This paragraph — which I heard about half of — happens with 3 hours and 36 minutes left in the book:
People have surprisingly strong feelings about word breaks [at the end of a justified line of text]. A long time ago I met a man on a ship in the Dodecanese who complained to me about the way The New Yorker broke “English” and “England.” We follow Merriam-Webster’s, which divides words phonetically, giving us “En-glish,” “En-gland.” Webster’s New World Dictionary (among others) divides words along meaningful units and goes with “Eng-lish” and “Eng-land.” What bothered my shipmate was the way “glish” and “gland” looked on the next line, especially at the top of a column. What bothered me was that here in the Aegean an American— a college English professor, to judge by the tan Hush Puppies he wore— was grilling me about word breaks. (He also complained about his subscription.) The truth is that I, too, disliked it: “glish” and “gland” are unsightly stand-alones. Yet I was deeply invested in our way of doing it and resentful about having to defend it while I was on vacation.I woke up in the middle of this:
At that pencil party, I encountered for the first time a handheld long-point pencil sharpener. Until then, I had not known that a handheld pencil sharpener could be anything but a toy; I have one in the shape of the Empire State Building that I treasure for sentimental reasons, but it is useless except as a cake decoration. The party featured a Sharpening Lounge, where there were state-of-the-art wall-mounted X-Acto sharpeners along one wall (they not only deliver a beautiful point but do so in reverent silence) and copies of a pencil-yellow manual called How to Sharpen Pencils, by David Rees. It is one of very few books worthy of the dual category “Humor/ Reference.”42 minutes left.
Now, Meade is asking "Do you want chili for dinner" and I'm saying "I want breakfast."
Posts
41 comments:
chili for breakfast is good; try it with pancakes
On the subject of dinner-y breakfasts, my mother used to make pancakes and sausages with sausage gravy on the pancakes.
You must have chili for dinner. Else you risk disrupting your circadian rhythm. Before you know it you'll be sleeping by day and prowling by night, using a coffin rather than a bed, draining Meade's precious bodily fluids, putting fluoride in children's ice cream. Eventually, there be nothing to but launch Wing Attack Plan R.
At least now I'm in great shape to watch the Election Night returns.
Breakfast for dinner is brinner.
You must have chili for dinner.
It's the Midwest, so it's supper.
I love watching the election returns of important races. And now I'm wanting some chili.
If you put syrup on it, it's breakfast.
Feel empowered?
tcrosse is correct about dinner and supper.
Funny enough, here at Meadhouse we've smooshed dinner together supper and typically have just 2 meals a day: breakfast — usually around 5 AM and dinner/supper — around 5 PM.
"If you put syrup on it, it's breakfast. "
Ha! My chili recipe does in fact contain syrup!
Judging by the excerpts.......How can you read stuff that is so tedious?
"I love watching the election returns of important races. And now I'm wanting some chili."
1. Meade makes huge vats of fabulous chili, so we always have a fallback option for chili. It's totally low-carb, so if you don't augment it with chips or rice or something, it's the perfect dinner if you're trying to lose weight.
2. I sometimes rewatch the 2016 Election Night coverage. I can't believe it happened (still), and I was too tired and annoyed at the footdragging when it was happening live, so I find it very interesting to rewatch. You can find the entire unedited coverage from several different channels on YouTube. I do speed through some parts, but I have rewatched CNN and MSNBC.
I had bacon and eggs for dinner last week once. The perfect meal.
"How can you read stuff that is so tedious?"
That's just it — she uses the audiobook to put herself to sleep. Though, I see I'm going to have to keep a closer eye on her substance use. These audiobooks can be like opioids and as users' tolerance increases, ever larger doses are needed to get the same effect. Apparently, this particular audiobook was analogous to pure China White.
Everyone:
You all know me. You know how successful my political consultancy is. I pick winners and only winners. Nothing but the winners!
I now predict - before everyone says: The next POTUS is K. Gillibrand. She will win the 2020 with 50-state landslide against new President Pence. Yes, you heard it right. Mr. Trump will resign or leave voluntarily due to poor health.
Cheers!
At least now I'm in great shape to watch the Election Night returns.
