On Fri, 10 Aug 2007 15:40:50 -0400, "Felice Friese"
> wrote:

>
>"blake murphy" > wrote in message
.. .
>> On Thu, 9 Aug 2007 15:26:31 -0400, "Felice Friese"
>> > wrote:
>
><snippity>
>
>>>I am a retired newspaper editor and never once corrected a reporter's
>>>grammar within anyone else's hearing. I spoke to them privately or posted
>>>a
>>>general note (usually light in tone) on the newsroom bulletin board.
>>
>> felice, i'm impressed. who did you edit for?
>>
>> your pal,
>> blake
>
>Sounds more impressive than it was, Blake! They were weekly/daily papers in
>Westchester County, N.Y., one of which I owned (the one that was a
>journalistic success and a financial disaster). In my dreams, of course, I
>worked for the New York Times.
>
>Felice
>
Hey, I worked for the Council Bluffs (Iowa) Nonpareil back in the day.
I wanted to be Jimmy Olsen, but mostly I was a nerd in the newspaper's
morgue looking for "30-years-ago-today" stories until I had to cover a
big home invader/double murder story because everybody else had gone
home for the evening. Cops were throwing up in the front yard, and I
turned away an offer for a story from a young woman whom I believed
was only looking for attention, but who eventually was a witness for
the (successful) prosecution.

My news nose is that bad.

I took up painting soon afterwards.
--

modom

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

ChattyCathy wrote:
> Goomba38 wrote:
>
>>
>> If the subject is going to be off topic- at least it is useful! I'd
>> rather read that than the jokes, private conversations, dull breakfast
>> reports, et cetera....
>
>
> Lemme get this straight - certain OT posts are "useful" to *you* and
> some are not...
>
> <Cathy shouts: "Eureka!" on Goomba's behalf>
>
> You finally got it! Wonders will never cease.

No.. I'd rather there be NO off topic posts (not to be confused with
"thread drift" by any stretch) but of the recent spate, at least I
learned something from the grammar posts.

Goomba38 wrote:
> ChattyCathy wrote:
>> Goomba38 wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> If the subject is going to be off topic- at least it is useful! I'd
>>> rather read that than the jokes, private conversations, dull
>>> breakfast reports, et cetera....
>>
>>
>> Lemme get this straight - certain OT posts are "useful" to *you* and
>> some are not...
>>
>> <Cathy shouts: "Eureka!" on Goomba's behalf>
>>
>> You finally got it! Wonders will never cease.
>
> No.. I'd rather there be NO off topic posts (not to be confused with
> "thread drift" by any stretch) but of the recent spate, at least I
> learned something from the grammar posts.

Well, I didn't learn much from the grammar posts. I have never thought
that "alot" was correct - I may have typed it like that a few times, but
I have learned to use a spell checker, which picks those "typos" up.

The breakfast posts etc. don't worry me. In fact the OT posts don't
worry me either. What does worry me however, is your constant "harping"
on about them. IMHO, it just exacerbates the situation. IIRC, you even
started a thread about how much you dislike OT posts a while back. Or
was that about "snipping" posts? I have a good memory, it's just a bit
short.

Oh, BTW, I also knew that etc. means et cetera.
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Garlic: the element without which life as we know it would be impossible

Chatty Cathy wrote:

> Oh, BTW, I also knew that etc. means et cetera.


Did you know that "viz." means "videlicet"?


Bob

Bob Terwilliger wrote:
> Chatty Cathy wrote:
>
>> Oh, BTW, I also knew that etc. means et cetera.
>
>
> Did you know that "viz." means "videlicet"?
>
>
> Bob
>
>
I am not permitted to say.

<groan>
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Garlic: the element without which life as we know it would be impossible

On Thu, 09 Aug 2007 12:44:28 -0700, Cindy Hamilton
> wrote:

>On Aug 9, 1:32 pm, itsjoannotjoann > wrote:
>
>> Also, I wonder how they learned to spell so badly when using
>> abbreviations. Example: ect.ect.-
>
>In this particular case, I think it's because most people don't know
>that
>etc. is the abbreviation for et cetera. Once you know that, it's much
>more difficult to get it wrong (apart from simply transposing it on
>the
>keyboard, but I don't think this combination lends itself to that as
>well
>as some other combinations of keys).

They don't know it's an abbreviation for et cetera because they
pronounce it "eck cetera". <cringe> BOTH of my bosses pronounce it
with a "k", and one of my bosses has a JD. They also (along with a
huge number of people) misuse pronouns following a preposition. I
don't correct them. I need the paycheck. And beyond that, my
grammar ain't always so good neither so I jest shet my mouf.

