Another weekend gone by...

[misscam]

misscam's LJ stalker is maureenlycaon!

maureenlycaon is stalking you because another friend of yours told them you liked them. They are also prank calling you regularly!

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Hah! I wonder if I'm stalking anyone?

Been a lovely weekend - bro came to visit and we watched the D-Day event in Normandie. It was strangely touching -as my brother phrased it: "There is nothing quite as moving as old men being moved." It was also quite nice to see the German leader and the French leader embrace. It's not that long ago Europe was divided and always ready for a war. And now we have peace. May it last.

Reagan died this weekend, but I felt no particulary sorrowover that. I was too young to notice him when he was president. But I feel pity for him - of all the ways to die, Altzeimer's must be one of the nastiest. I would not wish that upon anyone.

And if any of you are wondering why I haven't been online much of late - my laptop is having power issues. It's not getting enough power, so it drains the battery when it's on. Thus I can only use it for a little time until the battery is almost out, then recharge it (which takes forever). Obviously, it needs to be fixed. It also keeps me from writing as much - and the fact that it's summer and warm and alluring outside.

Speaking of writing - sometimes, I think writing OFUM was the silliest thing I ever did, for some of the e-mails I get about various thing OFU-related are just a pain in the ass. Requests, nags about some other OFU not being updated (as if that is my responsibility), questions I have already answered a gazillion times... Sometimes, I just get really fed up. (Of course, alot of the e-mail I get is also pleasant, but since waking up today I've had several dizzy spells and annoying e-mail does not help.) And to add to that, some just can't seem to spell - when requesting to do a fanfiction university to teach the art of good writing, for crying out loud. I mean, how hard is it to know the difference between you're/your, anyway?

When Norway invades the US, I'm sending American teenagers to GrammarBootCamp, that's for sure. And until they can form coherent sentences and know the many pleasures of King Kong Comma in his proper place, they can live on gammalost and flatbrød. Perhaps even lutefisk.

(Yes, I know. I'm evil and venegful. It feels oh so good.)

P.S Thanks to all those who offered to help on my previous entry. If I haven't e-mailed you, it means I shan't call on your help this time around. But thanks muchly for the offer. *bows*

Comments

[nonnychan.livejournal.com]

Heh. My English teacher put me through the equivalent of Grammar Boot Camp back in high school, so I fully support the mandatory grammar-izing of all American teenagers. (I agree about you're/your, but the one that kills me is its/it's.)

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Well, I can somewhat understand the its/it's confusion, given that possessive usually has an apostrophe. The car's wheel - one could easily just think "oh yeah, so it should be 'it's wheel'!" I can somewhat understand that, even if it looks all kinds of wrong. Your/you're, on the other hand... One of them has a verb in it, for Odin's sake!

*goes off on arant*

[sinneahtes.livejournal.com]

pulsarkat's LJ stalker is misscam!

misscam is stalking you because a little birdie told them you talked behind their back. They are also getting with your significant other!

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Well, I did work in a pet shop once, cleaning the cages of little birdies who did know how to talk and I assume that they got angry when I didn't give them extra treats...

Actually, I've been doing this until I got everyone on my friends list, and while I was trying to get that last person, you were stalking me quite a bit - apparently you're in jail for murder (need I ask who you killed? ^_^;), because you have nothing better to do, you're deluded, you're prank calling me a lot, you find my journal an interesting read, and I'm better at bowling than you. (That says quite a bit at how utterly awful at bowling you are then. ^_^;)

I don't really miss Reagan myself, but I've found myself ranting at how disgusted I am by any LJ entries I've seen around saying, "Rejoice! Reagan is dead!" I think that's sick - I wouldn't like him as President again, but really now, he hasn't been in office for years, there's no reason to rejoice in his death. (Though I suppose it's nice to know he doesn't have to suffer with old age and alzheimers anymore.) Ah well.

