The mystery quote - who said that in what book?

"That young girl is one of the least benightedly unintelligent organic life forms it has been my profound lack of pleasure not to be able to avoid meeting." (Got this from my memory - I hope it's right. Anyway, you should guess it from this version, anyway...)

I'm stumped!

"That young girl is one of the least benightedly unintelligent organic life forms it has been my profound lack of pleasure not to be able to avoid meeting." I have no clue. But all the double negatives have my head spinning like Anne Elliot's remark in Persuasion when she meets Capt Wentworth at the concert and they are talking about Louisa and Capt B. Something about not being overwhlemed. I know it must clever but I can never sort it out. It's like that "Own Grandpaw" song. Amy

Okay, I'll relieve you from your pains. That quote was said by Marvin the Paranoid Android, referring to Tricia Maximillian, or Trillian for short in the 3rd book of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy... It's someone else's turn...

If this was Usenet, I would cross-post this to the Austen conference... Amy, do you mean this? -- "I have hardly seen you since our day at Lyme. I am afraid you must have suffered from the shock, and the more from its not overpowering you at the time." She assured him that she had not. "It was a frightful hour," said he, "a frightful day!" and he passed his hand across his eyes, as if the remembrance were still too painful, but in a moment, half smiling again, added, "The day has produced some effects however; has had some consequences which must be considered as the very reverse of frightful. When you had the presence of mind to suggest that Benwick would be the properest person to fetch a surgeon, you could have little idea of his being eventually one of those most concerned in her r covery." "Certainly I could have none. But it appears-- I should hope it would be a very happy match. There are on both sides good principles and good temper." "Yes," said he, looking not exactly forward; "but there, I think, ends the resemblance. With all my soul I wish them happy, and rejoice over every circumstance in favour of it. They have no difficulties to contend with at home, no opposition, no caprice, no delays. The Musgroves are behaving like themselves, most honourably and kindly, only anxious with true parental hearts to promote their daughter's comfort. All this is much, very much in favour of their happiness; more than perhaps--" He stopped. A sudden recollection seemed to occur, and to give him some taste of that emotion which was reddening Anne's cheeks and fixing her eyes on the ground. What's the difficulty?

If you want, we could set up a topic that was cross posted to a usenet newsgroup. it's not trivial but it's near trivial. Since you can create conferences that have posts written to email all you would have to do is redirect the eamil to a usenet newsgroup.

] could set up a topic that was cross posted to a usenet newsgroup. ___ That's pretty cool. This Yapp thing, I knew it had some gems.

Henry, that's the most enigmatic quote ever! Mixu, yours gave me a terrible pain in the diodes. All down my left side. Now, who said this:- The worlds second-best science -fiction writer dedicates this book to the world's second-best science writer.(That's from memory, but you get the gist.)

In an obscure graveyard in the New York City borough of Queens lie the bones of Scott Joplin, dead for more than half a century, hopelessly insane. Hint: it's from a textbook. Sorry, I just couldn't resist, it's one of my favorite lines; something about the thought of those hopelessly insane bones just tickles my fancy (or am I the only strict grammarian?). Plus you can re-word it any old way: In an obscure dance hall in the capitol city of Austin dance the bones of (name here), alone for more than h lf an evening, hopelessly unattractive.

And now I will continue to barge in where I'm not really invited and take this in another direction (can you tell I'm on our better computer by the way this wraps iteself around?): I'm stumped and I need some help and worse still, the quote's not even from a book, it's from possibly the Chronicle from the early 80s. The author described following a car up I35 that had its parking lights on (ok my grammar ain't so hot today); she then analogized this to "tooling down the intellectual freeways of life wit my turn signal on." I just adore that phrase but wish I had the context. Ok, one more then I'll leave you alone (actually, I suspect that I'M the one who's alone here!): again, the chronicle or some such rag, early 80s, and I'm thinking Marion Winik--no quote exactly, just a hilarious article about The Minstrel Show in which women are forced to don tight tap shows and dance dance dance. Thank you and goodnight.

of course what I meant to say was "tight tap SHOES"!!!

I've heard of Marion Winik. What else do you know about her?

