the semicolon

I've linked you to an interesting article in the New York Times about people getting excited about the proper use of the semicolon on a NY transit sign reminding people to throw away their newspapers rather than litter the place with them.

Huh? Yeah, really. People are getting excited about a semicolon. But of course this is interesting and reason to get excited because so few people use proper grammar anyway, let alone know what to do with the esoteric semicolon. I've always been partial to the punctuation mark, and according to some hokey OkCupid test, that's the punctuation mark I resemble most. I'll wear that as a badge of pride; what have I got to lose?

Good writing is so elusive these days that I find myself being complimented by people I don't really know on how well I write. Don't get me wrong, I don't think I'm a crappy writer, but I'd never describe myself as a writer; I actually spend most of my time procrastinating on the large amount of professional writing I have to do. I'm very good with the technical aspects, because I remember and follow grammar rules. I occasionally turn a very clever phrase (mostly exploiting some sort of irony), but I wouldn't say I am some fabulously gripping writer. I'd rather just give you the information than go on and on in some eloquent description. I'm actually a far superior editor than I am writer, but that's not a talent you can easily showcase. It's also my editing skills that lead me to despair over the state of writing, especially in this age of quick, electronic communication.

is this good news?

Oh no! Just as I'm freaking out about writing this paper due tomorrow, I find out I have to write another paper over the summer. I just got confirmation that my abstract has been accepted for the SACRPH conference in October. I was previously brilliant and thought I'd have the paper for this class to use for that conference ('cause it was supposed to be about the same thing). Unfortunately, I've gone astray. I'm going to have to do a lot of work over the summer to shape it up (to take it from some sort of theoretical drivel to a history rooted in some serious research). But you know what, this is good for me. If I can't write this paper over the summer on my own time, I probably have no business being a professor.

This means I get to go to Portland, Maine. Oh how that's going to be a tough journey to make for an extended weekend. Could there be any farther city (within the U.S.) from Los Angeles?