Tone

Most of the mail I get from D-news readers is friendly, but occasionally I do tick off people who respond by writing something nasty to me. The rare exception is that letter (or e-mail) I received the other day. A woman was concerned that I used the word "crap" in a column. She was distressed by my crude language and told me so. But she was very polite about it and offered both praise and encouragement along the way.

Now the honest truth is that I'll probably not stop using the word "crap" because I have liked that word ever since I discovered it in the fifth grade. But I genuinely appreciated the tone of the reader's e-mail and felt kindly disposed toward her and her posterity.

I had a fudge malt at Hires last night--probably the last I'll have in a while since it's supposed to be turning into winter tomorrow night. Bleh. Winter.