Full Fathom Five

Glorious News for Grammar Geeks

2006-01-28T16:53:00.000+02:00

"Can grammar be hip? Is proper comma use cool?" Oh, it is indeed!

This is slightly old news, since the release of the new illustrated Elements of Style was a few months ago, but the delirious joy it brought me back in October has yet to dissipate, so I wanted to bring it to the attention of all. I only wish I could have attended the gala to hear the operatic song cycle performed by the Omit Needless Words Orchestra.

As one reviewer commented:
"A new generation of English students will soon walk the hallowed halls of education, quite oblivious to their good fortune in having The Elements of Style Illustrated, in all its synergistic glory, bouncing around in their backpacks."

The Most Serene Republic

2006-01-22T17:01:00.002+02:00

It's been a year since I left Venice, so I thought I'd post a picture to commemorate my brief but beautiful amphibious former-life.

Typographical Tangle

2006-01-11T15:34:00.000+02:00

I'm finally nearing the end of an intense 2-month pre-publication period. I've spent the past couple of months sequestered in my office, surviving on copious amounts of tea, and giving Salinger and Pynchon some serious hermit competition. I've been so reclusive lately that people have been asking me if I've been away on holiday. Not quite...unless you count the exotic orange cover of my constant companion, the Chicago Manual of Style. Hopefully the book will go to press soon and I can stop fussing over semi-colons and index markers.

Ariel's Song

2006-01-09T09:19:00.000+02:00

People have been inquiring about the origins of my blogspot name, so here it is: I love this excerpt from The Tempest because it reminds me of the vibrancy and interconnectedness of literary allusions. Originally penned by a brilliant 16th-century playwright, these lines have inspired countless writers such as the master of obscure and esoteric references himself, T.S. Eliot, and the fierce activist and gifted writer, Arundhati Roy.

Full fathom five thy father lies,
Of his bones are coral made:
Those are pearls that were his eyes,
Nothing of him that doth fade,
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.

-The Tempest

Technophobic Tendencies

2005-12-29T14:28:00.000+02:00

I created this blog several months ago to appease those who think me a technologically incompetent Luddite incapable of appreciating the subtle nuances of web logs and their many uses in this postmodern world of ours. In a fit of righteous indignation I created a blogspot account, ready add myself to the ranks of avid bloggers worldwide. But then life got in the way and my blogging aspirations fell by the wayside. I realize that the fact that this blog has remained dormant for 5 months probably hasn't done much to quell the aforementioned accusation...