Megastats

For 14 September 2007:

# of posts: 5

First post @: 0957 EDT

Last post @: 1055 EDT

Does The Atlantic have one of those "leave early, no one's really doing any work" Friday afternoon deals? Or is something else going on here? All the other "Voices" were cranking it out all day long, except Marc Ambinder, who's been "off the grid" (Does he have any idea what that really means?) for several days. We wish you a pleasant long wknd., Megan.

Line Count:

By Ms. McA: 75

Copied & Pasted: 52

Ratio: Roughly 3:2.

Helpful hints for blogging: As blogging is alleged to be semi-conversational typing, it can often help w/ flow (& especially comma placement) to read your item aloud, or at least under your breath (so as not to disturb or irritate nearby colleagues) before clicking the "Post" button.
That can often eliminate extraneous commas:

You can't swing a cat in downtown Washington without sending it through the petites department of an Ann Taylor Loft; it seems to be to our nation's capital, [sic] what Starbucks and Duane Reade drugstores were to my former home.

And since the implication (a rather brutal one) is that there are a lot of Ann Taylor Lofts in Wash., D. C. shouldn't the "it" @ the beginning of the subordinate clause be "they?" Speaking of brutality:

Dragging a child around a city, even a family-friendly Canadian or northern European city, is a major hassle, especially since after you get home, all worn out and cranky from the expedition, chances are your urban apartment forces you to be in closer proximity to your child than is ideal for maintaining an even temper.

Helpful hints for life: We can only hope neither parenthood nor rooming w/ an animal are in Megatron's future.