Hmm... chain mail, chain maile, chain maille, chaine mail, chaine maille. Why the fascination with archaic spelling? Standardized spelling was a damned fine thing. My father, though, used to advocate spelling reform. He even wrote a letter to the editor about it. If I ever have time to scour the Star-Telegram ("Startle-Gram" in our family, due to errors both grammatical and spelling) archives held at the University of Texas at Arlington (my almost alma mater), I will find every last letter Pappy ever wrote to those numbskulls throughout the years, including his promotion of the idea that the United States of America should annex Mexico (whether they want to be annexed or not?), thus solving the illegal immigration problem and supplying a new source of oil all in one (not to mention putting lots of translators and sign painters to work).
Yesterday, I sent an email to my sisters, Bible-Thumper and Money-Grubber, requesting that they return Pappy's journals to me. I think I am finally serious about writing -- writing, and getting paid for it. The impetus for this is my recent contact with the son I put up for adoption 20 years ago, Wesley Louis Franklin Bridges (or was it Wesley Franklin Louis?), who was renamed Paul Michael Mueller by his adoptive family. Paul wants to know genealogy information. I thought having copies of Pappy's journals would be edifying. (Why did my brain want to say "edificacious"?) Bible-Thumper (who has maybe two of the journals) retorts that I could work from copies, and that it would be better to put the originals in a safe deposit box. (My brain: ok, MY safe deposit box.) Money-Grubber hasn't responded yet. I anticipate a vitriolic reply. But I stated my case simply, logically, and without resorting to pathos. I even offered to pay for the copying and have the copies bound, one for each child (natural or otherwise) of my father, plus the two grandchildren (Paul and Lindsay, daughter of my deceased sister, Inge) who do not have ready access to a parent with a copy of the journals. We'll see if my request is honored or not. I don't know if I really believe MG will comply or not. BT will, but perhaps grudgingly.
Reading back through the previous paragraph, it struck me that if BT and MG ever find out I refer to them as such (okay, I'm in a pissy mood, otherwise I get along okay with them), it will be absolute zero before I see the journals again. So if you know me and know my sisters, DO NOT let them have the URL to this blog. My future as a writer depends upon it. Yes, I know I can self-censor. But is that really writing my thoughts, hopes, ideas, and musings then? I dunno.
Maybe I should go down to Ye Olde Shoppe and buy myself une clef. (I looked up "clue" in French, got indice, which doesn't seem to make sense - index? - so I used key instead.)
Gotta love babelfish.
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2 comments:
Bible Thumper... nice. Maybe you should think about who's going to be reading these thoughts of yours before you post them on the internet. Makes me wonder what you say about me behind my back...
Well, since I don't know who you are, you'll just have to wait and see if any get posted. If you're who you think you are, then you know that I like you better now than I did say, twenty years ago. But as for my sisters, they don't know about this, so don't tell them. Go back and read my post on self-censorship. If I ever do write a book, then everyone will hate me, so wtf?
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