GHOST WRITER for the Spook Who writes this blog.

Hi friends and followers of PJ Monoblogs. I'm known as "Raker." Since our 'Roving Riter' is roving over the roads on a several-day trip to Texas, I will be Guest-Blogger until he comes back. So you could say I will be filling in for him while he fills himself in with "road food." Not the cheaper kind he finds (or causes) lying on the road, but the kind you buy from "America's Roadside Diners." If I know him, and I have for years, he will resume his lifelong quest for the elusive rarity of "An Unhealthful Food He Doesn't Love."

I prepared myself for this (unpaid) job by studying the comments he gets. I also linked to many of the blogs the commentators produce. Nice to find not only good sense but good senses of humor mixed in. Plus so many followers of this show themselves to be members of what WCC gets accused of: “WORDSMITHERY." And you count whether a creator or an appreciator of "writing that leaps and cavorts like a cage of demented, mischievous monkeys." Not always enlightening to read, won't earn you a college degree or a CEO job, but at least keeps you from falling asleep. Heck, I haven't been able to sleep ever since I started reading these PJ Monoblogs! (Or sometimes even EAT.) The PJM Diet?

Though this post is mainly to introduce myself and try to put you at ease that "HE SHALL RETURN, and SOON," I would feel remiss without leaving you with something of value. So I will mention some ideas or links that I've found handy or helpful. Or, if well-financed and actually put to use, will positively SAVE THE WORLD and VANQUISH ALL ITS PROBLEMS. (Just checking to see if you went to sleep with me doing the writing.)

So here is something small to start with for today. In case you might want to actually HEAR what people are saying about you in foreign languages, now you can. There is an excellent free online program where you can type in almost any word in any language, then wait a second. If you have your speakers on you will hear the word pronounced correctly. Now no more frowns from Frenchmen or corrections from Alex Trebeck when you use YOUR native pronunciation instead of THEIRS. Or maybe you'll just want to say "Thank you" in proper Chinese for the money they've loaned us. Or perhaps "You're welcome" for all the money we Americans have given to others in the world. Add that "There's more where that came from -- we print it by the bushel." Click HERE to give the "Howjsay.com" site a try. Glad to meet you in our Pajama Monoblogs. Now get dressed! -- Raker.