I'm happy to say that we have a new addition to my family. My Uncle Brian and Aunt Lynda had a healthy baby girl on May 23. I can't wait to meet Kayla - I'm sure she is beautiful!

Being bored, I thought it would be fun to google some of my professors to see if any of their articles would come up. It's interesting what one can find. Not only did I discover that one of my Profs has contributed to a number of Harper's Indexes, but I also found out which Profs were members of the Golden Key and in which years (among other things). In my travels through the endless Web, I found this fun/nerdy list:

Tips for Proper English

Avoid alliteration. Always.

Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.

Employ the vernacular.

Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.

Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.

Remember to never split an infinitive.

Contractions aren't necessary.

Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.

One should never generalize.

Eliminate quotations. As Emerson said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."

Be more or less specific.

One-word sentences? Eliminate.

Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.

The passive voice is to be avoided.

Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.

Who needs rhetorical questions?

Do not put statements in the negative form.

Proofread carefully to see if you words out.

A writer must not shift your point of view.

And don't start a sentence with a conjunction. (Remember, too, a preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.)

Don't overuse exclamation marks!!

Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.

Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.

Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague. They're old hat; seek viable alternatives!

I can't believe that no one has updated their blogs since our big bachelorette party for Ashley - I was sure that Mel would have created her list by now... hehe.
We had tons of fun, and it was great to spend time with the other four bridesmaids (not to mention other friends/family members/bride-to-be) before the big day (which is a mere 34 days away).

Funny story... well, more sad. I discovered on Thursday night at work that summer classes started that week, and not this week as I had thought. So, I had missed two classes of my Canadian Authors course, but I made it to my Friday class (Cinema and Modernity). I hate playing catch-up and relying on other students' notes, though. Oh well, my own stupidity for not double-checking our campus' start date.

I'm told that I don't update this often. I will try my best to change this, but since so few actually read this (and I'm in contact with all of you, anyway), it's not number one on my list of obligations.

So school is over for the year. Two years down, two more to go. Being the nerd that I am, I recently made a catalogue of all of the poems/short stories/novels/plays (etc) that I have read in the past two years for various courses. In the two years, I have read fifteen pages worth (roughly 350) of works. Fun stuff. I feel like I've accomplished so much.

One last thing. I found this picture of an angora rabbit on my mindless tour of the internet:



I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I feel sorry for the poor thing.

Anyway. I'll stop procrastinating. Have a great week everyone!