Spelling Challenge

Not only is it Friday and time to test your spelling skills, it's the LAST Friday of the month, and the day before Halloween!

This week I'm beginning a new way of challenging your spelling skills. Rather than give you three choices, I'm going to list, as usual, 10 words and a bonus word...what's different is that YOU have to provide the correct spelling. So just grab a little sticky note and a pen, write down the words, spelled correctly, and as usual the answers are listed below.

Also, at the very end of this post are the words that were misspelled in yesterday's Thorough Thursday challenge.

Of course you know...


NO PEEKING!

1. begger
2. changable
3. commitment
4. dominent
5. tempramental
6. tangable
7. prevelant
8. quarantine
9. susseptible
10. vengance

BONUS WORD
conscientous

If you spell all 10 words correctly
you get a GOLD star!



If you spell the bonus word correctly
you get the prized, very special, and much coveted
Crystal Clear Proofing PURPLE star!


For spelling all the words, including the bonus word correctly
you get a GOLD and a PURPLE star!
(Hooray!)
I know! It's exciting, right?!

ANSWERS:

1. beggar
2. changeable
3. commitment
4. dominant
5. temperamental
6. tangible
7. prevalent
8. quarantine
9. susceptible
10. vengeance

BONUS WORD:
conscientious


So, how'd you do? Now I didn't say all the words would be misspelled, only that your challenge was to provide the correct spelling. Numbers 3 and 8 were spelled correctly in the first part of the challenge. Did I "catch" any of you?


CONGRATULATIONS
to those of you who earned stars!

Now, here's yesterday's Thorough Thursday post in its entirety, with the errors corrected and highlighted in red.

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The American tradition of "trick-or-treating" probably dates back to the early All Souls' Day parades in England. During the festivities, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called "soul cakes" in return for their promise to pray for the family's dead relatives.

The distribution of soul cakes was encouraged by the church as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine for roaming spirits. The practice, which was referred to as "going a-souling" was eventually taken up by children who would visit the houses in their neighborhood and be given ale, food, and money.

The tradition of dressing in costume for Halloween has both European and Celtic roots. Hundreds of years ago, winter was an uncertain and frightening time. Food supplies often ran low and, for the many people afraid of the dark, the short days of winter were full of constant worry. On Halloween, when it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world, people thought that they would encounter ghosts if they left their homes. To avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits. On Halloween, to keep ghosts away from their houses, people would place bowls of food outside their homes to appease the ghosts and prevent them from attempting to enter.

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My wishes to all of you for a fantastic, fun, safe weekend - and

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!





I'd like to add a note here at the end of this post to genuinely thank Karen for having honored me by passing on the Kreativ Blogger award to me today! If you haven't done so already, visit her blog! Karen is a wonderful lady whose posts are interesting and heartfelt! I'm so happy we found each other! Thank you Karen!

Thoroughness Challenge

Thoroughly Thursday is a weekly post where I type a couple of paragraphs that contain spelling and/or grammatical errors, and your job is to find them. The same post is repeated at the end of Fun Friday's Spelling Challenge, with the errors corrected and highlighted in red.

This is on the honor system! No spending all day, printing it out, looking up words...you have to complete the challenge here.
Also, please keep the errors you find to yourself, rather than list them here within the post...we don't want to "help" anyone else inadvertently!

Last week your your Thoroughly Thursday paragraphs were about the origins of Halloween and its coming the America. The following is part two, again an exerpt from History.com on some of the traditions of Halloween and why we have them. This week's Challenge contains 7 errors. Good Luck!


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The American tradition of "trick-or-treating" probably dates back to the early All Souls' Day parades in England. During the festivties, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pasteries called "soul cakes" in return for their promise to pray for the family's dead relatives.

The distrbution of soul cakes was encouraged by the church as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine for roaming spirits. The practice, witch was referred to as "going a-souling" was eventually taken up by children who would visit the houses in their neighborhood and be given ale, food, and money.

The tradition of dressing in costume for Halloween has both European and Celtic roots. Hundreds of years ago, winter was an uncertain and frightning time. Food supplies often ran low and, for the many people afraid of the dark, the short days of winter were full of constent worry. On Halloween, when it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world, people thought that they would encounter ghosts if they left their homes. To avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits. On Halloween, to keep ghosts away from their houses, people would place bowls of food outside their homes to apease the ghosts and prevent them from attempting to enter.


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Be sure to check back tomorrow to see how you did!

Wednesday's Weird Word

Wednesday's Word will be a weekly feature wherein I'll introduce a not-very-common and/or not-frequently-used word.


Today's Wednesday's Word is: SPRINGAL.


Springal is a noun meaning: a strong, young boy; an active, springy young man.

The farmer decided to hire a springal from the nearby village to help harvest his crops.



Try using SPRINGAL in conversations and see the response you get! Have fun with it! See you back next Wednesday for another new, weird word!




Note: The source for many of the words I'll be featuring can be found at Luciferous Logolepsy. They are so obscure, I was actually unable to find some of them at a couple of common online dictionary references, such as The Free Dictionary.com.

Inspiring Thoughts

Hello Friends,

Well, I'm having an (I hope!) minor - surgical procedure tomorrow, and NOW I'm literally "down and out" with one heck of - something! Yesterday I was deathly afraid I had H1N1 - but thankfully it appears I just have a really nasty bug. So, I'm out of commission for a couple of days. It literally is all I can do to sit here and type this (sigh).

