Day: November 25, 2003

If someone who was constipated expressed his condition by saying he couldn’t give a šhìŧ, might he be misdiagnosed as clinically depressed?

Think about it.

PAD

As a writer, I tend to edit the world. I see misuses or misspellings of words whether I want to or not. When I see, for instance, Rich Johnston–in his latest “Lying in the Gutters”–use the phrase “reign it in” instead of the correct “rein it in,” I just shake my head and sigh.

But every so often I notice stuff that really just drives me nuts. For instance, in checking my PO box, I received a flier from the Bayport Library system. What do they advertise as a movie they’re going to be running this month?

“Oaklahoma!”

Now if they’d advertised “South Pasific” or “Carosel,” it would merely be annoying. But “Oklahoma!” features a title song that SPELLS THE ÐÃMNÊÐ TITLE.

Oh brother.

PAD

“Never look a gift horse in the mouth” is actually pretty poor advice. Had the citizens of Troy looked in the mouth of the gift horse they were receiving, they’d have seen the Greeks hiding within, matters would have gone very differently, and they wouldn’t have wound up having to relocate their city to upstate New York. Which leads us to wonder: Was the Trojan Horse ribbed for her pleasure?

Think about it.

PAD

On Tuesday, November 25th, at 6 PM EST, 3 PM Pacific Time, I will be doing a live chat in the Star Trek book club section of www.startrek.com. All are welcome to attend.

PAD

[Note: questions can be mailed in advance to bookclub@startrek.com.]