Author Archives: Piscis

How Important Are Commas?

Posted by Piscis on

Orthographically?  Pretty important.

Financially?  Maybe even more so.

It should likely come as no surprise that I am a stuffy proponent of the serial comma (often nicknamed the “Oxford comma”), where a comma is placed before the conjunction and final item in a written list, as when there are multiple ways to do something in language, I generally endorse the one that’s less prone to ambiguity.

Typically, it’s little more than a stylistic preference, but as one dairy company found out a couple months back, this sort or ambiguity can have costly ramifications:

 

120823202717-oxford-dictionary-exlarge-169An Oxford comma changed this court case completely
 
(CNN) If you have ever doubted the importance of the humble Oxford comma, let this supremely persnickety Maine labor dispute set you straight.

 
 
Punctuation.  It matters, folks!  (>^-‘)>

Bene scribete.

Is It Done?

Posted by Piscis on

SunshineSky

 

Whew.  A few months, tons of drugs, and a spiteful case of pneumonia later, it seems like, aside from some minor lingering dizzies, I’m almost kind of vaguely back to normal.

It would be, just…all sorts of super awesome if this didn’t become a regular thing.  Please, 2018?

Please…?

 

Bene vīvite.

Mythic Mead

Posted by Piscis on

mythicmead
Many congratulations to my good friend (and former DoD colleague / fellow author) Shauna Scheets and her veteran husband Will, who debuted the first commercial product of their meadery, Mythic Mead, yesterday at Boise’s North End Organic Nursery.

 

shaunawillmead

 

It’s a very Idaho-appropriate huckleberry mead, awesomely entitled “Huck Me.”  I’ve had the pleasure of sampling both test batches and the finished product, and let me tell you, it’s positively delightful.  It’s also as pure as you can get, utilizing no shortcut sulfites or added sugars and syrups – just water, honey, berries, and the yeast to ferment it, all locally sourced.

Mead, for anyone unaware, is essentially a wine made with honey instead of grapes.  Though it’s a drink that’s been around for a long time (picture the iconic viking tossing back a horn), Mythic Mead has the distinction of being the first licensed meadery in Idaho.  Exciting stuff!

If you’re in the Treasure Valley area, look for it in local retailers as it continues trickling out to shops (and it never hurts to ask your favorite place to stock it!).  If  you’re elsewhere in the U.S., and don’t want to wait for wider distribution, you can even order online!

If you’re a fan of sweet wines and get the chance, I encourage you to give it a try.

Take a sip of Mythic Mead, and savor the legend.

 

Bene ēdite.