Happy National Grammar Day!
UPDATE: Thanks to Jill for this link: Is It Wrong to Correct Someone's Grammar?
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Friday, February 29, 2008
My Leap Day Resolution
I will stop drinking soda.
I've been trying to break the habit, or at least get it under control, for some time. But lately, I've been off the wagon in a big way, chugging glass after glass of Dr Pepper or Cherry Coke all day long. At last, I think I've managed to convince myself that it's time to stop, with a little help from this article:
So it's time to stop. Who's with me?
I've been trying to break the habit, or at least get it under control, for some time. But lately, I've been off the wagon in a big way, chugging glass after glass of Dr Pepper or Cherry Coke all day long. At last, I think I've managed to convince myself that it's time to stop, with a little help from this article:
Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Dr Pepper and other dark-colored soft drinks contain phosphoric acid, which has been linked to brittle bones and osteoporosis. Phosphoric acid leeches the calcium from bones.I knew that already, of course. We all know that. But the recent revelation that as few as four sodas a week can cause serious damage was eye-opening, to say the least. It's not uncommon for me to consume four a day, let alone four a week.
So it's time to stop. Who's with me?
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Eclipsing
I engaged in a little amateur astrophotography tonight -- stress the amateur. Hope you saw the totally awesome eclipse yourself!
Monday, February 18, 2008
Twinspeak
You hear talk about twins developing their own language, communicating with each other in a secret code that the rest of us can't break. I was skeptical about twinspeak, until now.
As babies, the girls would often babble at each other with tones and cadences that closely mimicked conversation, as if they were practicing the sounds they heard adults make. I don't believe any actual information was communicated during these sessions -- they just liked the way it sounded.
These days, however, the girls really do seem to have, if not an entire language, a collection of words that are a complete mystery to me. Comboling, poimbing, wending -- the words sound like they're straight out of a Dr. Seuss book, or perhaps as if the girls picked them up from Jabberwocky. (And why do they all sounds like gerunds? What's up with that?)
I most often hear these words when someone is complaining or upset. I think most of Evie and Sophie's twinspeak vocabulary is meant to describe things that annoy them. (Ah, so like their mother.)
An example: A few mornings ago, during breakfast, Evie dripped some syrup on her pajamas and cried out, "Look, Mommy! My shirt! It's very wending and toymbing!"
Before I could formulate a response, Sophie piped up with, "That's not wending. Look at my wending!" while pointing to her own syrup-covered jammies.
As near as I can tell, wending can be defined thusly:
wending \ˈwend-iŋ\ (adj): splattered with syrup; an unpleasant, syrupy state
Evie has an entire lexicon to describe uncomfortable socks. (Much to her dismay and mine, I'm never quite able to figure out exactly what's wrong with the offending socks.) Sophie's invented words generally focus on injustices perpetrated by her sister, and are often sobbed out through tears of sorrow and rage. While the girls don't always use the same words in the same ways, they don't seem to have any trouble understanding each other.
Is this twinspeak? Or just a couple of preschoolers making up words to fill in the gaps in their vocabulary? Whatever it is, it's entertaining and inventive, and I hope to record as much as possible for posterity. I don't think these twinspeak words will last long.
As babies, the girls would often babble at each other with tones and cadences that closely mimicked conversation, as if they were practicing the sounds they heard adults make. I don't believe any actual information was communicated during these sessions -- they just liked the way it sounded.
These days, however, the girls really do seem to have, if not an entire language, a collection of words that are a complete mystery to me. Comboling, poimbing, wending -- the words sound like they're straight out of a Dr. Seuss book, or perhaps as if the girls picked them up from Jabberwocky. (And why do they all sounds like gerunds? What's up with that?)
I most often hear these words when someone is complaining or upset. I think most of Evie and Sophie's twinspeak vocabulary is meant to describe things that annoy them. (Ah, so like their mother.)
An example: A few mornings ago, during breakfast, Evie dripped some syrup on her pajamas and cried out, "Look, Mommy! My shirt! It's very wending and toymbing!"
Before I could formulate a response, Sophie piped up with, "That's not wending. Look at my wending!" while pointing to her own syrup-covered jammies.
As near as I can tell, wending can be defined thusly:
wending \ˈwend-iŋ\ (adj): splattered with syrup; an unpleasant, syrupy state
Evie has an entire lexicon to describe uncomfortable socks. (Much to her dismay and mine, I'm never quite able to figure out exactly what's wrong with the offending socks.) Sophie's invented words generally focus on injustices perpetrated by her sister, and are often sobbed out through tears of sorrow and rage. While the girls don't always use the same words in the same ways, they don't seem to have any trouble understanding each other.
Is this twinspeak? Or just a couple of preschoolers making up words to fill in the gaps in their vocabulary? Whatever it is, it's entertaining and inventive, and I hope to record as much as possible for posterity. I don't think these twinspeak words will last long.
Canterbury Dreams
After a bit of sleuthing on one of those ancestry sites, my mom discovered that we are direct descendants of Geoffrey Chaucer. To be specific, he was my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great- great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather. (That's 17 greats, FYI.)
So here's what I'm saying: Public domain be damned! I should be getting royalties for every copy of The Canterbury Tales out there. Pay up, people!
So here's what I'm saying: Public domain be damned! I should be getting royalties for every copy of The Canterbury Tales out there. Pay up, people!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Eat Your Vegetables
Yesterday, I was a pureeing fool. I pureed the following:
Our first attempt: I assisted the girls in making these delightful muffins this morning:
I'm excited about this little experiment. I'll let you know how it goes.
- 2 cups of butternut squash
- 3 cups of carrots
- 3 cups of cauliflower
- 2 cups of sweet potatoes
- 1 cup of beets
- 1 cup of spinach
- 1 cup of red bell peppers
Our first attempt: I assisted the girls in making these delightful muffins this morning:
I'm excited about this little experiment. I'll let you know how it goes.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Friday, February 08, 2008
Damage
Public service announcement: This is what happens when melting snow pools on your roof and seeps into the walls.
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