Just a chime....or??

[westgrandboulevard]

That comment on my report was written nearly 50 years ago and, as we know, such a lot has changed in that time.

Standards were strict then, and the written word was to be in standard English, although even then it would differ from the spoken word. I would say it still is different, and should be so.

I would also say it is useful to know the difference, but only if individuals think so. Many get by just fine with everyday speech. I'm not so sure that is adequate where, as an example, business communications are concerned. A few years ago, I queried a procedure with a young, very sweet young lady at the bank which held the business account for our house [[divided into flats). When I opened the letter sent in response, her opening line began "Not to worry...." and continued in similar vein.

I think what we are discussing here is the blurring of the line between formal and informal communications - ?

[Jerry Oz]

That sounds like it. I'm the only supervisor in my warehouse who has formal secondary schooling and I cringe when I read some of my peers' e-mails. That's not meant to be disrespectful. It's just that they sometimes write in the manner that they speak and it seems inappropriate for professional written communication.

And then, there are the typos...

I typically read every e-mail at least twice [[and up to five times, depending upon where it's being sent) before I send it. Even still, I often find out later that I forgot a comma or period somewhere. Some of my buddies [[God bless them all) compose notes that you almost have to read aloud to understand. Phonetically, they sort of make sense, but on the computer screen it all becomes confusing.

[westgrandboulevard]

I think we all need to be aware of some structures, some standards, which keep us on track through the often tedious routine which takes up a lot of life's time. I would say that many of us also have quite a few self-imposed standards, maybe even based on little personal rituals and routines which might even seem strange to others. LOL

To have received a good education at a young age when, with luck, some of it sank in a little easier, is a real plus. It's easy to assume that everyone has it and, of course, many do. Thankfully, times are more enlightened, and there is more help available for those who might struggle a bit, for whatever reasons.

I can tell you enjoy your work and your colleagues, but can also imagine you would feel a little concerned, maybe disappointed, not to see a similar performance from the others at work. I think we all hope that what we are trying to achieve is a shared goal. To realise that it is not, is disappointing. Put simply, you'd be forgiven for feeling there's little inspiration for you in that scenario, so you're left to make it through the days as best you can.

You said recently that the first thing you do when opening up your computer, is to head for the Word Assocation thread. I, for one, can now see why....and it's a very positive routine for you

[Jerry Oz]

It's like meth, but easier on the teeth.

[westgrandboulevard]

There comes a time when anything that is easier on the teeth, is welcome

[Jerry Oz]

Truth, as it has ever been told.

[moe]

Well, well, I see that all of you have not been idle! Let's see:
Jerry, did you like Ultraman?
You are all talking about different words. PBS did a special between 1988-1991 [[close as I can get) about how different geographical areas in the US have words/phrases that are used only in those areas. They would interview a person from a respective area. The person would give a word/phrase and then give the meaning. I dropped my drink when a man came on and gave the word "gum band." Of course I knew he was from Pittsburgh [[interviewed in front of the University of Pittsburgh)..........a rubber band!!!

[Jerry Oz]

Hey, Moe! Are you back with us or still on your trip and just checking in? I don't know of Ultraman. But I remember the year when I worked in Memphis when one of my employees told me she was "fin" to go home. Ummm... What? I felt so stoopid. Ultimately, it came out that she was fixing to go home. A young woman with whom I was acquainted in high school once told me she was "pert'nary" ready to graduate. [[????!!!) "Pretty near" is how we said it on my block. You learn these things eventually.

[moe]

I'm back Jerry, thanks for asking.
Ultraman was this Japanese show with a superhero [[Ultraman) who would fight monsters to save Japan. It was hysterical to see one of the "monsters" bend & see the zipper on the back of the suit!!!!
Look up Ultraman on YouTube.
It seems as if "Bless Your Heart" has been replaced by "Just Asking."

[Jerry Oz]

I think I saw some of those back in the '70s when we first got cable. I was a bigger fan of Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot.

[westgrandboulevard]

Unable to view the video here, but robots, flying or otherwise, could be very useful.

I wonder if they tackle supermarket aisles.

