Interrobang?!

Are you serious?!
He did what!?

A little over five years ago I started getting e-mails from http://www.merriam-webster.com/ . It wasn't spam, I actually signed up for them. My Senior Pastor, Dr. Larry D. Robertson told me that he got them and not wanting to be behind or outdone :-) I decided I should get them too.

Each day Merriam or Webster or someone who works for them, I suppose, sends me a word with it's definition, pronunciation and then a section called "Did you know?" (which is my favorite part) which tells about where the word came from (usually Latin or Greek).

Well, today's word was "interrobang." Really?!
Long story short, it is a punctuation mark that was made up in the 60s. Ha! Of course it was. It's a combination of an interrogative/interrogation mark (a question mark - ?) and an exclamation mark ! which printers call a "bang."

Here's a picture of one.

Here are some other variations.

So why am I bothering telling you such things? Well, first off, maybe I've inspired you to subscribe to http://www.merriam-webster.com/ word of the day. Click the link and sign up there. A mind is a terrible thing to waste and it will get squishy and lazy if you don't use it.

But actually I'm thinking of starting a campaign with Dell and other computer keyboard makers to include the interrobang on keyboards. We need them ALL of the time.

For instance:
"The Tree" is when and we're missing how many Wednesday nights between now and then?!
New York City schools can give birth control and "morning after" pills to 4th graders without their parents knowing?!
The crazy President of Iran is addressing the United Nations and will once again call for the elimination/destruction of Israel on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish year!?
Gas is how much?! Even at Walmart!?

I'll be the first to admit that some of the sentences above are much more serious than others, but in each case an interrobang fits wonderfully. Perhaps with comments on this post you can add some good sentences that need interrobangs for punctuation.

More importantly, we each should seek ways we can correct the above sentences. I've worked on the first one by adding Sunday rehearsals (see an earlier post Tree Rehearsal Schedule)

What interrobang is God asking YOU to address? Who, me?! Yes! You!

That's Greek to Me

I wanted to post this today, 09-09-09, at 9:09... didn't make it. But it is an interesting date.

Each day I get an e-mail from Merriam-Webster OnLine - the word of the day.
I get this so I can try to keep up with Bro. Larry.

Today's word was "ennead."
Meaning
: a group of nine

Surely Bro. Larry won't use "ennead" in a sermon. Really! Who would ever use it? Here is the example sentence from MW.

Example Sentence
Immediately following the show, viewers will be able to call or text in their votes for their favorite among this ennead of remaining contestants.

Can you hear Ryan Seacrest saying that sentence on American Idol? I don't think so.

Picture this: Sunday morning, introduction of Psalm 113 as the passage for the day. Bro. Larry says, "the ennead verses is Psalm 113 speak of the majesty of God and of His willingness to condescend to us to help the poor and needy."

Ennead comes to us from the Greek. I think they should have kept it.

Hahaha! I try to always remember to hi spell check before I post to my blog. Ennead showed up as a misspelled word. Hmmm.