As corresponding secretary of the Vernon County Historical Society, I often get handed "mail" that's not "mail" at all, as I understand it. Tada! It's e-mail, and it arrived by mysterious, obviously malevolent electronic means. Electronic it may be. Exasperating it indubitably is.

Here's a sample, the kind of thing I find on my desk, bureaucratically annotated, "Take care of this" or "FYI." Now the proper "taking care of it" would be to bum it. And I'm sure "FYI" must be the fashionable new anagram for "Phooey." My sentiments exactly.

No doubt many a reader with time on his hands can decipher this gibberish. I could do it myself if I had the patience. I don't. I'd rather spend the day gazing at my navel.

"MIMEVersion: 1.0 Received: from mrI 16.mail,sc5.yahoo.com

([216.136.129.77]) by mc9fI9 hotmail.corn with Microsoft SMTPSVC (6.0.3790.211);

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OriginalArrivalTime: 08 Nov 2005 20:01:47 0520

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From: "John Doe" To:

Sent: Tuesday, August 16, 3005, 3:22 PM

Subject Re:records

Thanks,

I will get payment in the mail this week.

John

Original Message

From: bushwhackerjail@sbcglobal.net

To: doe5@swan.net

Sent: September 30, 2005, 5.29 PM

Subject: Re: Jack Roderick Doe

Please let me know if you are interested in this.

If so as soon as we receive your check for $6.50 we will mail the file copies to you.

Original Message

From: John Doe

To: bushwhackerjail@sbcglo-bal.net

Sent: September 30, 2005

Hi, the id numbers are 5926, 5925, 5926, thanks, John Doe

Original Message

From: John Doe

To: bushwhackerjail@sbcglo-bal.net Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2005, 5:25 PM

Subject: Re: Jack Roderick Doe

that would be great

thanks, John

Original Message

From: bushwhackerjail@sbcglobal.net

To: John Doe

Sent: Tuesday, August 16, 2005 2:51 PM

Subject: Re: records

We will make copies for.25 a side. We can do that two ways

We can copy everything front and back or we can just copy the pages that we think will be of the most interest to you.

If you will let us know the file that you are interested in we will give you an estimate of the copy charges and the mailing expense.

Terry Ramsey, Museurn Coordinator

Original Message

From: John Doe

To: bushwhackerjail@sbcglo-bal.net

Sent: Monday, August 15, 2005, 4:14 PM

Subject records

>Hi

>1 was wondering if you could tell me how to get a copy

of one of the probate records listed on the website.

>thanks

>John Doe""