Oy. This is why my first wife, while working on her thesis, used to shout at the computer screen, “I hate verbs!”

You are right about how journals are nouns and not verbs, but journalling feels like a different process from writing. Writing is something outward. Journalling is something inward. Perhaps I write so much that I need to change gears when I write in my journal. And yes, I have volumes of completed journals and don’t read Oprah. All my journals say the same thing. Whine whine whine. But the world is a better place because I whine in private, which might also be why journalling is different from writing. In deference to you, I will try to keep my verbing to my journaling, which I can’t tell you has one “l” or two because it’s not really a word.

Now, if you want to get me where I’m sensitive, that’s “effect” and “affect.” I keep a paragraph from the NYT Stylebook as my guide on this, and I still use the words with great caution and trepidation.

I read somewhere that some components of grammar are hard-wired. Or maybe I heard it on the radio. While I’m arrogant enough to think that most of the grammar rules I break are done with full knowledge and artistic license, I know I’m done for with effect and affect. I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve even verbed “impact” as an alternative. (Widely done in P.R. circles is my only excuse.)

I’ve enjoyed your posts on word use/misuse. Will try not to journal on them, though.