When I oversleep in a nap it just wipes me out. It's worse than a hangover.
I'd watch the election returns, but I have to go to the board meeting of my political club. Which always meets on the second Tuesday of the month. So we tend to miss all the big political stuff happening on TV.
Something definitely sucks about that.
Something definitely sucks about that.
It's a conspiracy, no doubt.
But Koch or Soros?
just 2 meals a day: breakfast — usually around 5 AM and dinner/supper — around 5 PM.
By that description you guys need to move to Florida. You'd be on the same eating schedule as most of the residents.
Blogger Ann Althouse said...At least now I'm in great shape to watch the Election Night returns.
--
Right. If you don't like the results, you'll be able to stage your own "fart in".
I have to get up at 4 to fly to LA.
Smoke city here I come.
You can find the entire unedited coverage from several different channels on YouTube. I do speed through some parts, but I have rewatched CNN and MSNBC.
I slept through it but might just look one of these days.
Thanks for the book review. I already knew the New Yorker's copy editor is habitually mistaken, and now I know she's habitually boring -- the one unforgivable sin, as Christopher Hitchens reminded us.
Seems a little late in the day to ask "shud I make chili"? Of course Madison is a long way from Terlingua, in so many ways, so maybe there's a special upper Mid-west recipe or, maybe Meade was opening a can?
“I now predict - before everyone says: The next POTUS is K. Gillibrand. She will win the 2020 with 50-state landslide against new President Pence. Yes, you heard it right. Mr. Trump will resign or leave voluntarily due to poor health.”
I’ve wondered too if he won’t resign due to poor health. He’s having a physical in January, supposedly. Maybe he’ll decide it’s better to leave due to health reasons than be impeached.
Keeping hope alive!
Ahhhh! The VERY BEST of naps. Wintertime, short daylight hours, in the rack after afternoon classes. Wake up to First Call for meal formation, out of the cave and into the hall before realizing it is Evening Meal not Breakfast.
I use Scott Adams periscope broadasts to fall asleep as he has a soothing voice but I suspect he's hypnotizing me.
Dunno Inga,
Seems impeachment has ceased being a threat to a presidency.
There is always the possibility of death..a notion many on the Left are falling asleep to.
'We follow Merriam-Webster’s, which divides words phonetically, giving us “En-glish,” “En-gland.” '
Mmm, phonetically the words break down to “Eng-glish” and “Eng-gland”, the way "finger" breaks down into "fing-ger".
'We follow Merriam-Webster’s, which divides words phonetically, giving us “En-glish,” “En-gland.”
Doesn't Text Justification make this sort of thing obsolete ?
I bought this book when you first blogged about it because I like language and grammar books. After having read it, I don’t wonder at all that you fell asleep. It is the deadliest of books: boring and silly.
Chile.
But he probably meant chile con carne.
Meade’s chili contains no beans.
It’s all homemade, and he makes the amount that fills our biggest pot. It’s then divided up in portions and frozen and it’s very easy to heat up.
“I use Scott Adams periscope broadasts to fall asleep as he has a soothing voice but I suspect he's hypnotizing me.”
Unfortunately, I wake up if the sound ends, so I need things at least 7 hours long.
I do have Win Bigly.
Begging Meade's pardon, as he know not to put beans in chili he'll fit quite well in Terlingua!
Meade’s chili contains no beans.
As no proper chili does.
Ann Althouse said...
"Meade’s chili contains no beans.
It’s all homemade, and he makes the amount that fills our biggest pot. It’s then divided up in portions and frozen and it’s very easy to heat up."
OK. Question.
Ground beef/pork or shredded beef/pork? It's important.
I do the Beef/pork/venison in the crock pot and then transfer to a pot on the stove and add the other stuff
Ground. Why — is shredded better?
Ground. Why — is shredded better?
Very much so. Google "braised chili" and have a look at some of the recipes. The basic idea is that you braise chunks of beef (chuck is best) for hours at low heat in a dutch oven until the meat falls apart ("shreds") and melds with the other chili ingredients.
Thanks, guys. I'll be giving it a try.
Post a Comment