#640 Verbal Threesome

Three separate things today.
First, I have to tell this story, even though Halloween is long gone. October 31st, about 6 o’clock Halloween morning, the front doorbell rings. I answer it and there’s this kid on the porch. He has some funky looking beak strapped to his face and what look like wings.
“Who are you supposed to be?” I asked.
“The early bird!” he replies.
Isn’t that a great story? Too bad I made it up. I wish I had thought of it 18 years ago. I would have dressed up my son and sent him around the neighborhood.
Okay, new thought. I was listening to some birthday list on the radio the other day and they said it was Slash’s birthday. You’ve heard of Slash, from the group Guns and Roses.
I’m always a little impressed by the semi-nonsensical stage names our performers come up with—Sting, Bono, Slash, Cher...
I’m curious if they do that to absolutely preclude their ever running for a political office.
Ladies and Gentleman, may I present President,um, Sting.
Anyhow, I had to wonder about Slash. I’m sure people see the name as a menacing and dark sort of choice. Like slasher flicks and slashing action with a sword. Or slashing the air with a blistering cascade of guitar notes.
What if it really is his name? And his parents were like nerds that named their children after rarely-used characters on the keyboard? There would be Slash and his punctual brother Colon and their friendly older sister Ampersand who always brought people together. And their little sister Tilde with the wavy hair.
I figured it was a pretty fanciful notion and then I looked up some legal documents and it turns out Slash’s last name is Qwerty.
New thought. I don’t know where to go with this but it struck me the other day that those lonely fellows in the coffee shops spend an awful lot of time with their computers.
Touching them and doing key strokes and really embracing their companionship to the exclusion of all others.
And the word Wifi sounds uncomfortably close to the word wife...
America, ya gotta love it