Monthly Archives: January 2013

January raindrops

  Today we are supposed to hit a record-high temperature of around sixty degrees.  Heavy fog during the night and early morning gave way to rush-hour rain.  By the time I took this photo, right before teaching my first class of … Continue reading

Posted in Milwaukee | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Affect versus effect: which is which?

In commenting on the dash–hyphen post a couple days ago (and that’s an en dash between the words “dash” and “hyphen” 🙂 ), Kathleen suggested that I write a post about “affect” and “effect.”  Great idea!  Using “affect” and “effect” correctly … Continue reading

Posted in Grammar, punctuation, usage, mechanics | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Hyphen or dash: What’s the difference, and when to use which?

Here’s a punctuation “issue” that people have asked me about lately: what’s the difference between a hyphen and a dash, and when do you use which? Difference #1 — a hyphen is short, and a dash is long.  In Morse … Continue reading

Posted in Grammar, punctuation, usage, mechanics | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

As inauguration nears, check out the Smithsonian’s “First Ladies” exhibit

As preparations accelerate in advance of of President Obama’s second inauguration on Monday (which is also Martin Luther King, Jr., Day), one of the biggest stories coming out of Washington is Michelle Obama’s new “bangs” hairstyle.  I bring this up not … Continue reading

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A Tim Burton full moon (photo)

Doesn’t this gorgeous full moon look like something filmmaker Tim Burton might order up?  Actually, this is last month’s full moon (December 2012).  I had completely forgotten I’d photographed it until today, when I was working with some other pictures from … Continue reading

Posted in Movies and film | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments