Enjoying the blog and now less concerned from an OPSEC perspective than your earlier posts (keep it that way). As a fellow Mark Helprin fan, I agree that is safe to say that his lack of recognition by the literary community is due to his politics. From the little I have read of him on Iraq, he doesn’t seem to have much positive to say to his right-wing brethren. I find this line from “A Brilliant Idea and His Own,” one of the stories in his collection “The Pacific” puts great perspective on the current situation: “War was like a series of windows, each narrower than the one preceding it, until in the end nothing was left of light or choice.”

In case your interested, working at WRAMC is starting to feel like being on the Titanic (except you know ahead of time that the ship will sink, unfortunately my lifeboat, otherwise known as the ADSO of 2011, is not leaving soon enough).

Be safe,

Brendan

the first line of _1984_

Also the title of the first record album I bought with my own money….by Van Halen….the record…not the book..it was by George Orwell.

Thank you so much for welcoming me! I figured that one way to put me into context in this internet extended family might be to reproduce the two e-mails which I sent to Erik earlier this month. Hope this doesn’t take up too much bandwidth (whatever that is).

mary in pennsylvania
MKBadami@aol.com

Also a “p.s.” to Christian: Erik e-mailed me in reply and interpreted your message to him. I still remember when my family got its first telephone (yes, an ANALOG DIAL TELEPHONE) about 60 years ago, and whenever possible I have whimsically used parts of that first phone number as my “password” when navigating this e-territory.

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Tuesday, March 13th

Erik –

. . . I am the former wife of a military man who served a year in hot steamy Vietnam back in 1972. He was a JAG officer, and allegedly not on the “front lines” — but as you well know, there is no such thing as not being in combat when you are in a combat-ridden country. Jim got through his 13 month assignment, and although we divorced thereafter, we remain friendly (if not exactly friends) in mutual concern over welfare of our children, who are now ages 44 and 42. Your blog brought me so many memories of a pre-internet age, where our family (myself, my children, and my mother, all of whom stayed in Germany where I was teaching for the overseas campus of the University of Maryland and was declared “head of household” in Jim’s absence) exchanged little photo albums which took weeks to arrive, sent audiotapes through APO/FPO mail, and on one extraordinary occasion, got to talk via military transmission: “hello, Jim, this is Mary. OVER.” “hello, Mary this is Jim. I can’t believe we are talking to one another. OVER.”
. . .

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Thursday, March 27th

Erik –

How good to hear from you! Honest!
I’ve been reading your blog at least once a day. Honest!
I am still assembling my version of your “care package.” Honest! (It had included yellow Peeps and jellybeans until Easter Sunday morning, when a last-minute visit to friends with children required a measure of sacrifice. Sorry about that, but it was in a good cause! Honest!)

Although I am not by nature or practice a “shy” person, I must admit to feeling too reticent to add comments to your blog entries for now . . . it’s definitely a family-respect thing, and at least in part a technology-thing (for example, you got a reply from “Christian” who wrote: “Dr. Rupard, There is freeleech on Waffles so if there is anything you want/need let me know!” I HAVE NOT ONE CLUE, NOT ONE CLUE, ABOUT WHAT CHRISTIAN IS SAYING TO YOU. Honest!)

I worry that you will think that when I reminisce about my life and particularly my husband’s honorable service during the Vietnam era, that you will think that I am suggesting that your sacrifice is one whit less . . . which I don’t . . . but assuming that you and I are okay about that, I intend to write you an e-mail in the next few days reminiscing about my days as a once-a-week commentator on AFN radio in Germany with a 10-minute program, addressed to military wives, called “Girl Talk.”
. . .
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Welcome to the blog and feel free to educate. I was wondering what classes you taught in WI. I have a little communications under my belt as that was my first major in college before switching to English and meeting up with you-know-who: our beloved author, E J Rupard himself. I worked for PBS back then in Master control and in the studio. It was the best job I’ve ever had or will have besides taking care of my kids which I love to do: I honestly feel pretty spoiled in life. Were you at all in the production end?