TammyM

On 2007-08-11, TammyM > wrote:

> with a "k", and one of my bosses has a JD.

Junior Detective? Juvenile Delinquent? Jaundiced Digit? What????

nb ...tapping foot

On Sat, 11 Aug 2007 09:41:36 -0500, notbob > wrote:

>On 2007-08-11, TammyM > wrote:
>
>> with a "k", and one of my bosses has a JD.
>
>Junior Detective? Juvenile Delinquent? Jaundiced Digit? What????
>
>nb ...tapping foot

Goofball - you, I mean, and that would be GB!)!! **Juris**
**Doctorate**. Also a VNM (very nice man). And a GB (both a "great
boss" and sometimes a "goofball").

He has two sons too, but to the best of my knowledge, neither is a
juvenile delinquent. Maybe a junior detective though....

Tammy

On Thu, 09 Aug 2007 13:42:01 -0400, Dave Smith
> wrote:

>
>
>blAndy wrote:
>>
>> OK r.f.c folks, here's a kinda/sort OT question!!!
>>
>> What do you think about when you're washing dishes? Me, I come up
>> with whimsical questions like this one. :-D
>>
>> You?
>
>I wonder how long it is going to take her to finish.
>
>Ducking and running
>:-)
>
>
>But seriously..... I do most of the cooking and my wife washes the dishes.

And now, thanks to SW's remark about his ex-girlfriend, you know WHY
your wife does the dishes!! <G>

Doing dishes isn't that stimulating for me...Dammit. If it were, I'd
be doing dishes for the entire neighborhood, I'd quit my Uni job and
become a professional dishwasher! Starving, but happy.

<snip>

TammyM

"modom (palindrome guy)" > wrote in message
...
> On Fri, 10 Aug 2007 15:40:50 -0400, "Felice Friese"
> > wrote:
>>
>>"blake murphy" > wrote in message
. ..
>>> On Thu, 9 Aug 2007 15:26:31 -0400, "Felice Friese"
>>> > wrote:

>>>>I am a retired newspaper editor and never once corrected a reporter's
>>>>grammar within anyone else's hearing. I spoke to them privately or
>>>>posted
>>>>a
>>>>general note (usually light in tone) on the newsroom bulletin board.

>>> felice, i'm impressed. who did you edit for?
>>>
>>> your pal,
>>> blake

>>Sounds more impressive than it was, Blake! They were weekly/daily papers
>>in
>>Westchester County, N.Y., one of which I owned (the one that was a
>>journalistic success and a financial disaster). In my dreams, of course, I
>>worked for the New York Times.
>>
>>Felice

> Hey, I worked for the Council Bluffs (Iowa) Nonpareil back in the day.
> I wanted to be Jimmy Olsen, but mostly I was a nerd in the newspaper's
> morgue looking for "30-years-ago-today" stories until I had to cover a
> big home invader/double murder story because everybody else had gone
> home for the evening. Cops were throwing up in the front yard, and I
> turned away an offer for a story from a young woman whom I believed
> was only looking for attention, but who eventually was a witness for
> the (successful) prosecution.
>
> My news nose is that bad.
>
> I took up painting soon afterwards.
>
> modom

Sounds like a wise career change, Modom! Double murders are choice, aren't
they? Our hometown winner was a massacre at the Chinese restaurant down the
road.

Felice

On 2007-08-11, TammyM > wrote:

> Doing dishes isn't that stimulating for me...Dammit. If it were, I'd
> be doing dishes for the entire neighborhood, I'd quit my Uni job and
> become a professional dishwasher! Starving, but happy.

There ya' go.

This question is a real poser, isn't it. I've had to think long and
hard on it. When I do dishes, I sometimes think, "Do I need a new
dish drainer?" Maybe, "Is it time to change the sponge?" There's the
occasional, "I'll let it soak awhile longer" and the ever exciting "I
hope I didn't drop a knife in here?" When I'm feeling really profound,
I'll sometimes venture into the mysteries of life and exclaim, "What's
that little thingie floating around?" But, mostly I let my mind drift
to more mundane thoughts like, "I'll sure be glad when I'm finished
doing these dishes."

nb

Blinky the Shark > wrote:

> everyone that passes.

Do you actually mean "everything that passes," or "everyone who passes"?
I'm sorry, but I can't just pass this by, as it nearly causes me to pass
out! :-)

ObFood: A Passover recipe, namely matzoh balls, to be served in chicken
soup. The recipe is from
<http://www.starchefs.com/Passover/matzohballs.html>.

