asinpterodactyl, I think you will especially enjoy this given that you were also in my Linguistics class, but anyone who likes things such as Bill Bryson's
Mother Tongue might very well enjoy a lovely book called
Language Visible, by David Sacks. It's the history of each of the twenty-six letters in the English alphabet. It contains such information as why we have two versions of lowercase "a" and "g" (and also where the terms "uppercase" and "lowercase" come from), why we have "c" and "q" when just "k," "s," and "kw" could perform all of the same functions with less confusion (hint: blame the Etruscans, and then the Norman French), and all kinds of other fun facts.
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In other news, I put the finishing touches on glaze for my new dresser today. (My old one has enough room for a kindergartener to comfortably store stuff. To say I've outgrown it would be understating the case.) It has a white undercoat with a greyish-blue glaze over it which, when applied with a rag, makes an attractive "weathered" look. The glaze recommends that you wait a week, then put a protective finish on it, so we'll do that, then put some
pretty porcelain knobs on it. I've wanted a piece of furniture like this for
years, and now I finally have it. Woo!