King Kong Comma :D Don't forget to teach them how to abuse semicolons; those are useful for college term papers. (Also, use (and overuse) of parenthesis are good things to kick people around about as well (sometimes people need to be reminded that too many parenthesis get confusing or annoying)). And of course, there's always our lovely friend, the ellipsis...

[misscam.livejournal.com]

I must be a persistent stalker ;)

Yeah, it seems a bit in bad taste to cheer at someone being dead, no matter who, really. I wouldn't cheer if Bush dropped dead, as much as I really, really dislike him. But at least Reagan won't have to suffer any more now, so perhaps that is a good thing.

:P:P Me and Saz once gave all the little punctuation marks names. King Kong Comma, Apostle Apostrope, Queen Questionmark, etc. Quite fun.

[bjam1402.livejournal.com]

On GrammarBootCamp for American teenagers.

Please, dear Eru, please do this. We're doing a grammar unit at the moment in my 8th grade class. This is a class of 13-14 year olds. They don't know how to spell, let alone use grammar correctly. The amount of times I have visibly flinced when someone writes something incorrectly must be in the hundreds. It doesn't help that the bloddy teacher is always messing up her its/it's and you're/your. It's depressing to think about that these are the people teaching literature to the next generation -_-

[misscam.livejournal.com]

*pats* There, there. I promise all will be better when Leif return. We might even give some adults GrammarBootCamp. *eyes Bush*

*raises hand*

[bodldops.livejournal.com]

If Norway does invade the US, and you send everyone to grammar!bootcamp, can I be one of your evil minions? I swear, my classmates can't spell to save their lives. Oh, and don't stop at the teenagers. My co-workers can't spell either. I'm still trying to figure out how to deal with the 'sick mitten' and the 'septic mange'. There should be a special section of the camp for medical terminology.

Re: *raises hand*

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Hmm, perhaps. Do you look cute in a horned helmet? Can you crack a whip? Can you toss lutefisk without passing out?

If so, you're qualified to be a minion.

Perhaps there should be a GeriatricGrammarBootCamp as well.

[belegcuthalion.livejournal.com]

Oh, poor Miss Cam! You have my deepest, heartfelt pity... but are you really sure that a grammar boot camp would improve Bush's ... erh... abilities?

[misscam.livejournal.com]

No, but I would enjoy it so very much seeing him try.

*cracks whip*

[norwegianne.livejournal.com]

You know, Cam? To be proper evil and vengeful you should probably be able to spell vengeful... Ok... that was just me being evil. *Evil and twisted face on for the invasion planning*

This invasion is shaping up to be worse every minute. But looking over a lot of the fics - a boot camp would not be wrong. And not just for kids. I've seen American people, who stated in their profiles that they were over 30, murder their own language in their stories. It's not just the kids.

Hmm. Too young to feel much of anything about Ronald Reagan, except that it was probably better for him to die than to live with the Altzheimer's. But the man did reach his nineties - and, the final years excepted, probably had a long and good life. Despite being the President of America. (...)

Yeah, going back to my evil plotting now.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

:P:P

*tosses Toey out of her room*

No, it's not just the kids. But at least the kids can still be saved, I fear it may be too late for some of the adults. Their mind is resistent to proper grammar and spelling. But perhaps the power of Leif can still win the day.

Over ninety years is a fairly good run, no doubt about that. But ten years with Altzheimer's (if not more) can't have been too pleasant. I'd rather have a quick death with mind still intact. *shudders*

Nice icon;)

[deesarrachi.livejournal.com]

Most annoying grammar mistakes?

Their/They're/there (which is maybe understandable)

Those lovely to/too/two mistakes

And, of course, my biggest twitch-inducer:

Alot.

But I must say, the most annoying grammar mistakes I find are the ones in my own writing. Because I feel that I should know better.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Always hard to spot mistakes of your own. You know in your head what you meant to say, so you don't really read the words. (It's all Toey's fault!)

