Secret identities

Interestingly, as I have become closer to some of my blogging buddies, I've been revealing my true name via e-mail because:

a.  it's too complicated to figure out how to mask my name in my e-mail client

and

b.  fuck it.

After all, they are all guys and potential future ex-husbands.

But for those of you "not in the know," I thought I might reveal for you a little bit of how "DuPree" and the title of this blog came about.

Behold - the origin of Chlorine X. DuPree (as copied from my reply to edder at "I Don't Care for Your Tone"):

Okay - a lifetime ago I was a marketing consultant in San Francisco and was working with a huge international structural engineering company leading the proposal and interview preparation work for a major bridge design and construction project in Charleston, South Carolina.

As part of my role, I communicated regularly with the SC Dept. of Transportation and the City of Charleston's Civil Engineering and Traffic/Transportation agencies.

I don't recall which agency it was - I believe it was the Civil Engineering department - but the secretary/receptionist there was the lynch pin for the rest of my tale.

We'll call her ‘Jewel’ – and Jewel always sounded as if she had the weight of the world on her shoulders and her poor, tired body simply wouldn't allow her to care about a thing. Much like Mary Astor's character - Jewel Mayhew - in "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte."

"Ruined finery - it's all I have left..."

Anyway - Jewel had a southern drawl that was so thick and so slow that it must have been painted on her. And she was a gatekeeper - you know - those administrative people whose job it is to actually prevent you from talking to anyone important unless you are someone important yourself.

So - one day - in complete and utter frustration with trying to get Jewel to connect me with anyone who could answer my question, I slammed down the phone and loudly informed my minions (the marketing team that actually worked for the company but whom I got to boss around) that...

“I am going to fly down to Charleston and I am going to find Miss CHLORINE X. DUPREE and ... (edited – but it involves mild violence)..."

Throughout the rest of the project, my impersonations and rantings about Chlorine X. DuPree - a faded and degraded flower of the South - became legendary. The engineers who had dealt with her got great amusement out of my horrid, campy reports on the latest incident involving Miss DuPree – up to the point where I was making stuff up.

It was decided by popular vote that should my life direction change towards a career as a drag queen - Chlorine X. DuPree would be both my stage name and my muse.

Well - I have never pursued a life on the stage - but Chlorine (in the Gene Pool) continues to be my muse.

And she even has a back story - but that's a post for another time.

And now you know.

What's your back story?