Thin Man, I am never up for an argument. I find little use for any situation in people can not or will not exchange ideas in a reasonable manner. I realize that we can become victims of our own passions (insecurities, fears, and pride, to name a few) by allowing them to drown out our reason. Before I get that far, I walk away. Because typically during the course of an argument, one or both parties stop listening.

Doggerel. I had to look that one up. Great word.

I find your written works of great interest. Your writing has a different tone than most I’ve read, but I know there’s a lot of experience you keep under wraps. Or at least I assume you do because of the nature of your work. Or perhaps because you enter your posts from an iPhone. Aaaccckkk! I’d launch my phone into a wall before I could finish a reasonable post.

When I come across writing that is so beyond the pale, vile, I don’t dignify it with a reply, let alone a full read. I have better things to do with my time. There are far more interesting people on Medium I can learn from and share with. I like to think of it as guarding my heart. Besides, everyone has something they can teach, and in turn we all have things we can learn.

Good luck with the bait and hyperbole brothers. [chuckle]

I find your profession interesting as I know little of it, save that a lot of it is based on semantics. How the words are put together — the boundaries they define and the loopholes they leave open — and of course, how those words are interpreted and applied. That’s all I know. I’m sure there’s much to it than that. But I, too, really enjoy people as you may have gathered. One on one interactions, as opposed to huge gatherings.

Thank you for your review of my “Death of a Salesman” chapter. That means a lot. I think the number of readers of the post now totals -3. The chapter was both challenging and easy to write. Easy in that I knew material well. I had so many memories and facts from which to pull; but challenges were stacked in the actual laying my soul bare.

Medium is a curious place. I’ve posted other “transparent” and deeply personal anecdotes, but they didn’t and haven’t seemed to catch on. Oddly enough over the past week, people have posed the types of questions I live to answer. Readers like Sean, Violet, and others have invited me to join them in the type of intimate, one-on-one conversations good friends would have over coffee in a kitchen, coffeehouse, or den. I’ve written from my heart and I am overwhelmed at the response. Readers like yourself are discovering all the stuff from the past year … and liking it, well, highlighting it at least. Ha! So thank you (and everyone else) who’s reading the mad ramblings of one Clay Rivers.

And you’ve been writing all this stuff from an iPhone. You have far more patience than I do. A laptop is definitely the way to go. At times you’ll find the words pouring from your fingers like a fine Prosecco, and other times you’ll find the flow like cold oatmeal. As you can tell, I don’t put a limit on the length on my pieces. I employ as many words as it takes to get the point across as best I can. When people ask questions of me, I assume they want a thoughtful and complete answer with a beginning, middle, and end. I know I appreciate it when I read well crafted essays people. The glory’s in the details. But there are a few people who can milk an hour-long smile or full-throated laugh from sixteen words, like Cami Gram does here. Now that is magic.

Okay. Now I’m going on and on. I’ve probably said to much with an excess of words. In any event, thanks for putting yourself out there.

Pleased to have made your acquaintance as well (as with everyone else I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with this week.)

Clay.