Brian On _______

God bless the Electric Company.

In case you weren't aware, today is National Punctuation Day!

How are we, the "Punctuation Faithful," supposed to properly observe NPD? Here is a list of suggestions by NPD founder Jeff Rubin:

• Read a newspaper and circle all the punctuation errors you find (or think you find but aren't sure) with a red pen.
• Take a leisurely stroll, playing close attention to store signs with incorrectly punctuated words.
• Stop in those stores to [politely] correct the owners.
• If the owners are not there, leave [properly punctuated] notes.
• Visit a bookstore and purchase a copy of Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style.
• Congratulate yourself on becoming a better written communicator.
• Write an error-free letter to a friend.
• Take a nap. It has been a long day.

I've celebrated NDP so far by using six different marks in this post. Oops, it looks like I'm up to seven; I almost forgot the apostrophe. Dang it, eight. Wait... do parentheses count as one or two? I'll say one. The same goes for brackets thus bringing my total to 10 – no wait, 12 – counting that ellipsis. Sigh. the M-dash makes 13. How will you celebrate? If you're stumped, you might try the Punctuation Rap (you can listen to the rap by clicking on the link on the right side of the page). But only if you're desperate. You have been warned.

Here's my first round of solutions:

1. The Dippers


2. The Johns (as in John the Baptist, not toilets or men who hire prostitutes)


3. The Spires (after the distictive spire on campus.)


4. The Saints


5. The Boll Weevils

Hmmph. I actually think I like The Spires.