The Bishop's Rules on Commas

Are you confused about commas? One summer during the 1990's I was studying for a certificate in Business & Technical Writing at UD. We had to do some kind of grammar project using computer software that wasn't too common at the time. So I chose to research commas. After researching many grammar books about comma usage in the University of Delaware library, some of which dated back to the late 1800's, I saw firsthand how comma usage changes over time.

I even conducted a short survey asking students when they used commas in a paper. Some of them answered "I spread them throughout sentences like confetti," or "Whenever I read what I've written and I need to take a breath." Even today, you may find slight changes in the rules for using commas from textbook to textbook. However, after recording and condensing comma use from hundreds of books, I developed 7 rules for commas that will get you through almost every occasion!

Women in Nuclear

I have a great group of friends and colleagues from Women in Nuclear (WIN), and Region 1 just had their annual conference up near Susquehanna this past Thurs- Fri. It was so great catching up with Michele and Denise again, along with Sharon from PPL and Joanne from NEIL, and getting to know Judy, Jaclyn, Maryann, and Susan among many others! However, we missed our dear Judy who's down in Georgia building a new nuke plant and couldn't be bothered to attend "boondoggles"! This was anything but-- we were inspired by stories of professional success as Louise Goeser spoke about her career ladder, and learned and listened as Tim Rausch spoke about Fukushima and how the industry is responding to the lessons learned from this event. Then we also heard from Joanne Raphael about communicating with external stakeholders. Additional prsentations about finance, and goal setting rounded out the program. Pun intended, for me, this is always an "energizing" experience! Love my Women in Nuclear! :)

Remembering 9/11

Remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice. If you have not yet been to the 9/11 Memorial Museum, it is a moving tribute to this day.

Brief Review of Kosher Chinese

This is the story of a vegetarian Jewish man from the Upper West Side of Manhattan and his experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in the interior of China.

Michael Levy, author of Kosher Chinese, and whose story this is, had been a kosher vegetarian, and when he went to China to teach English and was confronted with a bowl of deep fried millipedes at his welcome dinner, broke the cultural training instilled by the Peace Corps and said, "I cannot eat this." The 30 or so people, including a Communist part official, who had gathered in his honor gasped and turned stone silent. After a long pause and deep silence, Levy again spoke and said "Because I'm Jewish." Finally, the silence was broken when someone said, "Comrade Marx was a Jew," and "Einstein too." This was how Levy became known as the Friendship Jew. What follows in this cleverly written book is Levy's account of living in the interior of China, the part of China not covered by the modern news media, and how he learns to live using squat toilets, adapting to foods, and even confronting his moral dilemma and eating dog. This book is entertaining, thought provoking, and well worth reading! I give this 5 stars out of 5.

The Magic of Maggi

It's ten AM and what doesn't go well with researching "trustworthiness" as left-over Chinese food from the night before? Alas, I used up all those little plastic pouches of soy sauce last night-- and good old salt and pepper just doesn't seem to go well with General Tso Chicken and Lo Mein noodles. So deep into the cabinet I my arm went to search for my beloved Maggi!

This is the Dutch version of soy sauce but better! This soy sauce is pithier, has more "punch" to it (probably the massive infusion of sodium!) and finally did my Chinese hunger justice! I grew up with Maggi-- when we immigrated to Amerika one of the things we sneaked into the country was a small bottle of Maggi. It was inconceivable to eat a meal without Maggi on the table. It was used for everything! It was gently poured on macaroni and cheese, and of course, generously doused in all soups! The BBC even did a special on Maggi- the seasoning of the world!

I still love Maggi but the bottle I have came from my Dad's house. We cleared out his house in 2006, and I still have a good amount left over! Guess because I am the only one in my American family who uses Maggi, it should last a good long while-- of course, this bottle is also huge! However, I do see some grocery shopping and a new bottle of Maggi in my future. Now back to "trustworthiness"...

Review of The Island by Elin Hilderbrand

I have a penchant for reading summer novels set on beaches and islands... and Elin Hilderbrand's stories are easy to read and amusing-- although at times, they lack satisfying conclusions. The Island was among the better of her novels because the resolution of the central character's dilemmas is at least plausible. The setting of The Island is an old family home with no electricity or modern conveniences, set on Tuckernuck Island, a privately owned spot in the ocean just a short distance from Nantucket. The grey, weathered family house on Tuckernuck had not been used in 13 years, until the matriach of the family, Birdie Cousins, who had inherited the family home, asks her oldest daughter, Chess, to spend a month on Tuckernuck to "get away from it all." Earlier Chess had broken off her engagement to subsequently her ex-fiancee died in a rock climibing accident. Feeling terribly guilty and somewhat responsible, Chess falls into a deep depression and Birdie hopes that a month on Tuckernuck will help Chess to heal. Birdie's younger daughter, Tate, a corporate world computer whiz with somewhat awkward social skills, then asks to also join this mother-daughter bonding retreat from civilization. As soon as Birdie's younger sister, India, a widow of a well-known artist and successful administrator of an art program in Philadelphia, finds out about this trip she sees a month on Tuckernuck as an opportunity to seek some escape from an uncomfortable situation in which she has found herself. On Tuckernuck, life is simple. No television, phone, refrigerator, or electricity. There is no cell phone reception, until Birdie finds out that if she stands in the water at a remote point of the island facing a specific direction, she can get crystal clear reception. But this is her secret not shared with the rest of the women in the house. Groceries and ice for the ice box are delivered daily by their caretaker, the son of the man on whom both Birdie and India had crushes when they were young.

The story unfolds as each of the characters reveals herself and makes new discoveries that help to reach a decision or heal a wound. The characters are relate-able, although I found the daughters and the sister India to be the best developed characters. The daughters, both twenty-somethings, revealed the common insecurities and secrets associated with people who are being developed as adults. The sister, India, was easily understandable as a woman who had help together a man who was an artist and her husband, and after he dies she finds herself by becoming very successful in the world of art administration. However, the older woman's character of Birdie's was not quite as well developed. Hilderbrand worked to create a family matriarch but missed some of the nuances of mother-daughter relationship that could have added another layer of intimacy. This could be because Hildebrand herself is yet a young mother and hasn't experienced what it is like to be the mother of grown daughters. The most wonderful characters in the book were the old weathered house and the island itself. The descriptions created mental images and this place and this house became a character full of history, experience, and memories.

What's In A Name?

I have a very dear friend whose mother is experiencing the early stages of Alzheimers-- but then, she's also 92 years old so it may just be a strain on the brain of having so many memories after living such a long time! However, Stephanie's mother, although I have never met her, knows me. She calls me "Kookla"... and I think it's a great name! She can't remember my Dutch name Joka, so Kookla is as close as she gets, although in the past she has also called me Ocra and Orca. I think I like Kookla really well because it's better than being called a vegetable or a killer whale! So if I have decide to write my memoirs, I will definitely have to take a nom de plume, and Kookla sounds like a really good option. Thank you Alice!