[jedilora.livejournal.com]

I know an English teacher who would most likely cheerfully help you with Grammar Boot Camp. My freshman year teacher would start every class by writing a horribly mangled sentence on the board, and then offering candy to whoever could fix all the mistakes. Dum-dums, to be exact, after which she would remind us that you are what you eat.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Heh. Now that's the kind of teacher more people should have.

I'm a lollipop kind of candy girl myself. What does that say about me?

[maureenlycaon.livejournal.com]

*Blink*

So, she offered a reward to students who were smart enough to correct the mistakes, then insulted them for doing so? That's certainly an . . . interesting way to motivate kids.

Or am I missing something here?

[jakie-f.livejournal.com]

Why don't you make an FAQ for OFUM?

As for GrammarBootCamp - why not make Latin mandatory instead? I'm learning more about grammar in my first-year Latin class then I have in fifteen years of advanced English classes.

Because you see, they no longer actually teach grammar in English. It's now called "Language Arts" and focuses on analyzing Spanish slice-of-life novels, the Art of the Five Paragraph Essay, and so-called "Elements of Style," a curriculum which operates under the idea that we will learn elements of style, spelling, and basic grammar by osmosis. It's shitty curriculum that makes it easy to pass the class without actually learning you have to blame, not any innate lack of intelligence on behalf of American teenagers.

As for typos... I make typos because I type quick and forget to proofread before posting. Those I consider forgivable, if irritating. Typos in fanfic, which you can and should proofread, are not.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

There is a FAQ for OFUM: http://www.misssandman.com/me.html

I should perhaps put it up at the OFUM page as well...

Geez. That's how they teach you how to write English? *makes note to reform school system after invading as well*

Typos can be excused, but there is a huge difference between a typo and a wild stab at a spelling. Thus "sweepstak" I may understand, but "svipsteak", not so much.

speaking of typos...

[(Anonymous)]

Ah, typos. What can I say? Last month I corrected someone's research project in class, and by the end of it, well, let's just say that someone attacked by an evil vampiric cat has less red marks. Anyway, they blamed every single mistake on typos. The poor things have become scapegoats. Oh, and on a funnier note, my sister said something today about a "verbal typo". V. odd.

Re: speaking of typos...

[misscam.livejournal.com]

If you have that many typos, you're either blind or lazy. *rolls eyes*

[doubtful-salmon.livejournal.com]

All right, I understand sending MOST American teenagers to GrammarBootCamp, but I think there should be some sort of entrance exam, because I think I could very easily pass it. I scored in the 98th percentile for "verbal" among the most intelligent of my grade in the PSATs, so I feel as though I could perhaps be more useful. If you would like to torture the prisoners, you could always have me cook.

Also, I would like to show you the following conversation:

Friend: You know how people call Voldemort "Voldie"?
Friend: If you called Suaron "Sauri" it'd be pronounced "Sorry" and that just wouldn't work
Friend: or... Sari
Self: HAHAHA I KNOW
Self: SARI
Self: HAHAHAHA
Friend: but either way
Self: SAURON SHOULD WEAR A SARI
Self: TOTALLY
Self: And play Sorry!
Friend: HA HA HAHA
Friend: A sari wearing Sauri plays Sorry
Self: Oh MAN. I should tell that to her.
Friend: Who?
Self: Miss Cam.
Friend: OOOOOOOOOOH
Self: "This is what happens...when you call him Sauri!"
Self: Students: "NOOOOOOOOO!"
Self: Sauron: *stands up*
Self: Students in Back: "What is a 'sari'?"
Self: Another: "A loose-fitting--"
Friend: *snort*
Self: Everyone: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

It could be a terrifying way for the students to understand what happens when people use stupid pet names for villains.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Everyone can benefit from a day at GrammarBootCamp!

Interesting idea. I am going to do a class on "Evil By Its Proper Name", so that might be an idea. *makes note* The sight of Sauron in a sari would probably break fragile minds, so that's a plus.

