On Sharon Cycling Series will start this summer

Posted on May 3 at 11:14 a.m. ( Suggest removal )

The Sharon Cycling Series will be a series of marked routes that cyclists can use at anytime. At some point, there may be races or formal rides held on the routes, but they're really designed for ordinary, everyday cyclists to use.
The kick-off will be in June sometime, but I plan to try them out before then!
Cathy Idzerda, Gazette reporter.

On What are UW-Rock’s advantages, disadvantages?

Posted on February 17 at 5:01 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

Advantages: George Jones, Kim Koska, David McKay, Bob McCallister, Autumn Beringer, Jeff Suarez, Casey Thayer (and the rest of the English Dept), Pat Thom, Kristina Weisberger Julie Janiak....
All great teachers and advisors.

On Good scary movies don’t need blood, guts

Posted on February 14 at 5:34 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

I've developed a mild contempt for movies that depend on blood and guts for a scare. Scary, for me, is about suspense. "The Shinning," (yes it has a little bit of blood in it) is frightening from the start, and it just gets worse and worse. By the time the chase through the hedge-maze, the viewer doesn't know if they should hide under the couch clutching their cell phone or lock the doors and load the shotgun.

"White Heat" is not in the traditional horror category, but James Cagney is seriously creepy in the lead role. Note to Ma Cagney: Cut the apron strings, honey. It will be better for the boy in the long run.

On Social acceptance leads to more open same-sex couples

Posted on August 5 at 8:06 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

These are clearly the bravest women in Janesville--or any other place in Rock County. They had to know that their appearance in the paper/on the website would cause people comment about their lifestyles, and even say nasty things about them. But they agreed to be in the story anyway.

We try pretty hard to take those nasty comments down quickly.

Of course, it's a lot easier to say nasty things when you're anonymous, and don't have your name and face on the website.

Snarkily yours,

Catherine W. Idzerda, Gazette reporter,

On Hope, solo

Posted on July 13 at 4:38 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

Not to break up the thread or anything...but could we have a blog on words we hate?

For example, the word "monetize" makes me want to throw myself from a bridge.

The word "tasked" should also be eliminated from the English language. I think I heard a certain reporter use it the other day in a conversation: "I've been tasked by my editor to...."

On the subject of the thread, Dezerta used to be a diet jello.
I devoutly hope that no one feels that diet jello is a good representation of my work or personality.

C W. Idzerda.

On Catch a famous baseball, get call from IRS

Posted on July 13 at 3:59 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

This is why I never caught the hard grounders in middle school softball.

First, because you never know when one of those softballs is going to take a weird bounce and smack you in the melon.

Second, the IRS might have taxed me for the post game ice cream cone.

The only reason they kept me on the team was my ability to whack them into right field, out to the *other* team's fearful right fielder.

On Snaggletoothed nomenclature

Posted on June 22 at 2:59 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

My favorite: Dog vomit slime mold (also known as scrambled egg slime mold.
Officially known as "fuligo septica."

wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuligo_septica

On Word coinage

Posted on June 20 at 12:16 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

I'm not sure about blunch.
On the positive side, it captures the way we live and work now: We're expected to do achieve more stuff (whether at home or at work) in less time, and so activities often need to be combined. I love to read, but don't have the long stretches of time devoted to it, so I depend on audiobooks.

So I think it's a good idea. However, I think we might need a more general term that means "combining two duties at once because we're such a rush."

On Word coinage

Posted on June 20 at 12:10 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

OK, not to hijack the thread or anything, but.....

Frank and word fans: Last week in a a story I wrote that a bike commuting doc was out from the "brisk days of spring to the brusque days of autumn."

"Brusque" means abrupt, rough or blunt. I thought autumn was just like that. The editor made me change it. Frank and word fans, what do you think?
Cathy "the world revolves around my word-related issues" Idzerda

On Janesville student finishes second in state spelling bee

Posted on March 27 at 2:51 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

Go Rose! Good luck with your art work!