Too much: when I first read her stuff in Austin I just thought she was damned funny in exactly the way I'd like to be should my writing career ever come to pass. Now I know that she was married to a drug addict (heroin, I think) who got AIDS but she went ahead and had a kid with him (she or they already had one)--I may be getting some of the facts a little skewed, but that's the basic picture. I was astonished when I read how serious her life has been. Now she's raising the kids alone in Austin as far as I know; she has a book or two out. I like the way this topic suddenly got linked to Austin--it was a delightful surprise to see it pop up on my list here!

OK, reality check here--I decided that before feeding you any more half-truths I would take my pal terry's advice (I'd put a smiley face with frowny sarcastic eyebrows here but my computer raps my knuckles every time I get coy) and head on over to Amazon.com for the true scoop and sure enough, about the only thing I got right was that her husband died of AIDS. Actually (as related in her fabulous best-seller First Loves) he was GAY, they fell in love, SHE was the heroin hound, they had 2 kids together, t eir life was horrifically bumpy, then she assisted him in his suicide. Wow! Really packs a wallop, eh.

Really, that's some story. Think we can get her talking here?

I'll look her up and see if she has e-mail or a web page or something--have you ever gotten a famous person to chat? other than me, of course (hey! I was on tv as a kid!). I think she'd be extrememly interesting--her writing style is fantastic and funny.

Definitely worth a try.

Not sure this is the right place but do you know those car commercials that quote 'somethig wicked this way comes'? it is driving me nuts!! where does it come from?

I'll second that. I thought it was Shakespeare, Kay, but can't figure out which play. Hope someone out here is brighter than I am and knows the answer.

it's from "macbeth"...(the 3 witches)... "by the pricking of my thumb something wicked this way comes..." (was also a hell of a good book, by ray bradbury)

Thanks. I'll let everyone here know. Shows how well i sometimes pay attention, i've read macbeth, though not for years. Maybe its time to read it again. About the Ray bradbury, just looked on the shelf and there it is. Haf ta read it too. thanks again.

OK... I got one. Who said "...it's not any tougher in Washington (dc) than it is in Waco."

Janet Reno?

You got me on the book.

Nope... it's a quote of Ann Richards to Molly Ivans (in the book She Can't Say That, Can She) after giving the keynote at the democratic convention.

Now that you mention it, I remember Ann saying that. I knew it rang familiar. Molly is cool, I talked to her once about coming on the Spring but she said she was taking it in "baby steps" on the net. This was a while ago.

I say ask her again...this is a very 'user friendly' place. Just give her a psuedonym so she doesn't get bugged all the time.

molly on the spring would be extremely cool... my absolute favorite contemporary political writer... not sure a pseudonym could disguise her wit, however...

Molly Ivins, Honkytonk Sweetheart (and friends) will be appearing on March 21, at the Cactus Cafe on the UT campus. One set only at 11:15 pm. Kathi Kamen Goldmark, kkg@well.com, will be the backup singer with the big hair - well, one of 'em anyway. This is part of SXSW, so Kathi has no control over guest list or anything like that, but she thinks locals can get wristbands that get us into all the sxsw clubs. I think that we can.

Oh man! What a time to be stuck in New England! A video tape of this event sent to my home would be greatly appreciated. I'd offer to have the senders child, but we really don't want to go there....

Never can tell around here, Gena...

OK... I have another one. "I see elegance and beauty in every female athlete. I don't think being an athlete is unfeminine. I think of it as a kind of grace." ...tick, tick, tick....

Wilma Rudolph? Jackie Joyner-Kersey? You know it has to be a runner, because no one ever thinks gymnasts, skaters or swimmers are sacrificing femininity for their sport.

And the winner is.... Autumn! Your 2nd guess kiddo! It was Jackie Joyner-Kersey in a TIME magazine interview, 1988 and used, in part, as the title of her autobiography, A KIND OF GRACE.

I mean Jackie Joyner-Kersee... shame on moi!

But Autumn.. I've seen some pretty 'beefy' woman swimmers. Much bigger than runners... not that it isn't attractive.

Well to tell the truth, after I wrote that the women speed-skaters kind of went thru my mind...they have legs like tree trunks, ya know! I figured it had to be an Olympic sport, because whoever called female wrestlers athletes?

(and whoever called female golfers women?) as a species, i find female athletes to be extremely sexy, however...

ummm, was referring to lpga golfers... no offense intended to lady golfers in general... jordan baker was a golfer, after all, and she was quite attractive (a lousy driver, but attractive)... so please, no hate mail or anything... on second thought, lpga golfers are great (real babes), so just forget i said anything at all...

