Title case

Here's an interesting note for you, courtesy of the 16th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style (8.157-59):

For titles capitalized headline-style, Chicago no longer recommends making exceptions for short or unstressed words or to avoid the occasional awkward appearance. 

In other words, no more worrying about which words to capitalize in a title. Just go nuts and capitalize them all.

You're welcome.

Heavy medal

From the book I'm editing:


He had won the GOLD METAL! 


I guess it's better than winning the molybdenum metal. 

Perhaps a comma would make this clearer

Dialogue from a new project:

"Now what would I do with a calendar boy?"

Hm. Perhaps Neil Sedaka knows the answer. Or the Hooters girls. Or feel free to add your own Catholic priest joke.

It's a birdemic...

Actual line from the book I'm editing:


Warmer winter temperatures contribute to the proliferation of the bark beetle.


I need to see the author's picture to see if he wears a ridiculous wig.

I know the feeling

The author of the current book I'm editing describes his target audience:

Some of the target audience will be nuttier than fruitcakes.

I'm going to love this project.

I'll be whichever blonde I want, thank you.

E is apparently too girly of a letter for boys to use. I can't think of a single yellow-haired boy right now, but if I could, he would be blond, not blonde. I, however, am blonde. This kind of makes me want to shred my Merriam & Webster's dictionary. Or at least rip out that page. Or just scream at my computer because I don't own a dictionary because it's free online. You get the point.

Hair causes cancer

Holistic Doctor Guy: We all have emotional baggage.

Me: This is unbelievably boring and stupid.

Holistic Doctor Guy: Blah blah blah... This emotional baggage is the cause of inflammation, pain, congestion, and many diseases, even cancer.

Me: Oh my god you are a moron. Think about what you just said for a second here. Everyone with cancer has (or had) hair. Holy shit! Hair must be the cause of cancer! No, really. That's what you said. I know! Let's take a trait common to all human beings and then cleverly deduce that only human beings with this trait will get cancer. We all have a head, so I guess that means only human beings with heads can get brain cancer. It's brilliant!

Don't even try to argue. It's science.

Snow

I know I'd go crazy if I posted every grammar error or stupid thing the news people wrote, but sometimes the stupidity is just astounding. Here's the weather forecast for today:

Light snow developing this afternoon, but amounts will be light.

If we read between the lines, I think we can assume the snow will be light.