This is hilarious. Images that, at first glance, look like pornography, but really aren't! You must check it out. Not because I am perverse, but because it goes to prove how suggestible the human mind is, how a simple arrangement in a context usually assigned to porn websites can call to mind, well, genitals. And being that I am single-minded and draw all things back to writing, it makes me think of semantics, and mis-readings and how easy it is to interpret something in a million different ways.

Take email for instance. One of the most consistent ways I've stumbled across to convey utter misperceptions, foul up communication and generally cause problems in a variety of relationships. You can say a lot in email without meaning to, because there's no body language or intonation to communicate the subterranean truths, and, most importantly, the vast majority of emails I write are dashed off, and read with the same haphazard energy. So many times I've re-read something I read once in one way, and discovered I'd totally overlooked the very thing that would have prevented my misunderstanding of it. And likewise, I've been told by others that sometimes they've dashed off something to me that came across in a manner they did not intend.

Or take a reader's personal, subjective interpretation of a book. Numerous authors have confessed to me that myriad themes and meanings drawn from their books were unintentionally read that way. They didn't even know some of them were possible extrapolations.

Today I celebrate the vast ways that information, visual or written, can be received, understood and interpreted.

For instance, I can tell you I got a new car. I did! Picked it up yesterday from the dealership. You might feel a little jealous. You didn't get a new car. Your rattle-trap barely makes it to the 7-11 and back when you wake up at midnight with a head cold and desperately need some nyquil just to sleep perhaps. What's so great about Jordan getting a new car. Goody for her. Whoopdie do! Then I could tell you, well it's a 1992 Dodge Colt that smells like somebody left a barrel of old mushrooms to rot inside it. The dealership is where my father dropped it off to service it. But man, it runs. And because I was able to obtain this car from a family member for basically nothing, I was able to get out from under remaining car debt on my last car, which was the newest car I've ever owned--a 1998 Saturn.

See, if I stopped at new car, you'd have one impression. And of course, what about that funky mushroom impression I gave you? It turns out I got air freshener that took care of it, new seat covers and vacuumed it, so it no longer smells like fungus and the grit is gone.

Somehow I think this whole post has been one long, barely connected rambling.

Who cares. I was overdue.

JPR