Victor
who is just a presumptuous non-native English speaker


Traditional Matzoh Balls

4 eggs
1/2 cup seltzer
4 to 6 tablespoons melted (but not hot) chicken fat or a combination of
chicken fat and vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon finely ground white pepper
1 cup matzoh meal

1. With a table fork, beat the eggs until well blended.

2. Stir in the seltzer, the schmaltz (or the schmaltz and oil), and the
salt and pepper.

3. Gradually stir in the matzoh meal. Cover and refrigerate for at least
1 hour, or preferably longer.

4. Bring a large quantity of water to a gentle boil in a very wide and
deep pot with a cover; one with enough surface so that when the balls
expand and float to the top, there will be only one layer of balls --
and not crowded at that. I use an old-fashioned covered roaster placed
over two burners.

5. Using about 2 tablespoons of the chilled batter for each matzoh ball,
and keeping your hands moist with cold water (for convenience, I keep a
bowl of cold water next to me as I work), gingerly roll the batter
between the palms of your hands into neat balls. As you form the balls,
drop them into the boiling water.

6. When all the balls are in the pot, cover the pot, adjust the heat so
the water simmers briskly, and cook the matzoh balls for 30 minutes.
They will double in size and float to the top.

7. Remove the matzoh balls from the water with a slotted spoon and serve
in hot chicken soup.

Ahead of time note: I have never frozen matzoh balls, or made them ahead
of time and let them sit for more than an hour or so, but some people
say that they do both and that they're fine. I have no idea how New
York's Jewish delicatessens keep theirs in such fine form for an entire
day, and I'll bet I wouldn't enjoy them as much if I did know. There are
some things better left unsaid.

On Fri, 10 Aug 2007 15:40:50 -0400, "Felice Friese"
> wrote:

>
>"blake murphy" > wrote in message
.. .
>> On Thu, 9 Aug 2007 15:26:31 -0400, "Felice Friese"
>> > wrote:
>
><snippity>
>
>>>I am a retired newspaper editor and never once corrected a reporter's
>>>grammar within anyone else's hearing. I spoke to them privately or posted
>>>a
>>>general note (usually light in tone) on the newsroom bulletin board.
>>
>> felice, i'm impressed. who did you edit for?
>>
>> your pal,
>> blake
>
>Sounds more impressive than it was, Blake! They were weekly/daily papers in
>Westchester County, N.Y., one of which I owned (the one that was a
>journalistic success and a financial disaster). In my dreams, of course, I
>worked for the New York Times.
>
>Felice
>
further than i got, which was editorial page editor for my high school
paper.

i like journalists. too bad it's such a debased forum today.

your pal,
blake

On Fri, 10 Aug 2007 15:15:34 -0400, "Dee Dee" >
wrote:

>>
>> (i will confess that 'anyways' instead of 'anyway' drives me up the
>> ****in' wall.)
>>
>> your pal,
>> blake
>>
>
>Anyways, writin' " ****in' " instead of writin' it out drives me up the
>wall, too."
>
>Your good pal,
>Dee Dee
>

you pays your nickel and you takes your choice.

your pal,
blake

On Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:20:47 -0700, "The Ranger"
> wrote:

>Dee Dee > wrote in message
...
>> Anyways, writin' " ****in' " instead of writin' it out drives
>> me up the wall, too."
>
>What about "effin'" or "frickin'"? (These subtleties are
>important.)
>
>The Ranger
>

"frickin'" is even worse than "anyways." if you're going to swear,
don't be a pussy.

your pal,
blake

On 10 Aug 2007 19:33:40 GMT, Blinky the Shark >
wrote:

>Dee Dee wrote:
>>>
>>> (i will confess that 'anyways' instead of 'anyway' drives me up the
>>> ****in' wall.)
>>>
>>> your pal, blake
>>>
>>
>> Anyways, writin' " ****in' " instead of writin' it out drives me up
>> the wall, too."
>
>At least all instances of contractions those two posts (blake's and Dee
>Dee's) make use of the apostrophe to indicate that contraction.

i may be low-class, but my grammar is pretty good.

your pal,
blake

On Fri, 10 Aug 2007 15:42:36 -0400, "Felice Friese"
> wrote:

>
>"Dee Dee" > wrote in message
...
>> >
>>> (i will confess that 'anyways' instead of 'anyway' drives me up the
>>> ****in' wall.)
>>>
>>> your pal,
>>> blake
>>
>> Anyways, writin' " ****in' " instead of writin' it out drives me up the
>> wall, too."
>>
>> Your good pal,
>> Dee Dee
>
>Well, yeah, but it's better than f---ing.
>
>Felice
>

that sort of orthography always puzzles me on the net, where
presumably there are no overly tender-hearted editors to placate. it
makes no sense.