I have posts prepared for the remainder of the week, so please visit! I'll be checking in when I can! I apologize that I won't be able to visit your sites for a couple of days, but I'm hoping to be back in full swing by Thursday. See everyone then!

In the meantime, you know how much I love motivational and inspiring thoughts! So, today I'm posting a few for you to ponder. Enjoy!



The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want.

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.- Albert Schweitzer

Working at a job you hate is unlikely to bring you either happiness or success. Do what you love. Whether wealth follows or not, you will be happy. And, you are far more likely to also gain financial reward if you are working at something that inspires and excites you.

The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.

Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all.

The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.- Mark Twain

If you have made mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down.- Mary Pickford

There are no mistakes, no coincidences. All events are blessings given to us to learn from.

Overcome Your Obstacles!

Today I'd like to inspire you with some very insightful and helpful tips, or keys in obtaining your goals, whatever they might be, with excerpts taken from a wonderful book entitled, Overcoming Obstacles with SPUNK! by L. Diane Wolfe, whose blog Spunk on a Stick, familiar to many of you, is a very popular site wherein she offers tips and interesting posts six days per week.

Much attention has been given lately to her popular, Circle of Friends series of YA fiction books, with a couple of recent blog tours and book releases. However, her talent encompasses much more than just that wonderful series. Her non-fiction, motivational book is, quite literally, one that everyone should own.
Overcoming Obstacles is loaded with helpful, valuable information; I'm providing just a sampling of what can be found in this must-have book. Recently I've read a lot on blogs about writers getting "stuck;" in need of motivation. Well, this is a book you'll find yourself referring back to even after having read it cover to cover. The author touches on key elements, such as Attitude, People Skills, Self-Esteem, Overcoming Fears, Setting Goals and Working Together. Below are powerful paragraphs taken from the Setting Goals section of the book.

From Key 34 "Take Charge, Take Action"
The achievement of goals is not a passive occurrence. Action is required. Change is necessary. Our attitude needs adjusting. We cannot sit back and wait for circumstances and events to align perfectly. We need to take the bull by the horns and actively pursue our dreams.

However, most of us do not need to radically revamp our world. An exciting new dream might inspire us to instigate many changes in hopes of attaining (our) goal. Adjustments will indeed be necessary as we alter our path and cast aside distractions and obstacles. Troubles arise when we attempt to change everything at once and then feel overwhelmed by the scope of such a transformation. Sooner or later, we feel tempted to quit. Remember to take small steps and build on these minor victories and changes. Make small adjustments and work gradually toward the goal rather than attempt one giant leap.

From Key 35 "Making it All Work"
The journey toward our goals can appear quite overwhelming at times! We struggle with the best approach, fight to continue moving forward, and feel frustrated when things go wrong. This is why short-term goals and a simple method for organizing are so important. They act as building blocks for keeping us on the path.
A unique method developed by author p.m. terrell follows "with a unique method to tackle these problems."

From Key 36 "When the Goal Becomes Fuzzy"
There will be moments during our quest when the goal loses clarity. Obstacles will loom on every side, critics will condemn our attempts, and those following our lead will question our decisions. What appeared so clear when we first began grows fuzzy, and we wonder if we'll ever reach our destination.

"...Intense desire...will ultimately see us through to victory. Passion will drive our spirit to do whatever it takes to succeed. A cause ignites our soul and no force on earth is more powerful than a person burning with a dream. If we can hold on to that inspiration even when times grow tough, no obstacle will prevent our success. The only real failure is if we fail to try.

What dream resides within you? Are you willing to pursue a goal with passion and purpose? Set a goal and light a fire in your spirit so bright that the entire world with come watch you burn!



In addition to being highly motivational, Overcoming Obstacles With Spunk! also provides an "In a nutshell" portion at the end of each section, making future references to the book even easier. Whether you grab it to re-read a chapter or just to take a glimpse at those nutshells, you'll find this to be an indispensible book. We all get "stuck," question the path we're on, have doubts, fears and insecurities. And not just in our professional lives and careers. This is a book that you'll find helpful with everyday life and the challenges we all face. I refer to it often and it always offers reinforcement, encouragement and ways to Overcome Obstacles - with Spunk!

Taken from the back cover of her book:
A professional speaker trained in a top motivation education system, Wolfe helps readers develop passion, confidence and an image of success...."With a positive attitude, any goal can be achieved."


You can find Diane, or Spunky, online at:
Spunk On a Stick
The Circle of Friends
Spunk on a Stick's Tips Blog


Her books can be purchased online or directly from the publisher, Dancing Lemur Press, LLC.


Book V-Heather: Coming March 2010!


Or...if you're fortunate enough to attend one of her book signings or events! :)

Spelling Challenge

Happy Friday Everyone! I'd like to invite you all sto stop by CC-Chronicles blog to read a little about yours truly. I'm very honored to have been interviewed for her first new Friday feature, "Welcome to the Weekend With..."
An opportunity for you to get to know a little more about the Crystal behind Crystal Clear Proofing!


Now, back to our end-of-the-week challenge! It's time to test those spelling skills again! Here are this week's words, followed by the answers.

