Oct 25, 2009

the mystery on page 81

a big mystery! i got to page 81 in the Agatha Christie and noticed a neat pencil mark underlining the page number.
i was reading all the A.C.'s at the local library.
one by one, i read them and, always, a neat pencil mark underline on page 81. same with the Nero Wolfes! and, in fact, all the mysteries. i started seeing it in the other books!
someone has been here before me.
by observation, deduction, and clever questioning, i solved it.
Mr. Whittaker! he'd been doing this since he was 81. you can bet that HE never got half way through a mystery only to realize he'd already read it. this happens to me ALL the time, but fortunately, i don't usually remember how it turns out, and i just read it again. the funny part is that when the library replaced a book with a new copy, he'd happily and innocently READ IT AGAIN and underline page 81.
i want to do this with youtube!! people send me links and i watch them and think "this is great!" and send them to people who email me back..."you sent me this last year!"
not everyone is as lucky, or unlucky, as i am -- to have a magic slate for a brain that wipes itself clean. just me and Mr.Whittaker!

9 comments:

  1. I never saw that film that was about a person spray-painting his dead brother's fireman ID number everywhere (I never saw it, as I say, but that's my vague recollection of the plot), but I definitely think you should start a GLOBAL GRAFFITI MOVEMENT where everyone tags "81" everywhere. Also in Bookcrossing. It will be the way the common man fights back against the evil overlords - "81" will make us feel connected - not alone. The evil ones will try to figure it out but will fail. Haha!

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  2. great idea! but then Mr W will find nothing to read! he has fallen off the radar, perhaps it won't matter. but if anyone who reads this blog checks their local library for mysteries with pg 81 underlined, maybe we can track him down!

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  3. That's a good point. What if we start a blog that has only pages 81 from bazillions of books? Or maybe write a novel using only one full sentence from bazillions of books' pages 81.

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  4. 81 is quite an impressive number! wikipedia says it is the atomic number of thalium, number of prayers said in the rosary at night, and the arabic numerals for 81 are visible in the left palm of the human hand. wow!

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  5. What about 42?

    Wo42lf

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  6. "81 = the symbolic number of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. 'H' and 'A' are the 8th and 1st letter of the alphabet, respectively."

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  7. "81 = the symbolic number of the Human Age internet game. 'H' and 'A' are the 8th and 1st letter of the alphabet, respectively."

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  8. 42 is the answer. 81 is part of the question.

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