(no subject)

Thanks to my commercial law class, I have a new, totally irrational, fiery pet peeve: two spaces after a period.

My professor had a question/answer format for his class. So I would copy and paste the questions into my notes. He used two spaces after a period, which meant I had to go through every question removing the extra space-- I don't know why I didn't just do a replace all. Maybe it was to take up time during class. Either way, I saved maybe a couple pages thanks to removing those extra spaces (the class notes were 120 pages long, and I occasionally reclaimed a line from the questions).

Now when I see them, I hate them.

I never used to see them before, but now I do. I didn't even know it was possible to tell the difference from a quick glance, but it so is. One of my friends that I speak to... she does it. And I gnash my teeth in fury during our conversations because-- I don't even know why! It enrages me. That huge gap, like a yawning chasm, wasting precious space. I didn't realize how irrational and all-consuming this peeve is until that friend sent me a section of her book to beta, and I had to do a replace all of the extra spaces. When I send it back, I'll have to replace them (except now she's seen this post so it's not like I'm hiding anything). It's not something I see all the time, I just look at the IM box at a certain angle and there the spaces are, mocking me, taunting me for my inability to remove them. I'm like Lady Macbeth and the damned spot.

I know it's not important. It really doesn't matter, especially in online mediums where there is no paper to be wasted. I don't like people any less if they do it. Though it's now incorrect technically, the rational part of me says "it's habit, and it's acceptable. I won't give up my oxford comma, I won't make anyone give up their two spaces after periods." Yet it still drives me absolutely mental.

In sum: I don't understand myself sometimes, but I sure do hate two spaces after the period.