Since You Asked...

A handful of folks have been asking, "How the hell was I supposed to get "Dani Kind" out of all of that? That's what I'm here to take you through it all and let you know.......

First, in the fourth real paragraph under things that still make me cry I mentioned bugs in my house and then went on to say, "Though I'm grateful I don't live in Australia...have you seen the size of the spiders they have there?" We first meet Mercedes Gardner in Season 2 Episode 2: Shed Your Skin. You know the one with the huge disgusting spiders? Yep....Connection Number 1

Second, right in the next paragraph, I talk about Emily and I being best friends right up until she moves away in high school. Although Mercedes moved away right after high school, I felt that we were close enough to raise an eyebrow for Connection Number 2

Third, in the 6th paragraph, I talked about having a younger brother with whom I've been known to have a squabble or two. Mercedes also has a younger brother with whom she has a squabble or two - though hers are slightly more contentious than mine. At the end of that paragraph, I said that "I fuckin' dig him." A subtle nod to Dani Fuckin' Kind, not just my potty mouth.

Fourth, paragraph 7, I talked a little about students I had with unusual names and told the story of a student who was "one of five girls and they were all names after 'things my momma said she'd never be able to afford.' Diamond, Lexus, Tiffany, etc...." Extrapolating, to other expensive things, the student's name was also something expensive....like a Mercedes. Incidentally, her other sister was named Platinum, in case you were wondering.

Fifth, I went on with the story about the garden and the deer and all that. At the end, I said, "I never wanted to go into agriculture or horticulture or whatever the hell else it's called." Gardening. It's called gardening. Plain and simple. I know...her last name's Gardner, no "E," but I thought it was close enough.

Fair enough?