Our daughter Maddy (17 tomorrow) arrived home from school and announced very recently that she wanted to major in English lit. eventually to teach AP lit. as she really admires her teacher this year and she quite seriously can create analogies out of anything ie. a mollusk, piece of tape et al….I think now we’re back to Theatre and media arts for the moment though… I was briefly so excited. It would be so perfectly fitting for her to teach English literature since Erik and I met in our Enlgish literature 251 class at BYU, what seems like eons ago. Back then he was primed to teach English at the college level and did briefly before deciding on med. school.

Very nice to meet you. Erik says your husband served in Vietnam and you had some kind of a radio program.

Well the girls just walked in and we are officially off on an adventure. I’m not a camper…. Should be interesting. Pray for me.

Erik — well, having read my way through the Science Fiction and Fantasy shelves of the Public Library in the Bronx, NY, during my childhood and early teen years, I was so excited that you posted such a memorable opening sentence, to the point that I overcame my reticence by openly joining this conversation (blush!).

Melissa — Well, I don’t know if you-all are quite ready to accept a 66-and-a-half-year-old newly retired college Professor of Communication Studies as your sibling . . . but I do appreciate the offer. LOLOLOL !

Becky in Reading — Hello, near-neighbor, Bloomsburg here! When I first applied for this job more than twenty years ago (I was teaching in Milwaukee, WI, at the time) my midwest friends and I had never heard of this place .

also to Becky — your brother Erik was a formidable presence for a while on bulletin boards in which I participated related to eye problems . . . (I was/am “gloomsburg” on SurgicalEyes, mary on LaserMyEye/D’Eyealogues, and use my full name on Dry Eye Talk). Erik posted a bit ago on DETalk saying that he was deployed to Iraq and offering the link to this blog. I have read it every day so far, and feel that I “know” you-all in some profound ways.

Erik — little did I imagine when you posted that the “first to get the literary reference wins,” that the prize would be such immediate and warm invitations to join your stateside family!

mary in pennsylvania
(MKBadami@aol.com)

Where in PA do you live and how do you know Erik? I am Erik’s little sister, Becky. I live in Reading, PA (actually in Sinking Spring). We are happy to have you come aboard.

Erik,
So good to hear from you. Things here are good. We had a great time with the fam at Easter. Much good food, laughter and marshmallow peeps. We all spoke about how much we missed you and how fortunate we are to have this daily blog to keep us from needing to guess and worry about where you are. (We still worry some). Love you, Beckles

Spot on. One of the best opening lines in all of literature, as it set the ominous tone for what was to come.

Not many writers like Orwell these days, as good-quality anti-government (1984) and/or anti-leftist/socialist (Animal Farm) writing has been disallowed by the arbiters of fashion. Ask Mark Helprin, who has written brilliantly over the past decade, but has received little mainstream recognition since his first novel (after which he revealed his libertarian political bent). Orwell’s best work, and most revealing look at the follies of big, oppressive government is in his brilliant autobiographical essay “Shooting An Elephant.” Good stuff.

I can’t help but wax political every now and then…

Please join theRupard nutters. We don’t have a Mary and they always sound really sweet. Plus, we can obviously use your brainpower. I am Erik’s older sister by 3 years and as the official oldest girl, you are cordially invited to our family blog. Get my email from Erik if you would like.

Erik, Crt calls for more pictures. I wish I could send you some home cooking. Also, don’t be fooled by Christian, he gets a gourmet lunch made for him,courtesy of me almost every morning, so he has no complaints. Only when they eat all the bj’s lunch food do the kids actually have to buy their poison from school. love, Melissa

mary in pennsylvania

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It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.
George Orwell, “1984″, first sentence
English essayist, novelist, & satirist (1903 – 1950)

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