I dunno why. It’s certainly not MY fault. . . 🙂
I’m enjoying it because she’s here. Frankly, that’s all it takes.
In Which I Adulterate The Holy Brew in Search of an ‘Efficiency Breakfast’
I am amused by how quickly I have developed a taste for my recently-discovered “efficiency breakfast” (crème brûlée-flavored protein powder in coffee, with some heavy cream added for nutritious fat). After my second try, it’s become my go-to quick breakfast. High protein, few carbs, good fat and COFFEE.
While it’s great to have eggs, bacon, sausage, and maybe a wee bit of fruit or berries for breakfast, this does well to fuel the body properly. I do wish the soluble fiber I have available didn’t clump in hot liquids, because I’d like to add some of that, but this’ll do for now.
Check, Mate
When my Wonder Woman was a college student (anonymous Minnesota state school 40-*mumble* years ago) she attended a lecture by a black guy trying to lay off guilt for slavery on his listeners. Q/A session came around. She asked, “Why should I feel guilt for things I never did? My people weren’t even here then!
*silence*
Next day, she bought a “Norwegian Power” t-shirt.
At Least THIS Illiterate Practice Is Still Deprecated
The occurrence of “try and [verb]” as against the correct “try to [verb]” in print in general is still minimal. Unfortunately, the #gagamaggot misuse of “and” still seems to be very common in (typically) very poorly edited self-pub text and in social media, etc., all over the increasingly “mass man”-dominated1 Internet.
Social democracy sometimes sucks.
Do note that I have no objection to the use of “try and” when it is genuinely appropriate and adds meaning. For example,
“Two Judges Try and Fail to Shut Down Union Strike” in a headline is OK, though in a sentence in the body of a text it would be better-written as, “Two judges try–and fail–to shut down union strike,” or, slightly less clear, “Two judges try, and fail, to shut down union strike.”
Or,
“It’s better to try, and regret, than not to try, and regret.”
In neither of the cases above would “try to” convey the meaning intended, but cases like this are rare compared to misuses of “try and” where “try to” is appropriate. Sadly, the colloquial misuse of “try and” contributes to a poorer language rather than enhancing English.
*Raises Hand, Waves*
Hey! Has anyone seen my invisibility cloak?
Down with Dysgraphia!
*sigh*
I have become convinced that, despite enabling many fine writers to become successful authors, self-publishing/”Indie publishing” has had an overall negative effect on the quality of text available. The sheer number of aspiring writers afflicting readers with their dysgraphia is appalling. *sigh* Oh, well, at least writing reviews on Amazon encouraging such dysgraphics to just PLEASE JUST STOP IT offer some slight ability to ameliorate the problem. Slight.
For MUCH less than the tip of the iceberg upon which contemporary lazy, subliterate, self-made dysgraphics sink their “great works,” start with:
Commonly misused words and phrases
Of course, a simple search for such things will turn up many, many more such lists, but that’s a start. And,of course, such lists don’t even scratch the surface of grammar that would gag a maggot, stupid misuses of tenses (quite apart from more ordinary grammar errors; for example, an understanding of past perfect and past conditional tenses seem to be dead, dead, dead *sigh*), and on and on and. . .
Leaving a Legacy
“Die, my dear? Why, that’s the last thing I’ll do!” ~ Groucho Marx.
Well, even in this life, I don’t plan on dying being the last thing I “do.” I plan to rig the “urn” (a coffee can, of course) designated for my cremains to prank the person who opens it to dump my ashes in. THAT’S the last thing I’ll do. . . from beyond the “fiery trial.” Well, unless someone in my family spoils the surprise. . . I probably need to have some backup pranks set up, just in case. Maybe I can stretch my “presence” out a few years that way. 😉 Kinda leave an active legacy, ya know.
This olde pharte needs to get busy. . .
Matters of Principle or just Irrational Overconfidence?
I have ceased being shocked at the *cough* “deep thinkers” *cough* who share their “thoughts” in various print and eprint media whose “deep thoughts” are too deep to allow mundane things like spell checkers, and whose “literacy” extends only to what they have heard (and dependably misunderstood) others say.
It’s as though being stuck on a wad of gum at the far lefthand side of the Dunning-Kruger Curve is a matter of idiotic pride for them. Yeh, it’s a principle. #gagamaggot
Continue reading “Matters of Principle or just Irrational Overconfidence?”
Me$$y$oft’s Windows Update Process Sucks Sewage
So, since I was closing in on 10,000 wins and no losses in what I call “Zen Freecell” (the “classic” Windows 7 version), Me$$y$oft decided to kill it on my Win10 box. Naturally. That’s not so bad, since I only played it while doing other things (watching a movie, listening to music, whatever) for relaxation. It’s not as though it were any kind of challenge. But it’s just a symptom of the kinds of things Me$$y$oft has taken to doing to users of Windows, such as the REALLY irritating things like resetting all the associations with non-Me$$y$oft software to only Me$$y$oft versions, if included with any sort of Me$$y$oft OS build. No thank you. Re-associating programs each time I open something Me$$y$oft wants me to use one of its crappy programs/apps to open is only likely to encourage me to move this box off their OS, too, no matter how much I need Windows to use ONE particular piece of software.
And all of that is after clearly and specifically designating a day and time for updates to be installed and having Me$$y$oft just effectively say, Screw you. I’m gonna wait until you are doing something productive and kill what you’re doing by rebooting to install “updates” no matter what I agreed to in the scheduling process.”
Me$$y$oft is trying to make me hate it and its products. And, you know, it’s working.
“Consider the lilies. . . “
Perspective.
My paternal grandfather grew up in the house pictured above with 11 other people. Our current home is at least twice that size and is considered by many to be a “small” house, and yet is quite comfortable, roomy even, for up to four people, maybe more even nowadays.
Unless you live as a strict Amish today, you are surrounded by more luxury than well more than 99% of people who have ever lived, and even the most frugal of us in today’s ordinary world waste more in goods than it would take to have kept a family of four in comfort in days of yore. So, [Luke 12:22-32]
22“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
23 The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.
24 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is today in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
mmmK?