Which Reminds Me

Yes, I don't remember ever saying anything about shaming people. That is not what I said, but whatever I did say, it wasn't that.

Which Reminds Me

Yes, I vaguely remember that when starting as a reported, covering a City Hall story, that the first story that I wrote was a bit of a jumble, it wasn't clear what was happening there. So later my boss arranged for me to meet with Mr. Burt, the city manager, who kindly explained to me about Robert's Rules of Order, a book to better understand the city government meeting game, and about how there needs to be a motion and then a second of the motion, before actual business can happen, so just because one or another council member is having a theatrical moment talking about wanting to have his ducks in a row, that does not necessarily mean very much, more context would be required to put that commentary in a more understandable context for the reader. 

Which Reminds Me

Yes, I understand that some people are just too rich for my blood. I don't need them to explain that to me about blood types. After all, did not they shove their negativity in my face every day of high school? I can think of no reason to further dialogue on these points.

Which Reminds Me

Yes, I have no memory of ever having discussed my personal beliefs with Miss Caylee Canard. There is nothing to say to this irrelevant person. If she wants to sit there popping out babies without benefit of marriage, that is her stupid decision to make.

Which Reminds Me

Yes, after some digging around, I dredged up the name of Kari Kynard. So that may be who you are, and I can easily imagine you would be irritated to hear yourself called "Miss Canard," although actually no one did that, no one is thinking about you at all, no one can remember what was that trick you were trying to pull of that got yourself fired, or how did it go for you later at the Tampa Tribune. Just because you are a graduate of FSU, was that supposed to guarantee you something special? They have a building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, how can we compete with that?

Which Reminds Me

Yes, I know, they put on such airs of having some fascinating secret they are hiding, and really they are nothing but useless trivia. I don't really want to hear more about that, am not really so easily fooled as you seem to imagine by their little tricks, but anyway I am stuck in this loop and can't seem to find a way out of that, so I just have to wait for "THE END" script appears on screen so that I can finally log out.  I have some other future awaiting in the U.S. whenever I can find my way back home.

Which Reminds Me

Yes, I vaguely remember that there was something about the Bible book of Esther, because my Grandma Calkins' name was coincidentally Esther, which also was the name of her mother's half-sister, and also Grandma Calkins had an LP recording of the book of Esther narrated with many special sound effects, very well done, I remember being allowed to listen to that. So the story of Esther can be heard in recordings or read in the book, either way.

Incidentally, I remember that someone was wanting to make some interesting points about that book, especially the latter part of it, that are not much discussed, such as the point of Esther being given dominion over the house of Haman, who was hanged on the gallows that he had built for Mordecai, and his ten sons also executed.

Haman had plotted one day of persecution for the Jews, whereas Esther countered that with two days of revenge over the enemies of the Jewish people, a double portion.

So the revenge of the Jews over those who hated them was authorized by the King Ahasuerus, who lived in his royal palace at Susa (now in Iran), and this he granted to his beloved Queen Esther, to block or effectively nullify the violence previously requested by Agagite Haman. 

It says that Haman had bet or cast his lot (Pur) in favor of the Jews' destruction, but he lost, so that is what you mean by playing games, and "Purim," because Esther cast her lot by daring to enter the throne room uninvited, and she won. 

In celebration of this event, which could not have happened without the King of Persia himself to authorize everything, the Feast of Purim was instituted, on which day people exchanged gifts and feasted.

And then the story ends in a cloud of historical and timeline uncertainties. 

Who was Vashti, the previous queen, and why should we are about what happened to her later? 

What happened to any other descendant, daughters, or relative of Haman the Agagite? Where are they now? 

If the house of Haman was the house of a hater, what does that say about the house of Christ? about the house of Nebuchadnezzar and Darius and Cyrus? Where are they now? 

I am confused. I don't know much about that beyond the text of the Bible story. 

It makes an entertaining narrative and LP recording. 

 

 

Which Reminds Me

Yes, that was a bit awkward during high school, this pack of FBI (or CIA?) agents masquerading outwardly as friends of mine, but actually behaving the opposite of that. But whatever. I am an upstanding citizen so they could not possibly have anything to say about me. Far be it from me to interfere with their investigations of wicked witch Martha and the Puerto Rican mafia. Certainly, that would not any of my business in any way. That much was clear to me.