Sure thing, Nick...

Please tell me you weren't making a homophobic type comment... unacceptable under any circumstance. LPGA golfers are no more or no less attractive than their male counterparts in the PGA.

no no no no no... NO! that is not what i meant... actually, an image of jan stephenson popped into my head (and i don't know nor do i care to know her sexual orientation) and i typed it and i was sorry (almost) the instant i did... it was mean and i shouldn't have said it... and lpga golfers undeniably wear less polyester than their male counterparts do (god bless 'em all)... am shutting up now...

Jordan Baker was a cheater. Her unsportsman-like conduct renders her very unattractive.

yes... she was a cheater... (but i've known a jordan baker or two... and found each incarnation fascinating... and desireable, in their fashion)...

What are you doing up so late?

i'm always up this late... (what about you? it's 3 am there, isn't it?)

Yeah. Can't sleep--bad migraine. I'm gonna pay for this tomorrow....

sorry to hear that... i rarely get headaches (though i've been known to cause a few)... s'posed to be working, actually... but i'm more playing hookey, here... (though i am working, sort of... in between)...

Guess you're a day sleeper. Never noticed that you usually post at night! What do you do?

I just woke up, but I went to bed around 9 am tonight. And I'll jump back in the sack for another few hours sleep in about ten minutes. I guess this is the opposite of a "nap"; what's the opposite of a nap (a few minutes of wakefulness)?

no, i'm not a daysleeper... have to be up by 8 or 9 every morning (just don't sleep very much)... i own a couple of restaurants... i usually post when i'm writing... helps keep me fresh, because i write sorta in flourishes, and each "flourish" ultimately runs into a wall (if that makes any sense whatsoever)... never thought about it just like that, terry, but you're right... it is sorta the opposite of a nap... i do that, too... can rarely sleep more than 3 or 4 hours at a stretch... (though i'd better try and sleep soon... have to put in a 12 hour day at the joints tomorrow... or, um, today i mean)...

Nick, Autumn... you two need some sleep! Nick; not to worry about the LPGA jibe. Autumn; do you take anything for the migraines? I use Midrin for the real bangers. Terry; I know...topic drift.

Nick, where are you and what is the name of your 'joints'?

nick! how did that headache-generating situation at the home front turn out? Is everyone one big happy family now?

gena- i live in lampasas (pr. lay-uhm-PASS-us)... sure you've heard of it, being that we are the HEART OF THE COW COUNTRY, you know (not meaning to brag, of course)... my joints are about 40 miles away (yes, i actually commute to this paradisus bovinus), in the area of fort hood... stacey- you are referring to my ex-wife's current address (my spare bedroom)? situation is status quo, though she promises to be out by the beginning of summer... doesn't really bug me that much (i barely notice she's around) though my girlfriend, daughter, and mom still take the notion rather hard... (um, what about you? are you okay?)

So would that be Nolanville, Harker Heights, Killeen, Copperas Cove, Gatesville, Belton, or the smaller, lesser known cities?

nick, i think it takes a certain type of person to allow that situation to work. Kudos to you! (feeling better now that two of us on working on issues instead of just one. long way to go, i'm practicing my patience virtue and really involving myself with triathlon training and work. *smile*)

I agree with stacey, nick, you're a bigger person than I would probably be. Gena, midrin doesn't do a thing for me. I am caffeine-free, and when a bad migraine strikes, I treat it with a strong cup of coffee. The caffeine immediately works to constrict my blood vessels. A quote: "Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us."

"vanity of vanities... all is vanity", saith the preacher (and my mother)... stacey and autumn- thanks for the words... however, my motives are not entirely unselfish (good to have someone to wash the dishes on a regular basis)... and being that i was such a lousy husband- really (REALLY) lousy- seems like the least i can do... (pitifully small recompense)... wer- lesser known than nolanville? (you MUST know the area well)... restaurants are in killeen...

Oh, sure, I didn't mention Pidcoke, Topsy, Flat, Mound, Ft. Gates, Whitehall, South Mountain, or Morgan's Point...

hi guys!!

damn, wer... i've lived here for 6 years, and never heard of some of those places... how did you accrue such familiarity with this terrain?

