A linguist’s blog on the most annoying grammar mistakes has inspired me to review two of my favourite books (see my page called Favourite Things). I am surprised by how many language fans are not familiar with the classic by H.W. Fowler – Modern English Usage, and I am dismayed because they are missing a wonderful thing . I…
Some might find this to be an “inappropriate” subject. However, since I know that Mom will be logging on to her computer first thing tomorrow to read my blog, and I’ve warned her, I think it is a fine topic. This morning from her hospital bed, when I mentioned that my dribbling of lukewarm coffee was…
The Lunatic Express is subtitled “Discovering the world… via its most dangerous buses, boats, trains, and planes.” I requested the book from the library after reading an article by Hoffman in the National Geographic Traveler. The book was well-written and fun to read – for the first half anyway. After that, the grueling bus/train/boat trips…
Here’s an ad from the intranet at work: FOR SALE: CASELOT OF CHAPSTICK (200), 1987. SPECIAL EDITION “CYNDI LAUPER – GOONIES MOVIE THEME” ASKING $75 The punctuation suggests that the Chapstick is 24 years old. I wonder if it has a best-before date. It is an interesting combination – the Chapstick caselot plus Cyndi Lauper.…
So many things to do, so little time… Thanks to a Canadian blogger living in Uruguay for the link to Hyperbolic crochet. Hyperbolic crochet was “discovered in 1997 by Cornell University mathematician Dr. Daina Taimina… The basic process for making these forms is a simple pattern or algorithm, which on its own produces a mathematically pure shape,…
The city library has an email newletter for which you can select categories of interest. This book was featured in the ‘travel’ category. Subtitled “Life and Love in India,” it is written by an American journalist who lived in India for several years in her 20s. The book is not a a funny-style travel memoir…
Being Canada Day, I have some bonus time to waste on the computer. Not really – this is NOT a waste. Last week, when the posties got back to work (Canadian traditionalists that they are), we received a milestone piece of mail – the university degree of our youngest child. There always remains a tiny…
Here is a blog post that struck a note with me – reminding me of myself in my mid-20s when I decided to come home. I still carry a bit of the urge to backpack forever, but I value that “state of affairs where we can find familiar comforts” (see quotation below). In “Passing up Paradise in Colombia”, Luke…
Seeing Clarely 