I realize I use a lot of footnotes in these missives I send out into the world. I started thinking about why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My writing, and the rules I follow for writing, is greatly influenced by my 8th<\/sup> grade Honors English teacher[1]<\/sup><\/a>. As I recall, and the details are fuzzy, I had to fight to get in to Honors English. Or maybe that was Honors Math. I remember I had to fight for one of them, and I was very competitive at that age[2]<\/sup><\/a>. It is from her that I learned about how to structure a paragraph and several rules I try to follow[3]<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, a paragraph should never be just one sentence long[4]<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What I remember is that parenthetical information should be consider information which is not necessary to convey the meaning of the sentence. I remember really liking the idea of footnotes, but at that time, adding footnotes was hard. You had to leave space when you were typing and figure out how much space you needed for your footnotes on that page. Complicated calculations. It also meant you needed to figure out what you were putting on the page prior to starting typing[5]<\/sup><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n End notes[6]<\/sup><\/a> were cool in their own way, but footnotes were the thing[7]<\/sup><\/a>. And I realize, I put these footnotes in my missives because I have more information that I want to convey but doesn\u2019t affect[8]<\/sup><\/a> the meaning of the sentence. It gives context, but the point is in the body. The joke, as it were, is often in the footnote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a completely unrelated topic: Wasps[9]<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In our neighborhood, for about 3 weeks, there has been a wasps\u2019 nest on a street sign. Now the hippy[10]<\/sup><\/a> in me knows that it is live and let live and that wasps probably serve some purpose in the world. But, as stated in footnote 10, I am not really a hippy, and I want that nest GONE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At first, I tried to catch a neighbor who lives in that HOA[11]<\/sup><\/a> and I finally did. When we showed her the nest, she said she was going to email the HOA right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That was about 17 days ago. The nest keeps growing and looking more ominous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The thing about wasps is the internet reports they will attack you. Their nests are scary. This one looks like a skull. I don\u2019t want a sting from a wasp. So, I keep giving the street sign a wide berth hoping to avoid the notice of the wretched flying menaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is very judgmental of me[12]<\/sup><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t actually regret the judgement. It seems, the past few months, we have had a reprieve from feeling unsafe. I guess I appreciate the wasps\u2019 nest being there in a way. It reminds me to be careful. It reminds me to be watchful. It reminds me that I can\u2019t control everything, and what I can control needs to be carefully measured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What does that have to do with footnotes? I report, you decide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [1]<\/sup><\/a> She ended up being my English teacher Senior Year too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [2]<\/sup><\/a> And at this age. Unlike my children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [3]<\/sup><\/a> Sometimes, I try to break them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [4]<\/sup><\/a> See what I did there?<\/p>\n\n\n\n [5]<\/sup><\/a> I do not miss typewriters over word processors. I just don\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [6]<\/sup><\/a> Amusingly, on this platform, footnotes and endnotes are the same thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [7]<\/sup><\/a> (I just never liked the look of parenthetical information.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n [8]<\/sup><\/a> I also realize I learned effect and affect incorrectly in 8th<\/sup> grade. That is on me, I am sure, but I always choose the wrong one when typing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [9]<\/sup><\/a> I knew I didn\u2019t have THAT much to say about footnotes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [10]<\/sup><\/a> I know y\u2019all think I am a hippy. I\u2019m really not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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