'They tumble forth, they rise and form...'

David Foster Wallace grammar quiz

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:10:27 -0600

I corrected 9* of the 10 questions.

I need to pick up some of Wallace’s work. Many people speak highly of him, and from what I’ve read, I admire his attitude toward language.

*My answers for 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 matched the answer key exactly. On 2 and 7, I identified the problem but chose a different correction. And on 10, I identified the problem and second-guessed myself as I checked the answers.

They're coming!

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:28:36 -0500

A: I hear something weird out front.
ME: Like what?
A: Like sanding or blowing noise.
ME: Hm... I don't hear a thing.
A: I hear it out the bedroom window.
ME: Maybe the wind.
A: No :-p I know what the wind sounds like. It's a machine.
A: Maybe it's the pool filter.
ME: Maybe it's the roomba uprising.
ME: That's possible too.
A: I think it might be. I see a few outside. They are much more advanced than we imagined.
ME: Ahhh! Maybe the pool filters are in cahoots with the roombas!

Voted Obama.

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:14:00 -0600

Voted Obama.

Republican or Democrat

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:35:13 -0500

alylynn:

Neither.

Ditto

To clarify

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 19:03:00 -0500

Government shouldn’t legislate personal decisions*, particularly in a blanket way and particularly not based on religious preferences. Someone gave the example of China’s one-child law, wherein people are only allowed one child and abortion of (female) children is, if not mandated, encouraged, to make a point of what can happen when government legislates moral (or immoral) choices.

I’m unsure of this as a legitimate argument, but it does offer a look at the opposite side. I will definitely have to research this further.

A thought experiment: The government screens everyone who potentially will have a child for genetic defects that could possibly prevent complications with birthing and child development. To take it further, why not screen for good genes, to eliminate the propagation of children with family histories of diabetes, heart disease, obesity, mental illness, and addiction? Or even more extreme, let’s require people to pass government-issued tests to determine their capability as parents before they are allowed to reproduce. If the fail they test three times, they are sterilized.

These are extremes, obviously, but are they unrealistic eventualities if the government starts — continues, even — to legislate personal choices? Because in the end, the argument to make abortion illegal based on the idea that some people make the decision to abort a child for selfish, personal reasons is not too many steps away from the idea that we’d be better off not letting those people breed in the first place.

*In this case, abortion. This is not to say I am pro-abortion. I am pro-choice, or abortion rights, or any number of ways that say the government shouldn’t make that extremely personal decision for individuals.

Update: Just because some people make bad decisions does not mean the government should legislate against those decisions for the entirety of the population. If that were the case, cars would be illegal because some people drive them while drunk or are reckless in them.

On abortion, McCain, and "health"

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:49:16 -0500

On abortion, McCain, and "health":

“Two of my favorite bloggers in the past couple of days have explained in succinct detail why we (women in particular) should be sickened by John McCain. I implore you to take the time to read these, they’re not just a bunch of liberal propaganda or pro-choice cheerleading. These are stories of people’s lives.” - Dooce

She won it for me at the fair.

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:11:05 -0500

She won it for me at the fair.

Beautiful

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 23:31:04 -0500

Beautiful

Photo

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:41:51 -0500

Sexy.

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:39:27 -0500

Sexy.

Photo

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:36:42 -0500

"I take it you already know, Of tough and bough and cough and dough. Others may stumble, but not..."

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:27:00 -0500

“I take it you already know,
Of tough and bough and cough and dough.
Others may stumble, but not you,
On hiccough, thorough, laugh and through.
Well done! And now you wish, perhaps,
To learn of less familiar traps.
Beware of heard, a dreadful word,
That looks like beard and sounds like bird.
And dead - it’s said like bed, not bead,
For goodness’ sake, don’t call it ‘deed’!
Watch out for meat and great and threat,
(They rhyme with suite and straight and debt).
A moth is not a moth in mother,
Nor both in bother, broth in brother.
And here is not a match for there,
Nor dear and fear for bear and pear.
And then there’s dose and rose and lose –
Just look them up – and goose and choose.
And cork and work and card and ward,
And font and front and word and sword.
And do and go and thwart and cart –
Come, come, I’ve hardly made a start!
A dreadful language? Why man alive!
I’d mastered it when I was five.”

- Alphabetic principle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (via jacobd)

My attempt at being pensive

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:26:29 -0500

My attempt at being pensive

Absent

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:26:00 -0500

I haven’t posted in a while. Life’s been busy, but I was looking back through here and realized most of the photos of me look sad, so here’s a recent one with me being happy. And I am happy.

For the record

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 14:49:57 -0600

Just because I’m a guy doesn’t mean I don’t like to be reminded I’m loved on Valentine’s Day, that you care enough to write me a note or give me some token of your love.

Photo

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 19:35:34 -0600

Advice

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 21:01:08 -0600

Sis: Just don't make a rash decision. Do what you think is right and follow your heart, but think it through.
Me: So follow my heart and my brain??
Me: They typically dont agree.

I agree.

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 23:02:14 -0600

quillsandparchment:

Damn it.

Damn it damn it dammit.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Damn.it.

I change the facial hair up from time to time.

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 14:19:03 -0600

I change the facial hair up from time to time.

The Story of Stuff

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 17:31:20 -0600

The Story of Stuff:

Watch this 20-minute video about consumerism when you have a chance.

If nothing else, you might question why you think you need to buy new things when the opportunity arises. At worst, you could save some money.

Come on. It’s Sunday. We both know you have 20 spare minutes. And don’t just play the video in a tab somewhere while browsing the internet and chatting: actually watch the video.

— marco