(... speaking of different attention spans, here's an excellent article from the current Atlantic Monthly magazine, entitled "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" More and more studies show, too, that we really don't 'multitask'--we just juggle back and forth rapidly from one 'monotask' to another, thereby decreasing our effectiveness...sometimes with dangerous results, e.g., accidents caused by drivers who are texting!Tucson children return to school next Monday. Ahh, the joys and the adolescent angst of scheduling: 
And the parlance of youth...The many meanings of 'dude,' for example...Who said English wasn't a tonal language, eh?
And a ghastly pun, but as a French-teacher, I find it irresistible:
As irritating as some things about Tucson might be, how many cities in the country can claim a location sandwiched between national parkland, with mountains all around? There are, indeed, worse places to be... ======================================================
Random jump, now...While in Montréal a few weeks ago, I came across this public health sign, and as a foreign-language teacher, my eyes are always judging the pedagogical usefulness/'interestingness' of graphics:
Now, I am all for hand-washing...but I've never seen such a detailed 'instruction manual.' (Have you? Even if you don't read French, the exhaustiveness of this poster--'rub palm to palm, fingers interlaced'--is stunning, non?) Oh là là, the municipal authorities of Montréal really want clean hands in their populace.
...Finally, at a restaurant, while S. and I were having coffee, we were amused by this little packet, evidence of the occasional absurd translation that results from the federally-mandated bilingualness of Canada:
No, I wouldn't like a creamer for my coffee--but a milker would be dreamy...Merci!
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