Weight loss: #59609

[Katya]

I say that we all take chill pills

After a morning discussion amongst my roommates about the plural of "Book of Mormon," I almost told you that this should be "chills pill." Actually, I think I like that better.

um...wouldn't it be Books of Mormon? Book of Mormons makes y'all sound like a gaggle of geese or something.

There are arguments to support a number of pluralizations:

Linguistics arguments:

"Books of Mormon" is correct by virtue of pluralizing the head of the noun phrase

OR

"Book of Mormons" is correct by virtue of adding the pluralizing morpheme to the entire noun phrase. (I was always in camp #1 until I read a really interesting Language Log post that convinced me that there was a good argument for camp #2, although I think I'll always use #1, personally.)

Copyediting arguments:

"Copies of The Book of Mormon" is correct because it's bad style (in English) to alter the title of a book, so you have to go outside the phrase to pluralize it.

ps- since i seem to be easily amused/a missionary hunter, i'd like to derail the real topic for a minute to report i have seen FOUR young mormon men on bikes riding around my city in the last two days. i hope they have enough water, because it's really hot here. also, i know most people think their missions are super awesome, but i just don't see how a mission in my town would be.

That's the miracle of missionary work! More seriously, you can learn to love almost anyone when you're involved in helping and serving them, which is what missionary work is supposed to be about. That's why so many missionaries come home talking about how wonderful the people of Berlin, Germany / Guatemala City, Guatemala / Podunk Falls, ND are the BEST people in the WORLD!

[vorpal blade]

This is sort of embarrassing, guys, but as a recently retired writer and now reader, I'm not really sure if I'm supposed to be overreacting in a defensive or offensive way. Does anyone know the etiquette in this situation?

This reminds me of a story. A young marine was given guard duty at the main gate of a military base. He was given strict orders to allow absolutely no one onto the base without a proper gate pass. On his first day of guard duty the base commander's car drove up to the gate and the marine stopped the car, demanding to see the gate pass. From the back seat came the command of the general, "Drive on, driver!"

The marine again insisted that he had to see the gate pass. Once more, with some impatience, the general spoke louder, "Drive on!"

At this point the marine said, "Excuse me sir, I'm new at this job. Do I shoot you or the driver?"

[Wisteria]

um, Humble Master and Vorpal, you both just made me very happy. Thank you.

[vorpal blade]

[Don't tell Craig Jessop, but I think I read that story in the Reader's Digest.]

[Emiliana]

I think I saw Mormons in my town today, too! I'd seen them in the bigger cities before, but never out here.

[ahem.]

I think I saw Mormons in my town today, too! I'd seen them in the bigger cities before, but never out here.

You saw Mormons today? On one of the two Sundays a year when Mormons stay home in their pajamas and watch church on TV? That's quite impressive.

[Emiliana]

Um ... I thought so? Two young white guys in white shirts and black trousers and ties, anyway, which is a pretty unusual sight 'round these parts.

[vorpal blade]

It could be, especially if the don't get a live broadcast of Conference where Emiliana lives.

[Marduk]

Well, with the internets, you get a live broadcast anywhere in the world.

[thebigcheese]

But if the live broadcast happens in the middle of the night, you probably won't be watching it live.

[vorpal blade]

With the first broadcast starting at 10 AM in Utah, that would mean 7 PM where Emiliana lives. I doubt the missionaries have the Internet in their apartment, so they would have to find an Internet cafe or library open, and be able to sit and listen for a couple of hours without being asked to leave or something. I'm thinking the Internet is not much of an option for missionaries where Emiliana lives, unless there were members of the Church who would open their doors to the missionaries at that time of night. Anyway, until 7 PM they would easily be doing missionary work around the town or city--as thebigcheese implied.

[Sky Bones]

Conference weekend for us is next weekend. We're 15 hours ahead of Utah, so I'd really rather not watch live sessions of Conference at 1AM and 5AM. I prefer to sleep during those times. Just sayin'.

[Craig Jessop]

[Don't tell Craig Jessop, but I think I read that story in the Reader's Digest.]

ha.

[Dead Cat]

[Don't tell Craig Jessop, but I think I read that story in the Reader's Digest.]

ha.

Alright, who blabbed?

[Emiliana]

With the first broadcast starting at 10 AM in Utah, that would mean 7 PM where Emiliana lives. I doubt the missionaries have the Internet in their apartment, so they would have to find an Internet cafe or library open, and be able to sit and listen for a couple of hours without being asked to leave or something. I'm thinking the Internet is not much of an option for missionaries where Emiliana lives, unless there were members of the Church who would open their doors to the missionaries at that time of night. Anyway, until 7 PM they would easily be doing missionary work around the town or city--as thebigcheese implied.

When I saw them it was 2 in the afternoon, so the broadcasts wouldn't have started yet. I don't know that there are any public places open at 7pm on a Sunday with decent internet ... I don't know how these things usually go for LDS missionaries, but it's not too hard or expensive to get a slow internet connection to your house. And just in the last six months or so, we've been able to get high-speed! It's a beautiful thing, but again, I know LDS missionaries have different guidelines from us mainline protestant types.

[ahem.]

I don't know how these things usually go for LDS missionaries, but it's not too hard or expensive to get a slow internet connection to your house. And just in the last six months or so, we've been able to get high-speed! It's a beautiful thing, but again, I know LDS missionaries have different guidelines from us mainline protestant types.

Yeah, it wouldn't so much be the cost or difficulty of having internet connection established. It's more about it being unnecessary and probably a little bit scandalous for missionaries to have a computer with internet access in their apartment. There are many restrictions on activities they can participate in while on their missions and internet time is probably mainly restricted to emailing family. If I were a missionary, I know I would find the siren call of the internet very difficult to resist if there were a connected computer just lying around.

[Cognoscente]

People, people, I think we're all forgetting that we should all be VERY ANGRY RIGHT NOW.

Especially at people we give shout-outs to on podcasts that DON'T EVEN LISTEN TO THEM. CLAUDIO. I AM REFERRING TO YOU.

[NerdGirl]

Conference weekend for us is next weekend. We're 15 hours ahead of Utah, so I'd really rather not watch live sessions of Conference at 1AM and 5AM. I prefer to sleep during those times. Just sayin'.

So do they show the entire thing at your church building the next weekend? I've always wondered how that worked for people who are on the opposite side of the world.

[Sky Bones]

Yup, pretty much. This past Sunday was just a normal fast and testimony meeting. Next weekend they'll show all of the sessions at about the same times they're shown in Utah.

We just watch the sessions here on our laptop though so they don't have to scramble to find headsets for English. Our branch is really tiny after all, and we meet in a rented building (hence the reason we found an abandoned kitten in the storage closet yesterday during YW's). I do always look up which new temples are announced though. I just can't wait an entire week.

[thebigcheese]

I do always look up which new temples are announced though.

<shout out to my sister's mission>

YAY LISBON! IT'S ABOUT TIME!

</end shout out to sister's mission>