your pal,
blake

On Aug 10, 6:59 pm, sf wrote:
> On Thu, 09 Aug 2007 10:26:11 -0700, Bobo Bonobo® >
> wrote:
>
> >On Aug 9, 9:43 am, blAndy > wrote:
> >> OK r.f.c folks, here's a kinda/sort OT question!!!
>
> >> What do you think about when you're washing dishes? Me, I come up
> >> with whimsical questions like this one. :-D
>
> >> You?
>
> >Girls.
>
> Stick to women around your age and you won't be viewed as a weird
> middle aged man who is still trying to hang onto his youth.
>
I am very concerned that people not view me that way. I have been
laughing out loud.
Tell you though, speaking of women my age, I went to a fundraiser last
night where there were lots of folks I knew when we were all
teenagers. This one chick was so fine. We're both married, so
nothing happened, I just hung out a lot of the night with her, her
husband, and another really pretty woman.
All that said, Rock'n Roll is a guy like me and your daughters in the
back seat of your car, doing things that involve exchanging bodily
fluids

While you're equating
these pleasures with sin
I'll be enjoying
the Daughters of Men
--from Pathetic Old Men.

--Bryan

On 10 Aug 2007 19:35:35 GMT, Blinky the Shark >
wrote:

>blake murphy wrote:
>> On Thu, 09 Aug 2007 16:36:32 -0400, Dave Smith
> wrote:
>>
>>>Default User wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Ending a sentence in a preposition is not grammatically incorrect.
>>>
>>>It is acceptable if there is no alternative. To ask "Where are you at?" is
>>>redundant, and therefore not necessary.
>>>
>>>
>>>> Typically what happens is that a contraction is used earlier and the
>>>> preposition is used to round out the sentence. People usually don't say
>>>> or write, "Where are you at." What they do produce is, "Where're you
>>>> at." Due to the contraction, the sentence feels chopped off, and the
>>>> insidious "at" creeps in to finish it.
>>>
>>>It is often somewhat amusing to listen to people with bad grammar trying to
>>>make things sound proper but not being able to pull it off.
>>
>> even funnier are people who use ten-dollar words in order to sound
>> erudite and get them wrong.
>
>Do you mean like "erudite" instead of "learned"?

i'm presuming my audience here is learned enough to know what
'erudite' means. just part of my sunnily optimistic outlook.

your pal,
blake

On 10 Aug 2007 18:35:28 GMT, "Default User" >
wrote:

>Blinky the Shark wrote:
>
>
>> I think it ironic that so many people who can barely write are drawn
>> to this written medium. I can't play the saxophone, so I don't stand
>> on the street corner with one and squawk away dysphonically (if that
>> inflection is valid) at everyone that passes.
>
>The goal of usenet is not to be a writing exhibition. It's a form of
>communication. People participate because they wish to exchange ideas. T
>
>Brian

and the goal of good writing is to communicate clearly. i'm not sure
what your point is here.

your pal,
blake

On 10 Aug 2007 21:16:47 GMT, Blinky the Shark >
wrote:

>Default User wrote:
>> Blinky the Shark wrote:
>>
>>> Default User wrote:
>>
>>> > The goal of usenet is not to be a writing exhibition. It's a form of
>>> > communication. People participate because they wish to exchange
>>> > ideas. T
>>>
>>> I shall simplify. I think it ironic that so many people who can
>>> barely write are drawn to this written medium.
>>
>> While there are a number of people will severely limited writing
>> skills, I'd say on the whole they represent a very smally minority.
>> Most of the people are at least competent at basic writing.
>>
>> Your experiences may differ.
>
>I read about 30 groups a day, so it probably does.

the times i've read alt.fan.cecil-adams i've been pretty impressed
with the skills shown there.

your pal,
blake

On Fri, 10 Aug 2007 14:52:29 -0400, Peter A >
wrote:

>In article >,
says...
>> >Thanks for your thoughtful post, you make a good point. I am a writer by
>> >trade and I suppose that grammar is more important to me than it is to
>> >99.9% of people.
>> >
>> >Even so, I am surprised by how resistant most people are to learning
>> >anything. I guess that's just human nature and I should learn to deal
>> >with it.
>>
>> this post is just another indication that you *are* saying 'hey
>> stupid, I'm smarter than you." 99.9%? so modest.
>>
>> your pal,
>> blake
>>
>>
>
>I'm sorry that you are so insecure.
>
>There was actually an intelligent and interesting thread going on here,
>yet you have to jump in with your high school digs and insults. Thanks a
>lot.
>
>Yes indeed, I am more intelligent than you - but then again, so is my
>toaster.

keep telling yourself that, peter. others here can judge for
themselves.

your pal,
blake

Victor Sack wrote:
> Blinky the Shark > wrote:
>
>> everyone that passes.
>
> Do you actually mean "everything that passes," or "everyone who passes"?

