Between “Star Wars” Day and Free Comic Book Day, this month seems to have a lot to offer those who traditionally identify as “nerds.” While I’m not a huge fan of Marvel, DC, or that galaxy far, far away, I do still have my own propensity to nerd out. Thanks in no small part to the teachers I mentioned on this month’s cover, I’m actually quite the geek when it comes to language. It all started when I’d drive my parents crazy by saying things like “I ain’t been doing that.” I think they thought I actually thought that was proper sentence construction, but truth be told, I was just doing it to annoy them. Plus, I was discovering the joys of playing around with the rules of the English language. After all, the first step in appreciating a complex system is usually to break it. Of course, now I’m the one driven crazy by the latest language misuses of our time. A particular pet peeve of mine is our tendency to use nouns as verbs. These days, we don’t search for something on Google, we “Google it.” During the holidays, instead of giving one another gifts, we “gift things.” Even my own solemn profession is being affected. When I was in law WORDS WORDS WORDS The Modern Trend That Drives Me Mad
school, we learned about sending people a notice. Now, I’ll get word from my colleagues that they’ve “noticed” someone.
Is it critical that we stop doing this? Not really. Does it drive me crazy? Absolutely. This is no doubt penance for my years of subjecting my parents to “cowboy talk.” Still, seeing this transformation over time has been an important reminder of just how flexible language can really be. However, I’m fortunate to be in a profession where dotting your grammatical I’s and crossing your linguistic T’s is still very important. For the foreseeable future, the courtroom will remain a haven for those of us who rigidly respect the nuances of language.
So, dear reader, what do you nerd out about?
– Gary L. Medlin, Esq.
Rhubarb Cake
Brain Buster
Ingredients
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2 1/4 cups white sugar, divided
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1 tsp baking soda
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1/2 tsp salt
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2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
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2 eggs, beaten
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1 cup sour cream
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3 cups rhubarb stalks, diced
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1/4 cup butter, softened
Directions
1. Heat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking dish. 2. In a large bowl, combine 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking soda, salt, and 2 cups flour. 3. Stir in eggs and sour cream until smooth. 4. Fold in rhubarb and add mixture to the prepared baking dish. 5. In a small bowl, combine 1 cup sugar and butter until smooth. 6. Stir in 1/4 cup flour until mixture is crumbly. 7. Sprinkle mixture on top of cake batter and bake for 45 minutes. 8. Let cake cool for 5–10 minutes and serve.
Inspired by AllRecipes.com
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