Monday, with a full week ahead: we settle in for the long haul

I’m ready for new horizons. I have no more steam on Nov-Dec LD or Dec Pfffft. As far as the former is concerned, if the Sailors don’t have a fix on in it by now, they never will. And as for Iran, well, we’ve collected evidence and outlined an approach that should stand, so there you are. At Little Lex Tim “The Beard” Averill promised that January’s topic would be the cat’s pajamas. I certainly hope so. We’ll know on Saturday, of course, when the topics are released. I’ll be looking to WTF to break the wind news as it happens.

Tomorrow night the Sailors will elect their new captain. Unlike national politics, where campaigns last longer than terms in office, we posted a db for nominations right before Thanksgiving, and tomorrow we have a vote, then immediately following we run off the top two or three, depending on the numbers. I used to appoint captains, back where there was one person in each class and there were few challenges to my Solomonic wisdom. But as the group grew, it seemed a better idea for the tars themselves to decide who should carry the honor of leadership. It’s their leader; let them be the deciders. As a rule, this tends to result in co-captains. Personally I prefer a clearer path of responsibility, but given that the captain’s burdens do not require sending novices into battle or anything like that, sharing the blame/credit is probably okay.

Other than that, tomorrow will be general discussion. Things pulled from the recent novice ballots, for instance. Don’t pick your nose during cross-x. Don’t slurp your soup during prep time. Don’t wear white after Labor Day. All the usual items that come up year after year. Then maybe more specific how-to material for everyone in an open forum. Since no one’s debating this weekend, that ought to hold them for a while. Usually we have a sprout or two that insists on heading down to Princeton, but this year there was simply no fire in the New Jersey belly. Whatever. I haven’t been down there in so long, I hesitate to comment on the tournament at all, since all I have is my failing memory. I do recall enjoying the atmosphere more than the debating, but as they used to say about the Automat, you can’t eat atmosphere. Atmosphere fans this season will have their shot at the Gem of Harlem.

The one thing that seems to be marking this year is the rather spare amount of signing up for tournaments on the part of the Sailors, especially the plebes. I’m getting a sense that they’re waiting for the real season to begin, despite various protestations to the contrary explaining that, if they don’t sign up now, they’ll be dreaded Intermediate debaters with no starting or end points to intermediate. I’ve almost given up. Maybe if you talk to them, it will have some effect. Where’s that old fire in the belly, the girding of loins, the once more unto the breach little touches of Harry in the night? Oh, well. Christmas is coming. Maybe the December arrival of new topics will give us all a new lease on life.