The America Is Full Of Stupids #1

I had a pleasant dream the other day. The dream was that America was full of intelligent people who actually read books, newspapers, and websites that were full of facts. An America where an opinion was something that you maybe didn’t agree with, but were at least respectful enough to allow that someone else might have a different one than yours. An America that wasn’t full of mindless drool-tards that got their information from one source and tweeted/tumbld/facebooked it the instant they saw it instead of actually checking to see if information was factual or just opinion.

But then I woke up. Continue reading

Writer’s Confusion #2 – Gray vs. Grey

Welcome all to Writer’s Confusion #2. Today we will talk about gray vs. grey. This isn’t really a super-important topic when it comes to writing, but I’ve been confused about it for a long time. The funny thing about this is that once I found the answer, I started asking/talking to friends about it, and it has become quite a popular topic (yes, we are NERDS. WORD NERDS).

So we want to talk about iron skies, or geriatric hair color. But is grey the correct word? Or is it gray? Is it important? Maybe…if you are a Grammar Fascist (or British).

I would like to ask everyone…was I the only one that felt really weird about being unsure if I should use grey or gray? Every time I had to write ‘gray skies’ or ‘grey hair’ I waffled for about two minutes as to which one was the correct one…

So, let’s do this!

Writer’s Confusion #2 – Grey vs. Gray

Right. So. Look here mate! Oi! This is the correct version of the dickey bird in the King’s pommy: GREY.

Yo. This here is the ‘Murken (American) way: GRAY.

Yep. It is just THAT simple. If you are British, or speak the King’s English proper, then grey is the way you will spell it probably 95% of the time.

If you are an American, you will probably spell it gray.

Now you can probably see why this is such a good topic of conversation around word nerds! The real and proper answer is that either version is perfectly fine. No one will troll you for using grey or gray instead of gray or grey. Well, someone will probably troll you at some point. That’s what the internet is about. In the meantime, since I’m an American, I have begun to use grey since it is the British version, and there’s nothing I like more in life than annoying the hell out of my British friends!

A couple of web references I used: Ref-1 Ref-2

 

PS: And remember kids – it’s vs. its

its = possessive. This blog is its own worst enemy.

it’s = contraction of it is. It’s the worst blog on the internet.

Writer’s Confusion #1 – Farther vs. Further

So I just got my copy of The Elements of Style by Strunk & White…a little bible of sorts for authors, and one that I haven’t cracked open in at least twenty years. I’ve been banging out the words quite a bit lately in anticipation of getting my first two books published (one novel, one collection of short stories). I’ve been worried that since I haven’t taken a formal English Composition class or Creative Writing class in many years (and prior to the two I took about six years ago it has been at least a decade before that), my proper writing skills would be incredibly rusty, worthless, and cringe-inducing. I think this is the worry of any author, really. Continue reading

Naked, Wandering Child…

Right. So. I’m sitting here just taking a quick view through Tumblr, and I’ve got my noise-canceling headphones on, and I notice my cats acting all crazy like a drug-crazed lunatic has just jumped our back fence and is attacking a tree or something. Whenever anyone walks along the canal behind our place, and they are in the back yard, they get REALLY HUGE and puffy and run inside the house and act freaky.

The other time they do this is when the doorbell rings. Normally I hear it, but like I said, I’m diddy-bopping on the internet with my headphones on. Cats are freaking out, I wander out back to see what the drug-crazed weirdo is doing, but no one is there. So I go to the front door and look out the little window, and I see an older lady from the neighborhood at my doorstep with her big German Shepard on a leash. Continue reading

Superior Cat Litter Box For Cheap!

So first I have to tell you that we have 6 (SIX!) cats. Do NOT ask me how we came to the conclusion that having this many cats would be a good thing. It is not. None of them have a job. None of them pick up after themselves. All of them leave hair, hairballs, puke, and shredded human items everywhere. The one thing they do NOT leave around the house though is their urine/feces. This is because for the last ten years or so I have been using my own custom-made litter boxes.

We start doing weird, deviant things when Dad is messing with our litter boxes!

I’ll tell you how to save some money, and possibly make your life easier.

Continue reading

Amazon.com = Still My Favorite Company

So first, let’s see the commercial, because while it might not have broken much new ground for its main message, it is the first time I’ve seen this type of secondary message. And I’m damn angry it has taken this long for anyone to take a chance, but at the same time, the respect and loyalty I already have for Amazon.com has just skyrocketed even more. And my wife and I already love Amazon even more than rednecks love WalMart (or NASCAR. Or Larry the Cable Guy. Or Country music. Okay, you get it, I’ll stop).

Right. So.

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT work for Amazon, nor am I paid by Amazon for any endorsement. I am an Amazon Prime member, and I’m also an Amazon KDP (e-book self-publishing service) member.

Because I know at some point, some pinhead is going to come shout out about how I’m either an Amazon shill, or I am pushing the homosexual agenda. You agenda-accusers just hold on, I’ll get to you in a minute. Continue reading