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FAQ #15

Question: Do you think Freddy Bean is still alive? If so, is he still dedicated to your ruination?
Answer: Yes, I believe that wretched, damnable creature is still moving about the world and interfering with my life. For instance, have you noticed some degradation in certain pictures on my photo pages? I believe that to be the result of tampering on the part of unfriendly Martians and their ally Freddy. I have some hazy memories of Freddy, Martians, peanuts, underground chambers, conveyer belts, dry heat, and loud, headache-inducing noises. I must have witnessed something involving Freddy and the Martians during one of my missing-time episodes, and I think they did not eradicate the memory completely, deliberately leaving me with this troubling, confusing vision. I believe they enjoy tormenting me with other subtle confusions of this sort and assorted pranks as well. I attribute to them the terrible public embarrassment I suffered after my last abduction when everyone once again thought I was a lunatic. I believe that they have influenced Herb in some way so that he has failed to return my Studebaker. I'm sure they caused the death of my Sea Monkeys®, perhaps by clouding the minds of the CHS Regents Biology class. Here is a list of other torments they may be inflicting upon me: my smashed pumpkins, my missing diary and scrapbook from 1955, my recent inability to digest feta cheese, a persistent itchy red blotch on my backside that looks like my ex-wife's profile , a newly-developed compulsion to count things like holes in the acoustical ceiling tiles in waiting rooms and birds sitting on telephone wires, my obsessive saving of wine corks and wire hangers, and my weight gain of ten pounds over the last three months.  

Question: What do you think of Overlook Press's reissues of the Freddy books?
Answer: I must admit (graciously, I think) an admiration for the quality of the bindings. I'm also hopeful that their reissuing the Freddy books will mean that many Philistine bookdealers will get stuck with their stock of overpriced Freddies. It will serve them right!

Question: Have you decided on your five favorite movies yet?
Answer: That is very difficult to do, but here are some of my favorites off the top of my head: Bride of Frankenstein, Pi, The Wizard of Oz, Babette's Feast, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Wild Strawberries, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Arsenic and Old Lace, and Bad Girls from Mars.

Question: Is the Underdunk family known for anything special?
Answer: I'm not at all sure I know what you mean by "special," but I will relate a most amazing story of coincidence regarding the Underdunks. About a week ago I had my monthly doctor's appointment in New York. I arrived early that day to give myself some time to first visit the United Nations to inquire whether anyone had yet read my letter of January 1, 1989, in which I volunteered to be the first interplanetary ambassador to Mars when diplomatic relations are established. The unrelentingly polite receptionist at the information booth told me that although she was sure that my offer was very much appreciated and that it was being given serious consideration, there was no one on hand to meet with me personally just then. There never is, I told her. Well, I was getting hungry by this time, so rather than belabor the issue with her or one of the security officers again, I went to my favorite restaurant in the area--the very affordable Comfort Diner near 45th and 2nd--where I had my usual bowl of their splendid macaroni and cheese. Still having about an hour before my appointment, I decided to stroll around a bit and found myself passing by St. Bartholomew's Church on E. 50th. The doors were wide open, and I was drawn in by the energetic music of some visiting musical entourage in the transports of practice for a concert later that day at St. Bart's. I was feeling a bit tired from trudging about, so I situated myself at the rear of the church and listened in. I can't remember the name of the group right now, but they were quite high-spirited and even competent. During a lull in the practice, I idly picked up a copy of The Hymnal 1982, and there, on pages 532 and 533, the very first pages I had opened to, I saw the name Henry Ustick Onderdonk (!) (1759-1858), the author of "The Song of the Redeemed."  Could this be a relation, I asked myself. As soon as I got back to Centerboro, I drove right over to Mrs. U's and asked her. She told me that, yes, Henry Onderdonk was her late husband's great-great-etc.-grandfather and that Humphrey had been the last of the line. I questioned her about the spelling of the name, and she told me that for some unknown reason the family had changed the spelling in the late 1800s. Besides their tie to the musical arts, the Underdunks were also known to be rapacious capitalistic exploiters of the downtrodden masses. This is how they became very, very rich.

Question: Has anyone won that free paperback Freddy book yet? Would you repeat the clue here? Will there be any other clues?
Answer: As of this instant, 7:42 P.M., February 13, 1999, no one has claimed the prize to Contest #2. I will repeat the first two clues here and then the final clue. (Note: This contest has been over for a long, long time!)

Clue #1

On my site there is a place
Wherein our Edward first holds sway.
With your cursor you must trace,
Before you’re sent away.

To another stage you’ll fare,
Through cyberspace sans measure!
Dig around awhile there....
Perhaps you’ll find your treasure!

Clue #2

A smiling bear, a grinning cat--
They both know the way!
The duckies quack as the big wheel spins.
They'd love to see you away.

Far away to Centerboro,
My beloved town of birth.
That's the place where you must go,
Your prize there to unearth.

The Last Clue!

Between the covers of a book,
This is where you first must look!
It stands before your very eyes,
The gateway to your prize.

Through its somewhat faded spine
You will follow a straight line
To the place where I now live,
 Book in hand to give.

Good luck!

Question: Have you completed your 1999 "Eating Plan" yet? I'm anxious to give it a try.
Answer: First off, you're eager, not anxious. Second, not only have I completed it, but I have embarked upon it!

Note: Some foods manufacturers named in the table above may have paid EHA Industries a nominal product placement fee.

Short Answers to Infrequently Asked Questions

None this FAQ. Next time if I get any in the interim.
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