William Strunk, Jr.

I love William Strunk, Jr. I firmly believe that every writer should have a copy (or perhaps several copies) of his book The Elements of Style. If I have a question about comma use, italics, or the like, it's my go-to resource. Granted, it is a condensed work. I often do have to turn to the internet, finding myself on MLA related sites, Grammarly, or the like. Strunk, however,  squarely occupies my first spot.



I know I used to own at least two copies, possibly three, though I now only have one in my possession. It is the original edition, meaning it is without co-author E.B. White. I have no problem with the later editions, but I do feel the first edition handles it quite well.

This being said, I disagree with Strunk on two grammatical issues. Both deal with comma usage. Both are debatable. The first is simple. Strunk introduces parenthesis with a comma. I am completely against this. Grammarly takes my side.

The second issue is more difficult, but also more troubling to me personally: the Oxford comma. The Oxford comma is a non-negotiable in my book. Always use commas between each item in a list of three or more items, specifically between the last two.

I watched a movie with my neighbors, Tim, and Joe. Correct. 
I watched a movie with my neighbors, Tim and Joe. Incorrect.

 Why am I so picky about this? Because the latter, beyond just not looking right and not following the way one would speak said sentence, also allows for confusion regarding apposition. If I see the last sentence, I'm going to assume that Tim and Joe are your neighbors, but the sentence is technically correct if they're not. The Oxford comma simply prevents confusion. And women prefer men who use the Oxford comma*.

I realize that language exists to convey ideas. As such, language has served its purpose any time we are understood. This being said, proper grammar helps you convey concepts more clearly. You can certainly live with terrible grammar, but I don't know why you'd want to.


No one should be surprised to know that I love Weird Al.

*I made this up. I've certainly not found this to be true at all.

I love William Strunk, Jr. I firmly believe that every writer should have a copy (or perhaps several copies) of his book The Elements of Style. If I have a question about comma use, italics, or the like, it's my go-to resource. Granted, it is a condensed work. I often do have to turn to the internet, finding myself on MLA related sites, Grammarly, or the like. Strunk, however,  squarely occupies my first spot.



I know I used to own at least two copies, possibly three, though I now only have one in my possession. It is the original edition, meaning it is without co-author E.B. White. I have no problem with the later editions, but I do feel the first edition handles it quite well.

This being said, I disagree with Strunk on two grammatical issues. Both deal with comma usage. Both are debatable. The first is simple. Strunk introduces parenthesis with a comma. I am completely against this. Grammarly takes my side.

The second issue is more difficult, but also more troubling to me personally: the Oxford comma. The Oxford comma is a non-negotiable in my book. Always use commas between each item in a list of three or more items, specifically between the last two.

I watched a movie with my neighbors, Tim, and Joe. Correct. 
I watched a movie with my neighbors, Tim and Joe. Incorrect.

 Why am I so picky about this? Because the latter, beyond just not looking right and not following the way one would speak said sentence, also allows for confusion regarding apposition. If I see the last sentence, I'm going to assume that Tim and Joe are your neighbors, but the sentence is technically correct if they're not. The Oxford comma simply prevents confusion. And women prefer men who use the Oxford comma*.

I realize that language exists to convey ideas. As such, language has served its purpose any time we are understood. This being said, proper grammar helps you convey concepts more clearly. You can certainly live with terrible grammar, but I don't know why you'd want to.


No one should be surprised to know that I love Weird Al.

*I made this up. I've certainly not found this to be true at all.

William Strunk, Jr.

Tolkein vs Rand

There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.-Rogers (http://kfmonkey.blogspot.com/2009/03/ephemera-2009-7.html)

There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.-Rogers (http://kfmonkey.blogspot.com/2009/03/ephemera-2009-7.html)

Tolkein vs Rand

Look Back and Laugh

As you may or may not have seen, yesterday I posted that I was going to post something that I wrote years ago. I posted it on Facebook back then. Unfortunately, it's not there, as best I could see. Perhaps I didn't go back far enough, but I went pretty far. I used to post on Facebook almost every day. Those days are passed, as is the note.

