Tattoo you

I’m long overdue for a post about tattoo errors. Thanks to Anna for reminding me that hideousness exists outside of signs. And this hideousness is permanent. Feast your eyes on these lovely examples of idiocy (of the bearer and creator): The top one is the only one that a tattoo artist can fix without too [...]

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Symbol of thanks

On this day of thanksgiving, I am thankful for family, friends, health, a great job, and all of the usual things. And I’m also thankful for punctuation. Quotation marks: Thank you for telling us when someone else starts talking and finishes, helping us recognize exact language in other instances, and also when a word is [...]

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Sad state of affairs

After reading some of the things people post on Facebook and Twitter and then having an e-mail argument with my sons’ barely literate soccer coach*, I’m even more concerned about the sad state of education in the United States. Even John Cusack needs help. I asked the students in my Business and Professional Writing class [...]

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Not quite ready for MMA*

You may have noticed in my posts about going to the dreaded gym that I had not attended a kickboxing class. And kickboxing is kind of a staple of every group class lineup. OK, I was afraid. And it seemed weird because that’s what Eddie teaches at Club SCAD. I’m not about to take one [...]

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For those about to mock (I salute you)

Gideon has been very interested in music lately, and I’ve been playing all sorts of music for him. I try to give him a little history of the song and the artist as we’re listening. I’ve been feeling very Jack Black from “School of Rock” (which I watched again today). My musical taste is all [...]

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Object of my (dis)affection

Why is it so hard for people to know when to use “I” and “me” in a sentence? I think it is easy. It is easy for me. Subject vs. object. I blame Bryan Adams, Lady Gaga, and, yes, even Stevie Wonder. People hear songs with pronouns used incorrectly and must think, “Well, if Stevie [...]

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Apostrophe catastrophe

Loyal reader Tom requested — nay, commanded — that I return to the topic of grammar. Here’s his full note: As you wish, Tom. How about a grammar subset? Let’s talk about apostrophes, as they seem to be the bane of the existence of many. Apostrophes have two major jobs: They show possession or they [...]

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Egg-citing news!

There is an imposter in our midst. Jeanne is not what the feed store said she was. She is not an Araucana. She does not really have ear tufts but she does have a rump. And, as we found out on Tuesday, she lays pinky-beige eggs, not blue ones. Jeanne was two months behind Trish [...]

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Behind the smiles

We all look so happy in the Halloween photos, but we were hiding some supreme sadness. I felt like Mr. Roarke from “Fantasy Island,” who used to command, “Smiles, Everyone. Smiles!” Maggie the Dog, Beloved Boxer and Killer of Chickens, died peacefully on the operating table at the vet’s office Saturday afternoon. It was very [...]

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Glinda and Elphaba’s double date

I love Halloween. Fortunately for me, I have family and friends who like it too. Before the kids arrived on the scene, Eddie and I hosted a big party every year (Frankenparty). Now we just put our energy into costumes. This year, we teamed up with two other families and went as the cast of [...]

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