I finally just got around to adding my e-mail addresses given me by the people aboard the Westerdam in exchange for the left-profile pencil portraits they sat for.  This essay is, then, not for everybody on my list.  It is to assure those who were in my “studio” on the Lido Deck at pool-side and who were given the pencil and charcoal sketch after I had collected some information and had sprayed the picture with fixative to prevent smearing.  If you receive this e-mail it means that I could translate your chicken scratches and insert the proper e-mail address into my list.  If you gave me your e-mail address and this did not arrive it is because I had difficulties in figuring out what your address was.  As it is, most of all my other old-timers have received this essay because I haven’t figured out how to compartmentalize the various groups of correspondents that have been created over the years.

Then, too, there is the list of addresses that some manager somewhere kicks out because either the address holder did not pay a bill or somehow the address got corrupted and I get that list each time I send out an essay.  You see, my problem is that I do not use the phone much.  I could call my friends and tell them they have not been receiving my THINKING ALLOWED pieces or their address was so bad that it prevented my computer working for a day or two. This is not a perfect solution but it works for me.

Now, to all the good friends I made on board the Westerdam.  I send out an essay most mornings (well, really, every morning) and you need not be alarmed or reply.  I have several regular responders and they mostly seem to agree with me.  Some fill me in on information I did not have and others try to contrast my wordiness with laconic one or two word responses.

The only rule new (and old) members who are on my e-mail list need to follow is that if my “stuff” gets too much for you to either agree with, disagree with, or follow --- you just tell me and I will take you off my list.

I’ll let in on a little secret:  Somehow, my THINKING ALLOWED essays are given to others to read and I will get responses from them and they put themselves on my address list.  I wish I knew how they did this. In any event, my list has grown by about 45 new addresses and I am sorry that those who did not leave me with an address will not receive THINKING ALLOWED.