Also, at the very end of this post are the words that were misspelled in yesterday's Thorough Thursday challenge.

Now remember...


NO PEEKING!

1. acquaitence, aquaintance, acquaintance

2. cematery, cemetery, cemetary

3. dillemma, dilemma, dillemma

4. equivalent, equivelent, equivelant

5. hienous, hieneous, heinous

6. minuscule, miniscule, minescule

7. ocurrance, occurrence, occurance

8. permmisible, permisible, permissible

9. pavilion, pavileon, pavillion

10. rememberance, remembrance, rememberence


BONUS WORD

symeterical, symmetrical, symetrical

As usual, for spelling all the words correctly
you get a GOLD star!



And, if you spelled the bonus word correctly
you get the prized, very special, and much coveted
Crystal Clear Proofing PURPLE star!


For spelling all the words, including the bonus word correctly
you get a GOLD and a PURPLE star!
(Hooray!)

ANSWERS:

1. acquaintance
2. cemetery
3. dilemma
4. equivalent
5. heinous
6. minuscule
7. occurrence
8. permissible
9. pavilion
10. remembrance


BONUS WORD:

symmetrical





CONGRATULATIONS
to those of you who earned stars!

Now, here's yesterday's Thorough Thursday post in its entirety, with the errors corrected and highlighted in red.

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The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.

Over the years traditions changed, and in America, people began to dress up in costumes and go house to house asking for food or money, a practice that eventually became today's "trick-or-treat" tradition. In the late 1800s, there was a move in America to mold Halloween into a holiday more about community and neighborly get-togethers, than about ghosts, pranks, and witchcraft. Because of their efforts, Halloween lost most of its superstitious and religious overtones by the beginning of the twentieth century.

Between 1920 and 1950, the centuries-old practice of trick-or-treating was revived. Trick-or-treating was a relatively inexpensive way for an entire community to share the Halloween celebration. In theory, families could also prevent tricks being played on them by providing the neighborhood children with small treats. A new American tradition was born, and it has continued to grow. Today, Americans spend an estimated $6.9 billion annually on Halloween, making it the country's second largest commercial holiday.


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So, how'd you do? Be sure to check back next week for our Halloween traditions, and why we have them. As usual, I hope that you all have a very...

HAPPY WEEKEND!

Thoroughness Challenge

Thoroughly Thursday is a weekly post where I type a couple of paragraphs that contain spelling and/or grammatical errors, and your job is to find them. The same post is repeated at the end of Fun Friday's Spelling Challenge, with the errors corrected and highlighted in red.

This is on the honor system! No spending all day, printing it out, looking up words...you have to complete the challenge here.
Also, please keep the errors you find to yourself, rather than list them here within the post...we don't want to "help" anyone else inadvertently!

Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be using exerpts from History.com on the origins of Halloween for the Thoroughly Thursday challenge. Today we'll look at its original origins and Halloween coming to America, and next week we'll look at traditions and why we have them. Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). This week's feature contains 13 errors. Good Luck!


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The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and nothern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts beleived that on the night before the new year, the boundry between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the prescence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic preists, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependant on the volitile natural world, these prophesies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.

Over the years traditions changed, and in America, people began to dress up in costumes and go house to house asking for food or money, a practice that eventually became today's "trick-or-treat" tradition. In the late 1800s, there was a move in America to mold Halloween into a holiday more about community and neighborly get-togethers, than about ghosts, pranks, and witchcraft. Because of their efforts, Halloween lost most of its superstitous and religous overtones by the beginning of the twentieth century.

Between 1920 and 1950, the centuries-old practice of trick-or-treating was revived. Trick-or-treating was a relatavily inexpensive way for an entire communty to share the Halloween celebration. In theory, families could also prevent tricks being played on them by providing the neighborhood children with small treats. A new American tradition was born, and it has continued to grow. Today, Americans spend an estimated $6.9 billion anually on Halloween, making it the country's second largest commercial holiday.


*******************************************************************************

Be sure to check back tommorrow to see how you did!

Wednesday's Word

Wednesday's Word will be a weekly feature wherein I'll introduce a not-very-common and/or not-frequently-used word.


Today's Wednesday's Word is: ABDERIAN.


Abderian is an adjective which means: pertaining to foolish or excessive laughter. Given to laughter; inclined to foolish or incessant merriment.

The guests were having so much fun, their abderian behavior was contagious!



Try using abderian in conversations and see the responses you get! Have fun with it and see you back next Wednesday for another new, weird word!




Note: The source for many of the words I'll be featuring can be found at Luciferous Logolepsy. They are so obscure, I was actually unable to find some of them at a couple of common online dictionary references, such as The Free Dictionary.com.

Awhile and A While

A while is a noun phrase in which "a" is an article, and "while" functions as a noun meaning "a short period of time."

Awhile is an adverb meaning "for a while."
The word awhile has "for" built into its meaning.

Basically, the meaning is the same, it's the structure that differs.

A mnemonic to assist in determining which to use, is whether "for a while" could be used in the sentence, without changing its meaning, where you were intending to use awhile.

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Examples:


- "I'll speak with you awhile" is correct because you could also say, "I'll speak with you for a while."

