I signed up for goodreads.com tonight because of a tweet from UChicagoMag alerting me to a giveaway of my former Hyde Park neighbor Sara Paretsky‘s new V.I. Warshawski novel (I love V.I., and not just because of my not-so-secret crush on Kathleen Turner). Registration went all right, but I keep getting error screens when I try to add a book or look something up. Too bad, because it looks like an interesting site.
Also, I’m trying to break myself of the habit of double-spacing after a period. I learned to type on a manual typewriter back in the stone age, and that was the convention then, but I’ve been hearing rumors that the kids today only use one space. Although I was skeptical, and have held fast to my antediluvian ways, Grammar Girl recently set me straight, and now I have no excuse. So if you see me double-spacing here, please feel free to slap me in the comments.
The Unfocused Life 
What? Only one space? When did this happen? And why wasn’t I informed?
See, you need to listen to Grammar Girl.
Update: I successfully registered for the contest, and goodreads appears to be unfrozen. I checked my entire gmail contact list and found only 3 people I know, which seems unlikely, and leaves me feeling empty and alone. So if you’re on goodreads, feel free to send me an invite – my username is UnfocusedMe.
I’m on under my favorite pseudonym. I just friended you. And get freshhell to friend you on our after seuss account. That’s our kids book list. And I do need to listen to grammar girl. But I’ve been typing for thirty years and that double space is not going to be so easy to eliminate.
Done and done. GR usually works fine – you might have hit a bad time. And I’ve always been on the side of the double space but now I can’t remember whether I do it or not any more when writing. Frankly, if that’s all someone has to worry about, get a life. I’ll double space if I want to! Spelling and grammar is higher up the list.
Thanks. Of course, now I actually have to read something interesting.
Not necessarily. It’s just that we’ll all know about it. On second thought, yeah, amuse me with your interesting reading!
I double space too.
Frankly, I think the whole single or double spaced debate is ridiculous. There must be more important things to worry about…
I also double space after colons…have been trying to break both habits.
I love Goodreads. You should totally add me.
I’ll add you, Benjamin, but as of right now I have four friends there and I’m already intimidated by the updates, so it’s on your head if you push me over the edge.
I refuse to change my ways. There have always been two spaces after a period and it shall remain that way. How many of you still wear string ties, narrow square knits or wiiiide 70’s specials. Style does not change, period (and two spaces).
Yeah, I’m still fumbling my way into GR myself: I think my problem with it is it’s just one site too many, and I’m on internet-overload mode again.
I’ve always single-spaced, but I’m with Tasha: it seems like a silly argument to me.
Well, of course it’s a little silly – debates over the fine points of grammar always are. But if I’m going to submit to editors, I might as well get the format right and make it easy for them.
And Beta, your bolo tie and cowboy hat are always in style.