Things That Happened While I Was Broken

While life screeched to a halt for me, the rest of the world did go on. Hard to believe, but true.

So here is one thing that happened:

I had a Letter to the Editor of The New York Times Magazine published.

AAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Not that I’m excited or anything.

There was an article in the Magazine in March that particularly struck a chord with me, so I dashed off a letter in my usual hilarious style. And I got an e-mail BACK!!!!!!

AAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!

It said:

“Thanks for writing. We hope to include you in the magazine letters column of April 6. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.”

Wow. My very own e-mail from the New York Times that isn’t asking me to subscribe. I decide to control myself and not send it back corrected. They didn’t capitalize “magazine”. I ignored the “letters may be edited for length and clarity” part because obviously my letter, which was both erudite and witty, was perfect as is.

You know what? I should just rename this blog “Wrong, wrong, wrong”, because that’s what I always am.

It was edited until it was crap. A crap letter. I had a crap letter published in the New York Times Magazine. But I am getting ahead of myself.

I received the e-mail on March 27. The letter wasn’t going to appear until April 6. So, as I crowed to everyone I knew, I said over and over and over “I don’t know WHAT I’ll do to keep myself busy until April 6.” Ha ha ha Well, we know now, what I did to keep myself busy was fling myself to the cement and create a general mess out of myself.

I wasn’t too disappointed when I saw they edited it. Of course they did cut out the funniest parts. And the libelous parts. And the sentence where I use the word “hubris”. That was the best part of the letter! How often do you get to use “hubris”?! Honestly.

At any rate, here is the link (mine is the second one down), which I am sure they will nurture in perpetuity for its wit and brilliance. I know I will.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/magazine/06letters-t-002.html?_r=1&ref=magazine&oref=slogin

I’m thinking about having this put on my tombstone:

Marie L. Cooper
Beloved Mother
AND (continued on back)
The writer of a Letter to the Editor
of the New York Times Magazine.