Random Pensées.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader is amazed at how prolix we've been here in the past day.

Well, honestly, it has mostly been Smallholder. Your Maximum Leader just put down some thoughts on immigration and a quiz result.

By the way... Thanks Brian for concurring. Immigration is such a serious issue. And everyone who should be talking about it is talking around it. As he mentioned, your Maximum Leader was going to talk around the problem. It took him a few weeks to really figure out what the root cause of the problem was. We as a republic deserve a debate on what the future of our immigration policy should be. But, as mentioned earlier. Your Maximum Leader doubts we'll get one.

Your Maximum Leader decided to put down a few random thoughts before the speed of this medium passed him by. (Although topicality and timeliness have never stopped him from commenting on any subject before.)

At long last, your Maximum Leader updated his sidebar and added the other members of the Mens Club (Phin, the Wizard, and Puffy) and Demystifying Divas (Silk was added to a list that already included Kathy and Christina as well as the blog-crush of all the bloggers here, Sadie) to the Legion of Villainy. He will make apologies to his fellow Club and Diva bloggers for not using the nifty icons and grouping. But, allow him to freely admit that the icons don't appeal to his aesthetic tastes. Your Maximum Leader is something of an aesthetic snob in that respect. Your forebearance in this matter is greatly appreciated.

Although Mark at WitNit's very thoughtful essay has been linked and lauded by many others, it deserves more linkage and thoughtful consideration by more readers. Your Maximum Leader is quite pleased to have this site listed among Mark's Daily Wits. Many thanks.

Speaking of thoughtful writing deserving of high praise. Do you minions out there read Outer Life? Your Maximum Leader feels somewhat guilty bringing attention to the site. He feels as though directing traffic to Outer Life will somehow sap the energy out of the site and cause it to wither and die. Outer Life is like a secret that he doesn't want to share, yet he's aware that everyone is in on. (And everyone knows that three can keep a secret provided two are dead.) Your Maximum Leader thinks that Outer Life is the best written blog out in the ether of the internet. Just read it and you will see why.

Oh... If you have written your Maximum Leader recently and not received a response, he's not forsaken you. Maximum Leaderly things have limited his e-mail/blogging time over the past few days. He'll respond. Really he will.

Of course, one of the "Maximum Leaderly" things that has prevented him from typing e-mails or blog posts has been spending some serious time with the Wee Villain. Hard to believe he'll be a year old soon. Crazy how time flies.

But your Maximum Leader has been spending some time holding the Wee Villain while he sleeps and watching the NCAA Womens Fast Pitch Softball World Series playoffs. At first he tuned in for the college chics. But now he is completely engrossed with the game.

Allow him to describe the evolution of his viewing:

Stage 1) "Hey! Look! Athletic college chics playing softball. You know softball is close to baseball. Your Maximum Leader likes baseball..."
Stage 2) "Wow! Baseball played by chics." Your Maximum Leader summoned a dwarf to bring him a beer.
Stage 3) "Hey now! Some of these chics are hot. Really hot. And you know what else, they can be their own cheerleaders. Hummm... Softball playing cheerleaders..."
Stage 4) "Humm... How does the batter get a read on the pitch when the angle of the pitcher's release is such that her grip can't be clearly seen?"
Stage 5) "The mound is only what 45 or so feet from home plate? And the big green ball is delivered at 80 mph?"
Stage 6) "Is that ball green or "optic yellow?"
Stage 7) "Damn. That ball is going 80, sometimes 90, miles per hour. And the batter can't see the pitchers hand before the release. No wonder they seem to chase more balls than in baseball."
Stage 8) "You know, these women play this game so well. They always hussle to first. They calmly return to the dugout when they strike out. No whining or complaining."
Stage 9) "Damn. All these women can lay down a bunt. They know how to advance the baserunners."
Stage 10) "It is amazing to see these women's motion while batting. They really seem to plant their feet and don't seem to move as much as baseball players."
Stage 11) "A ha! They have a swing that is better suited towards putting the ball in play than making a home run."
Stage 12) "This is really exciting. This is really awesome. What is your Maximum Leader doing tomorrow night. Because what ever it is he's cancelling it to watch Game 2."

Although he doesn't have a dog in the fight, your Maximum Leader is rooting for UCLA to win the Women's World Series. (Against Michigan.) They aren't favoured. (Although they've won a number of times in the past few years.) Their team seems to work more like a team and they play with more finesse. The Bruins seem to always have their mind in the moment. Frankly, all these women seem to have their mind in the moment of the game to a degree you don't often see with many men players. Male professionals at any rate.

Regardless of the Bruins or Wolverines winning, your Maximum Leader will have learned a lot and greatly appreciated the time he spent watching the contest.

And before your Maximum Leader goes... Allow him to just point out this one post from the lovely, and infrequently posting, Anna. It makes your Maximum Leader laugh and feel awkward all at the same time. Anna still has that ole witchcraft...

Carry on.