I get a fair amount of feedback on my Projects, here on this thing called the internet.  I am grateful for all the positive comments folks write.  They mean a lot to me.

But dang it.  I am a wimp.  I get my little feelers hurt when the bad ones come in.  Oh.  And they do come in.

The most common are:  “This sucks.”  or “You suck.”  or “This is stupid.”  You know…. things  along those lines.  It really makes it feel worthwhile… all the hours I put in to it…

You see.  I started this project three years ago for myself.  To make me shoot an image every day.  But it has transformed into something totally different.  And it has transformed me, and my way of thinking about life.  It gives me cause each day to think about our existence, from a myriad of different angles.

But wouldn’t you know.  Those pesky remarks still stick in my craw.  Here is the latest… this one from a fairly anonymous person.

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Project 188 Polly,

Meh.  Just a word of advice: Learn how to use commas, and stop abusing ellipses. It makes your article awkward and annoying to read.

Signed,
someonesneaky@gmail.com

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Well friends.   I can not resist.   I have to write back on this one.

Dear Sneaky,

Thanks for the word of advice.  I make it a point not to abuse anything in life.  People.  Animals. The Earth. Alcohol.  And God Forbid.  The Ellipsis.  For clarity, Sneaky….

ellipsis |iˈlipsis|
noun ( pl. ellipses |-sēz| )  the omission from speech or writing of a word or words that are superfluous or able to be understood from contextual clues.
• a set of dots indicating such an omission.

And therein lies the problem Sneak.

I am so superfluous.  I speak in the nonessential and the redundant.  And when I do this in real life, I make long dramatic  pauses, and conjure up funny faces and gestures.  So the three dots have been tatooed to my forehead…. as a tribute to this part of my being. My nature.  My inner core.  Because a comma is not enough.

No Sneaky.  A comma will not do.

Most people are able to pause…. like normal people pause, in speech or thought.

But my little brain packs up and leaves for the week.  It goes other places.  It wonders which month most people were born in (August) … and how many people put the peanut butter on top, or the jelly  (jelly won; 2-to-1).  It wonders why gravity does what it does.  And what is the name of the person that has to clean the torch on the Statue of Liberty.  All of this as a result of someone asking me to “Pass the salt please.”

The fact of the matter is Sneaky…. a comma will not do in my case.  And if you knew me up close and personal, you would already know this.

But thanks for the word of advice.   If my neurons EVER start firing normally, I will try that whole comma thing.

“The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.” – Mark Twain