Random Thoughts

I am about 150 pages into my Stephen King book and enjoying it. I am thinking that there is some netherworld in my mind where these characters exist and are in freeze frame until I pick up the book again. Then when I start reading, they spring back to action. This only happens in a book that is really good.

Next, I fear for the future of grammar. This is from an email from a magazine editor:

We will also present the writing of some Featured Writers, many of which have been previously published in our online monthly editions.

When I read "many of which" rather than "many of whom," it is like nails on a blackboard. Love the unnecessary caps -- are there people who think if you want to stress a word, you capitalize it? (Hmmmm... at least, he didn't put Featured Writers in quotes.) Not to mention the redundancy of "writing from writers" -- hey, good idea! I am not a snob, don't go around correcting people, am not bothered by other people's (or my own) typos in emails, but when it's formal writing, even an email blast, I expect a certain standard of proper usage.

And last: a complaint. A new one.

I had ordered a bunch of Christmas gifts on line from one company. The box arrived today with the shipping list affixed (like a sticky label) on the outside of the box. Attention all thieves!! Here's what's in the box. Of course, I live alone, but if I didn't, a family member would have easily seen what he or she was getting for Christmas. Dumb idea, but as Mary and I like to quote... it's FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE.