Comatose

"A comma in the wrong place can be a dangerous thing."~ German company that specializes in proof reading.

The comma is used to separate sentence elements. Its purpose is to insure writer's flow of thought.

1)Use a comma to separate independent clauses joined by the coordinating conjunctions and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet.
The Houston Zoo will be offering free admission on New Year's Day, but I have plans to visit family.

Now, you do not have to use a comma between short independent clauses.

I read and he watched.

2) Use a comma to separate items in a series. These items may consist of words, phrases, or clauses.

I love pandas, goats, elephants, Moby, and Baloo.

3)Use a comma to separate introductory elements from the rest of the sentence. These elements can be words, phrases, adverb clauses, or transitional expressions.

Introductory Words-Usually, Jack sleeps after eating.

Introductory Phrase- Running down the street, Jack stopped, and preceded to smell the pavement.

Introductory Clause- This Saturday it will rain, next Saturday I might have to water my plants.

Transitional Phrase-Therefore, they decided to form their own government.

Note that not all introductory elements need a comma, but make sure before omitting the comma that removing the comma does not cause confusion, or distort your thought.

4) Use a comma to set off a parenthetical element at the beginning of a sentence; use a comma before and one after a parenthetical or appositive element that occurs in the middle of a sentence. A parenthetical element is one which is not essential to complete the meaning of a sentence but which supplements a part or parts of the sentence.

Parenthetical Element at Beginning of sentence- To be honest, you stink.

Parenthetical Element in Mid-Sentence- The cat, come on, is lazy.

Appositive- Sue, your mother is here, and has been complaining.

5) Use commas to set off nonrestrictive elements in a sentence. Another way of talking about a parenthetical or appositive element is to say that it is nonrestrictive: it does not restrict or essentially modify what it refers to; therefore, it must be set off by commas. On the other hand, if the element in question is restrictive or is essential to what it modifies, it must not be set off by commas.

Restrictive- The people are seeking a Utopia.

Nonrestrictive- The people, which are oppressed, search for a Utopia.

6) Use a comma to separate a contrasting element from the rest of the sentence; a comma emphasizes this contrast.

I like red licorice, and not black licorice.

7) Use a comma to achieve clarity, even in places where you ordinarily might omit it.

Oh, 1492, what a marvelous year.

8) Use a comma in dates, addresses, and letter forms.

Dates- Friday, December 18, 2009

Address- Houston, Texas

Letter Forms- Beloved Bill White,

Capitalism

1) Beginning a sentence

Jack did not share the biscuit with Cassie.
2) The pronoun I and the interjection O (or Oh)

Maggie says that I need to buy a turtle neck sweater for Jack.

3) Days of the week, months, holidays

On Friday my dog will run away.

4) Title of books, plays, movies, shows, short stories, poems

Next weekend, River Oaks Theatre will be showing the movie Gremlins at midnight.

5) Proper names, proper adjectives, and titles

Kelly Ripa annoys me, but yet I watch.

6) Historical events, historical terms, historical artifacts

The Declaration of Independence was written primarily by Thomas Jefferson.

7) Terms associated with colleges and universities

I took African American Literature 3360 with Brown-Guillory and learned about community uplifting.

8)Miscellaneous items

God is watching you.

I plan to visit Shamu at Sea World.

The Houston Astros need to practice and communicate.

Howard Roark plans to remodel the White House.

This post was motivated by The Portable English Handbook.

Pearl Teeth

"If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love. Don't be surly at home, then go out in the street and start grinning "good morning" at total strangers." ~ Maya Angelou

99 Ranch Market

New Asian market off of I-10 and Echolane and it's a great store. I just got back and loved the place. There is a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, and teas. They have a sushi bar, bakery and for free steam or fry fish or seafood. The physical address is 1005 Blalock Road Houston, 77055 and they are open Monday through Sunday from 8:00 AM-10:00PM.

Now, I had trouble getting out of the candy and ice cream aisle. I couldn't make up my mind between sweet potato and lychee ice cream. I ended up buying banana ice cream but I will return to try others. Well, if in the area go to this store and not Kroger or H.E.B.

12 Angry Men

Your service as a juror is fundamental to the fair and impartial administration of justice and ensures the constitutional right of a trial by jury. The constitution of the State of Texas, Article 1, Section 15, states, "The right of trial by jury shall remain inviolate." ..."we believe that trial by jury... is fundamental to the American scheme of justice" and "trial by jury is more than an instrument of justice and more than one wheel of the constitution: it is the lamp that shows that freedom lives" Therefore, the City of Houston presents this certificate in appreciation for your jury service. This 13th day of November, 2009.

I'm happy (just like this pancake) about serving the City of Houston. I had a blast at jury duty. I had fun observing the panel selection and their love for mystery crime books. Book titles with words Obedience, Punishment and Lost Control were among the sea of arms of jurors. I recommend you partake in the "scheme of justice." You meet interesting people, get paid $6 dollars and overall help the city of Houston from becoming Gotham City.

