Studio8 - Uniting the Arts

Man, it's like a pictograph. I could write something long and tedious about the structure of my face after reading something, or I could simply use a modern application of communication and put a damn smiley face on it if warranted.

Clay may not have used emoticons here, but he did when he worked in EDI. They are clarifiers in that niche. You didn't want to piss off a customer, so you use all available tools.

I ♥ ♥ ♥ emoticons! They are fun and in this media, when all you have is text, we have no way of knowing sometimes when someone is kidding around, being facetious, or sarcastic , since we have no voice inflections, body language, etc.

Clay was adamantly against using them, he stated (an important qualifier), because he SAID he was so confident he was the best writer on the planet and that all readers could understand his intent. You see, Mr. January was quite the bragger, though he was also very aware that OFTEN people did NOT understand his intent.

Despite his statements that he refused to use them since he was such a great writer, you will find MANY posts where he used this emoticon: in order to laugh either with people or at them.

And, I can assure you, that when I was sitting here right next to him and he was of GOOD HUMOR and happy and not trying in the least to piss people off, and had a positive intent in a conversation, that it would baffle him when someone would get mad at what he said. He would sit here and shrug about it. I would say, "Why don't you explain to them that you were just joking. Use a smiley face or something." And he didn't care to spend his time explaining himself.

Other times, he would purposely instigate arguments and he thought it was humorous to get people riled up. Why? I don't know.

But search through his posts, Jack, and you will see he MANY times used these: and

And in emails and online on this site, he used emoticons like "hahahahaha" quite often.

So, therefore, his statement that he never used them because his writing was too good and he didn't need to use them was false.

Imagine that.

......

Hiya Bob! Nice to see you! xoxox

Over the years between 1990 and his death, Pop used emoticons in personal emails. I know. He asked me what the colon, dash and closed paren meant. So, I taught him what emoticons were. I cheat here a bit, knowing him like I did. Like DP, I knew him VERY WELL. Perhaps better than anyone on the planet - including his sisters Christye and Robin.

.......
XoxoxoxoxoxO

One thing I know for sure, he's smiling ear to ear right now knowing people are still talking about him. He loved attention. I miss trying to feed him. Poor guy wouldn't eat.

Anybody hungry? I love to cook.

Doreen wrote:

You see, Mr. January was quite the bragger

Maybe but you know it is hard to be humble if you are a native born Texan.
10-4 on his being pleased.

Clay never used an insincere emoticon

Or if he did it was only because he was being ironic.

and ten four on the arguments
one time I got so angry at him I got the adrenalin shakes.
but never thought about him as anything but a friend, never a thought of raising my hand against him.