Ellipsis...

9:32 PM Edit This 2 Comments »
I threw out this word the other day and the person I was talking to didn't know what it was, but surely she knew how to use it...

It's this wee little thing called the ellipsis (...). Here's snippet I read on Wikipedia:

"The triple-dot punctuation mark is also called a suspension point, points of ellipsis, periods of ellipsis, or colloquially, dot-dot-dot."

Personally, I've never heard of any of these names, except for 'dot-dot-dot', which I reject on principle.  I also personally reject the use of four dots.  You have to stand for something...

While it may be true that only grammar nerds care what it's called, lots of people use 'em, and they can mean so many different things - here are a few fun uses:

The "suspenseful" ellipsis...
When you see this one, you're supposed to pause for a moment and wonder "Ooohhh... what's the afterthought trailing behind those little dots?"  A period just wouldn't be appropriate here.  Authors love to use this one.

The "stretch this sound out in your mind" ellipsis...
(See above "Ooohhh..."):  Really hear that - ooooooohhhhhhh (it sounds like the 'oo' in goo and not the 'o' in poe).

Then there's the "ponder this" ellipsis...
Or, the "fill-in-the-blank" ellipsis, if you will.  Those where right before they appear, you're given an ultimatum:  "Would you rather..."

Never underestimate the "hesitation" ellipsis...
You're trying to give someone a hint without coming right out and saying what it is you want to say (I know you never do this, but bear with me here).  Like, you're trying to end a conversation because you have something to do, but instead of saying "Hey, I gotta go," you say, "So, I'm about to run to the grocery..." and you wait.  Hoping the other person will take that as a sign that you need to scram and not as a new topic of conversation.  Oh yeah.  You know what I'm talking about.

And I don't know if this next one really counts as an official usage of the lovely ellipsis.  In fact, I'm not sure any of the ones I listed do, but oh well.  Here's the last one - my favorite.

The "a hyphen just won't do here" ellipsis...
I use this all the time in emails.  Sometimes I have two linked thoughts, but a hypen is just too abrupt, too jolting.  There's supposed to be a sense of continuity, fluidity... you know, kind of like that.  Like, I'm writing about something, and I'm ready to switch gears now, so anyways... oh yeah!  Let me tell you about something else...

Kind of like that.  And for those of you who weren't convinced before, now you know.  I'm a nerd.  And I don't mind.  :)

(Note on picture at right:  I decided to use this photo because it [along with the caption] is multi-dimentional.  First note that there is, in fact, a National Punctuation Day.  Fascinating. And there in the picture is its founder, who is really much hairier than he should be.  But he does point out an interesting phenomenon - it's an epidemic even... why don't companies grammar check their signs?)

Musings on "I'm Gonna Get Fat!" - (with a little aside on Twitter)...

10:39 PM Edit This 5 Comments »
My friend Jay just inspired me with his recent blog post entitled "I'm Gonna Get Fat!" all about how he can't run for 3 whole months (doctor's orders) because of a minor hip injury.

My excuse for not running for 2 weeks now - I'm too busy.

Work is great, school is great, church is great, life is great - it's just that all of the really great things that go along with all of them are really sorta taking up lots & lots of time in my day, and I'm not managing to get it all done.  The problem is I have to figure out a way to find time to start running again because I'm still planning to run the St. Jude half marathon in December... at least that's what I'm told - right, Samina?

So then there's this whole other thing - it's Twitter.  Oh yeah, everybody's doing it.  Soon, people won't have to actually have conversations, they'll just "twitter."  I think we should do a few Twitter groups as some fall small groups at the church.  Honestly, I'm on it for fear of being ostracized by my peers, but I have some Twitter jitters, if you will.  What if I don't update my Twitter status regularly?  What if it kind of falls by the wayside like my blog does (oops)... will I fall out of grace with my followers?  Isn't that whole concept kind of freaky anyway - I have "followers".  The whole thing is just a little weird to me, and I'm not quite used to it yet.  I wouldn't say I'm Twitter bitter.  Maybe it just takes some getting used to...

I am a marathon runner...

10:38 AM Edit This 2 Comments »
...or at least, that's what I'm telling people these days. I've been wanting to get into better shape lately, and just yesterday the opportunity presented itself to run the St. Jude half-marathon in December. Of course, I've never intended in my life to run a marathon - or a half of one, as it were - but what it comes down to is that I want to know whether or not I can do it. So, with that, I have started my training, beginning yesterday with a 2.7 mile run/walk. There were times I didn't think I'd make it through, but I did, and despite the pain this morning, I'm encouraged.

I've also just finished reading Christine Caine's new book, Run to Win, which is all about finishing strong, with lots of great allusions to running a marathon. I think I may just read it again to let it sink in a little bit.

