Sticklers, unite!

One of my Chrismubirthdaykah presents was Eats, Shoots & Leaves, which I read in about two days. I'm sure you've heard of this book: it's the one about punctuation. I didn't agree with everything she said, particularly about commas; however, she was absolutely sublime on the subject of semicolons (and how clever of me to use one in this sentence, huh?). The two things I appreciated the most about this book are 1) she acknowledges that some punctuation "rules" are really a matter of taste, such as the Oxford comma; and 2) she made me feel proud of being a stickler, instead of sheepish. "The reason it's worth standing up for punctuation [she says,] is not that it's an arbitrary system of notation known only to an over-sensitive elite who have attacks of the vapours when they see it misapplied. The reason to stand up for punctuation is that without it there is no reliable way of communicating meaning." Yes!!

My firstborn child, my New Year's baby, turns nine years old tomorrow.

Holy cow!