tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778080993731708382024-03-13T03:44:45.963-07:00Adventures in LimbolandAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18163161161628701784noreply@blogger.comBlogger155125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577808099373170838.post-56996221620149918732017-01-19T12:54:00.001-08:002017-01-19T12:58:06.070-08:00Janis, Peggy and the Garden of Glass - Part IIA satirical imagination can be a dangerous thing.<br />
<br />
Since I originally posted this imagined fantasy of Peggy Caserta's rock-star party cottage that once sat on my property in Coon Hollow, I received several comments from readers that I was unaware of until now. (I thought Blogger platform was supposed to notify me with comments...maybe I need to adjust some settings or something.) Anyway, the comment below from username "Brass Ovaries," is ostensibly from the real Peggy Caserta.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: justify;">Hello Jeb, It's Peggy Caserta. I'm here to set a few things straight about what did and did NOT happen out at Stinson under my watch. This home was not a party house. It was a retreat, a sanctuary, a much treasured HOME. If I even saw a piece of paper blowing across that canyon I would scramble out and get it. Throw bottles? Never! Anyone who knows me knows this is ludicrous. I don't drink, and Janis would never, EVER be so classless and thoughtless as to throw trash into a pristine setting. No one threw bottles, trash, or anything from that deck while I owned it. They wouldn't dare. There never were any "parties". None of that is "Janis Joplin's Broken Glass". Not a chip, not a shard, nada. Heroin did not come in bottles, and there is no such thing as a "tie off widget" that I've ever heard of. Butterfield was never a guest, nor was Jerry, or Pigpen. Who ever trashed that canyon is no friend or guest of mine. So, there it is Jeb. The truth. Verifiable.</span><br />
<br />
If I could, I would paste Peggy's comments into the original article with a disclaimer that reads "WARNING. The descriptions of Peggy's house and the activities therein are entirely products of my IMAGINATION! My apologies to PC for fictionalizing her Coon Hollow cottage in what some may perceive to be a squalid light." Unfortunately Blogger doesn't support the editing of old posts.<br />
<br />
Yes, there was a cottage that belonged to Janis's girlfriend, Peggy, on Buena Vista Ave. in Stinson Beach. Yes, the property is littered with broken glass. Nobody knows how it got there. Perhaps Coon Hollow, which was probably choked with vines and creepers, was once a dump. I was 15 in 1970. I didn't go to any acid tests, but I read <i>The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test</i>, the story of Ken Kesey's Merry Prankster's odyssey across the US in a day-glo bus, around that time. Is it any surprise, then, that I imagined a non-stop bacchanalia in Coon Hollow?<br />
<br />
It is even more bewildering, to me, that someone would look at the picture of the broken glass and take it literally. I mean, really?<br />
<br />
So, now that your curiosity is piqued with frothing slobber, I'm sharing the original post below.<br />
<br />
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Walter Turncoat"; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; position: relative;">
Janis, Peggy and the Garden of Glass</h3>
<div class="post-header" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.8px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;">
<div class="post-header-line-1">
</div>
</div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-5312652627139663962" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 720px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPUrj0KyAbIhZhzS72sTgreveBrf42e3RV79alWH1w5fLSdPPfM4ERUgum6r8XIbAPWhMuzjvvocrT6LvOyArcxzcJQLD-9xioBKbwdGhAmlfg26A-FsHJUJkjSKXDh9QgYUgmU6vUTPI/s1600/peggyjanis1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #717171; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPUrj0KyAbIhZhzS72sTgreveBrf42e3RV79alWH1w5fLSdPPfM4ERUgum6r8XIbAPWhMuzjvvocrT6LvOyArcxzcJQLD-9xioBKbwdGhAmlfg26A-FsHJUJkjSKXDh9QgYUgmU6vUTPI/s320/peggyjanis1.jpeg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(231, 231, 231); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="247" /></span></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ever since we moved into our house here in Coon Hollow overlooking the mighty Pacific, I have been hearing things. Besides the constant crash and flow of the surf on Stinson Beach, the foghorns in the summer, the mysterious ghost moan coming from Bolinas and my very vocal pup Mister Boo, I've been hearing faint strains of Big Brother and The Holding Company. (In sixth grade I didn't quite get the double entendre of a "Holding Company", which had nothing to do with corporate subsidiaries in the Haight of 1966.) I'll find myself humming "looks like everybody in the whole wide world/is down on me" or "take it/take another little piece of my heart now baby", or, in particularly desperate states, just the "whoa whoa whoa" of Ball and Chain over and over.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I wore the grooves out on those first two albums, the only two legit Big Brother records, and I think of them as Janis’s truly inspired and beyond-compare efforts, despite everything that came later especially the travesty of Me and Bobby McGee and Mercedes Benz. That’s not to say that her singing wasn’t still beyond compare, but you can start to hear the fame and the money and the dope, especially the dope, in those later recordings when at first it was just this raw Texas orphan nerve snapping and sparking like a severed high voltage wire. There wasn’t anything like Janis and there hasn’t been since, and those that tried were only successful in mimicking the death by syringe scene and not much else. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We had heard rumors after we bought Coon Hollow that Janis had hung around the party </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">cottage </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">that </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;">originally stood on our property, but it wasn't until this New Years Eve while having rather comedic and borderline pathetic dinner at the Parkside Cafe that a guitar player named Milty suggested that we google Peggy Caserta. After trudging back up the hill to our Coon Hollow residence we logged on to learn that hippie boutique owner and millionaire Peggy Caserta and Janis Joplin were lovers right here at the original Coon Hollow cottage, right up to Janis's death by overdose in Hollywood. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tdvdLJbvQ3WZatleMvGi5VwD_dyZ-c6-kO9WQvuRSKaRQoxoqG88Bs06E4jjExUhJGFSqFqE2T4jm1a8wInnw_x-hSNl1BQv6rqOKF44Ks_bv96AUfsNMaMfsoPpNhEPxEeIWeh51jU/s1600/Peggy1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #717171; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tdvdLJbvQ3WZatleMvGi5VwD_dyZ-c6-kO9WQvuRSKaRQoxoqG88Bs06E4jjExUhJGFSqFqE2T4jm1a8wInnw_x-hSNl1BQv6rqOKF44Ks_bv96AUfsNMaMfsoPpNhEPxEeIWeh51jU/s200/Peggy1.jpeg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(231, 231, 231); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="120" /></span></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 1973, Peggy Caserta's book about her relationship with Janis: "Going Down With Janis", was published, but has since gone out of print. Too bad. There's nothing like a little gay junky depravity. But there's also something rather run of the mill and predictable about the fallen angels of the Summer of Love: the swirling vortex of junk, speed, psychedelics and every other form of dope, initially tuning in, turning on, and completely dropping out and off the face of the planet. The stories are all the same: archetypal, once married to H, you're married for life until death doth part you and corporeal world. In other word’s I’m not about to go drop $100 to get Peggy Caserta’s out of print book just to read about another H bomb, even if it is about a bixsexual rock star and her rather comely lesbian lover. As Peggy said in an interview with the documentary TV show, BIO, in 2009: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It worked for what it was. We had a lot of fun. We made a lot of love. It wasn’t a relationship </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">that people think of or look at today as a ‘lesbian r</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.15; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">elationship.’ It was not like that at all. We were compatible and young and wild and interested in each other.”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(231, 231, 231); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; color: black; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmkahrXixTNndE3w9qRR6JpZO5OUzgZFKmcjgXECSHc6I4Adt5-jZuSxd2nCLmqBB7Bt21zkCayFB2BV0lyISziZ5Nj2HtYFoXdnQu-Jdt5uDzLy1b2Qlq08D0yfs5gz6kgotXORH24U/s1600/peggy2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #717171; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmkahrXixTNndE3w9qRR6JpZO5OUzgZFKmcjgXECSHc6I4Adt5-jZuSxd2nCLmqBB7Bt21zkCayFB2BV0lyISziZ5Nj2HtYFoXdnQu-Jdt5uDzLy1b2Qlq08D0yfs5gz6kgotXORH24U/s1600/peggy2.jpeg" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px;">Peggy Caserta</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.15; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What’s curious about Coon Hollow and the inhabitants that preceded the razing of the falling </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">down </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; text-align: center;">cottage in 1983 and the building of the spacious, wide open, high-ceilinged two story building we’ve called home since fall 2012 is...the glass. Shortly after we moved in around September of 2012 my son Jack was playing with Mr. Boo on a gopher </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ2riArdyNdVpYDEuPuFdBMxIGjCpVVsZl592TxfYlb7t3b0_f4leXBCnjwoxfIwoIuHChu93PxAwFIb_fLpkGJD1QEkJENpvgcQdkoLyTI7MRgZCLJbbR_CwT33eHqLjHsyV2YAZ2MIA/s1600/peggy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #717171; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ2riArdyNdVpYDEuPuFdBMxIGjCpVVsZl592TxfYlb7t3b0_f4leXBCnjwoxfIwoIuHChu93PxAwFIb_fLpkGJD1QEkJENpvgcQdkoLyTI7MRgZCLJbbR_CwT33eHqLjHsyV2YAZ2MIA/s1600/peggy.jpeg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(231, 231, 231); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ridden patch of the former lawn - just clumps of fescue that the gophers would methodically pull under their mounds, leaving fewer and fewer clumps - when he came back up to the top story where the living room is and said "we can't play with Boo down there. It's nothing but broken glass." He was right. An area about thirty by fifty feet was strewn with shards of glass: brown, green, mostly clear, along with broken ceramics or perhaps the household plates, bowls, cups and so forth, a few pieces of clay pots and some weird ribbed, white siding or some other composite. The pieces range in size from almost full-sized bottles (only one has been found intact) to big 4" x 6" pieces to tiny shards that glimmer in the noon sun.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">The earth is not much more than dirty rocks alongside a spring fed creek. A run over the dirt with a rake churns up more and more rocks - mostly golf-ball sized but some big daddies - and more glass the deeper we dig. It's hard to imagine what the Buckleys, the family that built the current house, did once they cleared it of ivy, blackberries both regular and pricker-less/fruitless (aka The Luther Burbank Blackberry), scotch broom and other brambles. We've found some of the green netting that sod is grown in, so it's likely that they Buckley's simply covered up the rocks and glass with several yards of topsoil and a big sod lawn. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrzNF-k1pGNTt21gF2ubVuZndFFSjnI6z6G3GCU3ZUhEDLTMXyrRbSokNeuuQ1JkGAIryDnlsnAtcUI1iULd4aajgpjPv-6cmyrvJ5O8Soau8g22bZhBhXmsfZnZyVa0OcGTSzsc6kg8/s1600/Janis+glass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #717171; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrzNF-k1pGNTt21gF2ubVuZndFFSjnI6z6G3GCU3ZUhEDLTMXyrRbSokNeuuQ1JkGAIryDnlsnAtcUI1iULd4aajgpjPv-6cmyrvJ5O8Soau8g22bZhBhXmsfZnZyVa0OcGTSzsc6kg8/s400/Janis+glass.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(231, 231, 231); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The following owners, who moved in around 1994, let the place completely go to seed, so by the time we got here the glass - Janis's and Peggy's glass - was practically jumping out of the rocks and dirt. It's not difficult to imagine cadres of stoned hippies showing up at Peggy's beach palace, sitting on what they might have imagined was a buried treasure under brambles ten feet high, so high the creek was a tunnel of water running through Coon Hollow, heard but not seen, and pitching their bottles into the brambles, listening to their delightful destruction on the rocks. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(231, 231, 231); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; color: black; float: right; margin-left: 1em; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt3f0uO0mnpu10W8gpMNx9xlt7IB3HkNKxp-RYAJFOi-FeB19L857p2VUmWH3SgMfpwBz5pA_VqmulUwnUkx8A5u5CphhvVZECWmbl-8yxDUJoLPn-D_Zcuv0sMKHmc2tFNQhKbEluSa8/s200/90_buena_vista_03.jpg" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 0px;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Not Peggy's cottage, but similar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is an image of a big party and a little party, of times intimate between the lovers applying suntan </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">lotion to each other's naked loins on the sun deck, completely hidden from prying eyes in the folds of the hollow, hearing the surf crash on the beach below just barely masking the squeals of the kids - always the squeals of the kids drifting up the creek as if they were right in our backyard. Regardless of how ramshackle the original cottage was, there must have been some rip-roaring parties here in Coon Hollow.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I can see the jittery, writhing, multi-colored 20-something hippies in their beads and stovepipe hats gobbling down and shooting up every drug imaginable, back when all the shit was pure as the driven snow: China White, Peruvian Flake, Thai Stick, Owsley Acid, Crystal Meth, orange barrels of Mescaline and Psilocybin Shrooms oh joy of joys! Boys and girls and girls and girls and boys and boys and girls and the little kitty cat going off in threes or fours to the back rooms of the cottage, a copy of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Naked Lunch</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in hand, or in the main room on the overstuffed couches and bean bag chairs, watching the sunset while the back door was slammin’ and the kids were rammin’ n’ jammin’ on axes that would now be worth thousands - the ubiquitous Gibson 335s, the Country Gentlemans, Strats, Tellys, Les Pauls, Firebirds and SGs, Vox Continentals, Jaguars, the vibra-wiggling Farfisa, polished wooden Martins and Guilds ringing clear and true against the perpetual crash of breaking glass on the rocks below. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnACRMD0s_uQnKm9k_RNYRklBKVkNigNa_oqu-5FI9a_4HUworcYOCfpifdWZACy2ck8ogR0h5hxtoMxymSN7RdKaKHJ7il1HLb4WM26qiQ0OA9LTbm_ag7yRf0TBQPR6FwuYUJp9pNY/s1600/peggy1t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #717171; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnACRMD0s_uQnKm9k_RNYRklBKVkNigNa_oqu-5FI9a_4HUworcYOCfpifdWZACy2ck8ogR0h5hxtoMxymSN7RdKaKHJ7il1HLb4WM26qiQ0OA9LTbm_ag7yRf0TBQPR6FwuYUJp9pNY/s200/peggy1t.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(231, 231, 231); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49oPwgPtmLrlEOBejiZ_tAVb9yNNQ35Nec0h4UxplzTqbZRm_jK9OkMn-7ybXw67SFFev2r0mzj1YV0Dm3DfLSCNbg0JM13Pr73nfcR2t-nBywOn-T1UdbOjAbZI-45uotGKlRF7zJAo/s1600/photo+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #717171; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49oPwgPtmLrlEOBejiZ_tAVb9yNNQ35Nec0h4UxplzTqbZRm_jK9OkMn-7ybXw67SFFev2r0mzj1YV0Dm3DfLSCNbg0JM13Pr73nfcR2t-nBywOn-T1UdbOjAbZI-45uotGKlRF7zJAo/s200/photo+%25283%2529.JPG" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(231, 231, 231); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="136" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgisR55Kj5MMzdx_BHS-DXDzWjU5Vup9pZx_KmW86igse93Oq_AdNBeVmq2yy9j-QM42OwLIFyF0p0gL-R0RTPZznTM7VU5wvNoU76TutdcwW76dzr5md7SxysryhmPl-eUbGKD6OAjkVA/s200/thecastle.jpeg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(231, 231, 231); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px;" width="200" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Falstaff and Lucky, Busch Bavarian, San Miguel and Mickey Big Mouths - that’s what the </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Redwood high kids were drinkin’ down in front of The Castle on the beach in 1970 while Janis, Peggy, Pig Pen, Bloomfield, Butterfield - the bluesers - were shootin’ up in Coon Hollow, tossing bottles over their shoulders: Seagrams, Royal Gate, Beefeaters, Jack Daniels, Early Times, Hiram Walker and his brothers Johnny the Black and Johnny the Red, Jose Cuervo and the sweet syrupy nastiness that Janice was famous for drinking: Southern Comfort. I remember seeing Janis on stage with the Dead at Pepperland, playing Love Light for hours while she goosed Pig Pen and fondled Jerry with one hand and wielded her ever-present bottle of SC with the other. She sat in with the Dead, but Janis sang the blues, played the blues, lived the blues, like Pig Pen. Stick a loud Farfisa and slap a little tremelo on the ES 335 with a shuffle chuggin’ underneath and you got the San Francisco Sound.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(231, 231, 231); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; color: black; float: left; margin-right: 1em; padding: 5px; position: relative;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6s7HrVgEcwiTXjrFtQm5PccLfIT9uCiagVZt5klxs2gHFTi0wClpymBrjfJzHWNzxEhf6ZoEOWNozF2LwmhmL8ig1gJW_qREV732ZJFqF8CmN72vZgXcqZbpr70Xr63EuFhkP0NU0AUM/s200/peggy4.jpeg" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 0px 0px 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 0px;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All happening right here in Coon Hollow at Peggy’s little love getaway, next door to Cold Comfort, the name given to the house uphill from ours over 50 years ago, perhaps after </span><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Cold Comfort Farm,</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">comic novel by English author </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stella_Gibbons" style="color: #717171; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #0b0080; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stella Gibbons</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, published in 1932 and made into a TV series by the BBC. The phrase? Shakespeare, of course: </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0pt 6pt 10pt 23pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">King John</span><span style="color: #222222; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 1595:</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin: 11pt 35pt 11pt 51pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">KING JOHN: </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin: 11pt 35pt 11pt 51pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Poison'd,--ill fare--dead, forsook, cast off:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin: 11pt 35pt 11pt 51pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And none of you will bid the winter come</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin: 11pt 35pt 11pt 51pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To thrust his icy fingers in my maw,</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin: 11pt 35pt 11pt 51pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nor let my kingdom's rivers take their course</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin: 11pt 35pt 11pt 51pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Through my burn'd bosom, nor entreat the north</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin: 11pt 35pt 11pt 51pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To make his bleak winds kiss my parched lips</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin: 11pt 35pt 11pt 51pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And comfort me with cold. I do not ask you much,</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin: 11pt 35pt 11pt 51pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I beg cold comfort; and you are so strait</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin: 11pt 35pt 11pt 51pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And so ingrateful, you deny me that.</span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-0ab0cfa4-5aec-283f-4dba-b1fb4f37b7ba"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="color: #222222; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is a curious connection between Shakespeare’s morgue vision and the silly, fatalistic parody of Britain’s country gentility in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Cold Comfort Farm</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Sometimes these hidden yet powerful ironies make the most sense in light of senseless death, like Janis Joplin’s. As Sam Andrew, her bandmate in Big Brother and the Kosmic Blues Band once put it: </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Janis had a big appetite for everything: living, having a good time, everything,” he </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI66XSC2oeENGPb91wa5-lwwklM6lwXcNG8xZt6QTXOGFFbSfnk9iht02RVkAeYVKOHAnhXIqfgXMFDxN_GNswTEKGLDIg1nqF3dK9RqJzkymoq7lVyi8JXpQuYK_8TBVfykYdv2WmgHw/s1600/janis1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #717171; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI66XSC2oeENGPb91wa5-lwwklM6lwXcNG8xZt6QTXOGFFbSfnk9iht02RVkAeYVKOHAnhXIqfgXMFDxN_GNswTEKGLDIg1nqF3dK9RqJzkymoq7lVyi8JXpQuYK_8TBVfykYdv2WmgHw/s200/janis1.jpeg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(231, 231, 231); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="161" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">recalls. “If it was food, she wanted the most and best of anybody in the room. If it was a good time, she wanted the most. She had a big appetite for drugs, too, and she had the opportunity and money to indulge it. Maybe if she would have had less of an appetite, it would have turned out better. She didn’t have a lot of caution at times.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Peggy Caserta is still around, according to the available info, living somewhere in the Inland Empire of SoCal, clean at last after a long career with the needle. But Peggy’s a business person, not a musician. My theory is that the forces that drive the creation of truly inspired music - that yearning for complete catharsis and the accompanying mindless euphoria - are the same forces that can get a blazing heart and head to run for cover, shoot the moon, drink a case of Miller bottles and a fifth of Early Times and heave the bottles off the porch. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I might have to give it a try myself, except that I've cleaned up all the rocks and am in the process of transforming the garden of glass into a field of grass. And let me tell it's just such non-stop euphoria and catharsis I can't hardly stand it. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQcmCMtN8KAnUAaTbMpKyh2ImhlK_0urhyphenhyphenyoujDS9h1mRrlnbpPvvlIeSfpQOeUCsqII5OT82W9GRpib3NlCBRfFK3CcGDUd7kzax6VvsWBJpLgxeKRI1DR9jRytP5_Vi_2c2UheEQ_w/s1600/littlelimbogirls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #717171; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-pin-nopin="true" height="49" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQcmCMtN8KAnUAaTbMpKyh2ImhlK_0urhyphenhyphenyoujDS9h1mRrlnbpPvvlIeSfpQOeUCsqII5OT82W9GRpib3NlCBRfFK3CcGDUd7kzax6VvsWBJpLgxeKRI1DR9jRytP5_Vi_2c2UheEQ_w/s320/littlelimbogirls.JPG" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(231, 231, 231); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0621B8mxnj_7YuDGccdZft-AM0C3xSa01_z-sMm5TwvU6H0VHr_4Q3z2TeFnp_PSAODhJmvW5Cx5HhNQgCvZFBf3igIBEGqyWdZxnRQyWJDmCwZ5g5nm54ttcTcSoDftaGtPgx3mVfZs/s1600/howard+cover+with+border.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0621B8mxnj_7YuDGccdZft-AM0C3xSa01_z-sMm5TwvU6H0VHr_4Q3z2TeFnp_PSAODhJmvW5Cx5HhNQgCvZFBf3igIBEGqyWdZxnRQyWJDmCwZ5g5nm54ttcTcSoDftaGtPgx3mVfZs/s320/howard+cover+with+border.png" width="209" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Howard-Brown-Novel-ebook/dp/B01KNEJ9SQ/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">On Amazon</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRfKgj8Zi_zDmtUvoBc3iD0_t3iGTflrDvXCg_tFTxY6HcVPWQBlrLZzoZnwzxHzeoJn6zmr-oxV4xBazPC2J0aUJGo59Yd4eqFwcxfaH2tiRzWIrqMK4UsxEbSAaXRSACKE_nbJw5v0/s1600/hack+poem.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #717171; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRfKgj8Zi_zDmtUvoBc3iD0_t3iGTflrDvXCg_tFTxY6HcVPWQBlrLZzoZnwzxHzeoJn6zmr-oxV4xBazPC2J0aUJGo59Yd4eqFwcxfaH2tiRzWIrqMK4UsxEbSAaXRSACKE_nbJw5v0/s320/hack+poem.JPG" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(231, 231, 231); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Looking for a new and interesting way to hack a little true romance?</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://amzn.to/UBu9PY" style="color: #717171; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I got your inspiration right here!</span></a></div>
</div>
<br />
SoJeb Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230628615012095761noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577808099373170838.post-58997511816179196492016-12-21T16:59:00.000-08:002016-12-21T16:59:20.831-08:002016 - What Just Happened?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2RUXeVML3MzRrcWoPONzlsTjKOUqRq6Hn4EEdDNr1ujkptdMbSSz5emvnZpW-A5dHjsUtXnV-HF9eMsQuAHe5SvrJ_2tH-da2SwG2wosNWGHQ0fqetDTWAvlI9HtZ4IkSTl9Wh27ktl0/s1600/220px-Dada1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2RUXeVML3MzRrcWoPONzlsTjKOUqRq6Hn4EEdDNr1ujkptdMbSSz5emvnZpW-A5dHjsUtXnV-HF9eMsQuAHe5SvrJ_2tH-da2SwG2wosNWGHQ0fqetDTWAvlI9HtZ4IkSTl9Wh27ktl0/s200/220px-Dada1.jpg" width="172" /></a></div>
I mean WTF just happened? Between the untimely departure of many of my musical heroes and the complete demise of The American Dream, I feel like 2016 has been a non-stop gang rape of everything I believed was good and true.<br />
<br />
Something about 2016 harkens back to 1915 and the Dadaists. It's not so much the art and anti-art that they created, or the anti-bourgeois sentiments. Rather, it's the complete absurdity of the socio-political environment, and the realization that our 250 year-old American experiment is fizzling and sputtering like a lab rat in its death throes. It's even worse to know that so many of our fellow-citizens don't give a shit about liberty and justice for all, and that they're perfectly happy destroying the planet so long as they can get a new truck, boat, snowmobile, motorcycle, RV etc. every couple of years.<br />
<br />
Nonetheless, there are lessons to be learned. One is that the bubble we live in our here on the <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6aBRGG8bKDlsJLyGRSjaFZilvy8EHMtWltiO87hPM53B0ypBoyLEoi47-Ta_Koy2PJoixmFHhWm_SI7Dxks6jDkrgoA52FaNIprQFDOOHhD9fUg412Vamvw9mbKug_w9YLFYl2KzLtg/s1600/mirrors.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6aBRGG8bKDlsJLyGRSjaFZilvy8EHMtWltiO87hPM53B0ypBoyLEoi47-Ta_Koy2PJoixmFHhWm_SI7Dxks6jDkrgoA52FaNIprQFDOOHhD9fUg412Vamvw9mbKug_w9YLFYl2KzLtg/s1600/mirrors.jpeg" /></a></div>
Northern California coast really is a bubble, and a small one at that. Another is that the social media echo chamber in which some of us dwell is also a house of mirrors. And that the same is true for everybody: it's become almost impossible to discern opinion from fact, falsehood from reality, and if something enters our sphere that doesn't conform to the norms of our echo chamber, it gets vaporized like mosquito on a bug lamp.<br />
<br />
I know this because many of us couldn't have been more wrong, and while we were telling each other how right we were, a revolt was underway. Who knew? Not the NYT, not the WP, not the SFC...Witness then the dangers of the echo chamber, topped with the foam off an orange julius.<br />
<br />
So, what now?<br />
<br />
First and foremost, we lost so FUCK THAT SHIT! As Tom Petty once sang "it's time to move on, time to get goin'." The federal government is shaping up to be a complete and utter train wreck for progressives, not to mention all the middle-class suckers that got conned by the Chump. So...to quote another song:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
De do do do, de da da da<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Is all I want to say to you<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
De do do do, de da da da<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Their innocence will pull me through<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
De do do do, de da da da<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Is all I want to say to you<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
De do do do, de da da da<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>34</o:Words>
<o:Characters>200</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Microsoft Office Suite</o:Company>
<o:Lines>1</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>233</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:128;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-format:other;
mso-font-pitch:fixed;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:128;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-format:other;
mso-font-pitch:fixed;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
They're meaningless and all that's true<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, Merry Merry from the Hairy Family Singers. I suspect we'll muddle through 2017 one way or another.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtYonkbKycPAnuJfpr1i2U7Qo4MnMVkSdc-3RGrDnOn55FaJBrVsN6iW5deAYETwEj86I17nJ47bAtSN2wKcZdnKojiyGD9R4crAS_gwKnZanfkBOqapmFv6RudYZzAA-ELy11pCaiOc/s1600/Hairy+Family+Singers+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtYonkbKycPAnuJfpr1i2U7Qo4MnMVkSdc-3RGrDnOn55FaJBrVsN6iW5deAYETwEj86I17nJ47bAtSN2wKcZdnKojiyGD9R4crAS_gwKnZanfkBOqapmFv6RudYZzAA-ELy11pCaiOc/s320/Hairy+Family+Singers+2016.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEpIY0Rs3AiQ8u30GUMWWlR2Qtcd9Kx-xOPSOADd7DJbk4RPDY-WNpGvnajhRLmiwGMNBENq31oX_sxbxRQgZv5COqqGh4b_-voQ1LbATsQTn7Z0cTjtKbY53BVnDmLYgr_80WKzIZUk/s1600/littlelimbogirls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="49" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEpIY0Rs3AiQ8u30GUMWWlR2Qtcd9Kx-xOPSOADd7DJbk4RPDY-WNpGvnajhRLmiwGMNBENq31oX_sxbxRQgZv5COqqGh4b_-voQ1LbATsQTn7Z0cTjtKbY53BVnDmLYgr_80WKzIZUk/s320/littlelimbogirls.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIgTTIJzZ5v5o1r1lZa1pG-Px2Nh-fpd09eTj-5I06EuePJUdFklPeEUblmLE1xLz85DqB6ya05DQouYH6Mk6J367tRaetfHYCM_X2xC-lDIUwxZKQZPDSjOPPSCk2_ERjHu4VH-kp_o/s1600/hack+poem.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIgTTIJzZ5v5o1r1lZa1pG-Px2Nh-fpd09eTj-5I06EuePJUdFklPeEUblmLE1xLz85DqB6ya05DQouYH6Mk6J367tRaetfHYCM_X2xC-lDIUwxZKQZPDSjOPPSCk2_ERjHu4VH-kp_o/s320/hack+poem.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0621B8mxnj_7YuDGccdZft-AM0C3xSa01_z-sMm5TwvU6H0VHr_4Q3z2TeFnp_PSAODhJmvW5Cx5HhNQgCvZFBf3igIBEGqyWdZxnRQyWJDmCwZ5g5nm54ttcTcSoDftaGtPgx3mVfZs/s1600/howard+cover+with+border.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0621B8mxnj_7YuDGccdZft-AM0C3xSa01_z-sMm5TwvU6H0VHr_4Q3z2TeFnp_PSAODhJmvW5Cx5HhNQgCvZFBf3igIBEGqyWdZxnRQyWJDmCwZ5g5nm54ttcTcSoDftaGtPgx3mVfZs/s320/howard+cover+with+border.png" width="209" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jeb-Stewart-Harrison/e/B008N4QQ58/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1" target="_blank"><br /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jeb-Stewart-Harrison/e/B008N4QQ58/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1" target="_blank">On Amazon</a></div>
Jeb Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230628615012095761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577808099373170838.post-59463163249866172372016-11-20T17:13:00.004-08:002016-11-20T17:13:40.613-08:00Yo! OWG. Get Hip. Get Guilty.<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWRvkWg8BTy_HgY7UiJBvZ84AjuElya1t4pFEWpLsf22UMuswMAUY_ajuNgetI27oVG-wq7om3QTes8ZuA1eF9V85o4yqREswT0ln-XCBOLs0iTsBQrlDaxbK8GkU3m9foMKpCOYIivk/s1600/owg5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWRvkWg8BTy_HgY7UiJBvZ84AjuElya1t4pFEWpLsf22UMuswMAUY_ajuNgetI27oVG-wq7om3QTes8ZuA1eF9V85o4yqREswT0ln-XCBOLs0iTsBQrlDaxbK8GkU3m9foMKpCOYIivk/s200/owg5.jpeg" width="166" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In case you didn’t know, our nation’s troubles are entirely your fault. Yeah, I’m talkin’ to you. Old White Guy. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_privilege" target="_blank">White Male Privilege.</a> AKA Old White Guy Rule. And you own it. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You. The descendent of men that believed in a broad, imperial application of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifest_destiny" target="_blank">Manifest Destiny.</a> Men that believed that the white man was put on the planet by God to rule and enslave the savages, the heathens, the uncivilized hordes, the women.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Men that brought Africans across the ocean to the New World to serve them. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Never mind that the Africans were enslaving and selling other Africans to the Americans/Spanish/British/Portuguese etc. to enrich their own kings and queens. Your ancestors couldn’t have bought what wasn’t for sale, but, in 250-year hindsight, they should have known better. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Never mind that the Christians and the Moors, the Egyptians and the Jews, and every other tribe on </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIgpCK5w4a-qBXyRlayOxtL3Mr3KZgVxRu5sXNU71Y2yEdbHwQ0vMUSCVRX_e9NL_Ed9eXdIxb3zNMe0b0gbGi35QhDRwSCwP5Qtk5Fj9HtzSrVES_2baORxRW5ZC-wyrTZZzSQ7MMG_0/s1600/slave-sale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIgpCK5w4a-qBXyRlayOxtL3Mr3KZgVxRu5sXNU71Y2yEdbHwQ0vMUSCVRX_e9NL_Ed9eXdIxb3zNMe0b0gbGi35QhDRwSCwP5Qtk5Fj9HtzSrVES_2baORxRW5ZC-wyrTZZzSQ7MMG_0/s200/slave-sale.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the planet had been enslaving their weaker neighbors from the beginning of civilization. (Slavery in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Game of Thrones </i>is a pretty accurate historical depiction.)</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Never mind that your ancestors believed, often under threat of death, in a book called The Bible. They believed that woman was made from Adam’s rib. For a long time your ancestors had no scientific reason NOT to believe it. The white man’s superiority was ordained by God, and if your ancestor had the balls to suggest otherwise, well...off with his head. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmEBrEt4ZvhXvBLGSpvHVSxAjDQrA9I_cBPW6dLVIsFvV9weu-PDOTBLY8mkrPPvWmRh4KYTtrfMdX1Wo_49K8_axq-9bvSOkAnj9NczP7MBwFIg1_3BgrCA4laPGxjHjNdPoPAL2MKqc/s1600/owg6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmEBrEt4ZvhXvBLGSpvHVSxAjDQrA9I_cBPW6dLVIsFvV9weu-PDOTBLY8mkrPPvWmRh4KYTtrfMdX1Wo_49K8_axq-9bvSOkAnj9NczP7MBwFIg1_3BgrCA4laPGxjHjNdPoPAL2MKqc/s200/owg6.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is your burden now, my friend. It’s said that the sins of the fathers shall be visited upon the sons, and you best believe that it has come to pass. Ask around. Ask your millennial kids. You’ve stolen a life of privilege simply by being born when and where you were, and now it’s payback time. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don't let the latest spasm of Old White Guy Rule fool you. DT, Jeff Sessions, Mike Flynn, Rudy Fooliyanni, Steve Bannon - these guys are the last gasp, the death rattle. You may feel like you're off the hook, but in fact this latest white guy twitch will only drive the hook in deeper. Four years from now, your burden will be heavier than ever, trying to undo the frantic flailing of the white right. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And you can't blame it on the true Trumplicans. The 12th-grade education blue collar bunch doesn't count. They wouldn’t know Manifest Destiny or anything else about the evolution of the white man’s privilege if it came up and bit them in the ass. Ignorance is not only bliss, but a conscience free of our special brand of universal guilt.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Besides - and I don’t blame you if you haven’t heard - the trials and tribulations of our less-fortunate </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UlD8t_Zv_lun6txkyMDNcCxK7mkKgxP9JtpTkHDaUbEe0YSMk_uk0HpYR5Z5Mv3YrbHQEKUUjsRKauFpYAQbjwHUJvwUoxTStJax9XnXClNaH3XDOFFKEnYPpT81fcFOvEyoB-MkBxI/s1600/0wg2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UlD8t_Zv_lun6txkyMDNcCxK7mkKgxP9JtpTkHDaUbEe0YSMk_uk0HpYR5Z5Mv3YrbHQEKUUjsRKauFpYAQbjwHUJvwUoxTStJax9XnXClNaH3XDOFFKEnYPpT81fcFOvEyoB-MkBxI/s200/0wg2.jpeg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">white brothers is your fault, too. This is especially true if you have fed, clothed and sheltered your family while wearing a white collar, and even worse if the company you worked for had “Inc.” appended to their name. Doctors, lawyers, academics, software executives - all are part of the “corporate elite” that has so effectively limited the white male proletariat to Budweiser, Marlboros, Ford Trucks, Smith and Wesson etc. That angry wallpaper hanger that went postal at Chick Fil A? All your fault. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Friends and countrymen, ‘fess the fuck up.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This guilt is yours and yours alone. You with the bachelors, the masters, the doctorate. You, the critical thinker. Tom Wolfe’s “Masters of the Universe.” </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfJFl-Aj9UFrbwg0PoveoUperjgR6o7OwZ0ZsG7LAf_sYxn8sMCmqsux49L6xSXpcmx28l_ALXfDsWqnwXs27BU_HNyLHdOQLfTDxSGqyZgiTIdSgynYDH6Re_7gDqkW7rB0CXpdGkKyM/s1600/owg3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfJFl-Aj9UFrbwg0PoveoUperjgR6o7OwZ0ZsG7LAf_sYxn8sMCmqsux49L6xSXpcmx28l_ALXfDsWqnwXs27BU_HNyLHdOQLfTDxSGqyZgiTIdSgynYDH6Re_7gDqkW7rB0CXpdGkKyM/s200/owg3.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Historical context cannot assuage your guilt, so get over it. It doesn’t matter what the social, cultural, political or economic norms were before you arrived. It doesn’t matter that your white male ancestors were behaving in ways that were expected of them. It doesn’t matter that the Founding Fathers “men” that were created “equal” were white men, or that “we the people” meant “we the white male property-owning people.” What they thought was right was, again in 250-year hindsight, obviously very, very wrong. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And it’s up to you to fix it, buddy. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The list of evils on your list - the list you’re entirely responsible for creating - is pretty much endless. It starts with all this senseless death you’ve engendered: drug gang warfare in the cities, teen junkies ODing in the suburbs, tweakers beating up their girlfriends in the cornfields, entire communities strung-out on prescription painkillers, white police killing unarmed blacks, black police killing unarmed blacks, female police killing unarmed blacks, death by cancer, death by heart disease, death by suicide. All that death, and only you to blame.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And what about your objectification and oppression of females, homosexuals, bisexuals, lesbians, </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidasE-_r2QPup77iU7eqJroRzRgTX7a6HrtS3GBLSb49oZ5jhXkgA32YasmRVudKlf6Kks43gGR2dVJaTbnQj-ndviL_cfy6KQiWYB-_6R5CFPc7azEJE1E0h-U6QBTIovhTiWOr2OUMM/s1600/owg4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidasE-_r2QPup77iU7eqJroRzRgTX7a6HrtS3GBLSb49oZ5jhXkgA32YasmRVudKlf6Kks43gGR2dVJaTbnQj-ndviL_cfy6KQiWYB-_6R5CFPc7azEJE1E0h-U6QBTIovhTiWOr2OUMM/s200/owg4.jpeg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">transgenders and everybody/anybody that doesn’t look, dress, talk and walk like you? Clearly, had it not been for your ancestors belief </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">(and maybe yours, too) i</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">n the prudish morals of the Bible, there would be no shame in being different. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If the label was to be completely accurate, it would be “Heterosexual White Male Privilege.” There might be some homosexual white male privilege in Palm Springs, or Guerneville, or on Fire Island. But unlikely in Minot, South Dakota, or most of the rest small town USA. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cop to it, you homophobic, misogynistic, racist bastard. Cop to the drug lords sending bad hombres across the border, the Native Americans losing their lands to big oil, Monsanto poisoning our food supply, hydrocarbons burning holes in the atmosphere, Mickey D’s raping the rainforests. It’s all your fault, fucking glacier melter. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1pMldIqgz1URt-7THygXk5iAiMii8TUDKNmDFaU-khCQRP621JHH5BKLQ_Oz-Z4r4o6ug6I5yeO8HICzViWTMA7-gQeL37KWHRkVf8kf8kQv-u9yiyOOrMnuBW2SOoohwtL4drt95rQ/s1600/rr2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1pMldIqgz1URt-7THygXk5iAiMii8TUDKNmDFaU-khCQRP621JHH5BKLQ_Oz-Z4r4o6ug6I5yeO8HICzViWTMA7-gQeL37KWHRkVf8kf8kQv-u9yiyOOrMnuBW2SOoohwtL4drt95rQ/s200/rr2.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What? You object to the notion that you’re responsible for the actions of your forebears? Well, if it wasn’t for them, you wouldn’t be here. By the same token, if it wasn’t for them, you wouldn’t be enjoying your privileged position in society. And if it wasn’t for their systematic, God-fearing oppression of the “others” and rapacious destruction of the environment, you wouldn’t be so fat and happy, flying down the highway in your ultimate driving machine, guzzling cosmos at the country club, comparing private schools, hedge funds, private jets, tax shelters and Fellatio Alger stories with your fellow Bohemians at The Grove. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It doesn’t matter that some of you have donned a three-piece suit, schlepped your briefcase on the commuter bus to a windowless office on the 45th floor of Anycity, USA for 40 years. Had you not been bequeathed that pink stub between your legs on your birthday, you might’ve never had the opportunity to engage in the daily backstabbing skulduggery of corporate America. Might’ve never got the chance to get strung out on Peruvian Flake and Glenfidditch, never had the chance to go to rehab, or get prostate surgery, or numb yourself with benzos, antidepressants, and college football. After all, it’s a small price to pay for the privilege you’ve neither earned nor deserve. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Besides, it’s hip to be guilty. So, what can you do to undo your crimes?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Get down on your knees and ATONE, motherfucker! Every morning, hit the floor and b<a href="http://www.damemagazine.com/2016/11/01/why-i-have-no-sympathy-angry-white-men" target="_blank">eg </a></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><a href="http://www.damemagazine.com/2016/11/01/why-i-have-no-sympathy-angry-white-men" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZygzbBz-48b27YH0QqZZ7DOCJEzEFh9Tti1MHuwgfsBVukHbBy1gXi5m8js5sMxt1cfZYteX8EEE9-KtYmYbEPSwn4vQYnjBi6pRpeJ2dftkn0NZiIRuIFQ-dy-hKeNH7fe53T00UOjE/s200/owg8.jpeg" width="200" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.damemagazine.com/2016/11/01/why-i-have-no-sympathy-angry-white-men" target="_blank">forgiveness from the rest of humanity</a> for the role your genes have played in destroying the planet and its inhabitants. Give your earthly belongings - your little pork pie hat, your car, your golf clubs, your skis, your wine collection, your vintage guitars, your stock portfolios, your house(s), your yachts, your original Russell Chathams, your hardback collection of the complete works of Jim Harrison, your smartTV, your iMac, your iPad, your iPhone, all those three piece suits and plaid bermuda shorts - every last luxury that you’ve stolen from the people your family has trodden on for generations...give it all away. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then, after your castration surgery, find an order of monks that will have your evil ass and dissafuckingpear. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Or...</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If, for some reason, after accepting complete responsibility for all the social, cultural, sexual, racial and economic injustice in the US, its territories, protectorates and minor outlying islands (might as well throw the rest of the world in there), you have additional responsibilities that may prevent you from disafuckingpearing - like a family and the remote possibility of friends. Or you've discovered that you can best provide for those you love with your head held high, well then...</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">...just do the best you can. Seriously. Give to those organizations that support the American dream, day in day out. The <a href="http://jezebel.com/a-list-of-pro-women-pro-immigrant-pro-earth-anti-big-1788752078" target="_blank">ACLU, The Southern Poverty Law Center, etc. etc. </a>It won't make you any less guilty, but it might make you feel a little better. Try it! Besides, your white kids don't need that inheritance, because if the white male Christian shitheads keep running the show the whole world will be ashes before you can say Armageddon. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With Sincere and Painful Apologies for My Existence and the Existence of all my Ancestors Dating Back to Charlemagne, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another Old White Guy</span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-aa78150d-182e-2186-69eb-c41f241fd61e"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEpIY0Rs3AiQ8u30GUMWWlR2Qtcd9Kx-xOPSOADd7DJbk4RPDY-WNpGvnajhRLmiwGMNBENq31oX_sxbxRQgZv5COqqGh4b_-voQ1LbATsQTn7Z0cTjtKbY53BVnDmLYgr_80WKzIZUk/s1600/littlelimbogirls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="49" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEpIY0Rs3AiQ8u30GUMWWlR2Qtcd9Kx-xOPSOADd7DJbk4RPDY-WNpGvnajhRLmiwGMNBENq31oX_sxbxRQgZv5COqqGh4b_-voQ1LbATsQTn7Z0cTjtKbY53BVnDmLYgr_80WKzIZUk/s320/littlelimbogirls.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