[beregondsgirl.livejournal.com]

You know... it's all your fault. I copied that stalking thing into my LJ, and now I'm apparently stalking three people. And I'm in jail for murder. *wonders when she did that* The only time I've ever come close to killing somebody was while I was PPCing a fic... and it got deleted before we finished PPCing it...

About GrammarBootCamp... I agree about the entrance exam. A lot of the American teens I know are very good with grammar and spelling (for proof you could go to www.tolkienonline.com, then to the messageboard and 'Alliances and Guilds,' then check out 'Council of Teens'. Or to the Scriptorium of Imladris in the 'Age of Man' and the 'TORC Teens Book'), and many are slightly fanatical about it, as well.

And homeschoolers particularly tend to be picky. I'd say a lot of them could pass the exam with ease (I might need to sit in on the sessions about commas and semi-colons, though-- I use far, far too many commas for my own good, and I never quite grasped how to use a semi-colon).

One more thing about the schools- my old school, where I went from 1st to 4th grade, barely taught me anything past what a noun and a verb was (and the verb section was just basic verbs, like run, jump, etc). Instead, we spent weeks on contractions. *smiles cheerfully, then strangles her old grammar book* We all knew what contractions were, we didn't need to spend weeks copying them out in our notebooks with what they replaced! Arg.

Sorry. Slightly bitter, because the next year, fifth grade, Mom and I started homeschooling, and we got a grammar curriculum that was WAAAAAY above what I'd been taught, and it literally made me cry, because mom was frustrated that I couldn't remember anything from one week to the next. But I did come away with some knowledge- like what an Em dash is, and an ellipsis, and articles (took me forever to figure out indefinite and definite... don't ask why).

Ok, I'm going to shut up now.

Right. Lying, am I.

I have to state the biggest pet peeve I've got- alright. *shiver* It's not a word, don't use it like one! Now, I don't mind using gonna or ain't- because people *know* they aren't real words (or proper words, anyway), but no one seems to know that alright isn't a word. *malevolent mutterings meant for...for...* Uh, lost my alliteration there. Pfft.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

You did it in your sleep ;)

If one has an exam, people will cheat. I know people, and they cheat. Better to have advanced class for the smarter ones or make them drill sergeants.

Geez, your schools sound rather bad. I didn't always enjoy school here in Norway, but it did at least teach me stuff. Including two other languages apart from Norwegian. Don't they have a minimum requirement on what should be taught over there, or does it vary a great deal?

[maureenlycaon.livejournal.com]

*Confines self to giggling at the LJ Stalker Finder result*

[misscam.livejournal.com]

You sneaky stalker you :P

And your icon just gave me the lovely image of Grond knocking down the doors to the White House. Oh yess...

You're stalking meeee!

[jocelyncs.livejournal.com]

I'm not THAT good a bowler! Ye Gods, you must really be terrible!

And although I agree with your assessment of American teenagers' lack of grammar skills, I am still resisting your invasion. Your lutefisk shall fall beneath my barrage of apple pie, watermelons, and corn on the cob, carried on the backs of our faithful llamas of burden! Wooo!

(Sorry, sorry, been researching Potential Employers online for four hours and am now going slightly loopy. The cat is running away from me. Weee!)

Re: You're stalking meeee!

[misscam.livejournal.com]

I have never bowled, so I guess I'm as terrible as it gets.

*pats Jocelyn* You keep telling yourself you can resist us, dear. Everyone needs a daydream. But by all means, toss apple pie at us. I imagine we'll be pretty hungry as we come invading, so food supply is good.

And in one year, as Bush has been reelected and is drawing up the plans to invade Iran, have banned gay marriage, cut the taxes for the rich, proceed with his Star Wars program, cut school and library funding yet some more and done whatever else he can have fun with as he no longer has to worry about reelection - you'll be cheering Leif on.

*stalks Jocelyn quietly*

Re: OFU quality

[(Anonymous)]

I like to read OFU stories. many are so bad, I sometimes thinl someone needs to write an OFU for OFUs!

[misscam.livejournal.com]

You're not the first one to suggest such a thing, actually...