From "Dave Barry in Cyberspace"

[muck_a_luck]

I love Dave Barry. Visit him personally at http://davebarry.com/. He also has a 'blog! (Just discovered this. Wonder if I can friend him?)

For my international friends, Dave Barry is a humor columnist/political and social satirist who writes a weekly column for The Miami Herald.

As I have been expanding my internet horizons to IM and LJ, I have often thought of Mr. Barry. He has a funny book Dave Barry in Cyberspace, which has an excellent chapter at the end titled "MsPtato and RayAdverb: A Story of Love OnLine." I particularly think of it when I can't spell on AIM.

This goes out particularly to uisgich, as we have both *so* given up on correct spelling on AIM.



From Dave Barry in Cyberspace:

Next to the list is a box labeled "Create Member Room." Figuring, what the hell, you click on it, and type in: "Can Actually Spell." You click on OK, and there you are:

OnlineHost:***You are in "Can Actually Spell".***

In the upper-right corner of the screen, there's a little box telling you who'e in the room. For several minutes, it's just MsPtato. You're about to quit, concluding that you can't compete wtih SHAVERS ONLY (whatever the hell THAT means), when he appears on your screen:

RoyAdverb: You can SPELL? On America OnLine? Is that ALLOWED?

Laughing, you answer.

MsPtato: Don't ell anybody!
RayAdverb: Well, I guess I can let you off, as long as you don't punctuate properly.
MsPtato: I wouldn't dream of it; really, I wouldn't.
RayAdverb: A semicolon! In Cyberspace! Be still my heart!
MsPtato: I'd show you my ellipsis, but we barely know each other...

MsPtato: "OK," she said inquiringly," why RayAdverb?"
RayAdverb: Dull answer: My name's Ray, and I'm an English teacher (high school). What about "MsPtato"?
MsPtato: Even duller: childhood nickname.
RayAdverb: They called you "Ptato"? Was there an vowel shortage? You grew up during the Grt Dprssn?
MsPtato: Don't make me laugh; it'll wake everybody up.
RayAdverb: ANOTHER semicolon! You brazen temptress! Who's "everybody"?
MsPtato: "So," she said, changing the subject, "is it interesting, being an English teacher?"
RayAdverb: It is, pardon my French, boring as shit. But I am by God going to MAKE it interesting, to keep you online.

Comments

[uisgich.livejournal.com]

Oh God!! This is so you and the grammar thing!! Wonderfully funny, makes me want to buy the book!

Hmmm - maybe next time the distraction will be a well punctuated, grammatically correct bit of SB goodness :)

Also thinking of wild Member Rooms we could set up and see who arrives next time I can pull an all-nighter!

[uisgich.livejournal.com]

.... and did you know that the small html command (and I don't mean the little one!) doesn't work on your layout?

I love the small command!

*quail*

Stupid layout font issues

[muck-a-luck.livejournal.com]

Yes, the biggest problem with this layout is that it does not allow changes in font size. Also, very ornery about bold commands. I have considered changing to comments in the standard format, but love my layout colors so much...