My literary attempt at atonement:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0621B8mxnj_7YuDGccdZft-AM0C3xSa01_z-sMm5TwvU6H0VHr_4Q3z2TeFnp_PSAODhJmvW5Cx5HhNQgCvZFBf3igIBEGqyWdZxnRQyWJDmCwZ5g5nm54ttcTcSoDftaGtPgx3mVfZs/s1600/howard+cover+with+border.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0621B8mxnj_7YuDGccdZft-AM0C3xSa01_z-sMm5TwvU6H0VHr_4Q3z2TeFnp_PSAODhJmvW5Cx5HhNQgCvZFBf3igIBEGqyWdZxnRQyWJDmCwZ5g5nm54ttcTcSoDftaGtPgx3mVfZs/s320/howard+cover+with+border.png" width="209" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Howard-Brown-Novel/dp/153090028X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">On Amazon</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIgTTIJzZ5v5o1r1lZa1pG-Px2Nh-fpd09eTj-5I06EuePJUdFklPeEUblmLE1xLz85DqB6ya05DQouYH6Mk6J367tRaetfHYCM_X2xC-lDIUwxZKQZPDSjOPPSCk2_ERjHu4VH-kp_o/s1600/hack+poem.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIgTTIJzZ5v5o1r1lZa1pG-Px2Nh-fpd09eTj-5I06EuePJUdFklPeEUblmLE1xLz85DqB6ya05DQouYH6Mk6J367tRaetfHYCM_X2xC-lDIUwxZKQZPDSjOPPSCk2_ERjHu4VH-kp_o/s320/hack+poem.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hack-Jeb-Stewart-Harrison-ebook/dp/B008X7FN4A/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">On Amazon</a></div>
</div>
Jeb Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230628615012095761noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577808099373170838.post-53165064941271399042016-11-17T10:56:00.001-08:002016-11-17T10:57:20.448-08:00Party After Death: An Excerpt<div class="Normal1" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The following is an excerpt from my latest novel, <i>The Healing of Howard Brown</i>. Some of my readers – those that know me, in particular – have observed that much of Book I is based on actual people and events. This is partially true. Like Charles Dickens in <i>David Copperfield </i>and Saul Bellow in <i>Herzog </i>and <i>Humboldt's Gift, </i>along with the esteemed jazz guitarist Barry Finnerty in <i>START, </i>there are parts of my work that are semi-autobiographical. After all, real life is about as powerful an inspiration an author can have. </span></span></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My father, J. Stewart Harrison, did in fact hail from Baton Rouge, among other places in the South. His mother, Louise, was born on the Hazelwood Plantation in Laurel Hill, LA. Both of them were notorious "glass half empty" pessimists and maniacal golfaholics. The scene below is based on fact: my father and mother (to the degree my mother was capable of comprehension at that time) had agreed that dying was the end. Eternal nothingness awaited. This after raising my sister and me in the Catholic church. It seemed a bitter, dark outlook to me then, and still does, as evidenced in the excerpt below. </span></span></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEpIY0Rs3AiQ8u30GUMWWlR2Qtcd9Kx-xOPSOADd7DJbk4RPDY-WNpGvnajhRLmiwGMNBENq31oX_sxbxRQgZv5COqqGh4b_-voQ1LbATsQTn7Z0cTjtKbY53BVnDmLYgr_80WKzIZUk/s1600/littlelimbogirls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="49" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEpIY0Rs3AiQ8u30GUMWWlR2Qtcd9Kx-xOPSOADd7DJbk4RPDY-WNpGvnajhRLmiwGMNBENq31oX_sxbxRQgZv5COqqGh4b_-voQ1LbATsQTn7Z0cTjtKbY53BVnDmLYgr_80WKzIZUk/s320/littlelimbogirls.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0621B8mxnj_7YuDGccdZft-AM0C3xSa01_z-sMm5TwvU6H0VHr_4Q3z2TeFnp_PSAODhJmvW5Cx5HhNQgCvZFBf3igIBEGqyWdZxnRQyWJDmCwZ5g5nm54ttcTcSoDftaGtPgx3mVfZs/s1600/howard+cover+with+border.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0621B8mxnj_7YuDGccdZft-AM0C3xSa01_z-sMm5TwvU6H0VHr_4Q3z2TeFnp_PSAODhJmvW5Cx5HhNQgCvZFBf3igIBEGqyWdZxnRQyWJDmCwZ5g5nm54ttcTcSoDftaGtPgx3mVfZs/s200/howard+cover+with+border.png" width="130" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Howard-Brown-Novel/dp/153090028X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471538490&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Now on Amazon</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Normal1" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From chapter one: "Trying to Die"</span></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;">I closed my eyes as my Vicodin-laced
brain pulled sparkling clean memories out of the mental soup with pristine
clarity, and eventually recalled a scene of Mom and Dad and a pact they made
three years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span><span lang="UZ-CYR" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;">That day, the old man sat us down at the
kitchen table next to his overstuffed club chair. Then he cleared his throat as
if he was in the courtroom about to address the ladies and gentlemen of the
jury. “Mom and I have agreed that we don’t believe in any sort of life after
death,” he announced, leaning forward on the edge of his chair and running his
twisted fingers through his long, silver-blue hair. “We’ve decided that this is
the end.” </span><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;">He looked like the end had already
happened, his giant hawk nose a roadmap of booze-busted capillaries, snot
perennially coalescing in the nostril fuzz, his grey eyes broken down into
pools of uninvited tears hiding in the shade of his overhanging silver brows,
his terse upper lip shielding what was left of his teeth. </span><span lang="UZ-CYR" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;">My mother had no comment. Alzheimer’s had
made such concepts as “death” and “the end” as meaningful as “spoon” and
“poop.” She might have been wondering what happened to her usual daytime rerun companions:
Lucy, Ricky, Matt Dillon, the Brothers Cartwright, Bob Barker. She might have
even wondered why we kept her friends holed up in that box in the corner of the
kitchen. </span><span lang="UZ-CYR" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;">But Hal Brown was serious, so I did what
I could to paint a brighter picture: “That’s the great thing about death, Dad. Nobody
knows for sure what happens so you can make up whatever you want.” This was
probably the most metaphysical thing I had ever said to him in my entire life,
and though both of my parents converted to Catholicism upon their arrival in
San Francisco, Dad from the South and Mom from Chicago, their religious
affiliations had more to do with blending into the City than with any faith in
the Holy Trinity. But as it turned out on that particular day, he wasn’t
interested a theological debate, nor was he interested in my theory of eternal
party after death, or even to make lively discussion over Pascal’s wager (which
to me was, and still is, the only logical way of looking at it). Instead, as
always, there was an immediate practical purpose, a command, a fatherly
directive that he meant to impart:</span><span lang="UZ-CYR" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;">“Well, we don’t want any last rites or
anything like that. And if you put on a little memorial get together we don’t
want any priests or religion involved.”</span><span lang="UZ-CYR" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;">Bullshit!</span></i><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"> I wanted to shout. <i>If that’s how
you’ve decided it’s going to be then why did we waste all that time at St.
Sebastian’s getting baptized and going to catechism and getting confirmed and
playing CYO basketball? Was that all so you could play God in the Christmas
Pageant with your big ass God-like voice booming through the church? What about
all the stuff we learned about venial sin and mortal sin and how to decide
which was which and how big a mark a sin might leave on your soul and how much
penance you had to say to wash it off? Weren’t these the rules we were taught
to live by, so when we got to where you are now we could relax, knowing we were
going to Heaven to hang with Jesus and The Holy Ghost in super clean super
white robes and golden halos? Now you’re shitcanning the whole business, right
when it matters most? Now that you’ve spent your whole life paying the premiums
you’re saying you don’t want the insurance after all?<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But I didn’t say any of that. I glanced
over at Mom who was now looking right at us. If the old man had his way, both
he and Mom would be holding hands and, on cue, the lights would go out.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>547</o:Words>
<o:Characters>3120</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Microsoft Office Suite</o:Company>
<o:Lines>26</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>7</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>3660</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:PixelsPerInch>96</o:PixelsPerInch>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Arial;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Arial;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Century Gothic";
panose-1:2 11 5 2 2 2 2 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Garamond;
panose-1:2 2 4 4 3 3 1 1 8 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:SimSun;
mso-font-alt:宋体;
mso-font-charset:134;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 680460288 22 0 262145 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
line-height:130%;
mso-pagination:none;
mso-hyphenate:none;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Century Gothic";
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-language:HI;
mso-bidi-language:HI;}
p.Normal1, li.Normal1, div.Normal1
{mso-style-name:Normal1;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial;
mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;
color:black;
mso-fareast-language:JA;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-size:10.0pt;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;
mso-fareast-font-family:SimSun;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<span style="background: white; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 130%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here, and then…<i>flick!</i> Nowhere. No pearly gates. No exit interviews.
No purgatory. No limbo. </span></span><!--EndFragment--><br />
<span style="background: white; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 130%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEpIY0Rs3AiQ8u30GUMWWlR2Qtcd9Kx-xOPSOADd7DJbk4RPDY-WNpGvnajhRLmiwGMNBENq31oX_sxbxRQgZv5COqqGh4b_-voQ1LbATsQTn7Z0cTjtKbY53BVnDmLYgr_80WKzIZUk/s1600/littlelimbogirls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="49" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEpIY0Rs3AiQ8u30GUMWWlR2Qtcd9Kx-xOPSOADd7DJbk4RPDY-WNpGvnajhRLmiwGMNBENq31oX_sxbxRQgZv5COqqGh4b_-voQ1LbATsQTn7Z0cTjtKbY53BVnDmLYgr_80WKzIZUk/s320/littlelimbogirls.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background: white; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 130%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIgTTIJzZ5v5o1r1lZa1pG-Px2Nh-fpd09eTj-5I06EuePJUdFklPeEUblmLE1xLz85DqB6ya05DQouYH6Mk6J367tRaetfHYCM_X2xC-lDIUwxZKQZPDSjOPPSCk2_ERjHu4VH-kp_o/s1600/hack+poem.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIgTTIJzZ5v5o1r1lZa1pG-Px2Nh-fpd09eTj-5I06EuePJUdFklPeEUblmLE1xLz85DqB6ya05DQouYH6Mk6J367tRaetfHYCM_X2xC-lDIUwxZKQZPDSjOPPSCk2_ERjHu4VH-kp_o/s320/hack+poem.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hack-Jeb-Stewart-Harrison-ebook/dp/B008X7FN4A/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">On Amazon</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background: white; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 130%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background: white; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 130%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>Jeb Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230628615012095761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577808099373170838.post-35499450616303104592016-10-02T12:16:00.001-07:002016-10-02T12:16:48.310-07:00Earth as God? Not in The Road.<b>
</b>
<dt><b><br /></b></dt>
<b>
</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEighTv4chFdJhzho5KrpsUcfxW2eGcVhBvgrRb7Li_WxZh_-En0qo9xGwduZx7XvwY9mbzOeer7NrMzfybLTC8h-NHmIvuN6wkxG3edF3yDhyrVkJLZiPJcJ_SW3XhFE4RhwjNdGp5m_7s/s1600/spinoza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEighTv4chFdJhzho5KrpsUcfxW2eGcVhBvgrRb7Li_WxZh_-En0qo9xGwduZx7XvwY9mbzOeer7NrMzfybLTC8h-NHmIvuN6wkxG3edF3yDhyrVkJLZiPJcJ_SW3XhFE4RhwjNdGp5m_7s/s200/spinoza.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b></b>I've always been one of those having "just enough knowledge to be dangerous" guys – a professional armchairist in any number fields: philosophy, religion, music, literature, technology etc. You could say that I tend fly by the seat of my pants, or go with my gut instincts, when seeking explanations of the mysteries of the universe.<br />
<br />
As John Lennon sang in the song "The Word:"<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Now that I know what I feel must be right<br />I'm here to show everybody the light</i></blockquote>
<br />
The Beatles were singing about love, of course. Some like to say that God is Love. Others believe that God is Nature. So, what happens when you put those two beliefs together? Do you end up with a starry-eyed, tree-hugging <a href="http://www.pantheism.net/" target="_blank">Pantheist </a>spouting Rousseau?<br />
<dl><dd><i>I feel an indescribable ecstasy and delirium in melting, as it were, into the system of beings, in identifying myself with the whole of nature.</i></dd><b><dd><i><br /></i></dd></b><dd>Or quoting Nietzsche?</dd><dd><i><br /></i></dd><dd><i>All things are linked, entwined, in love with one another.</i></dd><b><dd><i><br /></i></dd></b><b><dd><i><br /></i></dd></b><dd>I've had fleeting moments of Pantheistic sentiments over the years that, every time they occur, feel as if they must be right. Indeed, it is popular therapy for those struggling with a sense of isolation and disconnectedness to stand barefoot upon the ground (not the pavement) and imagine roots sprouting from the feet into the earth. Think of it as a role-playing exercise where you hug the tree so hard that you become it. Melting, as it were, "into the system of beings."</dd><dd><br /></dd><dd>If God is love and the earth, we can put our seeking to rest. (Ostensibly.) Because here it is, right now, all around us. Relax and sing hallelujah. </dd><dd><br /></dd><dd><b>What if the Earth was Dead?</b></dd><dd><br /></dd><dd>In Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer-winning post-apocalyptic novel, <i>The Road,</i> (I haven't seen the <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwTejqR_rCAfdlKq_BG556h-NFmRkFgwfDoqlscwO759pPJhtfNjJ7B-4TdMrAiFT3LsKRAyLBWxEubKToLioYVkDHUBRxszsb6hfkGr7pK7U5uPTohBSkYZfe-v4yqKOUh1l8FNY-CA/s1600/The+Roadpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwTejqR_rCAfdlKq_BG556h-NFmRkFgwfDoqlscwO759pPJhtfNjJ7B-4TdMrAiFT3LsKRAyLBWxEubKToLioYVkDHUBRxszsb6hfkGr7pK7U5uPTohBSkYZfe-v4yqKOUh1l8FNY-CA/s200/The+Roadpic.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
movie) the earth is reduced to three things: burned, twisted wreckage and ash, water (as rain, snow, ocean, river etc.), and humans. Almost everything has burned or otherwise been poisoned, and what we assume must be a nuclear-winterish cloud cover prevents whatever seeds or microbes that remain from regenerating. (That is, if we concern ourselves with the science of post-apocalyptic possibilities. McCarthy's vision is pretty convincing, and it's easy to suspend our disbelief and imagine that earth without any life whatsoever save human is possible.)</dd><dd><br /></dd><dd>When there is no earth to sustain humanity, humanity turns upon itself for sustenance. Women are impregnated for the sole purpose of producing food – babies for the barbecue – and roving bands of cannibals round up whatever humans they can find, imprisoning them until it's time for the boiler. </dd><dd><br /></dd><dd>Civilization, as we know it, is dead. No pantheistic tree-huggers on The Road, no melting into the system of beings, no Tse Chang:</dd><dd><br /></dd><dd>
<dl><b><dd><i>Heaven is my father and Earth is my mother. All people are my brothers and sisters, and all things are my companions.</i></dd></b></dl>
</dd><dd>McCarthy sets up a stark dichotomy between the father and son – who remain nameless as "the man" and "the boy"– as they encounter what remains of the world. The boy, who is born after the apocalypse has begun, has lived it for 10 years. He's seen nothing but death and destruction, yet it is he who feels compassion and sympathy for the lost and haunted humans they encounter on the road. The man, having but one mission – to protect his son – trusts nothing and no one. Yet he tells his son that they must press on, down the road south to the coast, because they "carry the fire." Neither of them seem to know what the "fire" is, but it is revealed, ultimately, as human love, not of God, who has apparently been trying to wipe out the earth and everything, including the humans, on it, but of one another. </dd><dd><br /></dd><dd>I suspect that Hollywood took McCarthy's poetically-rendered hell-on-earth imagery to create a sensational jaw dropping tear jerker that may have missed the point entirely. McCarthy's work, from <i>Blood Meridian </i>in his early days to <i>No Country for Old Men </i>many years later, has an element of nightmare-inducing horror so graphic as to be unforgettable. (Recall The Judge in Blood Meridian crushing babies heads, breaking necks and sodomizing dead men...you gotta wonder what family life was like for young Cormac.) The devil often wins in McCarthy's stories, or if he doesn't win he exacts a brutal toll, and it takes some digging to find a few slivers of light in his work. </dd><dd><br /></dd><dd><i>The Road,</i> even after all the horror, perhaps renders the author's ultimate faith in love more clearly than any of his other work. Like Flannery O' Connor's twisted imagery of the pinpricks of light in the blind eyes of Hazel Moats, the hope for the enduring human love is almost imperceptible. But on <i>The Road,</i> in the end, it is all that is left, and it is up to the "good guys" to preserve it. In the end, love, in the form of compassion for others, is the fire that the boy has carried with him all along. </dd><dd><br /></dd><dd><b>What We Feel Must Be Right</b></dd><dd><br /></dd><dd>Unlike the flora and fauna that surrounds us, we can infer that cycle of life and death is all part of the grand design of an omnipotent creator. Or not. We can put our faith in science to explain the existence of the universe. Either way, we can respect life in all it's forms without assuming that, as humans, we're the bosses, the deciders, the controllers of nature. The earth reminds us of this every time a natural event takes a human life. </dd><dd><br /></dd><dd>But even if we resist swatting that annoying fly or mosquito, or resist cutting down those trees or damming that river for all the squirrels and fish that will be lost, even if we do everything we can to be in total, complete harmony with nature and, perhaps, in harmony with God, we will have forsaken the fire. That, my friends, is reserved for you and me.</dd><dd><br /></dd><dd>Don't get me wrong. I love trees. I love the flora and fauna, the oceans, the deserts, the plains, the mountains – the whole shebang. </dd><dd><br /></dd><dd>But I love you more. </dd><dd><br /></dd><dd><br /></dd><dd><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEpIY0Rs3AiQ8u30GUMWWlR2Qtcd9Kx-xOPSOADd7DJbk4RPDY-WNpGvnajhRLmiwGMNBENq31oX_sxbxRQgZv5COqqGh4b_-voQ1LbATsQTn7Z0cTjtKbY53BVnDmLYgr_80WKzIZUk/s1600/littlelimbogirls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="49" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEpIY0Rs3AiQ8u30GUMWWlR2Qtcd9Kx-xOPSOADd7DJbk4RPDY-WNpGvnajhRLmiwGMNBENq31oX_sxbxRQgZv5COqqGh4b_-voQ1LbATsQTn7Z0cTjtKbY53BVnDmLYgr_80WKzIZUk/s320/littlelimbogirls.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></dd><dd><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0621B8mxnj_7YuDGccdZft-AM0C3xSa01_z-sMm5TwvU6H0VHr_4Q3z2TeFnp_PSAODhJmvW5Cx5HhNQgCvZFBf3igIBEGqyWdZxnRQyWJDmCwZ5g5nm54ttcTcSoDftaGtPgx3mVfZs/s1600/howard+cover+with+border.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0621B8mxnj_7YuDGccdZft-AM0C3xSa01_z-sMm5TwvU6H0VHr_4Q3z2TeFnp_PSAODhJmvW5Cx5HhNQgCvZFBf3igIBEGqyWdZxnRQyWJDmCwZ5g5nm54ttcTcSoDftaGtPgx3mVfZs/s320/howard+cover+with+border.png" width="209" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Howard-Brown-Novel/dp/153090028X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471538490&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Now on Amazon</a></div>
</dd></dl>
<dl><b><a href="http://www.pantheism.net/paul/history/poets.htm">
<dt>Pantheistic poets - <span style="color: #f8e4a9;">Wordsworth, Coleridge, Goethe, Tennyson, Whitman etc.</span>.</dt>
</a><dd><i>A sense sublime<br />Of something far more deeply interfused,<br />Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns,<br />And the round ocean and the living air,<br />And the blue sky, and in the mind of man.</i></dd></b></dl>
<dl><b><a href="http://www.pantheism.net/paul/hegel.htm">
<dt>Hegel: the theology of history</dt>
</a><dd><i>Reason [God] is substance, and infinite power; its own infinite material underlying all the natural and spiritual life which it originates; and the infinite form - that which sets this material in motion.</i></dd></b></dl>
<dl><b><a href="http://www.pantheism.net/paul/history/emerson.htm">
<dt>Ralph Waldo Emerson: the transparent eyeball.</dt>
</a><dd><i>I am nothing! I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or parcel of God.</i></dd>
<dt><br /><span style="color: #f8e4a9;"><a href="http://www.pantheism.net/paul/nietzsch.htm">Friedrich Nietzsche</a> - world and life-affirmer</span></dt>
<dd><i>All things are linked, entwined, in love with one another.</i></dd></b></dl>
<dl><span style="color: #f8e4a9;"></span><br />
<dt><span style="color: #f8e4a9;"><a href="http://www.pantheism.net/paul/haeckel.htm">Ernst Haeckel's Monism</a></span></dt>
<dd><i>In pantheism God is everywhere identical with nature itself … Pantheism is the world system of the modern scientist.</i></dd></dl>
<h2>
Modern pantheists</h2>
<dl><b><a href="http://www.pantheism.net/paul/einstein.htm">
<dt>Albert Einstein and the cosmic mystery.</dt>
</a><dd><i>The individual feels … the sublimity and marvellous order which reveal themselves both in nature and in the world of thought. . . He wants to experience the universe as a single significant whole.</i></dd>
<dt> </dt>
<strong><a href="http://www.pantheism.net/paul/jeffers.htm"></a>
<dt><a href="http://www.pantheism.net/paul/jeffers.htm">Robinson Jeffers: Pantheist poet, by John Courtney</a></dt>
</strong><dd><i><span ms="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;"><strong>The Universe is one being, all its parts are expressions of the same<br />energy, and they are all in communication with each other.<br />This whole is so beautiful that I am compelled to love it<br />and to think of it as divine.</strong></span></i></dd>
<dt> </dt>
</b></dl>
Jeb Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230628615012095761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577808099373170838.post-27878112345983641722016-09-08T10:28:00.000-07:002019-01-24T13:42:26.562-08:00The Junebug Two-Step: an excerpt<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitNhOpCDDnJQrntR83gnraQjq0b2qQB_h6-6NsORqC522QkdDzwl7lpDJsRApGFMndbt9OAvzuXOSkBiABwFhoOiaSUy2b7UDu3JfKLE1pTBrJ8oKrUQqc9uX9NUTUF-cZmC1ds7rmCKw/s1600/bayou7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitNhOpCDDnJQrntR83gnraQjq0b2qQB_h6-6NsORqC522QkdDzwl7lpDJsRApGFMndbt9OAvzuXOSkBiABwFhoOiaSUy2b7UDu3JfKLE1pTBrJ8oKrUQqc9uX9NUTUF-cZmC1ds7rmCKw/s200/bayou7.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The November darkness settled over the bayou as if someone had
drawn the curtains. Suddenly the yellow lights on the other side of the front
door screen to the dock were a mass of whirling, spinning bugs, especially
Junebugs, crashing to the deck and twirling on their backs in a five-minute
Saint Vitus death dance. Upon seeing the bugs, Jack burst through the screen
door, still in the yellow rain gear and denim fleece-lined jacket. “Mr.
Howard,” he blurted, “Mr. Howard come on this is real fun!” He pushed past me
out to the fishing dock outside the screened-in porch and started dancing on
the helpless upside-down June bugs in his bare feet, sliding around on their
squishy guts, whooping and hollering in his own Saint Vitus interpretative
ballet. Inside Binx was beginning to stir. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Jack!” he barked, “Jack you halfwit sumbitch!”</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBwLX2a7Fw15rBAH0PcKz_gPrUdD-eCzS0SjqrJdGdfsLcHQilNPCaqCl4t3RvlQrY9hTFgQAAb8fbX9NbK_5rM0i115_No7VzSe40uWOGehG5_-Vbk84Dm2Pxrnp4GkTcmGcG5sZEcc0/s1600/junebugs.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBwLX2a7Fw15rBAH0PcKz_gPrUdD-eCzS0SjqrJdGdfsLcHQilNPCaqCl4t3RvlQrY9hTFgQAAb8fbX9NbK_5rM0i115_No7VzSe40uWOGehG5_-Vbk84Dm2Pxrnp4GkTcmGcG5sZEcc0/s200/junebugs.jpeg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Don’t you worry, sir. I’ll take care of it,” Reggie called out
as he rushed onto the fishing dock from around back of the house. Then Johnny
said, “Mr. Binx, Reggie gonna get your son, don’t you worry, he’ll be fine.”
His voice was soft, soothing, like a mental health professional trying to talk
someone down from a fit. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Reggie ran out onto the dock under the light, his bare feet
sliding out from under him as he fell on his ass with a crash, shaking the
whole dilapidated structure. I stepped out onto the slick surface of the dock,
holding the doorframe and extended an arm to Reggie who pulled himself up,
grabbing my injured shoulder. I howled with pain, thinking <i>I should have
brought the goddamn sling</i>. Meanwhile Jack was sliding along the sloping
dock, then jumping, slipping his feet around in an uncanny display of natural
balance, all the while avoiding falling on his prodigious butt. Toya and Eddie
were on the screened porch, watching Jack’s crazy boogaloo and Reggie’s
flailing attempts to grab him, sliding and falling until he finally got his
arms around one of the crooked posts and righted himself. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Suddenly Jack stopped and stared out into the duckweed off the
stern of the Sissy Mae, probably twenty yards away where the yellow lights from
the dock faded into the darkness of the channel. “My pants!” he shouted,
pointing at small floating pile atop the swamp vegetation. “And my underpants!”</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Goddamnit,</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> I cursed under my
breath. <i>I thought I saw those pants sink!</i> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Then, just as Reggie leapt for the tackle, Jack ran down the
dock and right into the water, unaware of the line attached to his pants and
underpants. The duckweed barely came up to his middle, and he parted it with a
wide sweeping motion, like parting jungle growth on an expedition, steadily
sinking in the mud with each step. I ran down the pier to where I’d cleated the
line and attempted to pull the bundle closer to where Jack was thrashing in the
weeds. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Grab the line, Jack,” I shouted. Then, just as he got his hands
on it a deafening shotgun blast split the soft and heavy night. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRlI9mwGMstVAv8hm1hGMLrtfvDtUbJ2eMCT1Q39C5sW3p5cMp5m0AY-znBtZub5RxKiTnzK3658QVlx5JuoXBbyKOHyo7DAkP5T6P8VTzmIP-cISkgwhCHh1WFz_JxN0aSmPpuVwt13Y/s1600/jimbeam.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRlI9mwGMstVAv8hm1hGMLrtfvDtUbJ2eMCT1Q39C5sW3p5cMp5m0AY-znBtZub5RxKiTnzK3658QVlx5JuoXBbyKOHyo7DAkP5T6P8VTzmIP-cISkgwhCHh1WFz_JxN0aSmPpuVwt13Y/s200/jimbeam.jpeg" width="142" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Leave him be!” Binx fired the gun into the sky again. “Leave
him be, I say! The Lord has called his damaged child to the swamp, and it is
there he must perish!” Then he leveled the shotgun at Jack and was about to
fire when Eddie came up from behind with an almost-full half-gallon jug of Jim
Beam and cracked his brother upside the head with a weak but effective blow.
Binx staggered forward and fired, sending up a splash of luminescent weeds and
water only two feet from where his son stood with the bundle of muddy clothes
in his arms. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Binx dropped, out cold. Eddie pulled the shotgun out from under
his unconscious brother and headed back inside, cursing loudly at this pathetic
display of Southern idiocy. But before Eddie made it through the door Jack let
out an earsplitting feral howl, dropped the clothes, let go of the line and
started writhing in the water. A seizure? Puce foam formed around his flailing
limbs, a greenish, ochre mass of bubbles, a bayou milkshake. Then the writhing
teen was under water, drowning perhaps, then up again, wild, wiggling and
screaming in the mud. “Get that boy a life preserver!” Eddie shouted, “but do
not set foot or anything else in that water!”</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There was a preserver hanging next to the door of the hold, so I
jumped off the pier onto the gunwale, tore it off the wall and pitched it to
Reggie, who in turn pitched it right onto the mass of bubbles. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Jack! Jack! Grab the life preserver! Jack!” Reggie yelled. The
boy emerged with a hellish bark, glasses down around his neck, head strap
loose, eyes rolled back as he pulled a monstrous snake out of the water and
hurled it onto the bow of the Sissy Mae. Arm hooked in the donut, he collapsed
into the water. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Mister Howard, get down here and help me pull him out. I don’t
think he’ll let go of the donut. Come on!” So Reggie and I began to try and
haul Jack – two hundred and fifty pounds of gelatinous flab – out of the muddy,
weed-choked water. Meanwhile Eddie had climbed up to the pilothouse where,
shotgun at the ready, he swept the emergency lamp around and over Jack as the
boy sank deeper in the mud. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Jack, just relax your legs. We will pull you out, promise,”
Reggie yelled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEntw2Lofc5Q4KJLfmS8hGTjYcA_U_FICukueK0T63V3PuXOtaBOBEv7BEkVDqZdqUsZ7j1AbtxMc67fcLC9joGzt6LvPnVHIoEAgwEi7kssqOAKZzu_Rp_BBfHsgT2rysMJW72AuKD0/s1600/wm2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEntw2Lofc5Q4KJLfmS8hGTjYcA_U_FICukueK0T63V3PuXOtaBOBEv7BEkVDqZdqUsZ7j1AbtxMc67fcLC9joGzt6LvPnVHIoEAgwEi7kssqOAKZzu_Rp_BBfHsgT2rysMJW72AuKD0/s200/wm2.jpeg" width="200" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Ten o’ clock, snake at ten o’ clock,” shouted Eddie from above.
I turned just as the report shattered and sent pieces of water moccasin flying
every which way. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Arghhhhhhh! Ooooh! God save me!” Jack screamed from the water,
thrashing his arms to ward off more attacks. In another minute we got Jack to
the pier, but then we had to get him up. His terrified screaming was as
horrific as anything I’ve ever heard come out of a human – a Barney Fife
possessed by demons – and there was no doubt in my mind that his hysteria was
speeding the venom through his system at triple the normal rate.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After Reggie, Toya and I managed to get Jack’s whole limp body
onto the dock a light approached from further down the channel in the direction
of Dr. Raymond Cobb’s camp, where my sister was supposed to be staying. The
boat was screaming down the narrow channel at full throttle, creating a massive
wake that splashed violently against the shore, probably awakening every
cottonmouth and alligator in the area. Just before arriving the driver cut the
motor and coasted alongside the pier, to where we stood around Jack. The driver
jumped out without a welcome or introduction and started asking questions. Have
we found the bites, did we see the snake, how long since he was bit etc.
Finally Eddie said, “Thanks so much for comin’ over, Ray. I ‘spose you heard
the gunshots?”</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgAkymOhlYt3wfCre5aTTCX4q3KQWNk-JTmbSKM1Njr_LsuZOBQaZok5LKo_K-IekILJ9uGad8wQFgEbxACKBwQmH924KX1AaxQmrBsuRFOJE2VoB3Rl0MfyDQIQ5Vyo2CCmJgiABqWs/s1600/airboat3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgAkymOhlYt3wfCre5aTTCX4q3KQWNk-JTmbSKM1Njr_LsuZOBQaZok5LKo_K-IekILJ9uGad8wQFgEbxACKBwQmH924KX1AaxQmrBsuRFOJE2VoB3Rl0MfyDQIQ5Vyo2CCmJgiABqWs/s200/airboat3.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Yessir, and the caterwaulin’ from this young feller, and all
y’all’s shoutin’,” the doctor replied, cutting through Jack’s muddy slicker. “Y’all
know how y’all can hear a pin drop out here.”</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Our group was silent as the doctor looked for the bites. “Looks
like more than one cottonmouth got a piece of this boy. You said he threw one
of the snakes on board?”</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Uh, yessir,” Reggie said. “I suppose that snake is up there
someplace.” The doctor wiped away some mud from Jack’s calf to reveal a heinous
wound, like the snake took a bite out of him. The calf was already bigger than
a football.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Well, it looks like he ripped the snake right out of his leg,”
said the doctor. “See if you can find that fucker, will you please?” </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Just as Reggie jumped over the gunwale with a flashlight I heard
a siren in the distance coming our way; whirling lights of red and yellow
flashed in the treetops, then around the corner into our smaller channel. It
was an emergency airboat, the water equivalent of a police car and ambulance
combined. Behind us a screen door slammed; Johnny with a small suitcase – a
first aid kit. But before stepping onto the pier he quietly shuffled to where
Binx lay in the Junebug muck on the dock, still unconscious. Johnny shone his
flashlight over the supine body, then bent over to see if Eddie’s drunken
brother was still breathing. Slowly he scanned the brother’s face, shaking his
head. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Mister Eddie,” Johnny called over the sound of the approaching
airboat. “You best come over here and see ‘bout your brother. He ain’t lookin’
too good.” Eddie gave the doctor a pat on the shoulder and stepped quickly up
the gangplank to the dock. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The four paramedics pulled their airboat up to the dock and
rushed to the two victims, a pair for Binx and the other two for Jack. Dr. Cobb
had cut off the legs of Jack’s yellow rain coveralls and after the medic took a
quick look at the snakebites they called for an airlift. They quickly prepared
several injections while simultaneously cleaning and dressing the surface
wounds. Finally one of the medics asked me: “Does this boy have a parent or
guardian on the premises?” </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Yessir. That’s his father, Binx Sublette, over there with the
nasty rap to the head. That’s his uncle Eddie Sublette looking over him.” When
he asked where the mother was, I was tempted to say <i>none of your business,
sonny. </i>It was a stupid, insensitive question, but based on the available
evidence to date, this was an unusually stupid, insensitive part of the world.