Someday I will look back at this picture and laugh.
That's right - it's relevant.

The nice thing about that note is that it allowed me to remember some really great conversations and things that I posted notes about. It's fun sometimes just to look back. Here is one of the conversations that I just read.

This is a conversation I had with a customer. It was about a girl playing on the rope which formed the line at the store I used to work at. Unfortunately, it's all true, except I'm not sure how old I was.

Her: I'm just waiting for this to go poorly. When I was in first grade, I lost my 2 front teeth in an accident with a concrete floor.
Me: When I was in first grade, I lost my 2 front teeth in an accident with the dentist. 

Things like this make me laugh. While there are certainly things that should be lost to the digital void*, it's nice to recall a few things. And we are now living the moments we will look back in a few years. We can and will look back and laugh, whether at yourselves or something else. Take a moment to do it now. And remember, this isn't so bad. In a few years you'll look back on it. And what will you do? You'll laugh.

*I should mention that I stole the phrase "digital void" and this general metaphor from my friend Jess and a comment she made on my Facebook. This is what we call learning from Fareed Zakaria's mistake.

As you may or may not have seen, yesterday I posted that I was going to post something that I wrote years ago. I posted it on Facebook back then. Unfortunately, it's not there, as best I could see. Perhaps I didn't go back far enough, but I went pretty far. I used to post on Facebook almost every day. Those days are passed, as is the note.

Someday I will look back at this picture and laugh.
That's right - it's relevant.

The nice thing about that note is that it allowed me to remember some really great conversations and things that I posted notes about. It's fun sometimes just to look back. Here is one of the conversations that I just read.

This is a conversation I had with a customer. It was about a girl playing on the rope which formed the line at the store I used to work at. Unfortunately, it's all true, except I'm not sure how old I was.

Her: I'm just waiting for this to go poorly. When I was in first grade, I lost my 2 front teeth in an accident with a concrete floor.
Me: When I was in first grade, I lost my 2 front teeth in an accident with the dentist. 

Things like this make me laugh. While there are certainly things that should be lost to the digital void*, it's nice to recall a few things. And we are now living the moments we will look back in a few years. We can and will look back and laugh, whether at yourselves or something else. Take a moment to do it now. And remember, this isn't so bad. In a few years you'll look back on it. And what will you do? You'll laugh.

*I should mention that I stole the phrase "digital void" and this general metaphor from my friend Jess and a comment she made on my Facebook. This is what we call learning from Fareed Zakaria's mistake.

Look Back and Laugh

What a Weird Week

This week has been weird. There is no other way to describe it. Not overly busy, but not by any means slow. Anyway, no regular post this week. Mentally exhausted. So later today or sometime tomorrow expect (probably) a repost of something I wrote a while ago but only posted on Facebook.

This week has been weird. There is no other way to describe it. Not overly busy, but not by any means slow. Anyway, no regular post this week. Mentally exhausted. So later today or sometime tomorrow expect (probably) a repost of something I wrote a while ago but only posted on Facebook.

What a Weird Week

That's All Well and Good, or Your English Teacher Lied to You, or A Good Well? Well Good!

"I am well." I hear it hundreds of times a day in response to the question "How are you?" There is an obvious frustration with the fact that this is not the truth* but instead a glossy varnish. But on an entirely different level there is the simple frustration that, despite what your English teacher may have told you, this is not grammatically correct. Let me explain.

English contains two types of verbs: action and stative**. Most verbs are action verbs. As such, we learn the rules of action verbs from a young age: objective case, direct/indirect object, adverb.

Stative verbs walk into the room, urinate on the rules, and set them on fire***. We don't need the objective case because we have the predicate nominative. If you call my cell phone and ask for Jeremy, I (should) say, "I am he." Further, adverbs are replaced by the much belied predicate adjective.

The logic is simple but subtle: predicate adjectives do not actually describe the verb but the subject of the sentence, a noun or pronoun. To say "I am well" is to brag about the quality with which you perform the act of being, a Cartesian grandiloquence par excellence.

