Serenity in the face of chicanery? It’s the very best antidote to the New Albany Syndrome.

Man, I'm beat.

The city council met as scheduled last evening, but owing to work commitments, it was spared the beanie’s presence (and apparently the Courier-Journal’s, too; this morning’s on-line coverage is non-existent).

Later on Friday, the Tribune’s thoughts will be inserted here.

Meanwhile, meeting reports are trickling into NAC as I prepare for a final round of vigorous (aargh) housecleaning prior to tomorrow’s home tour, with duties remaining that include displaying NA Confidential t-shirts and my Christopher Hitchens’s “God Is Not Great” book prominently in the foyer; positioning the draft beer system, pretzel bowls and espresso machine for daylong service; and making sure the cats’ basement exile locale is serviceable.

In other words, fresh litter in all their boxes – come to think of it, not unlike the pristine appearance of the council’s agenda prior to it being soiled by grubby wardheeling hands.

Following lunch, I’ll proceed back to work to see what new and intriguing adventures await me there, and to ready multiple growlers to yield progressive beer samples for this evening’s Carnegie Center fundraiser.

In the future, readers are kindly solicited to issue periodic reminders to me on the perils of overextending one’s self -- not that I’ll pay attention to them, but you’ll be in the position of “I told you so” when the vertebrae begin to crack.

I am told that in regard to the council’s obligation to redistrict, Slippery Larry Kochert has announced a comprehensive AnnaPlan of action expressly designed to thwart the spirit of the mandated settlement, to resuscitate the Gang of Four’s hegemony, to merrily gerrymander, and to upend the results of the forthcoming election, and in response to this, one can only shrug and ask:

Would you expect otherwise from such a long-term, deep-seated political malignancy?

Speaking only for myself, I’m serene. If the worst case scenario of potential council chicanery is true, then there are as many unforeseen stumbling blocks for the dysfunctional connivers as potential gains for their less luminous members.

Consequently, equanimity is the order of the day. Just watch calmly as Kochert and Co.’s mendacity levels trip Geiger counters from the new Albanian floodplain to the steppes of Central Asia, and remember that their frantic last-minute haste, and the expedient excuse for skullduggery that it provides them, both are the product of obfuscation and sloth on the part of a council that failed to do its job for more than three and a half years, coming on the heels of a previous council’s failure to do its job when its time came to adjust New Albany’ districts.

The council didn't even bother to cop a plea when it came to the negligence charge.

Reflect dispassionately as the obstructionist cabal now seeks to exhume the zombie-like primary election victim Bill Schmidt from his political grave, and ask yourself this question:

In seeking simple fairness according to law, who has sought to repair the damage borne of the council’s refusal to perform its duties … and who on the council now seeks to “fix” it by the usual methods?

Verily, it’s easy to be serene when virtue is its own reward, and when others across the aisle (the chasm) are so transparently toxic.

There’ll be much to add on this topic, and the council’s redistricting soft shoe performance truly won’t be over until the magistrate sings. Make note that a public meeting about redistricting has been inconveniently scheduled for Friday, September 14 at 2:00 p.m. Readers should try to attend it if at all possible.

Now, about those toilets …