I said, “She’s not here.”</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“And who are you?” </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Howard Brown, a second cousin. Visiting from California.”</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The paramedic nodded, smiling. “Oh, of course. Sissy Mae’s
brother from Cali. Does everybody grow so big in Cali? I reckon you ain’t never
been nowhere like this before, eh?”</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“No sir, I have not,” I said with a slight chuckle, wondering
how this cracker knew my sister.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
paramedic chuckled a little, then bent over Jack, unconscious from the
injections. He pulled his eyelids up, then the lower part down. He opened
Jack’s mouth and stuck a gloved finger under his tongue, lifted it up. Nothing
unusual. But when we looked over his body there were strange concentrations of
shuddering muscle, and the wounds themselves were massive bruises covering his
legs, feet and forearms. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Jesus,” I said, shocked by all the bites. “Is this kid gonna
make it?”</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Hard to say. Usually a bite from a swamp viper won’t kill a man
if you get to him in time, but I’ve never seen anybody with so many bites in so
many different places. It was like he stepped on a nest, but when you pointed
out the location...well, snakes don’t nest underwater.”</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the distant west the sound of a chopper approached. Jack was
loaded onto a gurney and rolled to the dock, an oxygen mask across his quiet
face. To look at him one might think he was just a typical overweight Southern
teenager with shitty eyesight, a bad hairdo, and in need of a shave, though
there was something about the shape of his mouth that suggested something was
awry in his brain. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On the dock the Junebug guts had become white and sticky as
Elmer’s glue. The paramedics had father and son, both unconscious, on gurneys
under oxygen with IV drips plugged into the back of their hands. The medics
were more worried about Binx; his pulse was slowed and his face has taken on a
tinge of yellow ochre. The lump on the back of his head was bad, but not bad
enough to cause any bleeding in the brain, according to the medics. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When Dr. Cobb – technically a psychiatrist that keeps his EMT
certification up to date for swamp accidents like this one, I’m told – examined
Binx he came to an entirely different conclusion. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Alcohol poisoning,” he stated with authority. “We see it fairly
often out here in the bayou, and Binx Sublette is a prime candidate, with his
history.”</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The amphibious chopper came into view, flying low over the
channel, then pulling up and circling </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_96o_yuN0hH2E0IQPOpZpxaNffontT2vYfn0CVaM5eWvnc5Zg8rfEQN3dtEzyDus02zV430c3EbG6HJv4tdlFCeA2sVYTFaSZX1oWsmlKPxLybTO2PO2ZX6-yUfjUFvT6XXJldlfD2io/s1600/chopper.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_96o_yuN0hH2E0IQPOpZpxaNffontT2vYfn0CVaM5eWvnc5Zg8rfEQN3dtEzyDus02zV430c3EbG6HJv4tdlFCeA2sVYTFaSZX1oWsmlKPxLybTO2PO2ZX6-yUfjUFvT6XXJldlfD2io/s200/chopper.jpeg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">above the camp. After a couple of times
around it settled over the water, the wind from the blades kicking up whitecaps
that crashed against the pilings of the pier and the dock like a hurricane was
upon us. Once the chopper was at rest in the water with its blades still
spinning slowly, a skiff was lowered and two EMTs exited from the door behind
the cockpit, jumped in and piloted it over to where the two gurneys waited on the
dock. The gurneys were collapsed; Jack was loaded into the skiff and taken to
the chopper. Once Jack was loaded in the skiff they returned for Binx. His
other son Bolling shouted over the din that he would be the family
representative at the hospital and joined the crew in the copter. Slowly the
whirring blades picked up speed, the waves kicked up and splashed over the
Junebug guts on the dock, and the chopper, with Binx Sublette and his two boys
aboard, took off down the channel. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Then, for a what felt like a long, discombobulated moment as the
medics prepared to depart, I had a profound sense of complete displacement – an
abstraction of real self from virtual self – as if I was not who I thought I
was, but was exactly where I was supposed to be. The day’s events, especially
those of the last hour, had presented a glimpse of a familiar yet foreign
existence and, though I had a vague memory of my original purpose at Camp
Serendipity it was being crowded out by…by what? Ancestral memories? Had this
strange and dangerous environment been sucked through my buzzing Chown Hoon
Dong to create a disturbance in the chakras? Where was my psycho when I needed
her?</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I paused to study the suddenly familiar scene – the backwards
boat, Sissy Mae, tied up to the rickety pier, the yellow light throwing its
beams into the all-engulfing dark of the swamp; the low droning thrum of
crickets and cicadas rising up like columns of circling smoke, punctuated by
the hoot of a solemn owl and the belch of the lonely bullfrog; the quiet, still
water, blanketed in its neon chartreuse, smoother than silk; all of it a part
of me from the day I was born and perhaps before. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And then I noticed one more thing. “Goddamnit!” I muttered under
my breath. There were Jack’s jeans and his nasty briefs, still floating at the
same spot, tied up to the line that was still cleated to the Sissy Mae.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; line-height: 130%;">I shuffled down the pier,
pulled out the clothes with a few globs of duckweed, schlepped the whole mess
to the dock and laid it out. Tomorrow I would get them washed with strong hopes
and maybe even a little prayer that Jack would think twice before he pissed in
them again. </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; line-height: 130%;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEpIY0Rs3AiQ8u30GUMWWlR2Qtcd9Kx-xOPSOADd7DJbk4RPDY-WNpGvnajhRLmiwGMNBENq31oX_sxbxRQgZv5COqqGh4b_-voQ1LbATsQTn7Z0cTjtKbY53BVnDmLYgr_80WKzIZUk/s1600/littlelimbogirls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="49" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEpIY0Rs3AiQ8u30GUMWWlR2Qtcd9Kx-xOPSOADd7DJbk4RPDY-WNpGvnajhRLmiwGMNBENq31oX_sxbxRQgZv5COqqGh4b_-voQ1LbATsQTn7Z0cTjtKbY53BVnDmLYgr_80WKzIZUk/s320/littlelimbogirls.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0621B8mxnj_7YuDGccdZft-AM0C3xSa01_z-sMm5TwvU6H0VHr_4Q3z2TeFnp_PSAODhJmvW5Cx5HhNQgCvZFBf3igIBEGqyWdZxnRQyWJDmCwZ5g5nm54ttcTcSoDftaGtPgx3mVfZs/s1600/howard+cover+with+border.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0621B8mxnj_7YuDGccdZft-AM0C3xSa01_z-sMm5TwvU6H0VHr_4Q3z2TeFnp_PSAODhJmvW5Cx5HhNQgCvZFBf3igIBEGqyWdZxnRQyWJDmCwZ5g5nm54ttcTcSoDftaGtPgx3mVfZs/s320/howard+cover+with+border.png" width="209" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "garamond"; line-height: 130%;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Howard-Brown-Novel/dp/153090028X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471538490&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Now on Amazon</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIgTTIJzZ5v5o1r1lZa1pG-Px2Nh-fpd09eTj-5I06EuePJUdFklPeEUblmLE1xLz85DqB6ya05DQouYH6Mk6J367tRaetfHYCM_X2xC-lDIUwxZKQZPDSjOPPSCk2_ERjHu4VH-kp_o/s1600/hack+poem.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIgTTIJzZ5v5o1r1lZa1pG-Px2Nh-fpd09eTj-5I06EuePJUdFklPeEUblmLE1xLz85DqB6ya05DQouYH6Mk6J367tRaetfHYCM_X2xC-lDIUwxZKQZPDSjOPPSCk2_ERjHu4VH-kp_o/s320/hack+poem.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hack-Jeb-Stewart-Harrison/dp/098549302X/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">On Amazon</a></div>
</div>
Jeb Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230628615012095761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577808099373170838.post-79325139625605372532016-09-07T15:14:00.000-07:002016-10-09T09:34:57.739-07:00But...We're Not Writing Genre Fiction!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Ya3zqjlaHz_4I0NOExZU3EvE9kmJY8pKLMgLUp9cZKUZWmaampMAkJVm1uYh7CtG0ASl1Ujgj2S0LI9bzrhRCcxUblDLP3tq967N1YQHEnGSAcj5JbWZebvNdk29fDKR-nvfdqRmsYM/s1600/bigsleep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Ya3zqjlaHz_4I0NOExZU3EvE9kmJY8pKLMgLUp9cZKUZWmaampMAkJVm1uYh7CtG0ASl1Ujgj2S0LI9bzrhRCcxUblDLP3tq967N1YQHEnGSAcj5JbWZebvNdk29fDKR-nvfdqRmsYM/s200/bigsleep.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>I have nothing against genre fiction.</b><br />
<br />
I love <i>Lord of the Rings, Foundation and Empire, Star Trek </i>and Wars. I eat up detective noir, and rate Raymond Chandler's prose up there with Dostoevsky, Dickens, Hemingway, Franzen, Kingsolver...all the literary giants. By the time I was 10 I had read all the Nancy Drew mysteries - there something stimulating about strong, resourceful young women working their way out of one nasty pickle after another. I gobbled up Lt. Chee and Sgt. Joe Leaphorn and their adventures on the Big Res. Stephen King has kept me awake more nights than I care to admit, long after I've finished whatever horrific nightmare he has depicted. And <i>Harry Potter</i>? I look forward to reading the entire series again someday.<br />
<br />
But that's not the stuff I want to write.<br />
<br />
Could I? Sure. In fact I already have I, guess. During NaNoWriMo in 2008 I wrote <i>Bury Me With My La-Z-Boy</i>. It's about a voodoo Papa who can't die unless he's in his La-Z-Boy rocker. When a hospital orderly is ordered to go find the man's chair, he uncovers a drug cartel operating out of the swamps and bayous of Louisiana, along with a voodoo tribe that can turn themselves into animals. It's not finished and I can't say for certain if it ever will be, but if it is it would fall into the whatever genre vampire stories inhabit. Right now our heroes are trapped in an underground crypt with a bunch of zombies and may remain there forever.<br />
<br />
But I'm not writing this to differentiate my own writing interests from genre writers, or to position "literary fiction" as being "better" than genre fiction in any way, shape or form. Maybe what we call literary fiction is actually genre fiction in disguise. Isn't<i>Great Expectations </i>a mystery, in the end? Isn't <i>The Brothers Karamazov </i>a murder mystery, along with <i>Crime and Punishment</i>? Could we call <i>The Poisonwood Bible</i> a "family saga?" <i>One Hundred Years of Solitude </i>is as much fantasy as it is real. Doesn't <i>David Copperfield</i> turn out to be a romance of sorts? <i>Lonesome Dove </i>is a Western, right in there with Louis L'Amore. Right?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjGiS_JTvLyuAyqTZg2qSLL0PnrDHcwZzdJSClX4hLY3CVu_IYmsjchPLGnLh2lxXXKbFI_4tENgSZkJVSRlHFf9F1_xCqX68qwN_sAM6G2OBG8iMv0_eS15FWW30dNdRZKZ29JC9Ez4/s1600/Greeatexpects.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjGiS_JTvLyuAyqTZg2qSLL0PnrDHcwZzdJSClX4hLY3CVu_IYmsjchPLGnLh2lxXXKbFI_4tENgSZkJVSRlHFf9F1_xCqX68qwN_sAM6G2OBG8iMv0_eS15FWW30dNdRZKZ29JC9Ez4/s200/Greeatexpects.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
(Keep in mind that all of Dickens' work was published serially in periodicals, as was much of Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Flaubert. We probably wouldn't classify anything that is being published serially in periodicals today as great literature. Could it be that what we qualify as "literary fiction" is such because it has stood the test of time?)<br />
<br />
We all know these categories are marketing tools, in the end, just as Jazz, Rock, Country, Alt. this and that are. Without labels we have chaos. Not good.<br />
<br />
<b>The "Author Platform" Manifesto</b><br />
<br />
For the author of novels that don't fit comfortably in any genre and aren't published by one of the biggies, it is easy to be completely overlooked. "General Fiction," along with "Contemporary Fiction" and "Literary Fiction" are, to the marketer, non-categories. The audience for these novels is difficult to pin down, unlike work that falls neatly into "Romance," "Sci-Fi," "Steampunk," etc. etc. Market research can identify the profile of genre readers from demographics down to the brand of shoe they wear and the type of soda they drink.<br />
<br />
As a result, much of the self-marketing noise out there for indy authors is designed for genre writers. The much ballyhooed "author platform" becomes tricky to pin down in character-driven fiction, unless of course that character, like Conrad's Marlowe or Jim Harrison's Brown Dog, keeps showing up in our books.<br />
<br />
My first published novel, <i>Hack</i>, is about an artist who fakes his own death to drive up the value of his paintings. After his faux-demise, he returns disguised as a Mexican playboy who takes up motorcycling to be close to the woman of his dreams who happens to be a biker.<br />
<br />
My publisher at the time suggested I build an author platform that would appeal to Harley enthusiasts, since that's what Henry Griffin (as Paco) and his paramour, Hadley, like to ride. It was also suggested that I build an author platform that would appeal to painters, since that's what Griffin does. But painting and Harleys aren't really anything more than character traits, and you don't build a multi-book platform based on character traits unless you're going to feature the same characters over and over again in subsequent novels.<br />
<br />
John Irving has wrestlers in at least 50% of his novels, but the stories are not about wrestling, nor would they necessarily appeal to wrestlers or their fans. <i>In One Person</i> features many wrestlers, and those that he tracks throughout the story are either gay or transsexual. Irving, being neither gay or transsexual, needs to balance the voice of his bi-sexual protagonist with something that he knows intimately. Wrestling, along with the familiar New England setting and the focus on community theater, provides that believable ballast.<br />
<br />
So, it's no wonder that Irving keeps going back to wrestling and wrestlers: he knows the territory and can write about it with authenticity. Also, if you look at his overall bibliography, you will find that the vast majority of his protagonists are artists of one sort or another: writers, playwrights, actors, novelists, musicians, even tattoo artists. There are also a number of college professors and Catholic priests. And, of course, wrestlers. While there are exceptions (the OBGYN in <i>The Cider House Rules,</i> or the lumberjack in <i>Last Night at Twisted River,</i> neither of whom are the principals, or the protagonist of <i>The Fourth Hand</i>).<br />
<br />
He writes these characters because he knows them or has read about them. For example, the hand doctor in <i>The Fourth Hand</i> has a habit of flinging dog turds at scullers on the Charles River with a lacrosse stick while jogging. I asked him where he got that idea, and he said it was in the Cambridge news.<br />
<br />
Nonetheless, Irving's fondness for the professional profiles of his protagonists does not an author platform make, at least according to the indy author self-marketing pundits.<br />
<br />
This morning I had an exchange with a indy-author "publisher," that went something like this.<br />
<br />
There's a an outfit that calls itself SOOP (Something or Other Publishing). The proprietor asked me if I would like to list my latest novel, <i>The Healing of Howard Brown</i>, on his site. So I had a look. This is how I responded to his solicitation:<br />
<br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>92</o:Words>
<o:Characters>531</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Microsoft Office Suite</o:Company>
<o:Lines>4</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>622</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Hi W - checked out the marketplace. Now, imagine my
bewilderment: there is no category for adult literary fiction. Hemingway,
Faulkner, Dickens, even Jonathan Franzen have no place for their stories on
your site. Neither do I, nor do any of the thousands of MFA graduates with
wonderful novels outside of the commercial realms of the big publishers. I
understand the perception that the market for self-published books is all non
and/or genre fiction. But there are legions of boomers out there that are tired
of the thirty-something female fiction foisted upon us by the big publishers.
So...business opportunity? Maybe?</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
And this is how he responded:<br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>21</o:Words>
<o:Characters>121</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Microsoft Office Suite</o:Company>
<o:Lines>1</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>141</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Thank you so much for pointing this out. We will add the
category "Adult Literary Fiction" and you can be the first one to
post your book :)</blockquote>
We'll see if this actually happens. Meanwhile, I'm exploring angles that I hope will help potential readers of <i>The Healing of Howard Brown </i>broaden their experience and awareness of the overall themes of the story, which is, from what I can gather, how an author platform is supposed to work.<br />
<br />
<b>The Authenticity Trap</b><br />
<br />
One of my PLU mentors, after reading a draft of Howard (much of which is set in Louisiana) asked me if I ever had any experience in the South, and in particular with Southern African Americans. He wanted to know if I was really qualified to write about such things, perhaps because he knew I hailed from lily white Marin County. It was a question of authenticity.<br />
<br />
Of course, if an author's stories had to be born of direct experience, genres like sci-fi, fantasy and their many sub-genres would not exist. Neither would <i>Alice in Wonderland</i>, <i>Animal Farm</i> or <i>1984</i>. Thus, authenticity begs the question: where does direct experience stop and the imagination begin? Are dreams and visions less authentic than conscious experience?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7YbxRILgefBLKTp_Lv3BmUKxsmPe7dz8xhnb7gE8Vh2MQ9MFii6JROTEGI-uWmbbXR-5j_8l34qIs0C2ky-nhabJJaVKGLX-Y6dufAFfwCGS8S7lqUupVvPDKJspqYvCFn4hR-iSmgig/s1600/eagletree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7YbxRILgefBLKTp_Lv3BmUKxsmPe7dz8xhnb7gE8Vh2MQ9MFii6JROTEGI-uWmbbXR-5j_8l34qIs0C2ky-nhabJJaVKGLX-Y6dufAFfwCGS8S7lqUupVvPDKJspqYvCFn4hR-iSmgig/s200/eagletree.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
In Ned Hayes' bestselling novel <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Tree-Ned-Hayes/dp/1503936643/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473286346&sr=8-1&keywords=the+eagle+tree+by+ned+hayes" target="_blank"><i>The Eagle Tree</i>,</a> the protagonist is an adolescent that is, as they say, "on the spectrum." Written in first person, the story portrays the thought processes and behaviors of an autistic adolescent so convincingly that we can't help but think the author himself must have, at one time, been on the spectrum. I don't know. Ned may be a science nerd, but I can't imagine that he was flapping his hands in front of his face at age 14.<br />
<br />
The same could be said of many novels with unusual narrators. <i>Forrest Gump</i>, the original novel by Winston Groom, comes to mind, as does Walker Percy's habitation of Alison, the mental ward escapee, in <i>The Second Coming</i>.<br />
<br />
What my PLU mentor did NOT ask regarding Howard was whether I had any direct experience with mental illness. Maybe he assumed that I must, given my penchant for drooling, shuffling around the campus talking to myself, and accosting strangers with rotten watermelons. Insofar as authenticity is concerned, such a question would have been far more relevant than my experience with Southerners.<br />
<br />
Oddly enough, in his "faculty review" of Howard, my mentor wrote:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">The Healing of Howard Brown is a capacious and energetic narrative of self-discovery, delivered with an authentic voice that is supple, smart, somber, witty, ironic, self-revealing, self-doubting, and wonderfully lyrical. Themes of family, trust and responsibility to others, the national as well as personal past, and the life of the spirit resound throughout, with a cultural resonance involving class and race, the North and the South, the definition of masculine identity, and, centrally, the nature of mature love in a multitude of relationships-husband-wife, brother-sister, and father-son....</span></blockquote>
To this I added:<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">...in the face of a debilitating mental illness that runs like a poison vein through the family tree.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
It wasn't until after I went through the process of trying to describe the novel that it occurred to me that the central theme - or as Irving might posit, the "what-if" question - is about the notion that the "apple doesn't fall far from the tree," and that if one is to lead a mindful, fully aware and responsible life, one might do well to take a hard look at that tree. It's easy, and lazy, to assume that everybody is consciously in control of their own behavior all the time. When we assume that, it's just as easy to label those that misbehave as "problem children," and, later, "bitches," and "assholes" that are out to get us and revel in attempts to make our lives miserable.<br />
<br />
Howard's sister, Sisi, is just such a misunderstood character. She's bipolar, BPD, and, later, psychotic. Neither I, my real sister, my father or my mother were any of these things (as far as I know). We've had our struggles with other demons, with clinical depression at the core, but I've not had any direct, ongoing experience with anybody that suffers from these maladies. I've researched them extensively, of course, just as Irving researched hand transplants in <i>The Fourth Hand</i> and AIDS in <i>In One Person, </i>and as I suspect Ned Hayes did when writing <i>The Eagle Tree</i>.<br />
<br />
Does that mean I'm not qualified to write "crazy" characters? Howard has his drug addiction, his pixie dust seizures, and all sorts of other delusions and hallucinations. Jack Sublette has an unnamed intellectual disability. Alcoholics and misfits hang off the family tree like Christmas ornaments. Oh, and there are some sane characters too...for the sake of juxtaposition.<br />
<br />
So, if there's any platform to build upon, it has something to do with mental illness and all it's anti-social outgrowths, from racism to homophobia, and what have you. And having the heart to deal with it all compassionately.<br />
<br />
Platform bullshit aside, I suspect that all fiction writers prize a good story, well told, whether it's a western, a romance, or a LGBT erotic vampire steampunk fantasy. And, while the world of independent authors is rife with folks that think they can make a living by plugging pre-built characters into genre-based templates (and there are many that are doing just that) that's not what I, or I suspect most of the thousand or so writers that will graduate with an MFA this year, have in mind.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEpIY0Rs3AiQ8u30GUMWWlR2Qtcd9Kx-xOPSOADd7DJbk4RPDY-WNpGvnajhRLmiwGMNBENq31oX_sxbxRQgZv5COqqGh4b_-voQ1LbATsQTn7Z0cTjtKbY53BVnDmLYgr_80WKzIZUk/s1600/littlelimbogirls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="49" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEpIY0Rs3AiQ8u30GUMWWlR2Qtcd9Kx-xOPSOADd7DJbk4RPDY-WNpGvnajhRLmiwGMNBENq31oX_sxbxRQgZv5COqqGh4b_-voQ1LbATsQTn7Z0cTjtKbY53BVnDmLYgr_80WKzIZUk/s320/littlelimbogirls.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0621B8mxnj_7YuDGccdZft-AM0C3xSa01_z-sMm5TwvU6H0VHr_4Q3z2TeFnp_PSAODhJmvW5Cx5HhNQgCvZFBf3igIBEGqyWdZxnRQyWJDmCwZ5g5nm54ttcTcSoDftaGtPgx3mVfZs/s1600/howard+cover+with+border.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0621B8mxnj_7YuDGccdZft-AM0C3xSa01_z-sMm5TwvU6H0VHr_4Q3z2TeFnp_PSAODhJmvW5Cx5HhNQgCvZFBf3igIBEGqyWdZxnRQyWJDmCwZ5g5nm54ttcTcSoDftaGtPgx3mVfZs/s320/howard+cover+with+border.png" width="209" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Howard-Brown-Novel/dp/153090028X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471538490&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Now available on Amazon</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIgTTIJzZ5v5o1r1lZa1pG-Px2Nh-fpd09eTj-5I06EuePJUdFklPeEUblmLE1xLz85DqB6ya05DQouYH6Mk6J367tRaetfHYCM_X2xC-lDIUwxZKQZPDSjOPPSCk2_ERjHu4VH-kp_o/s1600/hack+poem.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIgTTIJzZ5v5o1r1lZa1pG-Px2Nh-fpd09eTj-5I06EuePJUdFklPeEUblmLE1xLz85DqB6ya05DQouYH6Mk6J367tRaetfHYCM_X2xC-lDIUwxZKQZPDSjOPPSCk2_ERjHu4VH-kp_o/s320/hack+poem.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hack-Jeb-Stewart-Harrison/dp/098549302X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342998336&sr=8-1&keywords=Hack+Jeb+Stewart+Harrison" target="_blank">On Amazon</a></div>
Jeb Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230628615012095761noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577808099373170838.post-56727386451108196052016-09-01T16:09:00.000-07:002016-09-01T16:37:59.595-07:00Road Rage vs. Marilyn Monroe - an excerpt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicn6iFCV6uCKuDy-0vK_mGsEZYB_AeAasT7_yGLY_dXeiH-NMep5Zq7k4MJRnzDEt6LwibdSud-WGr2p7H2-D5r9Ih_tld20r6CtqrYhZ3dtLENlBkzWvDwMgFJwQ_SkGmBF7MaTDw9zo/s1600/rr1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicn6iFCV6uCKuDy-0vK_mGsEZYB_AeAasT7_yGLY_dXeiH-NMep5Zq7k4MJRnzDEt6LwibdSud-WGr2p7H2-D5r9Ih_tld20r6CtqrYhZ3dtLENlBkzWvDwMgFJwQ_SkGmBF7MaTDw9zo/s1600/rr1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "garamond"; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.3in;">The following is an excerpt from my novel <i>The Healing of Howard Brown</i>, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "garamond"; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.3in;">published by Baby Bingus Books, Aug. 2016.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "garamond"; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.3in;"><b>Now giving away e-books in exchange for reviews!</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "garamond"; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.3in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJsChkvY5XZIJSpkNcc5L0Z3D_fNkErNhYFM4GmPviY18kM_Pm1jTJLwjkCmW1vcYG1AGc2Q-xx86Is3Yxltosu1yGPfL7flqyDBE2S5cRDONzHhyphenhyphenPf1LG-zMRUHZloqn0PQvrbi-tdU/s1600/rr1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="92" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJsChkvY5XZIJSpkNcc5L0Z3D_fNkErNhYFM4GmPviY18kM_Pm1jTJLwjkCmW1vcYG1AGc2Q-xx86Is3Yxltosu1yGPfL7flqyDBE2S5cRDONzHhyphenhyphenPf1LG-zMRUHZloqn0PQvrbi-tdU/s200/rr1.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "garamond"; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.3in;">I can picture what happened next as if it
happened yesterday. I was just about to head north off Sir Francis Drake onto
highway 101, but to fetch Tripp I had to go south. I looked in the rear view:
there was just enough space to cut over a couple of lanes and get to the
southbound exit, so I put on my blinker, shoved my gorilla arm out the window
and hit the gas. Still, there was no way to avoid cutting off a couple of
drivers, who started honking, naturally. Then I saw this one driver – a
red-faced Fu-Manchu dude with mirrored sunglasses and an Oakland Raiders cap in
a junior-sized blue Ford Ranger – getting really pissed, shouting and flipping
me off violently. So, like I always did when I upset a fellow driver back then,
I blew him a kiss. This was a bad idea: Mr. Fu-Manchu got so close behind me on
the freeway onramp that I thought he was going to bump me. Then he pulled up
alongside, shouting unintelligibly through the open passenger window. He was so
close I could see the throbbing blue vein in his red forehead, but I just kept
blowing him kisses like I was Marilyn Monroe on the stairs of an airliner,
bidding adieu to her adoring fans. What the world needs now is love sweet love,
right? Well, I was giving it to Mr. Road Rage, who I could now see had a shaved
head under his mesh-top Raiders cap and was just getting more and more
infuriated. Then he made his move: he cut in front of me diagonally so I had to
swerve to avoid him in the heavy Saturday afternoon traffic: brake lights
flashed, horns blared, tires squealed and I could see several vehicles
fishtailing behind me to avoid a pileup.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "garamond"; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.3in;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPhR9yFOJiH1i7LmnZ94zrjAcBIrf5sPVuSo5zqUD7aXNNhaOYIKMgN1HyptMujtP6oJflpup3Xo8ybV2endkLC1157dCK2HqHOYEr-UZhqVub67aYUsqvnzBN_7gPXpt6EonUR-VQMU/s1600/rrm.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPhR9yFOJiH1i7LmnZ94zrjAcBIrf5sPVuSo5zqUD7aXNNhaOYIKMgN1HyptMujtP6oJflpup3Xo8ybV2endkLC1157dCK2HqHOYEr-UZhqVub67aYUsqvnzBN_7gPXpt6EonUR-VQMU/s1600/rrm.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "garamond";">“</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">Holy motherfucking shit that fucking
cocksucker almost killed us all!” I hollered, dropping back in traffic until
the blue pickup was out of sight. Feeling like I was having a heart attack, and
realizing that I had been out in the big, bad world very little in the five
years since my retirement – driving around Marin appeared more dangerous than
ever – I took the next exit and pulled into a parking space beside a Chevron
Extra-Mile mini-mart, thinking a beer or five on top of a little oxy would calm
me down. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">“Dad!” I heard Trip’s tiny voice. He
sounded like the little boy that couldn’t seem to scream “DAD!” loud enough. “Dad
are you there?”</span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">“Buddy! I can’t find the phone!” I
shouted in the general direction of where his voice had come from under the
driver’s seat. All the swerving around on the freeway had dislodged the phone
from its harness. So I opened the door and, knees on the pavement, fished
around under the seat, then did the same under the passenger’s seat. No phone.</span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">“Dad, I’m over here!” I could hear him
chuckling as I peered between the passenger seat and the center console. There
it was, wedged in snug and cozy.</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">
</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">I lay my plus-sized gut across the
driver’s seat with my gargantuan ass sticking out the door and tried to
liberate the phone while Tripp reported on fishing conditions at the Yuba. “The
water is pretty low, and it’s been a pretty dry summer up there, so we’re gonna
wanna look for pools with deep channels where we can just swing a fly right
across the bottom.” With the mention of “bottom” somebody gave my ass a
powerful, violent shove that pinned me against the seat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2cpd4jLCd8C_3w2KmwCCyX0aRMDrXoJvFnqJRIlMGcUP5PyiIhkwFZox-MwmjDB2CUwoJtX6j3pW03SM9K8IfRIql_KunGpPph6fw69p16PEtpq5k1LBM4UEBuknSZkma0yBQv8OcUw/s1600/rr8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2cpd4jLCd8C_3w2KmwCCyX0aRMDrXoJvFnqJRIlMGcUP5PyiIhkwFZox-MwmjDB2CUwoJtX6j3pW03SM9K8IfRIql_KunGpPph6fw69p16PEtpq5k1LBM4UEBuknSZkma0yBQv8OcUw/s200/rr8.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">“Hey! What the fuck?” I shouted, trying
to get up, but whoever it was had squashed my crotch against the electric
seatback control. Suddenly, my wiener was in charge; a little shift against the
button I could recline or incline the seat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">“You’re some hot shit race car driver,
ain’tcha?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<i><span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">Oh for fuck’s sake, </span></i><span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">I was thinking. <i>It’s the shaved-headed
Oakland Raiders fan, Mr. Road Rage. He has tracked down my custom-designed Saab
and is going to chop my balls off, then jam ‘em down my throat.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">“Dad?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">“Hey, Buddy,” I said, bemused. “There’s a
fella here trying to buttfuck me in the Chevron parking lot.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">“Shut the fuck up, fag!” growled Mr. Road
Rage, shoving me even harder. He stunk of beer, gin and vomit so powerfully
that I felt a sympathy barf welling up. I also recall worrying that the asshole
had a gun trained on my bald spot, which I was told existed but had never seen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">“That’s him, the buttfucker,” I reported.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">“Hey, you shut up, asshole!” Tripp
shouted, picking a fight from the cell phone stuck between the seats.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">“Turn that fuckin’ phone off, dickface.“<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">“I can’t! It’s stuck between the seats!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">“Yeah, can’t you tell, shit-for-brains?”
Tripp yelled. I could imagine the sneer on Tripp’s face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRIcbF6ohRAegwKYHY2ach9jCtVnAXMbM81hJd4Fk6ZJTlc0t-WDopNyJosXzbXetC765D6fKGn0dXQETyR7GYune1tceyub5N2eil0oCFt1CUayK5OlQFFAq3cZ7k2NUAlZAe2xv0L_A/s1600/rr4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRIcbF6ohRAegwKYHY2ach9jCtVnAXMbM81hJd4Fk6ZJTlc0t-WDopNyJosXzbXetC765D6fKGn0dXQETyR7GYune1tceyub5N2eil0oCFt1CUayK5OlQFFAq3cZ7k2NUAlZAe2xv0L_A/s1600/rr4.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">Then I felt this giant upwelling of
superhuman power as I shoved my angry wiener against the seat control,
inclining the seatback as forward as it would go, which enabled me to get a
grip on the sides of the seat. With a bloodcurdling war whoop, I pushed myself
back against my attacker who, with one foot on my ass and the other on the
ground, lost his balance and fell backward, his acrylic Raiders cap bouncing on
the pavement. I spun around, ready to blanket him with my immensity, when two
uniformed mini-mart attendants blasted out of the double glass doors
side-by-side like Butch and Sundance, arms waving and yelling “Stop! No
fighting here! No fighting! You must stop!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">Instead they stopped, about 10 feet away
from where I stood over the vanquished butt stomper. The station managers were
looking at us as if we were combustible materials. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">“Why for you like fight?” one of them
shouted, almost melodiously. My rage was draining and my crotch was throbbing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">“Dad? What the hell is going on there? Dad?”
Tripp yelled. The station managers were now studying my Saab, marveling at the
odd configuration of the driver’s seat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">“Sir,” one of them said, “your phone.
Somebody is talking.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">Mr. Road Rage was snickering and hissing
like a Disney anaconda. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">“I’m sorry about this,” I said to both of
them, avoiding the gaze of Mr. Road Rage, who was probably fifteen years
younger than me and pretty good sized, a kangaroo to my grizzly bear. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">Mr. Road Rage hopped up from the ground
and brushed himself off, glaring at me while he hissed, “You are such a fucking
fag. You wanna kiss me now, asshole?” His sleeves were rolled up over the elbow
with a dragon’s tail stretching across his freckled arm. His face was still
fire engine red. I paused to retrieve the phone, telling my son that I couldn’t
explain it all at the moment but would call back later. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">This was not how I had planned to
re-enter the world. After five years in relative hibernation – on </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkc2448c1asShvHZiseC3zU5YjfX0NJEnJWRgVbtB_bMUI8CcX0FXwluVcDCKhvz2Mp89Zxl74blWn0tGuK9MYwIsEqQ6aoHF3K5AlFzeikAeQnOj4oVvhA4QhSEXtV8Ju9bANH4MYyo0/s1600/rr2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkc2448c1asShvHZiseC3zU5YjfX0NJEnJWRgVbtB_bMUI8CcX0FXwluVcDCKhvz2Mp89Zxl74blWn0tGuK9MYwIsEqQ6aoHF3K5AlFzeikAeQnOj4oVvhA4QhSEXtV8Ju9bANH4MYyo0/s200/rr2.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
the patio
with Mr. Booper, at 156 Woodland with parents, caregivers and my frequently
ill-mannered sister, and in bed with Sandy – I had forgotten that even
marvelous Marin County streets and highways were tinderboxes of pent-up
frustration and rage just waiting to explode, like my new acquaintance had just
demonstrated. I briefly contemplated going home and calling off the search – I
was grossly unprepared for the dangers of American highway culture – but then
an alarm went off inside the mini-mart: a half dozen kids were making off with
bags stuffed with as much mini-mart crap as they could carry, mostly
twelve-packs of Bud Light. The station managers were after them in an instant.
I jumped in my car and ducked behind the dashboard. But these kids were hardly
dangerous. Instead they looked like the backfield for the Redwood high school
football team: ripped dudes with crew cuts, tattoos peeking out from under tank
tops, shorts falling off their asses. I got the feeling that the theft was more
of a prank than a serious robbery – they probably didn’t even open the cash register
– so I got out and hobbled behind the running security team, when along came
Mr. Road Rage from behind, streaking across the blacktop to where the guys were
jumping into the back of their truck, one kid ripping the gas hose out of the
tank. The station managers and I froze as the all-star wrestling Fu Manchu
maniac hooked an arm around the football player with the gas hose and slammed
him into the side of their big boy pickup truck, beer cans erupting out of the
twelve pack in a glorious explosion of golden suds. One of the other kids
jumped out of the pickup bed onto Fu-Manchu’s back, wrapping his legs around
his waist and whomping on his shaved head with a free hand while Fu got the
other football player by the nape and was banging his forehead into the
passenger side window. Just as the glass shattered into a million tiny shards
sparkling against the blacktop, my phone rang.<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">“Dad!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">I went running back to my car, which
waited with the keys still in the famous between-the-seat Saab ignition. “Hey
Buddy you won’t believe what is happening here.” I described the scene, which,
as I pulled out of the Extra Mile, had developed into a sort of scrum with Mr.
Road Rage Fu Manchu getting the shit kicked out of him by a half-dozen beefy
teenagers. By the time I turned into the freeway entrance, the kids were
peeling out of the Extra Mile and the station managers were attending to Mr.
