Eats Shoots and Leaves - Lynne Truss

Finally had the opportunity to read a book recommended to me by every single lover of grammar I’ve met in the last five years.  

The teachers at First Baptist, out of the kindness of their heart, gave me a Barnes and Noble gift card for Christmas.  They know me so well.  So, one Wednesday afternoon in late January, I got online and blew the whole thing in one fell literary shopping spree.  Though I have the picture of the audio book posted above I bought the real book and tore through it in three short evenings of reading.  What a joy!

Miss Truss rolls the reader through a sarcastic, humorous approach to basic English punctuation.  I probably ought to read it again sometime later this year as I spent most of the read appreciating her style rather than the importance of what she said.  

A great read!  I’d encourage you to borrow a copy from the library, curl up on the couch, sip some English tea out of respect for the originators of our fine language, and let your inner punctuation stickler revel in all the little rules.

Here are two quotes.  I didn’t underline anything in the book this time through, so you won’t see many more quotes for a while.  Perhaps I’ll remedy the situation the next time I work over it.  

“Everywhere one looks, there are signs of ignorance and indifference. What about that film Two Weeks Notice? Guaranteed to give sticklers a very nasty turn, that was – its posters slung along the sides of buses in letters four feet tall, with no apostrophe in sight. I remember, at the start of the Two Weeks Notice publicity campaign in the spring of 2003, emerging cheerfully from Victoria Station (was I whistling?) and stopping dead in my tracks with my fingers in my mouth. Where was the apostrophe? Surely there should be an apostrophe on that bus? If it were “one month’s notice” there would be an apostrophe (I reasoned); yes, and if it were “one week’s notice” there would be an apostrophe. Therefore “two weeks’ notice” requires an apostrophe! Buses that I should have caught (the 73; two 38s) sailed off up Buckingham Palace Road while I communed thus at length with my inner stickler, unable to move or, indeed, regain any sense of perspective.”

“Eats, Shoots & Leaves is not a book about grammar. I am not a grammarian. To me a subordinate clause will for ever be (since I heard the actor Martin Jarvis describe it thus) one of Santa’s little helpers. A degree in English language is not a prerequisite for caring about where a bracket is preferred to a dash, or a comma needs to be replaced by a semicolon. If I did not believe that everyone is capable of understanding where an apostrophe goes, I would not be writing this book. Even as a book about punctuation, it will not give all the answers. There are already umpteen excellent punctuation guides on the market; there is even a rather delightful publication for children called The Punctuation Repair Kit, which takes the line “Hey! It’s uncool to be stupid!” – which is a lie, of course, but you have to admire them for trying.”

It's Official

For the last year and a half, almost two years, I’ve been praying much about my job.  Currently I serve as the principal of First Baptist Christian School.  

“Principal?” many of you ask.  “Principal? Did I just read that right?  Does he mean he’s actually like the guy in charge of running the whole school?  Like the administrator?  Perhaps he’s kidding.  I knew Ken Kistler in college.  He’d never be a school principal.  I remember the time he and I snuck out of the dorms late at night . . .  I shouldn’t write that here.  One of his students might read about it.  I can’t believe someone put him in charge of a school. Perhaps he’s just pulling our legs.”

No, I assure you: I’m the school principal.  When I take the time to think about it, it shocks me as much or more than it shocks most of my friends and relatives who then call the school and ask to speak to the person really in charge.  

To return to the point of the blog, I’ve been praying about my principal position for almost two years.  I love what I do.  I enjoy talking with kids, working with parents, helping the teachers, organizing projects, and just trying to make sure everything gets done.  I just don’t know that I’m suited for the job.  During the two years before I became principal I taught full time at the school.  That I truly loved!  Standing in front of different classes and working through American Literature, Earth Science, the Iliad, Proverbs, and countless other subjects stirred my heart.  I love teaching!  Love it!  Even as I write this my mind starts to salivate (weird mental image) for the classroom.  I’m looking forward to what I’m going to teach tomorrow.  

But . . . I don’t salivate over the principal’s job.  

My mother posed the question this way (she’s so wise).

Mom:  What would you say if someone told you you could never preach again?

Me:  I’d probably be very disappointed.  

Mom:  What would you say if someone told you you could never teach again?

Me:  I’d sob and go into a depressional funk.  

Mom:   What would you say if someone told you you could never be principal again?

Me:  I’d fall on my knees, wrap both arms around their legs and cry ‘Thank you!  Thank you!”  

Mom:  I think that ought to tell you something, Ken.  

Aren’t mom’s great?  They know their kids so well.  

Unfortunately that wasn’t enough for me.  Perhaps the biggest reason I journeyed to California this summer was to get away from the school and ask the Lord about my future there.  I didn’t want to wimp out of God’s will for my life.  Though I understood what my mom was trying to tell me I didn’t quite believe her reasoning worked on every level.  Sometimes the Lord places us in situations that we’d love to escape, but He has us there for a reason.  We’re in the oven cooking until we’ve become who He desires us to be.  

Well, God’s decided to pull me out of one oven for now.  After much prayer, council, and deliberation I talked with Pastor Dave and the school board.  This will be my last year as principal (Lord willing).  I’ll miss the job.  I really will.  I’m grateful for the job.  I really am.  It’s taught me MUCH!  

The worst part of quitting was having to get on my knees, wrap my arms around the legs of every single school board member and  cry “Thank you!  Thank you!”

Here I am . . . .

Problem:  I love my Apple but seem to always have trouble with my blog.  The problem comes when I change the title page of my blog it makes a new address.  If you have my old address bookmarked, suddenly you can't get to the new one. 

Solution:  I create a blogspot.  The site certainly doesn't allow me the flexibility my Mac site allows, but it's easier to maintain. 

I plan to use this blogspot to mirror my Mac website.  The same articles, pictures, and info should be on both.  If my Mac address changes or has any trouble, this site should stay the same. 

So here we go!