[Jerry Oz]

The robot in the video is 200 feet tall, so he might not fit into a supermarket aisle. Just sayin'... I loved Johnny Sokko because the only person this multi-billion dollar technological marvel responded to was a 12-year old secret agent. I guess he was a really mature 12-year old.

Oops. I forgot that the reason the robot only responded to the kid is because when its creator told Johnny and his elite band of spies that the robot would only respond to the first person who spoke into a secret watch, Johnny grabbed the watch and began screaming orders into it. So, Johnny was a very average 12-year old in hindsight [[not so mature). I bet the guy who hired him was fired immediately...

[westgrandboulevard]

I think I'll stick with regarding the wonders of nature, say a 200 feet tall tree [[not too many around here...)

Wonderful things, trees. A lot going on, in and around them, but they say nothing.

[arrr&bee]

What do you mean[they say nothing??]i had a talk with a tree the other day, we shared some bark and acorns had a good visit,and they're very polite always standing!!

[westgrandboulevard]

Yes, they're always polite. Look at the behaviour they have to endure from some dogs, even some humans.

[arrr&bee]

That poet what's his name[willie wurdswurth shortfeller]wrote about trees...i think that i shall never see a human wooden as a tree a tree that may in winter wear a nest of birdpoop in her hair a tree that looks at god all day and ask lord why me a tree who lifts its leafy arms to pray for legs to run away poems are made by fools like me but trees have to stand and take it...what a poet what a tree!!

[moe]

I think I'll branch out..............

[Jerry Oz]

Wow. That poem left a tear in my eye. I think.

Anyway, I think I'll make like a branch and... leaf.

[westgrandboulevard]

How nice to find a little culture in this remote corner of the forum!

Good just isn't the word for it.

I can't wait for the one about daffodils.

[144man]

"What are words worth?" [Wordy Rappinghood, Tom Tom Club]

youtube.com/watch?v=6Vl1m5FYlAo

[westgrandboulevard]

To commercially successful writers, words can be worth a lot.

And here we all are, chatting for free

[Jerry Oz]

I hope you don't find out that I'm putting all of this into a book that I am writing... It would be unfortunate if you found out how much I am being paid for claiming your words for my own...

[144man]

My lips are sealed.

[westgrandboulevard]

Ha! Well Jerry, there have been plenty of cover versions over the years claiming, as all their own work, something which came out of West Grand Boulevard, so I won't be too surprised!

You might give a listen to 'Sparky's Magic Piano'. I'm not giving advice, just for entertainment purposes, you understand. [[although if you did happen to feel that Sparky is absolutely obnoxious, I'd be in complete agreement. I really don't know which was creepier - the kid, or the piano)

[moe]

"I'm ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille."

[Jerry Oz]

"Sparky's Magic Piano"? Thank God it wasn't an organ or it might be NSFW. Sorry... I couldn't let that one go.

[westgrandboulevard]

Ha! I can imagine it now. "Give me the key and I'll play in A flat, all day"

[Jerry Oz]

I just spilled my coffee... Classic response!

[westgrandboulevard]

Drinking coffee at that hour of the morning, Jerry?

Is that to wake you up, or send you to sleep?!

[Jerry Oz]

Wake me up. I'm scheduled to work the weekend and overtime for all of next week. I just logged into the Kindle on my way out the door. I will be checking back in on my breaks. It's going to be a long day.

[westgrandboulevard]

Let's make it a pleasant one. We'll speak to you later.

[144man]

I've been thinking about getting a Kindle. Do they give off harmful radiation that might addle the brain, not that anyone would notice any difference in my case?

[moe]

Ohhhhh, the dreaded weekend warrior [[Jerry). Hang in there!!! When I used to work weekends they were [[as you say) LONG!!!!

[144man]

The good thing about getting older is that the days go by quicklier.

[moe]

I've had a Kindle since they first came out, and recently got a Kindle Fire. So I'm still the same.........although debateable

[Jerry Oz]

I think my fingertips are more likely affected by radiation than my brain. If you aren't looking for a computer, the Kindle is a great time waster for a lot less money than an iPad.

And 144man, I dread the fact that I'm looking back at most of my life instead of forward. They do go by faster... It's like days in the hour glass: so are the days of our lives. [[That's deep; I need to write that down for my book.)