Yes.

> I'm sorry, but I can't just pass this by, as it nearly causes me to pass
> out! :-)

<offers smelling salts>


--
Blinky RLU 297263
Killing all posts from Google Groups.
Except in Thunderbird, which can't filter that well.
The Usenet Improvement Project: http://blinkynet.net/comp/uip5.html

blake murphy wrote:
> On 10 Aug 2007 21:16:47 GMT, Blinky the Shark >
> wrote:
>
>>Default User wrote:
>>> Blinky the Shark wrote:
>>>
>>>> Default User wrote:
>>>
>>>> > The goal of usenet is not to be a writing exhibition. It's a form of
>>>> > communication. People participate because they wish to exchange
>>>> > ideas. T
>>>>
>>>> I shall simplify. I think it ironic that so many people who can
>>>> barely write are drawn to this written medium.
>>>
>>> While there are a number of people will severely limited writing
>>> skills, I'd say on the whole they represent a very smally minority.
>>> Most of the people are at least competent at basic writing.
>>>
>>> Your experiences may differ.
>>
>>I read about 30 groups a day, so it probably does.
>
> the times i've read alt.fan.cecil-adams i've been pretty impressed
> with the skills shown there.

It's a rather exceptional group in that respect, IMO.

Here's the other end of the spectrum (although the emphasis here is on
knuckleheadedness rather than just writing skills):

http://blinkynet.net/comp/dontask.html


--
Blinky RLU 297263
Killing all posts from Google Groups.
Except in Thunderbird, which can't filter that well.
The Usenet Improvement Project: http://blinkynet.net/comp/uip5.html

Felice Friese wrote:

> Sounds like a wise career change, Modom! Double murders are choice, aren't
> they? Our hometown winner was a massacre at the Chinese restaurant down the
> road.

How many cats gave their lives for the kung pao?


--
Blinky RLU 297263
Killing all posts from Google Groups.
Except in Thunderbird, which can't filter that well.
The Usenet Improvement Project: http://blinkynet.net/comp/uip5.html

TammyM wrote:

> They don't know it's an abbreviation for et cetera because they
> pronounce it "eck cetera". <cringe> BOTH of my bosses pronounce it
> with a "k", and one of my bosses has a JD. They also (along with a
> huge number of people) misuse pronouns following a preposition. I
> don't correct them. I need the paycheck. And beyond that, my
> grammar ain't always so good neither so I jest shet my mouf.

"[E]ck cetera" reminds me of our next door neighbor lady when I was a kid.
She always pronounced "else" as "elks". "Blah blah blah or elks blah
blah blah..."


--
Blinky RLU 297263
Killing all posts from Google Groups.
Except in Thunderbird, which can't filter that well.
The Usenet Improvement Project: http://blinkynet.net/comp/uip5.html

On Fri, 10 Aug 2007 19:18:53 GMT, "James Silverton"
> wrote:

> blake wrote on Fri, 10 Aug 2007 18:41:08 GMT:
>
> ??>> In article >,
> ??>> says...
> ??>>>> Thanks for your thoughtful post, you make a good point.
> ??>>>> I am a writer by trade and I suppose that grammar is
> ??>>>> more important to me than it is to 99.9% of people.
> ??>>>>
> ??>>>> Even so, I am surprised by how resistant most people are
> ??>>>> to learning anything. I guess that's just human nature
> ??>>>> and I should learn to deal with it. -- Peter Aitken
> ??>>>
> ??>>> And thank you, Peter, for your thoughtful reply. It seems
> ??>>> that both of us put great value in grammar. Yes, you
> ??>>> probably should learn to deal with its misuse, although I
> ??>>> can assure you it's not easy!
> ??>>>
> ??>>> Felice
> ??>>>
> ??>> I find bad grammar a lot easier to take in spoken English.
> ??>> When you are speaking with someone you have tone of voice,
> ??>> phrasing, facial expression, and body language to help get
> ??>> the meaning across. When things are written, it's a lot
> ??>> harder. There are none of these helpers so you have to
> ??>> rely 100% on the words (although the "smiley face" and
> ??>> other emoticons can help).
>
> bm> your claims to being any kind of writer at all are
> bm> demolished by your advocating emoticons. jaysus.
>
>I do mostly agree with you Blake but not in avoiding emoticons
>when posting to news groups, not that I'd use them in *formal*
>or technical writing. IMHO, they are often a useful and facile
>way to indicate that you are joking or being a little
>tongue-in-cheek and don't want to be taken seriously. They can
>have similar uses to acronyms like IMHO that acknowledge that
>you know others may not agree. I used to sometimes use (g)
>instead of :-) but not everyone got it! There are many people,
>including me, who have Microsoft Word set to autocorrect things
>like :-) to the smiley for informal correspondence.
>
>James Silverton

