Geezer Prose

[rejectomorph]

Every time I read the message boards at Classmates, I am struck by how poorly most of my contemporaries write. Now, every time I read an article about how bad the schools have become, I think about those message boards. Most of the people posting on one particular thread I've been following graduated from high school between 1952 and 1978, and their writing is almost universally wretched. Grammar, spelling, syntax, punctuation-- it's all one huge disaster. LJ is full of kids who can write better than most of these geezers and near-geezers. Yes, I know that the scores on certain standardized tests have been declining for years, but I suspect that this is because they used to test a smaller percentage of students than they do now. If this is not the case, and kids now actually are less literate than my contemporaries, all I can say is abandon all hope! Civilization is doomed! Grrr. I just want to go through that whole web site with the digital equivalent of a red pencil!

While I was there tonight, I came across a post which mentioned a store which was across the street from my intermediate school. I suddenly felt one of those mushy nostalgic journal entries coming on, so I got out of there. Still, the image of the place is stuck in my mind now, so I'll probably end up writing about it soon. Luckily, there isn't enough time tonight. You are spared, for a while.

I do want to post a couple of pictures, though. So far, none of my picture posts have been replaced by a little red "x", so I am compelled to further test my bandwidth allowance by posting two pictures at once. These were taken a couple of weeks ago, in a field about half a mile from my house. This is not the best time of year to be taking pictures in this particular location in the late afternoon, because the sun is low and the best views are to the southwest. Thus, there is lens flare (filters are not available for point-and-shoot cameras, as far as I know.) Since I took the pictures on a bright, cloudy day when a rainstorm was ending, I just pretend that the lens flare is a rainbow. Again, cut because of their size.




Summerwood Meadow After the Rain


Storm Clouds Breaking Above Summerwood Meadow


Now, there is a blue-grey twilight heralding dawn. I think we may be in for another grey day. Might we hope for just a little more rain? I don't know. I'm going to be sleeping through most of it, anyway.

Comments

prolific

[marseille.livejournal.com]

I think they probably confused prolific with profound. "Wow, that was prolific."
Current use of "folks" all over the place seems weird. For years, it didn't get used unless in a phrase like "just plain folks," "my folks," "the folks back home." Suddenly it was used constantly, and Bush's first grating use was "the folks who did this," referring to the hijackers on 9/11. Just too much indiscriminate use, I guess.

Re: prolific

[lost-tumbleweed.livejournal.com]

egads. i guess i've follow victim to the overuse of folks. and it seemed so independent of mainstream. i've been brainwashed just like everyone else.

regarding the use of prolific: that's quite scarey. thank goodness, i haven't encountered it ... yet.