Alan,
	I don't think an apology is the right approach.  What would Twain
do?  I think he would try to apportion the blame equally on both sides.  I
once saw a letter he wrote to some nice lady who had written him long
before.  If I could put my hands on it I'd quote it exactly.  But the gist
was this: Although it's been a long time between my receiving your letter
and writing this one, MT said, it's likewise been a long time since you
wrote your letter.  So there's blame enough to go around and let's call it
even.
	In your situation, you could update the technique something along
these lines: "Although it may be annoying to some of you to have to read my
private greetings to another, the NSA has to read all of this stuff, so it's
really not right for you to complain, is it?"
	Just a suggestion.

Michel L. Stone
STONE & SUTTON, P.A.
116 East Fourth Street
Panama City, Florida 32401
(850) 785-7272
(850) 785-7094 fax
[log in to unmask]



-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Twain Forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
[log in to unmask]
Sent: Monday, July 11, 2011 8:16 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: The usual apology

No worries! Am just happy--and yes, a shade envious--to see you are on such=
 familiar terms with Rev. Twichell. :-)

M. L. Christmas

--- On Sun, 7/10/11, Alan Gribben <[log in to unmask]> wrote:


From: Alan Gribben <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: The usual apology
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Sunday, July 10, 2011, 11:38 PM


Hi, Forum Members,

Please accept my apology for falling into the trap--after a hard day of gra=
=3D
ding term papers and then gardening in the July heat--of mistakenly sending=
=3D
a personal note to the entire list.

I always vowed that I would avoid this error, but I finally made the slip. =
=3D
May others learn thereby.

Regards,
Alan
Alan Gribben=3D

=20
--- On Sun, 7/10/11, Alan Gribben <[log in to unmask]> wrote:


From: Alan Gribben <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Summer doldrums
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Sunday, July 10, 2011, 11:38 PM


Hi, Joe,

How goes it?

I am teaching two new courses this summer, so the class preparations have m=
=3D
e pretty well tied down.

Irene and I did get up to St. Louis to see Walt over the Fourth holiday.=A0=
 H=3D
e has finished his internship and now (gratefully) enters his actual reside=
=3D
ncy, much to his relief.=A0 We found him much older, more mature, quite cha=
ng=3D
ed from the eager young med student who left Alabama a year ago.=A0 However=
, =3D
he still loves his calling.

Valerie is preparing to undergo the guesswork of finding a residency.=A0 Sh=
e =3D
will interview in a number of states.=A0 She, too, is much altered by her w=
or=3D
k in the hospitals. =3D20

Yesterday (Saturday) the NY TIMES devoted a section of its op-ed age to fou=
=3D
r responses to her recent column; all of them were very favorable.

Irene is in California visiting her parents and some friends. =3D20

That's so great that Matt found a position in the state where he most wante=
=3D
d to teach.=A0 Some of your luck evidently rubbed off on him.=A0 Try to enc=
oura=3D
ge him to place his wonderful Twain chapter from his dissertation chapter.

Best regards,
Alan=3D