Friday Fragments

Back again with these tidbits!

Aversion to Noise [redux]: I know I’ve mentioned on several occasions that loud noises drive me crazy, and mixed sounds send me up a wall. I seem to be getting worse with it. Yesterday, the nursing home had Casino Afternoon and my subtitle was Noisy Insanity. A company comes in with their gambling/gaming equipment designed for such places, and the residents love it. Me? Not so much. There’s a poker and blackjack table on one side of the room, a wheel of fortune on another, and a area of tabletop slot machines. The activity people play the parts of casino personnel, and there’s a joyous atmosphere pervading the place. Little guy loved the slots and won a lot – there’s no money involved, though. Whenever someone made a hit with the slots, all the lights flashed, the bells rang, and the music blared. It was a total cacophony, and my brain suffered! The peace of the quiet in the car going home was a welcome relief!

Aversion [cont.]:  Once we arrived home, I was at the mercy of the din again! The baby is teething, so there’s a lot of loud crying. Little guy wants attention – immediately – so we have his increasing volume. My two big boys arrived and the crescendo continued. The silence that ensued once they all left was near Utopia! My head ached, my body throbbed, and my nerves danced in rhythm with the pulsation! Today, all I want is a few hours of silence.

Game Day:  We never do a lot for Super Bowl Sunday – mainly because our local team is never in it! My husband does like to ‘celebrate’ it, though. A few people will be here that day, and I’m planning simple fare for the event. Lots of finger foods will be the key ingredients. Crackers with some of my go-to dips – easy peasy! The ‘main course’ will be a tray of store-bought hoagies from our Wawa. Desserts will again be finger foods – brownie footballs, filled strawberries (with sweetened cream cheese and nuts,) mini cupcakes, and fruit. My daughter likes the Ravens and the QB is a local chap, so we’ll do purple and black themes. Did I start by saying we don’t do a lot? Silly me!!

Pinterst: You either love it or hate it. Though, from reading some blogs, a lot of people just ignore it. Me? I do like it a lot. Even if I never make anything on the boards, I love seeing them. My faves are the cooking ones, decorating, cards, and sayings. Anyone else enjoy the pins?

Grammar: Back to class time. Let’s finish this semicolon topic and move on.

A semicolon (rather than a comma) may be needed to separate independent clauses joined by a coordinating  conjunction when there are commas within the clauses.

Incorrect: Alan, Eric, and Kyle voted for her, and Scott and Van voted for Jason.

Correct: Alan, Eric, and Kyle voted for her; and Scott and Van voted for Jason.

Do you see how the second one avoids confusion?

Rule of thumb – read the sentence, and see if it makes sense – then punctuate accordingly.

Peace,

Muff