You know what's sad?

Chtspk. It's really tragic. Especially in a goddamn BOOK community. I mean, seriously, can people at least pretend they are intelligent? Some of us like to think that chtspk is only used by the illiterate, and it's disturbing to think that it may be used by the merely stupid.

I don't smile.

Well, of course, I *do* smile, often, but not all the time. However, despite this, I am generally quite happy. I am NOT happy when people stop me in the street to tell me I should smile, it's a beautiful day, and ask me why I'm not happy.

I could've said "well, I was happy until some moron, YOU, decided to harass me. I don't think my mental state is any business for strangers."

I could've acted upset, and started crying about how terrible it was that people kept reminding me of my dear departed aunt/friend/goldfish/tv show, or that I didn't talk about my deadly, incurable illness.

Alas, I was neither this eloquent nor this creative. Nor was I content to just ignore him, which is what I usually do in situations like this. Instead, my response was "MY MOOD IS NONE OF YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS, SO SHUT UP!"


Well, it made the point, I hope. He's lucky I didn't shove him into the traffic.

Let's review the difference between nonstandard and incorrect.

Standard: I don't have any cookies.
Nonstandard: I ain't got no cookies.
Incorrect: Cookies? None have I!

Standard: I am very hungry.
Nonstandard: I'm hungry, me!
Incorrect: Hungry very I am.

Standard: Nuclear weapons.
Nonstandard: Nukular weapons.
Incorrect: Nuknuk aprons.

Basically, the standard dialect is the prestigious one. It's the one that people are encouraged to speak. It makes one sound educated and well-off. Nonstandard dialects are equally valid forms of communication. They are no more or less complex than the standard dialect. They are spoken and understood by equally educated people. In some ways, nonstandard dialects can be more "regular" than the standard dialect, or may express certain ideas better. In other ways, the standard dialect comes out ahead. While there are right and wrong places for any language choice (Klingon is a fine language, but there's no good from speaking it at most weddings, AAVE will probably not get you a job as an English professor, and so on) the languages and dialects themselves are not wrong.

Unless, of course, you choose to view French and Spanish as merely incorrect Latin. If that's how you view the world, far be it from me to interfere.

Modifying a meme...

1. Go to my interests.
2. Pick an interest and add it to your list.
3. Come here and tell me why.
4. If none of my interests appeals to you, come here and suggest something I should add. Tell me why.
5. Go ahead, pick another interest and ask me to explain it. Be very patient.

I have a support point.

I have a support point?

W00T!!! I HAVE A SUPPORT POINT!

I have no idea how I got this support point, since I'm not that helpful and I spend a lot of my time there... well, not being very supportive, but I have a support point!