From: "Robert Borski" <rborski@coredcs.com>
Subject: (urth) alga vs. Robert Borski
Date: Mon, 15 Jun 1998 14:11:54 

Still in her balloon-puncturing mode, the chlorophyllic alga has written:

"Robert Borski is fond of his theory that Aunt Jeanine is actually an abo,
and to that end has "'hung fifty pounds of theory on nothing.'"

I would never attempt to deny this, but I do feel my methodology more
resembles the 'relaxation' approach cited by Dr. Marsch, which he
appropriates from engineering. I've picked my various
datapoints--Jeannine's crippled nature, the Blount account, etc.,
etc.--then attempted to link them together. This, at best, as Dr. Marsch
notes, results in a series of approximations--unfortunately, this is also
its weakest point. Everybody is entitled to his or her own series of
approximations as far as I'm concerned, whether it's you, Tony Ellis,
mantis or me. How many datapoints you plot is also up to you; in my
relaxation attempts I've tried to "clear up" or resolve as many different
areas of conflict as I possibly can. And doubtless, yes, much of my data
wrangling is Procustean. Others have differed with my conclusions and I
think this is valuable, because it then gives everyone else who doesn't
have an approach yet something to pick from. Should there be no conflicting
theories about "Tracking Song"? No series of approximations that attempt to
make sense of "Suzanne Delange"? Of course not. So there you have it. Yes,
my various confections are often spun from imaginary sugar. Then again, no
one is required to take a bite of them or swallow them whole, and if you're
on the diabetic side you may be advised to run from them altogether. I
still reserve the right to make my own candy.

>What's your Vironese name?

I made a deal with you, alga, and I intend to honor it. But I also feel the
need to speak up for the many subscribers of this list who still continue
to use their real names. You may fault them ( and me) for being too
anal-retentive and unimaginative and not exactly getting into the spirit of
play because of our refusing to adapt Vironese names, but quite
frankly--and please forgive me here if I'm co-opting attitudes that aren't
necessarily valid for everyone--many of us simply are not comfortable with
the notion of alternate names. Some of us feel it's silly. Some of us feel
it detracts from our validity as lovers of Wolfe. ("Hey, guys, let's
discuss some of the heavier aspects of astrophysics--only let's do it under
Klingon pseudonyms.") Others of us have nine months to pick out a name for
our child in utero, only to have it be born and still have no clue what
we're gonna call the little bundle of joy. There's also the additional
burden of picking out a name that's suitably clever, because none of us
wants to be thought dumb or jejune by our peers. And lastly, if we're ever
to attract newcomers to the list, some of us feel its important not to have
a singular clubhouse approach to anything because it smacks of cliquishness
and inbreeding.

My personal observation is that those of us who've wanted to adopt Vironese
names have done so, while those of us who are more comfortable posting with
our real names have acted similarly. As long as each group continues to
honor the other and addresses the poster as he or she wishes, isn't this
more important than a single groupthink do-it-my-way-or-else position?

In other words let's continue to follow the status quo and avoid the
bullying requests.

That being said, it's time to unveil my Vironese name. I'm also going to
stipulate I'm comfortable being called either by it or my true name (I
intend to use both from now on). 

For a while there I was very fond of 'spiracle'--that way whenever lovely
alga called me a blowhard, I could more easily convince myself that this
was a term of endearment rather than rebuke <g>.

Somehow it didn't look right, however. And so I've chosen otherwise.

Ergo, for those of you of Vironese inclination, call me scolex.

For everybody else I'm plain Robert Borski.

Call me however you please--just not late for dejeuner.

scolex (Robert Borski)


*More Wolfe info & archive of this list at http://www.urth.net/urth/