I’ve been asked by a few people to do a quick post on apostrophes or as I’ve heard it put by kids at my son’s school, “that comma that floats up there at the top.”  *drags out her Remedial English soap box and hops on up*

The apostrophe is one of the most misused punctuation marks out there.  Correctly, it’s used to show a contraction, possesion, and (though I just avoid it myself) the plural of lower case letters. 

Don’t you want to pod him?  This is the contration of do not.  These are relatively simple and I rarely see these bungled.  This is the main job of an apostrophe.  I even like to use two in words like sha’n't, though it is antiquated and almost never used now (What??  I like pretending I’m old and British!).

Mynxee’s Cynabal has a sexy paintjob!  This is a correct use of possession and for the most part, this concept is pretty easy.  The tricky part is when it becomes involved.  However, you can avoid a mistake by remembering the apostrophe’s original job: showing a contraction.  It’s is a contraction meaning it is.  When you want to show that it possesses, you leave out the apostrophe all together.  The Cynabal has a steamy shot of Roc Wieler on its hull.

I made sure to dot my i’s and cross my t’s.  It is correct to show the plural of LOWER CASE letters with an apostrophe.  However, as I said, I prefer avoiding this and use the upper case instead.

An apostrophe is NOT used to show plural numbers, acronyms, or upper case letters.

I love the 80′s.  I love the ’80s!

POS’s take too long to kill!  POSes take too long to kill!  (Keep in mind you still use an apostrophe to show possesion here:  a POS’s guns.)

I left out the E’s in my letter.  I left out the Es in my letter.

It would seem many people feel the phrase and I cannot be overused and choosing it instead of and me helps them to appear both more educated and more eloquent.  

This is absolutely incorrect. 

When I was in elementary school (and I cry to think that this must not be taught any longer) I learned to break down the group to determine which ending would be appropriate.  For example, They wanted to take Shelly and I out for dinner.  Break this up:  They wanted to take Shelly out for dinner. and They wanted to take me out for dinner.  The appropriate choice is and me.  This method works in nearly every situation (though probably not all of them since this is English we’re talking about here) but if you’re not sure, rewrite the sentence to avoid choosing all together.  Safe not sorry, amirite?

Stop using and I incorrectly.  You sound like a jackass (and a poorly educated one to boot).

*steps down from her Remedial English soapbox and exits stage left*

So I’m back playing games again. This horrific cough is going away and I don’t feel faint every time I sit up. Good news!

I spent some time in the EVE Voice channel of EVE-Bloggers. I just LOVE Black Claw. He’s hilarious and fun and shows me YouTube videos that make me laugh. We discussed the huge number of blogs in that OPML thinger that the Wandering Druid kindly provides. I can’t help but read them all, though it takes me the better part of my morning (okay, 4 pm, but I’d just gotten up so it IS my morning). I feel like a huge asshole if I don’t read them all and many have awesome information! HOWEVER. Some people have not learnt the difference between it’s and its. Please let me refer you to this video and this site (please listen to each song CLOSELY). It will help. We also talked about my love for the Brits and Aussies and their adorable accents and verbiage. Things like “bum” and “whinge” and “mardy.” Why don’t I have words like that (and don’t point out that I say piddlepants and dickface; they don’t count)? Black Claw made me feel a little better by saying they think our American accents are cute, too. See why I heart him? Also, I must mention this Roc guy Mynxee‘s been writing about. His stories are kick ass and terribly well-written and his Minmatar guy on the blog is a SEXY BEAST. And one more thing, Mynxee always writes the nicest comments to me. Thank you. *hugs*

Moving on! Everyone’s been discussing the Station Ambulation stuff so I guess I can throw in my two pennies: ABOUT TIME. I like to see my people and walk around with them and hell, /dance if I want. If I feel like playing dress-up in my cabin or whatever the shit you call the living quarters of a spaceship pilot, I WILL. The same goes for random dance moves. YOU don’t know why I felt like doing the chicken dance while I was waiting in line for chow. Just because you don’t think spaceship pilots are above things like that doesn’t mean we are. I think it all sounds like a good idea. Except for the guy who suggested we fight in there. I don’t want to have to worry that while I’m admiring my toon’s duct tape breast augmentation someone who’s declared war on us is going to shoot me in the head.

On the WAR front, I’ve been having fun with the Witching Night event. I’ve nearly got all the influence for the elite reward and I even managed to get two of the masks floating around. I’m losing steam playing by myself there, though. Ken says tomorrow will be a WAR night but I don’t like to make him play when I know he loves EVE so much better.

I guess I should go to bed so I can get everything ready for the craziness that is Halloween at the Anderson house.