I am not a professional writer. I am not even much of a regular writer, by any means.
I did fairly well in high school English classes, excelled in college language-based classes (English 101 and Technical Writing), and this second time around at college I've received an A in Creative Writing. Boy, did I hate that class... nothing like being forced to write to make one feel uncreative!
You will never see me confuse the use of their/there/they're, nor you're/your. You may occasionally see an improper comma placement. I am not 100% certain I have apostrophes down, but I do know that the word thanks does not need an apostrophe (i.e. thank's... yes, I have seen this done before).
It seems that with the growth of the internet has come the withering of language skills. It's either that or prior to the internet, I had nowhere near the exposure to written material that I do now. Before the internet, what was there? Books, magazines, newspapers... now we have blogs, and access to thousands upon thousands of articles about varying things at the click of a mouse.
If you see a glaring error, please send me a private note and let me know. I will look into it and fix it then. It can only help my writing to learn from others.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Why I've started this blog
It is just after midnight on the first day of 2010.
Prior to starting this, my only blogging experience had been on Myspace. Only my friends over there could view it, while this one will be open to whomever stumbles across it. I will also be directing certain friends and relatives to its location, so they can read it if they so choose.
Myspace is pretty much a ghost town these days; also, my blogs over there were rarely commented on, so that led me to believe they weren't being read either. I think over on Myspace, a lot of the blog update postings get lost in all the spam that comes in the activity feed. This includes all the stupid surveys, which include such important questions as, "When you take a shower, what body part do you wash first?" (Good God, who CARES?!), also updates from apps such as Mafia Wars. I really don't like logging in and finding a dozen "Myspace friend has attacked their friend in Mafia Wars!" I tried to use the 'block app' link that was posted, but it was not active.
I am also on Facebook, which does not have a blogging feature (among the many features it does not have that Myspace does). There are some people on Facebook I am only friends with due to their relation or friendship with my husband - not all of them will be clued in about my ramblings.
I moved here in August 2008 to be with my brand-new husband, Bucky. This blog will mainly be about the differences between Washington (where I grew up) and Minnesota. These differences will include weather, manners, driving, politics, plant life, etc. Contrary to the blog's title, there ARE some nice things here, but I thought it was a nice play on the phrase of "Minnesota nice" (Google it). "Minnesota nice" is apparently not what I thought it was when I moved here - that is, it's not a compliment. To me, Minnesota Nice meant that the residents were, well... nice. Polite, friendly, not quick-tempered. In reading up on it, it seems that Minnesota Nice means that someone is pretending to be nice, while inside they are boiling like a big pot of lutefisk. Here is one explanation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_nice
I'm sticking with the blog title, as I often feel I don't fit in with Minnesota nice stereotypes - I'm not one to be fake polite or stifle my negative feelings and pretend everything is "Just great, you betcha!" This may be to my detriment, but I come from a group of people who isn't shy about saying what they feel.
I would like to set up sub-categories for other subjects of interest, such as book reviews, music, cooking, etc. As I am a noob, I do not know yet if this is possible.
Prior to starting this, my only blogging experience had been on Myspace. Only my friends over there could view it, while this one will be open to whomever stumbles across it. I will also be directing certain friends and relatives to its location, so they can read it if they so choose.
Myspace is pretty much a ghost town these days; also, my blogs over there were rarely commented on, so that led me to believe they weren't being read either. I think over on Myspace, a lot of the blog update postings get lost in all the spam that comes in the activity feed. This includes all the stupid surveys, which include such important questions as, "When you take a shower, what body part do you wash first?" (Good God, who CARES?!), also updates from apps such as Mafia Wars. I really don't like logging in and finding a dozen "Myspace friend has attacked their friend in Mafia Wars!" I tried to use the 'block app' link that was posted, but it was not active.
I am also on Facebook, which does not have a blogging feature (among the many features it does not have that Myspace does). There are some people on Facebook I am only friends with due to their relation or friendship with my husband - not all of them will be clued in about my ramblings.
I moved here in August 2008 to be with my brand-new husband, Bucky. This blog will mainly be about the differences between Washington (where I grew up) and Minnesota. These differences will include weather, manners, driving, politics, plant life, etc. Contrary to the blog's title, there ARE some nice things here, but I thought it was a nice play on the phrase of "Minnesota nice" (Google it). "Minnesota nice" is apparently not what I thought it was when I moved here - that is, it's not a compliment. To me, Minnesota Nice meant that the residents were, well... nice. Polite, friendly, not quick-tempered. In reading up on it, it seems that Minnesota Nice means that someone is pretending to be nice, while inside they are boiling like a big pot of lutefisk. Here is one explanation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_nice
I'm sticking with the blog title, as I often feel I don't fit in with Minnesota nice stereotypes - I'm not one to be fake polite or stifle my negative feelings and pretend everything is "Just great, you betcha!" This may be to my detriment, but I come from a group of people who isn't shy about saying what they feel.
I would like to set up sub-categories for other subjects of interest, such as book reviews, music, cooking, etc. As I am a noob, I do not know yet if this is possible.
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