[westgrandboulevard]

...the book which includes a lot of quotations from me......

The foreword is very short : - "I Wrote These Words".

[Jerry Oz]

Hmmm... I might have to pay Ralph to delete this thread after my book hits the shelves. Although I think my testimony in court would be compelling, hard evidence of my duplicity might affect the verdict...

[westgrandboulevard]

Guilty as hell.

I will then bring out my autobiography, taking the title from a Betty Everett song :"It looks to me like this could be The Real Thing"

On the subject of books, I've yet to use a Kindle. Advantages? Disadvantages?

[Jerry Oz]

Disadvantages first:
1. It's not a computer, so word processing and spreadsheets aren't going to be why you buy it.
2. It resets every couple of days and reboots, often when least want it to happen.
3. Most musicians don't let their YouTube videos play on Android.
Advantages:
1. It's so light and portable. I pick it up almost without thinking about it.
2. Music sounds pretty good through the little speakers, even though they're on the back. I use headphones anyway.
3. If you have good wi-fi, it's downloads pretty quickly.
4. If you're a fan of Amazon, it's designed to steer you toward their offerings.
5. I don't have books on mine yet, but my Mom does and she loves it as an e-reader and as something that she prefers for downloaded movies.

All things being equal, it is more of a toy than a workhorse, but it's a good value for the price.

[arrr&bee]

Today a kindle,yesterday a candle...it's all the same in the dark...and if you put that in your book i'll sue you for a silver penny!!

[westgrandboulevard]

Names will be changed to protect the guilty.

[Jerry Oz]

Today a kindle,yesterday a candle...it's all the same in the dark...and if you put that in your book i'll sue you for a silver penny!!

Exactly! I'm gonna quote that by a character in the book named "cue&see". He'll never suspect that it's actually arrr&bee...

[westgrandboulevard]

And the name of the author of this book will be.....?

[arrr&bee]

We need some culture over here,time for another poem...by the artist soon to be known as the artist...i want to be where i am because then i could be where i am...what a poem,what a poet!!!

[Jerry Oz]

My nom de plum will be Terry Bozz. And at 5:13 PM, I came up with a fantastic poem for my character cue&see to recite. I'm gonna sell millions...

[westgrandboulevard]

[[I made it 4.13pm on my screen)

The reviews will be adulatory.

'Words fail...' - Detroit Free Press

[Jerry Oz]

'... as does the initial writing effort by Terry Bozz, a man who obviously spends long hours at work when he should be focusing on his penmanship. His book, "Just a Chime... Or" comes across as if he stole bits and pieces of musings from greater writers than himself and somehow failed to bring them together in any manner that makes sense. Ultimately, Bozz's book seems to try to pay respects to a bunch of strangers who become friends on a message board until one of them steals the others' intellectual output and claims it for his own. It's a sad and depressing book that reflects as poorly on the author as on the protagonist.'

[Jerry Oz]

And with that, Jerry Oz looks at the schedule and sighs, realizing that his ship still has yet to arrive at harbor.

[westgrandboulevard]

Fast forward.....

'Press Send'! It's a triumph!

The closing moments of the premiere performance of 'Please Mr Post-Man', the musical based on 'From Detroit, With A Shove', Terry Bozz's compilation of internet messages gleaned from appreciative ramblings emanating from a local internet forum, left theatregoers speechless in rapturous appreciation last night on Broadway.

Playing to a packed sitting room only capacity audience, the performance wowed the thousands in the theatre who, as the final word faded away, lowered as one to give a sitting ovation, immediately using their laptops to flash congratulations and rave reviews across the entire global internet from their seats. Applause was redundant.

In a moving speech from the stage, internet author arrr&bee [[once described by Bob Dylan Thomas as America's greatest nearly living poet), holding a glass of elixir in each hand while sat on a crate of full bottles, recited a beautiful poem on the deep meanings of English words. The simple dignity of correct grammatical construction was, he said, 'exactly just like what I wrote'.

Hollywood is tippy-tapping this morning with posts that a movie will follow, based on the internet communications of Soulful Detroit fans. Famed Motown artists are said to be queueing around the block to audition for the chance of appearing as SDF members.