Which Reminds Me

Yes, I vaguely remember the existence of Kim & Tony, don't they look so cute together. And what is he, Malaysian/ Didn't she at one time live on the second floor, down the hall from Lynda Botsford? So like, whatever. However, while I would be willing to pay my debts, I don't think for a moment that I owe them even a dime now. Where is the paperwork to prove something about them? I don't see why I have to drag them around me wherever I go. Enough of that.

Which Reminds Me

Yes, it must be very uncomfortable for you, thrashing around in the lower levels of that Dutch Reformed School and/or tangled forest of thickets, but anyway, there really is no grand prize for trying to climb in through a Johnny Carl window, especially where there you will find almost none of that. You would end up committing suicide if you continued on such a fruitless path, When are you going to learn to just let them go? They are going to do whatever they want to do, so fine, whatever, but not on my dime.

Which Reminds Me

Yes, I vaguely remember that once, many years ago, I put my classified ad in one of those Christian dating magazines, which is said to work for some people but not much luck for me, because I received only one letter from some guy in the Midwest, maybe Illinois, I don't remember now, but for some reason I never did write back to him and continue that. I don't know why I just didn't quite have the motivation to communicate further with such complete strangers.

Which Reminds Me

Yes, it is unfortunate that some people are intercepting the mails and tapping the phone lines. With that in mind, you shouldn't be expecting to hear more from me any time soon, probably never.

Which Reminds Me

Yes, I remember hearing, after the fact I should emphasize, that the Wilsons were imagining that I should be babysitting all those Persian/Italian relations of theirs whose existence they had not previously mentioned, due to their own political inconvenience in acknowledging their alliance with Iraon. So now you tell me, after spending four years of high school dissing me with wrong information. Sorry about that, but too late now. There is nothing that I can do about that now.

Which Reminds Me

Yes, I sort of got that our Sicilian/Italian classmate thinks that she has some Persian ancestry due to the various migrations of Europe, which explains her darkish skin color and which is what she is emphasizing in solidarity with her other high school classmate who is also Persian. Not me. I never thought that had anything to do with me, I am not Persian, but we all just are supposed to sing along however they tell us even when I do not know what I am saying.

Which Reminds Me

Yes, one can easily imagine that you were not expecting me to knock myself out trying to defend your indefensible impeached "Uncle" or "Sixth Degree Cousin" or whatever the connection might be, I never had occasion to ask for details of that arrangement. I don't really need to know. 

I only remember that my grandparents voted for Nixon, in contrast or contradistinction to their distant relative or friend in Texas who was said to be an employee of Lady Bird Johnson. I really don't remember those people. 

These matters are too far off the outer margins of my awareness to be bothered about.

Which Reminds Me

Yes, you have succeeded in convincing me that you are ten times more prejudiced than myself ever would have thought of being, but anyway I don't feel like arguing about that, and anyway there is no great prize to be had for winning such an argument one way or another, to be thrown to the dogs and torn to pieces is no great thing to look forward to. End of conversation. 

Which Reminds Me

Yes, it is somewhat distracting, the way those nasty rich people carry on so about their inheritance, as if there were some reason why they should consider me their slave property, belaboring the point in the most ridiculously rude and disgusting way. Actually, I don't work for them and they just get nothing from me. The matter of inheritance is very simple, actually. When I die, whatever I might inherit  from my parents would probably be passed along to my nephews and they will have to make some decisions maybe later about what to do with all this paperwork, but anyway this is not something to discuss with some busybodies in New York, because it is none of your business actually.

Which Reminds Me

Yes, I do think that I am person who can appreciate the ministry of Pastor Rents, although that was before.... Yes, that was nice of him to suggest that I might consider applying for a translator job in Louisiana, although I never actually did that. Somehow I did not feel that was the thing for me to do, and probably in retrospect it is just as well that I did not volunteer to put myself in that position, given my precarious circumstances. That is not really something to discuss with some rude person who thought that I was the family dog, although I am not referring to Pastor Rents when I say that.

Which Reminds Me

Yes, I vaguely remember there existed at our college a student named Rusty, who was said to be from Melodyland, one of those places that no longer exist, so what that all meant forty years ago would not be possible to discuss at this time. Melodyland was demolished to make room for some other urban development.