Are you really bragging that you exist skillfully? No one is better at that than anyone else, except possibly Chuck Norris or Santa Claus. I'm not trying to tell you how to be. All I'm saying is that if you do well and be good, it will save you a lot of linguistic trouble.

*This morning I was watching several Louis CK videos in which he talked about how good we have it but yet we constantly complain. This evening my friend Katrina mentioned this same thing. In a sense, we shouldn't ever complain. Life is wonderful for all of us.
**Action verbs convey action. Tricky. They are also called dynamic verbs. Stative verbs describe the state of something and are often called linking verbs or verbs of being.
***Stative verbs in action.

"I am well." I hear it hundreds of times a day in response to the question "How are you?" There is an obvious frustration with the fact that this is not the truth* but instead a glossy varnish. But on an entirely different level there is the simple frustration that, despite what your English teacher may have told you, this is not grammatically correct. Let me explain.

English contains two types of verbs: action and stative**. Most verbs are action verbs. As such, we learn the rules of action verbs from a young age: objective case, direct/indirect object, adverb.

Stative verbs walk into the room, urinate on the rules, and set them on fire***. We don't need the objective case because we have the predicate nominative. If you call my cell phone and ask for Jeremy, I (should) say, "I am he." Further, adverbs are replaced by the much belied predicate adjective.

The logic is simple but subtle: predicate adjectives do not actually describe the verb but the subject of the sentence, a noun or pronoun. To say "I am well" is to brag about the quality with which you perform the act of being, a Cartesian grandiloquence par excellence.

Are you really bragging that you exist skillfully? No one is better at that than anyone else, except possibly Chuck Norris or Santa Claus. I'm not trying to tell you how to be. All I'm saying is that if you do well and be good, it will save you a lot of linguistic trouble.

*This morning I was watching several Louis CK videos in which he talked about how good we have it but yet we constantly complain. This evening my friend Katrina mentioned this same thing. In a sense, we shouldn't ever complain. Life is wonderful for all of us.
**Action verbs convey action. Tricky. They are also called dynamic verbs. Stative verbs describe the state of something and are often called linking verbs or verbs of being.
***Stative verbs in action.

That's All Well and Good, or Your English Teacher Lied to You, or A Good Well? Well Good!

The Arboretum

(I wrote this on Saturday. Finally I am getting around to posting it)



Man was not born for himself alone. -Plato
A gift from a citizen of the 20th century
for the citizens of the future.

I sat on this bench to write this.



Lately I've been in a rut. When I leave my house, I'm probably heading to either church or work. Don't get me wrong: those are wonderful things. I'm very happy to have both as a part of my life. But I need to get out. On an episode of the Johnny Cash Show, which aired from 1968-1970*, Mr. Cash discusses the human need to get out and experience the beauty of creation as a part of experiencing Jesus. Such is the ache I've been having.



Unbeknownst to me, there is a woodland oasis near Madison Park - the Washington Park Arboretum. I'd never been to the Arboretum, despite many recommendations. I had several assumptions about the Arboretum**. Fortunately, all of my assumptions were wrong, as it is far more wonderful than I ever could have expected.

Today is a perfect day to take it in: sunny and warm, but not hot. There are quite a few other people here (mostly couples, families, and runners), though it is by no means crowded. And the mosquitoes...ok, so it's as close to perfect as we can get this side of Heaven.



These are red berries. Obviously,
these are not the ones I tried to eat.



I found one bush full of blue berries. They were clearly not blueberries, but I did not know what they were. Fortunately, I've read enough survival guides to know how to find out whether or not they're safe to eat. First, pick a berry. Simple enough. Crush it between your thumb and index finger. If the juice burns your finger, don't eat it. If you get any kind of a reaction, don't eat it***. Should either of these occur, you want to wipe your hand in the dirt, then rinse your hand. Otherwise, put a bit of the juice on another finger and touch it to your tongue. If this doesn't burn or make you feel sick, you can eat half a berry, then the other half 20 minutes later.