Road Rage on the ground who, I supposed, got more fight than was originally
planned when he followed me into the parking lot, as had I. And the real search
for Sisi hadn’t even started yet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2ItnQZjkt-QePKYlG_N8UCVX9AA9-Rmm4P-5zNe7g_yt7fjzZtJ2KLGOt1UWUj4OU72nCJte2j_QH4uGEXhxI8AlA75pQE377Fh1vsd0_Wv6fQBHE5X7_vd5XEcy1dS_-dZEvZzwOys/s1600/rr3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2ItnQZjkt-QePKYlG_N8UCVX9AA9-Rmm4P-5zNe7g_yt7fjzZtJ2KLGOt1UWUj4OU72nCJte2j_QH4uGEXhxI8AlA75pQE377Fh1vsd0_Wv6fQBHE5X7_vd5XEcy1dS_-dZEvZzwOys/s1600/rr3.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">I drove back into the flow of freeway
traffic, headed to Tam Junction and the Shoreline Highway that would take me
out to Bolinas. Soon I would lose cell service. I scanned my rear view for the
blue Ranger, paranoid as always that some random nut case out there would pull
up alongside me and blow my brains out with an assault rifle, or toss a grenade
into my lap. “I’m gonna lose you in a little bit,” I said as I crested a hill
past Muir Beach and met the broad aquamarine expanse of the Pacific, but Tripp
was already gone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">That particular stretch of Highway One,
after the road climbs out of Muir Beach to the ridge, revealing the craggy
cliffs that fall into the seething foam of the ocean, has, in its arresting
panorama, always forced a moment of reverence and reflection. Instead, on that
particular afternoon, I found myself imagining how I would have loved to pop
Mr. Road Rage’s bald, red head like a big pimple. Terrified by my own violent
visions, I started to wonder: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">what am I
getting into here, and why? Was leaving my patio, my chucker, Mr. Booper and my
wife’s broad, creamy bottom worth a harebrained boondoggle for the sake of
fostering some final family harmony?</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><i><br /></i></span><span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUSJG00N9Gb4_QG6dzlmoLDF92B12OhBz9E_m_d-mlMZhCTa3LQ5ulz51pnWrI5k7E3_3td1rKh59W-6ru_EFxekZ-7uv2EgapHc2CMVs0FE6dPGs3WigaC-HiKA3mkVRDzAgZr7yUoU/s1600/rrm2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUSJG00N9Gb4_QG6dzlmoLDF92B12OhBz9E_m_d-mlMZhCTa3LQ5ulz51pnWrI5k7E3_3td1rKh59W-6ru_EFxekZ-7uv2EgapHc2CMVs0FE6dPGs3WigaC-HiKA3mkVRDzAgZr7yUoU/s1600/rrm2.jpeg" /></a></i></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>1595</o:Words>
<o:Characters>9094</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Microsoft Office Suite</o:Company>
<o:Lines>75</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>21</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>10668</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:PixelsPerInch>96</o:PixelsPerInch>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">Then, as if Baba Ram Dass had started
dancing on the hood of the Saab chanting “be here now,” I finally came back to
where I was, gazing across breathtaking blue-on-blue stretching across the
Pacific Ocean into infinity. I wished my father could see it. I wished my son
could see it. I wished my wife could see it. Most of all, I wished my sister
could see it. At least then I would know exactly where she was.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: .3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEpIY0Rs3AiQ8u30GUMWWlR2Qtcd9Kx-xOPSOADd7DJbk4RPDY-WNpGvnajhRLmiwGMNBENq31oX_sxbxRQgZv5COqqGh4b_-voQ1LbATsQTn7Z0cTjtKbY53BVnDmLYgr_80WKzIZUk/s1600/littlelimbogirls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="49" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEpIY0Rs3AiQ8u30GUMWWlR2Qtcd9Kx-xOPSOADd7DJbk4RPDY-WNpGvnajhRLmiwGMNBENq31oX_sxbxRQgZv5COqqGh4b_-voQ1LbATsQTn7Z0cTjtKbY53BVnDmLYgr_80WKzIZUk/s320/littlelimbogirls.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Want a free e-book version of Howard? Drop a line to babybingusbooks@gmail.com and leave your email address!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxhSqzsLONQ6RyOZytuVi3uuVbT0YtaGCz5XexmFa2gjctkRz6McmzSxK_-iB11LrKtvF7dOYz7kGrfi_mx5sSPSATZCxfl11-Mm8lu0JqIPY1103gVbRtJcpbzNhF7TnqlgtQn9oloyY/s1600/howard+cover+with+border.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxhSqzsLONQ6RyOZytuVi3uuVbT0YtaGCz5XexmFa2gjctkRz6McmzSxK_-iB11LrKtvF7dOYz7kGrfi_mx5sSPSATZCxfl11-Mm8lu0JqIPY1103gVbRtJcpbzNhF7TnqlgtQn9oloyY/s320/howard+cover+with+border.png" width="209" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "garamond";">Now on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Howard-Brown-Novel/dp/153090028X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471538490&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Amazon i</a>n print and e-book</span></div>
Jeb Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230628615012095761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577808099373170838.post-80514445435111903402016-08-28T20:12:00.000-07:002016-08-28T20:14:38.597-07:00Focus. I Can't. Can You?If I can hold onto it long enough to articulate a cohesive thought, well...it's rather a miracle these days. I don't know if this is a common ailment of sixty-somethings or just something that accompanies living in a hillside bungalow above the Pacific with my female companion, my canine companion, two computers, a bunch of guitars, basses and recording gear, a lonely easel, a stack of half completed canvasses, a new novel on the market, three in the incubator and a healthy supply of Hornitos Reposado.<br />
<br />
This rather disparate and random collection of projects (I include human and canine relationships on that list, since they are projects in and of themselves) is exacerbated by a large gap between the current and envisioned state of our immediate physical surroundings. The sizable creekside yard looks like an exploded mine field, now punctuated with a beehive in the center. I can't look at it without seeing an immense, complicated, laborious and expensive project – a beautiful, wild landscape with an artist's studio below, rock walls, secret pathways, hidden pools with nubile water nymphs basking on the giant leaves of Chilean gunnera.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJtZ1caINXe_lJSLi4Pq8Gs7uyjD9QAWqI7PpzDC4wn-dTBvMRsK2yFe4YjijIY6ulRv3AQ89AcnNXHq7wMX1BynrCI_bgZPsP112xImtwtC3P4dxi0CB9ttyJirXM3o-ytsY8TeVc2s/s1600/2016-07-19+19.10.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJtZ1caINXe_lJSLi4Pq8Gs7uyjD9QAWqI7PpzDC4wn-dTBvMRsK2yFe4YjijIY6ulRv3AQ89AcnNXHq7wMX1BynrCI_bgZPsP112xImtwtC3P4dxi0CB9ttyJirXM3o-ytsY8TeVc2s/s200/2016-07-19+19.10.32.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
Meanwhile, the inside of the bungalow whimpers with strident longing for a remodel. At the very least, the master toilet, which doubles as a guest 1/2 bath and is less than 15 feet from the living room sofa, must be relocated to a more private corner. It is particularly embarrassing when guests inquire about the state of the toilet user's bowel movements after a loud, fecund blast rattles the pictures on the wall.<br />
<br />
Add to all that the presence of the most embarrassing, reprehensible, disturbing public figure in the brief history of our experimental nation on the front page, top slot, pole position of every possible media outlet in the Western world, save perhaps, "Cat Fancy" and "Applied Mathematics Monthly." It's like waking up to a bowl of steamed dog turds for breakfast, day in, day out.<br />
<br />
Is it any wonder I can't sleep for more than 3 hours at a stretch? Is it any wonder that BPH reminds me every few hours that the rocks outside the back door need watering? At 11:30 PM, 1:30, 2:45, and 4:30. When Boo wakes me up at 6:30 for his breakfast, I feel more exhausted than I did when I first climbed into the sack the night before.<br />
<br />
But it's not just the all-night pee train that exhausts. It's what goes on in that parallel universe of dreams. Impossible landscapes of gravity-defying lakes and rivers, snow capped mountains and ski areas towering over the East Bay, indoor golf courses with pool-table greens. And the characters! The plots! The sinister dealings of perverse purveyors of kiddie porn in an impossible Arizona; the evil machinations of childhood faces not seen for 50 years; the wondrous appearances of angels in mini-skirts sent to relieve the worried bassist.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp9ZXl-iZFDD1VA_lFdZXMypa8jjhWiCm9UaHHwJijGL4xo-TLHkiCgi8dw0dj8Cv_zMBX7VDdiLB0jgGwzKfSA3z66oJbyalmc1fPJKO_dwXst-NSYwwpoZXDB7Tpa9i4yoNBDoEnBPI/s1600/IMG_0857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp9ZXl-iZFDD1VA_lFdZXMypa8jjhWiCm9UaHHwJijGL4xo-TLHkiCgi8dw0dj8Cv_zMBX7VDdiLB0jgGwzKfSA3z66oJbyalmc1fPJKO_dwXst-NSYwwpoZXDB7Tpa9i4yoNBDoEnBPI/s200/IMG_0857.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<br />
So is it any wonder that I'll assume my position at my desk for another work day, and be snoring with my chin on my chest by 9AM. Not to say I'm not eternally grateful, especially for having learned how to practice TM 45 years ago. I am so grateful for all the blessings heaped upon my undeserving ass that to even think of complaining about anything – even the precarious condition of our so-called democracy – seems an abomination, an insult, to the relative peace and tranquility of our lives.<br />
<br />
Perhaps you are familiar with this state of affairs? Perhaps not? I, for one, would like to know.<br />
<br />
Then there are those Sunday mornings where we awaken, before we collect the morning paper, and look out upon the world:<br />
<br />
There is the forest<br />
There is the sea<br />
Over there, the forest<br />
Out there the sea<br />
Timelessly old<br />
Today, ever new<br />
But I would say nothing of it<br />
If not for you<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
So is it any wonder, really, that the days of sitting down and banging out 1000 words an hour seem<br />
<br />
<br />Jeb Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230628615012095761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577808099373170838.post-22135433243120515282016-07-06T21:17:00.001-07:002016-07-06T21:20:11.476-07:00Why Bob Schneider Isn't an International Superstar<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpSjJhr5YqWX9KUXWdzen1b_NN2Dzi1HNk7zbMNvW0g3otn-AqnRQn62NCLNDFzR_W1SNZ3CcRhiJmABHxK9r-PWxSwm7FKlQRI6bofA9HaTmgAwqkwr7JMiNd6FR_1IvlvGBGG2DOuf8/s1600/bab4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpSjJhr5YqWX9KUXWdzen1b_NN2Dzi1HNk7zbMNvW0g3otn-AqnRQn62NCLNDFzR_W1SNZ3CcRhiJmABHxK9r-PWxSwm7FKlQRI6bofA9HaTmgAwqkwr7JMiNd6FR_1IvlvGBGG2DOuf8/s200/bab4.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bob Schneider or Downey Jr.?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Why? Because he hasn't changed his name, that's why. It's an:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1">[oxymoron</span><span class="s2"> |ˌäksəˈmôrˌän|</span></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">noun</span></div>
<br />
<div class="p3" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction (e.g., <i>faith unfaithful kept him falsely true</i>).]</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s2"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s2">Okay. Let's look at "Bob Schneider, International Superstar." Or "Bob Schneider, famous singer/songwriter." Oxymoron, right? How can anybody that goes by "Bob Schneider" be an international superstar? </span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s2"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s2"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s2"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s2">Bob Schneider, your local State Farm rep.</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s2">Bob Schneider, DDS.</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s2">Bob Schneider, IRS agent.</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s2">Bob Schneider, dairy farmer.</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s2">Schneider's Deli</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s2"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s2">But pop star? Rock star? King of White Boy Funk? </span>I've heard that he's sometimes referred to as B. Schnei on his home turf in Austin, but I'm not sure that'll do it. </div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
Oh, and there's the Austin factor working against him, too. Everybody knows that Austin cats are </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhasQac3NXE9dvyvhHjAjnfHyhClxRqC9Jc4zeFLeKIv4v7P7qFs5XW9UH0KIFMhqmlA3P3qcLdx21HdCOVJpagnzyk0xDHWBkJs8PxYDdJHPegI-wITgbFWMbi6rovn5atNZLUdNjrZOg/s1600/bab3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhasQac3NXE9dvyvhHjAjnfHyhClxRqC9Jc4zeFLeKIv4v7P7qFs5XW9UH0KIFMhqmlA3P3qcLdx21HdCOVJpagnzyk0xDHWBkJs8PxYDdJHPegI-wITgbFWMbi6rovn5atNZLUdNjrZOg/s1600/bab3.jpeg" /></a></div>
serious players, serious writers, serious poets, seriously eclectic, seriously somewhere in between Nashville, LA and New York: alt indy hanging around their necks like a ball and chain. That's why we love Austin - it's where guys like Bob Schneider can make music and art that's true, honest, unsullied by commercialism. It's probably the only town where a guy could sing a song called "Hanging Out With The Horny Girls" and not get burned at the stake by the political correctors. Bob is certainly doing his part to Keep Austin Weird, as the bumper stickers say.<br />
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
It seems many of my favorite artists are in the "too good to be famous" category. Years ago I wrote an article for a defunct SF rag about NRBQ and their big label debut release, "Wild Weekend" on Virgin Records. Their's was not an oxymoron problem as much as it was an image problem. Put simply, the boys lacked sex appeal. Same went for Little Feat and Bruce Hornsby, though they were far more popular than either NRBQ or Bob. (I think I just decided to call him Bob. Period.)</div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNS7x9pbRfbBYpiJClo32Ou_XOChMex11oSgTpTBcOwxS3ITTQLQVdknoIp1wNcpT0NX_LuSss4oPsV_kwAZShlnOwn_Jing8jHDbI4-DznZYT0cUC2b-f1kHBRVVYo5_lHe5xo_Ef6O8/s1600/bob5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNS7x9pbRfbBYpiJClo32Ou_XOChMex11oSgTpTBcOwxS3ITTQLQVdknoIp1wNcpT0NX_LuSss4oPsV_kwAZShlnOwn_Jing8jHDbI4-DznZYT0cUC2b-f1kHBRVVYo5_lHe5xo_Ef6O8/s200/bob5.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="p3">
Like NRBQ, I couldn't be happier that Bob isn't an international superstar. I just recently (and very thankfully) discovered his seemingly bottomless, 30 year old catalog. He was the same guy behind the Ugly Americans and one of my top-ten fave rave-ups, "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9gGRLgE8a8">Vulcan Death Grip.</a>" After a little browsing around I downloaded about 30 of his songs and have been listening to them multiple times daily ever since. He also records every single one of his shows and, before the audience gets away, has CDs burnt and ready for sale. (He calls these live recordings "Frunk." I don't know why.) </div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
On his home page he discusses his lack of international superstardom as a voiceover accompanying some of his cool artwork. His theory is that the small skinny rockers get all the attention because their packages are outsized in proportion to their gaunt frames. Big bearlike guys like Bob (and myself, not uncoincidentally) have our stuff hidden between our massive, muscular thighs, so it's practically invisible in comparison. And it's common knowledge that a guy can't be an international superstar without the flashy gear. </div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
Any guy that postulates such profound theories is, as you probably already know, a man after my own </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3T7MfZi1UaDZMVcciFb4vMe1fZltwDJkkhz9vuP37I857cmeyOrlX3xQ2mu-SPTFyEXX5igFyKllHEM6312CFkHoYbQD3atBzLilMp5h5luZxjuLKq5sL5UzUROov3H2XN453CKk12c/s1600/bob6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3T7MfZi1UaDZMVcciFb4vMe1fZltwDJkkhz9vuP37I857cmeyOrlX3xQ2mu-SPTFyEXX5igFyKllHEM6312CFkHoYbQD3atBzLilMp5h5luZxjuLKq5sL5UzUROov3H2XN453CKk12c/s200/bob6.jpeg" width="149" /></a></div>
heart. And Bob's songs, his lyrics, his arrangements, his instrumentation (i.e. accordion and trumpet, for example), his sometimes smokey sometimes somber sometimes soulful voice, his sort of subtle vacant, bemused expression – all of it works for me. In fact, it doesn't just work, it moves me. Literally out of my chair and onto my private personal dance floor du jour, whether it's to boogaloo or do the hippie sway. It moves me to sing along with all the fa la las and nah nah nahs that seem to grace every third song or so.<br />
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
That's just a small slice of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Schneider">what there is to love about Bob.</a> As a critic of my most recent novel, <i>The Healing of Howard Brown</i>, said of the protagonist, "<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s a supple, smart and authentic voice that’s
alternately wry, sad, questioning, anxious, hopeful and loving." Bob's songs embrace all that and so much more, with a completely disarming delivery that invites even the most skeptical boomers to cut through their scar tissue and "let the light in."</span></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-djErjYGZj6yx2Wdlf4F3CS3vLgARHIz2vAEpf9Fy8pjCCuE1A94lr5nJ-ma6yyjIobeGmpVxyIGN8jeE9exPja_Ru57gG90ZtXG6dmZRfFhv2StdWTPFkjcjDfKjq1ZDnLG4zgE24EU/s1600/bab2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-djErjYGZj6yx2Wdlf4F3CS3vLgARHIz2vAEpf9Fy8pjCCuE1A94lr5nJ-ma6yyjIobeGmpVxyIGN8jeE9exPja_Ru57gG90ZtXG6dmZRfFhv2StdWTPFkjcjDfKjq1ZDnLG4zgE24EU/s200/bab2.jpeg" width="152" /></a></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope that Bob becomes the international superstar that he deserves to be, despite his Schneiderness. Meanwhile, I am thankful that, so far, he's been able to make the music he's been making without any commercial pressure, in the true Austin tradition. And I am eternally thankful that the groovy tune I heard back in 1996 – the goddamn coolest groove ever, "Vulcan Death Grip" –has opened the door to this <a href="http://www.bobschneider.com/cover">amazing playlist</a> of even groovier tunes. </span></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Vaya con huevos, Senor Bob. May the bird of paradise fly up your nose and your sweet bippy be forever blessed. </span></span></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>16</o:Words>
<o:Characters>97</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Microsoft Office Suite</o:Company>
<o:Lines>1</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>112</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment--><b><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></b><!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
Jeb Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230628615012095761noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577808099373170838.post-77032707558194632632016-01-24T17:38:00.000-08:002016-01-24T17:42:07.296-08:00For Want of Grace<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPFtV5mX6CYapTPuRxqdHvxmbR5usQ7fyZX1Mo15qthpJZe57XJVDonqJQdegY-UWOzDjC9U2DOUXp0OWHBOJGpWwihuppy8ync8W_l3Adz-x7Hq4yo5dxd3KjffLTaHMz5Rt1c9YupI/s1600/winnie.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPFtV5mX6CYapTPuRxqdHvxmbR5usQ7fyZX1Mo15qthpJZe57XJVDonqJQdegY-UWOzDjC9U2DOUXp0OWHBOJGpWwihuppy8ync8W_l3Adz-x7Hq4yo5dxd3KjffLTaHMz5Rt1c9YupI/s1600/winnie.jpeg" /></a></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>173</o:Words>
<o:Characters>990</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Microsoft Office Suite</o:Company>
<o:Lines>8</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>2</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>1161</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";">She had stopped to gas up in Winnemucca, stretch her legs, and
take a pull or two on a one-armed bandit. She didn’t play the slots because she
was a gambler – she preferred to think of herself as a late-season adventurer –
but because she liked watching the cherries, oranges, lemons and lucky sevens
spin behind the little windows, and the way the three whirling wheels would,
without warning, without decelerating, each come to it’s own certain, sudden
halt: thunk, thunk, thunk. Expected, yet random, independent. She had no
fantasies of jackpots, or of coins spilling out of the bandit’s mouth like so
much glittering, jingling vomit. She would spend five dollars, then, unlike the
other little old ladies glued to their stools in the big casinos, get up, walk
away, get back in her little camper and drive east to Moab and the Canyonlands,
then on to Aspen or Telluride for a music festival; or north, up to Sun Valley,
Stanley, the Bitterroots, Flathead Lake and ultimately Many Glacier Hotel,
where the servers sang to the guests as they dined on pan fried trout and drank
Grey Riesling. But she had never turned south. Not until that day in Winnemucca.</span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A warm breeze blew wisps of dyed golden hair into the space
between her eyes and her glasses as she walked through the gas pumps and across
the pavement to the ramshackle garage and mini-mart, where there would be two
slot machines next to the magazine rack. She had crossed Nevada every year since
losing her husband –<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">how many years? When
did I buy the camper? </i>She knew better than to expect progress,
improvements: potholes repaired, boarded buildings torn down, replaced with
glass, concrete, green grass and fountains – signs of life and renewal. Aside
from the freeway bypass, Winnemucca appeared to be fixed in time, petrified by
the dry desert wind, a terminus for tumbleweeds, a morgue for memories awaiting
a proper burial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She shuddered briefly; suddenly chill in the desiccated desert
air. She took off her glasses, brushed her hair out of her face and held it against
her ear, replaced her glasses and continued, head bowed low out of the wind,
eyes on the dry, cracked pavement. The setting sun threw violet shadows from
the pebbles and rocks, and she thought that they looked like an inverted meteor
shower, each dark stone with a violet tail streaking across a white sky. She
stopped and studied the pavement at her feet, then followed her own long shadow
stretching to a whitewashed wall, where it broke at her waist and stared back
at her, one hand holding her hair to her head and the other wrapped around the
Peruvian haversack that hung against her hip. For a moment she thought the
shadow couldn’t possibly be hers; in place of the tall, shoulders-back and
chin-up woman she knew herself to be stood a stooped, hunched over figure: the
epitome of a little old lady. So she threw her shoulders back, thrust her chest
forward, opened the door of the mini-mart with a loud “bong” and made a beeline
for the slots. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Behind the counter, a tattooed, skeletal old man with a slick,
greasy pile of gun-metal grey hair sat on a stool, an unlit cigarette in his mouth and a
magazine spread out before him. He did not look up as she passed, but she knew
he was the same guy that had been behind the counter when she first stopped at
Jimbo’s Gas & Service in 1970, on her way from college in Boulder to home
in San Francisco. Over the course of the next 40 years she had stopped at
Jimbo’s more times than she could remember, and the skinny guy had always been
behind the counter in the same stained red vest with cigarette and magazine. If
they had ever made eye contact, she couldn’t remember it. She wasn’t entirely
certain that she had ever bought anything in the mini-mart; not cigarettes, not
beer, not soda, not candy, not a Slim Jim or a package of Twinkies. The smell
of the place–oil, grease, stale tobacco and the perfumed Vitalis he used to
slick his hair back–had only become more pungent as the years passed, and,
judging by the stature of the cashier, was a powerful appetite suppressant. As
far as she was concerned, she was of a different species than the man behind
the counter. She was always passing through, passing him by, leaving him in his
red vest behind the counter with his magazine while she roamed the highways,
living the scenes he might have been reading about.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She dumped five bucks in quarters in a half hour, pausing once
to use the restroom. Every few pulls the machine would spit out a couple of
quarters, but she dutifully plugged them back in until they were all gone. Game
over, she rose to leave. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Excuse me, Grace,”
said the voice behind the counter. She had noticed him watching while she
played. In the polished chrome of the slot machine she saw him raise his eyes
from the magazine without moving his head. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">“I’m wonderin’ if you might be able to do me a favor.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She jerked her head up,<span style="color: black;"> feeling violated, exposed and suddenly very vulnerable.
“How do you know my name?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>He grinned and pointed at the woven croaky attached to her
glasses: a green and yellow monogrammed lanyard she had bought from a Huichol
child in Sayulita, where she and her husband vacationed almost yearly when their
kids were little. She swooned. <i>How stupid! How careless!</i></span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>He wanted to tell her that, truthfully, he had known her name
from the very first time she had stopped at Jimbo’s Gas & Service back in
1970. He wanted to tell her how her name reminded him of Grace Slick and “White
Rabbit,” his platoon leader’s anthem on his first tour of Southeast Asia in
1967<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">. One pill makes you larger, and one
pill makes you small…</i> But if her name reminded him of Grace Slick, her
looks reminded him more of Joni Mitchell, perhaps crossed with Joan Baez. A
bleached-out squaw with flowers in her hair.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But he kept those thoughts to himself. “Anyways, I was wonderin’
which way you was headed this evening.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Excuse me?” she said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I could use a
lift,” he said. With a jerk of his arm, he was suddenly rolling around the side
of the counter in a battery-powered wheelchair. Grace tried to keep her jaw
from dropping. All these years, and she had never noticed that the man behind
the counter at Jimbo’s Gas and Service was disabled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“A lift? Why are
you asking me?” Grace asked. “Can’t your partner, the mechanic that’s making
all that racket in the garage, give you a lift?” She wanted to add, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">besides, do I really look like the type that
would invite a greasy gas station attendant into her car?</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Well, I…” the
cashier began. Then a voice boomed from the garage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Forget it, Ray.
I told you she wouldn’t do it. I think you’re gonna have to ask one of the
local gals.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Grace cocked an
eye toward the garage. “That must be Jimbo,” she observed. “And you must be
Ray.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Yes ma’am. Now,
about that ride…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You could always
try Uber,” the mechanic shouted from the garage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Right, Jimmy. As
if I can afford to pay for an eight-hour taxi ride,” Ray shouted back. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Where are you
going?” Grace asked automatically. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Down south, to
Mesquite on the Arizona border.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Ah, well, I’m
going north. Sorry I can’t help you,” Grace said, feeling relieved that there
was a reason besides her own snap judgment for not giving him a ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She turned to
leave, suddenly smothered with fear. She had travelled the west for decades,
the last ten years on her own, and had never felt so defenseless. Blood rushed
to her face as she pushed through the door and out into the fading desert dusk,
heat radiating up from the pavement through her sandals and under her long
skirts. She took long strides, interrupted by short skips as if she might break
into a dead run. She leapt into the camper’s cab, and slammed the door on the
hem of her skirts. Hurriedly she pulled her skirts into the cab, shut the door,
then began frantically searching her haversack for her keys. When she didn’t
find them instantly, she dumped the contents of her bag onto the passenger
seat: a bone-handled hairbrush in need of cleaning, a makeup compact, a squeeze
bottle of hand lotion and another of disinfectant, a tattered wallet of the
same Peruvian design as her woven haversack, sunglasses, dog-eared,
pocket-sized copies of <i>Wherever You Go, There You Are </i>and the
meditations of Tchit Nhat Hanh, several packets of Kleenex, a tin of colored
pencils, a worn leather-bound diary, and her phone. But no keys. She wracked
her brain. <i>Did I leave my bag on the floor when I went to the rest room? </i> She
closed her eyes, cradled her forehead in both hands and gently tapped it on the
top of the steering wheel, muttering, “Think, Grace. Think!”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The passenger door suddenly swung open. Ray, the cashier, was
trying to lift his bony frame into the seat, one matchstick arm pushing against
a metal crutch while the other crutch swung free from the circular brace on his
forearm, clattering against the door frame. She wanted to scream, but instead
of pushing the crippled man out the door back into his wheelchair she jumped
out of the cab, thinking she should call for help but unable to summon her
voice from her pounding chest.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Before he was fully situated on the seat, Ray reached into the
pocket of his red vest, pulled out a small revolver and pointed it at her, his
crutch jutting awkwardly against his side. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I tried asking nicely. Now, if you just cooperate nobody’ll get
hurt,” he said softly, his tenor almost boyish. She stood frozen, one hand on
the driver’s side door handle, staring into the muzzle of the handgun. She
could not remember having ever seen a real handgun, aside from those that hung
from the belts of policeman. She didn’t think she had never seen one out of its
holster, and knew that she had never seen one pointed at her.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You forgot something,” Ray said, reaching into his other vest
pocket and brandishing her keys. She looked at the keys, then back to the
muzzle of the revolver still pointed at her. “Okay, don’t worry, Grace. I don’t
plan on shooting you. Just get in and drive. Once we’re clear of town I’ll
explain.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The roar of a diesel big rig on interstate 80 overhead rattled
the fluorescent lights in the rain canopy above the pumps, and it made her want
to run. The station was surrounded by inky darkness now, save for the
illuminated entrance ramp to I-80 East. Even the hulking shapes of the treeless
mountains were hard to distinguish from the sky. <i>Where would I run to? Just
out there, into the sagebrush?</i> Then she remembered Jimmy, the
mechanic. He wasn’t crippled. She searched the windows of the mini-mart,
through the doorway into the garage, but there was no sign of him.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“C’mon,” Ray said. “I need your help.” She studied his skeletal
face in the fluorescent lights: the deep, cavernous eye sockets under the thick
overhang of his bushy brow, the high, severe cheekbones and jutting, angular jaw,
the deep cleft in his chin, the wattle below. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“What do you want?” she finally managed to ask. “Money? You can
have it.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Just get in,” he sighed, waving the pistol at her. “I told you,
I’ll explain everything once we get going.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“What? I don’t get it,” she said, a little of her missing
confidence creeping into her voice.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Goddamnit Grace don’t make me use this thing!” Ray suddenly
screamed, straightening his arm and aiming the revolver.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She wanted to scream, again. Perhaps if she ran to the I-80
onramp and onto the freeway she could flag somebody down. But she didn’t listen
to her flight instincts–she would be so easy to pick off if she ran for the
onramp–and instead gathered up her skirts, climbed into the driver’s seat, shut
the door behind her and held out her hand for her keys.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Okay, Ray,” she said, the sound of her own voice suddenly
unfamiliar– so cool, relaxed, and resigned–in the silent cab. “Which way to
Mesquite?”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ray kept the revolver pointed at her until they had left the
lights of Winnemucca and were headed east on the open road. Then he reached
into the console, picked up her phone, and put both the gun and the phone in
the glove compartment. “There,” Ray said, snapping it shut. “Feel better?” She
thought she could see his lips pulled back into a wide grin, stained teeth
reflecting the blue of the dashboard lights. But she couldn’t look directly at
him, so she let him sit silently in his stained red vest, his aluminum crutches
on either side of him, his black trousers riding up just far enough for her to see
the prosthetic legs jutting from the attached black Rockports.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now that the gun wasn’t pointed at her forehead, Grace’s
breathing began to return to normal. She wondered if she could pull over, dive
out of the camper and run out of range before he could get the gun, get his
crutches situated and take aim. She hadn’t attempted to run in years, and never
in her long hippie skirts.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I know what you’re thinking, Grace.” Ray finally said after
another half-hour of tense silence.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Stop calling me Grace!” she blurted, without intending to. Ray
cocked an eyebrow and studied her fraught expression in the dashboard light.
Earlier, when he saw her get out of her camper, he thought it wasn’t her, so
much work had been done to nip and tuck the years from her face. But once she
was inside the mini-mart it was obvious: her skin had the look of canvas on
stretcher bars; taught, perhaps, but also strained, pulled, yanked and shaped
into a mask that wasn’t meant to be. Now, in the driver’s seat, her face seemed
even more of a mask than it was before.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“That’s your name, isn’t it?” he said, feeling suddenly
sheepish.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Yes, but you have no right to call me by my name!” </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Well, for chrissakes, Grace. We’ve known each other for over 40
years. Hell if you can’t call somebody by their first name after 40 years, what
the hell do you call them?”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Grace let up on the gas, then slowly turned to face her
passenger. “What are you talking about?” she asked, looking him over from head to
foot before turning her attention back to the highway.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Oh Grace, just ‘cuz you’ve had a little work done doesn’t mean
I don’t recognize you. Jesus. When was the first time you stopped at our
station? 1970?” Ray stopped and looked out the passenger window at the boulders
and sagebrush flying by in the headlights. “Yep, musta been. That was the year
you started college in Boulder, ain’t that right?”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Grace shrunk into herself, folding years over years and tucking
them into the darkest recesses of her being. She felt so exposed, as if she had
been under government surveillance. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How
long has he been tracking me? 40 years?</i></span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Yep, I’m pretty certain. August, 1970. You were headed for
college, and your little brother was along for the ride.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She remembered, but she didn’t want to. If her little brother
hadn’t been along for the ride, she might have forgot about that first visit,
back when I-80 was just a two-lane blacktop through Winnemucca, and Jimbo’s Gas
and Service was right on the road, shiny and new. She remembered her brother
walking up to the slots like he owned the place, even though he was only 17,
and she remembered young Ray, a slicked up greaser behind the counter, just
leaving the two underage gamblers be, periodically glancing up from his
magazine, a cigarette burning between his lips, just the slightest hint of a
smile over the deep cleft in his chin. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I can picture it like it was yesterday,” Ray continued, still
watching the roadside shadows fly by. She saw his reflection in the passenger
window as he spoke, his voice just as soft and melodic as Jim Nabors on <i>Gomer
Pyle, </i>without the trademark Alabama twang. For some reason she hadn’t
noticed his glasses, which were thick on the sides like the glasses geriatrics
wear, and his eyes were now rheumy and full, as if he was about to cry.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You and your little brother were one damn good lookin’ pair o’
hippies. Hell, I think you might’ve even had a flower in your hair. Or maybe he
did. Ha Ha!”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When he laughed she thought she might drive off the road. His
laugh was almost identical to her late husband’s: a shrill hyena-like
yip-yip-yip that had in turn made her laugh, which then made him laugh even
harder until the two of them were in tears.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But she didn’t want to think about any of this. Not about her
late husband, or her late brothers, or all the times she had stopped to gas up
and play the slots at Jimbo’s Gas and Service in Winnemucca. “What’s in
Mesquite, Ray?”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“We’re going to pay my old mama a little visit,” Ray said.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She wanted to say <i>What? You kidnapped me at gunpoint so I
could give you a lift to your mother’s house for a little visit? </i>But to
repeat what was so obviously ludicrous would have only made her feel more foolish
about her role in this strange high desert drama. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This is ridiculous.</i></span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I know what you’re thinkin’, Grace.” He stopped himself. “Uh,
is it okay if I call you that? Would you prefer Mrs. Aldrich? Or how about just
‘ma’am’. Or ‘senora.’ That’s popular around these parts.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Finally, she had to chuckle, partially at the pure absurdity of
the situation, and partially at the incongruity of the two of them side by
side: the flower child and the grease monkey, escaped from the rest home. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Oh for God’s sake. Call me whatever you
like…Ray.” She said his name like she was introducing him on the Johnny Carson
show, as in “heeeerrre’s RrrrrrrAY!” Then they both started laughing, his
“yip-yipping” making her laugh all the harder. Then Ray started to cough, and
cough, and cough until his glasses fell to his lap and his face turned blue.
Without hesitation, Grace slowed, then pulled onto the gravel shoulder and
started pounding him on the back of his red vest with the fist of her right
hand. On and on he coughed, until, after fishing a greasy rag from his back
pocket, he hocked up a glob of sticky blood. Or at least it smelled like blood
to Grace, who wasn’t about to investigate the contents of the rag.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Okay, okay. It’s over,” Ray gasped after several minutes.
“Let’s go.” Then, doubling over, he let out a long low moan that sounded like
the final blast of a foghorn going out of commission. Grace shut her eyes,
briefly, and wished she was back at her little home on the Pacific, where she
often fell asleep to the drone of foghorns.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When Ray let out another groan she snapped back to the present.
“Seems to me we ought to get you to an emergency room, Ray,” she said, surrendering
to her mothballed mothering abilities by rubbing her open palm in circles
across the ridges of his heaving scapula. Once his breathing had settled, she
put the camper in drive and pointed it east down the empty highway, still
feeling like she was in the midst of making her biggest mistake ever, but no
longer afraid for her life. Or at least not afraid of Ray.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She let him sit, doubled over and groaning so softly it was hard
to distinguish him from the hum of the camper’s heavy duty tires on the
roadway. Eventually he straightened up, took a deep breath, and said, “No
emergency room. There’s nothing they can do for me there that they ain’t done
already.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She was glad that he didn’t want to go, for she had seen more
than her fair share of emergency rooms in the years leading up to the death of
her little brother, her mother, her father, and then her husband. She had spent
the last ten years trying to erase those memories, trying to shut it all off
and reinvent herself, trying to move on. She wasn’t about to hunker down at
some assisted living facility with all her old friends, play bridge, date
potbellied golfers and pine the lost men in her life. No way. As long as she
had her driver’s license she was going to keep moving. Now, with Ray recalling
each one of her visits to Jimbo’s Gas & Service, she was kicking herself.
She should have known that stopping there was an invitation, though a very
faint and distant invitation, to take a walk down memory lane. Instead, memory
lane was now sitting in the passenger seat of her camper, dying, perhaps, and
going to bid his mother adieu. <i>His mother? She must be 110 years old if
she’s a day</i>.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Okay. No emergency room. How are you feeling now?” The normal
ashen color had returned to his face, and he was now tending to his
Vitalis-soaked locks with a dirty pocket comb and the palm of his hand.
Underneath his tired, tobacco drawn complexion she could see that he had
probably been a very handsome man. A shrunken Gregory Peck, almost. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Mesquite is on I-15. You familiar with that stretch of road?”
Ray asked.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“No. Your mother lives in Mesquite, I take it?” Grace asked.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Sort of near there. Last I checked,” Ray replied.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Oh great</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">, thought Grace. <i>He doesn’t even know if she’s still alive,
most likely.</i> <i>If there even is a mother. </i>She glanced sidelong
at his profile, an unlit cigarette now dangling between his lips, and felt a
chill so strong that she began to shiver.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You cold?” Ray asked, reaching for the temperature controls on
the dash.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“No, no, it’s not that,” Grace whispered through chattering
teeth. “I need to know what this is all about. I need to know why you need me,
Grace, to drive you to your mother’s place. Why not Jimmy?”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ray let out a long, wheezing sigh, then took the cigarette from
his mouth and put it into his vest pocket. “You’ll see why,” he said. “Jimmy’s
part of the reason I got to see my mama one last time. You’ll see.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Tell me, Ray, goddamnit!” Grace shouted, trying to shock
herself out of her nightmarish shivers. “If you don’t tell me right now, I’m
going to pull over, drag you out of that seat and into a ditch, so help me…”
she stopped herself. She had almost said, “so help me, God,” but, like her
past, summoning divine help was over and done with.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Jeez, Grace! Stop worryin’ and calm down, fer chrissakes! I
told you I ain’t gonna hurt you and I ain’t!”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Grace shook her head so hard her long faux-golden locks whipped
across her face. “No, no, no!” she cried. “This isn’t making any sense! You’re
not robbing me, your not kidnapping me, your not murdering me and I strongly
doubt that you intend to rape me…so, what exactly are you doing besides wasting
my time? What, exactly, do you want me to do, besides drive you to your
supposed mother’s place?”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Before Ray could answer a jackrabbit darted out from the median
and made a suicide run for the camper’s front tires. Grace took her sandaled
foot off the gas and rested it tentatively on the brake, hoping the rabbit
would stop, consider, then rush back to the median. Instead, the rabbit stopped
and froze in her headlights. Grace softly hit the brake and swerved, throwing
most of the contents of the cab besides herself onto Ray, who was now pasted to
the passenger door, his glasses thrown to the floor. They both felt the truck
go up on its right wheels and heard the plastic dishes and cups flying out of
their cupboards back in the kitchen, and the loud thudding of bigger items
shifting to and fro, then the cacophonous crash of Grace’s guitar. Ray braced
himself as best he could, grabbing onto his crutch handles and pressing the
rubber tips against the floorboards with all his strength, fully expecting to
feel the truck go all the way over and the fiery sting of the pavement scraping
the flesh off of his back. But instead of rolling all the way over to its side,
the truck came back down on all four wheels with a short screech, and
everything in the back sounded like it went back to where it was before.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Slowly, Grace steered onto the gravel shoulder, feeling as if
she might break down in tears or throw up, or both. Once stopped, she shut off
the engine and, for a moment, rested her forehead on the steering wheel. Ray
stared forward to where the headlights faded into darkness, his jaw muscles
flexing as he clenched his teeth in anger and disgust. He wanted to shout <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You stupid, ignorant bitch! What the hell
was that all about? Ain’t you seen all the roadkill in these parts? Hell, if
everybody around here tried to avoid hittin’ jackrabbits there’d be cars and trucks
piled up on the roadside full of dead bodies!</i></span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But, even though he knew it was the truth, he didn’t say it. He
shook his head, suddenly full of contempt for the stupid West Coast hippie, this
mystery traveler that he had become so foolishly enamored with, that would risk
their lives to save a fucking jackrabbit. <i>You just don’t do that out here</i>,
he thought. But as bitter as his words were, he swallowed them whole. She still
didn’t know what she was in for, and if he lost his temper it would just screw
things up. “Well,” he finally said, “that was exciting.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After what felt like hours but was really only minutes, she
reached in her haversack for a little packet of Kleenex, blew her nose, and,
her voice cracking, said “I’m sorry.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Aww, it’s okay…” he began.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“No, no it’s not. I overreacted. It’s just hard for me to…” she
trailed off, looking out the driver’s side window across the darkened flats to
the where the hulking desert mountains met the stars, hoping the jackrabbit was
hopping home. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I know, Grace. Nobody wants to run over some poor critter just
‘cuz they’re in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He wanted to continue, to
say <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">it just comes with the territory out
here… </i>But again, he held his tongue. She didn’t need a lecture.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You know, when you get tired we can pull off just about
anywhere and hunker down ‘til morning. How’s that sound?”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She lifted her forehead from the steering wheel and turned to
face him, feeling the same sense of vertigo she felt when her camper was up on
two wheels going 80.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Hunker down?” she asked, probably reading more into what Ray
had proposed than was actually there. “Oh no. No, Ray. There won’t be any hunkerin’
down ‘til I get rid of you once and for all. How much longer to Mesquite?”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ray chuckled, “Oh, prolly another five, six hours or so.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Fine. No problem. I’ll just drop you at your Mom’s place and be
on my way.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ray paused, wondering if he should let her in on his grand
design. It wasn’t going to work if they arrived at three a.m., or at least it
wasn’t going to work like he had hoped. But by the time they got to Austin,
Grace could barely keep her eyes open. After Ray had poked her several times to
keep her from nodding off, he couldn’t keep his eyes open either. So just a few
miles outside of town they pulled onto a one-lane dirt track until they found a
turnout in the sagebrush littered with beer cans scattered around a big
circular fire pit. There was even a stack of dry mesquite logs. Grace thought
if she lit a fire in the pre-dawn light while Ray slept, the smoke might arouse
the curiosity of local law enforcement. But now her 65 year-old body was
begging for sleep.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She cut the
engine and the headlights, then turned on the cab light. “I have an extra
blanket in the back, but no pillow, I’m afraid,” she said, noticing that Ray
had hiked his trousers above the knee and was unscrewing his prosthetics. He
arranged the two fake legs on the floor of the passenger seat while Grace
opened the driver’s side door, pulled her skirts around and slipped off the
seat onto the ground. The dry desert cold permeated her thin sweater instantly,
and she wished she hadn’t left her woolen mittens in the camper. She closed the
door behind her, wrapped her arms over her chest and tucked her chin down into
the folds of her neck, amazed at how the baked daytime air had given way to
such a biting chill. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A minute later
she was back with the blanket, a thick, wool Pendleton of Stewart plaid. With
the cab light on, Ray laid across the bench seat, his vest folded under his
head and the revolver between his body and the seatback. After adjusting the
blanket, he reached up, flipped off the cab light and said, “Good night, Grace.
