It was about 4:30 this afternoon and we were getting near the end of the do-four-days’-work-in-three routine that we always do three times a year, every year, for the privilege of not having to work on the actual holidays, when…
Author: tom
Nominations for Banned Words of 2004
The Testy Copy Editors are taking them. And sharing timeless laments. Why can’t we persuade the reporters that the best word for “said” is “said.”
Papa’s Christmas Eve
?Father,? the children said. There was no answer. He?s there, all right, they thought. ?Father,? they said, and banged on their beds. ?What do you want?? I asked. ?We have visions of sugarplums,? the children said. ?Go to sleep,? said…
Stop by Nicole’s blog
For a guide to holiday myths. For instance: “Xmas” is a modern abbreviation that is disrespectful for “taking the Christ out of Christmas.” (The first letter in the Greek word for Christ is chi, which looks like an X in…
Hat tip to Copy Massage
He sent me a curmudegeonly Christmas card. (And Thanks to Jeff, another Tampa Tribber who sent get-well greetings.)
Putdown of the day
Foes of a certain former governor are calling his henchpeople Deanie Weenies. (Something made me think, what’s going to happen when everybody starts calling them “Deanie Weenies,” so I put the words in Google and found out, yep, they already…
Need another day off
Sorry, now Melissa has what I had, and my reward for infecting her is looking after her while she coughs, hacks and sniffles the next week away. Tomorrow, though, for sure. Till then, read Howie’s new blog, or John Perry…
Just had an earthquake
Sitting here staring into my big terminal, which all the sudden starts weaving slightly back and forth. Word on TV is it was magnitude 6.5, based in south/central California. That’s strong enough to do major damage, but it sounds like…
Mucous? We got your mucous
Today, like yesterday and the day before and the day before that, I’m confronted with life’s eternal question: how can one head produce so much snot? I’m saving my strength so I can go in to work and infect all…
Tryouts on trial
A new thread at Testy Copy Editors starts out like this: A well-respected major daily has asked me come in for a weeklong copy editing tryout. My current experience at a wire service is helpful, but it’s a lot different…