Sent a frustrated email to boss telling him that the "help" he's getting me isn't helping at all. We'll see if he hears me. Part of our correspondence prior to my laying it out was "I assume after Tuesday that you won't need any more help" which was amounting to two extra guys for two hours. I told him not to assume anything and that I didn't appreciate being an afterthought in our contractors schedule (which is what we get when we aren't paying them anything!).

I would say, "That is her."

I'm trying to set up a scenario with two girls--even if someone asks "Is this Kate"? you'd point and say "That is her?"

Anyway, most of this is leading to "Hello, is ita there?" "Yes, this is she." and it being "proper." I don't get the difference.

Oh, in that case - I think "that is she" is correct but doesn't sound right to me and I would say "that is Kate" to avoid the cognitive dissonance.

Adding the verb (gerund?) does add more confusion. "That is she swinging" really sounds wrong but I can't reason out why it might be.

I made it to the coffee bar before they closed, hooray! Sugar-free mocha with soy, mmm.

Aw, man, the cork broke all up in my chocolate wine. Does not ruin it, ftr.

I'm aware "this is she" is correct, but if you pointed at a picture and said "Is this Kate?" I'd either say "yes, that's her" or "no, that's Kate" or less likely "no, this is Kate" and point to the right person.

It's because of the "is" that "she" is correct, right? Is that one of those grammar rules that tries to make English behave like Latin?

Although, hm, if you were to ask "is that Kate swinging next to Allie", "there she swings" would be a correct answer, yes?

What's the word for that case, nominative?

That is she swinging" really sounds wrong but I can't reason out why it might be.

It sounds wrong because a gerund is usually modified by a possessive when it acts like a noun, e.g., "He admired her swinging." This is one of the cases in which it's easier to rephrase than think about it.

Is it acting like a noun when you say "is that Kate swinging?"

Does that sentence need two question marks? I feel like it does.

My MiL is apparently in California for a wedding. I'm meeting her at the cemetery on Sunday. I think it will probably be nice? We'll see. She's stopping on her way to the airport, basically, so at least there isn't a lot of hostessing expectation involved.

Today is my tenth wedding anniversary, and the fourth anniversary of DH's funeral, so, y'know, it's a fraught time.

That's hard, -t. Wishing you all the ~ma you need.

Thanks, Amy. It's kind of weird how little contact I have with his family anymore, but it's not animosity just, I don't know, mostly geography, I guess.