Misfit Gentleman Web Log

Quantities

2026-06-16T00:00:00Z

A = one
Couple = two
Few = three or four
Several = five, six or seven
Many = eight and above

Chitchat

2026-06-17T00:00:00Z

A discussion about notes recording sums owed.

Typographical Symbols of Note

2026-06-17T00:00:00Z

The manicule, ☞, is a typographical mark with the appearance of a hand with its index finger extended in a pointing gesture.

The silcrow, or section sign, (§) is a typographical symbol for referencing individually numbered sections of a document.

In typography, the pilcrow (¶) is a grapheme used to identify a paragraph.

A dagger, obelisk, or obelus † is a typographical mark that usually indicates a footnote if an asterisk has already been used.

A fleuron, ❦, also known as a printers' flower, is a typographical symbol, or glyph, used either as a punctuation mark or as an ornament for typographic compositions.

Drop Shadows

2026-06-18T00:00:00Z

Due to its importance in our lives, the sun is most often depicted in illustrations to the upper left — the most prominent placement possible. Therefore, drop shadows should reflect this by being placed to the lower right.

The Accident of My Birthday

2026-06-19T00:00:00Z

I was born, fortuitously, at one second past midnight on January the first in the year 1800. Thus, my age has always reflected the year. This was as true in the 19th century as it is in the current 21st century.

I bring this up because it may be a clue. For it was at one second past midnight on the day I turned 26 that I suddenly found myself exactly 200 years into the future.

I’m not sure what to make of it, but I am convinced that the marvelous new technologies of this era may aid me. This web log is an experimentation to that end.

Pippin

2026-06-20T00:00:00Z

I met Pippin at the Toronto Reference Library on Yonge Street. I go to this library on an almost daily basis because it allows me free access to the World Wide Web, where I do research and write new postings for my web log.

I felt an immediate connection with Pippin and, I’m certain, she felt the same towards me. We struck up an awkward conversation, maintained in spite of our shyness toward one another.

She was plain spoken and wore her red hair in pigtails. She had studious looking spectacles and a smattering of freckles on her nose. I was smitten.

Smitten, but soon disappointed. First of all, she already had a man in her life. And second, she was on a short term visit to Toronto, planning to return to her home in the countryside near Edmonton.

In my time Edmonton was known as Fort Edmonton, a fur trading post in a vast area controlled by the Hudson’s Bay Company called Rupert’s Land.

I myself am of rural origin, having grown up on a farm in southern Ontario.

I remain somewhat hopeful of a relationship of some kind with Pippin. She asked me to walk with her to the subway station, and our final parting seemed reluctant for both.

This was three months ago, and I have learned that she will be returning to Toronto in the coming days.