- "I'll speak with you for awhile" is not correct because you're actually using the word "for" twice.
(awhile = for a while: "I'll speak with you for for a while.")

- "I'll prepare my blog in awhile" is not correct as you would not say "I'll prepare my blog in for a while."

- "Writing the blog may take awhile" is not correct because, "Writing the blog may take for a while" is not idiomatic English.
(awhile = for a while: "Writing the blog may take for for a while.")

- "I have relatives staying with me awhile" is correct, as you could also say "I have relatives staying with me for a while."

- "I have relatives staying with me for awhile" is not correct, as in actuality that would be saying, "I have relatives staying with me for for a while."

********************************************************************************************************************

The two-word noun phrase a while is more often the correct choice that is the one-word adverb awhile.

Most grammatical errors involve using awhile where a while would be the appropriate choice.

Again, remember the mnemonic of placing the word "for" before either choice. It's a nearly foolproof way of determining which is appropriate to use.




Sources: Gregg Reference Manual, Grammarmudge, AP Stylebook, CMS

Ember in Wrilogonzia - A Blog Opera - Part II

Today I'm proud to feature the second installment of CC-Chronicles's Blog Opera: Ember in Wrilogonzia.
You can read what a blog opera is, learn how to participate, and begin the exciting journey by reading
"The Beginning" on CC-Chronicles's blog, or simply clicking: Ember in Wrilogonzia or The Beginning.

And so, the journey continues:

*********************************************************************************************************

As they frantically attempt to outrun the Gattaca Security, Ember stumbles and falls, her vision still rather blurred. As she attempts to get up, she finds herself face-to-face with a strange, yet oddly adorable creature...who...can...talk! As Cassini cries out, "A Komosny!", it stares back at her, and recovering first, tells her she had better hurry and get up! Too stunned and frantic to care at the moment, she does as the creature tells her as he promptly jumps on her shoulder.

After maintaining a frantic pace, they have enough of a lead to stop, catch their breaths and decide what to do. The Komosny is chattering away and they all stop and look at him. Noticing their scrutiny, he first introduces himself as Perhluna, and explains that he was going over coordinates, explaining that he is familiar with this territory as the Komosny dwell in these parts. He tells them that if they take the curve of the path they're currently on, which goes to the left, they will come upon the Mystik Falls, which are magical and may very well be their only hope of escape. Outside of the fact that it is quite a distance and they will be lucky just to outrun Gattaca Security, there is, however, one small "detail," if you will.

When three pair of questioning and doubtful eyes fall upon him, he begins to stutter with nervousness until Ember tries to quiet him by soothingly petting him. As he calms down, Jerome asks in a skeptical tone, "just what is this 'detail' exactly?"

Hearing the approach of those chasing them, Perhluna quickly explains how those who come upon Mystik Falls will escape the constant threat of Gattaca Security by entering the neutral village of Komosnia, origin and home of the Komosny. However, in order to gain entry, those wishing it must take the form of the Komosny. Jerome and Cassini start moving quickly, uttering statements about not having much choice! If Gattaca gets their hands on them, they'll never get away!

As they're running along the path, noticeably hindered by the fact that Cassini is having to push Jerome's wheelchair, something occurs to Jerome and he asks Perhluna, "In Komosnia, will I be able to walk?" Perhluna answers that of course he will, however it will be on four legs!

Ember notices that her companions are not at all in the state of shock and disbelief she now finds herself. They readily accept this information and proceed in the direction that Perhluna instructed. Well, she thinks to herself, why should any of this seem odd? I mean really, I have a talking critter, or Komosny named Perhluna on my shoulder, I'm with - sorry, but that sure looks like Jude Law and another woman who greatly resembles Uma Thurman, I'm in a strange place being chased by what I assume are people or creatures of some sort called Gattaca Security, AND in I'm heading for a village where I will assume the form of a four-legged furry critter!

Trying desperately not to panic, she comes to the conclusion that the only thing at this point that makes any sense at all, is quite simply that she is dreaming. After all, the last thing SHE remembers is having been blogging at her computer....

That's IT! Her computer! A thought occurs to her, and as they're running desperately for Mystik Falls, they can hear their pursuers gaining on them. She mentally pictures herself at her computer, looks at the keyboard and hits the FIND button. Not knowing if she should try Mystik Falls or Komosnia, as she is going to have to guess at the spelling regardless, she begins typing and as the sounds of their pursuers grow nearer, she frantically hits the enter key. Immediately, everything begins to swim around them.

Imagine her shock and dismay when things come back into focus...



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Spelling Challenge

What happens to these weeks that I see out of the corner of my eye, literally flying by? Where do they go? Well, I managed to grab the last day as it was preparing to whiz by me, smoothed it out and placed a piece of it on this page. Because hard as it is to believe, it's once again time to test your skills with "Fun Friday's Spelling Challenge!"

And...here are today's words, with the answers below.

Also, same as that last week that flew on by, at the very end of this post are the words that were misspelled in yesterday's Thorough Thursday challenge.


Now remember...


NO PEEKING!