School starts in 2 weeks, and I'm pumped!! This is bound to be one of the most trying few months - starting grad school & training for a half-marathon - but I am excited! :)

Hitting the Books, Part 2

1:55 AM Edit This 2 Comments »
I got my acceptance letter into grad school!!! Yay!! :) I can't wait to get started - even if I am a little intimidated by the level of French coursework I'll be doing. And for those of you who can't understand why someone such as myself would subject herself to this depth of foreign language study, I have only one response for you -

Le cœur a ses raisons, que la raison ne connaît point...

And that's a fact. :)

I Cook with Wine

11:55 PM Edit This 1 Comment »
You know, my blog posts are usually little rants, but really, I'm a pretty happy girl. I don't have a whole lot to gripe about, so I find humor in complaining about little insignificant, totally inconsequential things. That has nothing to do with the rest of this blog - I just thought I'd throw that out there.

This weekend I'm looking forward to seeing my little brother tie the knot with a real gem of a girl. We (me and my entire family) absolutely adore her, and it's truly exciting to see them getting married. :)

But immediately folllowing the nuptial festivities, hubby and I are headed out to sunny California - San Francisco, to be exact - and I
could not be more thrilled. I've been to France, Spain, Uganda; but I've never been west of Austin, Texas, and it's about time.

And, yes, J.B., I do cook with wine. I do even put it in the food... on occasion. :) Here's a random tip for wine and/or culinary novices: you should never cook with a wine that you wouldn't drink by itself. See you when I get back!

Sound the alarm

8:50 AM Edit This 1 Comment »
Sorry, friends.  It has been two months since my last entry, and the truth is I don't have a good reason for it except that:

*the GRE stressed me out beyond all imagination
*I started a new job
*I've been getting ready to go out of town
*I planted a garden
-and-
*I started running (in place of vegging)

Basically, life happened, but never fear - I'm back yet again.  And I have something to get off my chest.

I must be insane, and I know I'm not the only one.  Day in and day out, I make the most vain attempt at manipulating myself, and though it fails time and time again, still I try.  It's like I'm trying to trick my own self, which unless there were two of me in the same brain (I hear that happens to some people), this is a completely impossible feat, and so far, that has proven true many times over again.  But I'll do it again today.  And you may be asking yourself (all 4 of you - my readership has grown [exponentially!]), what on earth is she talking about?!  Well, dear friends, it's....



My alarm clock.

That's right.  I set my alarm clock 7 or so minutes fast with the intention that when I wake up in the morning and see the time on the clock, I'll really think it's later than it is, which should motivate me to not hit the snooze button and move a little faster in the morning.  Then, as I'm walking out the door, I would look at a different clock in the house and realize, oh, silly me, it's not 7:56, it's 7:49!  And I would be able to proceed leisurely to work.  In theory (perhaps the one mentioned above about having two people share one brain), this could work.  But there are a couple of problems with this - namely that I'm not manipulated by my self, which I think is a good sign, even if it doesn't get me out of bed on time.

The gravest problem associated with this habit is that it forces me to do complicated math in the morning.  In case we haven't met, I don't function well in the morning.  The thinking mechanism in my brain is not generally engaged until I'm awake for at least an hour to an hour and a half.  So, when I look at my alarm clock after being jolted from the most restful sleep I've ever had (the last hour or so of sleep always is the best for me, which is unfortunate because by definition - being the last one - it has to end every single morning), I look at my clock, which says "6:36," and I have to then figure out how to subtract 7 from 36.  Math is not my forte - I'm a lover of the humanities - so this can be a slightly arduous task when fully alert.  At God's hour in the morning, it's extremely challenging, but I have to do it because I know that the clock's time isn't right, and I can't be duped into just believing it.  I know it's not.  Because I set it that way.

So, why not change it, you ask?  Why leave the time the way it is?  This is an excellent question, but I just can't.  And the reason is that somehow I've been programmed to do this to myself.  It could be a cultural phenomenon - one about which some anthropologist should conduct a study.  And that researcher should pay me to be one of his studied subjects.  And I could get money for my silly problems.  That's why.  Yeah.  That's one of my most favorite rationalizations.  And I'm sticking with it.  Thanks.

The end. :)

GRE Woes, Part 2

9:30 PM Edit This 0 Comments »
And now for a little Quantitative Analysis - 

If A is 25 km east of B, which is 12 km north of C, and D is 31 km south of A, what is the cost of tea in China?

Yep.  That's what it feels like to read these questions.  I mean, honestly... what do they want from me?  I keep coming back to my theory that they're after my cash... just a hunch...
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