Do you read the tags on your clothes to see how you’re supposed to wash them? I do the first time I wash something. It’s more out of curiosity than out of necessity. I predict some clothing manufacturers are extra-careful with their care instructions so we don’t prematurely destroy our clothes. My lack of attention…
It’s called an ellipse. You’re supposed to use it to show omission of material in a quotation. It’s those three little dots that we see in all sorts of places these days, and not just in quotations. Here’s what I think are the hidden meanings behind ellipse use today, especially on the internet. I’m covering…
My family takes a few road trips a year. They all seem to end up with the same series of events. Each event is listed by elapsed time in the trip followed by the event. 00:00 Leave the house. 00:05 Take a mental inventory of packed supplies. 00:10 Go back home to retrieve camera (or…
I tried to bake a cake today. This was the result. Mind you, this was after the things fell in the oven and I had devised a way to fill in the craters with frosting. Now, there will be no cake. Tear. I’m more of a cook, as in preparing meats and sides in a pan…
It was only a matter of time before I wrote about her. I have a very large, old, obnoxious cat. Her name is Tika. Meet Tika I adopted Tika in the fall of 2000. The agency thought she was about 2 then. I was living with a guy I was engaged to, and we broke…
How do kids all know the same behaviors to irritate their parents? My theory is kids get a secret book when they are born called The Child’s Code, and it contains all these behaviors. Welcome to the car edition of The Child’s Code. These are behaviors specific to traveling in an automobile. This is why…
I do my best thinking in the shower. I don’t think I’m alone here. Today I figured out how my two kids, who were born on different days of the week 3.5 years apart, both have birthdays on a Saturday this year. It wasn’t really important for the good of society, but hey, I was…
I have a friend who questioned how someone could love Ikea but hate Wal-Mart. To me, these stores have so little in common they can’t be compared, but if she needs an explanation, I accept the challenge. 1.) It is not appropriate to wear pajamas to Ikea. Showering is also preferred. 2.) Ikea has a…
Pinterest is a great place to go for ideas. My favorite so far is how to clean stainless steel with olive oil. But some ideas I just don’t get. Idea 1: Making things out of pallets. The only time I’ve had pallets at my house is when they supported the kitchen cabinets I had ordered.…
There is a place where I refuse to drive under any circumstances. That place is Houston, where my husband is from. Driving there is terrifying. You have to cut across multiple lanes of traffic, while being cut off, while talking about the different routes you could take with your passenger, while dodging the merging and…
Allison Maruska 