The Art of Dashes

I love Dashes. I am not an English major--though I could have been--and I consider myself a defunct Historian (History being my minor.) That said I do not know the proper usage of the dash off the top of my head but being a voracious reader, I have seen the dash used, working hard, and getting results. The comma, I like, it is a symbol of breathing; it tells the reader that yes you can pause and take a breath and slightly collect your thoughts. But it does not compare to my love of the dash which stems back to my days when I was a theater major. (I was and still am dramatic.)
We learned in Theater that a dash mostly signifies a cutting off of someone‘s--usually abruptly-- speech either by another person, a prop (ex. Telephone), or a loud noise coming from the wings.
Ex.
ABI: I love Andrew, but he doesn’t know I use to be a les-
ANDREW: Abi who are you talking to?
ABI: No one honey.
It was here in the Theater classes, taught by the great Gail Johnson--who I regret losing contact with--that I learned more about life and how to function in any environment. (I learned a hell of a lot from Mrs. Emily Smith about history and European History and gained a love of history from her enthusiasm of the subject.) That is why Dr. Stone1 is my favorite teacher at Armstrong. She is tough but fair, she is also is a site to watch and can teach anyone on how to entertain students while challenging them and keeping their interest. I wish I had been a better student but she did teach me a lot.
But back to my love of dashes. Dashes are the true pauses in writing not commas. Again I feel that commas only tell the reader to breath, dashes tell the reader to think. I am going to write more about the Dash and my love of it but I do have to get to work.

# Oddly enough Dr. Stone abhors the Dash and said so in a lecture. She was concerned that many of the history students were using the Dash too frequently. I was too intimidated to tell her that I love the Dash.

July is My Birthday Month

I have mixed feelings about July. This is my birthday month, a time of year that to me is weighted with possibilities, new beginnings, and melancholy reflections of past regrets and challenges met. For many January 1st is the day of the new year but for me July 23rd has and will always be the beginning of the new year for me. And with a new year comes new resolutions. I am not going to share my resolutions on this blog because I do not see this as a private space (even though not a lot of people read this blog.)
I will say this, to my friends and family who know me, I refuse to SLIDE this year into that funk that permeates from me and brings everyone else down and if you do find me SLIDing, then I give permission, to those who know, to call me on it. As the final days of my 27th year end I know that I can at least look back on the time spent knowing that I was at least true and honest in who I was and what I did (no matter how psychotic or delusional I got.)- love Chris (ever the fan of parentheses and dashes.)