1. abundence, abundense, abundance

2. amateur, amatuer, ameteur

3. boundries, boundaries, bounderies

4. changeable, changable, changeble

5. commission, comission, commision

6. disasterous, disasterus, disastrous

7. embarass, embarrass, embarress

8. hemmorrage, hemorrage, hemorrhage

9. governor, govenor, govenor

10. millenium, milennium, millennium


BONUS WORD

mischevous, mischievous, mischieveous

As usual, for spelling all the words correctly
you get a GOLD star!



And, if you spelled the bonus word correctly
you get the prized, very special, and much coveted
Crystal Clear Proofing PURPLE star!


For spelling all the words, including the bonus word correctly
you get a GOLD and a PURPLE star!
(Hooray!)

ANSWERS:

1. abundance
2. amateur
3. boundaries
4. changeable
5. commission
6. disastrous
7. embarrass
8. hemorrhage
9. governor
10. millennium


BONUS WORD:

mischievous




CONGRATULATIONS
to those of you who earned stars!

Now, here's yesterday's Thorough Thursday post in its entirety, with the errors highlighted in red. (Oh my goodness, the dreaded red marks!) However in this post, and in the future, rather than just highlighting the incorrect word, I'll be highlighting it and replacing it with the correct word and/or spelling (as should have been done last week)!
_______________________________________________________

It's hard to believe that summer is behind us. The absence of warm weather affects many people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis and other joint ailments, yet can be a relief to those who suffer from allergies. There are fewer pollutants in the air, but the fluctuating barometric pressure results in aches and pains definitely being more prevalent. Suffering from osteoarthritis myself, I notice a tremendous change in the severity of joint stiffness.

It seems as though it's comparatively much easier to ease into summer than it is getting used to the colder weather. Our bodies acclimate to the change in climate much better; however, if you happen to suffer from them, nasal allergies do not. The pollination of so much flora, even the growing of the grass in the spring can wreck havoc on our bodies, causing post-nasal drip and itchy, watery eyes. Many find relief from allergies with over-the-counter medications, while some require prescription medication.

And then there's the whole process of changing the contents of your closet. The colder temperatures mean bringing out the heavier, warmer clothing. It's one of the things I miss about having lived in California where "closet rotation" isn't really necessary.

_______________________________________________________


So, how'd you do? All the errors were spelling, with the exception of effects being used rather that affects, and wrack rather then wreck. This proves a good reminder to everyone that while spell check is a wonderful tool, it isn't going to help you when you use an incorrect word!


As usual, I hope that you all have a very...

HAPPY WEEKEND!

Thoroughness Challenge

Thoroughly Thursday is a weekly post where I type a couple of paragraphs that contain spelling and/or grammatical errors, and your job is to find them. The same post is repeated at the end of Fun Friday's Spelling Challenge, with the errors corrected and highlighted in red.

This is on the honor system! No spending all day, printing it out, looking up words...you have to complete the challenge here.
Also, please keep the errors you find to yourself, rather than list them here...we don't want to "help" anyone inadvertently!


Here is this week's Thoroughly Thursday challenge,
which contains 24 errors. Good Luck!

*****************************************************************************************

It's hard to beleive that summer is behind us. The absense of warm weather effects many people who suffer from rhuematoid arthritis and other joint ailments, yet can be a releif to those who suffer from allergies. There are fewer pollutents in the air, but the fluctuating barometeric pressure results in aches and pains definately being more prevelant. Suffering from osteoartheritis myself, I notice a tremendus change in the severety of joint stiffness.

It seems as though it's comparitively much easier to ease into summer than it is getting used to the colder weather. Our bodies acclamate to the change in climate much better; however, if you happen to suffer from them, nasel allergies do not. The pollenation of so much flora, even the growing of the grass in the spring can wrack havock on our bodies, causing post-nasel drip and itchy, watery eyes. Many find releif from allergies with over-the-counter medications, while some require perscription medication.

And then there's the whole prosess of changing the contents of your closet. The colder tempratures mean bringing out the heavier, warmer clothing. It's one of the things I miss about having lived in California where "closet rotation" isn't really neccesary.

*****************************************************************************************

Now remember, keep the errors you find, and
Be sure to check back tomorrow to see how you did!

Wednesday's Word

Welcome to this week's edition of Wednesday's Word, where you'll learn an obsure, not-very-common and/or not-frequently used word.


Today's Wednesday's Word is: OBDORMITION.


Obdormition is a noun and it's description is: numbness or 'going to sleep' of a limb, etc.


We've all been the victims of obdormition! So next time your leg goes numb after all those hours at the computer, try using today's new word and let someone know that obdormition is SUCH an inconvenience! (It can even be dangerous! I've actually landed on the floor as a result of not knowing I had obdormition in one of my legs, or feet...)

Okay, have fun with that, and see you back next Wednesday for another new, weird word! LOL!!




Note: The source for many of the words I'll be featuring can be found at Luciferous Logolepsy. They are so obscure, I was actually unable to find some of them at a couple of common online dictionary references, such as The Free Dictionary.com.

Quotation Marks

Today on Techie Tuesday we're going to take a quick look at quotation marks and some of the basic rules that apply when using them.

Quotation Marks are marks of punctuation that are used to set off a direct quotation or a piece of dialogue.


DIRECT QUOTATIONS

Use double quotation marks to enclose a direct quotation.
Direct quotations repeat a speaker's exact words.

- Her editor told her, "The final edits are done on the manuscript."

