Friday, January 21, 2005

What's Troubling Osvaldo?

If my last name were Ng I would feel very different from the way that I feel now.

This morning I received junk e-mail in my work account. I never give out that address to non-work-affiliated people because 1) there’s no reason to and 2) I receive many very large attachments and have the damnedest time keeping my account within my required space. Almost every day I open my account to messages that I’m about to go over / have gone over my limit. And then I spend a wrist-aching amount time searching for messages that would be ok to delete. Anyway, I received this e-mail, which I didn’t open because I could see it was not S____ M_______-related. It comes from Osvaldo Lin, subject line: important, and was sent at 10:28 this morning:

I’d love in 1860 what’s troubling you stars battle in 1962 Wimbledon

This is the most intriguing piece of junk mail I’ve received. First there is the very human emotion love oddly reaching itself into a time long past, but with no object. This is followed by, and without punctuation, a question which also isn’t punctuated, directed at me I assume since the message came to me. What’s troubling you? How did this person know something is troubling me? Wait, is something troubling me? Usually one thing or other, however major or minor, is troubling me. Osvaldo knew and cared to inquire. This is followed by the metaphorically spun "stars battle". Oh, do they, I thought. What sort of stars? How interesting. Stars battle. Stars battle in 1962 Wimbledon (the only word that’s capitalized, by the way). I happen to be reading Infinite Jest, which includes intermittent passage involving tennis. Osvaldo knew. When he/she sent this message, Osvaldo knew something. Notably, stars battle at a major tennis tournament almost one hundred years later than Osvaldo loves, intransitively. Very curious.

Let's get the couch outside this weekend which, this particular Jersey week's end, is proposed to include snow and birthday celebration.

3 Comments:

Blogger glomgold said...

There is the occasional spam which gives me a good laugh, either due to its subject line or the sender's name. In this case it's both! If this really was a human sending the junkmail trying to solicit something, what could his intention possibly be? No one will ever know because anyone with common sense will not open such a message but it boggles the mind. Is that book good? I've been curious about it but it is large and therefore intimidates me.

6:32 PM  
Blogger Sara said...

The book is good, yes, so far. I admit I'm going about it rather slowly. So it goes. It is indeed big, which had been scaring me off, but then it's always going to be big.

7:17 PM  
Blogger Mr Anigans said...

if my last name were ng, my name would have the power of ten gorillas.

10:17 PM  

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