Nod and Smile

Maeby:  “Do you know where I can get one of those necklaces with a T on it?”
Michael:  “It’s a cross.”
Maeby:  “Across from where?”

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I wrote this song for everybody who is mad at somebody about their blessings.
Mostly for family, you know, cause that…that thing does happen.
So cousin so-and-so whoever you are out there: Heh heh.
–Jill Scott, on VH1 Soul

Yes, Jill, that thing does happen. And in my case, mostly with family (but not my cousins). Thank […]

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These guys at McSweeney’s really crack me up. Can I get a job with you guys?
Lesser Moments in Spanish Extra Credit
I’m also sorry for calling all Spanish people “Mexicans.” There are many types of Spanish people that aren’t Mexicans. Brazil, for instance, is a very large nation of non-Mexican Hispanics. Brazil is not, as […]

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Jean-wa nihongo-no shiekibun nitsuite paper-o kaku no ni tsuk-are-ta.
Jean-TOP Japanese-GEN causatives about paper-ACC write C DAT tired-PASS-PAST
“Jean is tired of writing papers about Japanese causatives.”

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Who cares what people say about prescriptive grammar.  Grammar and punctuation nitpicking was the privilege of a time when people knew how to write.  There are better ways to spend your time.  And since when is the Microsoft Word “green squiggle” the authority on language use?
Which at the beginning of a restrictive relative clause has […]

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