When it comes to grammar, I’m not very punctual. My comma tutor has used examples like the above before, but I’d never seen it portrayed quite like this. Anyway, I don’t eat cats, although I’ve had my share of pussy.
A pretty quiet Tuesday around here. The ATM was working, the groceries got bought, and the day proceeded from there. In the afternoon, Swan and I went to the salon, where I had a haircut, and she got a foot spa. I was done before her, so I waited at Snackbar. Two beers later, Swan rejoined me, and we proceeded to Kokomo’s for some beach time.
After our Kokomo’s time, we went next door to Foxhole and had some grub. Then we headed back home. A day doesn’t have to be exciting to be good, and I had no complaints about how we filled the hours.
In the Facebook memories department, I was reminded of a “where I stand politically” test I took three years ago:
For shits and giggles, I took the test again this afternoon. I was a bit surprised at the results:
There was a collision between a Filipino ship and a Chinese ship out in the disputed waters off the Spratley Islands. So, things are ramping up. Today’s video discusses the implications:
One more from China’s perspective:
I’m sure Biden has things under control.
Ha! I guess that last statement qualifies as humor. Here’s some more:
I’ll try and do better tomorrow!
Hard to believe I moved to the left sphere on the spectrum. There ain’t a lefty I know of I’d consider supporting, so they must all be off the charts.
Dude, your inner leftie comes out in all sorts of ways. It’s your default setting. I half-joke about it on occasion. Consider your history: young hippie, worked with the letter carriers (Democrats to the core), went on to years of government work, currently on a government pension, a big softie about Pinay women and their life-choices. No way you’re a full-on rightie, even if you pay lip service to rightie talking points. Your blog reflects the truth that you’re a left-of-center centrist.
Well, John, it finally happened: we ran out of booze. We’d foolishly passed out before going to the store for more fuel, a recurring theme for us. Cue lifting every empty in the apartment to test how much liquid is in it. Managed to get maybe 3 and a half cans worth of gross, stale, beer from…I can’t even remember when I’d opened them.
Polishing off my last half-beer now. There’s no ‘proper’ alcohol left to drink now so I’m on the mouthwash mixer after this, for the last hour before the Chevron opens and they can sell alcohol again. It’s damn-near impossible to listen to Uriah Heep in this state, so I’ve settled for Dinosaur Jr while the ex whines about how she wants to listen to Pearl Jam instead (she is convinced she saw Eddie Vedder wave at her from an Uber in Tucson, Arizona but when I ask what on earth would he be doing there she shuts up about the incident she so clearly made up).
The real comma question is whether the Oxford comma is useful. The Oxford comma comes right before the “and” in a three-item list:
A, B, and C
Happy Don, Slappy Barack, and Crappy Joe
Many people consider this comma optional:
A, B and C
Happy Don, Slappy Barack and Crappy Joe
But as I point out in the above-linked blog post—
I’d like to thank my parents, God and Satan.
—causes clarity problems. Are your parents God and Satan? An Oxford comma would make the situation clearer:
I’d like to thank my parents, God, and Satan.
So: I advocate for the Oxford comma because it’s useful for clarity.
So, you are saying that an Oxford comma adds value, is helpful, and clarifies meaning. Got it! (FWIW, Grammarly wanted the comma before “and” in that sentence.)
Thompson, you need to keep a bottle of vodka in reserve to avoid situations like this. Like a fire extinguisher, lock it up with a sign saying, “Break glass in case of emergency.” And with the girlfriend back, you need to buy twice as much at the Chevron every day. My doctor is always telling me to drink plenty of fluids.
“Anything that gets your blood racing is probably worth doing.”
Hunter S. Thompson
Well, it was news to me, but when you are right, you are right. And if you are not right, you are left. I don’t feel like I’ve changed, so maybe the results from three years ago were off. Or maybe the whole premise of that test is flawed. Either way, I’m comfortable being me.