Carry me back to old Virginny

Tonight I have my first meeting for the returning Sailors. Chez moi, of course, out back on the porch, watching the sun set over the Pacific (I’ve got a really great view from my backyard). I gather the Panivore is not allowed out at night anymore, something about her diurnal anti-vampire activities, but at least the People’s Champion will show up, and, I hope, a couple of this year’s sophomores. My guess is that I am now totally free of juniors. Bah! Who needs ‘em? They just mess up the litter box and drink all the whiskey when I’m not looking. We’re better off not having to carry their dead weights on our backs!

Did I mention that this year recruitment is really a crucial issue? If we don’t beef up the team a sizeable amount, I’m going to start coaching the Hen Hud tiddlywinks team, where the real action is. (I understand that the Tournament of Tiddlywinks Champions puts the debate TOC to shame. For the record, Hen Hud is still a quarters bid for the TOTC.)

Sept/Oct is interesting enough, of course, but oh, that vanilla wording. It requires so much setting of ground for debate. I remember well discussions of use versus possession and intent and whatnot. On the other hand, it is a subject of much depth. Iran wants nukes, NK may want nukes (it may just want extortion money), some countries allegedly have nukes, some countries admittedly have nukes… All have different reasons for wanting them or not wanting them, and the US is the only country that’s ever used them. Having them makes you a player. Not having them makes you want them, if you happen to be surrounded by players. Lightning round questions: why does no one in South America have them? What is “ought” in realpolitik? Is there “ought” in realpolitik? Can countries not prioritize political reality when it means their very existence? Do nukes threaten global existence? Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. As I say, tonight we begin bloviating on the back porch.

I’m pretty sure that Bump is ready on paper, including now the tabroom.com piece of it. It has apparently passed muster with O’C, possibly because he is the only person mentioned by name in the invitation, aside that is from the eponymous Malcolm A. Bump and the elusive Virginia. Maybe someday we’ll call it the Jon Cruz Invitational. He seems to enjoy it more than I do. But no one likes their own tournament. The amount of work is just crazy, regardless of how well you do it. I mean, you can have a perfectly dreadful tournament and still do just as much work as the guy down the road whose tournament is heaven on wheels. Oh, well. At least I don’t worry about snow anymore. Although I would like a Bump where it doesn’t rain all weekend. We’re getting to be like Woodstock without the music.

Oh. One last thing. I heard yesterday from Jules. No details on how he or the Nostrumite have been spending their hiatus, but he claims that they’ve begun working on the next episodes of their continuing drama, and he told me to start polishing up the old microphone for September. Sounds good to me. (But then again, I don’t have to listen to it.)