Heee, JZ.

So I've been getting all sorts of side jobs lately. My uncle in Lubbock wants me to spruce up some sort of one-page proposal of his, and my mom sent me a youth group article she wants me to fix. She made me write one for the little newsletter/magazine thing when I visited a couple months ago, and it was likely the best thing that had ever appeared in it, because look at the crap they usually get:

As soon the meeting was done! Everyone changed there clothes and jumped into the pool or beach. As the we got our rooms most of everyone went to sleep because we were all so tired. Day Two we took a visit into down town Cancun, were we visited the many shops that they had to offer in the shopping alleys they had set-up. The shopping alleys mainly was selling authentic Mexican goods that were either hand made or authentic. We left the hotel to have lunch at our sister hotel which was also in our all inclusive hotel. The hotel was not very far from downtown. After we left the hotel, we went back to our hotel and most people took some rest or some people headed straight for the water. As day two came to a end we had a big day four ahead of us.

The person who wrote this is perhaps a couple years younger than I am. He went to high school. I'm not sure if he went to college. I just don't understand how someone can produce something this awful. Willingly.

I turned it into this, for the record, which is not much better but at least coherent:

As soon as the meeting was done, everyone changed their clothes and either jumped into the pool or plunged into the waters at the beach. By the time we got back to our rooms, most of us went straight to sleep because we were all so tired. On the second day, we ventured into downtown Cancun, where we visited the many shops in the shopping alleys. They were mainly selling authentic Mexican goods, many of them handmade. We had lunch at our sister hotel, part of our all-inclusive hotel. Luckily, the hotel was not very far from downtown. After lunch, we went back to our hotel. Although most people took the time to rest, some people couldn't resist the urge to head straight for the water once again. Those who rested made the smart choice, as we had a very big day ahead of us.

The person who wrote this is perhaps a couple years younger than I am. He went to high school. I'm not sure if he went to college. I just don't understand how someone can produce something this awful. Willingly.

Is English his first language? Because it sort of reads as though it was written by someone who picked up English later in life.

And didn't pick up enough of it.

English is totally his first language, Steph. Born and raised in America.

Assuming it's who I think it is. Which, now that I think about it, is probably not true since it's the youth group. So English may not be his first language, but the youth group in our area is pretty generally full of ABCDs. I don't know. I'll have to ask, because now I feel bad.

Okay, I called my mom. He was born in India, but he's been here since kindergarten. (Okay, my mom's not totally sure; she thinks he MAY have been born here.)

My Aunt J could use a little health~ma. Her latest pap smear came back with an off reading, I'm not sure exactly what it is, but she's going to see another gyno for a second opinion and he's going to do his own pap smear. Aunt J seems confident that this isn't serious, but she's been under so much stress with getting G'ma moved, dealing with Aunt W, and burning her hand, oh and G'ma falling and hurting her leg and needing oral surgery -- actually G'ma could use a bit of health ma as well.

PC that kinda sounds like the way one of our maintenance guys might write. They have mostly finished high school but writing is not their strong point at all so there's often awkward phrasing and odd puncuation choices.

Apparently, I'm due to get his sister's contribution later today, and she's even worse than he is, despite having been born here.

Though I guess it's not saying that if you have faith you shouldn't also be a nice person doing good works.

My childhood church explained this part by saying that if you have faith, your faith will motivate you to be a nice person and do good works. But I don't know whether that was official Missouri Synod Lutheran doctrine or just the opinion of one pastor.

Um. Sometimes I share too much and too easily.

I need a new TMI filter. One more appropriate for knowing what and what not to share with college professors.

Big congrats to Joe for his new job!