deconstruction” episode, which should be coming up soon. That and the singing Round Robinskis. These, I always felt, were classics. Jules and the Nostrumite should be proud.
The so-called Northeastern Novice/JV Championship was at Lakeland this last weekend. (I know because I kept watching O’C typing results and uploading them to WTF, but when he took a break and I tried to sneak in and put up something scurrilous, I couldn’t do it. Bah!) We’ve had northeastern championships in the past, most recently at Bishop Guertin, and they make sense. As a rule, most of our regional debate includes New Jersey and Massachusetts as well as New York, so any attempt to send off the young ‘uns at this early point in their careers should include those states as well. To date, the event has never really gotten the traction it deserves. NYC is in its own little world, concentrating on whatever events get it to the State tournament pretty much to exclusion of any other venue. Long Island seems to operate likewise. I certainly understand demurring from tournaments that require great traveling distances and great expense, but our high school invitationals don’t really fill that bill, and the schools I’m thinking of all turn out in force to college tournaments. I’ve never understood that. Absent seeking bids, why would you go to an expensive college tournament when you could instead go to a reasonable high school tournament, if the competition is the equivalent? Additionally, I have noticed over the years that infant programs all feel that they need to go to the Ivy tournaments to the exclusion of other more reasonable tournaments, as if the very iviness will rub off on them; as a rule, these poor schmegeggies sink of their own inexperience to the bottom of the pool, yet these schools go back year after year, the only tournament(s) they attend. The triumph of ignorance over experience, I guess. Maybe they really do think that going 0-6 at an Ivy will get them accepted in a couple of years. That, of course, would be the triumph of colossal ignorance over experience. In any case, the Newburghers have promised to move this Northeastern Hullabaloo to their venue next year, some time in April. As soon as it’s set, I’ll be pushing it like crazy. I so want it to happen, big time. And it might, if enough of us get behind it.
I did get a lot of work done at Lakeland. Since I wasn’t tabbing I got a chance to go through the old cur and see where we are for the year, given that theoretically the year is winding down. Usually we stop meeting in April, except for anyone hanging on for a national event, plus any additional Sailors who are in it for the brainstorming. But as I was going over the material I felt that there were a lot of things that needed to be gone through, end of season or no end of season. So I’ve decided to continue meeting up through WDW. It’s going to be a private little institute; I’m even giving it a name, (men)ickstitute, to explain what it is to its participants. It’s a combination of strategy material and content lectures that does need to be covered. The upperclassmen have been relieved of duty for the event, as they are all off in senioritisville anyhow. Only the hardcore of plebes will be left. Ten hut! About face! Backwards, march!!!
And on the up-and-coming front, this weekend it’s the last of the little CFL events, including a few preppers for Grands and Districts on the Sailor side, with a side order of New York State Regionals for those who are interested in attending the State tournament, followed by CFL Grands in Manhattan (hardest tab job of the year), capped by the Red Light District in Scarsdale (complete with visitation from the Wunn and Only). And according to the widget, it’s 64 days to WDW. I just ordered the Universal tix. All that remains are two outstanding dinner reservations. If Eisenhower had planned the invasion of Europe as well as I plan Disney trips, the whole war would have been over on 12/8/41.
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