Dear Slavery,

I new in this country and student at institution for astrophysics. Semester almost over. I wait after class today for teaching evaluation sheets to be done and then I take the sheets up to the main office in the building along with pencil box to turn them in for Mister Tupas and secretary says give me the box but I think it is teacher's pencils and I hold onto box of pencils and don't give it to her and she say that the pencils belong to department and I say well maybe I better ask Mister Tupas first she say no, just give the pencils to me but i don't give her them and then I throw teaching evaluations down in chair and walk out with box of pencils and Mister Tupas is not in office. I am not familiar with pencil box procedures and think the pencils might be Mister Tupas pencils. The department closed down an hour ago and I still with box.

Concerned,

Gooja Pupe Dong


Dear Gooja Pupe Dong,

Here are some things that are said on my family's 1991 Mari Gras Home Movies:

How are you?
Happy Mardi Gras
Here we are.
How’s it going?
We’d better be careful what we say.
Can it be erased?
It can be erased.
You get ready to catch it.
Strike Two.
What do you call it?
We’ve got him dead to rights this time.
Ball one.
I can do better than that.
Foul ball.
That was a warm-up.
Throw it to Granddaddy.
He was, like, eight weeks early or something like that.
How long does the reel on that last?
Two hours.
Please.
Are we supposed to do something?
Here’s yours.
There’s yours.
I don’t do anything until the read dot comes on.
The lens cap’s on.
When did you get that?
They’ll never perform when you want ‘em to.
When did you show up.
Turn that thing off.
That looks pretty.
This sink is still screwed up.
I got the knob screwed off and I couldn’t get it back on.
There’s a screwdriver up underneath there.
I wonder where this goes.
This is gonna be so boring.
He’s trying to call someone.
Two out of three.
Tell him to give me my shoe.
Alabama trails by four at halftime.
Don’t breath on me.
Don’t waste film.
The box had 36 in it.
He got caught in somebody’s political nest–I don’t think they really did anything.
Think it’s too early.
You can’t light your own candles.
Happy birthday to you. (Whole song.)
You’ve got to stay awake.
Bless her heart.
She’s getting some hair now.
She’s busy with this other one.
I walked in a store and it was all easter dresses, all puffy and frilly, so I had to go way in the back to find something more comfortable.
The blue goes with the red stripe.
Let me keep this straight.
I had to write people these nondescript notes that said, "thank you for your lovely gift. I don’t know what the hell it was, but I’m sure I enjoyed it."
Those are cute, mama, thank you.
A little bit big, maybe, but better than small.
I’m sorry.
I’ll take a piece home, and then nobody will know if I got the baby or not.
We’ve had a homing device implanted in it.
Isn’t it fun going in the toy department.
She goes with that pink cadillac.
Poke her eyes out.
Do they make this life size?
She knows what she likes.
Midge had freckles.
I think the government ought to issue one to every family.
I’m just getting ready for my trip to Florida.
Excuse me bartender, would you hand me a beer out of a refridgerator.
This is the best I’ve had in ten years. What year is it? 1991? Yep, about ten years.
Where’s your tongue?
Let me see your tongue?
She doesn’t know who this one is. She says she will get out more photographs and see.
Do you remember?
Thank you.
Goodbye, write if you get work.
He’s a sculptor.
Is this sausage?
Please turn that thing off.
No developing charge.
Are you alright?

--Slavery Hopkins