- "The final edits," her editor told her, "are done on the manuscript."


INDIRECT QUOTATIONS

You would not use quotation marks were the sentence structured using and indirect quotation.
Indirect quotations are summaries or paraphrases of someone else's words.

- Her editor told her that the final edits were done on the manuscript.


TITLES

Double quotation marks are also used to enclose titles of songs, short stories, essays, poems and articles.

- Hearing the song "Over the Rainbow" always invoked memories of home for her.

- Her essay, "Caring for our Elders," earned her very high accolades from her professor.


However, do not use quotation marks around titles of books, newspapers or magazines. Either italicize or underline them instead.

- After having read, The Fall of the Russian Empire, he realized there was much he hadn't known on the subject.

- The New York Times has outstanding movie reviews.


QUOTATIONS WITHIN QUOTATIONS

When you have a quotation within a quotation, use single quotation marks:

- Christine told her daughter, "I've always loved the song 'Over the Rainbow.'"

Notice that both a single and a double set of quotation marks appear at the end of the sentence - a single mark to close the title of the song and a double mark to close the direct quotation.


COMMAS, PERIODS AND QUOTATIONS

When a comma or period appears at the end of a quotation, put it inside the quotation mark:

- "The final edits," her editor told her, "are done on the manuscript."


OTHER PUNCTUATION MARKS AND QUOTATIONS

When a semicolon or colon appears at the end of a quotation, it it placed outside the quotation mark:

- Her editor said, "The final edits are done on the manuscript"; however, she wanted to go over it one more time.


Question marks or exclamation points appearing at the end of a quotation are put inside the quotation mark if it belongs to the quotation:

- Stephanie exclaimed, "Get in here and clean this room!"


However if it does not belong to the quotation, the question or exclamation mark is placed outside the quotation mark:

- Did The Beatles really record a song called "Yellow Submarine"?




(Partial) Sources: Gregg Reference Manual, CMS

CC-Chronicles Feature Interview

Today on Monday Menagerie, I'm very pleased to be featuring an interview with Chris, author of the popular book review (and then some) blog, CC-Chronicles. Chris is fairly new to the blogosphere, and has already made an impressive presence with her book reviews and other goodies she features on her blog.


Chris and I hit it off immediately; we have several things in common and continue to discover things about each other that we share. Here's an opportunity for you to get to know a little more about the person behind the blog!

Where did you grow up - tell us about your upbringing, any siblings, where you live now.
I grew up just outside of Winston-Salem, NC. I have an older brother I grew up with and a half sister I met a few years ago. I grew up spoiled but in an extremely strict environment. I was very innocent and naive until my mid-twenties. After college, I moved to Wilmington, NC to work in films, then ended up back near Winston when the film work dried up here. I ran bookstores and tax companies in between working as a costume designer on low budget films and made for TV movies. I eventually ended up back in Wilmington to be closer to my family, but my dream is to move to the mountains someday.

Have you always enjoyed reading? Did you enjoy reading as a child?
I have enjoyed reading for as long as I can remember. One of the first books I remember ever receiving was called The Adventures of Muggins Mouse, which was given to me by a boy in second grade for Christmas.

You've come onto the blogging scene with a BANG! What about blogging and book reviewing do you enjoy the most?
The thing I like most about blogging is the connection to others. The blogging community (especially book bloggers) is full of such wonderful people. There is a great sense of camaraderie. As for reviewing books, I love to read and to share what I find with others.

What is your favorite genre(s)?
I read everything, literally. If it has writing on it, I'll read it. I have an innate curiosity. My favorite genres are fantasy, mystery/suspense, thrillers, epics....

You also work "outside the blogging world." Tell us about your "other job."
My "day" job is being an office manager for a construction consulting firm. We do CPM scheduling and work with many law firms dealing with construction litigation. I work roughly 50 hours a week there, but after years of crazy schedules it's great to have nights and weekends off. I'm very lucky to work for a wonderful company and with a great group of people. The past few years at night I worked in theater either stage managing or directing, but now I'm focusing on my writing and blog during my free time.

You have quite a diverse career history. How did they come about, and which, if any of them, do you favor the most?
Not sure if it's my love of learning new things or having the attention span of a flea, that has led to the diversity in my work history. There are so many jobs that I have loved, for different reasons. I loved running book stores- creating programs for the community, designing displays and promotions, setting up book signings, etc. I loved working in film. There is something magical about creating a movie and then walking into a theater and seeing it all put together on a screen and to see the audience react to it. With the tax company, I loved helping people get the best tax breaks and I loved teaching classes. I hate getting up in front of people and being the center of attention, but when I taught, I was at ease in the situation. I loved traveling around the south as a make-up artist during the Glamour Shots decade. I got to meet so many interesting people. And I loved working in live theatre, it was the first place I ever truly felt like I belonged.

We share a love of cats. Has that always been the case? Any other pets? And what about cats do love and enjoy the most?
I love all animals and have adored cats since I was a little girl. Maybe more so because growing up we had dogs and I was not allowed a cat, because my mom felt they were evil. Once I got on my own, I got a cat and I've had cats ever since. Over the years I've had dogs, cats, ferrets, a flying squirrel and at one point I fostered a skunk (they are very cat like). Cats will always be my favorite. My lifestyle is too busy for other types of pets. Of course, I think Merlyn is a mutant animal- part cat, part dog, part monkey and part human.

