Huh. From Marilyn:Which is the easiest major language for a child to learn?
-John Legere, Lancaster, Pa.Probably Spanish, because the grammar is mostly regular, the spelling is straightforward, and the words are easy to pronounce. But for an adult who just wants to be bilingual-and doesn't mind not being understood at parties-you could learn Taki- ( Read more... )

I found it interesting that people argue about the "right" way to wrap something with tin foil [read: aluminum foil [read further: aluminium foil]], that the dull side is "supposed" to go on the outside. It's irrelevant, otherwise it would say so on the box.* Shiny side out is shinier! The conundrum here ["problem" suggests something that requires ( Read more... )

Also, the two Gabriel Knight book adaptations: kinda crap =p I mean, they streamline the narrative a bit [partially to avoid just making them game walkthroughs], and The Beast Within is much easier to read than standing there listening to all the crap Grace has to listen to in the museum that only real history buffs or detail-whores would pay ( Read more... )

There are times when I want to record stuff, but--since I don't entirely believe in fully private entries save select things that are useless* to anyone but me--I haven't really worked up the gumption to post about them. I have secrets I wouldn't even tell Charles [and who doesn't have secrets?], not because they're in as such bad, but because I ( Read more... )

Of course, Marilyn said that the trees used for newspaper production are grown specifically for that purpose, like fruits or vegetables in the grocery... so it's killing trees, but trees that were made to be killed, and I shouldn't necessarily feel bad for subscribing then reading less than 10% of the paper. I have pretty much been reading only the ( Read more... )

As happens, my interest in "doing something constructive" comes and goes in phases, and I'm back in the book-writing phase. Any major scene additions seem to add maybe a page at best, though, and the latest added half a paragraph :/ On the other hand, editing for publication [doing the paragraph indent thing instead of double-carriage-return, like ( Read more... )

I deliberated on posting this, because I know it would energize the activists of my Friends list, but I might as well, because it's my journal, damnit. It's also something I just happen to think is true, anyway.It is obvious that our country is deeply divided: almost 50-50, judging from the last election. Neither side sees any merit whatsoever in ( Read more... )

I habitually like to keep my bed as clean as possible, just because it feels better clean than dirty, but now I have authority backing me up on its benefits.Just how dirty are park benches? I mean, when I sit on a park bench and then come home and sit on my bed, am I really bringing home "germs," like my mother says?
-D.P., St. James, N.Y.Park ( Read more... )

So here's the thing: DDR is BULGING with cover songs, especially self-covers ["remixes"]. I always have this strange sense of déjà vu when I play, just because it really feels like I've played a song before. A lot of the blame is on Konami putting the same song in every release [*cough*Paranoia*cough*] X/ but even within one game, I feel like I'm ( Read more... )

C. Holland of Flanders, N.J., writes ( Read more... )