Trick or treat, Rocket J. Squirrel!

It’s been a long time since I’ve gone to Manchester, and even a longer time since I tried to make motel reservations there on Halloween night. The problem is that people flock to Salem as the Halloween center of the northeast (presumably because they don’t realize that Greenwich Village is the real Halloween center of the northeast). I ended up finally with rooms in some dump in Ipswich. Oh, well. I put it off, and that’s what I get. I’ve got 6 of the Jolly Tars signed up, having decided that it just doesn’t make sense to boggle the novice mind with a second topic before going back to Monti the subsequent week to run the previous topic. It’s hard enough starting out, much less starting out in two directions at once.

Since I’ll be with O’C on Halloween night, I do hope he’ll be tabbing in costume. I know I will. I’m going as Jon Cruz. This may cause some confusion, but I’m willing to accept the possibility. If DC (winner of last year’s I Want to Be Jon Cruz Award at the Kaiser Roll) shows up, the confusion will be absolute. Speaking of which, it’s interesting that Monti gives an I Want to Be Jon Cruz Award, while Bump gives a straightforward I am Jon Cruz Award. Does every tournament have such a tradition? I wouldn’t be surprised. And I wouldn’t be surprised if O’C is out there buying the trophies for all of them.

Tonight is major in Sailorville, as the novices either come back or they don’t. 5 have signed up for the Yahoo group, which is something, anyhow. (Anyone who believes that the so-called younger generation can do anything on a computer should ask them to do any one specific thing. Kids are, technologically, like everyone else: they can do what they want to do.) Last night we chezzed it up on nuclear energy (literally, given that we were in the actual shadow of Indian Point). During the meeting I popped onto Obama’s site to see what he said about the subject. I have to admit this is the first time I’ve been on the site. I found it, well, political. I do wish I was going to be able to watch the debate Friday night, but I’ll be with the Pups, and there you are. I won’t miss Palin/Biden, though, no matter where I am. That’s going to be the reality show of the season, even though the puppeteers of the GOP have done their best to keep it on a thanks-but-no-thanks footing. Just think. On January 21, 2009, Sarah Palin could be the Commander-in-Chief of the US armed forces. She could be our chief executive. She could be the decider. I have to admit, I was thinking of her this morning when the radio reported that a moose had caused a nine-car pileup on Rt 684. Where was Palin then, when we needed someone with a cool head and a keen eye and an itchy trigger finger?

If McCain had asked me to be his veep candidate, I would have blinked. But that’s the kind of guy I am.