And another:

I participated in an REU at Cal Poly this summer, and I enjoyed having the opportunity to participate in research and writing. I have appreciated my liberal arts undergraduate education, but I found this summer that I really enjoy being able to focus all my academic energies on math.

I enjoyed researching and writing in an REU at Cal Poly this summer. While I have appreciated my liberal arts undergraduate education, my summer program showed me that I really enjoy focussing all my academic energy on math.

I'm trying to boil it down and make more direct statements....

Dear god, can focussing really have two s? That's horrible. I'm upset.

t edit

Need a life over here in the Lizard corner! Stat!

Does it help that I was similarly disconcerted? Probably not. You know I've got no life...

Does it help that I was similarly disconcerted?

But John, isn't it the colonial spelling?

Apologies in advance, but I need to whine a little.

I joined a crit group for erotica. Picked a good-sized group with a solid history of good traffic levels for the last few years. Did some crits of what was posted, got some thank yous. Traffic was consistently decent for the month and a half I was prepping to start submitting my own stuff. (I wrote this science fiction erotica novel. It just kinda happened.) So I post a little intro, this is my novel, I'm doing first paper proofs, feedback please. I start posting chapters every other day.

And the group. Goes. Dead. Silent. For a week and a half now.

....

No, I'm fine, really. Pass the booze? No, the bigger bottle.

maybe they're speechless, you're so brilliant.

You've probably done this, but- you have checked the group's really silent, haven't you? By going to the website or whereever? Is it a Yahoo group? Because I've been having some trouble with Yahoo groups recently.

If you have- brooze is probably your best bet.

Ah, the dead air of no response. Kind of makes you want to just burn the computer, change your name to Sister Mary the Quiet and join a Trappist monastery.

Kind of makes you want to just burn the computer, change your name to Sister Mary the Quiet and join a Trappist monastery.

They probably wouldn't let me bring Bill, would they.

Well, angst fuels writing... I'll make a wild prediction and say my next story will probably involve being ignored... Try working porn into that, there's a challenge...

Ms. H., I'm noticing every group I'm on is mouse-quiet at the moment, and have been for a week or two.

Holiday ramp-up seems to have distracted.