linaewen | Feeling Captainish, and not a bit like Blinching (Reply)

For a very short time this weekend, I was free of the burden of being in charge of the cooking next week. Due to the fact that my helper can't come to help, they had arranged to have the current cook stay on and do it, with me as her helper. There was much rejoicing (on my part). However, I just got a call this morning that I am back in charge, but with a different helper -- who could run the whole show on her own, she is that good, so I am content. I like her a lot, so we are going to have fun together, even if I am "in charge." And the guy who does the shopping only needs a short list of things to get ahead of time, so that takes some pressure off as well.

Speaking of pressure, while we were away this weekend, the apartment complex supervisor sent around a memo that they will be doing inspections on Wednesday -- for maintenance checks, testing the smoke detectors, and for checking for overall apartment cleanliness.

*small eek*

Not that our apartment is a foul Orc lair or anything, but it does need some work in a couple of spots. So, along with all the other projects I need to complete before we fly out to New Jersey on Friday morning is Cleaning the Apartment and Finding a Place for Everything and putting it there.

A few days ago, we got a suitcase via UPS that DH had asked a friend to bring from Pakistan. It was full of books and not much else, but they were special books, and I have a few more of my things now. One of those things is a book called The Pooh Dictionary, by A. R. Melrose, which undertakes to define all the terms used in Winnie the Pooh, in authentic Pooh language. It is, naturally, quite hilarious. Here are a few examples:

Blinch, verb: to hesitate, quaver and quiver, or generally show a little bit of nervousness. Not to blinch is to go as boldly as any Very Small Animal can, which isn't much but is usually enough.

O gallant Piglet {PIGLET}! Ho!
Did Piglet Tremble? Did he blinch?
No, No, he sturggled inch by inch
Through LETTERS ONLY, as I know
Because I saw him go.
[The House at Pooh Corner]

See Also: PLUCK; and READY FOR ANYTHING

Captainish, adjective: Describes that indefinable quality of leadership that is grandly impractical, but you don't know in quite what way. You do know, however, that no matter how Captainish a Captain may be, a Captain is a Captain, and you are not.

It was going to be one of Rabbit's busy days. As soon as he woke up he felt important, as if everything depended upon him. It was just the day for Organizing Something, or for Writing a Notice Signed Rabbit, or for Seeing What Everybody Else Thought About It... It was a Captainish sort of day, when everybody said, "Yes, Rabbit" and "No, Rabbit," and waited until he had told them.
[The House at Pooh Corner]