Daddy worked for D.O.D. on South Fort, and I grew up in Gatesville...First place we "lived" in Texas was the Cowhouse Hotel(Motel?) in Killeen, checked in on 26 June 1975...

wow... gatesville's pretty cool... do you know that grant guy, owns a restaurant on the main drag, near the high school? nearly did a deal with him, few years back... the "cowhouse" is on gray street, right? been there recently?

the cowhouse? man, yous guys are in the kuntry!

Yep, know the place, not the guy though... Haven't been to Killeen in a while, no...

South Fort? Isn't that where JR lives? "do...do do...do do do do do do..."

wer- not missing anything (by not knowing the guy, i mean)... the cowhouse changed ownership a few years back, and last i knew was renting rooms by the hour... (uhhh, which i've been TOLD, of course... having no first hand knowledge of such matters)... autumn- (sigh)...

still can't get over that name, cowhouse....

(if you ever caught a glimpse of killeen's typical working girl, you'd know how apropos that name has become)...

Amen, Nick... that's what kinda place it looked like last time I saw it, too...

okay

Here's a leap back to Response 27 of 73, about quote "...it's not any tougher in Washington (dc) than it is in Waco." Found this conference while typin ing "Molly Ivans" to demonstrate to someone how a search engine works. Emailed Terry and was invited to join the conference. Proof: Molly may not be on Spring, but she's certainly on the Web. This conference's mention of her name was one of 39 hits I got from Alta Vista through Yahoo! Canada. Most of the hits were people quoting her. Since I've moved to Canada, I don't get to see Molly's work much these days; have to wait for the books. Do wish whoever is handling Molly's copy would post her most recent stuff on a Web site. Transplanted Texans everywhere would rejoice. Regards, A former Temple-ite (Templetonian?) (Temple's not far from Waco, for those of you not familiar with central Texas)

I call her from time to time but I haven't got her interested enough to check in here, there are other things competing for her attention! I would like to post more of her stuff here though. Hope you keep checking in with us!

"Had he seen something making me stand out like a sex-crazed cockroach making it with a pecan in a can of mixed nuts?"

i give up... who?

maybe I don't wanna tell 'till somebody guesses...

well... la DE da!

hehe...

Okay, it was Philip Jose Farmer in the short story, "Nobody's Perfect" in the Ultimate Dracula

it was on the tip of my tongue...

yeah, I bet...*laugh*

*wink*

I loved Farmer's writing years ago - got a bit away from that line in reading, but always loved the Riverworld books, especially the Samuel Clement and Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac characters, as both have been longstanding literary heroes of mine. Have you ever read any of the Riverworld books?

Sheesh...the only Farmer I read with any frequency is Fannie and this is the wrong conference to quote her...*sigh*

...how's THAT for a mystery quote?! *giggle*

was it by the Invisible Man? Claude Raines, where are you???

You guessed! Pass the torch to Ann for excellent deductive logic!

Actually it was more prosaic than that. I had two browser windows open at the same time, and I posted a boxing article for Terry in this one by mistake...so I scribbled it!

I promise not to post anymore when I am burnt out and having problems...sorry!

That's all I ever am, Marcia! Does that mean I can't post anymore, either? :-)

Don't even think of not posting...we need you! And, if we don't hear from you we worry about your being alright. If you'll forgive my occasional (I hope they will become that way again) goof-ups, I'll not notice yours *hugs*

The 'Remember' Buttons are Splendid to see...And you may rest assured that I am and will. (Where is that French I quoted last time...?!)

Autumn, you're flirting with the unthinkable. Marci you too. Please share your feelings especially when you are burnt out and having problems. Folks care.

Thanks, Terry...I could not stay away even if I wanted to. There is definitely an irresistable pull in this direction for my head and heart. I shall share. I really appreciate your concern...and, btw, it works both ways, you know! *Hugs*

Yep, both ways.

Spring is working so great today. I am all delight and warm fuzziness (hugging my monitor because it is as close to Spring as I can get)

Such kind words! My father-in-law passed away Feb. 1, and things have been in a tempest ever since...I'm sure you can relate, Terry. But hopefully all will calm down soon.

Autumn, I am so sorry! We did not know! Much sympathy beaming to your from Hawaii.

Autumn, best wishes.

Really sorry to hear that Autumn, I certainly can relate to what you're going through right now.