Don’t try any funny stuff, please. Okay?”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Grace briefly surveyed the cab and the supine amputee, who fit
comfortably across the seat, the blanket folded double over him. It had been
ten years since a man had slept anywhere near her.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> I think Ray is the first man that’s ever been in my camper.</i> “Okay,”
she finally said. Then she climbed into the camper and up the ladder to the
sleep compartment over the cab, laid down on the foam pad, pulled her down
blanket over her still fully-clothed body and, even though she had been
kidnapped at gunpoint by a crippled, geriatric gas station attendant, almost
rolled her camper going 80 mph, and had no idea what her abductor had in mind -
after all that, much to her own surprise, she was asleep before her head even
hit the pillow.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">********</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>"So, Ray, you don't have to answer this question if it
makes you uncomfortable," Grace said after they were back on the road the
next morning. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I can’t think of anything you could ask me that would make me
uncomfortable, Grace,” Ray said. The day was co clear and the sky such a deep,
bottomless cobalt blue behind the tawny desert ridges that she thought one
might have to try very hard to be uncomfortable. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“What happened to your legs?” </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“What legs?” Ray replied without hesitation, as if his response
to the question had been scripted long ago. “I misplaced them back in Khe Sahn
and ain’t been able to find ‘em since.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">The name of the infamous Vietnamese city almost knocked the wind
out of her. It seemed like half of the guys she knew from the class of ‘68 had
been lost in Khe Sahn.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“If it wasn’t for Jimmy the rest of me woulda been lost, too.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Grace struggled for words. It had been a long time since any of
her contemporaries had mentioned Khe Sahn or anything about Vietnam, except
those that had recently traveled there. Iraq, Afghanistan, and now Syria, all
just as senseless, had eclipsed her generation’s war. The Boomer’s war. The
jungle war. Ray & Jimmy’s war. Her brother’s war.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">She felt herself slipping
into the memories she had been trying to so hard to avoid; images of her older
brother, lost in the battle of An Loc, and of her younger brother, lost in the
detritus, the flotsam of her generation, the junk of the Haight. The memories
made her squeamish, and she was more determined than ever not to go there. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I’m sorry,” she
said, then quickly added, “Hey, if you’ll hand me my phone we can listen to an
audiobook, or some music if you prefer.” But now Ray was looking out the
window, across one of the rare green pastures of the Great Basin, dotted with
the sienna shapes of cattle grazing.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You ever see that movie, <i>Forrest Gump</i>?” Ray asked
without turning. “Sure you have. Everybody has. Well, you know how
Forrest rescues Lieutenant Dan, even though the Lieutenant don’t want to be
rescued? Well, that’s what Jimmy done for me, more or less.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Grace recalled how Forrest and Lieutenant Dan went on to start
their “s’rimpin’ bidness,” and realized that Ray and Jimmy had done the same
thing with Jimbo’s Gas and Service, though without the fairy book results.
</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I’ve always thought it was mighty nice of Mr. Spielberg to tell
our story in that movie. Makes it so we don’t have to ‘splain so much of it
ourselves,” Ray added with a slight chuckle. Then, without waiting for Grace to
respond, he reached over, flipped on the radio, quickly dialed into a classic
rock station, and closed his eyes. Within minutes he was wheezing like a
blacksmith's bellows, his white whiskered chin resting on his chest, his
glasses barely perched on the tip of his long, ossified nose and a couple of
long greasy locks hanging like sticky soldering noodles over his fuzzy old man
ears.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Grace nibbled on Lara Bars, drank Kombucha and drove east, past
the green pastures into a moonscape of boulders strewn across white salt flats,
void of greenery, that gradually sloped up into rocky mountainsides that might
as well have been on Mars. She wondered if Ray and Jimmy had known each other
in Winnemucca before getting drafted and shipped off to Nam, and if they
actually lived together in town, or if Jimmy had family on the Shoshone
reservation that he stayed with, leaving Ray to fend for himself in his
perpetual immobility.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Turning south, Grace wondered about everything and anything that
might block memories of her own past. She wondered how it was possible that Ray
had a living mother, or father, when he must've been at least 68 or even 70. So
she made the stereotypical assumption that ranching girls of the high deserts were
often teenage mothers. What else was there do in such desolate country?
Fucking, drinking, snorting meth, gambling, riding, shooting, pitching a bail
of hay, sitting down to a Sunday supper of steak and potatoes, reading the
Bible – Grace piled stereotype on stereotype to keep the noise of her own past
at bay, until she found herself hoping that Ray would wake up soon and keep her
company.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Then, with a start and almost in a panic, he did wake up. After
frantically surveying the landscape as if he were still dreaming, he bent down,
head in between his knobby knees, gripped his prosthetics and groaned.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Hey,” Grace said, looking over at her hunched-over passenger,
concerned that he might be preparing to throw up. “Are you okay? Are you gonna
be sick? Should I pull over?”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“No, no, I’m fine. Just a bad dream.” He paused, looked around,
and checked his watch. “The turnoff is gonna be just beyond that sign at the
top of this hill.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“The turnoff? I thought we had to hook up with I-15 to get to
Mesquite.” Grace exclaimed, her heart suddenly jumping into her throat. She had
almost forgotten that the scraggy bag of bones in the seat next to her had
abducted her for a reason. She had almost forgotten that she had been abducted
at all, and now wondered, what with all her opportunities to escape, why she
had let it come this far.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“She lives on the
outskirts,” Ray said, searching the landscape. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>On the other side of the hill, nestled in a rocky draw around a
spring-fed stream, stood a dozen doublewide trailers. Several scrawny
cottonwoods and a few willows waving hysterically in the desert gale hugged the
streambed and shaded the doublewides, which looked to have been settled there for
a very long time.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Had Grace not been so anxious, she might have wondered why there
were so many cars and trucks in the parking lot outside the gated entrance to
the trailer park, since there were at least twice as many cars as there were
trailers. She might have wondered what all the owners of the various cars and
trucks, mostly trucks, were doing out here in the middle of nowhere on a
Tuesday afternoon in a windstorm. And she might have noticed that some of
the trailers had been divided up into two or three different units. Instead,
she pulled onto the side of the gravel road about 500 yards from the colony,
shut off the engine, then turned to Ray and said, “Well. Here we are! Now
what?”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ray, it appeared, was so lost in thought that he didn’t hear the
question. He studied the cars and trucks in the parking lot, then, craning his
neck, seemed to carefully assess each of the trailers one by one.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You’d best drive on down and park next to them trucks down
there. Folks are gonna get suspicious if we stay up here. They’ll think we’re
casin’ the place. They’re probably already wonderin’ what an old…uh, I mean
mature…woman is doin’ here. This place don’t cater to women.” Ray looked over
at Grace, who, completely baffled, was staring down at the little trailer park
colony as if it were a minefield. Ray chuckled. “It’s a brothel, Grace.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“A brothel?” she asked, incredulous. “A whore house? But…”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Yeah, we call them brothels. They’re legal in Nevada, in case
you forgot.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Grace had
forgotten. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“My mama was the
madam of the place for years, though I don’t know how much prostitutin’ she did
herself. When she got too old to run the place, they just let her stay on. It’s
the last place I saw my mama,” Ray said quietly as Grace put the camper in gear
and rolled down the hill into the rocky parking lot. She pulled into a parking
spot between two jacked-up desert trucks and cut the engine. “That was almost
ten years ago,” Ray continued. “That’s when she told me she never wanted to see
me no more.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>An involuntary sob leapt from Grace’s throat. Grace’s own
children, now grown and with families of their own, had caused her no end of
heartache and suffering, but she always took them back, even without apology,
she took them back. What mother, even if she was a hooker, would turn her back
on her child?</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“She thinks that, since I ain’t never been married or had a
regular girlfriend, I must be gay.” Ray said. “That’s why.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“What? She’s disowned you because she thinks your gay? Oh for
God’s sake! And in this day and age!” Grace shouted. Within seconds she was pacing
the parking lot, her processed hair flying off her skull like a gas flare in an
oil refinery. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Finally Ray rolled down the window and called out, “Grace, come
on. Get back in. I promise that once we get cleaned up this won’t take but ten
minutes. If mama’s still alive, that is. Even if she’s alive, it ain’t likely
she’ll be all there. She wasn’t quite all there last time I saw her, and she
wasn’t even 75 yet.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Grace got in and shut the door. A couple of burly, swarthy
middle-aged men with thick, black beards clattered through the gate, holding
their cowboy hats onto their heads with both hands, and scraped through the
parking lot to a shiny black Dodge Ram pickup, so new its plates had yet to
arrive. Meanwhile another pickup came barreling over the ridge, wind scattering
plumes of white dust against the cobalt sky.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I shoulda explained all this sooner. But now we’re here, so
let’s get it over with.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Get WHAT over with, Ray?” Grace cried. “What other jaw-dropping
surprises do you have up your sleeve?”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Nothin’. This is gonna be so easy, you’re gonna wish a dozen
other guys like me would ask you to do the same thing. First, there’s this.
Open your right hand. Like this.” Ray demonstrated with his open palm, Ray
pulled his wallet from his jeans, opened it, and counted out ten 100 bills,
laying each into Grace’s hand. “Okay, now the other hand,” he said without
smiling. Once Grace’s hands were full with $2,000 in $100 bills, Ray said,
“Now, when you go back to get cleaned up, put that in a secure spot. Like a
safe, if you have one.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Grace was speechless. She wanted to tell Ray that she didn’t
need the money. Didn’t want the money. Or would rather invest it in some
concentrated brainwashing for his bigoted mother. But Ray wasn’t about to be
interrupted.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Now, here’s the deal. As I said, my mother thinks me n’ Jimmy
have been shackin’ up since high school, and after we both got drafted and
shipped out in the same company, she was convinced. Then I get my legs shot
off, and who comes to the rescue? Jimmy, of course.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Where’s your Dad in all this?” Grace blurted out.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ray rolled his eyes and chuckled, then gestured to the trailer
park colony. “Who knows? Some cowboy or miner that came through here in 1952
and knocked up a hooker. I ain’t never seen him, of course. Don’t even know his
name.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“And your mom kept the baby because…?” Grace asked.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Because, because. I can’t tell you how many times she told me
that wished she’d sold me to a traveling circus.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Grace turned her head and brushed away a tear. Had Ray told her
his story back at Jimbo’s Gas & Service, he wouldn’t have needed a gun to
get her to taxi him just about anywhere her little camper could take them. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">That’s what the Dalai Lama would have me do.</i></span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Well?” she interjected before he could get started again,
raising both her eyebrows, smiling somewhat mischievously, “Are you, or aren’t
you?”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ray was tempted to say, “I guess you’ll have to ask my
hairdresser, because only my hairdresser knows for sure.” He knew Grace would
get the joke, being the perfect age to remember the famous Clairol hair color
commercials. He didn’t say it, but he began to chuckle anyway. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“What’s so
funny?” Grace asked, chucking him in the shoulder. Then he began to shake with
laughter, and, as before, his high-pitched “yip, yip, yips” got Grace going,
and soon they were both in hysterics. Ray’s little barks kept pouring more fuel
onto their exploding, peeling guffaws until, as before, Ray started to cough.
As before, Grace hammered on his back with her fist, then both fists, until,
with a gut-wrenching hiccup, he began to choke. In seconds she was dragging him
out the passenger door and heimliching him from behind, throwing every ounce of
energy into her jerking, squeezing, and lifting so that his prostheses hung
limp every time she pulled his wasted body skyward. He was so light and frail,
she thought she heard ribs cracking as she pumped his diaphragm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When Ray’s face changed from blue to violet to purple, she began
screaming for help in between squeezes. The wind carried her voice carried to
the trailers, and the man that had just gotten out of his truck was the first
to hear. As he ran through the blowing dust toward them, shouting his location
to the 911 dispatcher, Ray suddenly let out a loud yelp and ejected a glob of
his insides onto the passenger window of Grace’s camper, where it stuck like a dirty
snowball and slowly, in pieces, started sliding down the glass. Then,
with a long, groaning sigh, he passed out in her arms.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">*******</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sitting at his
bedside in the Mesa View Hospital emergency room, Grace had more questions than
Ray would ever be able to answer, even if he had lived for a month. She wanted
to ask him what was so goddamned funny back in the brothel parking lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She wanted to ask him why he had waited so
long to introduce himself, especially since both he and Jimmy had known her
older brother, Randall, the field medic that saved Ray, then died later at An
Loc. But most of all, she wanted to know why she had been chosen to be his
surrogate wife. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">"Why me, Ray? I imagine
there are plenty of older women in Winnemucca who would be happy to pose as
your wife in for twenty minutes, especially for $2000 bucks.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">Ray looked up from the
hospital bed, connected to bags of fluids coming out of both arms, as if he
couldn’t understand the question. If he was going to fake his marriage, even if
it was only to convince his mother that he wasn’t the man she supposed him to
be, he was going to do it with Grace Aldrich, who as far as he was concerned
was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Ray thought that her name
tattooed across his forearm made it obvious enough. But if she had noticed, she
hadn’t said anything. Maybe she thought he was religious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">“Well, Grace, I guess that’s
for me to know and for you to find out,” he whispered with great effort.
“Though you might give yourself a little credit, ya know.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">“Come on, Ray. If you’re gay,
why would it have made any difference what woman you chose for the role?”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">Ray rolled his eyes and
smiled. “ I ain’t a homosexual. I guess if I was sexual at all, I would
be a heterosexual. At least I was before Khe Sahn.” He paused to catch what
little breath he had left. “Ever since my legs got blown off I ain’t been any
kinda sexual, period. But mama just couldn’t buy that, ‘specially since the
girls that worked for her were plenty doped up and made a living off of sex. So
she don’t understand how a man’s sex drive can get dulled by drugs, and
especially pain drugs. Drug addicts don’t give a damn about sex. Only thing
that matters to a drug addict are the drugs. You ever hear of phantom pain,
Grace?” </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">Grace looked over to where
Ray’s prosthetics stood in the corner, the black Rockport shoes attached as if
they belonged to real feet. She had heard of people that felt pain in limbs
they no longer had, and wondered how pain medications could alleviate pain in
body parts that didn’t exist. Then, uninvited, she heard her late husband’s
laughter in her head. Her heart lurched. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Phantom
pain. Pain, caused by people who no longer exist, except in memory. </i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">Just then an orderly poked
his head around the curtain. “Raymond Culver? You have visitors. May I bring them
in?” Ray signaled with a slight nod and twitch of his hand that it was okay,
then looked up at Grace with a weak smile. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">Jimmy was taller than Grace
remembered him, even with his slight stoop, and the sienna skin across his
forehead and high cheekbones seemed more wrinkled than on the previous morning,
but his long ponytail was still as pure and black as ebony. A cerulean
turquoise nugget surrounded by hammered silver hung in a bolo tie against his
denim shirt, and he held a broad brimmed black felt cowboy hat with a solitary
red feather in the snakeskin band. In his other hand he held the tiny, bony
claw of a very old woman, who though twice as stooped as he was, stood as tall
as she could in blue jeans, a bright blue western shirt to match Jimmy’s bolo stone,
and a thin pile of orange gossamer thread meticulously coiffed and curled atop
her pink and mottled skull. And the palest blue eyes Grace had ever seen. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">“I flew down as soon as I
heard, rented a car at the airstrip and picked up your Mom out at the ranch,”
Jimmy said. Grace saw that Ray was having a hard time seeing his visitors, so
she found the hospital bed controls and slowly elevated the back. Then she laid
her hand across Ray’s and twined her fingers between his. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">“Mama,” Ray croaked, then
with a weak smile added, “Please excuse me for not getting up.” </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">The old woman’s jaw began to
work against her pursed lips, like she was chewing on something. Then her mouth
opened and she whispered in the stutter of someone very old: “Who...who...is
this?” Slowly, she raised her trembling pencil-thin arm waved it in Grace’s
direction. Grace stood up and took the woman’s hand while it hung there,
quivering like an aspen leaf in a light breeze. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">“Hello Ms. Culver. My name is
Grace, formerly Aldrich. I’ve been married to your son for...oh...help me out,
honey. How long has it been?”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">“This...is your
wi..wi...wife, Raymond?” Ms. Culver interrupted. “Why did...didn’t you te..tell
me you...you...we... were mar...married?”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">Both Jimmy and Grace could
tell that Ray was fading fast, and in no condition to talk. His eyes rolled
back in their sockets and the light pressure he returned to Grace’s fingers
intertwined with his gradually diminished. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">“Would you like to sit down,
Ms. Culver?” Jimmy asked, pulling an armless plastic chair from the corner of
the curtained cubicle. Grace took her by the armpit of her right shoulder while
Jimmy did the same with her left, and together they slowly lowered her into the
chair. Then they gently slid her around to the head of the bed so she could be
as close to her son as possible. Then, shaking her head, she shoved at Jimmy in
what looked like an effort to push him away. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">“Wha...why did...didn’t you
te...tell me Raymond was ma...ma...married all this...this time, Jimmy?” Her
aqueous powder blue eyes peered up at the tall Shoshone with as much contempt
as she could muster, and it was suddenly and painfully clear to Grace that
Ray’s mother actually blamed her son’s business partner, his battlefield
savior, his caregiver and, as she had believed for over 40 years, lover, for
everything: his disability, his advancing age, his lung cancer, and now for not
sharing that her son was not homosexual after all. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">Jimmy shook his head and,
chuckling, gave Ray a gentle chuck on the shoulder. “Hey pal, this is your
show, remember?” But Grace could see that it was all too much for Ray, so she
stepped in. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">“Ms. Culver, that’s exactly
what Ray and I drove all this way to tell you. We’re sorry that it took so long
to get around to it.” </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">Finally, the aged madam looked
directly at Grace across the bed. A slow, meager smile formed over her thin,
pink painted lips. “Ca...call me...call me Raylene. Raylene Culver.
That...that’s me.” </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">Grace reached across the bed,
over the apparently sleeping Ray, and took the old woman’s wavering hand. “It’s
a pleasure to meet you after all this time, Raylene. Your son has always spoken
very highly of you.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">At this, Ms. Culver dropped
Grace’s hand, lowered her head, looked over the rims of her glasses, and, her
complexion darkening, very softly said: “That’s swe…sweet of you dear, but
let’s cu…cut the bullshit.” </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jimmy laughed and
gently patted Ms. Culver on the back as if they were ancient adversaries that
had grown too old and tired to fight. Then a couple of orderlies pulled the
curtains back, signaled that the airlift was ready, and began preparing the
rolling bed for transport. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I’m afraid we
can’t take any passengers on this trip, but don’t worry, Mr. Culver will be in
capable hands and settled in the ICU within a couple of hours. Will y’all be
driving back tonight?”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jimmy looked at
his wristwatch, then over at Grace. “I suppose I’ll be dropping Raylene off at
the Ranch, then flying back tonight,” he said. It dawned on Grace that once
Jimmy had dropped the old woman off, she would be free to go where she pleased:
east to Aspen and Telluride, or north to Jackson Hole and perhaps the last
summer weekend at Many Glacier Hotel. Then she noticed Ray’s prosthetics
standing against the wall by the bed. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“My husband will
be needing these, won’t he?” she asked, knowing that the likelihood of Ray ever
getting out of bed again was slim at best. The orderlies shot quizzical looks
at each other, clearly at a loss for words. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I...I’ll
ta...take them,” Raylene declared in a voice as strong as she could muster,
holding out her trembling arms. Jimmy immediately reached over to take them
from Grace, but she stepped back, cradling the metal bars with the attached
shoes to her chest. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“But Raylene, I
thought you were…,” Grace began. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Go...going
wi...with you. Driving ba...back to Winnemucca, tomorrow morning. Ba...back to Hum…Humboldt
Gen…General,” she said, her voice breaking. “With
my...my...daughter-in-la...law.”</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">******</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It didn’t take long for Grace
to see that Raylene Culver knew that her marriage to her son was just a ruse.
Had Grace known Ray for more than 24 hours, she would have known that, before
Khe Sahn, he was a teen rodeo sensation across the mountain west. She would
have known that, after Khe Sahn, Ray was a popular cowboy singer that had
performed at casinos from Wendover to Reno. Had Grace known Ray for more than
24 hours, she would have known that he had outrun lung cancer and lived three
times longer than the doctors said he would because he was as stubborn as a
mule. But as obvious as their masquerade was, Raylene never let on. “The
mem…memory is what counts,” she had whispered on Ray’s last day. “Now I…I know
he tri…tried.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">After Ray’s funeral, Grace
gassed up at Jimbo’s Gas and Service, then, sifting through her bag, thought
she might invest what change she had in the antique one armed bandit that had finally
gotten her mixed up with the old greaser that had been watching her all these
years. Now there was a young Shoshone woman behind the counter – a relative of
Jimmy’s, no doubt – texting away without the faintest acknowledgement of
Grace’s presence. Nothing about the mini-mart had changed, but everything had
changed. She sat before the slot machine, a quarter in her hand, ready to set
the wheels spinning. The cherry, the apple, the orange, the lemon, the lucky
seven. Thunk, thunk, thunk<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">. What stopped
the wheels from spinning? What random mechanism?</i> She inserted the quarter,
and lights on the machine started to flash. Pull the lever, it said. Set the
wheels in motion. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Round and round and
round they go, where they stop nobody knows</i>. She looked at the three little
windows – lemon, orange, cherry – seemingly content in their stillness. Then
she picked up her bag and hurried out. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Maybe
some other weary traveler will hit the jackpot on my quarter. </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">She drove east to Wells and
the junction with Highway 93, as she had originally planned a week prior. There
she paused. She could take 93 north through the Canadian Rockies clear up to
the Trans-Canada Highway, or she could turn south and take 93 all the way to
Wickenburg, AZ. She had been the northern route, but not the southern.
Conflicted, she thought to consult her big paper map of the Western States,
where she could see all of her choices without scrolling around on the iPhone. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">After unsuccessfully searching
the town for a Starbucks, she sat in the cab of her little camper outside
MacDonald’s with a cup of their famously scalding coffee in the cup holder, and
reached across the passenger seat to the glove compartment, thinking <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I wonder how long it’s been since people actually
stored gloves in here</i>. She clicked open the latch but before she could
reach in something dark and heavy fell to the floor below the passenger seat:
Ray’s revolver. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">“Oh!” she gasped. Afraid that
she might accidentally fire it and shoot herself, she got out of the cab,
walked around the back of the camper, opened the passenger side door and,
quickly scanning the parking lot, slid the pistol into her haversack and
returned to the driver’s seat. She wondered if it was safe to examine the piece
there in the McDonald’s parking lot, as if it were some sort of contraband, so
rather than taking it out of her haversack, she turned on the interior light,
then opened her bag and looked down upon it. Now her heart was pounding in her
throat as if Ray were sitting in the passenger seat with the damn thing pointed
right at her. But then she noticed something odd about it: the cylinder of the
revolver</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">was molded to
the body, and the hammer was just a piece of black plastic, also molded in
place. “What?” she cried aloud. Her mind went careening back to her high school
years and her short tenure on the track team, before she discovered the pills
that the other “Grace” had referred to in that song from the same era. She
recognized this gun, which she now realized wasn’t really a gun at all. It was a
starter’s pistol, and the only danger it posed was that, if she held it up to
her ear and fired it a dozen times in quick succession, she might go deaf. </span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She lifted the starter’s
pistol out of her bag and briefly considered dropping it the nearby trash bin behind
the restaurant. Instead, she turned out the cab light and, with the fake
revolver sitting on the passenger seat, started the engine and drove to a
deserted corner of the McDonald’s parking lot. There, she cut the engine,
picked up the starter’s pistol and held it to her nose, picking up the smell of
stale tobacco, Vitalis, and the unmistakable scent of the dying man’s hands. Ray’s
hands. Then, for no good reason she could think of, tears started rolling down
her rouged cheeks and over her subtle lipstick, across her upper lip, then
around her mouth and down her chin where they soundlessly dripped onto her
jeans. After what felt like a very long time, she looked west, back toward
Winnemucca, beyond which lay the Sierra Nevada, the gold country, the
Sacramento Valley and River Delta, Mt. Tamalpais and finally her adopted
hometown of Bolinas. She pictured her modest hillside cabin overlooking the
vast Pacific and the sparkling days of Indian summer. She imagined her grown
children and her grandchildren, gathered for the celebrations of autumn and the
holiday season, and she thought how much Ray, or a cleaned-up version of him,
would have enjoyed the joyous laughter and pointless arguments around the
dinner table. Then, her vision returning to the present, she stared west across
the tawny desert flats, over the sagebrush, creosote and tumbleweeds to where a
range of low violet mountains met the deepening purple of the coming night. Any
minute now, the first star of evening would appear and, rising in the western sky,
would most certainly show her the way back home. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_84Ynoak68blVLsm-BVP0cRhc2nUIsnpNzZ-eOOnNwJDLWPJ2NAd7M-ikOIIrN_YHgZ54Xf_lJFFi3nVN5_tuaJjK-Os-gL2UvDARVEYRUsZXImFLfGBkqrD0q51Avj4o_wYWH3_pIk/s1600/littlelimbogirls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="49" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_84Ynoak68blVLsm-BVP0cRhc2nUIsnpNzZ-eOOnNwJDLWPJ2NAd7M-ikOIIrN_YHgZ54Xf_lJFFi3nVN5_tuaJjK-Os-gL2UvDARVEYRUsZXImFLfGBkqrD0q51Avj4o_wYWH3_pIk/s320/littlelimbogirls.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazvC1FfJybe9tA_oSyTk3n06ICSmrMH91bj9viAzYr4QjiTXzfRuVTLTI3aRwWa9QTMjsmGX9JBrZvarEtaSOLqIF1H6-BxW4_AXAXiSqCNg934DQDuC_vvqm03CHTdCF5CZ7Mi2QFKc/s1600/hack+poem.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazvC1FfJybe9tA_oSyTk3n06ICSmrMH91bj9viAzYr4QjiTXzfRuVTLTI3aRwWa9QTMjsmGX9JBrZvarEtaSOLqIF1H6-BxW4_AXAXiSqCNg934DQDuC_vvqm03CHTdCF5CZ7Mi2QFKc/s320/hack+poem.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hack-Jeb-Stewart-Harrison/dp/098549302X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342998336&sr=8-1&keywords=Hack+Jeb+Stewart+Harrison"> On Amazon</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>8406</o:Words>
<o:Characters>47918</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Microsoft Office Suite</o:Company>
<o:Lines>399</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>112</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>56212</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<o:p> Read <i><a href="http://jebharrison.com/2015/11/chapterone/">Learning to Limbo</a></i>, a riotous corporate satire and romantic tragicomedy, now online, and free!</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnQZo3UsQa5r5UGelqnvWHfF6iWXjVaE6A271N9EX2NNvYq1z8xgE9qapSuC9N2k9ud3vl9SiB3TOrD0xKjmApE2LM21zf4sud2I4-LsBsCC3iksP2nBOVxrW-VHmIRchm7m1qOaAHMQ/s1600/ltol.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnQZo3UsQa5r5UGelqnvWHfF6iWXjVaE6A271N9EX2NNvYq1z8xgE9qapSuC9N2k9ud3vl9SiB3TOrD0xKjmApE2LM21zf4sud2I4-LsBsCC3iksP2nBOVxrW-VHmIRchm7m1qOaAHMQ/s1600/ltol.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
Jeb Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230628615012095761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577808099373170838.post-16569560678861219242016-01-20T20:06:00.000-08:002016-01-20T20:07:47.618-08:00Albuquerque Étouffée, 1962 - A Short Story<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Albuquerque Étouffée, 1962<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">By Jeb Stewart Harrison<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>By the time our Grandmother was in
her sixties, her knuckles were the size, texture and color of unshelled
walnuts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Leprosy,” our oldest cousin
Boo Ray told us. “If she touches you, you’re done for.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Of
course Grandmother had touched all of us many, many times, and had taken to
touching us even more when she started going blind, which was another symptom
of leprosy, according to Boo Ray. “It is the most contagious disease in the
world,” he told us one afternoon while we were hunting lizards in the alley
behind her modest single story house in Albuquerque. “We’ve probably all got it
by now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My sister and I had heard about the
leper colony on Molokai. Our dad frequently did business in the Islands, so we
had the opportunity to travel there from our home in San Francisco. Our
cousins, mostly hailing from Louisiana and North Carolina, had never heard of
Molokai or the leper colony. I told them that our airplane flew so low over the
island in 1962 that we could see the lepers: loose, bloody ribbons of skin
peeling from their limbs like raw bacon, holes in their skulls where their
noses and ears used to be; hip bones, thigh bones, leg bones, arm bones, all
exposed to the baking sun like so much road kill. It was difficult to tell if
the lepers were blind from up in the airplane, just as it was difficult to
distinguish between a white cane and a leg bone, but given Boo Ray’s diagnosis,
we figured the Molokai lepers must have been blind as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Lucky for them,” our cousin May
Bolling, second oldest, observed. “At least they don’t have to see how gross they
are.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It was unusually warm, dry and dusty
in the cinder-block alley, and felt more like May than November, even though
the towering cottonwoods had dropped all their yellow leaves to the ground and
now stood as white as bones against the cloudless cobalt sky. It had been so
warm that the bluebellies were still plentiful, languishing on the sun drenched
cinder blocks or in the cubbies doing their little push-ups, forked tongues
darting out between their lizard lips. 12-year-old Boo Ray was showing us how
to capture the lizards and pinch their tails off. The tails appeared to have
lives of their own, once pinched, for they wriggled around in the palms of our
hands for what seemed like a long time after we set the freshly tail-less
lizards loose. “They’ll grow a new tail,” Boo Ray reassured us. “If we come to
Grandmother’s for Thanksgiving next year, we can pinch their tails off all over
again.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Do lepers grow their noses back, or
their ears, after they fall off?” my six-year-old sister asked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Are you kidding?” Boo Ray cried. He
grabbed my sister’s arm and pulled her over to a stack of cinder blocks, laid
her hand on one, then brandished a Bowie knife. “If I cut one of your fingers
off, do you think it would grow back?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Mom!” screamed May Bolling, “Boo
Ray’s got a knife!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Shut up, crybaby!” Boo Ray snarled.
“She can’t hear you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My sister managed to yank her hand
away and jam it safely into the front pocket of her jumper. Boo Ray closed the
blade and popped the knife into the back pocket of his jeans. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“If anybody tells, so help me,
I’ll…I’ll…I’ll get grandma to touch you all over. The more she touches you, the
faster you turn into a leper.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We hung our heads in resignation,
for we all knew that Grandmother had probably touched each of us that very
morning. Ever since losing most of her vision, she had used her hands to
ascertain our looks. “Sit still, honey,” she might say as her bony claws
explored our hair, our cheekbones, our noses, our ears, our eye sockets, our
lips, our teeth (occasionally), our chins, our necks. Sometimes she would want
to guess the identity of the grandchild she was groping, and sometimes, when
she was in a playful mood, she would get silly. “Let’s see. Who could this be?
I know! Roy Rogers!” Another day we might be Tarzan, or Shirley Temple, or
Superman, or Howdy Doody, or even Trigger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But now that we knew she was a leper, we were dreading her gropes, which,
as Boo Ray had explained, would only expedite the onset of the terrifying disease.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“But there is a cure,” Boo Ray
whispered. He bent over and picked up one of the lizard tails. “If you eat the
lizard’s tail while it’s still moving, you can’t get leprosy.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Really?” cousin Raylene, asked.
“How do you know?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I’m living proof,” he responded. “Grandmother’s
been touching me for a lot longer than she’s been touching you, but do I look
like I have leprosy?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We studied Boo-Ray in the stark
desert light of the cinder block alley. He held out his hands, pulled on his
ears and nose, even took of his sneakers and socks so we could study his toes.
“What about your penis?” my little sister asked. He then unhitched his belt,
dropped his jeans around his knees, fished his wiener out of his briefs and
gave it a hearty pull. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Good as new,” he announced. “Go
ahead, give Willie a yank.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We all declined to “give Willie a
yank,” and decided that the lizard tail cure, or antidote, was at least worth
investigating. Nobody thought to ask him how long he had been eating lizard
tails, or if they had to be bluebelly tails, or questions about dosage,
frequency and things we might have asked about normal medicines. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Boo Ray pulled his pants up and
said: “The key is you have to feel the tail wigglin’ as it goes down your
throat. If it don’t wiggle, it won’t work, and you have to try again. Here,
I’ll show y’all how it’s done.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We followed him slowly down the
alley, on the lookout for bluebellies, until his hand darted out from his side
and into the hollow of a cinder block. Holding the lizard in one hand he
quickly pinched off the tail between his thumb and forefinger and held it up
for us to see it curling and twisting like a tiny snake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Who wants to go first?” he asked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We cautiously looked at each other
to see who might make a move. “Hurry up!” Boo cried, a strange, almost wicked
smile forming on his beady-eyed face. “The tail is dying!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You eat it!” my sister demanded. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Yeah, eat it yourself, since you
like ‘em so much,” Jim-bob insisted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Boo Ray looked at the tail in this
hand, then quickly threw it over the wall into a neighbor’s backyard. “Too
late. It died.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“No it didn’t!” May Bolling
screamed. “It was still wiggling! You’re just a big fat liar!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Shut up,” Boo Ray said. “You don’t
know shit, little fourth grader.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Bad word, bad word!” Raylene
shouted. “I’m telling!”<br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Then, without warning, little
Binx walked into the circle of older kids, a bleeding bluebelly gripped in one
of his tiny fists, a drop of lizard blood on his lips and his jaw working as if
he was chewing rubber. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Oh lord,” cried
Raylene. “Now look what you made Binxie do, Boo Ray!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Spit it out, Binxie,” his older
brother Jim-bob implored, reaching down and trying to grab him by his dirty
t-shirt. But the four-year-old was too quick. In two shakes he had run down the
alley and in through the back gate to Grandmother’s yard. The expected scream –
it was hard to tell if it was Mrs. Bowman or Lily the maid – came moments
later, and the next thing we knew Mr. Bowman had herded us into the backyard,
where we were instructed to sit side-by-side on Grandmother’s picnic bench. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Mr. Bowman, still dressed in his
golf attire from the early morning match and subsequent lunch at the
Albuquerque Country Club, was an officer in the U.S. Navy. My sister and me
sometimes overheard our mother complaining that he often beat his kids. My
mother also suspected that Chester Bowman sometimes beat up on his wife,
Louanne, as well, but unlike previous get-togethers with the Southern clan, she
wasn’t wearing the kerchiefs, sunglasses or long sleeved blouses that she
sometimes donned to cover her bruises and scrapes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now it looked like one of us was
going to get a beating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We could hear
Mrs. Bowman with little Binx in the toilet, trying to get her son to barf up
the lizard tail. “But mama!” we heard him cry. “I don’t want to be a leopard!” My
sister and me hoped our parents would be back soon to protect us from Mr.
Bowman, whose face was red as a radish with a big vein pulsating in his
forehead clear up to his crew cut. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Suddenly my sister stood up. “Uncle
Chet,” she began.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Sit down young lady! You will speak
when spoken to!” roared Mr. Bowman, raising his arm as if to swat her. But my
sister did not sit down, nor did she shut up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Does Grandmother have leprosy?” The
rest of it spilled out of her: “Boo Ray said her knuckles are big and she’s
blind because she has leprosy, and that if she touched us we would get it too.