Hamburglar disappointed?

"Burger, Burger, Burger....... what a cake!"

Where are you going?

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..." Dr. Seuss

Shel Silverstein

God's Wheel
GOD says to me with a kind of smile,
"Hey how would you like to be God awhile And steer the world?"
"Okay," says I, "I'll give it a try.
Where do I set?
How much do I get?
What time is lunch?
When can I quit?"
"Gimme back that wheel," says GOD.
"I don't think you're quite ready YET."

The Bridge
This bridge will only take you halfway there
To those mysterious lands you long to see:
Through gypsy camps and swirling Arab fairs
And moonlit woods where unicorns run free.
So come and walk awhile with me and share
The twisting trails and wondrous worlds I've known.
But this bridge will only take you halfway there-
The last few steps you'll have to take alone.

Boa Constrictor
Oh, I'm being eaten
By a boa constrictor,
A boa constrictor,
A boa constrictor,
I'm being eaten by a boa constrictor,
And I don't like it--one bit.
Well, what do you know?
It's nibblin' my toe.
Oh, gee,
It's up to my knee.
Oh my,
It's up to my thigh.
Oh, fiddle,
It's up to my middle.
Oh, heck,
It's up to my neck.
Oh, dread,
It's upmmmmmmmmmmffffffffff . . .

Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday!

Time ripens all things, no man is born wise. ~Miguel de Cervantes

I Must Dash Off

Using the Dash (-)

1) Use dashes to insert an interrupting comment, whether for illustration, explanation, or emphasis.
2)Use dashes to indicate a shift in tone, a hesitation in speech, or a break in thought.
3)Use dashes to introduce or comment on a list.
4)Use dashes to set off parenthetical expressions within parenthetical expressions.
My dog loves- staring at the sun, eating spaghetti, attacking ants, and smelling car tires. I tell him to stop staring at the sun- because he might end up wearing an eye patch like James Joyce. He listens - he eats - he stares.

Aspire to be like Shirley Temple

"Let us read and let us dance-two amusements that will never do any harm to the world." Voltaire



I had my first tap dancing class yesterday and I learned it's going to be hard. My left foot is very independent like Charlie Chaplin. My right foot listens but the left one trips me and decides to always lead. Also, I keep thinking since I signed up for Broadway Tap I should be making dramatic facial expressions while I dance and it's a distraction. I must stop with facial expressions and work on jazz square.



Well, I have a couple of months to work on dance moves and I look forward to not harming the world. I will practice tap dancing to Louis Prima "I want to be like you" and will aspire to be a combination of Shirley Temple & Fred Astaire & Ian Curtis & Iggy Pop.

Bon Appétit

"In France, cooking is a serious art form and a national sport."- Julia Child

Three brave young ladies tackled French cuisine and succeeded on August 18, 2009. They came together on that hot day and slaved over four burners and one oven. There was hope, hunger in the air and one type A personality in the kitchen (which kept the other two on task).

The first dish was Tomato and Tapenade Tartlets


It was delicious! The puff pastry was crispy and the fresh basil with the black olives and tomatoes made an amazing taste. The flavors personally kicked my mouth! Here's the link to the recipe www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2008/08/tomato_and_tapenade_tartlets

The second dish was French Onion Soup with Goat Cheese Croutons

It was a lovely mixture of caramelized onions with toasted baguette with creamy cheese. Here's the link to the recipe :) www.marthastewart.com/recipe/french-onion-soup-with-cheese-toasts?autonomy_kw=frenchfood

The third dish was Chaussons Aux Pommes (French Apple Turnovers)

Not the actual picture of the French Apple Turnovers that were cooked but same product was produced. The pastries were smaller but marvelous taste gushed out. Here's the link to the recipe www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2008/11/chaussons_aux_pommes

Now, the beverage that was served isn't French. One of the brave young ladies had a lot of oranges and decided to mix it with milk which made Orange Glorious.

It was sweet and refreshing :) It was made from fresh (maybe French) oranges and not with frozen orange juice concentrate. Here's the link www.grouprecipes.com/sr/2283/creamy-orange-glorious/recipe/

Well, it was fun cooking these recipes. The recipes were easy and yummy. Beef Bourguignon will be made next time.

Aging Cool

Black Roller Blades
Hot Pink Shorts
Floral Print Shirt
Large Straw Hat
Purple Sunglasses
Over 75
With a Group of Elderly Men
Almost Fell
On Broken Concrete
But laughed
Because Today She Woke Up
And Saw the Sun
She passed by me at over 5 mph
And Felt her Youth in her veins

Neil Armstrong

"Men," said the little prince, "set out on their way in express trains, but they do not know what they are looking for. Then they rush about, and get excited, and turn round and round...." -The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery

Neil Armstrong, Happy Birthday! I hope to jump on my express train and complete my mission one day too.

Brave New World

Happy Birthday Louise Joy Brown!!!

"Community, Identity, Stability." - Aldous Huxley