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Saturday, November 24, 2012

Punctuation and Typing

First of all, let me apologize to any of my readers who have been offended by my poor typing. I learned yesterday that it is unnecessary to place two spaces after the period. The computer apparently automatically places one space and one half space for you. I had no idea. I was SOUNDLY admonished by my son yesterday when he read a post on this blog. He clearly was offended. I am concentrating because it is a hard habit to break. I did, after all, learn to type in the summer of 1969 (way before the home computer era) instead of going to Woodstock. Somehow I just knew that learning to touch type would serve me in my life far better than spending time with a bunch of hippies, getting stoned and muddy.

I honestly would never have noticed the difference between this period.  And this period. But I guess there is extra white space. Some folks just cannot tolerate extra white space and my son is one of them. My daughter-in-law did come to my defense. Bless her.

Well, I can forgive him. After all he is a journalist and a PhD candidate at the preeminant university in the country (Ahem). He is teaching a class there about religion and politics as part of his obligation to Harvard for funding his doctoral studies. I guess he knows something. Still there is a part of me that wants to say to him "Get OVER it!"

I do plan to be back to sewing machines and sewing SOON. Tuesday I hope that the splint comes off and releases my left thumb from its bondage. Then not only will I be able to go back to work, but I can get some sewing machines tuned up, stitching and ready for the holidays.
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5 comments:

  1. MichelleNovember 24, 2012 at 8:55 PM

    I would say 'get over it' too, but I would say GET. OVER. IT. (adding a few more white spaces!--There are more things to worry about than an extra space or two or twelve!
    Hugs!
    Michelle
    ps...Google took out my white spaces....da*m computers!

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  2. PackratNovember 25, 2012 at 7:19 PM

    Hi! Popped over from Michelle's blog. One must always put in two spaces after final punctuation, or our past typing teachers will come back and haunt us. The two spaces go along with keeping one's finger nails short and clean, hair pulled back, and feet flat on the floor. Obviously, this younger generation never had a teacher who walked around the room with a ruler ready to smack knuckles. LOL

    PS: I've also been collecting sewing machines, but I don't have room to work on them. (One of these days...)

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  3. Delia15November 25, 2012 at 10:43 PM

    Elizabeth, tell your son to chill out. When you have learned to touch type back in the day, two spaces was the norm. I still do it and let the computer change it if it will. In places where the box only allows so many strokes, I go back and take out the extra spaces and use the & for and instead of spelling it, etc. Yes, our old typing teachers are rolling in their graves -- mine are anyway. I do remember the ruler and the chair of shame in the corner, and the paper over the keyboard while we were just learning, no peeking or else censure.

    Re sewing machines, I think it is time to cull my herd. When you have so many that you have to put some in climate controlled storage, it is time to let go. It only took me 10 years to say that -- uhmmm type it I mean, I've never said it out loud... Delia

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  4. woolywomanNovember 26, 2012 at 1:47 PM

    The machine I learned to type on didn't have a "1". One used the small letter l. Likewise the zero and letter O were the same key. That took some time to unlearn! Laura

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