Archive for October, 2005

I’ve been wracking my brain trying to think of a name for my web design company, when, by accident, I stumbled across the name I’d like to use for the almanac I intend to create someday. I’m excited about the idea at the moment, but that is of course subject to change at the whims of the muses.

I was reading about the Gadsten Flag. Perhaps you have seen it. It was an emblem used by revolutionary millitias and then by Washington’s troops themselves. Its the flag with the snake on it that says “don’t tread on me”.

The revoluionary spirit behind the flag has been perverted recently, I think. The flag got a big boost in popularity last year when the Secretary of the Navy ordered all U.S. Navy ships to display it for the duration of the War on Terrorism, but oh well.

Anyway, I was reading about the history of the flag when I stumbled upon a good name, that stays close to the roots of the “poor richard’s almanack”: “An American Guesser”

In December 1775, “An American Guesser” anonymously wrote to the Pennsylvania Journal:

“I observed on one of the drums belonging to the marines now raising, there was painted a Rattle-Snake, with this modest motto under it, ‘Don’t tread on me.’ As I know it is the custom to have some device on the arms of every country, I supposed this may have been intended for the arms of America.”

This anonymous writer, having “nothing to do with public affairs” and “in order to divert an idle hour,” speculated on why a snake might be chosen as a symbol for America.

First, it occurred to him that “the Rattle-Snake is found in no other quarter of the world besides America.”

The rattlesnake also has sharp eyes, and “may therefore be esteemed an emblem of vigilance.” Furthermore,

“She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage. … she never wounds ’till she has generously given notice, even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the danger of treading on her.”

Finally,

“I confess I was wholly at a loss what to make of the rattles, ’till I went back and counted them and found them just thirteen, exactly the number of the Colonies united in America; and I recollected too that this was the only part of the Snake which increased in numbers. …

“‘Tis curious and amazing to observe how distinct and independent of each other the rattles of this animal are, and yet how firmly they are united together, so as never to be separated but by breaking them to pieces. One of those rattles singly, is incapable of producing sound, but the ringing of thirteen together, is sufficient to alarm the boldest man living.”

Many scholars now agree that this “American Guesser” was Benjamin Franklin.

Franklin, of course, is also known for opposing the use of an eagle — “a bird of bad moral character” — as a national symbol.

I like that annonymous perrsona of “The American Guesser” almost as much as I like the more famous persona of “Poor Richard”, and so, if I ever get around to making that almanack, I think I will name it for that persona.

In an interesting bit of online behavior, my friend Letha Damalis has quit blogging. That’s not so interesting, in itself. After all, I have lately quit writing anything at all. It’s that she had to ask to be forced to quit. Letha chatted with me a few days ago, even though we live three blocks apart. She said that she’s addicted. She can’t stop reading, commenting, replying to comments, meeting people, flaming, e-dating, blogging, all of it. Its too much fun! She said it was getting in the way of her studies, even as she was chatting with me before the day of a law school midterm. I suggested to her that she give it a rest for a while. She said that she would. She also said that she would not, and she didn’t. Today, she has announced that another, cleverer confidant, took over the key to her MySpace account. A new password was set, one that Letha does not know. Her friend will return the password to Letha, when the time is right. Until then, she falls silent. Well, knowing her, she’ll probably hang onto an internet boyfriend or something.

I am not reading, writing, commenting, or replying nearly so much. My friends wonder if I might be up to some sort of superhero mischief. I wish, but no. I promised myself I wouldn’t chime in with a long rant about how awful writer’s block is. I promised I wouldn’t make a list of excuses (work, moving, etc.). Does that mean I can’t even write an explanation? I think it’s ironic, or at least difficult to accept; one of my friends has been forced to quit the wordplay, the constant reading and typing, for her own good. On the other hand, I’m trying to force myself into doing those things, for my own good.

I’m going to write a new short story soon. I won’t whine about the writer’s block, but I will share a tactic that seems to help me get around the problem. I tried my best to approach the creative problem academically, rather than creatively, at least until the demon feelings subside. I’ve been educated to understand things in terms of their parts, and to organize those parts. Stories are no exceptions. They have characters and situations and themes and literary devices… These things are so much easier to think of than “plot”, for me. So I’ll make a list of interesting characters, themes, etc, and I’ll randomly choose one item from each list, and then I’ll work out a story that combines them.

I’m hoping this little compositional trick will do for me what Letha’s new password has done for her – let me get on with my life!