a problem

So, I was reading through Vinyl Online's (because this blog is now Vinyl Online, as if we had more than a quarter of a print issue) stats and discovered a couple of troublesome things.

ONE -- I haven't actually posted something marked as "current events" in ages.

TWO -- Nobody ever lists as having viewed my posts. Sadface.

This, from where I stand, can be attributed to one of two things:

ONE -- When I post, it is either something very short or something veeeeeery long.

TWO -- I am not a terribly interesting person, on the whole--at least, not for more than a few lines. (This may also be why I don't get replies back to texts half the time--you know who you are.)

To remedy at least one of these, I present to you all... a moderate-length post about something that happened moderately recently.

--

In case you have been living under a rock, "LOL" was introduced to the Oxford English Dictionary just recently. This has brought about lengthy reviews in the BBC and New York Times (among others, I'm sure, but I've only read it in those two), as well as throughout the general public.

If I was reporting on this, I would be running around shoving a voice recorder into people's faces and going "SO HOW DOES LOL MAKE YOU FEEL?"

Except... I'd rather just continue sitting on my arse, thanks very much.

So instead I'll just make ranting comments about other people's comments as I read this fantastic and entertaining BBC article about LOL.

LOL-ternatives

• :D (smileys)

Simple and clear but may appear childish. Are you a Comic Sans fan?

• ROFL, LMAO, BWL

Even more annoying than LOL.

• !!!

One is fine, three reeks of desperation: 'Look!!! I made a joke!!!' Yes, we noticed.

• Haha, Hehehe, Arf arf

The safe option. Effective but not very imaginative. Were you really laughing?

• Hilarious! How funny!

You are living in the dark ages.

What is this I don't even, BBC. I love you.

Funny thing, none of these are credited as being good alternatives to the accursed abbreviation (not an initialism, as people do pronounce it).

Which must be wrong, as there are only two people I know all that well who blatantly, without irony say "lol". (Funny thing, both of them are guys. Heh. And they all say it's such a tween girl thing to do...)

But many mistake "LOL" for "lots of love", leading to some unintended "LOLs", such as the infamous tale of the mother who wrote: "Your grandmother has just passed away. LOL."

Derp derp derp fail. Seriously, who makes that mistake anymore. On second thought, don't tell me.

Finally, there is a third person, who I will not even quote because it is unworthy. This person stated on a Facebook page that one cannot say "lol" while laughing.

My friends, anyone who has met Luxy knows this to be untrue. I have seen it with my own eyes.

And now, I leave you with two things--

ONE -- A question: Your opinion on "LOL"?
TWO -- The dictionary entry itself, as reported by the BBC:

OED definition

LOL (ɛləʊˈɛl/lɒl) colloq.

A. int. Originally and chiefly in the language of electronic communications: 'ha ha!'; used to draw attention to a joke or humorous statement, or to express amusement.

B. n. An instance of the written interjection 'LOL'.