Then he said that if we ate lizard tails while they were still wiggling we
would be immune.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She sat back down next to me, out of
breath, while the rest of us stared at her in awe, wondering where she got the
courage to talk back to Mr. Bowman, and waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Then we heard the familiar voice of our Grandmother behind us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Chester? What’s going on out here?”
she asked. We all turned our heads, all except Boo Ray, and breathed a
collective sigh of relief. Mr. Bowman would not be beating anybody with Grandmother
around. But our relief was short-lived, for she was coming our way, steering
her walker over the threshold of the sliding glass door to the back yard, down
onto the terracotta tiles of the patio, with her maid Lily, whose milk
chocolate skin was covered with white blotches, (which Boo Ray had also
identified as leprosy) guiding her by the elbow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We didn’t know what to think. If Boo
Ray was right, the frail old woman in the black dress, the flesh-tone nylons,
and the shiny black thick-heeled orthopedic shoes was about to start spreading
her disease around the backyard, starting with Mr. Bowman, who went to take her
by the elbow and help her to her outdoor chaise. Was Uncle Chet using the
lizard tail antidote, or was he cursed to perish and rot like the rest of us?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Boo Ray,” Mr. Bowman began, “Did
you tell the younger children that your Grandmother has leprosy?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My sister, emboldened by Grandmother’s
presence and obviously unafraid of Uncle Chet’s famous wrath, piped up
immediately. “He did! And Miss Lily too!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Julie, that’s enough,” Mr. Bowman
began again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“What?” Lily hollered. “Leprosy? You
think this here is leprosy?” She held up her bare arm, where we could see the
strange splotches of white against her natural brown skin. “Well, I never in
all my born days. Boo Ray. What have you been tellin’ these chillens?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Boo Ray, head hung low, declined to
comment. But my sister was just getting started. “He said your skin, and Grandmother’s
fingers, and her blindness, were all because of leprosy, and that it is the
most contagious disease in the world, and that if either of you touched us, we
would get leprosy, too!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>At this, Grandmother and Lily burst
out laughing. Even Mr. Bowman couldn’t help but smile a little. “Boo Ray,” Grandmother
said, “you sure know how to spin a yarn.” Just then Mrs. Bowman walked into the
backyard with little Binxie. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Well, if Binx ate a lizard tail, it
seems to agree with him just fine. We’ll just keep an eye on him, watch for
fever, hives, that sort of thing. But I think he’s gonna be fine.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Well, at least he don’t have to
worry about gettin’ no leprosy,” Lily said, and we all laughed, even Uncle
Chet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span>••••••••<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The next day was Thanksgiving, and
the weather turned so cold that snow was predicted for much of the desert
southwest, including Albuquerque. The bluebellies were gone, so we played dodge
ball in a vacant lot with some of the neighborhood kids, all of us bundled up
in parkas, wool caps and mittens, until it was time to prepare for the feast. We
all expected Boo Ray to be grounded or otherwise punished for the egregious
lies he told the day before, but so far he appeared to have escaped the wrath
of his father unscathed. We could see the knife in his back pocket, and my
sister and I wondered if carrying a knife was something older North Carolina
kids could do without getting into trouble. Still, Boo Ray was uncommonly quiet
that day. We figured it was because one of the girls in the neighborhood had
caught his eye, and the cat had, in turn, caught his tongue. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When we were all seated around the
children’s table, Grandmother usually joined us to lead the Thanksgiving
prayer. But that night, with her and our parents gathered around, Grandmother
told Boo Ray to lead us in prayer. When Boo Ray was finished praying for all of
us, our president, our representatives, our senators, our service men and
women, our teachers, our policemen and firemen, the poor people, the sick
people, and all creatures big and small on God’s green earth, Grandmother said,
“you forgot one special group, Boo Ray.” Boo Ray was looking up at the adults
standing behind us around the table, obviously mystified, when my sister
blurted out “the lepers, Boo Ray! You forgot to pray for the lepers!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Oh, sorry,” said Boo Ray, uncommonly
contrite. “Dear God, please help the lepers get their skin back. Please give
them new noses, ears, fingers, toes, arms, legs…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“That’s enough, son,” said Mr.
Bowman, who like the rest of us got the sense that Boo Ray was not nearly so
compunctious about the lepers as he was about everybody else. The truth was,
nobody in the room had ever seen a leper, or even a picture of a leper: not Grandmother,
not the Californians, not the Louisianans, not the North Carolinians. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“How about you, Julie? Didn’t you say
you could see lepers from the airplane over Molokai?” Raylene asked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“No, I never did,” Julie quickly
replied, bringing her little fist down on the table. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“He
did,” she declared, pointing at me. “Not me.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Aha!” Grandmother said. “So I guess
Boo Ray’s not the only yarn spinner in the family after all!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I hung my head. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“But there really is a leper colony
on Molokai,” Julie quickly added. “And we did fly right over it.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I hung my head lower. We had never
flown over Molokai. The closest we got to Molokai was the beach in Kaanapali,
on Maui. I peered up through my thick eyebrows to see my Dad peering down at
me, underneath his even thicker eyebrows. He wasn’t smiling, but he didn’t say
anything either. Then my annoying sister started in again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I have a question,” she announced.
“If God loves us, then why is there leprosy?” The kids all groaned. We were
done with the obligatory praying and hungry for Thanksgiving dinner. The adults
were half tanked and, as far as we could tell, were not qualified to take on
such philosophical issues. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Then Raylene, one of our Louisiana
cousins, said: “Duh, Julie. It’s the devil that makes diseases, not God. Satan
and God have been battling it out from day one, from before the earth was even
created. Sometimes the devil wins, sometimes God wins. Don’t you go to Sunday
school?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Julie blushed. She was probably
about to say that we went to Catechism, not Sunday school, and probably
something stupid like “Catholics don’t believe in the devil.” But she was saved
when Lily and her extra helpers marched in with the first course of feast,
which was far more southwestern than it was Deep South. Everything about Grandmother
had become more southwestern, in an obvious and purposeful repudiation of her
Baton Rouge heritage. She wore turquoise jewelry, decorated her house with
Navajo rugs and paintings from Taos and Santa Fe, and had learned to speak
passable Spanish. So, on Thanksgiving, </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman";">there were no <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">sweet
potato cups</span>, <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">no</span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">cornbread stuffing</span>, no <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">green beans with mushrooms and bacon</span>, and
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">no butter rolls</span>. Instead, Grandmother
hired the locals to make Navajo flatbread, pumpkin empanadas, turkey in mole
sauce, candied sweet potatoes and Mexican chocolate pecan pie, which everybody
feasted on like buzzards to a fresh leper carcass. Everybody except Boo Ray and
me who, after the prayer, had been relegated to sit alone in the kitchen with
our own special dish: lizard tail soup. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Y’all go on.
Take a bite,” Uncle Chet said, one big hand squeezing his son’s shoulder and
one big hand squeezing mine, and none too gently. I kept expecting my Mom or
Dad to burst in through the swinging kitchen door to save me, but from what I
could see through the serving window to the dining room, they weren’t getting
up. Still, it didn’t seem fair. I was only eight, and Boo Ray was 12. I wasn’t
about to invite anyone to give my willy a yank. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Go on, boys.
Y’all don’t wanna get leprosy now, do ya?” chuckled Uncle Chet. I sniffed at
the steaming bowl of thick brown liquid on the table, then stirred it a little
with my spoon to see if there were any lizard tails floating around. There was
something that looked like lizard tails – little nubs about an inch long - but
I couldn’t be sure because I’d never seen a cooked lizard tail before. It
didn’t smell particularly bad, but it didn’t smell appetizing either, sort of
like sweet mud. I looked over at Boo Ray, who was studying the liquid with
equal intensity, then up at Lily, sitting on a stool by the refrigerator and
watching us with a sly grin on her face.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You boys are real sissies, you know
that?” Uncle Chet said. “Here, gimme that spoon. Hell, I have to eat far worse
slop in the Navy than lizard tail soup.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I held my breath as my uncle picked
up the spoon, dipped it in the soup, then held it under his nose. “Mmmm. Smells
pretty good, I’d say.” Then, without hesitating, he opened his mouth, plunged
the spoon in, yanked it back out and took a loud gulp. “Ahh!” he exclaimed.
“That’s the best lizard tail soup I’ve ever tasted. Lily, you are to be
complimented. Those must have been some nice, fat juicy lizards.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now Lily was grinning and blushing,
holding her speckled hand in front of her mouth to keep from laughing out
loud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then my uncle picked up Boo Ray’s
bowl of soup and started drinking right from the rim, slurping and gulping and
slurping and gulping like he hadn’t eaten in a week. “Mmmm. This is delicious!”
he declared. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Dad!” Boo Ray finally protested.
“Give it back! I’m hungry!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>By now I was convinced that either
lizard tail soup had about as much to do with lizards as bird’s nest soup had
to do with birds, or that lizard tails, like grubs in some African countries I
had read about, were a rare delicacy. Then, just by chance, I noticed something
on the floor, a salmon-colored translucent casing about an inch long. I
couldn’t place it, but I was certain that it belonged to whatever the little
inch-long critter was floating about in the thick, chunky, coffee-colored soup.
Then I heard my father’s voice from the dining room. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Well, mom. I gotta say, I’m sure
glad you brought a little Baton Rouge out here to Albuquerque with you. This is
the best crawfish étouffée I’ve ever had.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When Boo Ray heard this, he jumped
up and started beating on his dad, who started to laugh like I had never heard
anybody laugh before, howling and cackling like a hyena. Then Lily started in,
and, like the whole ruse had been in the works the all that day, all the adults
in the dining room began laughing too. Then I heard Julie shouting “Hey! Hey!
What’s so funny? What’s eh-two-fay?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now our Southern cousins were
laughing too. They were thinking<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Ha Ha!
The California kids don’t even know what étouffée is! </i>Then Boo Ray drained
his bowl of soup, turned to me and said, “You won’t like the lizard tail soup,
cousin. It’s not the kinda things you California kids would like.” Then he
picked up my bowl, raised it to his lips, and started to eat–swallowing, chewing,
gulping, chewing, gulping, and chewing some more–until he had drained the
entire bowl. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>3023</o:Words>
<o:Characters>17236</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Microsoft Office Suite</o:Company>
<o:Lines>143</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>40</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>20219</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Ahh,” he said, after he had
finished. “Those were some mighty fine lizard tails. I can’t wait to have me
another bowl.” Then we both got up, one of Uncle Chet’s big hands squeezing his
son’s shoulder, and the other squeezing mine, and were marched through the
swinging kitchen door back to the kid’s table, where my sister looked up at me
as if I might throw up on her at any minute. Meanwhile the adults just kept on
laughing and laughing, and for that moment it felt like we would all be immune
to leprosy, glaucoma, arthritis, vitilago, and just about every other nastiness
that the devil might wish upon any of us, forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Jeb Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230628615012095761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577808099373170838.post-52277072844053509152015-12-10T19:33:00.001-08:002016-01-18T10:24:21.732-08:00Writing What I Know<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjOaoEkzUBeDdf1E8rmfduyJxv33sJpEHednp5R85uLEP3tCbm4dO_isCUKdygWsxDwqS0306YOA28cPcT9qg0lI3FjCRchdYOzhl6Mjitsq0C0IjvD9VqVGI8KylWbKuFcm4CWDiv6E/s1600/ltol.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjOaoEkzUBeDdf1E8rmfduyJxv33sJpEHednp5R85uLEP3tCbm4dO_isCUKdygWsxDwqS0306YOA28cPcT9qg0lI3FjCRchdYOzhl6Mjitsq0C0IjvD9VqVGI8KylWbKuFcm4CWDiv6E/s1600/ltol.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />
An old friend commented on a chapter from the novel I'm currently publishing to the web, <i>Learning to Limbo</i>. He said: "How do you come up with this stuff? It's amazing!"<br />
<br />
"I lived it," I replied. And it's true. Much of <i>Learning to Limbo </i>follows Mark Twain's advice to "write what you know."<br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>7</o:Words>
<o:Characters>44</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Microsoft Office Suite</o:Company>
<o:Lines>1</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>50</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
Such advice might seem sorta stupid. How can we write about things we don't know, right? On the flip side, there's this quote from P.J. O'Rourke:<br />
<br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>46</o:Words>
<o:Characters>265</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Microsoft Office Suite</o:Company>
<o:Lines>2</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>310</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Creative writing teachers should be purged until
every last instructor who has uttered the words 'Write what you know' is
confined to a labor camp. Please, talented scribblers, write what you
don’t. The blind guy with the funny little harp who composed The Iliad,
how much combat do you think he saw?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(O' Rourke's example isn't the best: Homer was more of a compiler and adorner of campfire stories that had been around for centuries than he was an originator of those stories.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvcJ3C-VSymhGmvMHZgQ-pgayO8XvXN-lq8HJlZGfZmJyE2RIwdgdHTeIS3GqKe9kgTNMqyQezXmFim7paaEIGdGsysstT_-9o0PL9jBmvQkSYItnLr_htONRAa1Hs5n0WXp87Y6YIck/s1600/bellow4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvcJ3C-VSymhGmvMHZgQ-pgayO8XvXN-lq8HJlZGfZmJyE2RIwdgdHTeIS3GqKe9kgTNMqyQezXmFim7paaEIGdGsysstT_-9o0PL9jBmvQkSYItnLr_htONRAa1Hs5n0WXp87Y6YIck/s200/bellow4.jpeg" width="135" /></a>One of my favorite novelists, Saul Bellow, based much of his fiction on real life experience. With the exception of <i>Henderson The Rain King,</i> (Bellow's hilarious meditation on anthroposophy), Bellow's novels follow the arc of his own life, from the youthful <i>Adventures of Augie March</i>, into middle age with <i>Herzog </i>(Bellow really was cuckolded by his wife and best friend), on to his 60s with <i>Humboldt's Gift </i>(he really did have a friendship with a poet, Delmore Schwartz, whose life closely mirrored the character of Humboldt Von Fleischer). Even Otto Sammler is a mouthpiece for Bellow's philosophy in his later years.<br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">John Irving fans know that he tends to include much of what he knows – wrestling, New England, Vienna, private schools like Exeter, his experience as a professional creative person (writer, but also actor, organist, children's book author etc.) – in his novels. Sometimes reading an Irving novel is like spending a week at his summer house going through family photo albums, over and over. To some, Irving may be a case of "write what you know" run amok. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I'm not nor ever will be in Bellow's or Irving's league. In fact, it wasn't until I was 45 that I began to conjure real stories, often inspired by events in dreams and blended with my own experience. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy2pTmH0vj9_-VCxk-W_XhDL1fjqxl-d-eYqglAvaRIwsK04gYTiOCfhKi16mlBPDb1fuMJEzFvx50OB0kkmFtvNFTIvXzir0roaEXSGQYuSAqd8JAltDOXv2GWCvFPCteT9271NcfQJc/s1600/hackcover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy2pTmH0vj9_-VCxk-W_XhDL1fjqxl-d-eYqglAvaRIwsK04gYTiOCfhKi16mlBPDb1fuMJEzFvx50OB0kkmFtvNFTIvXzir0roaEXSGQYuSAqd8JAltDOXv2GWCvFPCteT9271NcfQJc/s200/hackcover.jpeg" width="130" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hack-Jeb-Stewart-Harrison/dp/098549302X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342998336&sr=8-1&keywords=Hack+Jeb+Stewart+Harrison">Hack</a></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In my first published novel, <i>Hack,</i> I put a portion of myself, and my life, into the body of my best friend, the late Ted O' Connell, and turned him into an unemployed landscape painter named Henry Griffin. I do, in fact, paint landscapes, often while listening to Miles Davis's <i>Bitches Brew.</i> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What else did I write about in <i>Hack </i>that I knew, or was actually true in one form or another?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I really did have comforting dreams about my childhood sweetheart, who appeared to me as sort of an angel. I used her physical characteristics for Hadley Scofield, but what I knew of her adult personality didn't give me enough to go on, so I embellished. We really did play with Sherri Lewis puppets in first grade: Lamb Chop and Charlie Horse, and we refer to each other by those names to this day. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mr. San Anselmo is a real person, though I haven't seen him in years. His real name is Mark. And all Marinites should know that the character of Razor Rick Morgan is a blend of George Lucas and Metallica's Kurt Hammet, or one of those other emperors of Lucas Valley. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have never driven a Fat Boy or even been on a Harley, but the Hadley Schofield character really did race motorcycles in her youth. We did drop Orange Sunshine at Alpine Dam, several times. And I'm told that a spinet was dumped off the damn into the reservoir in the 70s. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Russell Chatham is a real painter, though I don't know if there's an exhibit at the Oakland Museum that's dedicated to California turn-of-the-century plein aire painters, or if E. Charlton Fortune's work hangs there. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The only access to the cabins on Pinecrest Lake is by boat, or footpath. It is true that women's menstrual odors infuriate bears. Also, there is a golf resort in Tubac, AZ, which I've played several times. It is where the first half of the movie <i>Tin Cup</i> was filmed. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I really did have a bisexual girlfriend, once – a Francophile – though I can't claim to have participated in a "frisky three-way." And there was an art gallery on San Anselmo Ave. next to Ongaro's Plumbing: The Bradford Gallery. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And the rest of it: Karl, Rex Wilcox, Cyril, Herte, Barbara Bassett, etc. is all imaginary, though based in varying degrees on people I know or have seen in the movies. The plot is entirely imagined as well, though I admit to borrowing the disguise idea from the movie, <i>Mrs. Doubtfire </i>(RIP RW).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM0K81SfikRPFivqCFZQKixCOEtaJ3CVWxYT2NobTe5Jp94Db-UGvKFf3VQHWBShUpKjXAI0HchTw61QvqcREzSl53xLFaYFcHOy7pxgdpymxXEQjo_8Bv0_1oWYWrAVE3PwI1vpObVPY/s1600/ltol3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM0K81SfikRPFivqCFZQKixCOEtaJ3CVWxYT2NobTe5Jp94Db-UGvKFf3VQHWBShUpKjXAI0HchTw61QvqcREzSl53xLFaYFcHOy7pxgdpymxXEQjo_8Bv0_1oWYWrAVE3PwI1vpObVPY/s1600/ltol3.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><a href="http://jebharrison.com/2015/11/chapterone/">Learning to Limbo</a></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Unlike <i>Hack</i>, most of the setup plot in <i>Learning to Limbo</i> is autobiographical. I was out of work as a result of a startup going belly up, and we did move from San Anselmo to Indianapolis as described, even though I had a job offer from Sun and could have stayed. We did have a close friend die from ovarian cancer, and she really did refer to herself as The Practical Princess. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We did live in a wonderful four-poster in Wellington Heights, Washington Township, Indianapolis for about a year. The outfit I joined in Indy was subsumed by it's parent, and we really did move to Ridgefield, CT. My son is really a naturalist and teacher of primitive living skills, and I really did fancy myself a songwriter for many years. I built an awesome treehouse in Connecticut, but nobody fell off the deck. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The rest of <i>Learning to Limbo</i> is made up. Basically, I took this cross-country professional odyssey and used it to satirize the corporate experience. I also used it to juxtapose the banality of corporate existence with human experience: family drama, affairs, and other things that matter more than corporate double talk. I haven't read up on how much an author should admit to being real in a work of fiction, but I do know that readers can tell when an author is writing from a place of personal knowledge, even if that knowledge is of something imagined, or not.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The Healing of Howard Brown, </i>and others</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The novel I'll publish next, <i>The Healing of Howard Brown</i>, is autobiographical in the sense that it attempts to work through the shock, pain, confusion, grief, and general altercation in the state of affairs following the deaths of one's parents. I experienced all that and more in 2008/2009 when my parent's checked out, along with a fair amount of inelegant behavior in the remaining family. But, like Bellow's attempt to work through being cuckolded by his wife and best friend in <i>Herzog</i>, the setup or situation is just a backdrop. Like a theater set, it provided me with context for the dispositions of the characters, as well the rich soil needed for the seeds of conflict to sprout and flourish. And, while <i>The Healing of Howard Brown</i> draws a great deal of inspiration from my labyrinthine Southern ancestry, the actual "healing" of the protagonist is, I'm sorry to report, purely fictional. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Based on my experience to date, I can say that those stories that draw from my own life could be considered "low hanging fruit." The settings, the imagery, the characters, and to a lesser degree the plots of my first three novels are drawn from experiences that, being mine, are always relatively close at hand. I wouldn't go so far as to say that drawing from my own experiences has made it easier to write, but I would say it gives my imagination access to events, and people, and the associated imagery and emotions, that are immediate and close at hand. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The other current novels in various stages of disrepair – <i>Chasing Byron, Bury Me With My La-Z-Boy</i>, and <i>The Bolinians</i> – are almost pure flights of fancy, though the historical references in each of them are real enough. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Chasing Byron</i>, set in the same locale of eastern Louisiana as Part II of <i>The Healing of Howard Brown</i>, challenges the historical fact that Byron Nelson won 11 consecutive PGA tour events in 1945, a record that still stands. It attempts to be both a portrait of the postwar, Jim Crow South, and a fantasy about The Gods of Golf and their supernatural influence on the protagonist, young Wyatt Johnstone. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Bury Me With My La-Z-Boy </i>was begun during NaNoWriMo, (National Novel Writing Month) and is a combination genre mystery and zombie thriller, also set in eastern Louisiana. <i>The Bolinians</i>, which is in it's infancy, is historical fiction that chronicles the adventures of a traveling band of Russian/Miwok dwarves and their Russian leader (and biological father), former fur trader Dmitri Pavlovich, as they interact with the real people and historical events of Northern California in the19th century. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don't know if the low hanging fruit novels, where I am "writing what I know" in a relatively strict sense, has made those stories any better or more engaging than the stories that are more removed from my direct experience. Hopefully I'll be around long enough to find out. It's always possible that some other idea will come along – like the "aspirational" story of the old man, given a year to live, and his band cronies touring the USA in a Country Squire caravan. I suppose that there's only so much writing we can do about what we know, since there's only so much we can know. Then again, a new dream is born in my overly noisy noggin almost every night, and if I can just remember to jot a few things down there may be limitless things to know and write about. Until, of course, there isn't. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_84Ynoak68blVLsm-BVP0cRhc2nUIsnpNzZ-eOOnNwJDLWPJ2NAd7M-ikOIIrN_YHgZ54Xf_lJFFi3nVN5_tuaJjK-Os-gL2UvDARVEYRUsZXImFLfGBkqrD0q51Avj4o_wYWH3_pIk/s1600/littlelimbogirls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="49" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_84Ynoak68blVLsm-BVP0cRhc2nUIsnpNzZ-eOOnNwJDLWPJ2NAd7M-ikOIIrN_YHgZ54Xf_lJFFi3nVN5_tuaJjK-Os-gL2UvDARVEYRUsZXImFLfGBkqrD0q51Avj4o_wYWH3_pIk/s320/littlelimbogirls.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikg2G-JxUzpc4jz40io14y3fJFQxiOqLcm65sU-A3y9O9h1MH2xsxhggrzZgRTdtZu9jFBqNCMug7D5kqI1Vsm5RAgWVii28U4SyfxIX0b4jIECosG8yO1crgKWLY1OIRd3Yinb2pj-2Y/s1600/Limbo+cover+concept.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikg2G-JxUzpc4jz40io14y3fJFQxiOqLcm65sU-A3y9O9h1MH2xsxhggrzZgRTdtZu9jFBqNCMug7D5kqI1Vsm5RAgWVii28U4SyfxIX0b4jIECosG8yO1crgKWLY1OIRd3Yinb2pj-2Y/s200/Limbo+cover+concept.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Read <i>Learning to Limbo,</i> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
online and in serial, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
right <a href="http://jebharrison.com/2015/11/chapterone/">here</a>, right now!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
*********** </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazvC1FfJybe9tA_oSyTk3n06ICSmrMH91bj9viAzYr4QjiTXzfRuVTLTI3aRwWa9QTMjsmGX9JBrZvarEtaSOLqIF1H6-BxW4_AXAXiSqCNg934DQDuC_vvqm03CHTdCF5CZ7Mi2QFKc/s1600/hack+poem.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazvC1FfJybe9tA_oSyTk3n06ICSmrMH91bj9viAzYr4QjiTXzfRuVTLTI3aRwWa9QTMjsmGX9JBrZvarEtaSOLqIF1H6-BxW4_AXAXiSqCNg934DQDuC_vvqm03CHTdCF5CZ7Mi2QFKc/s320/hack+poem.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hack-Jeb-Stewart-Harrison/dp/098549302X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342998336&sr=8-1&keywords=Hack+Jeb+Stewart+Harrison">HACK, on Amazon</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Jeb Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230628615012095761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577808099373170838.post-45330302835496806392015-12-08T20:40:00.000-08:002015-12-08T20:40:01.082-08:00Jimmy Smith<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQxPxomW0ms65gsc8OLYNWacgYbu4ndRkw1V0iQ4sSZsy1gIOI5JHQ8TrmG1lyIerAOCtbujsLXF4OLquKTn36vxGLKPO-aqoJC9zlcek3mEM8vTX2kGt6lKZMDtqd9CsiNV7RAN69IUQ/s1600/jimmy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQxPxomW0ms65gsc8OLYNWacgYbu4ndRkw1V0iQ4sSZsy1gIOI5JHQ8TrmG1lyIerAOCtbujsLXF4OLquKTn36vxGLKPO-aqoJC9zlcek3mEM8vTX2kGt6lKZMDtqd9CsiNV7RAN69IUQ/s320/jimmy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 200%;"> The
President is waiting for a helicopter, waiting for the whoof whoof whoof of
spinning blades, tornado swirl and siphon overhead, beckoning. Up he will wheel
and soar, bound to a B3, lashed to a Leslie, netted off the White House
rooftop, pendent as the rising chopper climbs into the clouds. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 200%;">The President,
all cool and finger snap, sways to the rhythms of the sky as the copter sails
beyond the civil slaughter, headed to his clearing in the forest, the
Presidential meadow at the top of the world. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 200%;"> </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It is days, nights, days, nights and
still more until he is ready to begin, finally seated at the B3, the long
fingers of his right hand hovering above the keys, the left on the Leslie
switch, the black plastic cones awaiting the signal to spin. The President
waits, head bowed, while miles below, far beyond the verdant viridian forests
and noble wilds the people stink and bite in piss sweat rape meat over God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The sun counts two for nothing, and
The President’s key fingers fall, pedal feet walk, smoke sound curls from the
swirling Leslie, “The Sermon” snaking over rye and dandelions, down the
hillside into the woods, ribbons around red cedar and sassafras, feathers over
the Ohio, the Missouri, Superior, Huron bounding over boundaries, wreathing
waterways, highways, bridges, roads, up side streets and down avenues “The Sermon”
careens around causeways, twirls through tunnels, zigs and zags all riffs,
hammers, pedals and tags. The President tickles Groove, Patterson, McDuff and McGriff.