This process is designed for survival situations. In survival conditions where you would need these berries for nourishment, you would want this to take about a day. It is not foolproof. I felt a burning sensation when I touched it to my tongue, so I stopped. I washed my mouth out using my water bottle, then drank some water to dilute anything that may have made it to my stomach. As the old adage goes, "There are brave mushroom hunters, and there are old mushroom hunters. There are no brave, old mushroom hunters.

We view nature as an escape from real life, a path to get away from what's important, but it can be a reminder too that so much of what we value is entirely temporal and ultimately unimportant. God put us on this Earth not to go to work and pay our bills, but to serve him.



*If you are a fan of Walk the Line, I encourage you to look into the scene with Hank Williams and the Johnny Cash Show. You will notice that Hank had long been dead when this scene is supposed to have taken place.

**I thought the Arboretum was little more than a giant greenhouse, such as the National Botanical Garden. Total number of dates I've had at said botanical garden: 2. Total number of girls those dates were with: 1. 
***Had I exercised patience (which is really essential for this), I would have eventually noticed the mild rash on my fingers and not tasted it.

(I wrote this on Saturday. Finally I am getting around to posting it)



Man was not born for himself alone. -Plato
A gift from a citizen of the 20th century
for the citizens of the future.

I sat on this bench to write this.



Lately I've been in a rut. When I leave my house, I'm probably heading to either church or work. Don't get me wrong: those are wonderful things. I'm very happy to have both as a part of my life. But I need to get out. On an episode of the Johnny Cash Show, which aired from 1968-1970*, Mr. Cash discusses the human need to get out and experience the beauty of creation as a part of experiencing Jesus. Such is the ache I've been having.



Unbeknownst to me, there is a woodland oasis near Madison Park - the Washington Park Arboretum. I'd never been to the Arboretum, despite many recommendations. I had several assumptions about the Arboretum**. Fortunately, all of my assumptions were wrong, as it is far more wonderful than I ever could have expected.

Today is a perfect day to take it in: sunny and warm, but not hot. There are quite a few other people here (mostly couples, families, and runners), though it is by no means crowded. And the mosquitoes...ok, so it's as close to perfect as we can get this side of Heaven.



These are red berries. Obviously,
these are not the ones I tried to eat.



I found one bush full of blue berries. They were clearly not blueberries, but I did not know what they were. Fortunately, I've read enough survival guides to know how to find out whether or not they're safe to eat. First, pick a berry. Simple enough. Crush it between your thumb and index finger. If the juice burns your finger, don't eat it. If you get any kind of a reaction, don't eat it***. Should either of these occur, you want to wipe your hand in the dirt, then rinse your hand. Otherwise, put a bit of the juice on another finger and touch it to your tongue. If this doesn't burn or make you feel sick, you can eat half a berry, then the other half 20 minutes later.

This process is designed for survival situations. In survival conditions where you would need these berries for nourishment, you would want this to take about a day. It is not foolproof. I felt a burning sensation when I touched it to my tongue, so I stopped. I washed my mouth out using my water bottle, then drank some water to dilute anything that may have made it to my stomach. As the old adage goes, "There are brave mushroom hunters, and there are old mushroom hunters. There are no brave, old mushroom hunters.

We view nature as an escape from real life, a path to get away from what's important, but it can be a reminder too that so much of what we value is entirely temporal and ultimately unimportant. God put us on this Earth not to go to work and pay our bills, but to serve him.



*If you are a fan of Walk the Line, I encourage you to look into the scene with Hank Williams and the Johnny Cash Show. You will notice that Hank had long been dead when this scene is supposed to have taken place.

**I thought the Arboretum was little more than a giant greenhouse, such as the National Botanical Garden. Total number of dates I've had at said botanical garden: 2. Total number of girls those dates were with: 1. 
***Had I exercised patience (which is really essential for this), I would have eventually noticed the mild rash on my fingers and not tasted it.

The Arboretum