Site redesign time. I’ve made changes to almost everthing except here and the books section.

If you have time, please let me know what you think.

ADDENDUM the First: Anyone out there who is good at CSS? I’m having a problem getting a border to stretch completely across the screen in IE. The section is set to 100%, but there is a gap at the right side of the screen. Any suggestions? (It works fine in Mozilla and Opera)

This is absolutely fascinating.

It’s a website that shows you how to do different sings for ASL (American Sign Language)
(via Langagehat)

ADDENDUM the First: Don’t forget to look at the sign for Mountain Dew.

Just finished my editing final! The semester is over! I can now read for pleasure without guilt!

In fact, I think that’s what I’ll go do right now.

Given that we are approaching finals, and I have to take ’em, posting will be sporadic.

Right now I’m tired, can’t study, and can’t concentrate, so that doesn’t bode well for intelligible posts.

If you’re looking for something to read in the interm, I have several suggestions:
This post on politics and the Catholic church, from Jeanne at Body and Soul.
A beautiful essay, Old Man Cedar, from Real Live Preacher.
Some lovely pictures from pericat at Unlocking the Air.
And anything you care to read over at languagehat.

Enjoy.

:: how jedi are you? ::

Ha! I get Princess Leia!

We had to take the car to the dealdership, because the check engine light came on. Michael just called to tell me what was wrong.

The gas cap was loose.

When is it appropriate to sing the Smurf Song at work?

So I had to talk to this jerk today who almost made me burst into tears. In public. At work.

I don’t feel like censoring myself, so be warned if you choose to read on.
(more…)

Brian called this evening to let us know that he had to put Cyrus down.

When Brian brought him home, Cyrus was smaller than Slate, and that seemed to stick in his head, because he always saw Slate as a playmate. Luckily, she liked him as much as he liked her, so they got along fine.

I feel terrible for Brian, because Cyrus was the first dog that was his–not the family dog, his dog. He trained him, and generally adored Cyrus as much as Cyrus adored him.

Six is way to short a life span, even for a big dog.

Dear S,

Hardscrabble, hardscrabble, hardscrabble.

Hope that helped.

“What’s that dear? Your mother is going to be spending the week in Canan and wants us to visit for the weekend? You say it will be relaxing? Did you forget that I have a presentation due Monday? Relaxing. Right. Well, I guess I can take the laptop and my books and study and such. And as long as we’re home early Sunday, I suppose I can get everything done.”

Right…

I came across this entry, The Life of a Rabbit, via Real Live Preacher, which put me close to tears (not a good thing at work).

It’s been two weeks since Slate died, and I still feel somewhat foolish for missing her as much as I do. Yes, she’d been a family pet for 18 years, but I was not at home for many of those years, and she only lived with me for about eight months.

I keep thinking about her death. How she died as we were holding her, and I hope that she could feel that, but I’m not sure. It was her eyes that upset me the most. Even before her heart stopped beating, she must have stopped blinking, and her eyes lost their intelligence, and their smooth film. They stared, unseeing, at I don’t know what, and the liquid on them started to solidify. It pained me to look at it.

But I did.

And we kept petting her until we could not longer feel a heartbeat.

I went to get one of the Vet Techs, just to make sure. I felt the need to explain, that we hadn’t come because we thought they could help her or cure her, but because I didn’t want her to die in pain, to suffer.

But I couldn’t speak coherently.

They were very nice, and took her away and put her in a box, and we took her out to my parent’s house, so they could bury her out there.

Then I did my level best not to think about it, to push it all from my mind. But reading that post today brought it all back. Her eyes staring at nothing, her slight body going still.

And I miss her, even as if feel stupid to do so. We have two other cats, but they’re different. Kat usually hates to be held and petted (unless we have just gotten out of the shower, then he’s our best friend.) Kit likes to be petted, but is still a complete spaz, unable to lie still for more than a few moments at a time. But Slate would lie in my lap for hours at a time, whether I was petting her or not. There was something unbelievably relaxing about that.

And now she’s gone and I miss her.

I feel happy. I feel happy.

You are a GRAMMAR GOD!

If your mission in life is not already to
preserve the English tongue, it should be.
Congratulations and thank you!
How grammatically sound are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
(via Lalia)