sundries

[rm]

Last night, I talked to my mother who asked me if I'd heard about my father's gout. She also told me she was on a bus the other day and it was leaning to one side, so the bus driver had everyone on the bus get up and go to the other side so the bus would lean the other way so it could pick up a passenger using a wheelchair. I think, "well, good, but WHY IS THE BUS LEANING SO MUCH?"

Small child in the office elevator today. 4-years-old with a backpack, shaped like a giant, abstract pink cat, nearly bigger than her. When she and her father got off on his work floor (a union organization with a lobby completely coated in fake marble and brass trim -- it's very Donald Trump, but with fake flowers on a fake antique table), she exclaimed, "This is marvelous!"

You guys are fabulous. While we still have a long way to go for graduate_maria the flurry of signal boosts and renewed interest in the auction last night raised the estimated total by several hundred dollars in a few hours, and there's been a bit of an increase since then as well, although I've not run the numbers today or looked at donation amounts, etc. I'm pretty sure we're closing in on $2,000 though. And there's still time to bid on this round of stuff until 11:59 tonight!

Yesterday I mentioned elionwyr doing the blogathon for Live Strong. Today shadesong has a roundup of other people doing blogathons for a variety of organizations.

copperbadge is having a job fair thingy in his journal.

Alarmist homebirth blurb.

sparkindarkness on people flaunting their sexuality.

Time asks why are French moms killing babies? I ask, are we sure this is statistically significant? It feels like this summer's shark attack to me. With bonus "think of the children!" plus "those awful French!" and "women who don't love babies are secretly all murderers!" Anyone?

Contraband: the weird, ordinary, depressing and inexplicable stuff confiscated from people at Kennedy Airport.

I wrote a list. Now I want to ask you how you feel about the Oxford comma. I love it, despite its lack of use above. I was trained to use it at Hewitt, then trained out of using it in J-school. Now lament that I am no longer reflexively archaic in this regard (yet still find anxious to mean "excited and anticipatory").

Update on the 18th-century vessel found under Washington Street.

I am late on this, but Festibility is a multi-fandom fic fest featuring fandom characters with disabilities (either canonically or in your work). Yeah, there's some universe in which I'm going to get that Auggie fic done soon.

But, oh god, I haven't written my WIAD yet, although at least I know what it's about now.

Last night was the first episode of Project Runway: So dude who did nothing other than reverse a kimono and staple it is still on the show because they're hoping he'll make more offensive rapetastic statements, ne? What a fucker.

I also hate how the early seasons of the show really were at least somewhat about couture and innovation, and now it's all about whether you can sell it at fucking Target. I don't care.

Heidi annoys me. The judges never listen to Tim. Why do none of these designers know where a waist is? Why can't the models walk in heels? Did you see that preview? With the ambulances and the cheating? WHAT IS UP? VIOLENCE ON THE RUNWAY!

And then there was Austen and Santino's roadtrip show (the title of which totally forces me to refer to people I don't know by their first names, which I hate, but anyway). Which isn't really that compelling except Austen was on my screen again. When I am famous and have to wear dresses to events lest People Magazine mock me, Austen will make all my gowns.

Comments

[schpahky.livejournal.com]

...pitcher of salami?

[rm.livejournal.com]

This actually surprised me very little, just because there's been a lot of coverage lately about chef's opposition to body scanners at airports because it will become harder to smuggle contraband cured meats in the US. I'm not even kidding.

[heavenscalyx.livejournal.com]

I love the Oxford comma. I heart it. I hug it and squeeze it and call it George. I insert it in all the docs I edit, especially when someone isn't using it consistently.

And I always, always remember the apocryphal book dedication that inspires me to use it: For my parents, Ayn Rand and God.

[gement.livejournal.com]

I am emphatically in favor of the Oxford comma. I use it unless I'm writing to a style guide that specifically prohibits it.

[matthewwdaly.livejournal.com]

Truly. I don't know why everyone doesn't get in line behind the Oxford comma. I evidently don't notice when people use the AP style, though.

[miep.livejournal.com]

that is gorgeous, that is.

[melebeth]

I love it too, and I hadn't heard that story. Brilliant.

(I too put it in when I'm editing, because style guides often don't specify, and it's lack annoys me.)

[lefaym.livejournal.com]

I love the Oxford comma. There are times when its use doesn't work so well, but mostly I think it makes one's writing look more elegant.

[syzygy-lj.livejournal.com]

I was taught to use it, too. Not using it seems weird to me. (Although I'll admit I didn't know what it was called until I heard this song.)

[miep.livejournal.com]

By the Oxford comma, do you you mean the one that goes after the penultimate item in a list, before the conjunction:
bread, eggs, cheese, jam, and turnips?

