X is for eXtemporaneous (by Robyn T. Murphy)

For this year's A-Z Challenge, I am organising my writing group's participation for the first time. So I am posting each entry here as well as on the website, Write On, Mamas! who are a writing group based in the San Francisco North Bay area. We will have 25 Mamas and one Papa writing on a different letter of the alphabet during the A-Z Blog Challenge. Comments are always so appreciated here or it would also be lovely if you would comment on the Write On, Mamas! blog. Thanks and look forward to reading your blog.

Photography by Mary Allison Tierney

I climb in bed knowing I’ve volunteered to write 2-300 words for the Write on Mamas A-Z Blog Challenge. In the almost-asleep realm that is half-thinking and half-dreaming, I hear the familiar Seinfeld riff. And I am Jerry Seinfeld, on set, reading a directorial note from Larry David.

In one minute I have to ad-lib a stand-up segment on a letter - but I can choose only from J, K or X, as all the other letters are taken. And then, I am on-stage in jeans and a blazer, in front of a live studio audience with cameras rolling. I put on my best not-even-trying-not-to-smile face.

" . . . and I said, well, you know, J and K - I understand why they didn't get chosen. But X? What's wrong with X?

X is nothing like Q. Q is all needy and pathetic, with U next to him all the time. X - he stands on his own, brings his own lunch, shows up on time.

Why shun the X?

And look at R. R is all high and mighty - you know, “restricted” movies, “Rated R”. Fuh! X is all over that. X doesn’t even need to stand for anything, and he still trumps R.

X is a kiss. In fact, X is hot - a Roman ten - and you know those Romans! In Australia, you put four X's together and you've got a can of beer.

And he’s a team player. When X gets together with E, things get interesting. Ex-girlfriend, ex-wife, ex-pelled. That's a lot of material.

If I was a letter, I'd be an X. Think about it: Give it a couple of numbers and it multiplies!

It's a really cool chromosome that you don't want to argue with. Once, it had it’s own files; It's got its own factor; it's own ray . . . its own Generation for Pete's sake. Not to mention the whole marking-the-spot thing.   There’s just no good reason . . . to shun the X."

“It’s a take!” someone yells.

In the almost-awake realm that is half-dreaming and half-thinking, I hear Larry David tell me, “That was pret-ty pret-ty good.”

Robyn T. Murphy is an Xpat from Australia, a Gen X-er, who finds writing an Xcellent medium for her tendency to Xaggerate. She writes and ruminates from her home in Xquisite Marin county. You can find her at www.robynTmurphy.com