i used to take ballet and jazz lessons at the pickering school of ballet, but i stopped during high school and university. i had gotten to a point where i had to either continue and take it really seriously or focus on other interests and school. i picked the latter mainly because i just wasn't that good and knew there wasn't much further i could go. but i've always thought about taking up dance again for fun and after several years of making excuses, i've registered for some classes.
i'm back at psb and i'm taking hip hop twice a month and adult ballet twice a month. it's all very exciting, but i have a lot of catching up to do. these classes started last september and they're already finalizing their routines for the year-end recital. although i've chosen not to be in the recital, i still want to learn the dances as much as possible. my first hip hop class was on monday and much of it was spent trying to follow along with the steps. it's very fast-paced and free--so different from ballet. the girls in the 14+ hip hop class are all 13-15 years old (although they look at least 17 or 18) and they guessed my age to be 16. my ballet class will be the total opposite; the other students will mostly be middle-aged women. still, it should be a great experience and i'm finally getting some exercise!
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
are you a stickler?
one of my piano students gave me one of those page-a-day calendars for Christmas. it's based on the lynne truss book "eats, shoots and leaves", which i subsequently borrowed from the public library. the book is about punctuation (but it's not what you think!), how important it is to language and why we need to preserve it.
it starts with a story about a panda that enters a restaurant and places an order. upon finishing his meal, he takes out a rifle and fires a few rounds into the air. as he leaves, he tosses a wildlife manual at the shocked waiter. opening it up to the entry on pandas, the waiter reads that the panda "eats, shoots and leaves".
what's the difference between its and it's? dogs and dog's? how often should you use a comma? what's the point of a semicolon? what is a semicolon? what's an ellipsis? should you use a colon or a dash or parentheses? where should you insert a hyphen? does any of this matter?
in her book, truss clears up common myths about the uses of various punctuation marks. she separates the strict rules (such as its vs. it's) from personal preference and also provides information on the history and development of punctuation. i highly recommend it. the only downside is that once you read it there is a good chance you will become hypersensitive towards your own punctuation, as has been the case with me.
truss makes a compelling case for the preservation of punctuation and calls all sticklers to unite and fight back against its misuse. she half-jokingly suggests refusing to reply to emails that contain punctuation errors, or sending it back corrected. she also recommends carrying around correction fluid and red marker to remove unnecessary punctuation and to fill in missing ones.
.
"The reason to stand up for punctuation is that without it there is no reliable way of communicating meaning. Punctuation herds words together, keeps others apart."
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"The practice of "pointing" our writing has always been offered in a spirit of helpfulness, to underline meaning and prevent awkward misunderstandings between writer and reader."
.
"Punctuation directs you how to read, in the way musical notation directs a musician how to play."
it starts with a story about a panda that enters a restaurant and places an order. upon finishing his meal, he takes out a rifle and fires a few rounds into the air. as he leaves, he tosses a wildlife manual at the shocked waiter. opening it up to the entry on pandas, the waiter reads that the panda "eats, shoots and leaves".
what's the difference between its and it's? dogs and dog's? how often should you use a comma? what's the point of a semicolon? what is a semicolon? what's an ellipsis? should you use a colon or a dash or parentheses? where should you insert a hyphen? does any of this matter?
in her book, truss clears up common myths about the uses of various punctuation marks. she separates the strict rules (such as its vs. it's) from personal preference and also provides information on the history and development of punctuation. i highly recommend it. the only downside is that once you read it there is a good chance you will become hypersensitive towards your own punctuation, as has been the case with me.
truss makes a compelling case for the preservation of punctuation and calls all sticklers to unite and fight back against its misuse. she half-jokingly suggests refusing to reply to emails that contain punctuation errors, or sending it back corrected. she also recommends carrying around correction fluid and red marker to remove unnecessary punctuation and to fill in missing ones.
.
"The reason to stand up for punctuation is that without it there is no reliable way of communicating meaning. Punctuation herds words together, keeps others apart."
.
"The practice of "pointing" our writing has always been offered in a spirit of helpfulness, to underline meaning and prevent awkward misunderstandings between writer and reader."
.
"Punctuation directs you how to read, in the way musical notation directs a musician how to play."
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