The Oatmeal tackles the misuse of "literally" (figuratively speaking): [link]

Oh! I wouldn't have known someone didn't actually piss themselves without that condescending comic! I guess I should write my own screed about misguided snobs who don't understand intensifiers in language have been in use for literally forever: [link]

(I'm with the descriptivists. If the meaning is clear, it's ok. They're far less "wrong" than prescriptivism usually is about the source of their rules.)

I find this argument from Sheidlower the most compelling, on this issue:

The trouble with usage criticism of the sort leveled at literally is that it's typically uneven: Parallel uses are frequent and usually pass unnoticed. For every peruse there's a scan (see my essays on these terms here and here); for every hopefully there's a clearly; and for every literally there's a really: Or did you expect people to complain when really is used to emphasize things that are not "real"? When Meg, in Little Women, moaned that "It's been such a dismal day I'm really dying for some amusement," she wasn't the one dying.

It's easier to give a cat a liquid than a pill

Hell, yeah. I learned pretty quickly that coming up on Amarna, scooping her into my arms and holding her with my arm around her, her back on my chest, and her paws facing out (so she couldn't use them to break free), and then squirting the stuff into her mouth while she's meowing full-blast in protest worked great. It was only when she became resigned to the situation by the end of the week and stopped bitching that it became difficult to get the stopper into her mouth.

Maybe liquid is easier for some cats - definitely not my Ashton. We had liquid antibiotics on the ceiling from that ordeal.

Kathy, what I hear about the CPAP is that if you try sleeping with one, if it works you'll really notice it right away.

I can't say often enough how excited I am for you!

A huge rainstorm just rolled through, and someone has their window open, and it smells wonderful in here now.

I used to like Oatmeal, but, damn, wordy much? It's a cartoon! The e.g. i.e. overexplanation got to me. Make some of your pictures worth some words.

Not that I've read the literally one. I'm busy being late at the doctor's office.

Kathy, what I hear about the CPAP is that if you try sleeping with one, if it works you'll really notice it right away.

According to the doctor, it might take a while to get used to it (the one I'll have will have to cover both my mouth and nose, since I'm a mouth breather), but after a bit, I won't even notice it. It should help with my blood pressure, and studies are starting to show that using one actually increases the rate of weight loss, always a good thing!

hey, mom is making really great progress in mac's room and also got a load of laundry done. We've managed to toss out about half an inch of paper for recycling and I found almost a full ream of reclaimed business letter head that I use in the printer. That's a lot of paper to get out of a kid's room. She only need my help for like 10 min thus far, and now seeing how much is getting done, I am far less stressy!

Also, having her over motivated me to clear out the sinks and put away some cooking stuff that had been out for a week or so. Woohoo for shamed into cleaning.

now back to work.

and now seeing how much is getting done, I am far less stressy!

Yay!!