What I do

Noah's post in the comments below this entry is illuminating in that it points out what I do, if only indirectly. I don't lead the team in arguments on topics. I provide background on topics to the team, and push them away to find their own arguments. So there was that issue of major disagreement that I was interested in SCOTUS per se, as compared to JA. True, but I'm not suggesting anyone run Life and Death in the Scotus Lane (Harriet, we hardly knew ye!). Those who were at the meeting heard me say most of what Noah said (we raised that boy well), but if you were to pick between running ideas he was proposing versus running ideas I was proposing, you would be seriously in need of a sanity check if you chose me over him. Old-timers know this by now; new-timers will learn it.

Thank God the novices don't read this blog. They'd be more hopelessly confused than they are already.

We continue to gain and lose novices, speaking of which. Tim Newnewguy came Tuesday, replacing Mike Newguy. Cassie Sixtoes seems to have flown the coop. Remaining stalwarts are Peanuts, Paul Unspellable, and a handful of people who just haven't gotten nicknames yet. What's wrong with these people? They need to do something to identify themselves. Although Alex was pretty impressive not talking to people on the phone, I'll give him that. And Emily seems to have a modicum of culture, which is unusual in our neck of the woods. And Jeff just sort of looks like a debater. We'll see. We'll come up with something.

Last night the Bump honcho parents came to the library, and everything is now set with housing, meals and judges' lounges. The magic need is the list of names, which I have to update on my end, while Harrison is updating on his end. I'd love to have it done by tomorrow. I wonder if Harrison reads this? The only Speecho-American I know who's ever read it is Little Em'ly, and she probably only wants to find out if I'm saying something nasty about CLG and the Phantom.

I've got a ton of work getting ready for Regis this weekend. They're inching up to about 90 or so in the 2 LD divisions. Unfortunately Vaughan is going to the Home of the Albino Bagel, so I'm marginally alone in tab. But I'll second some Regi kids to help me out; they always do a good job. We've got two buses going down Saturday, because the wheelchair only works on small buses, so we'll have a nice little caravan. Dave and I are handling it thus: in the morning, there's my bus and the breakfast bus (the bus I'm not on can get all the pineapple nasties and double lattes it wants); coming home, there's the singing bus, and the bus that Dave and I are on.

Singing? Pishtosh!

And speaking of Dickens (you did catch at least one CD ref, right), is there any reason not to lead off your Nov-Dec case with his most famous legal quote? I'd love to hear it myself. But I don't think anyone would have the guts. Unless I were judging. Which, thank Ford, I won't be doing.