Verbing weirds language

As does writing adverbly. Law actually kills language in that it analyses each word so much that you have to make up new words or strange phrases in order to provide a clear meaning or define new legal ground. In patents, you wouldn't want to claim "a ring that is able to rotate on a rod", because what do you really mean by "able"? And what is the relationship between the ring and the rod? Are they even connected? Better to say "a ring rotatably mounted on a rod". Which isn't even that bad, english-wise.

Sometimes it makes sense. For example, why say "means for carrying" or "a handle designed to carry" when you can just say "a carrier"? Or "the two chambers being connected to each other for the passage of fluid" when you can say "the two chambers being in fluid communication". As a side note, I love writing something as being in "fluid communication" :) Anyway, those are the good cases.

But then you get things like "a flap hingedly connected to a box", or "each joint being independently actuatable". Clearly, these phrases would not be approved by your spellchecker. And yet, I must continue to verb, to write adverbly, and to embrace adjective writing.

And on the subject of weirding things, the kangashark at left is but one of the terrifying enemies you'll encounter in the new Earthbound game. It's the perfect mix of ruthless killer and cuddly baby animal. Also ranking high on the terrifying scale is New Age Retro Hippie and Manly Fish's Brother. Sephiroth has nothing on them, nothing.

Spring is come

Ah...the joys of seeing the sun in the morning. I blame the lack of updates on the sunshine. Who wants to sit inside with a computer when spring beckons? Of course, I am being optimistic, since the temperature is still hovering around zero degrees. No snow though!

My quest to get to know the neighbours continues. Mostly just saying hello as I pass them on the way to work, but it's the little things that count and add up in the end, no?

Every morning, on my way to the subway station, I pass by this university (or maybe senior high school?) student hanging around in front of his house, just standing there listening to his iPod or something. Which is quite puzzling, because he's just standing there, in the snow, the rain, the wind, whatever. Well, a few days ago, I left the house a bit later, and I realized that he's not standing in front of HIS house, but his girlfriend's. So apparently they're neighbours, and he waits for her every morning so they can walk to the subway together. It doesn't rank very high in terms of self-sacrificing acts, but I didn't think anyone did that anymore. Walking to the subway or bus-stop with someone seemed to be something left in my childhood. Hmm.

Somehow spring always reminds me of elementary school. I think it's those many years of playing in the grass fields. And the school trips to the local church for Easter service (during which walk everybody picked dandelions from the road). And when summer comes, it also feels like school time. That delicious anticipation of summer vacation. In general, when the seaons changes to spring or summer, it just makes me feel incredibly happy for no apparent reason. Conversely, the coming of autumn and winter makes me feel depressed, but there (and particularly for winter) the reason is obvious -_-;