Jeanne and Rick: Happy to reassure you that you weren't seeing things (or weren't
not seeing things). As you probably know, dyslexia has some big advantages in visual perception, along with the disadvantages. Hence the dyslexic motto: "When life gives you melons..."
Roger: Roger that.
Bill:
This one, of course.
Bugsy: I've put the [noindex] tags on this thread, so I think we're safe. Your St*ner reminds me of a wonderful poem I encountered as a child, in
The Reader's Digest (author unknown):
Pretty Mary donned her skates,
Upon the ice to frisk.
Wasn't she a silly girl,
Her little *?
Ross: Actually, I had quite the crime syndicate, pushing illegal printer cartridges under the name Julie's Toner. But I'm trying to put all that behind me now.
Dear Cousin Allen: Can't take a hint about the extended family members, can you?
Actually, I could have been even more indecipherable by using my married name, which is 谢. And there are far more people named Zhu Li Xie (or Hsieh or Zia or other variants) than Julie Steiner, if I really wanted to disappear online. But the idea of masquerading as a Chinese person seemed far more dishonest than simply reverting to the way my maiden name was spelled a few generations ago.
Claudia: Sorry to hear about your experience. In my case, it's the people in my parents' generation that I have to worry about. (The kids can still be counted on not to give the slightest rip what I say, or how it might reflect on the family.)