Blake Smith, an Atlanta Skeptic, (aka Doctor Atlantis) is one of the funniest
people I know. Yesterday on Twitter, I asked a friend what I should wear to meet Richard Dawkins next week. Blake's response? My selfish jeans!!
This morning on FB I posted a story from the UK Daily Telegraph “Why
Men Write Short Emails and Women Write Emotional Messages.
Here is Blake’s response and why I believe he is a modern day Mark Twain:
I found the subject of this posting so moving. I remember one time
in Spring – when I was much younger – a fine morning found me walking
in downtown Marietta, GA. The weather was so lovely that it made me
tear up just a bit. (Or perhaps that was my allergies kicking in…
memories are often confusing.) At any rate, on this particular day I
went… Read More by an antique store. Marietta has a lot of these. And
I saw a book there – all musty and worn, but clearly often read. I'd
never heard of it before. The authors name had been worn from the
cover. Yet someone took great care of the book despite how often they
read it. In the pages were little notes that said things like "How
true" and it made me wonder how long people have had highlighters
because some of the paragraphs were carefully underlined in red pencil
instead of the familiar yellow swaths of modern notation. Anyway the
ambulatory effects of reading the subject of this story from the
telegraph almost made me lose sight of the purpose of my posting this
reply in the first place.
Let me get back to my story. I had to buy this little book. I wanted to
get to know all I could about it and the person who'd owned it. There
was an Ex Libris sticker inside with a name, "Whitney A. Colmby" and
that was all I had to go by. A sticker on the cover of the book said
$11. In my ratty wallet I only had four dollars. So I took the book up
to the proprietor – this was before check-cards became so popular – and
I asked the owner if he'd hold the book for me while I went to the bank
and got some money. He agreed and I walked a couple of blocks over to
the ATM and got out a twenty. (The machine only gave 20's. And at this
time in my life that often meant I didn't have enough cash to get out
any cash because my balance didn't exceed the minimum withdrawal. Sad
times.)
But this time I was flush with cash because it was a Saturday and I'd
just been paid (via direct deposit) the night before. With my twenty
firm in hand I went back to the antique shop to conclude my purchase.
When I got back the antique store owner was reading the book! He was an
older gentleman, perhaps in his late 50's, and I noticed his eyes were
somewhat teary. I asked, "Are you okay?" He said that he was. He'd just
started flipping through the book while he waited on my return.
Business was slow that morning as it often is early on Saturdays in
Marietta. He'd come acoss a passage in the book where the owner had
underlined a long passage and written a note by it. The section was all
about the importance of finding a good husband and how that exemplary
servitude in a marriage is best rewarded by wonderful children, or at
worst, a great reward in heaven. And out to the side in lovely cursive
script Whitney A. Colmby had, in beautiful cursive, written, "Meh."
Anyway, the title of the Telegraph piece reminded me of that.
For more of Blake's funny goodness, follow him on Twitter @doctoratlantis, visit his website, or listen to Monster Talk the podcast he does with skeptiocal investigators Ben Radford and Karen Stollznow.
