Well, it appears the Blogger server has been out late boozing it up and now has a hangover and a bad case of the Jack Daniel's S--ts, because even the big BloggerPro boys don't seem to be able to post anything. I'm sure everything will be back to abnormal before long.

My condolences to Lee Ann Morawski, co-author of the Spinsters blog, on the passing of her beloved uncle.

My Uncle Meo died today. He was my father’s favorite uncle and I’ve adored him since I was a kid. Meo was married for over 50 years and had 6 children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was a childhood friend of Frank Sinatra, whose mother delivered him. I will likely be traveling with my family to Boston for the funeral, so posting this week will be sporadic, if extant. I’d cry if I were the sort of person who cries, which I’m not. Pardon me, but my screen keeps going blurry.

If you would like to send Lee Ann a message, her e-mail address is calhounista@hotmail.com

Confidence Death-Spiral? Is this The End? Not bloody likely. From today's Bleat:

[...] I just felt annoyed and irrelevant yesterday - which is telling, because it assumes that on any normal day, I feel relevant. And of course I am not. In fact it feels immodest to have to point that out, as if anyone assumes I am. So what’s the point? Who cares? Cue the confidence death-spiral.

It was more than that. The dreary May weather had ground me down to a blunt nub. I’d burned my tongue. I had two pieces due in a day. My wife asked me to print out a brief, and somehow I corrupted all the printer drivers, which meant I had to find the CD, reinstall, reboot, repeat, etc. - not my idea of fun at 11:30 after a day of napless Gnat and nonstop bitchery on the website end. There’s more to this story, but I’ll recount that on Monday when the fustercluckery to come has passed.

Actually, I was just hurt (sniff) that Instapundit didn’t link to the Screed. I’m over! I’m so over! [...]

Now before everyone gets all upset, it's obvious Mr. Lileks is only demonstrating that he read Steve Den Beste's post about the Mongol hordes:

Subedei developed a stratagem called the feigned retreat which was successful again and again. It took advantage of the fantastic reputation that the Mongols had achieved, and the incredible discipline of the Mongol force.

Battles in those days were often set pieces: the armies would line up on opposite sides of a battlefield and have at it. So Subedei would divide his force into two parts, and would only send about one third of it (the forlorn hope) to attack the enemy where they were lined up, shivering with fear. The forlorn hope would charge to attack and would fire at and melee with the defending army, but would not be able to defeat the enemy force (which was usually made up mostly of infantry) and then would withdraw.

And the enemy commanders would become overconfident; thinking that the Mongols didn't actually deserve their reputation - and would pursue. This was Subedei's master stroke.

The retrograde movement, the feigned retreat--inscrutable, cunning, and lethal to the unwary foe. Lileks tips his hand about his strategy in the last part of the paragraph (the sign of a masterful and confident general)--

You know, there are a few of the nasal-retentive types who are going to take that line out of context. Go ahead, boys. That’s the subject of tomorrow’s Bleat.

Good grief, I can hardly wait!

News from the neighborhood--from William Thornton in today's Birmingham News Just A Chat with John Baran. John and his wife own the Springville Cafe, just up Highway 11 from my home in Trussville. Good folks (even for Yankees), and they can cook up a storm. A sample:

Your wife went to culinary school in Chicago. What is your experience in the restaurant business?

Just eating.

Whatever works, I say.
posted by Terry at 8:53:00 AM