People have all sorts of self-editing tactics—reading out loud, triple-checking not to use the passive voice—so I'll add one to the mix. If you're writing an e-mail or other business missive and feel like it's leaning too heavily on corporate jargon, try running it through the creepy Chiller font.
Next time you write something, look back at it after 24 hours. Try to change any Latinisms to simpler, more Germanic words. (Change ‘fortunate’ to ‘lucky’, for example). Try to change passive verbs to active (‘we threw the rock’ vs ‘the rock was thrown’). If the word or phrase would be used in a corporate setting, get rid of it (‘in terms of’, ‘circle back’, ‘action items’ can be changed to ‘about’/’regarding’, ‘come back to this’, ‘things to do’ etc. Hope this stuff isn’t too obvious and is perhaps a little helpful.
One of my side gigs. It forces a perversely close reading of a text and I’m always gaining new insights on language and writing as well as fun little tidbits that I come across while fact-checking.
I always liked hiking but never truly 'got' it. Then I went to the Southwest and zen'd out on some desert-y trails (Seven Falls in Tucson for those keeping track at home). Here, during January, you can experience every season in the span of an hour while observing roadrunners in their natural habitat. It's eerily silent and, when it's all said and done, you're hungry enough to eat 10 plates of enchiladas.
There was a time when dessert innovations just made sense (Dippin' Dots be damned). Some people view frozen custard as ice cream's plain midwestern cousin, but it packs a real punch—dense and rich with a heavy mouthfeel, it's an ultra-dairy antidote for the alt milk era. You can even turn it upside down without consequence.