i guess you are right insofar as it's a matter of taste. i just don't
like them. (i installed a new version of, i think, eudora, that had
the emoticon-to-'pretty' pictures feature, and that drove me straight
up the wall. thank god it was easy to disable, or i'd have junked the
software entirely.) besides, i hate to telegraph a joke, or point
out that it is one.

i dislike the initialisms also ('imho'), because not everyone knows
what they mean. besides, this isn't instant messaging or a telegram;
you can afford to spell things out.

but i'm just a cranky old man. your mileage may vary, as they say on
teh intarwebs.

your pal,
blake

On 10 Aug 2007 19:41:49 GMT, Blinky the Shark >
wrote:

>blake murphy wrote:
>> On Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:39:18 -0400, Peter A >
>> wrote:
>>
>>>In article >,
says...
>>>> > Thanks for your thoughtful post, you make a good point. I am a writer by
>>>> > trade and I suppose that grammar is more important to me than it is to
>>>> > 99.9% of people.
>>>> >
>>>> > Even so, I am surprised by how resistant most people are to learning
>>>> > anything. I guess that's just human nature and I should learn to deal
>>>> > with it.
>>>> > --
>>>> > Peter Aitken
>>>>
>>>> And thank you, Peter, for your thoughtful reply. It seems that both of us
>>>> put great value in grammar. Yes, you probably should learn to deal with its
>>>> misuse, although I can assure you it's not easy!
>>>>
>>>> Felice
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>I find bad grammar a lot easier to take in spoken English. When you are
>>>speaking with someone you have tone of voice, phrasing, facial
>>>expression, and body language to help get the meaning across. When
>>>things are written, it's a lot harder. There are none of these helpers
>>>so you have to rely 100% on the words (although the "smiley face" and
>>>other emoticons can help).
>>
>> your claims to being any kind of writer at all are demolished by your
>> advocating emoticons. jaysus.
>
>If not overdone, they can be a somewhat useful replacement for the
>visual cues we get in face-to-face communication and lose here. One
>example of "overdone" is having them in one's sig so every post ends
>with one. Automatic similes like that are meaningless.

well, in person i like to keep my delivery as deadpan as possible.

your pal,
blake

On Fri, 10 Aug 2007 15:48:04 -0400, "Nancy Young" >
wrote:

>
>"Blinky the Shark" > wrote
>
>> If not overdone, they can be a somewhat useful replacement for the
>> visual cues we get in face-to-face communication and lose here. One
>> example of "overdone" is having them in one's sig so every post ends
>> with one. Automatic similes like that are meaningless.
>
>It's too late, I don't even notice them anymore. I gave up trying
>to interpret them long ago. I like your recipe! Uh ... does that mean
>you thought it sucked? Why the wink?
>
>Too many emoticons that don't match the sentiment. When someone
>says Didn't you see the smiley? I can usually say No, I didn't notice it.
>
>nancy
>

i suppose that's better than saying 'yes, i did, but i was kind enough
not to mention it.'

your pal,
blake

blAndy said...

> OK r.f.c folks, here's a kinda/sort OT question!!!
>
> What do you think about when you're washing dishes? Me, I come up
> with whimsical questions like this one. :-D
>
> You?
>
> blAndy


I think "Good Lord I'm so thankful I buy paper plates!!! And plastic knives,
forks and spoons!"

