I am not computer literate

In a ridiculous attempt to hide my userid, since it revealed my name and I realized I can't get snarky about work, I jumped through hoops creating a new userid that is only funny to my brother and me (well, so what?), and making me (and my ridiculously long email address) co-author of my blog, *then* deleting the old me, etc. What a mess. All this effort because I want to try blogging.


And what really honks me off is that I deleted the post I wrote this morning. Of course I waxed clever.


I sang the praises of Gene Weingarten's blog. It's strange that his humor column isn't very funny to me, but his blog is great. Yesterday's blog contained a long email exchange between a goverment employee (who for that reason chose to remain anonymous) and a Nigerian scammer. The whole 'government has no sense of humor' thing got me to thinking about what I can't say openly on my blog, so...now I sprung from Zeus, fully formed and mid-blog.


My favorite part of yesterday's blog (which I did not read on the government's time) was the lively discussion about whether the bikini was yellow ("itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini") or the polka dots were yellow. I assumed the former. From the blog, I learned this was "an issue of "adjectival scope," i.e., the adjective "yellow" can have scope over "polka dot," together making an adjective phrase that modifies bikini (that's the one with the yellow dots), or it can have scope over "polka dot bikini"(the suit is yellow, with any color dots. maybe even a different shade of yellow dots!)." Cool. Unfortunately, it's an argument for more commas, which I loathe.


I just learned of entrenched sexism in a group of employees at work. I had no clue. They blow off their (female) administrative staff, and joke about having to take the women seriously or they'll make work life miserable, etc. And yet today's young women are reluctant to call themselves feminists. I just don't get that. First, we should all stick up for any underdogs. Isn't that part of being a decent human? Isn't that what Jesus wanted, if anyone is truly interested in living his/her life following Jesus' principles? Second, do we just have amnesia or are we flat out stupid? (My mom's favorite Gore Vidal phrase is the United States of Amnesia.) I'm figuring out what I can do. I wasn't directly told, so my options are limited and probably useless, but I can't do nothing.


(On the 'what would jesus do' subject, I stole an idea from my brilliant friend and Don Quixote scholar, Kathleen, and had bracelets made for us with this engraving: "WWDQD." I love it.)