In an article in the latest issue of National Review, Michael Potemra reviews a new collection of essays, etc... from Christopher Hitchens. I'd like to get it eventually. Anyway, he relates a little joke Hitchens includes in the book.

"And from this book, an anecdote in which an Irishman is seeking work at an English construction site. A surly English supervisor rebukes him: 'You don’t look to me as if you know the difference between a girder and a joist.' To which the Irishman indignantly responds: 'I do, too. The first of them wrote Faust and the second one wrote Ulysses.'"

As part of this capstone project for my masters program, this program I'll do will be a Java GUI interface, which I haven't done before. All my Java stuff has been backend stuff. So, that's something new I gotta learn, and am starting my reading on that.

Paul pointed out that on his website, Stephen Donaldson (one of my favorite writers) made the following comment.

"I've already discussed vocabulary earlier in this interview. But the short answer is: yes, I used exotic and unfamiliar words deliberately (in an attempt to make the Land feel "real" through sheer language); and I acquired my vocabulary by making word-lists when I read other people's books."

Hmm, I see once again I'm not original. That is something I like to do, too, in my writing, and I make note of interesting words I come across.