Quod Scripsi, Scripsi

Than and Then, I’m feeling mischievous.

Everyone makes grammar and usage mistakes. I try not to be too obnoxious about them, but there are two that really cheese me off. THAN is a comparison – “your sister is more fat THAN my sister”. THEN is a measure of sequence – “I will bust your jaw for calling my sister fat THEN I will kick you in the jumblies”. I really, really can’t stand it when people mix these up in writing. When saying them, they sound so similar you’d really have to be a jerk to point it out. I’m working on that. The spoken error that really chafes me is MISCHIEVOUS. Notice there is no long e vowel after the V. It’s MIS-CHUH-VUHS Two UH sounds like when you get punched in the gut for calling someone’s sister fat, or like the word DUH. People who say MIS-CHEE-VEE-UHS are wrong and sound dumb. There, I said it. Oh, and there’s no X in espresso. That one’s free.

Ireland

I don’t pretend to be Irish, just descended from emigrants in the very early 20th century. I am, however, very interested in Irish history, music and culture. It’s a fascinating place, and the more I learn about it the more I want to visit and see and hear and taste it for myself. I recently finished Malachy McCourt’s History of Ireland, which is really just a series of microbiographies of famous Irishmen and women. It’s such a complicated place, yet very familiar in many ways. I would very much like to read more on Michael Collins, Wolfe Tone and I really need to read Joyce’s Ulysses and Finnegans Wake. Michael Collins especially fascinates me, the honor and tragedy of his story is confounding.

Dostoevsky on Humble Love

At some thoughts one stands perplexed, especially at the sight of men’s sin, and wonders whether one should use force or humble love. Always decide to use humble love. If you resolve on that once for all, you may subdue the whole world. Loving humility is marvellously strong, the strongest of all things and there is nothing else like it.

-Brothers Karamazov