yet more randomness

[C of heartbreak]

That is really fucking creepy. But when you think about how difficult some kids can be it's easy to picture the mindset of the parents who send them there.

[Aglaya]

There is a scary-ass storm going on here right now.  I think the Walmart next door may have been hit by lighting.  We've got huge windows all across the front of the building, so it's been fun/scary watching the lightning.  I hope no one got hurt.

[auto-da-fey]

Possibly she sees you as a Hugh Grant figure?  Picking up trannies is a step away from inhabiting tranny identity.  That would project the transvestive longing in your general direction, but you would be in the clear as far as actually wearing dresses and transgender surgery goes...in conclusion: this is a clear-cut case of subconsious Hugh-Grantism.

Something about this bothered me all day -- something besides being compared to Hugh Grant. But driving home, I had a moment of clarity: Hugh Grant didn't pick up a transvestite! Divine Brown is not the world's most attractive woman, but she is a woman!

So I think it's Eddie Murphy I should feel like.

[peacocks]

everything in that rotenburg center hurts my eyes.  too many colors!

edited to add that the software developers are smushed into a small white windowless room. so sad.

[Ah_Pook]

http://thirdeyedumb.com/2007/04/children_have_begun_artists_ha.html

[edison]

Hey, I just got up and I discover that there hasn't been enough LPTJ activity during my sleep to occupy me during one cup of coffee. What gives?

In other news, I'm going to Brazil until mid-september and probably will not be checking in here too often, so have a nice two weeks, everyone!

[alex]

Since Greg encouraged me the other day to keep pestering you people with questions about the English language, here's one: I'm currently proof-reading a colleague's thesis, and she seems rather fond of a construction that, while I have no idea if it's actually wrong, sounds a little odd to me, namely writing "both do something as well as do something else" (current example: something is "supposed to both boost the economy as well as secure social welfare"). To me, this sounds clumsy - I'd either write "do something as as well as do something else" or "both do something and do something else", but I wouldn't use "both" and "as well as" in the same construction. Am I right, or is she? 

[Maaik]

I think that's more a matter of style and preference than correct/incorrect grammar.  Off the page, I don't have a big problem with it, though I agree that both/as well as is a little redundant.

[alex]

Thanks, Myke! I'll just tell her that her writing is redundant and that my style is better than her style, in that case.

(except I won't, obviously)

[Aglaya]

I'ma agree with Myke here.  Again, not sure if it's outright wrong, but it's clumsy.

[El_Josharino]

Today at work I was on the phone trying to help a fellow with something or other. He didn't speak much English, so there was a bit of a language barrier. So I'm trying to get him to do something with one of the tray icons. My coworkers could only hear my side of the conversation, part of which was, "I need you to look next to the clock... no, next to the clock in the bottom right corner of the screen.... no, I don't need any of that, just look by the clock... no the clock... Y'KNOW, WHERE IT TELLS THE TIME?!" At this point everyone else in the office got a severe case of the roffles and upon hearing them and realizing what I'd been saying so did I. I had to put the phone on mute for a minute to recover.

[Andrew_TSKS]

thread continued here.