The big story gripping my mother's hometown of Walla Walla Washington this past weekend was the controversy over a mural on the front of Inland Octopus, a toy store on Main Street. What amused me was a letter-to-the-editor from David Castleman of Dayton, WA slamming the mural's supporters. He wrote, in part:
"Those good folks who applaud the tawdriness adorning Inland Octopus are the folks who eat at McDonald's and ship at WalMart. They applaud the tawdry, the ill-conceived and the ill-produced. The painter's ostensible deity is Warhol, his priests the Simpsons, his bible the comic strips for domestic imbecility. His admirers pick their noses at stop signs and relieve the expiscations upon their skirts and trousers."
I have to admit that I had to look up expiscation in the dictionary.
Me, too. I rather like the painting. And from time to time, eat at McDonalds, although I don’t care for WalMart much. But I’ve never been to Walla Walla.
While guilty of invading Walmart and McDonalds on occasion and am addicted to The Simpson’s, I can state to my shame that I’ve never relieved an expiscation in my whole life. I had no idea the poor things were in need of relief, and shall search out a charity for such that may need donations.
I’m absolutely certain that “the painter’s ostensible deity” was collecting a check for his/her hard work, the same as the rest of us.