Anonymity has its price. Dr. "M." was eating lunch with a "blog" reader last week when that fellow began to complain about Dr. "M." "I'm Dr. 'M.,'" Dr. "M." admitted. "Are you McNeil, too?" said her lunch companion. "No!" said Dr. "M." Funny: I recall the the time when Dr. "M." thought McNeil was someone I had made up, and visa versa. Phil Oppenheim has put quotation marks around the name McNeil several times, as if calling his existence into doubt. But the other day I gave out McNeil's actual address so Phil could loan him VISIT TO A SMALL PLANET, so perhaps that matter is settled. McNeil, on the other hand, having long been convinced of Dr. "M.'s" existence, once asked if she and the Bird Correspondent were the same person. No! All of the correspondents exist, and they are all different people. If anyone would like to sneak a peek at the actual, real-life Dr. "M.," she's in town right now and there is a very good chance we'll be having dinner tonight at the Ajax Diner. She's real! Come check her out.