Andy

blake wrote on Sat, 11 Aug 2007 17:32:55 GMT:

??>> blake wrote on Fri, 10 Aug 2007 18:41:08 GMT:
??>>
??>>>> In article
??>>>> >, friese@c
??>>>> omcast.net says...
??>>>>>> Thanks for your thoughtful post, you make a good
??>>>>>> point. I am a writer by trade and I suppose that
??>>>>>> grammar is more important to me than it is to 99.9% of
??>>>>>> people.
??>>>>>>
??>>>>>> Even so, I am surprised by how resistant most people
??>>>>>> are to learning anything. I guess that's just human
??>>>>>> nature and I should learn to deal with it. -- Peter
??>>>>>> Aitken
??>>>>>
??>>>>> And thank you, Peter, for your thoughtful reply. It
??>>>>> seems that both of us put great value in grammar. Yes,
??>>>>> you probably should learn to deal with its misuse,
??>>>>> although I can assure you it's not easy!
??>>>>>
??>>>>> Felice
??>>>>>
??>>>> I find bad grammar a lot easier to take in spoken
??>>>> English. When you are speaking with someone you have
??>>>> tone of voice, phrasing, facial expression, and body
??>>>> language to help get the meaning across. When things are
??>>>> written, it's a lot harder. There are none of these
??>>>> helpers so you have to rely 100% on the words (although
??>>>> the "smiley face" and other emoticons can help).
??>>
bm>>> your claims to being any kind of writer at all are
bm>>> demolished by your advocating emoticons. jaysus.
??>>
??>> I do mostly agree with you Blake but not in avoiding
??>> emoticons when posting to news groups, not that I'd use
??>> them in *formal* or technical writing. IMHO, they are
??>> often a useful and facile way to indicate that you are
??>> joking or being a little tongue-in-cheek and don't want to
??>> be taken seriously. They can have similar uses to acronyms
??>> like IMHO that acknowledge that you know others may not
??>> agree. I used to sometimes use (g) instead of :-) but not
??>> everyone got it! There are many people, including me, who
??>> have Microsoft Word set to autocorrect things like :-) to
??>> the smiley for informal correspondence.
??>>
??>> James Silverton

bm> i guess you are right insofar as it's a matter of taste. i
bm> just don't like them. (i installed a new version of, i
bm> think, eudora, that had the emoticon-to-'pretty' pictures
bm> feature, and that drove me straight up the wall. thank god
bm> it was easy to disable, or i'd have junked the software
bm> entirely.) besides, i hate to telegraph a joke, or point
bm> out that it is one.

bm> i dislike the initialisms also ('imho'), because not
bm> everyone knows what they mean. besides, this isn't instant
bm> messaging or a telegram; you can afford to spell things
bm> out.

bm> but i'm just a cranky old man. your mileage may vary, as
bm> they say on teh intarwebs.

As you imply, IYHO! To each their own but I think you are in a
small minority and fighting a war that was lost decades ago!
(Don't bother taking up my apparent lack of grammatical number
agreement. I quite long ago decided that I agreed with The Times
of London about gender neutral pronouns :-)

To tell the truth, I think it is fun to puzzle out things like
AFAIK and you can always ask if you can't do it.

Best wishes!

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

"blake murphy" > wrote in message
...
>>Do you mean like "erudite" instead of "learned"?
>
> i'm presuming my audience here is learned enough to know what
> 'erudite' means. just part of my sunnily optimistic outlook.
>
> your pal,
> blake

Since this is a cooking group:
don't you mean 'crudite'?
Oh, I guess not, because I couldn't find "crudite" in any dictionary.
Dee Dee

On 10 Aug 2007 17:52:42 GMT, Blinky the Shark >
wrote:

>ChattyCathy wrote:
>> Blinky the Shark wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> I think it ironic that so many people who can barely write are drawn
>>> to this written medium. I can't play the saxophone, so I don't stand
>>> on the street corner with one and squawk away dysphonically (if that
>>> inflection is valid) at everyone that passes.
>>>
>> If by "this written medium" you are referring to Usenet, people do it
>> simply because they *can*. But that's human nature, not so sure about
>> sharks.
>
>Referring back to my analogy, above, I *can* stand on the street corner
>with a saxophone I don't know how to use and squawk at everyone that
>passes, but that does not mean it's a good idea. So perhaps you're
>right. Perhaps sharks *are* more discriminating (except in their diet,
>which brings us back to matters of food).

well now, that depends. do sharks eat ketchup on hot dogs, or grape
jelly with their meatballs? or, god forbid, use hydrogenated fats?

your pal,
blake

"Blinky the Shark" > wrote in message
...
> Felice Friese wrote:
>
>> Sounds like a wise career change, Modom! Double murders are choice,
>> aren't
>> they? Our hometown winner was a massacre at the Chinese restaurant down
>> the
>> road.
>
> How many cats gave their lives for the kung pao?
> --
> Blinky RLU 297263

Hah! And you thought it was the fresh ginger that gives it that "je ne sais
quoi".