I recently learned that you design and make jewelry. Tell us how that came about. What inspired that hobby and how involved and challenging is it?
I am definitely an accessory girl. I have always loved and had a lot of jewelry. The first jewelry I remember making was in the early 80's when I was in middle school. I made my own watchbands with elastic, beads and safety pins. I was shocked when I saw that same style being sold in stores a few years ago. Something I created a few decades before, I should have marketed them back then. My jewelry making picked back up after college when I was running a movie theater. There was a lot of down time between shows and I had creative employees. We would make clay beads and amulets in between shows. That was almost 20 years ago and I've been making jewelry off and on since then. I don't make a lot of pieces at one time and it's rare for me to make more than one of anything unless requested. Since I was diagnosed with advanced rheumatoid arthritis a few years ago, it can be a challenge to make the more intricate pieces sometimes. But it is very therapeutic and I enjoy finding odds & ends to turn into wearable art. I mostly make things for family and friends, but have been commissioned to make things also.

You possess many talents.. Is there something you wish you were more proficient at, or something you'd like to pursue at some point?
There are many things I wish I were more proficient at. I love to draw and paint, but that is a gift my brother has mastered more. If I spend a lot of time and really work at it I can create things. I would also love to have a musical gift. I took voice lessons as a teenager so I would have a talent for pageants but once the pageants were over I didn't continue. A skill I do plan to learn and master is Iaido and medieval sword fighting. I collect swords and medieval weapons.

What's the most daring and/or adventurous thing you've ever done?
The most adventurous things I've ever done.... a few years ago I jumped in my Blazer and drove to Calgary and back. I did it on a whim and by myself. Since I'm a woman and live in the South (where many still expect us to be dependent, pretty and slightly mentally challenged), everyone thought I was crazy. It was great, although if I ever did it again I would definitely take along a travel buddy.

You have a very positive outlook and disposition. Is this a trait you've always had, or something you've worked on?
You should have known me during my marriage and right after my divorce. My ex wasn't the nicest, so I had little self-esteem left when I left him. I pretty much hated life and the world; I was the queen of negativity. One day, I actually heard myself. I mean really heard the words coming out of my mouth. I knew that wasn't me; one of my nicknames growing up was "sunshine." I decided I didn't want to be that person so I worked very hard to develop a positive attitude. Every time a negative thought crossed my mind, and at that point those were the only type thoughts I had, I would force myself to find something positive to replace it with. It took a long long time but it eventually became second nature. I still have bad moments where I slip back into the negative realm, but I snap myself out of it because that's not the person I want to be. Ironically, life has been harder and more challenging since then, and I live with a person who is extremely negative and doesn't want to be positive, but luckily I have built a good foundation to keep myself from falling off the wagon and I have wonderful friends who support me.

You are granted three wishes. What are they?
Three wishes.... first, great health. Second, a small cabin with a huge library (with a big stone fireplace) and a fabulous kitchen, that's in the mountains whose wraparound porch overlooks a lake and is surrounded by woods. Finally, a contentment virus that would engulf the planet... people would still have their challenges but we would all be content with our lives and appreciate what we have. Then maybe we could have world peace and everyone would be more willing to help their fellow man and the earth. (Sorry, slipped back into pageant mode there, hehe. But wouldn't that be great?!!)

What would you say your personal style is? How would you describe yourself to others?
I have very eclectic tastes and my style changes with my mood and environment. I'm comfortable in just about anything from sweats to suits to evening gowns to wacky costumes and period pieces. I make a lot of my own clothes (hey, I can sew and it's cheaper & more unique). I do wear a lot of black, but not because I'm Goth; simply because it became a habit when I worked backstage in theater and has stuck. Plus it's a great backdrop for fabulous accessories. I also love love love hats and wear them all the time when the weather gets colder. Fedora's are my favorite.

I would describe myself to others as open and adaptable. I've been in so many situations and experienced so many different environments that I've learned to adapt to what I'm around. I've been rich and spoiled and I've been poor and lived out of a car.

Is there anything you'd change in your life, either past or present?
There isn't really anything I'd change. My past has made me who I am and I'm pretty comfortable in my own skin. There are things I'm not ecstatic about and I've made more mistakes than I would have liked but I'm a work in progress. I don't believe in regrets. Regrets are simply mistakes we have failed to learn from and forgive. I also believe everything happens for a reason, even if I don't know what that reason is or I don't agree with it. I have faith that I'm part of something bigger and that the things that happen have a greater purpose.

If your life were a book, what would the title be?
I'm torn between Don't Let My Blondness Fool You, and Lost in the Library. I may have to write a story with that last one, I just really like it. LOL, I just gave myself another project, maybe we should call it Stop The Insanity.

What words of inspiration or positive message would you like to share with others?
One of my favorite quotes is "Destiny is not a destination, it's a path." I have no idea who said it but the words are very true. We each have a path and often we are so focused on the results we want that we forget to enjoy the journey. We waste too much time simply existing and forget to actually live. And something that goes hand in hand with that... "anything is possible if you believe." Without belief we don't have hope and we can't dream. When you believe in yourself and your dreams, you hold the world in your hands.

