underattacker – panicstarterdesigner, programmer, lover.

sometime during junior high, i was writing this extensive research paper – one of my first ones – and was plagued with this very predicament. the only solution is to become an active writer. by active, i mean to engage your mind as an editor. proofreading should be your best friend. the more you write, the more this act becomes second nature.

the most important rule i can relay to you when writing formally (essays, research papers, opinions, etc.) is to use present tense. use past when talking about events that already occurred and future for soon-to-be occurring events. unless the tense is predetermined, present is your best bet. second most important rule to remain consistent is to change tense only when time is indicated.

consistency requires you to be able to differentiate between the different types of tenses: simple, perfect (have/has/had), progressive (is/as/were/was/-ing). when writing, be aware of the verbs and make sure they are in agreement.

special rules apply to this as well. go figure. if you are writing in a certain tense, unless time is indicated, you can deviate when quoting material in which case you are to keep their original tense.

tense can also change when needed for clarity. say you are writing a review on a book in present tense. in reference to a certain detail, you delve into specifics using past tense upon recollection of different time periods.

there is the right way to PDA and there is the wrong way. just as there are understood rules for courtesy purposes, i highly believe that the understood should cross over to the interweb. isn’t there this one person in your collective memory that pretty much embodies singlehood? but then one day … BAM … they miraculously capture a significant other and spam all social networking sites – facebook, myspace, twitter – of their newfound love via updates, pictures, conversations, etc? reading some of it, albeit amusing, often triggers a quick gagging reflex. when will i become immune to such things? for both our sakes, i hope soon! the thing is, i don’t see the need to broadcast your intimate life on such a public medium. here’s a novel idea – rather than type out your love, why not show it? and not in the typical PDA fashion, either.

sd deep striker, garage kit. garage kits > retail kits.

so while doing this one, i figured out a story. rufus lives in a world that was overrun by munsters (hah get it?). the majority of the world’s population was infected and transformed into these munsters. there are only a few kids left that are somehow immune to this virus, but they are not immune to being eaten alive. so they formed a gang called “the leftover gang”. each one wears their own homemade “munster” costume to blend in with the rest of the crowd so that they don’t get eaten alive. each gang member is numbered in the front to signify their rank as well as their affiliation with “the leftover gang”. as long as they wear these costumes, the munsters leave them alone. most of the gang members carry around a sunflower in remembrance of their deceased leader who was transformed into a grass-covered munster with a sunflower sprouted from his head.

bodily training is beneficial for a little; but godly devotion is beneficial for all things.