Which Reminds Me

Yes, I seem to remember hearing that the Oneness people put a different emphasis on name theology, but I would have to refer all questions about that to more eminent theologians who have studied these matters. as for example Baker. Of course, all Christians look the same to you.  You would not be able or equipped to make these subtle distinctions. You have no ears to hear.

Which Reminds Me

Yes, I have noticed your odd obsession with the name of Li. Li who/ I don't think that I know anyone by that name.

Which Reminds Me

Yes, I vaguely remember as a child reading a book that Grandma Calkins had about Kathryn Khulman, which was a variety of amazing testimonies of persons who had been miraculously healed from some very serious diseases. Very interesting. One could easily imagine that all such evangelists could produce an abundance of such testimony books, but perhaps many are called but few chosen. I don't know why some other evangelists don't seem to be producing such books. Only a few are able to do that, perhaps. So that was the only thing that I was saying about that. Interesting to hear all of these other various garbled renditions of what I had originally said.

Which Reminds Me

 

Yes, I vaguely remember that while I was visiting my friend at the Sanchez house, she hands this book to me and then says that she is not allowed to read it, but for some reason she is telling me about this and seeming to indicate that I could read it, so I read the book, which was not a long book, and I was curious the way it was presented to me, and I had remembered that at high school a classmate of mine had done a book report on Solzhenitsyn, so I would expect something along those lines. and at the end of the book the Russian KGB spy becomes disillusioned with his life and defects to the West, as did also Solzhenisyn. Someone was saying there is a rather large colony of Russian defectos living in the Northeast of the U.S. But before you get to the end of the book you have to wade through much junk of a rather dreary nature, and sometimes that sticks in your mind more than the end of it that is supposed to be the point of the story, so that was depressing. 

 Which reminds me of a time when I was attending a youth meeting at a church in Miami, and the speaker was giving his testimony about getting saved and being delivered and his life transformed from being a drug dealer. But during the first half hour at least of his speech he detailed various drug deals that he had carried out in the Everglades, of which he later repented fortuantely, but that was more information than I needed to know about that, myself not being in law enforcement. I do not remember who that guy was.

Which Reminds Me

Which Reminds Me

Yes, I never claimed to be the owner of a book about a Russian spy and his various KGB operations, nor do I care to be reminded of that dismally lurid thing that I rather wish I had not read, but anyway, I forget now the title of it and who were those people. I would rather not have to think about that. All you have to do is ask the Sanchez family who owned the book where they got that from, because I have no idea. I'm going to Frisbee that thing right back in your face if you say one more thing about that.

Which Reminds Me

Yes, I vaguely remember the time when I was 12 years old, and my grandmother came home with a bag of groceries in which was included a bag of pork rind chips. I opened the bag, ate a few, gave some to my cousin David and he ate some, and then he asked me what that was. When I told him "pork rinds" his expression of horror was a bit extreme, it seemed to me. After all, my cousins never mentioned anything about being Jewish. Was there something else you forgot to tell us?

Which Reminds Me

Yes, I vaguely remember that during my second year at SCC, the director of our college choir was Johnny Carl, who was a somewhat accomplished musician, but he was only at our college for one year. Later he went to the Crystal Cathedral and for many years was directing their famous Christmas pageants and music program. I remember hearing that Roberts would be studying musical composition privately from Mr. Carl, so that sounded interesting. Later Roberts did a recital of her musical compositions, interesting. I don't know much else about that, I left about then and did not hear very much about what happened later, whatever were those upheavals in the music department. Nobody ever tells me anything.

Whch Reminds Me

Yes, I vaguely remember that while at Hialeah, there was a youth retreat and we went to the Keys and there was one evening service out doors, where there was a girl playing a guitar and singing some songs, it was a nice evening, a nice concert, I don't remember much about it now, she wasn't part of our group, I did not remember her name later. Someone was saying that I had bad-mouthed her even though I could not remember her name or who she was, only something vague about that evening. So that was weird. I do not remember having a strong opinion one way or another about her, that I would want to adopt this verbiage that you were trying to assign to me. Perhaps I might not be interested in performing in your private soap opera/novel written by heroine addicts. I am just saying.  