Note from CCP: There are so many questions that I've thought of since completing this! The more Chris and I get to know each other, the more we discover we have in common, and the more I want to know about her! She is a multi-faceted person with a heart of gold, and is a genuine and REAL person. Nothing phony, no façade - just a kindred soul who I am so happy to have encountered on my journey in this life adventure. Anyway...that concluded the interview, and when Chris sent the answers back, she added this statement to the end of her email:


"Wow, I actually sound wise once in a while, must be my alter ego."

I had her permission to include that! She is indeed very wise, as is reflected in the overall interview, and especially with her thoughts on destiny and belief. We both share a fondness of the word "Believe," which brings me to another of Chris's ventures. She is the creator of another blog, Whispering To God. A few weeks ago she invited me to be a contributor. When I asked if she minded or would like it mentioned in this interview, she said she didn't mind at all, and added an observation to a comment I had made about the blog. The following paragraph is that statement about my comment, and the blog:

"I love how you describe it, that '...it does not matter what your faith IS - you can believe that "God" is from another planet or that your higher power is the sofa... just that faith and belief are an important part of life and existence and coping..' You can put that if anyone would like to be a contributor they can email me and I'll add them. I created it, but it's not just for me. It's a place where people can share their beliefs through prayers, whoever they pray to. As long as people don't try to advertise or self-promote, that sort of thing.... it's an open forum."

Anyone is invited to either follow, subscribe to, or if you feel so inclined, become a contributor. As we both feel, it doesn't matter WHAT your beliefs are, WHO or WHAT your higher power is to you. From the interview you can tell that Chris shares with me a love of motivational and inspirational thoughts and a belief system wherein we work on ourselves and have a desire to be the best we can be, improve upon the things we think need some work, and seek out an existence where we're happy, content with ourselves, our lives, and those sharing this journey with us. Whispering To God provides an outlet, is uplifting, and basically relays a message of faith, belief, empowerment, support and overall positivity.

In addition to the invitation to visit Whispering To God, please make it a point to check out CC-Chronicles. Chris does a marvelous job with her book reviews and the other features she posts on her blog. I'll close with one of her favorite "thoughts," which she has as part of her signature on her emails:

Always Believe in Yourself and Follow Your Dreams!

Busy working on that blog!

Thank you, Chris! It's been a real pleasure featuring you today on Monday Menagerie!

And The Award Goes To....

I recently met a delightful person who authors the blog, A Blonde Ambition. Leslie is just a delight, and her blog is somewhat of a menagerie. Actually her button, which is now displayed on my sidebar, says it all, "Simply Having More Fun."



I decided to put up a special Saturday post simply to pass on the Blogsphere Award to Leslie. She is fairly new to the blogging world, and I felt that the Blogosphere Award fit so well, as its purpose is to acknowledge the unity of all of us who blog and celebrate the diversity of the different blogs out there!

Please stop by her blog and take a look around! It's different, unique and like a breath of fresh air!

Spelling Challenge

Happy End of the Week! It's time once again for "Fun Friday's Spelling Challenge!"

And...here are today's words, with the answers below.

Also at the very end of this post are the words that were misspelled in yesterday's Thorough Thursday challenge.


Now remember...


NO PEEKING!

1. acummulate, accumulate, acumulate

2. cartilage, cartiledge, cartiladge

3. diarama, dioroma, diorama

4. flaberghast, flabberghast, flabbergast

5. hankerchief, handerchief, handerchef

6. irascible, irrasible, irrascible

7. leutenent, lieutenant, lieutenent

8. misogany, misogyny, misogyni

9. rememberance, remembrence, remembrance

10. plentitude, plenitude, plenatude

BONUS WORD

sacrilegious, sacreligious, sacreligeous

As usual, for spelling all the words correctly
you get a GOLD star!



And, if you spelled the bonus word correctly
you get the prized, very special, and much coveted
Crystal Clear Proofing PURPLE star!


For spelling all the words, including the bonus word correctly
you get a GOLD and a PURPLE star!
(Hooray!)


ANSWERS:

1. accumulate
2. cartilage
3. diorama
4. flabbergast
5. handkerchief
6. irascible
7. lieutenant
8. misogyny
9. remembrance
10. plenitude


BONUS WORD:

sacrilegious


CONGRATULATIONS
to those of you who earned stars!



Now, here's yesterday's Thorough Thursday post in its entirety, with the errors highlighted in red. (Oh my goodness, the dreaded red marks!)
_______________________________________________________

Thorough Thursday is going to consist of a few short sentences that will include mispellings and possibly minor grammer issues to test your attentivness to detail, and to see how thorough you are.

In the first of this feature there are 14 words spelled incorrectley. It can be challanging to acomplish this task with readers posessing such exellent grammer skills. Each week, the mispelled words will be posted at the end of Fun Friday's Spelling Challange.

It will be fun to see whom recieves the best results and catches the most errors! Good luck, and check back tommorrow to see how you did!

_______________________________________________________

So, how'd you do? Several of you left comments of having found 13 errors. The 14th was the use of whom, when who is correct. That was the only grammar error. I belief Elspeth may have gotten that one!

You all did very well! Between yesterday's and today's exercises, you all have worked so hard, so go and enjoy the rest of your day, and...

Have a HAPPY weekend!