Monday, December 1, 2008

Lame. Again.

As my blog has become rather lame again, I'm just gonna throw a picture up and call it good for now. I'm still socked in with this writing project.* And now I'm reading annual reports translated from Spanish to English. I thought German was the winner of run-on construction from Deutsch to Englisch, but Spanish beats the Teutonic hoard by a mile.

For example: In order to respond to all these challenges, and in particular the latter, the paper industry, together with all interested parties (particularly the state authorities) must bring about the infrastructures and conditions to improve and increase the physical availability of wood, specifically through the implementation of forestry policies that manage to be simultaneously more creative in environmental terms, fairer, and economically consistent.

Phew! Did you get all of that? Yeah. Well, in case you didn't, welcome to my world!

Here's a picture. It's the Lee Building on the corner of Colesville Road and Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring, Maryland.



And to get us in a holiday mood after my little rant about Christmas here, here is a classic.




* For the record, I love this writing project. It's allowing me to work with my favorite former boss of all time, a guy who should win the award and be held up as an example of what constitutes good leadership. If more bosses were like him, productivity would shoot through the roof and people would want to get up in the morning and go to work. Working for him again is bliss. (And contrary to my mumblings, I'm actually enjoying this project. I just thought I'd be done with it a lot sooner is all.)

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Taking a break from my own editing job. The writer of this project doesn't use run-on sentences. She uses unrelated sentences. She also likes the word "it," which could mean anything or anyone. I think your run-on sentences are more maddening than the crap I'm editing, though.

Stunning picture, by the way.

- Phoebe

Katherine said...

Grinch is classic. Nice choice!

J.M. Tewkesbury said...

Pheebs: I'll trade you! I think unrelated sentences would be a welcome, brief respite from run-ons.


Katherine: I heart the Grinch!

Cyndy said...

Nice photo! It looks like a giant robot named Lee.

Cele said...

Awesome photo, I love the colors and the lines.

Great song! It was one of the first I heard this morning on the radio. And then to find it here, delightful.

Oh, and that sentence made my brain hurt.

J.M. Tewkesbury said...

Cyndy: Thanks! It kind of does look like a robot, now you mention it...


Cele: Thank you! Serendipity on the song! And if that sentence made your brain hurt, I have others that will make it explode.

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad you are loving your work again!!!

- Di

Anonymous said...

Sometimes when I'm grading papers it feels like I'm reading a foreign language. They alternate between run-in sentences and sentence fragments. What do they think they're doing? Writing a blog post?

Yeah for the Grinch!

J.M. Tewkesbury said...

Di: I LOVE my work again. I love working for "D" again. He's just the greatest. If I can land a longer-term gig working for him and my former employer again, that would be bliss!


Dingo: I think that's part of why I didn't go into teaching. The thought of reading reams of bad writing was more than I could bear. You, on the other hand, are a saint for doing so!

Virginia said...

OH I LOVE THE GRINCH, maybe cause I am getting more like him every day. I actually had a moment today when I contemplated NOT putting up a tree. OH MY, a sure sign of O.L.D. I shook it off I think. As far as that writing job. Ye gads, how do you do it? I would have to strangle someone. Maybe that's why I do my silly blog and you actually do "real" writing! Cheers!
V

Jess said...

I love the Lee building! What a great photo.

Scenic Wheaton said...

Nice neon!

rachaelgking said...

HOORAY FOR CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

(Yes, I am a huge dork. Whuttuvit?)

Janet Kincaid said...

Jess: It's a great building, isn't it?


Scenic: Thanks!


LiLu: Woo hoo! Christmas rocks!

Anonymous said...

I read that paragraph four times and I still don't get it. Is it because I only slept four hours last night?

J.M. Tewkesbury said...

Liz: Welcome to my world! At this stage, I think the Lion is far more articulate than that poorly transliterated paragraph! At least when he cries, you can narrow it down to three things: hunger, dirty diaper, or tired. When I cry over a paragraph like this, there's no fix but self-imposed baldness as I rip my hair out by the fistful!