The President wails and screams Jimmy Smith, Jimmy Smith! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She sees it before she hears it:
glissandos glittering on the surface of the sparkling cerulean sea. She sees it
on the seventh step to the library, the third step to her apartment. Blue steam
squealing up from manholes. Notes, falling from the sky, crystal raindrops
popping on the pavement. Wholes, halves, quarters, eighths, some dotted, some
tied, stone blue cool and crispy deep-fried. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Cassie my dear, what’s wrong with
you?” cries her grandmother. “Your eye are yellow and your face is blue!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But before Cassie knows anything, “The
Sermon” has circled the world, enveloping every living thing in B3 blues: the
soldiers, the sailors, the bakers, the tailors, babies in bassinets, widows in
wheelchairs, school children on the playground, grey-suited businessmen now
blue, all blue. Armies disarm, navies disavow, hearts become flowers that swing
in the spring. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The President, in his aquamarine
sequin tails and shimmering cobalt stovepipe, all head thrown back and lip peel
pearl teeth, all twitching fingers and pedaling feet, sits at the B3 in his
Presidential clearing at the top of the world and plays “The Sermon” for hours
that turn into days that turn into weeks, months, years, until the groove
swallows the universe. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>431</o:Words>
<o:Characters>2463</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Microsoft Office Suite</o:Company>
<o:Lines>20</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>5</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>2889</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Cassie jumps. “Grandma can’t you
hear? The beginning is near! The beginning is near!” </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Jeb Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230628615012095761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577808099373170838.post-32809234985773843792015-11-15T20:53:00.000-08:002015-11-17T13:35:51.604-08:00Ending Endless Jihad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBELbW3BpYuS_aheaa0Obti8Quj5Par1t8FwD5t6PnzzyG1o6wHZiJLneXcpbkkkKNaPMXSaBlWUw7m1pPYOtJTdz37OKTIYmJ1uGDQNGiGDMrpeRm0xjyhLeAIxZSpoOs7uYJuD8S5hM/s1600/miggers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBELbW3BpYuS_aheaa0Obti8Quj5Par1t8FwD5t6PnzzyG1o6wHZiJLneXcpbkkkKNaPMXSaBlWUw7m1pPYOtJTdz37OKTIYmJ1uGDQNGiGDMrpeRm0xjyhLeAIxZSpoOs7uYJuD8S5hM/s400/miggers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm no scholar. On those rare occasions when I have a serious opinion about something, my intent in sharing it is to stimulate conversation and the opinions of others, particularly those that have a more scholarly, informed point-of-view, and especially those who may have a better solution than whatever I might be suggest. The intent is to generate ideas toward solving the problem. That is all. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_84Ynoak68blVLsm-BVP0cRhc2nUIsnpNzZ-eOOnNwJDLWPJ2NAd7M-ikOIIrN_YHgZ54Xf_lJFFi3nVN5_tuaJjK-Os-gL2UvDARVEYRUsZXImFLfGBkqrD0q51Avj4o_wYWH3_pIk/s1600/littlelimbogirls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="49" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_84Ynoak68blVLsm-BVP0cRhc2nUIsnpNzZ-eOOnNwJDLWPJ2NAd7M-ikOIIrN_YHgZ54Xf_lJFFi3nVN5_tuaJjK-Os-gL2UvDARVEYRUsZXImFLfGBkqrD0q51Avj4o_wYWH3_pIk/s320/littlelimbogirls.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Would you allow a person or a group of people who consumed human flesh as a sacred rite to move into your neighborhood? How about an individual or a group of people that believed that sex with children was ordained by God? Or a gang that dined on dogs? Or a group that believed that God intended women to be slaves, to be raped and abused, and stoned to death for going out in public without an escort?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course you wouldn't.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then why would anyone allow a group of people who believe that "Killing yourself in the process of killing the enemy is an act of martyrdom and brings a special place in heaven" to move into their country, or city, or neighborhood? </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In other words, how can a group of people that believe in military jihad, or holy war, fit into any mixed, heterogenous society? How can a group of people that preaches intolerance of the tolerant possibly be expected to become a participant in the global society of the 21st century? Of course I'm referring to a very small percentage of the Muslim population. Islam, though still largely <a href="https://encounteringislam.org/misconceptions">misunderstood by the Western world</a>, represents many of the values that Pope Francis would like to imbue in Catholicism. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then, like some fundamentalist Christians who would literally "beat" the devil out of a sinner, there are the extremists. Consider: Jihad, or "struggle," is defined, by some, as the sixth pillar of Islam. There is military jihad, and spiritual jihad. Personal, or spiritual jihad is similar to the beliefs of most religions, which is that the faithful must struggle to uphold the principles of their faith in a heterogeneous society, where ideas and practices of others may be temptations or unwanted influences. Islamic jihad, in the spiritual sense, isn't any different than Judeo-Christian proclamations of faith, and as such aren't a threat.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But how do you tell the spiritual jihadist from the military one? What military jihadist is going admit, whether signing a lease for an apartment in Brooklyn, Paris, Saint Petersburg, Vancouver, London or Cape Town, that they ascribe to the tenets of Islam that suggest that military jihad is a responsibility, indeed a holy command and a reservation for a "special place in heaven?"</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some estimate that 25% of the global Muslim population are active military jihadists: 375 million people. Others estimate that, in Europe as of January 2015, less than 1% of the Muslim population were interested in destroying Western civilization - around 175,000. Since then, approximately a million refugees, the vast majority of them Muslims, have moved or are attempting to move to Europe. If you subscribe to the idea that it is the poor, disenfranchised Muslim youth that are most likely to be recruited for jihad, and that Europe has no idea how to accommodate the refugees, you might assume that thousands of jihadist seeds are being planted as we speak. And, as President Obama remarked, "It's hard to reason with someone who willingly die to kill others" (or something like that.)</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It took a dozen jihadists on the ground and in the air to execute over 4000 innocents on September 11, 2001. It took less than that to kill 130 people in Paris on November 13, 2015. So, the percentages aren't even relevant.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What to do?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let’s assume that we, as world citizens, believe that anyone that murders civilians and innocents, for whatever reason, forfeits some if not all of their human rights. In the U.S., felons are stripped of their rights as citizens, incarcerated and in some states put to death. But what about someone who believes that is their divine responsibility to kill those that don’t prescribe to their theology, but hasn’t killed anybody yet? What of the Muslim who says “yes, military jihad is the sixth pillar of Islam, and as such I must abide by it. However (that’s a big “however,”) I am too old to fight,” or “my first responsibility is to my family, which precludes murdering infidels,” or “I don’t have a gun. I don’t even have a scimitar.” Is such a Muslim thus excused and allowed to mingle freely in the global society? Would it not be prudent to have such an individual renounce military jihad, as the fundamentalists define it, altogether? What might effect might it have if the leaders of the many sects of Islam got together and said "any Muslim that murders innocents and civilians in the name of jihad is not a martyr, and the special place for them in the afterlife is hell?"</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many worldwide religions have made accommodations or updated their laws over the course of history to be able to function peacefully in a heterogeneous, globally connected society. Without such tolerance the human race surely would have destroyed itself by how. Admittedly, outlawing military jihad against civilians would be a parliamentary move at best, but no country can expect to accept refugees that may be following jihadist leaders, so there must be leaders to whom the refugees can declare allegiance, and in so doing at least protect the interests of their refugee followers as they attempt to integrate with Western society.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unfortunately the Islamic leaders that influence the jihadists aren't likely to bend to such pressure. While the majority of the world's Muslims may be peaceful and rational, we know it only takes a few to wreck havoc on the free world. But the West, unable to form a coherent response to the jihadist attacks, have in turn been unable to articulate the consequences to those leaders that support the status quo. So now it all depends on the ability of the Western world to coordinate a response, with clear consequences, to ISIS, Al Qaeda, the Taliban, the Shabab, and every other stateless jihadist group out there. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is it possible that the West and ISIS can call a cease-fire/cease-murder and sit down around the negotiating table. What's to negotiate? If you renounce jihad and stay within your own borders we won't annihilate you? That may ultimately be the agreement, but first doesn't the West need to show that they're ready, willing and able to annihilate ISIS and all other jihadist groups? Is there a way to do that without a show of physical force and imminent invasion, aka boots on the ground? Don't the jihadists have to be able to see that they are surrounded by the big guns, the tanks, the aircraft carriers, the soldiers, sailors, marines etc and that there is no escape?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can't fight barbarians with international law and threats of legal persecution. Any organization that justifies killing civilians needs to be prepared for killing in kind. The jihadists trust that the West will not stoop to their level. This is the checkmate that prevents the West from successful eradication of the Islamic State. Without the threat of total annihilation, there will continue to be a dozen new fighters for every one killed by the West. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The extreme scenario, with the military forces of the West poised to strike in the Middle East, and Western governments prepared to aggressively root out radical residents, is the highest of high stakes gambles. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"> If the extremists are allowed to keep their little caliphate in exchange for renouncing military jihad and centralizing their believers in a designated area, like the North Koreans and other repressive governments, and making do with complete isolation and military containment, maybe they'll opt for survival. Many Westerners won't want to give the jihadists that option. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then there are some Westerners who believe we have created this predicament by marginalizing and disenfranchising Muslims, particularly young, jobless males in the major metro areas of Europe and North America. Islamic fundamentalism provides purpose, direction, and, with martyrdom achieved in military jihad, the highest level of eternal paradise. What seventeen year old candied apple peddler on the streets of Montmarte, hungry, horny, and entirely directionless, isn’t going to find the promises of fundamentalist Islam appealing? President Obama has said that the front line of the battle is winning the hearts and minds of disenfranchised Muslim youth. If the leaders of Islam took military jihad out of the equation, and eradicated the notion of the martyr’s paradise, wouldn't Western society be more willing to include Muslims in the greater social sphere? </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Soon, the shock of the latest atrocity will pass. The downed Russian jetliner, which ISIS in the Sinai Peninsula claims as their victory, is nearly forgotten in the West. The Lebanese barely got a nod from the international community after the attack that killed 40 in Beirut. The Parisiens will continue to feel the sting, as they did after Charlie Hebdo, but give it six months. Meanwhile security in the West will double down on Islamic extremists, until intelligence has arrested all the suspects and has no other leads. Then, somewhere in Europe, or the U.S. or Canada, or Russia, the Islamic jihadists will strike again. They may not strike as frequently as mentally ill Americans with easy access to lethal weapons, but, until the entire notion of military jihad is outlawed in Islam, there will be no end. </span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jeb Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230628615012095761noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577808099373170838.post-65150436573316993772015-10-30T19:19:00.004-07:002015-10-30T19:22:09.881-07:00A New Start<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsQ2kcyORxLlAY5w3rs1NbvLWa3OVKjuljx_a-9VSNoiC0z057Urfsd_UXeeL9NiTec_V-o87W1nxYYmxcjXCogbJzIwIec1viYEHo0lvhdoxJ5GH51oUoQKCHyBwiVeVNRPEqdpW6_L8/s1600/tf+cover+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsQ2kcyORxLlAY5w3rs1NbvLWa3OVKjuljx_a-9VSNoiC0z057Urfsd_UXeeL9NiTec_V-o87W1nxYYmxcjXCogbJzIwIec1viYEHo0lvhdoxJ5GH51oUoQKCHyBwiVeVNRPEqdpW6_L8/s200/tf+cover+7.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I've decided to make a new start.<br />
<br />
Beginning next year, I will become a 32 year-old single woman of uncertain ethnicities living in Brooklyn with a calico cat named Cattywumpus and two fulvous canaries named Yellow and Yellower. In my Crown Heights apartment with the bird cage hanging from the ceiling on a macrame rope by the bay window I will write stories about my inability to have a meaningful, sustainable relationship with a man or a woman because of my suffocating, shallow, trifling and often drunk mother, who insists that the Rose of Jericho tattoo around my belly button is offensive and unflattering. Using my formidable and exalted abilities to craft riveting and detailed narratives about my slightly overweight body, my anxiety-ridden brain, my oily complexion and oilier hair, and the cavalcade of lovers that come in and out of my life like spectral kangaroos, while employing my celebrated powers of detailed observation, I will become the favorite of literary critics the world over, almost indistinguishable from at least a dozen or so identical writers living in Brooklyn with a cat named Cattywumpus and two fulvous canaries named Yellow and Yellower.<br />
<br />
Later that same year I'll fall in love with a tall, graceful Masai warrior after spying him sunning his dusty tallywhacker on the Serengeti plain, where I have gone into hiding after a much publicized affair with the married female director of the Bennington MFA program. My love for the wondrous Masai warrior, his stupendous spear and unintelligible language will backfire when I am accused of cultural misappropriation in my imagined flash fiction stories of sex with lions, hyenas, elephants, rhinos, baboons, orangutans, gorillas, warthogs and wildebeests. Tail between my bruised and battered thighs, I return to Brooklyn as a nobody, a nothing, a has-been wannabe, along with at least a dozen or so identical writers that have ventured to the Serengeti seeking the spiritual equivalent of the storied spear of the tall, graceful Masai.<br />
<br />
And so, reluctantly, I return to Coon Hollow, a much wiser but still completely irrelevant and aching 60-year-old man with a beautiful, caring, warm, and understanding wife of 33 years, and two amazingly talented, beautiful and inspiring adult children, and Mr. Boo, a 4-legged ball warrior with a coat of pure velvet cacao, all of whom wait patiently for my next new start.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazvC1FfJybe9tA_oSyTk3n06ICSmrMH91bj9viAzYr4QjiTXzfRuVTLTI3aRwWa9QTMjsmGX9JBrZvarEtaSOLqIF1H6-BxW4_AXAXiSqCNg934DQDuC_vvqm03CHTdCF5CZ7Mi2QFKc/s1600/hack+poem.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazvC1FfJybe9tA_oSyTk3n06ICSmrMH91bj9viAzYr4QjiTXzfRuVTLTI3aRwWa9QTMjsmGX9JBrZvarEtaSOLqIF1H6-BxW4_AXAXiSqCNg934DQDuC_vvqm03CHTdCF5CZ7Mi2QFKc/s320/hack+poem.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hack-Jeb-Stewart-Harrison/dp/098549302X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342998336&sr=8-1&keywords=Hack+Jeb+Stewart+Harrison">Grab it! </a>It's not about a 32-year old woman, or about a graceful Masai sunning his dusty tallywhacker, but it's just as stupid!</div>
<br />Jeb Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230628615012095761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577808099373170838.post-59512658789293444492015-10-07T12:27:00.001-07:002015-10-07T12:27:44.114-07:00Addictions Du Jour – What’s Yours?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ojPpT2m2qpgU-qbpnDFAZJHA7b-HJYCjZbBCj8XPR0dZuh2A_WQ-9wUrQvKUVONFPYB2G9UvlLB_QDAV3Jt9A9QP9b5r4SE4U73yeEH0-VChaX3YLMlielt5xe98O5kgyShqNGFxAVM/s1600/addicted.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ojPpT2m2qpgU-qbpnDFAZJHA7b-HJYCjZbBCj8XPR0dZuh2A_WQ-9wUrQvKUVONFPYB2G9UvlLB_QDAV3Jt9A9QP9b5r4SE4U73yeEH0-VChaX3YLMlielt5xe98O5kgyShqNGFxAVM/s200/addicted.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There was a time not long ago when we assumed that someone
who was labeled an “addict” was, by default, a drug abuser. If the addict’s
drug of choice was alcohol, we labeled them “alcoholics.” But lately, a whole
new class of behaviors are getting classified as “addictions,” and, though they
have nothing to do with drug and/or alcohol abuse–indeed, <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">they might be things you think are
harmless–they are in fact serious conditions which may require professional help.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Substance Abuse vs. Addictive Behaviors <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The definition of “addiction” has always been somewhat of a
moving target. Today, the dictionary tells us that an addiction is “the fact or
condition of being addicted to a particular substance, thing, or activity:<i>
he committed the theft to finance his drug addiction</i> |<i> an addiction to
gambling</i>.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Physical addictions to drugs and alcohol have always seemed
relatively clear-cut: the body becomes dependent and goes into withdrawal
(fatigue, DTs, stomach upset etc.) without the substance. Psychological
addictions, which are usually precursors to physical addictions when substances
are involved, include a much broader range of behaviors from sex to gambling to
texting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When such behaviors become so
all-consuming that they result in a physical, mental, and/or social withdrawal
from “normal” life, they’re considered addictions. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some of the behaviors that can be addicting have been around
forever, it seems–sex, gambling, and of course Freud’s primal addiction:
masturbation. Other common behaviors, like shopping, watching TV and playing
video games, have only been recognized as addicting relatively recently. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Smartphones, Texting and Email<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Enter the digital age of on-demand. Now that smart devices
have proliferated in developed countries to the point where they’re unavoidable,
new behaviors are surfacing that show all the signs of classic addictions. That
is, the new behaviors trigger<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> the same
rush of dopamine to the brain as drugs and alcohol. That’s not to say
that everybody you see walking, or driving, around with their faces buried in their
smartphones are riding a </span><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-wise/201408/are-you-addicted-texting"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">dopamine curiosity high. </span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if
you see someone having a breakdown because they’ve been separated from their
device (a not uncommon sight), you might be witnessing real withdrawal
symptoms. "When you start seeing that people have to text when they're
driving, even though they clearly know that they're endangering their lives and
the lives of others, we really have to ask what is so compelling about this new
medium?" says </span><a href="http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/addicted-your-smartphone-what-to-do"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Peter DeLisi,</span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> academic dean of the information technology
leadership program at Santa Clara University.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Of course, when we
talk about smartphone addictions, we’re not talking about the device itself but
the experience the device enables. The same could be said for PCs. Email, for
example, can be like playing slot machines. We’re waiting to hit the jackpot. Not
necessarily a monetary jackpot, but delivery of some variation of satisfying
information (aka “variable ratio reinforcement”). When our desktop or mobile
device buzzes, beeps, or plays the 1812 Overture, we’re about as powerful as
Pavlov’s dog. That is, the sound triggers the dopamine curiosity loop, and,
even if the actual reward may be infrequent, all it takes is one hit to hook
us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Online Gambling<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">While email and
texting (while not driving) addictions can seriously disrupt lives, they are
perhaps not as ruinous as other addictions fueled by the Internet and the
“always-on” digital culture. The online gaming industry, fueled in part
“pathological” gamblers, generated almost $40 billion in </span><a href="http://www.statista.com/statistics/270728/market-volume-of-online-gaming-worldwide/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">revenue in 2014</span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">. One of the more disturbing stats indicates
that </span><a href="http://www.techaddiction.ca/online-gambling-statistics.html"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">4% of teens</span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> have developed gambling problems as a result. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Cybersex<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Addictions to
cybersex are rampant. For many, cybersex addictions have resulted in job loss,
divorce and a complete inability to have a “normal” relationship. According to
Wisdomforliving.com, 60 percent of all visits on the Internet are sex-related,
making it the number one topic researched online – that’s almost 40 million
people. Of those 40 million internet users, 8-10% of males and 3% of female
Internet users are hooked on cybersex.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Online Shopping and
eBay<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">eBay is also in the
category of internet-related addictions because of the excitement (and
dopamine) associated with bidding and winning. </span><a href="http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/features/new-addictions"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Online shopping</span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> in general can become addicting, even
without the thrill of the auction. Shopping 24-7 in the comfort of one’s home,
without the aching feet and the pressure of salespeople, makes it that much
easier to buy unneeded and unwanted stuff, just for the reward of purchasing
something. As a result, online shopping addicts can get into serious financial
straits by the time a problem is recognized. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">New Addictions, New
Treatments<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style>
<![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>919</o:Words>
<o:Characters>5239</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Microsoft Office Suite</o:Company>
<o:Lines>43</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>12</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>6146</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Fortunately, the
support community has kept pace with the explosion of new internet-related
addictions. Some traditional drug and alcohol abuse treatment organizations are
expanding their capabilities and applying some of the tried and true methods to
the psychological, behavioral addictions of Internet junkies. While such
addictions may seem less severe than addictions to drugs or alcohol, </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">recovery</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> can be just
as difficult. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have an
acquaintance, friend or loved-one who appears to be struggling with one or
several of the new, digital addictions, there are many </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">online resources</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> that can help diagnose and treat the
problem. Keep in mind that, while such behaviors may appear trivial to
unaffected onloookers, they are serious problems and should be treated as such.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_84Ynoak68blVLsm-BVP0cRhc2nUIsnpNzZ-eOOnNwJDLWPJ2NAd7M-ikOIIrN_YHgZ54Xf_lJFFi3nVN5_tuaJjK-Os-gL2UvDARVEYRUsZXImFLfGBkqrD0q51Avj4o_wYWH3_pIk/s1600/littlelimbogirls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="49" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_84Ynoak68blVLsm-BVP0cRhc2nUIsnpNzZ-eOOnNwJDLWPJ2NAd7M-ikOIIrN_YHgZ54Xf_lJFFi3nVN5_tuaJjK-Os-gL2UvDARVEYRUsZXImFLfGBkqrD0q51Avj4o_wYWH3_pIk/s320/littlelimbogirls.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazvC1FfJybe9tA_oSyTk3n06ICSmrMH91bj9viAzYr4QjiTXzfRuVTLTI3aRwWa9QTMjsmGX9JBrZvarEtaSOLqIF1H6-BxW4_AXAXiSqCNg934DQDuC_vvqm03CHTdCF5CZ7Mi2QFKc/s1600/hack+poem.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazvC1FfJybe9tA_oSyTk3n06ICSmrMH91bj9viAzYr4QjiTXzfRuVTLTI3aRwWa9QTMjsmGX9JBrZvarEtaSOLqIF1H6-BxW4_AXAXiSqCNg934DQDuC_vvqm03CHTdCF5CZ7Mi2QFKc/s320/hack+poem.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hack-Jeb-Stewart-Harrison/dp/098549302X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342998336&sr=8-1&keywords=Hack+Jeb+Stewart+Harrison"><br /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hack-Jeb-Stewart-Harrison/dp/098549302X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342998336&sr=8-1&keywords=Hack+Jeb+Stewart+Harrison">Hardback only a couple bucks</a></span></div>
Jeb Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230628615012095761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577808099373170838.post-77862302237114434112015-10-02T14:15:00.001-07:002015-10-02T14:16:17.667-07:00God's Pronoun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwgqdr6yB9oY50a2XtCDMNFQPBdKRk7IJ1ewdvgk1GF_J5W_frxwqq4LVHaQ_5DFafIKqbTtBoncy2p4bAlf3rgg3tOFERmnk94jeDsZPir5Qpn6jT0Qc9CnVEisoYjsXqLULqzaGHfU/s1600/god.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwgqdr6yB9oY50a2XtCDMNFQPBdKRk7IJ1ewdvgk1GF_J5W_frxwqq4LVHaQ_5DFafIKqbTtBoncy2p4bAlf3rgg3tOFERmnk94jeDsZPir5Qpn6jT0Qc9CnVEisoYjsXqLULqzaGHfU/s1600/god.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I walked out onto my patio this evening at the behest of Mr. Boo for a little after-dinner ball, I swept my arm across the forest twilight and the glassy, violet ocean and said "Mr. Boo, this is no accident. This is the work of God." I just can't imagine how such magnificence, such peaceful, serene beauty could be anything else but a gift from the creator and I would have sung allelujah from the mountaintops had not Mr. Boo dropped a muddy tennis ball in my lap. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Writing or even talking about God can be tricky for those that aren't literal subscribers to the Bible. Subscribers will refer to God with male pronouns: "Him", "He", "His", since it's spelled out that out that God made man in his own image, then woman was fashioned out of Adam's rib. So God, as the story goes, must be male just like his nemesis, Satan. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is a reactionary camp that insists that God is a female, but since that's not the accepted Biblical story, the idea that the creator is a mother (certainly more believable than a male creator) has not gained much traction. Satan, in this model, is man incarnate. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then there's the remote yet logical possibility that God is neither male or female, or has anything resembling human characteristics whatsoever. God is the force responsible for the existence of love and the creation of everything good, and not much else. Satan is simply what happens when God's force is drowned out by the noise of human greed. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So what is the pronoun one uses when referring to this force, greater than anything any human can comprehend, with a love so pervasive, free and eternally available that the average Joe is apt to hide under the sofa in it's presence. In the absence of the Biblical structure, how does the believer correctly refer to God when "him", "her", and "it" won't do?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I guess if I had the answer I wouldn't be asking the question. Even the chronic wiseass, he who might dismiss death itself with a wave of the hand, a flippant comment, a clever aside, a quote from Mr. Boo and other wiseguys that would only incriminate him - even such dorks would, at the end of the day, like to get the grammar right.</span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-9c9b04db-2a5c-55b7-19ce-ad16d56a8d40"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, which is it?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_84Ynoak68blVLsm-BVP0cRhc2nUIsnpNzZ-eOOnNwJDLWPJ2NAd7M-ikOIIrN_YHgZ54Xf_lJFFi3nVN5_tuaJjK-Os-gL2UvDARVEYRUsZXImFLfGBkqrD0q51Avj4o_wYWH3_pIk/s1600/littlelimbogirls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="49" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_84Ynoak68blVLsm-BVP0cRhc2nUIsnpNzZ-eOOnNwJDLWPJ2NAd7M-ikOIIrN_YHgZ54Xf_lJFFi3nVN5_tuaJjK-Os-gL2UvDARVEYRUsZXImFLfGBkqrD0q51Avj4o_wYWH3_pIk/s320/littlelimbogirls.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazvC1FfJybe9tA_oSyTk3n06ICSmrMH91bj9viAzYr4QjiTXzfRuVTLTI3aRwWa9QTMjsmGX9JBrZvarEtaSOLqIF1H6-BxW4_AXAXiSqCNg934DQDuC_vvqm03CHTdCF5CZ7Mi2QFKc/s1600/hack+poem.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazvC1FfJybe9tA_oSyTk3n06ICSmrMH91bj9viAzYr4QjiTXzfRuVTLTI3aRwWa9QTMjsmGX9JBrZvarEtaSOLqIF1H6-BxW4_AXAXiSqCNg934DQDuC_vvqm03CHTdCF5CZ7Mi2QFKc/s320/hack+poem.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hack-Jeb-Stewart-Harrison/dp/098549302X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342998336&sr=8-1&keywords=Hack+Jeb+Stewart+Harrison">Cheap, on Amazon</a></span></div>
Jeb Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230628615012095761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577808099373170838.post-67875570057624126802015-09-21T15:41:00.000-07:002015-09-21T15:45:02.924-07:00The Marriage Manifesto<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9Zq_dA8rPFk4lpXqsPjKCjXYn3eVgjh237GXLy0zP-Oz0HCFFfBweRguIElSE9TD99BVK2fUTz5OUhNrIgpK4DeRSOUyWm2tyIq5C9i7Y4xHVBBx2PljYyufC2gVIVOy_x2dmekg62U/s1600/happycouple.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9Zq_dA8rPFk4lpXqsPjKCjXYn3eVgjh237GXLy0zP-Oz0HCFFfBweRguIElSE9TD99BVK2fUTz5OUhNrIgpK4DeRSOUyWm2tyIq5C9i7Y4xHVBBx2PljYyufC2gVIVOy_x2dmekg62U/s1600/happycouple.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My wife and I just earned our Thirty Year Chip! Wanna know how we did it?</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-8cc3d4c8-f198-461b-696b-bca4510378ef" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The key is a clear, consistent </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">division of labor </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and in this regard Communism is a good practical model. As long as the individuals make the health of the marriage the top priority, willingly sacrificing personal freedom for the good of the state, it’s almost impossible for the marriage to fail.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It starts with the complete elimination of economic freedom. With no personal bank accounts, neither of us can book a getaway ticket to Cabo with the FedEx guy or frequent the Happy Ending Massage Parlor. I can’t buy guitar strings without my partner’s approval, nor can she remodel the bathroom without making a solid business case that a remodeled bathroom is economically practical and will provide acceptable ROI upon liquidation of the house. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After a few years of marital communism you’ll come to realize that a marriage is not a romantic proposition. It’s a business proposition: an agreement to co-habitate for the purpose of sustaining the species, or, in the case of same sex marriages, for the purpose pooling economic resources. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She buys my wardrobe and manages the closet and the laundry. I agree to keep my shoes in plastic shoe boxes from the Container Store. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She makes the grocery list, I buy the groceries and cook, she manages the dishwasher, the fridge, and the utensils. I have learned that it pays to avoid slopping shit around in the kitchen. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I pee outside. (Think of how many potential marriage-busting issues this solves! Of course, we live in the country.)</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I pick the music, she picks the films. We both love the San Francisco Giants and often manage to avoid talking to each other by listening to games on the radio over dinner. (Unnecessary conversation is a guaranteed marriage buster).</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She manages the trash, which has become a complicated sorting exercise. I acquire and maintain the audio/visual gear. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I play “Chuck It” with the dog. She manages his boom-booms. I feed him in the morning, she handles the evening. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She talks on the phone, but when she needs to write an email she asks me what to write. I avoid all communication with the outside world. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She makes the bed just so. I keep the fan on my side of the bed to keep the mosquitoes from sucking the blood from our brains at night. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And on and on it goes. We both drink copious amounts of Pinot Noir and we both fart with impunity etc. etc. so, a perfect fit we are! All our expectations of each other are listed right there on the refrigerator. A couple of unwritten agreements, like my allowing her to beat me at dominoes or her allowing my surreptitious drug habit - I guess they could be used as bargaining chips in a pinch. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m not sayin’ getting our Thirty Year Chip was a breeze. You can only take this marriage business one “I Love You” at a time (it helps if the mantra is intoned as a vague threat ie: "I love you...or else.") I guess we try to be as kind and polite and friendly as we can possibly be no matter how crappily we slept or our how crippling our pain du jour might be. We work the steps, stay in close contact with our sponsors, go to at least a couple of meetings a week, and absolutely do not "friend" or "follow" each other in the socialsphere. </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="line-height: 1.38;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Meaning that, with any luck, my lovely betrothed of thirty years will never see this post and our marriage will last at least another thirty years. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.38;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; line-height: 1.38; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_84Ynoak68blVLsm-BVP0cRhc2nUIsnpNzZ-eOOnNwJDLWPJ2NAd7M-ikOIIrN_YHgZ54Xf_lJFFi3nVN5_tuaJjK-Os-gL2UvDARVEYRUsZXImFLfGBkqrD0q51Avj4o_wYWH3_pIk/s1600/littlelimbogirls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="49" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_84Ynoak68blVLsm-BVP0cRhc2nUIsnpNzZ-eOOnNwJDLWPJ2NAd7M-ikOIIrN_YHgZ54Xf_lJFFi3nVN5_tuaJjK-Os-gL2UvDARVEYRUsZXImFLfGBkqrD0q51Avj4o_wYWH3_pIk/s320/littlelimbogirls.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.38;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.38;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; line-height: 1.38; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazvC1FfJybe9tA_oSyTk3n06ICSmrMH91bj9viAzYr4QjiTXzfRuVTLTI3aRwWa9QTMjsmGX9JBrZvarEtaSOLqIF1H6-BxW4_AXAXiSqCNg934DQDuC_vvqm03CHTdCF5CZ7Mi2QFKc/s1600/hack+poem.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazvC1FfJybe9tA_oSyTk3n06ICSmrMH91bj9viAzYr4QjiTXzfRuVTLTI3aRwWa9QTMjsmGX9JBrZvarEtaSOLqIF1H6-BxW4_AXAXiSqCNg934DQDuC_vvqm03CHTdCF5CZ7Mi2QFKc/s320/hack+poem.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hack-Jeb-Stewart-Harrison/dp/098549302X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342998336&sr=8-1&keywords=Hack+Jeb+Stewart+Harrison">On sale now!</a></span></span></div>
</div>
Jeb Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230628615012095761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577808099373170838.post-64701998374360441052015-07-14T13:58:00.000-07:002015-07-14T13:58:45.418-07:00Scientists Finally Disprove the Existence of "Race"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD65v1xgY0Puf149iHlKWddxVrMRixERcsRX4rB7XyShOtDPa-zaRucsqvSm-5JbLxYrDNiJ22H4imKGFR9fi_g8R54Ppa52ft_ykW8d_GV1BVeDlM8EDAaR7ImAyd7r1p3I39tDqkAD0/s1600/careful-scientist.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD65v1xgY0Puf149iHlKWddxVrMRixERcsRX4rB7XyShOtDPa-zaRucsqvSm-5JbLxYrDNiJ22H4imKGFR9fi_g8R54Ppa52ft_ykW8d_GV1BVeDlM8EDAaR7ImAyd7r1p3I39tDqkAD0/s200/careful-scientist.gif" width="178" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In a landmark discovery, an international team of scientists
have determined that humans cannot be accurately classified according to their
“race” (referred to as “species” in the animal kingdom), and that human beings
are physically, mentally, spiritually and culturally identical. “We mistakenly
believed that humans could be classified according to their species, which we
believed was related to the location of their forepeople (‘forefathers’ having
been recently stricken from the dictionary as ‘sexist’) on the planet,” said
Dr. Enrico Maggioletti, a former “italian,” who is now referred to as “a person
who descended from people who lived in the area of Europe known as Italy.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While it is true that people are generally believed to have
descended from humans that evolved on different parts of the planet, scientists
now refute the idea that these differing environments had anything to do the
development of distinct races. “For years, we referred to Asiatic peoples,
African peoples, European peoples, Arabic peoples, et cetera,” said Dr.
Maggioletti. “Now we have learned that any perceived differences between what
we thought of as races of peoples is exactly that: a subjective perception that
exists in the mind of the beholder, without any scientific basis whatsoever.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“As far as science is concerned, a ‘race’ is a contest of
speed that may be held between a wide variety of animals, including humans,”
Dr. Maggioletti said. His colleague and associate, Dr. Pearl Ng, added,
“science has finally caught up with increasingly popular notion that
differentiating humans according to shared physical characteristics and
cultural practices is simply wrong. The bottom line is that we are all humans,
to a degree, and there is no scientific difference in our physical or mental
makeups.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To illustrate the point, Dr. Ng said, “If somebody makes the
observation that many people from the area known as Vietnam (formerly known as
“vietnamese”) have high cheekbones, and assume that this similarity is a
manifestation what we formally thought of ‘racial attributes,’ they would be
incorrect in making that assumption. The perception that people from the area
of Vietnam share such a trait is purely subjective–a form of ‘othering’ (formerly
known as ‘racism’):<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“There’s you, and there’s the ‘others,’” said Dr. Ng. “You
may think your skin is lighter or darker than ‘others,’ but that is a purely
subjective observation, the same way some people believe that certain shades of
red are actually orange, and vice versa.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The discovery means that some groups that have historically
claimed superiority in a given field due to what was believed to be genetic
predisposition toward a certain physical characteristic–muscle mass, for
example, or height–will need to, just like everybody else, attribute such
perceived shared characteristics to pure coincidence. The same applies to what
some have perceived to be shared mental predispositions based on cultural and
environmental differences. For example, people that have descended from the
area known as Germany have been mistakenly assumed to have superior engineering
abilities, as opposed to people that have descended from the area known as
Hawaii. The fact that BMWs weren’t invented in Hawaii is pure coincidence, and
observing such is now considered a form of “othering.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In another example, the scientists wrote that it is now
considered “othering” to label certain types of food as Chinese, Japanese,
Russian, Mexican or what have you. Instead, the correct way to refer to foods
that share similar characteristics based on their location would be “food
commonly found in China and traditionally prepared by people from that area and
markedly different than food prepared by people from Kansas.” While this distinction may prove difficult to use as an identifier, particularly on a restaurant sign, scientists and sociologists suggest that "Food Traditionally Prepared in China" is far preferable to "Chinese Food."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>620</o:Words>
<o:Characters>3537</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Microsoft Office Suite</o:Company>
<o:Lines>29</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>8</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>4149</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
For those that might observe that this breakthrough
discovery is yet another way of saying “we’re not in Kansas anymore,”
scientists suggest that it would be better to perceive the discovery as
indicating that Kansas, any perceived characteristics shared by the people of that
area, are purely subjective figments of the imagination. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_84Ynoak68blVLsm-BVP0cRhc2nUIsnpNzZ-eOOnNwJDLWPJ2NAd7M-ikOIIrN_YHgZ54Xf_lJFFi3nVN5_tuaJjK-Os-gL2UvDARVEYRUsZXImFLfGBkqrD0q51Avj4o_wYWH3_pIk/s1600/littlelimbogirls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="49" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_84Ynoak68blVLsm-BVP0cRhc2nUIsnpNzZ-eOOnNwJDLWPJ2NAd7M-ikOIIrN_YHgZ54Xf_lJFFi3nVN5_tuaJjK-Os-gL2UvDARVEYRUsZXImFLfGBkqrD0q51Avj4o_wYWH3_pIk/s320/littlelimbogirls.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Jeb Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230628615012095761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577808099373170838.post-32448543491642597732015-07-10T14:15:00.002-07:002015-07-10T16:23:02.281-07:00Hard Times for Johnny Reb<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHc9cpALu4VJ662A6qi082deNGfYmoeb2-834Hv6nRiY86ZuZUgCHMWhZBrpHukDLNCGlP121w4KJpmhr8ya-IcgJi2F0WJP-uDZjQ5QF3c1F4b1vApLNernYU4GQIHwpwok-bcjL6WEU/s1600/jeb1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHc9cpALu4VJ662A6qi082deNGfYmoeb2-834Hv6nRiY86ZuZUgCHMWhZBrpHukDLNCGlP121w4KJpmhr8ya-IcgJi2F0WJP-uDZjQ5QF3c1F4b1vApLNernYU4GQIHwpwok-bcjL6WEU/s200/jeb1.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My namesake, General J.E.B. Stuart</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Recent events have got me feeling all stirred up about my Southern heritage, my name (for J.E.B. Stuart, a Confederate cavalry general) and my Rebel ancestors. My mother's grandfather was a Yankee soldier from Springfield, Illinois. My father's grandfather was Rebel soldier from Virginia who rode with Stonewall Jackson's Sharpshooters Brigade. My father's mother, born in Laurel Hill on a plantation built in 1833, had many Rebels in her lineage. She named me Jeb (a common nickname for John, my given name, in the South). When I was little I had a Johnny Reb uniform and, though I grew up in Kentfield, CA, I was always encouraged to stand up for the Rebels. My father referred to my wailing as a baby as the "Rebel yell."<br />
<br />
These days, such bloodlines make a guy wanna go hide under a rock.<br />
<br />
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Current popular sentiment suggests that white Southerners that supported the rebellion and secession of Southern states in 1861, regardless of their station in life, were evil racists, murderers, rapists - haters of the worst kind, wantonly killing off blacks - slaves and freejacks - and rounding them up in death camps as if they were Native Americans. Call it Manifest Destiny, Southern style. Meanwhile, while the slave trade was made illegal nationwide in 1808, it wasn't until 1820 and the Missouri Compromise that slavery was outlawed north of the Mason Dixon line. The US government voted against emancipating the slaves as late as 1831. But are the ancestors of the colonists, or all of the American flags from 1776 to the Emancipation Proclamation vilified for representing white supremacy? Do the symbols of the U.S. westward expansion represent genocide?</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Of course the northern states, particularly the industrial states of the Northeast, did not rely on the cheap (not free) labor slavery had been providing to the South since the first slaves arrived in 1609. But the devil is in the details, right? Very few of the voices that have cried out for the vilification of the South and the symbols of the Confederacy do so in a historical context. Rather, it is the misappropriation of the flag and other symbols of the Rebellion since the Civil Rights movement of 1965 by hate groups like the KKK and other white supremacists–that has fomented the current kneejerk national reaction to symbols of the Confederacy. </span>Is the crucifix to be removed as a symbol of Christianity because it has been misappropriated by the KKK? </div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Such popular misconceptions make life tricky for those with Confederate and Antebellum-era ancestors. To live guilt-free, not only must one repudiate, disown and otherwise vaporize their Rebel heritage, but they must undergo a genetic transfusion to rid themselves of the vestiges of the backward thinking that poisoned their ancestors. </div>
<br />
So I've been trying to better understand what led to slavery in America in the first place. Not so much why the South objected to the Federal government "freeing" what had been considered legal property throughout the country just 30 years prior–I understand the reasons for the rebellion and secession–but why slavery was legal in all 13 colonies and the subsequent United States to begin with.<br />
<br />
All these years I was under the impression that the Atlantic slave traders would park in some African<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYspsxZJiSt7tdTyTk3UYSJ5buXvK_GF0E93UvRavNBlWK45epvIMK0A7UYxjX2SL6FJbcBfNroYILZ9BorBPdL0WnwjwZ1VGNx0TWDxk24wTiHDQU7O5xJ7RvM0fnXMf_fHw04xrkPqw/s1600/slave-sale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYspsxZJiSt7tdTyTk3UYSJ5buXvK_GF0E93UvRavNBlWK45epvIMK0A7UYxjX2SL6FJbcBfNroYILZ9BorBPdL0WnwjwZ1VGNx0TWDxk24wTiHDQU7O5xJ7RvM0fnXMf_fHw04xrkPqw/s200/slave-sale.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A slave trader barters with the African slave owner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
port, saunter into the jungle with their guns and round up the peaceful natives, clamp them in irons and ship them across the sea. Imagine my surprise to learn that the Africans sold other Africans– people who were <i>already slaves</i>, and had become so as part of the eternal tribal power struggles–to the slave traders. It's right there in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_slavery">WikiPedia's "history of the slave trade"</a>:<br />
<br />
"Slavery in Africa has a long history, within Africa since before historical records, but intensifying with the Arab slave trade and again with the trans-Atlantic slave trade; the demand for slaves created an entire series of kingdoms (such as the Ashanti Empire) which existed in a state of perpetual warfare in order to generate the prisoners of war necessary for the lucrative export of slaves. These patterns have persisted into the colonial period during the late 19th and early 20th century. Although the colonial authorities attempted to suppress slavery from about 1900, this had very limited success, and after decolonization, slavery continues in many parts of Africa even though being technically illegal."<br />
<br />
While I wouldn't term this as a relief, the fact that blacks were selling blacks to whites, Arabs, Persians etc.–and are selling Africans to other Africans to this day–puts things in a little different perspective. To understand that the Africans that were sold to the colonials and subsequent generations <i>were already slaves</i> and, had they stayed in Africa, would have remained slaves far past 1863 and the Emancipation Proclamation, puts a little different spin on the diaspora. <br />
<br />
While this in no way justifies the Southern planter elite's position on keeping their slaves, the lifeblood of their businesses, (and whom one might suppose were far better off as slaves in Louisiana than they would have been as slaves in the Ashanti Kingdom) it takes a little weight off of the unfortunate fate of having a Southern heritage. Not that I expect historical fact to have any influence on the current debate, any more than I would expect the U.S. to ban American flags of the 19th century for representing the extermination of the Native Americans.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
_______________________________________</div>
<br />
In other news, did you hear Billy Idol's classic "Rebel Yell" and The Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" has been outlawed on all national public radio stations?<br />
<br />
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_84Ynoak68blVLsm-BVP0cRhc2nUIsnpNzZ-eOOnNwJDLWPJ2NAd7M-ikOIIrN_YHgZ54Xf_lJFFi3nVN5_tuaJjK-Os-gL2UvDARVEYRUsZXImFLfGBkqrD0q51Avj4o_wYWH3_pIk/s1600/littlelimbogirls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="49" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_84Ynoak68blVLsm-BVP0cRhc2nUIsnpNzZ-eOOnNwJDLWPJ2NAd7M-ikOIIrN_YHgZ54Xf_lJFFi3nVN5_tuaJjK-Os-gL2UvDARVEYRUsZXImFLfGBkqrD0q51Avj4o_wYWH3_pIk/s320/littlelimbogirls.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I found the following information about the Civil War interesting and enlightening. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<h2 class="date-header" style="background-color: white; color: #000033; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15.0150003433228px; font-stretch: normal; margin: 10px 0px 0px;">
Friday, June 17, 2011</h2>
<div class="date-posts" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3000001907349px;">
<div class="post-outer">
<div class="post hentry uncustomized-post-template" style="margin: 0px 0px 30px;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="5851593217766691097" style="color: #000033;"></a><br />
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="color: #940f04; font-size: 18.5900001525879px; font-stretch: normal; letter-spacing: -1px; margin: 0px;">
<a href="http://scvcalifornia.blogspot.com/2011/06/todays-civil-war-history-more.html" style="color: #940f04;">Today's Civil War "History" More Revisionism Than Fact</a></h3>
<div class="post-header">
<div class="post-header-line-1">
</div>
</div>
<div class="post-body entry-content">
<div class="MsoNormal">
by Mark Behrend</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I received a flier recently on the expected media attacks on Confederate heritage, I'd like to briefly share an argument I've found very useful in convincing critics that today's "politically correct" version of "Civil War" history is more revisionism than fact.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rather than defending the Confederacy directly, I stress that the events of 150 years ago must be seen in the context of their own times, and that the moral failings of the South are more than equalled by the failings and hypocrisy of the North. To make these points, I simply state 10 facts. You're probably well aware of all of them, but the average American finds most of them astonishing:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1) Neither secession nor war would have occurred over slavery alone. As many of Lincoln's pronouncements make clear, the ONLY issue for the Union was union itself. For the South, slavery was well down a list of grievances that included the National Banking Act, a growing loss of influence in Congress, and the subsequent federal economic and trade policies that increasingly favored Northern industries over Southern agriculture. In a nutshell, the issue was whether states that freely enter a federation have the right to freely leave it, when it doesn't work out. As the next three points bear out, the North blundered into war by mistakenly believing slavery was the bigger issue for the South.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2) During the lull between secession and war, Congress passed a constitutional amendment, guaranteeing the South the right to maintain slavery in perpetuity. The amendment, of course, was never ratified, due to the outbreak of war.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3) After hostilities began, Congress made a similarly ignorant attempt to reverse events, with a resolution declaring that the war aims of the North did not include the alteration or abolition of any Southern institution -- obviously meaning slavery.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4) If the South's main concern was slavery, why did neither of the above end the conflict and restore the Union?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
5) If Lincoln and the Union had gone to war to free the slaves, it would have had a hard time explaining why it financed the war partly from the proceeds of real estate worked by slaves, and why officers from slave states were allowed to bring up to 3 slaves onto Union military posts as personal servants. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
6) Slavery was a pivotal issue for no more than 4 states (Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and South Carolina), and arguably for only the first two. Four others (Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas) only seceded AFTER the outbreak of hostilities, and then only to keep their sons from being forced to fight fellow Southerners. Since Virginia would bear the war's greatest costs (a geographical certainty its leaders were aware of from the beginning), this clearly demonstrates that the intangible of "Southern identity" was of infinitely greater concern to the South than slavery.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
7) American attitudes and policies on race in 1860 bore no resemblance to today's, and differed widely across both North and South. For example, Lincoln openly expressed doubts that blacks and whites could ever live together amicably... During the war, New Yorkers rioted against conscription, targeting blacks... A third of blacks in Louisiana were already free before the war, with a thriving black professional and artistic class in New Orleans -- a cultural treasure that was destroyed by war and Reconstruction... In neighboring Arkansas, on the other hand, it was not legallly possible to be black and free... A generation before the war, a bill to abolish slavery in Virginia came within 3 votes of becoming law... At least 7 Union states (Maryland, Missouri, Kentucky, Delaware, New Jersey, Illinois, and Indiana) had deeply divided loyalties during the war, with the first 5 of them still practicing slavery until AFTER the war... One of the biggest slaveholding families in the country, North or South, was a black family in New Orleans, which owned 500 slaves.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
