Update!

I'm participating in NaNoWriMo! Check out my profile page.

On Words

British comedian/mad genius Steven Fry has given me a lot to think about.

I am uppity about language, passionate about words. I hold a degree in being pretentious about English — a degree! I am one of those people you see rolling their eyes at the misuse of apostrophes and misspellings on fast food message boards. When Steven Fry talks about elitist, pretentious holders of words, who maintain a monopoly on language, he's talking about me. Me, and people like me.

So I feel guilty. Because he's right.

Who am I to hold the words? Why am I more qualified to use them than you are, than she is, than he is? Don't words belong to everyone, in equal parts? Is not language the sum of everyone's thoughts, feelings, emotions, innovations, bright ideas, professions of love and hate and apathy?

Honestly, who am I to keep all of these words to myself? Sure, I know the rules. I know why this comma goes here and this semi-colon goes there. I know what an Oxford comma is, that you shouldn't split your verb phrases, and that over (or under) is volume and more than (or fewer than) is quantity. But why, I ask again, does this entitle me, and people like me, to keep words for ourselves?

What happened to freedom and experimentation? Who is pushing the boundaries now in language, in writing, in storytelling? How many more hypothetical questions can I pose before I drive myself insane, get in the car, and careen off the nearest cliff?

One more, is the answer. Exactly one more hypothetical question.

Why don't more people love words?

If it's my fault, I'm sorry. 

Let's Play Dragon Age: Origins - Episode 5 - Meet the Darkspawn

In this fifth installment of my Let's Play series on Dragon Age: Origins for PC, my dwarf and his Grey Warden compatriots encounter the darkspawn for the first time.

Dragon Age: Origins is owned by Electronic Arts and developed by BioWare. This video is intended for entertainment purposes.

Let's Play Dragon Age: Origins - Episode 4 - Taking Down Beraht

Apologies for the low audio in this one. It will be fixed in the next episode!

In this installment of my Let's Play series on Dragon Age: Origins for PC, my dwarf finally gets an opportunity to take down his boss, Beraht, and goes topside with the Grey Wardens!

Dragon Age: Origins is owned by Electronic Arts and developed by BioWare. This video is intended for entertainment purposes.

Let's Play Dragon Age: Origins - Episode 3 - Spilling Blood on Stone

Apologies for the low audio on this one. The third episode of my Let's Play series on Dragon Age: Origins for PC. In this installment, my dwarf enters combat in the dwarven arena, and is taken into custody for defiling the contest!

Dragon Age: Origins is owned by Electronic Arts and developed by BioWare. This video is intended for entertainment purposes.

Let's Play Dragon Age: Origins - Episode 2 - Finding Oskias

The second episode of my Let's Play series on Dragon Age: Origins for PC. In this video, my new dwarf goes out into the world, struggles with the camera, and seeks out Oskias.

Dragon Age: Origins is owned by Electronic Arts and developed by BioWare. This video is intended for entertainment purposes.

UPDATE: I've solved the camera issue. I promise there will be exactly zero seconds of complaining about the camera in the next episode.

Let's Play Dragon Age: Origins - Episode 1 - A Hero in the Making

The first episode of my Let's Play series on Dragon Age: Origins. In this video, I create my character, choose his skills, and set off on an epic adventure.

Dragon Age: Origins is owned by Electronic Arts and developed by BioWare. This video is intended for entertainment purposes.