January 28, 2008

On this date in 1754, Horace Walpole wrote a letter to Horace Mann (wonderfully dramatized in the film "The Mirror Has Two Horaces") in which he coined the word "serendipity". He also presumably suggested the idea for "frozen hot chocolate" and first conceived of "bad romantic comedies." He also (later) came up with the idea that "if you're not sure whether to put the period inside the quotation marks or not, make sure to have at least two instances where you need to do it and be inconsistent.". I think it's this last idea that has the most impact on my daily life.

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On this date in 1887, a snowstorm in Montana produced the largest snowflakes on record, with some as big as 15 inches across. I used to actually think that *all* snowflakes were that big (well, approximately 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches, minus the corners). I didn't realize that snowflakes were tiny, and was kind of disappointed when I found that out. I'm happy to know that somewhere, somewhen, snowflakes existed that could decapitate me. That's all I want from my precipitation. I don't think it's asking for much.

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I'm hoping that I'm able to actually work an entire work without succumbing to illness! Here's to hopiOW MY EVERYTHING!