I use it, and insist my students use it, and I attended public (state) schools through high school.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Yes. It is forbidden in AP-style and business writing and I have been mocked for its archaicness.

[miep.livejournal.com]

that is a travesty, because it is a truly elegant use of punctuation, and elegant punctuation is sorely lacking in this day and age.

[miep.livejournal.com]

also, I clearly eschew the capitalization of the first word in sentences, but only online.

[bethynyc.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link to copperbadge's virtual job fair!

It sounds like we may be in the same boat regarding aging parents. Did you see the article in yesterday's Times about wiring up the house of the parent to let long distance children know that they were eating, sleeping, and taking their meds?

Mine aren't quite in that position yet. But I worry. A lot.

[rm.livejournal.com]

My father is much older than my mother, so I have some buffer, but as an only child who may no longer be in NYC after Patty gets her degree, it's on my mind a lot.

[bethynyc.livejournal.com]

My folks retired to Florida last year (oh well) and they love it and take dance lessons and bike when it is cool enough and Mom is volunteering to teach literacy classes. They are healthy right now, but I still worry. Especially being so far away.

[redstapler.livejournal.com]

::wince::

What is the link to that article?

While my father is in fairly good health and a compulsive health obsessive, he's 79, and he's the last one left in NYC. (His children are now scattered to the four winds, and my mom died last summer.)

[bethynyc.livejournal.com]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/29/garden/29parents.html?ref=style

You may need to log into NY Times, but it is still free so far!

And even though my folks are in good health, I still worry because of being so far away in case of problems.

[redstapler.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

Yeah, as I said, my father's doing fine (aside from a hip issue which he's addressing), and is fairly health-obsessive. He's not the sort to handwave an issue and get admitted to the ER with the cumulative result of ignored, easier problems. He's better about going to the doctor than I am.

THAT SAID.

He's 79, lives alone, and all four of his kids are hundreds of miles away. I WORRY.

[bethynyc.livejournal.com]

See, the Worry App gets installed really early in some people. It is not possible to uninstall it. ::joins you in solidarity of worry::

[redstapler.livejournal.com]

There is an uninstall, but it requires quantities of valium and booze my liver can't really handle.

[bethynyc.livejournal.com]

When the uninstall is so very complicated, it is easier to just leave it in and keep hitting the minimize button when possible.

[guruwench.livejournal.com]

I believe my icon speaks for itself.

[dremiel.livejournal.com]

APA style does require the Oxford comma, though they call it Serial. It was drilled into me at Parochial school as was crossing my sevens and I cannot imagine abandoning either. I applaud your correct, if archaic, use if anxious!

As for aging parents, the range of choices is still rather more limited than it should be but like so much else it is dramatically easier if you have some money to toss at the problem. I'm lucky to have siblings, particularly since we are more or less in agreement. To the degree possible start talking to your parents now about their plans, and yours.

[redstapler.livejournal.com]

The serial/Oxford comma is necessary. AUGH.

[annablume.livejournal.com]

There is a whole American reality show about women who don't know they are pregnant now. It's very, very odd.

[redstapler.livejournal.com]

That show freaks me out.

Also, this should be obvious, but don't watch it when your period is late. You flip out, even it's been several periods since you've been near sperm.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Wait. How do they cast that?

"Are you pregnant by so in denial about that fact you can respond to this casting notice, forget that fact and then smother your baby at birth? If so, call us! All expenses paid!"

I AM CONFUSED.

[annablume.livejournal.com]

It's set up kind of like America's Most Wanted with reinactors.

[rm.livejournal.com]

OH WOW.

Bad, non-union actors being all "I didn't know I was pregnant until I gave birth in a gas station toilet!"

Man, I wish I'd thought to pitch that.

[ladyofthelog.livejournal.com]

This is my other mama's favorite show. I am ashamed of how many episodes I have seen.

[sageautumn.livejournal.com]

"women who don't love babies are secretly all murderers!"

Huh. I'd've thought it would be an AWESOME arguement for birth-control myself. "Seee I told you I didn't want kids!"

[kdsorceress.livejournal.com]

So, having fun flipping through the contraband, and then I get to "unidentified mammal"

...Unidentified?

Ew ew ew ew ew ew EW! I am usually pretty okay about dead things, but that's just strange and weird and eek!

~Sor

[pantryslut.livejournal.com]

Just the headline on that homebirth article pisses me off. Nobody ever writes "Hospital births can be 'harmful,' medical journal says."

And before anyone assumes anything, I had a semi-planned hospital c-section that I was very happy with. (I started to dump my entire decisionmaking process up to and including the fact that I had decided that going into labor while thinking "I wish someone had swept up those dustbunnies in the corner" might not be the way I wanted to go, but on second thought I think I'll spare y'all :) )

[azurelunatic]

Was that bus's kneel feature broken in some alarming and amusing way? Dude. :(