Thursday, February 19, 2009

RN's Crimes Now Include Use Of Third Person

The owners of a home in a Dana Point neighborhood reveal why it was chosen as the set for the real-life (as opposed to the Ron Howard-staged) interviews between President Nixon and David Frost: Quiet toilet. Orange County Register reporter Vik Jolly also takes the time to disparage the tone and syntax of the inscription 37 left in the owners' guest book when the interviews were done:
In it, on April 20, 1977, using a distanced, third-person reference, Nixon wrote: "To Martha and Harold Smith with appreciation for their hospitality during the week I stayed in their beautiful home."
For the life of me I can't figure out what Jolly thinks the former President should've written to avoid using the third person: "Hey, you -- thanks for the hang. Dick"?

1 comment:

LarkLady15 said...

Hard to believe that manners have changed so much in the span of a generation, that RN's gracious comment in a guest book is disparaged! To the texting-and-Twitter generation, a hand-written thank you note would doubtless seem quaint, too. Sigh!