8) Blacks fought for both the Union AND the Confederacy. Though their numbers were far greater in the Union Army, they were paid at only half the rate of white troops. Blacks and whites in the Confederate forces, however, were paid equally.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
9) Both North and South had a policy of taking no black prisoners on their own soil. Both sides summarily executed black soldiers caught on their territory.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
10) Though our schools treat the Emancipation Proclamation as if it were Lincoln's intent from the beginning, he sat on it until well after the midpoint of the war. It was finally issued at the insistence of U.S. Grant, who believed it would remotivate an army and a nation that were losing their will to fight. And, in the ultimate act of hypocrisy, it applied only to Southern states. Apparently, slavery was a moral abomination in the South, but not the North. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As for celebrating our Confederate heritage, I cite 4 points ALL Americans should be proud of: We had the first ironclad warship, the first submarine, the first use of aircraft in wartime, and some of the finest military commanders in American history -- my favorites being Forrest, Stuart, Stonewall Jackson, Longstreet, and Lee (in that order!). </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazvC1FfJybe9tA_oSyTk3n06ICSmrMH91bj9viAzYr4QjiTXzfRuVTLTI3aRwWa9QTMjsmGX9JBrZvarEtaSOLqIF1H6-BxW4_AXAXiSqCNg934DQDuC_vvqm03CHTdCF5CZ7Mi2QFKc/s1600/hack+poem.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazvC1FfJybe9tA_oSyTk3n06ICSmrMH91bj9viAzYr4QjiTXzfRuVTLTI3aRwWa9QTMjsmGX9JBrZvarEtaSOLqIF1H6-BxW4_AXAXiSqCNg934DQDuC_vvqm03CHTdCF5CZ7Mi2QFKc/s320/hack+poem.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="p3" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hack-Jeb-Stewart-Harrison/dp/098549302X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342998336&sr=8-1&keywords=Hack+Jeb+Stewart+Harrison">Kindle version on sale for $2.99</a></div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><span class="s2"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
Jeb Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230628615012095761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577808099373170838.post-78191907134973412482015-05-13T16:41:00.000-07:002015-05-13T16:58:09.471-07:00Fat Man with Dead Lion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCw28nVL0AyVL_o-ViGzf5uRFLlUnUdwYGpoLzhczsUHPpuIayemHoUB8uopxkOVcAJzqi03eMP718J0I3x1ppjDy0pqJs9rqRBy0y-nZcIjWi1Sbl1XaDevd41rFReQ225hMBVpXqhA/s1600/fat+man+with+lion.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCw28nVL0AyVL_o-ViGzf5uRFLlUnUdwYGpoLzhczsUHPpuIayemHoUB8uopxkOVcAJzqi03eMP718J0I3x1ppjDy0pqJs9rqRBy0y-nZcIjWi1Sbl1XaDevd41rFReQ225hMBVpXqhA/s400/fat+man+with+lion.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I suspect almost everybody I know with few exceptions would take one look at this image and express all manner of disgust. My initial reaction was that in a moral, ethical and natural world, killer and killed would be reversed: noble beast would have his majestic paw on the fat man's gargantuan and very dead belly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course when I speak of "everybody I know," I'm for the most part referring to urbane, highly educated, relatively intellectual liberals that inhabit one or the other American and Canadian coasts (and parts of the Gulf Coast) and the isolated pockets of blue in between. I speak of people that are likely believe that "trophy hunting" and "obesity" are repugnant in and of themselves. Lay a double whammy like this on them and they're likely to vomit, literally and/or figuratively.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Would we have the same reaction if this were a black and white photo from the fifties with a portly Papa Hemingway astride his kill? Or a couple of tall, loin-clothed natives with spears and nose rings? Probably not. However, while a historical compare/contrast analysis of the current state of trophy hunting and endangered species turns up some alarming data, like the <a href="https://www.change.org/p/delta-air-lines-end-the-transport-of-exotic-animal-hunting-trophies?recruiter=293531925&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=autopublish&utm_term=des-lg-no_src-no_msg">Change.org petition</a> this photo came from that states "there is no justifying the slaughter of such incredible animals for sport and vanity." Indeed. How anyone could disagree with that statement is beyond me, especially given the facts that, "<span style="background-color: white; color: #4b4f4f; line-height: 27.0001811981201px;">Last year, more than a thousand rhinos were poached in South Africa, elephant populations have plummeted 66% in just five years, and the export of lion 'trophies' has increased ten-fold--</span><em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4b4f4f; line-height: 27.0001811981201px;">hunters bringing home animals' heads and bodies to stuff and mount."</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4b4f4f; line-height: 27.0001811981201px;"><br /></em>
But what makes this image so profoundly disgusting is the killer. The idea that a human being in such miserable condition can take down a wild animal for "sport and vanity" is criminal - fuel to the fire, as they say. But what if the individual was disabled, terminally ill, in a wheelchair, and legally killing a lion was his "wish" from the "make a wish" foundation? Would I be more tolerant in that case? Maybe. So, after thinking about why I found this image as disgusting as images of death-drunk Sunni's on a beheading rampage, I started to question the whole idea of "tolerance," not of the trophy hunter's murder, but of the trophy hunter himself.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm no Adonis. Recently an estranged Treble Makers fan called me a "fat, gullible piece of shit," and I have seen pictures from the Roasters that make me cringe. Many if not most of my friends are overweight, and some have struggled with it their entire lives. I grew up in a family where fat was far worse than drunkenness or chronic flatulence. Mom was a card carrying anorexic, so eating was a sort of necessary evil. Still, I've managed to get over my foodless upbringing with great success. Now, I don't think I know any men quite as large as Mr. Lionkiller, but some of my female friends are. I'm sure my initial judgement of these individuals was prejudiced and harsh, and it wasn't until after I had gotten to know them that their size became as natural a characteristic as the color of their eyes. On one ski trip with a dear, departed friend, I had to climb up the mountain to help her rise from where she had fallen because she had gotten too big to manage it herself. We've all seen the statistics. Obesity is a national epidemic, bought on by a culture of excess and, put simply "too much food and not enough exercise." (An article in the National Institute of Health also points the finger at <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.9987621307373px;">'microorganisms, epigenetics, increasing maternal age, greater fecundity among people with higher adiposity, assortative mating, sleep debt, endocrine disruptors, pharmaceutical iatrogenesis, reduction in variability of ambient temperatures, and intrauterine and intergenerational effects.") Oooohkay!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.9987621307373px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.9987621307373px;">So when I see an image of someone that clearly disrespects his own body take the life of The King of The Jungle, well, not to put too fine a point on it but the cards are stacked against the fellow. We all know it wasn't a fair fight, and Mr. Lionkiller's life was never in danger, regardless of his girth. That's certainly a strike against Mr. Lionkiller. It's hard to tell if the other person in the image is a woman or a man. Maybe it's his loving wife. Maybe it's the guide that helped run the creature into a state of exhaustion with a fleet of jeeps so the big man could take a shot at it from his fox hole, or more likely an elevated "lion stand" like the one's used by deer hunters. In other words, it's pretty easy based on the available evidence to label Mr. Lionkiller as a "fat piece of shit" (hard to assess his gullibility from the picture) and be done with him. But doing so might be just as unfair as his completely legal and sanctioned murder of the lion. (Perhaps this particular lion was a notorious pest, making off the the local tribesmen's daughters and such.)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.9987621307373px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.9987621307373px;">Miss Frost, a transgender librarian in John Irving's <i>In One Person</i> says, </span>"My dear boy, don't judge me until you get to know me." I don't know Mr. Lionkiller, but I'm inclined to flush him down the toilet without as much as a handshake because I am intolerant of what he's done and, worse yet, how he looks. Then again there are places in the world where his girth is admired. So in the end it is I who can't see beyond the edge of my own liberal coastal cultural blinders when I label Mr. Lionkiller as the lowest form of pond scum to inhabit the planet.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm cool with that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, stixgeneral, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.9990997314453px; line-height: 21.9987621307373px;"><br /></span></span>
Jeb Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230628615012095761noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577808099373170838.post-89521386517052968312015-04-12T18:33:00.004-07:002015-04-12T18:33:46.588-07:00The B2B Tech Blog Emporium<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are a handful of blogs out of over fifty I wrote for clients of TSL Marketing. I've had to delete the client's names for legal purposes. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
_______________________________________________________</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -13.5pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Is Your Infrastructure Converged, Integrated or
What?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -13.5pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is much talk in the tech industry these
days about “converged infrastructure”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s an apt and accurate description for systems that have all the
hardware and software elements of the IT infrastructure – compute, networking,
storage, virtualization - built into one, pre-configured rack-in-a-box and
managed from a central console.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every
big vendor has one. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -13.5pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -13.5pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While the “converged” category of systems was
being pushed to market, there was a little branding war going on behind the
scenes. Cisco, HP, Dell and others were pushing converged infrastructure
offerings, and IBM was pushing “expert, integrated systems”. Their PureSystems
family of offerings was and is as converged as any competing system, except for
one little word : “expert”. IBM PureSystems learn as they process, automating
repetitive management and deployment tasks. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -13.5pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -13.5pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, the IBM PureFlex system sits squarely in
the “converged” category, albeit sort of retroactively. In any branding war,
one side will eventually dominate. Today it’s probably safe to say that
“converged” outgunned “expert, integrated”, and IBM has had to follow suit to
avoid being overlooked. As if Big Blue could possibly be “overlooked.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -13.5pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -13.5pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On average, purveyors of converged infrastructure
systems claim that clients can expect to achieve 20-30 percent improvements in
deployment times, utilization and staff productivity. PureFlex clients are
achieving far better <a href="http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/pureflex/config/">results</a>:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Services can be activated in minutes or hours rather than
days or weeks, </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">47 percent reduction in time related to system management</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Utilization up by 25 percent</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Reduced downtime by up to 97 percent</span></span></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -13.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -13.5pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Impressive, right? To be fair, there are other
important things to consider when evaluating a converged system. First, as with
any all-one solution, you’re locking into one provider. If you want to modify
the system, your choices will be limited. That is if you can modify the system
at all. As the <a href="http://blog.greenpages.com/cloud-computing/to-converge-or-not-to-converge-that-is-the-question/">IT
Green Pages</a> puts it : </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The land of Converged
Infrastructure is much more a dictatorship than a democracy. You will
have some choices from a configuration aspect, but nothing close to the choices
you would have going with a piece/part solution.” In other words a
converged infrastructure system is not for those that like to tinker.<span style="color: #303030;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -13.5pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>439</o:Words>
<o:Characters>2505</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Microsoft Office Suite</o:Company>
<o:Lines>20</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>5</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>2939</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:PixelsPerInch>96</o:PixelsPerInch>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Calibri;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One of the great
things about engaging with the IBM experts at XXX Systems is
the breadth of IBM products they support. If a converged PureFlex system isn’t
a perfect fit for your business, American Technology Systems will work with you
to come up with the right combination of hardware, software and services to
help you maximize your investment in technology. To learn more contact the IT
specialists at XXX Systems. </span><!--EndFragment--></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">_________________________________________________</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Are You
Ready for Old Man Winter?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Old Man
Winter has arrived and boy is he mad. Hopping mad. “No more Mr. Nice Guy!” he
declared in a recent pummeling of the west with 4 days of solid rain, snow,
high winds, floods, power outages – all the things Old Man Winter is famous
for. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">According to <a href="http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/winter-weather">AccuWeather</a>, the
northeast and southeast regions will be hit hard in the first quarter. The
Farmers’ Almanac predicts this winter will bring below-normal temperatures for
three-quarters of the nation. Predictions are so dire that the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently released a <a href="https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2014/10/23/preparation-key-dealing-winter-weather">winter
preparedness guide</a> for U.S. citizens. They did not, however, provide a
similar guide for beleaguered IT managers with Old Man Winter on their minds. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the IT
department, disaster recovery goes hand-in-hand with high availability. Should
your business be hit with a disaster—bad weather, service outage, or human
error—you want to be able to recover the data that is critical to your
continued operation instantly. In order to do that it must be “highly
available”. According to <a href="http://searchdatacenter.techtarget.com/definition/high-availability">TechTarget</a>,
</span><span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">high availability refers to a system or
component that is continuously operational for a desirably long length of
time. Availability</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span style="background: white;">can
be measured relative to "100% operational" or "never
failing." A widely-held but difficult-to-achieve standard of availability
for a system or product is known as "five 9s" (</span><a href="http://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/99999"><span style="background: white; color: windowtext;">99.999</span></a><span style="background: white;"> percent)
availability.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For a high availability solution to be
effective, it needs to be incorporated into a bulletproof plan. Essential
elements of your disaster recovery plan should include: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="background: white; line-height: 13.9pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.9pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Data
classification or tiering - by classifying your data into tiers of importance,
you determine which applications and data get recovered first, second and on
down the line to data you can afford to live without. In the process you define
the recovery point objective (RPO) and the recovery time objective (RTO) for
each tier of data, and the cost of recovery. Lower RPO-RTO = higher cost.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.9pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Replication -
redundancy and/or co-location – having the same data in two places at once - is
the most basic tenet of all disaster recovery plans.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.9pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Timing - </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.9pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">specify how much data you need to
recover, and how quickly, in order to get back up and running.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.9pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Testing - </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.9pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">you can’t over test a
disaster recovery plan; it is the only way to know if your plan will work. Test
at least once a quarter; parameters and variables change quickly and what
worked today may not work three months from now. </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.9pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">TechTarget
provides a <a href="http://www.bitpipe.com/detail/RES/1416084859_136.html">concise
guide</a> to disaster recovery planning should you wish to learn more.</span></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>507</o:Words>
<o:Characters>2892</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Microsoft Office Suite</o:Company>
<o:Lines>24</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>6</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>3393</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:PixelsPerInch>96</o:PixelsPerInch>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Calibri;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The disaster recovery and high availability
experts at XXX Systems can provide solutions that are </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">ready to scale and can handle any
challenge, on any platform, in any combination of physical, virtual or cloud
servers. </span></span><span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They’ll help develop your plan and ensure
you have the right tools to beat back old man winter when he comes knocking.
For a free evaluation, get in touch with XXX Systems. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">___________________________________________</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>When Do-It-Yourself Does More Harm Than Good</b></span><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.9pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Small and medium business owners are a culture
of figure-it-outers. When faced with a complex problem, entrepreneurial types
are apt to rhetorically ask: “How hard can it be?” Often it’s not until we’ve
got parts all over the floor that the real answer occurs to us: it can be
really, really hard. Why do we let ourselves get into such quandaries?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In two words: control and trust.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a world where commerce can literally come to
a screaming halt when IT systems go down, it seems unnatural to hand control
over to someone else, then trusting they’ll do the right thing. As a recent <a href="http://www.wallstreetandtech.com/infrastructure/dont-perform-surgery-on-yourself-the-case-for-managed-it-services/a/d-id/1316002">Information
Week</a> article puts it:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“[Many SMBs] believe that they cannot
truly commit to trusting critical systems to an outside partner…This response
defies logic, however. When faced with a critical operation or process, common
sense dictates that<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>trust is best
placed in the hands of experts. Performing surgery on one’s self doesn’t
alleviate the risk of a procedure going badly! Therefore, the adage, ‘if you
want something done well, do it yourself,’ carries only so far.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Such sentiments at least partially account for
the huge boom in the Managed Services business. As companies recognize that
managing the IT infrastructure in house can turn into a sinkhole of unforeseen
costs, they’re turning varying levels of control over to Managed Service
Providers. Some of the services MSPs can provide include: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Off-premise Cloud
Services<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On-site Management<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Proactive Remote
Monitoring<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Desktop Management<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">System Health
Checks<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The best MSPs will build-to-suit, allowing
businesses to mix, match, and scale services so the solution delivers optimal
ROI and maximum value. And while choosing the right MSP for your business is a
topic for another day, some preliminary situation analysis can be an excellent
way to prepare. According to <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikekavis/2014/07/17/complexity-will-drive-demand-for-managed-services-providers/">Forbes,</a>
one approach is to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“…take a
step back and build a business architecture diagram that lays out the core
business services that your company offers. Then draw up a reference
architecture that depicts all of the different IT services that are required to
support those business services. Then, identify which of those IT services are
core to your business and build those. Everything else should be outsourced to
managed service providers or to various external services and products.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This analysis will be a good starting point for
your conversations with MSPs. It’s also a process that a good MSP can
facilitate.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>488</o:Words>
<o:Characters>2785</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Microsoft Office Suite</o:Company>
<o:Lines>23</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>6</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>3267</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:PixelsPerInch>96</o:PixelsPerInch>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Calibri;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A one-stop shop like XXX can provide such an
assessment and determine which options make the greatest financial sense. You
may decide to sign up for Off-Premise Cloud Services package for one flat,
monthly rate and give up tinkering with IT altogether. The important thing is
to find a solution that fits your business model and lets you determine your
level of IT involvement. Then you can decide whether you want to spend your
time figuring out your IT systems or figuring out how to run a profitable
business. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">____________________________________</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Don’t Be
Another Lost Data Sob Story</b></span><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Everybody has at least one lost data horror story,
individuals and business alike. Whether data is lost to a natural disaster, a
system outage, or human error it can be disastrous. About</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.iii.org/article/developing-small-business-disaster-recovery-plan-0"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">40
percent</span></a></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> of SMBs
affected by a big disaster never reopen. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In this era of public cloud providers like Amazon, Microsoft,
and Google giving away storage in 10 or 15 Gb chunks, apathetic organizations
have run out of excuses for losing data. With the arrival of big winter storms
and other unexpected events, </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">smart
organizations are double-checking their disaster recovery plans to ensure that
they won’t get knocked out of business. However, many</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> SMBs are not backing up their critical data to the cloud or
some other remote site.<span style="color: #222222;"> </span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.9pt; margin-left: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Outsourcing Disasters? What a Concept!</span></b></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Some</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
companies are now outsourcing backup and recovery services, which are also
referred to as DRaaS (Disaster Recovery as a Service). For businesses that use
their own internal data centers for primary storage, there are a variety of
alternatives for backup and recovery. These services vary between those that
replicate your infrastructure only, leaving recovery up to you, and turnkey
approaches that both protect and recover your data. Regardless of the approach,
every business needs to start with a plan.<span style="color: #222222;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When developing your disaster recovery plan,<span style="color: #222222;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/cloud-computing/5-steps-to-storm-proof-your-data/a/d-id/1279198"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Information
Week</span></a></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">suggests these five basic steps:<span style="color: #222222;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></span></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; line-height: 13.9pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Engage with a Managed Services
Provider (MSP). If you already have one, make sure they can support your
backup and recovery requirements. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; line-height: 13.9pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Prioritize your web-based
applications according to their importance to your business</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> (also known as “data-tiering”)<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">. </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 13.9pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: windowtext;">Virtualize your critical
systems in the cloud or at a secure offsite location. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 13.9pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: windowtext;">Ensure that a failure in
your data center will be detected and will redirect users to the backup. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 13.9pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: windowtext;">Test, test, and test
again. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.9pt;">
<span class="MsoHyperlink"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enlist the Experts<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.9pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While there are few things you can do to prevent plagues of
locusts, system malfunctions, or human error, there is no shortage of
information to help prepare for them. <a href="http://www.sba.gov/content/disaster-preparedness"><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Articles</span></a>
describing the various steps you should take to ensure your business has a
robust disaster recovery plan are plentiful.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.9pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.9pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the many services offered by XXX Technologies is
data storage, along with managed backup and recovery for SMBs and large
enterprises alike. Your business may benefit from regular remote backup of your
virtualized data to a public, private, or hybrid cloud for high-performance
tiered storage, live archiving, cloud-based data protection, and recovery. The
storage experts at XXX Technologies will help put together your plan,
implement a solution, run test scenarios, and provide ongoing management. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.9pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: left;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>472</o:Words>
<o:Characters>2696</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Microsoft Office Suite</o:Company>
<o:Lines>22</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>6</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>3162</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:PixelsPerInch>96</o:PixelsPerInch>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Calibri;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Contact us to learn how our
storage and data backup solutions can improve your business functions and plan
for the future.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">________________________________________</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Five Cloud
Migration Myths Put to Rest</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So you’re
thinking about migrating your business IT to the cloud, but you’ve heard that
it can be a risky proposition, especially in Alaska where it seems the Internet
has had connectivity challenges over the past several years. Sure, early
adopters may have run into a few snags, and there are plenty of
do-it-yourselfers out there that have undoubtedly gotten in over their heads. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many of the
mythical risks of cloud computing are simply ghosts from the past. For example: </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Cloud computing isn’t as secure as my in-house data center<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then why are
94 percent of organizations running applications or experimenting with
infrastructure-as-a-service in the cloud? (<a href="http://www.rightscale.com/blog/cloud-industry-insights/cloud-computing-trends-2014-state-cloud-survey">Rightscale
2014 survey</a>) As <a href="http://www.itbusinessedge.com/slideshows/debunking-five-misconceptions-about-cloud-based-services-03.html">IT
Business Edge</a> puts it: “the cloud offers safeguards that traditional
solutions do not. With cloud-based services, additional layers of protection
are not only available – they are a priority for top providers. To succeed in
the cloud market, security is paramount. Vendors know they need to provide
trusted and secure cloud services to their customers.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">2. My
customers are based in Alaska. Local = faster. </span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The <a href="http://www.akbizmag.com/Alaska-Business-Monthly/May-2012/10-Myths-about-Cloud-Computing-in-Alaska/">Alaska
Business Monthly</a> points out that “when your customer tries to access your
website, the data request is usually routed Outside where the handoff is made
before being sent back up to Alaska. Then, the data response from your server
heads back down on a second round trip before arriving at your customer’s
computer. This double round trip is made a bajillion times every time you load
a webpage. The irony: by placing your servers in the Lower 48, they could be
twice as fast as having the servers in Alaska.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">3.
Internet connectivity between Alaska and the Lower 48 is unreliable.</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are
four distinct fiber pathways between Alaska and the Pacific Northwest and not a
single point of failure that would affect all four. If one goes down, the next
one picks up the transmission. Plus the state government has mandated more.
Connectivity is reliable now and will only get better. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4. Data
migration is fraught with peril</b> – data is sure to be lost<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whether you
are transitioning all or part of your company’s data, applications and services
from on-site to the <a href="http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/C/cloud.html">cloud</a>,
your provider will be using tools that will seamlessly migrate your data to
their servers. As <a href="http://www.business2community.com/cloud-computing/suffering-cloud-migration-nightmares-time-wake-0596762">Business2Community.com</a>
puts it: “If MSPs are good at one thing, it’s planning migrations.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. In the
Cloud, I lose control over my enterprise data and my IT infrastructure <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Actually,
you’ll gain greater control over your data and your infrastructure when it’s
hosted by an MSP, either in the cloud or on their systems. The only difference
is that somebody else is doing the work on your behalf. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>512</o:Words>
<o:Characters>2925</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Microsoft Office Suite</o:Company>
<o:Lines>24</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>6</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>3431</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:PixelsPerInch>96</o:PixelsPerInch>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Calibri;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Still have
doubts? The XXX Managed Services team would be happy to assess your
organization’s cloud readiness. You can contact
us here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">__________________________________</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.9pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Three Approaches to
Managing Mobile Workforce Technology</b></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.9pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.9pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the more
dramatic shifts in enterprise computing has been the phenomenon known as BYOD
(Bring Your Own Device). On one hand, the fact that employees are willing to
use their own bought and paid for mobile devices to do company business is a
win-win for everybody. On the other hand, now you’ve got employees accessing
the company network from, well…anywhere. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.9pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As an article in <a href="http://www.networkworld.com/article/2221754/tech-debates/the-future-of-end-user-computing--two-visions.html">NetworkWorld</a>
puts it, “</span><span style="background: white; color: #191919; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The future of end user
computing is here today… and it’s in your pocket. And your house, your office,
and your favorite seat on the 8 a.m. train. It’s wherever you are.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #191919; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #191919; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In other words, if there’s
one key trend that is affecting the workplace, and it’s that the workplace
itself is fast becoming an anachronism. Not only do workers want to be able to
work from wherever, they want to use the devices and the applications of their
choosing. Here is a look at three ways the industry is addressing the IT
challenges of the mobile enterprise.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #191919; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #191919; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Take Back Control<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #191919; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The control, security, and
data privacy concerns have prompted some companies to provide mobile devices to
their workforce. According to an<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="mso-comment-date: 20141205T1423; mso-comment-reference: RK_1;"> </a><a href="http://reports.informationweek.com/abstract/18/12541/Mobility-Wireless/2015-state-of-end-user-computing.html"><span style="mso-comment-continuation: 1;">InformationWeek report</span></a><span style="mso-comment-continuation: 1;">:<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #191919; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-comment-continuation: 1;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #191919; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="mso-comment-continuation: 1;"><span style="background: white; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The number of companies providing
desktop systems to more than 50% of the workforce has dropped from 68% to
54% in the past three years<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #191919; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="mso-comment-continuation: 1;"><span style="background: white; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over the same period, the number of
companies providing iPhones and Android devices to the workforce went from
2% to 20%<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #191919; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="mso-comment-continuation: 1;"><span style="background: white; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Distribution of thin client Virtual
Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) rose from 4% to 11% (40% have VDI in
production)<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="color: #191919; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-comment-continuation: 1;"><span style="background: white; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">61% of organizations surveyed now
provide technical support for employee owned devices</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #191919; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While company-issued mobile devices may provide
some level of built-in security and control, it is an expensive solution. More
expensive than the costs associated with an office full of PCs? Ostensibly, no.
But it depends on the company. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #191919; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Enter the Personal Cloud<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #191919; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another trend that is
intended to enable the mobile workforce is the idea of the personal cloud.
According to <a href="http://www.networkworld.com/article/2221754/tech-debates/the-future-of-end-user-computing--two-visions.html">John
Fanelli</a> from Citrix, a personal cloud can provides secure, instant access
to the apps, data and people necessary to get work done from any device,
anywhere. The model assumes that apps will increasingly be delivered as cloud
services - whether private or public – and procured through enterprise app
stores. In the personal cloud environment, every worker's files and apps are
easy to access, share and secure on any device. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #191919; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #191919; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. The Resource Hub<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #191919; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A third approach, as
discussed by <a href="http://www.networkworld.com/article/2221754/tech-debates/the-future-of-end-user-computing--two-visions.html">Brian
Grimmage</a> in a NetworkWorld article,</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> involves managing
resources at the point where they are accessed, as opposed to managing the
devices as individual assets operating within a standardized configuration.
Grimmage envisions an enterprise hub that manages the resources users connect
and access regardless of the type of device being used. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At this point, the only universal agreement is that BYOD is
here to stay and that there is no one silver bullet that will satisfy the need
for security and control. How are these trends affecting your organization?
What approach will you take to mitigate the inherent risks of the mobile
workforce? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>574</o:Words>
<o:Characters>3273</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Microsoft Office Suite</o:Company>
<o:Lines>27</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>7</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>3840</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:PixelsPerInch>96</o:PixelsPerInch>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if !supportAnnotations]-->
<!--[endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Calibri;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At XXX, we’re
engaged in related conversations with customers of all sizes from a variety of
industries. Let us help you navigate possible solutions for your growing mobile
workforce.</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">___________________________________ </span>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
<div style="mso-element: comment-list;">
<!--[if !supportAnnotations]-->
<br /><div style="mso-element: comment;">
<div class="msocomtxt" id="_com_1" language="JavaScript">
<!--[if !supportAnnotations]--></div>
<!--[endif]--></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For more wondrous blogging joy, please visit <a href="http://www.jsh-creative.com/">www.jsh-creative.com</a>. </span></div>
Jeb Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230628615012095761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577808099373170838.post-53208589152138296312015-04-03T10:37:00.000-07:002015-04-03T10:37:29.789-07:00Scarlett on Acid <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHwJPpQsEEO86CZRHTUkQhEKAMkmURdek1TbptgKIRrj98SlTzoXK3-VbLFIkgMXBecVkPmb-lFA371sj1bv7YIa6qYfDSgSgx4IL02BhwTbhFjKMGPY877KeQaVE8_Y4V6exZn7C2kA/s1600/sj1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHwJPpQsEEO86CZRHTUkQhEKAMkmURdek1TbptgKIRrj98SlTzoXK3-VbLFIkgMXBecVkPmb-lFA371sj1bv7YIa6qYfDSgSgx4IL02BhwTbhFjKMGPY877KeQaVE8_Y4V6exZn7C2kA/s1600/sj1.jpeg" height="124" width="200" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Alert the media: it's a film review in Limboland!</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I just watched an hour and a half of Scarlett on acid and wow...what a trip. Fuck the labels. This film is such a giant blendo of labels known and unknown that the standard critical habit of assigning a genre, or style, or attempting to pigeonhole it in any other way will doubtlessly fall short. Like it's own "brain without borders" theme, the film blows up reality, for real, and unreality for just as real, with a seamless combination of the natural and the supernatural, the physical and the spiritual, the known and the unknown, and ultimately the capacity of the human brain to comprehend infinity. Best of all, it's solid camp: daring to be so ridiculous that if the idea of infinite knowledge is too out there, there's plenty of shoot 'em up to compensate for it. Not to mention, Scarlett as Lucy, which is also the name of the oldest known Australopithecus, forbearer of humans, is just as super yummy as always, even with a fat (or should I say "fatter") lip. And though she acts like she's on acid she's actually on something much stronger: the essence of cell growth, a crystallized distilled magic compound that powers the fetus to grow bones, develop organs and ultimately become human. It is super scary shit. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEict7-5l_DSeCiOm_iPonZIgVTvXGxsQWYP_zOKnYzPWf3b_eyLlyixVeXXkN8pBxDlJujuJfRsbziWtOUGzJR3RqMS8VmXJDyasDZ5lrloKVZQUOve_VLBbNzx_vImGDbrwfAXEu7mZlQ/s1600/sj2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEict7-5l_DSeCiOm_iPonZIgVTvXGxsQWYP_zOKnYzPWf3b_eyLlyixVeXXkN8pBxDlJujuJfRsbziWtOUGzJR3RqMS8VmXJDyasDZ5lrloKVZQUOve_VLBbNzx_vImGDbrwfAXEu7mZlQ/s1600/sj2.jpeg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-d0d71c35-8034-716c-f937-3822a5af2c21" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You gotta at least give Luc Besson and his wife Virginie Silla a hearty pat on the family rump for even attempting to depict what might happen if humans - not just any human, but Scarlett, oh Scarlett - could use the 90% of the brain that is dormant. We might conclude that Besson believes that if the human was made in God’s image, then a human brain that is completely utilized is, in a word, God. Not God-like, but God, attested to by Scarlett’s post-nirvana text message: “I am everywhere.” It is a very juicy hypothesis - Zen mind incarnate - and the husband wife writer/producer team of Bresson and Silla are to be commended for taking a crack at it. The special effects and visuals throughout the film conjure the best of all possible acid trips, and if an Imax 3D version comes out, a little pull on the Kool-Aid tank might be advised. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJg7E0tC57RHaK5AnBIauWfbthgEm25FPN7iniXeqmmFru2ldvdk1UlQMo3smADvIwV9oxlvsjGeqvmW5_-o3dnaFceqB36ywDaoGOag7MJYbPBkVBxCZt0Z2N-qq8ZEnn6al7c9hE1QQ/s1600/sj3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJg7E0tC57RHaK5AnBIauWfbthgEm25FPN7iniXeqmmFru2ldvdk1UlQMo3smADvIwV9oxlvsjGeqvmW5_-o3dnaFceqB36ywDaoGOag7MJYbPBkVBxCZt0Z2N-qq8ZEnn6al7c9hE1QQ/s1600/sj3.jpeg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the same time the film tries to depict the possibility of the infinite mind - surely one of the heavier topics one might tackle (hence Morgan Freeman) - it weaves in an unbelievably predictable and downright camp plot the splatters so much blood around that it sometimes looks like a food fight with a ketchup squeezer. I suppose you can’t just make a film about what might happen if humans were able to use dormant brain cells without throwing in some crap that demonstrates exactly what humans, especially filmmakers, are doing with the brain cells in use: lots of gratuitous violence, drug smuggling, ruthless killers and car histrionics (but not nearly enough sex for a Scarlett movie). There were so many obvious holes in the good guy/bad guy plot that it really does become a silly, sometimes fun and sometimes flat out stupid sideshow compared to what’s happening to Scarlett’s brain. At times I wondered if Bresson hadn’t planned it that way, just to juxtapose the profundity of his hypothesis with the banality of Hollywood entertainment. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whether purposeful or not, the film is such a wild jumble of contradictions, metaphors, analogies, </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr_AZaY-mxjUxMdnme6ZhXjneWgm7b5xuJZlCN0-Z2N700sHGw-EQR__LWfkKKzIWmCIPsUrZ958kUiYgYse5celGt8mm0wwRzfBCcYyg_bfOoychUSFFuakb7ZITVy_uRaPEsK6tpM-4/s1600/lucy-movie-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr_AZaY-mxjUxMdnme6ZhXjneWgm7b5xuJZlCN0-Z2N700sHGw-EQR__LWfkKKzIWmCIPsUrZ958kUiYgYse5celGt8mm0wwRzfBCcYyg_bfOoychUSFFuakb7ZITVy_uRaPEsK6tpM-4/s1600/lucy-movie-4.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
proclamations, hypotheses and theories that you can’t help but feel a little tripped out just watching it. The segments at the beginning that juxtaposes images of a little African antelope getting run down and munched by a leopard against Scarlett (Lucy) getting captured by Asian drug goons serves as a warning to the audience not to take what they’re about to see too literally. And while the viewing experience is mostly pleasurable (hard not to be with SJ scampering around in stilettos and tube skirts), it’s the profound questions it tees up about the origins and evolution of the universe - things you think about after the curtain falls - that make it worthwhile, even if it doesn’t quite fulfill the promise of the opening and closing lines: <br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Life was given to us billions of years ago. And look what we've done with it.”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Next: images of chaos, crowds, urban decay, war, atrocity etc. etc. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then, at the end: </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Life was given to us billions of years ago. Now we know what to do with it.” </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And it’s all on a flash drive in Morgan Freeman’s lab coat. Can’t wait for the sequel. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQgn4ujrR5j2u3W_WIT7MJXzhv0eY1DF9wBda0vdZqfzpHcSr44NZxxYYvQXMIDbTODQeMx6kszfAAfKQRSWUxtVyhP-6hNuk1rYjCIcblr0mkOKDNHQHZL9ca5is9A5xsEU-d0-lstk/s1600/littlelimbogirls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQgn4ujrR5j2u3W_WIT7MJXzhv0eY1DF9wBda0vdZqfzpHcSr44NZxxYYvQXMIDbTODQeMx6kszfAAfKQRSWUxtVyhP-6hNuk1rYjCIcblr0mkOKDNHQHZL9ca5is9A5xsEU-d0-lstk/s1600/littlelimbogirls.JPG" height="49" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazvC1FfJybe9tA_oSyTk3n06ICSmrMH91bj9viAzYr4QjiTXzfRuVTLTI3aRwWa9QTMjsmGX9JBrZvarEtaSOLqIF1H6-BxW4_AXAXiSqCNg934DQDuC_vvqm03CHTdCF5CZ7Mi2QFKc/s1600/hack+poem.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazvC1FfJybe9tA_oSyTk3n06ICSmrMH91bj9viAzYr4QjiTXzfRuVTLTI3aRwWa9QTMjsmGX9JBrZvarEtaSOLqIF1H6-BxW4_AXAXiSqCNg934DQDuC_vvqm03CHTdCF5CZ7Mi2QFKc/s1600/hack+poem.JPG" height="164" width="320" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I got 'yer <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hack-Jeb-Stewart-Harrison/dp/098549302X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342998336&sr=8-1&keywords=Hack+Jeb+Stewart+Harrison">Hack </a>right here...</span></div>
Jeb Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230628615012095761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-577808099373170838.post-28080864075960425552015-03-27T11:55:00.000-07:002015-03-27T11:55:24.138-07:00Attention Identity Thieves! Don't Miss Our Spring Special!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRdzv79IMKitNWG8E5Ru0uERe6LqSjTKCG4ncZRzFN_PSLFQBg3I_3U208DK8X5nTk_CG4c-DKfJ3CyDKZt-cMmGSama-QImVqp8AjwAAuhwEIeD5YVqrXuS_8hisOeWYoo07pKPEph0/s1600/collage+face1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRdzv79IMKitNWG8E5Ru0uERe6LqSjTKCG4ncZRzFN_PSLFQBg3I_3U208DK8X5nTk_CG4c-DKfJ3CyDKZt-cMmGSama-QImVqp8AjwAAuhwEIeD5YVqrXuS_8hisOeWYoo07pKPEph0/s1600/collage+face1.jpeg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Used Identity For Sale or Rent</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why go to the hassle of stealing somebody’s identity when there are plenty of folks that would love will unload theirs for next to nothing. Like me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwolUydoKch4aUN6df5Zg5704saBJCr4eM4sToAHbIPfRgVcWNI7JR7ylQGAVsQ-1_ghB4gR6oT0Nw5K1p9MVXmviohWv_We3uFKDQpikEizJdEIqtOtyO4mwC5c5NCRj6EIyE_Yb5sY/s1600/medical+profile.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwolUydoKch4aUN6df5Zg5704saBJCr4eM4sToAHbIPfRgVcWNI7JR7ylQGAVsQ-1_ghB4gR6oT0Nw5K1p9MVXmviohWv_We3uFKDQpikEizJdEIqtOtyO4mwC5c5NCRj6EIyE_Yb5sY/s1600/medical+profile.JPG" height="380" width="400" /></span></a><o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Identity profile:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last Name: Jablome<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First Name: Heywood<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">MI: none<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Age: 60<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sex: M mostly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Height: 6’1”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Weight: 210 with a bullet<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hair color: pending<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shoe size: 11 1/2<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Waist size: 35" to 37” depending on where you belt it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Inseam: 34” and dropping<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Occupation: Writer, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Employment status: none<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Education: BS, English Education; MFA, Creative Writing <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Language: Spanglish<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sign:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pisces<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Race: White<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Religion: Catholic Buddhism or Buddhist Catholicism
depending on the phase of the moon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ethnicity: British Isles<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Political affiliation: Adelai Stevenson Democrat <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sexual preference: women that wear Brooks Brothers
shirts and nothing else, any ethnicity welcome, blacks and freckled redheads
preferred<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Options include:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wife, age TBD<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SSN: 012 34 5678<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Credit Cards: Ralph Lauren Polo Stores #23894829, Exp. Date.
11/2020; CVS; Safeway; Shell; Costco <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>165</o:Words>
<o:Characters>945</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Microsoft Office Suite</o:Company>
<o:Lines>7</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>2</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>1108</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bank account ID: Bank of the Azores, chk acct: #098762347<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What you'll get:</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A classic "boomer" identity like this is a "must-have" in every identity thieve's portfolio. You'll get what's become a lonely life in a Pacific paradise, wiling away the hours singing nonsense melodies to the dog, Mr. Booper (available at extra charge), writing on ridiculous topics like Smart DNS Proxy and FAA Drone Laws, and a penchant for medicating away the indescribable longing in your heart for...for...well, if you can figure it out, God bless ya. Your mind will feel like a swirling vortex of pain and confusion, and, though you will have memories of greatness an delusions of future grandeur, you're likely to get stuck in a cycle of unending regret for bad decisions and missed opportunities. Unfortunately this somewhat dour mental state and internal spiritual rot can manifest physically in the form of loud and odoriferous flatulence, chills, sweats, scrotal itch, bad breath, insomnia, acid reflux, abdominal cramping and debilitating nerve pain in the lower extremities. Fortunately many of these inconvenient distractions may completely evaporate in the face of fierce, self-flagellating, heart-ripping exercise or in the presence of beautiful women with dimpled cheeks and almond eyes. Taken together (the women and the exercise) the feeling of transcendence may last up to an hour. Additional temporary relief can be found in playing the guitar (bass or Spanish) and singing with earsplitting abandon; drugs; alcohol; audiobooks; painting landscapes; sex; gazing at a pair of natural, full breasts; Star Trek Next Gen episodes (featuring Counselor Troi or Dr. Beverly Crusher); dancing or otherwise gyrating to a real or imagined rhythms; Bitches Brew at high volumes; being with offspring and reveling in the hope of future offspring; helping little old ladies cross the street; prayer; meditation; communion; the beach at Sayulita and Mary's mole enchiladas; skiing or memories thereof; magic and other supernatural phenomena; and free money.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Act now, before it's too late!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This identity is still in workable condition but it's not likely to last much longer! Get while the getting is good! Call 1-800-JAB-LOME today!</span><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />Jeb Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08230628615012095761noreply@blogger.com0