Felice

>
>What do you think about when you're washing dishes?

I think "I wish I had 2 dishwashers."

blake murphy wrote:
> On 10 Aug 2007 17:52:42 GMT, Blinky the Shark >
> wrote:

>>Referring back to my analogy, above, I *can* stand on the street corner
>>with a saxophone I don't know how to use and squawk at everyone that
>>passes, but that does not mean it's a good idea. So perhaps you're
>>right. Perhaps sharks *are* more discriminating (except in their diet,
>>which brings us back to matters of food).
>
> well now, that depends. do sharks eat ketchup on hot dogs, or grape
> jelly with their meatballs? or, god forbid, use hydrogenated fats?

No, no, and "try not to". Old tires are okay, though (thus my
disclaimer, above).


--
Blinky RLU 297263
Killing all posts from Google Groups.
Except in Thunderbird, which can't filter that well.
The Usenet Improvement Project: http://blinkynet.net/comp/uip5.html

On 11 Aug 2007 17:31:56 GMT, Blinky the Shark >
wrote:

>TammyM wrote:
>
>> They don't know it's an abbreviation for et cetera because they
>> pronounce it "eck cetera". <cringe> BOTH of my bosses pronounce it
>> with a "k", and one of my bosses has a JD. They also (along with a
>> huge number of people) misuse pronouns following a preposition. I
>> don't correct them. I need the paycheck. And beyond that, my
>> grammar ain't always so good neither so I jest shet my mouf.
>
>"[E]ck cetera" reminds me of our next door neighbor lady when I was a kid.
>She always pronounced "else" as "elks". "Blah blah blah or elks blah
>blah blah..."

Was she one of those people who say "axe" instead of "ask"?


--

A husband is someone who takes out the trash and gives the impression he just cleaned the whole house.

On Fri, 10 Aug 2007 14:48:47 -0500, Omelet >
wrote:

>In article >,
> blake murphy > wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 10 Aug 2007 01:04:07 GMT, Steve Wertz
>> > wrote:
>>
>> >On Thu, 09 Aug 2007 09:36:30 -0700, Sheldon wrote:
>> >
>> >> On Aug 9, 11:43?am, blAndy > wrote:
>> >>> OK r.f.c folks, here's a kinda/sort OT question!!!
>> >>>
>> >>> What do you think about when you're washing dishes?
>> >>
>> >> Having my hands in hot soapy water makes think I need to pee.
>> >
>> >I had a girlfriend in high school that would have multiple
>> >orgasms just from washing dishes in hot water.
>> >
>> >Anybody else?
>> >
>> >-sw
>>
>> sounds like she has a rewarding career path available to her.
>>
>> your pal,
>> blake
>
>Men...
>
><disgusted look>
>
><G>

i didn't say with me! the way my girlfriend does the dishes makes me
nervous.

your pal,
blake

"Mitch" <Mitch@...> wrote in message
...
>
>>
>>What do you think about when you're washing dishes?
>
> I think "I wish I had 2 dishwashers."

I've oft wondered if all that stuff I have left over to wash by hand that
has the warning not to put it in the dishwasher, and 'if' you do, be sure to
put on the top rack, that if I just chucked it into dishwasher
haphazardly, just let the stuff rattle around, crash into each other, not
give a fiddlers' as to what would happen, what really would happen. I'd
like to do that just one time.
Dee Dee

On Fri, 10 Aug 2007 17:52:24 -0700, sf wrote:

>On Thu, 9 Aug 2007 13:44:59 -0400, Peter A >
>wrote:
>
>>If people write sloppy English, so be it - they may still have something
>>interesting to say. I don't want to be a "grammar nazi" or anything like
>>that. My goal is not to say "Hey stupid, I'm smarter than you" but
>>rather to say "perhaps you would like to know this." Unfortunately,
>>insecure people are so touchy about any criticism, they would rather
>>remain ignorant than learn something new because of their stupid pride.
>
>Don't assume. Everybody knows a preposition is something you don't
>end a sentence with. However, we disregard the rules
>occasionally because the style of writing in rfc is less formal and
>has a more conversational tone to it.

possibly most by now have heard the story concerning prose stylist
winston churchill:

On the subject of ending sentences with prepositions, people often
recount a story involving Winston Churchill. When an editor dared to
change a sentence of Churchill's that appeared to end inappropriately
with a preposition, Churchill responded by writing to the editor,
"This is the kind of impertinence up with which I shall not put."

this and a rundown on the whole megillah are he

<http://www.getitwriteonline.com/archive/022703.htm>

your pal,
blake