just some thoughts

My thoughts are disconnected today.

I have been thinking about grammar lately.  I am always second guessing my writing, especially when it comes to commas.  I need a refresher in this area.  Commas allow for clauses in a sentence which are not vital to the meaning of the sentence but allow for some extra information.  So when we write, "I, Erick Villagran, will work on my grammar", the commas in that sentence help set up the subject.  But what about the comma I put in after the closing quotation, is that one necessary?  I like to think of grammar as the rules of writing which allow it to be precise.  Like the rules of math, grammar clears up ambiguities.  Consider the following math problem  2 + 5 X 3 =   .  If a student was to answer that problem as 21 (the product of the sum of 2+5 and 3) he/she would be wrong.  In math there is a rule called the order of operations which says that multiplication is performed before addition and subtraction.  The correct way to approach the equation is to multiply 5 and 3 then add 2; the answer is 17.  My point is this knowing grammar can help one communicate more effectively.  Does effective need a quantifier?

Another thought:  You see so many things being invented nowadays.  I would love to see someone invent this:  Eye glasses that would allow one to see where flatulence has been emmited.  Maybe more people would think twice about relieving themselves in public.  The idea comes from a warning from a childhood's friend mother.  When we would swim in their pool his mom would tell us that if we urinated while swimming a chemical in the pool would cause the ammonia in our urine to turn red.  So anyone who peed in the pool would be identified by the red water around them.  I could really use the Flatulence Glasses.  So many times at the gym someone lets one rip and I can't blame anyone.  I WANT TO BLAME SOMEONE FOR THIS.

One last thought:  The other day they were doing a story on the Channel 9 news about the first set of triplets turning 50.  I thought, "Really? Triplets have only been around for 50 years?"  Anyway I let that go.  But then the reporter when on to say that it was a natural childbirth cause cesarians weren't available in 1956.  Wasn't the Cesearian Birth named after Julius Ceasar?  Why would it be named after him if it wasn't around at the time he was born?  Was it just called a Breach Birth then? 

I won't take up anymore of your time.

 

I am back!!

I am back!!

Our DSL modem went out last week so I was grounded.  Weird, though, I thought I would miss internet access more than I did.  But I got a lot of things done that I might not even have started had the modem not gone down.  I guess it just goes to prove this artificial sense of busy we are under the spell off in this 21st. Century. 

I chose to put this picture in my journal because it is one I will always treasure.  In fact it is not a picture at all; it is a digital still frame from my camcorder.  I went to pick up Justin (my nephew) from school last year.  He was looking for his grandfather and started to look anxious when he didn't see him.  Then he saw me and man-o-man did he brighten up.  I know that part of his elation was due to the fact that he had not been abandoned.  But I want to believe that he was real glad to see his uncle.  The way he ran at me that day made me nostalgic for my own childhood.  Do you remember how you felt when the school day was over?    I wish there were moments in life you could put in a jar and save them forever.  Maybe you could take a nip here and there from that jar and you could savor those past moments again whenever you needed to.  I would definitely can that moment.  Thank you Justin for giving me this memory.

tax day

Mark, Chapter 12 (King James Bible) ChristianAnswers.Net WebBible

 

I was thinking about the Easter and Tax Day being in such proximity.  The site at the end of the link above helped me deal with the issue.  In a nutshell, keep your relationship with the Lord and your civic duties seperate. 

 

I just returned from the dentist.  I rode a bicycle there to save gas and money.  Unfortuneately, I got a flat and had to buy an inner tube.  So much for saving money.  Anyway, I am tired cause fixing the flat was more drama than I was looking for today.  I planned to engage this journal with enthusiasm and verve.  I no longer feel the motivated. 

 

waiting for the sun to come out

Sitting around.  Surfing the world wide web trying to amuse myself.  They say this might be the last rain we will have for a while.  I like rain.  Keeps me inside. 

It is Good Friday today.  My friend and I had an IM chat yesterday on the significance of the day.  It is hard to explain to someone why you value something.  As I write this I am listening to Tom Cruise talk about his beliefs which always seem to become very important around the time of his movie releases.  If you like chocolate and your friend likes vanilla, it is impossible to explain why you prefer your flavor over the other one. But Tom keeps pushing his belief and it makes him seem ridiculous.  My advice is if it works for you it may not work for others so don't be too preachy. 

John, I hope I didn't sound preachy or self-righteous yesterday. You are a great person just the way you are!

about blogs

Thoreau once wrote, "the bulk of mankind live their lives in quiet desperation."  (or something like that)  I always remember that quote when I am stuck in or witness to traffic.  I believe we live in one of the worst rated cities traffic wise.  So I went out today trying to capture this fact.  This is the 5 South at Los Feliz.  It is not as bad as I've seen it in the past.  Ironically I think, the current price of gas is helping gridlock.  Still I can't help wonder what kind of Zeitgeist (look it up) emerges from a people subjected to the anxiety and frustration brought on by sitting in traffic.

I guess that this would be a good opportunity to segue into an explanation of the title of this blog.  "Sono in Transito" means "I am in transit" in Italian.  The idea behind the blog was to develop a public self through the written word.  I enjoy reading other people's blogs.  And, I thought I would like to become the type of person who puts out a pretty good blog.  So I am on my way to becoming a Blogger.  How am I doing?

(I got this from one of my favorite blogs) Personal to you know who you are:  Thank you for visiting my blog.  You have always been a great influence on me and your opinion (even when I don't agree with it) means a lot to me.

my first entry

     This is my first entry.  I would like to introduce this blog with a picture I took last week.  It is the sidewalk as it disappears south from our house on Perlita.  It reminds me of the beginning of a journey.  Appropriate I thought. 

I just ran a spell check and it said that Blog was spelled wrong.  Obviously it did not recognize the word.  Funny it being part of the Blog program. 

Don't want to drag on.  So I will stop.  Now I gotta figure out how to tell people of this Blog so if you are reading this it meant I succeeded.