You may have noticed.
You may even be planning an intervention.
When I look back through my blog, emails, correspondence and even my thoughts, I take note that I am obsessed with the “dot, dot, dot”.
They are so cute, round and multiple. They are a perfect circle design element repeated three times. They are so dramatic in their effect. They are thought inducing, subtracting and multiplying. They are compact and can be taken almost anywhere. Oh, how I love the …. (the fourth one there is the actual period at the end of that sentence which I probably should have replaced with an exclamation point…((see how great that pause is there?)))
Which brings me to admit that this isn’t the first time I have been in love with punctuation…(stop me, now)…
My first crush was with the exclamation point!
I am perky by nature so the exclamation point and I really hit it off. Oh, how I could just bring any sentence more umph, visibility, and sass by just adding one of those!
It was easy! It was effortless! It was a trap…
…because too much of a good thing depletes its value. I was over-exclaiming!
Suddenly all those really important points were lost with all the other really important points.
I just had to start saying “no” to the exclamation point. I couldn’t go cold turkey. I couldn’t avoid my first love completely. I have had to go on punctuation limitation.
I have self-imposed a one exclamation point rule. Only one per event. Only one saved for the most important point thoughtfully and lovingly placed.
Oh, I have flirted with the ALL CAPS and the bold. I have even been known to use the –, or in extreme cases the italics. But for now, it will be the dot, dot, dot until…
I get help.
PS: A special thanks to JCK, Meg, Madge, Burgh Baby, Rachael and Amy who may have suffered through that post twice. It originally appeared 12-7-07.
So I saw your name pop up on Jen’s blog, Music Mommy, so I had to jump on over here and take a peek. I was laughing so hard at this post. I love the “…” myself. I could totally empathize.
BTW…thought that was beyond cool that you two ran into each other at the aquarium.
Leti
Um. I don’t think it would be out of line to suggest a support group for those of us who abuse the ellipses. Really . . . I don’t.
I am addicted to the … too! I kind of thought I invented it. what the heck.
I’m addicted to the f word.
Gah, me too. I love th “…” Sometimes I even throw 2 extra ones in there to make sure they’re seen. I’m also hooked on question marks. But I’m working on that one.
LOL – yes dot… dot…dot… rules OKAY …
that’s why I love you too I am a fellow addict…
We are soul sisters…
…dot dot dot rules…
No suffering here. Although you and I…well, we started Punctuation for Perkies Anonymous.
I accepted that I am POWERLESS!!!!…over punctuation and perkiness…
I would be lost without it…
I share your addictions–the ellipse, the hyphen, the exclamation point. I must also include the semi-colon in my addiction arena; why, oh why do other people ignore you, semi-colon?!
I am totally with you! I often think people who read my blog must get tired of all the… yet,I continue, because some how it seems to capture the way I talk. I do often end sentances without really finishing them just simply… I feel as though there should be some sort of musical accompanyment like “dont dont dont” or “bumb bumb bumb”. Yes, therapy could be needed.