Why Commas Are Important

Leave it to Justin to start my day out with a chuckle.  

Justin was the student back in the day (more than 20 years ago) when my sophomore honors classes were interviewing and writing biographies about locals who had lived in the community for a number of decades.

Their finished products appear in the first edition of the local history book Beautiful Bonner, and I'm still very proud of the work they did. 

Anyway, as I droned on that particular day about approaches to their interviews and expectations, Justin raised his hand and kept it up. 

My droning continued as his hand emphatically pointed toward the ceiling in Room 4 at SHS. I tried to ignore that hand and finish what I had started.

Finally, I gave in when it was apparent Justin wasn't gonna give in. 

"Yes, Justin," I said with a tone of impatience. 

Justin began by telling me he had a problem.  He had gone to visit his interviewee the night before, and "I found out she died." 

"Yes, you do have a problem," I said.  Justin eventually wrote a biography about my dad. 

Well, Justin has always shown a keen interest in language, which makes an English teacher proud. 

"One of the best I've ever seen," his Facebook post stated this morning.   

That incident with Justin long ago hatched a healthy respect in tune with "When Justin talks, people listen."  

"Yes, Justin, that is a good one, maybe one of the best ever, and certainly one I can appreciate. 

The featured window showed several symptoms which doctors are likely to encounter, and one was circled in red.

"Unable to eat diarrhea."  

Yes, Justin, a comma is in order.  Once again, you've earned my respect and supreme confidence that you've got the language "under control." 

Speaking of biographies, I received a note from Coeur d'Alene photographer Barbara Mueller yesterday.  

She is working on an oral history project dealing with Farragut Naval Training Station during World War II.  She had read my 1998 story about Farragut in Sandpoint Magazine and asked if I could provide her the sources I had used.

Sadly, I, like Justin, had to tell her that all the sources I interviewed had passed away.  I assured her, however, that I would ask around to see if any are still alive and wanting to tell their stories.

So, consider this a call-out.  If you're a reader who knows someone, still alive and clear of mind, who trained or worked at Farragut during the war, send me a note at potatohead89@hotmail.com.  I'll pass along the information to Barbara for this very worthy and important project. 

And, with that, happy Friday, and, yes, it is.  The ZAGS were back last night at Pepperdine, back to playing ZAGS-style basketball which we all so love.

It was a very good day!