Which Reminds Me

Yes, I vaguely remember that during the short time that we were attending a church in Hialeah, there was a Cuban guy there named Mark, I do not remember if I ever knew what his last name was, but he did once sing a trio in church with my sister and myself. He wasn't very friendly. Angry and surly, maybe. So that is pretty much the sum total of everything that I can remember about Mar,k. He was my sister's friend, not mine. And then there was Mark Rentals, who married some rude Cuban person, I forget who she was. I don't remember those people very well, they were my sister's friends mostly. I did not spend very much time there and I don't remember names, so it is a bit annoying to hear all this online yammering from them. Why should they bother to say hello in person when they can just knock things out online? Why should I care about that? I could live the rest of my life without caring if I ever hear from those nasty people ever again.  

Whch Reminds Me

Yes, I suppose that you were expecting me to apologize for not being of the proper blood type, but anyway, I would only be pretending to care about that.

Which Reminds Me

Yes, I vaguely remember that a high school classmate of mine announced her intention of becoming an FBI agent. That was 10th grade. I never really heard whether that ever happened. I suppose that the FBI can always use some Italian people to help in their righteous crusade against the mafia criminals, given that they have a special ability to infiltrate the mafia and document their personal tax history and other details of their personal lives. I don't see where that has anything to do with me. I am not Italian. I don't have any mafia connections. Those people all look the same to me. I wouldn't be of much use to anyone, it would seem.   

Which Reminds Me

Yes, I vaguely remember at college, during an open house in the dorm, that Tom Pettix and she were sitting there talking loudly about how they have nothing to hide, hands strangely clasped in front of them, and I suppose that I could have asked them to knock themselves out trying to explain what they meant by that, although I did not do that. What else would they do with that? It just wouldn't be worth it, trying to push that point any farther than it has already gotten.

Which Reminds Me

Yes, I vaguely remember the time when she was telling us about how she had been somewhere with Paul Olsen, and how she pinched him on the rear end, as if that were so funny. Shocking actually, but she is so stupid. Why are we dredging up all the garbage of a person who was such a terrible influence on me, as if it were the other way around.

Which Reminds Me

Yes, I vaguely remember during college, Tom Shirey was talking about having gone to see Ann Kimmel, a famous author and speaker who wrote little books whose typography was a bit unusual, but anyway Tom was talking about he thinks she is so cute and he really likes her little voice and so forth and so on in praise of Ann Kimmel. I forget now who else was listening to this conversation. Janet Mud? It wasn't only me who was hearing about that from Tom. Coincidentally, I had also read some of her books, but never went to see one of her public appearances so I can't say very much about that. I don't have any insights beyond what few books I read or at least half-read. I have so many books that I intended to read but I am not sure when I will get back around to finishing that 

Which Reminds Me

Yes, the way you say that makes it sound as if I had previously been aware of all of these cranberry connections, as if I had ever met all those other people, I only know they are the reflections of Uncle Winfred, and their rock-crushing operations, but whatever. That is none of our business. Needless to say. Obviously. We might try to be nice to Hawaii for Uncle Joe's sake, given that they lived there for some time, whereas we have no clue about Hawaii. I really couldn't care less about Hawaii. I liked to read those little books by what's-her-name, who talked about the problems of being a white person living in Hawaii, but she later married an Idaho potato farmer and disappeared from public view.

Which Reminds Me

Yes, I vaguely remember that my mother's pineapple upside down cake was a delicious dessert back in the day, especially when entertaining guests, although not recently. However, I sort of doubt that we are particularly attached to one or another brand of canned pineapple. The Dole brand is not necessarily a requirement for successful baking of a pineapple upside down cake, needless to say. Also, why should I waste my vote on a pack of Pineapple Party slop, when I could follow the example of all those smart people who are splitting their party ticket in the sort of One Party way? Now, there is something for shallow minds to ponder.

Which Reminds Me

Yes, I vaguely remember, while reading great-grandmother's diaries, noting that she had stopped there in Arkansas, during her cross-country trip of maybe 1960, to visit some persons who I could not understand who that would be, but probably by now, 60 years later, all dead probably, due to old age, if for no other reason. So there is really nothing that I have to say to Arkansas.