"I write so as not to be written."  Only eight words, yet they so fluently describe the root of life's discontent: a part in an obtuse play written for sitcom audiences and household pets.  No offense intended toward the pets.

I wish the dresses of the infernal period weren't so elaborate.
—G. K. Chesterton, The Secret of Father Brown

Pray take care that they always strike out that infernal dash which I myself have taken out five hundred times.
—a letter to William Henry Wills, his sub-editor

Following that anatomy of cloud commas link shouldn't be attempted before breakfast. I did it anyway, eventually arriving at a page titled VERTICAL MOTION - OMEGA EQUATION, where I found an "equation [that] is a presentation of the omega equation where the connection between the contributions to vertical motion and the characteristic cloud configurations can be discriminated."

I deny all allegations that I had anything to do with this so-called Omega Equation, just in case anyone decides to allege it.

"I believed that I wanted to be a poet, but deep down I wanted to be a poem."
—Enrique Vila-Matas, Bartleby & Co.

Wilfried Hou Je Bek recently asked us to transcribe this ape call. We used our own Do-Re-Midi system of text-based musical notation. The ape's call is rendered in 8/4 time (eight beats per measure) and lasts six measures. The ape's tones range from a low B to a high G (one octave plus six notes).  For an explanation of the melody line and tone durations, see the Do-Re-Midi specifications.

See a variety of fascinating transciptions in Wilfried's PDF of Wax Chimpatic.

Even though I have a fairly large vocabulary, I do not know many words which are one-letter words.  Ask me to identify three- and four-letter words, and I am at ease.  One letter?  The only common single letter words are "a" and "I"!  However, I was fortunate to hear about a book which could be my saving grace, One Letter Words--A Dictionary, by Craig Conley.  I felt my confidence begin to soar because with the help of this dictionary I should easily be able to count all one-letter words in any given word, or could I?  Being a bit of a skeptic, I tested my skill with the word "ait".  "I" and "a" are legitimate, but what about "t"?  Sure enough, Mr. Conley provides 58 instances in which "t" is used as a word.  As an example, "it suits you to a T" uses "t" as a word.  Hallelujah!  But "ait" is a fairly simple word.  What about "Mozambique"?  I feel a time-consuming project ahead.  Actually, the dictionary is foolproof.  There are thirty-five examples using the word "z" and even twenty-seven examples of the word "q".

Despite its undeniable appeal to New Age audiences, Conley's (One-Letter Words) book of more than 700 words and phrases is just as relevant to the linguist and language enthusiast as it is to Occult followers. A vividly written introduction includes contemplations on ritual and pronunciation, and each multi-paragraph entry explains meanings, origins, and literary references. Like an academic work, the text is liberally footnoted, citing pop culture, literary, or Internet uses of the word or phrase—although it occasionally omits significant references. Recommended for pop culture, New Age, and language libraries.

I believe congratulations are in order!  So many positive reviews . . . but then, that's as it should be.

"When life hands you lemons ... say, 'Excuse me.  I asked for limes.'"
—Jonathan Caws-Elwitt

The letters, those atoms of writing's structure, appeal to us through their shapes, their familiarity, and the tiny strands of meaning they contain. We love them beyond their ability to be loved, because in the end they are everything. Without the letters, we could not write a single word, without words no sentence, without sentences no paragraphs, and finally no books.

The letter is all we need, and all the night permits us.