Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Thank you Mr. Heller

Dear Mary,
I yearn for tragically.
A.T. Tappman
Chaplain, U.S Army

7 comments:

  1. Still too prolix.

    Signed:
    ex-PFC Wintergreen

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  2. Seriously, I have no idea what's going on here. Maybe I have to be a programmer and visit porn sights while at work, but I'm not comprehending the Mr. Heller reference or what is going on with that blotted out error message.
    Citations please!

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  3. I think recalling the name of Brady's old blog might help you in your google search. You should also know that one of Brady's favorite books has the same name as one of my favorite movies. I definitely recommend the movie. You'll be amazed at how current the humor is in light of the current "mission" being "accomplished". Oh and also - for some reason at U.P., within the last few days, we get this "proxy is mad at you" message when visiting many completely innocent sites, including comments on blogger.

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  4. Fred's right that Joseph Heller's Catch-22 is one of my favorite books. I read it back in the day when I was a junior in high school.

    Catch-22 is set in WW II. At the beginning of the novel, the protagonist Yossarian has been assigned to censor letters while recovering in the hospital from faking a case of jaundice. The censored "Dear Mary" letter is one of the keys to the plot of this book. While censoring, he discovers how powerful it is to omit words and change the outcome of the communication. It's a liberating moment for him and propels him to learn how to beat the system and avoid being caught in a trap called "Catch-22". Incidentally, this book is the origin of the term Catch-22.

    I haven't seen the movie, but I'll have to put it on my list because of Fred's comment. Of course, I'd recommend reading the book, but I know your preference is towards movies.

    As for the "proxy is mad at you," steel-cut use to be innocent until Fred called me a homo, Munson's homo-erotic comment and murphini's pix of teenage girls in suggestive clothing. Perhaps it's on the slippery slope toward pornography that has prompted the management to block blogger images from viewing within the confines of their property.

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  5. Dear Management,

    I yearn for you tragically.

    Remington Steel
    Author, Steel-Cut Blog

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  6. I read Catch-22 in 8th grade after seeing it in our Dad's car trunk. First book I read that featured intense cussing, some "ahem-ahem" scenes (PG-13 by today's standards) and then brutally descriptive combat. Oh yeah, it was also seriously out of order. It was my first introduction to literature. I think Dad knew it would be a good thing for an adolescent to get his hands on.

    I've seen the movie. Turned it off. It's good, but can't compete with the novel.

    Not sure if "Catch-22" or "One Flew Over the Cucoo's Nest" is the great American Novel. They are both awesome.

    Signed:
    Major Major Major Major

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  7. Dude! I never knew Dad was so cool as to have a copy of Catch-22. Do you know if he's ever read it? He such a no-nonsense guy that I don't think he could tolerate Yossarian's antics. Am I wrong?

    Did you leave a copy of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in your trunk for your son to read?

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