Conversation

"What should I post about?"

    "You should write a post entirely in IPA! That would be great!"

[I roll my eyes, thinking that the number of people who would read a blog post written in symbols from the International Phonetic Alphabet is less than 5 and I am related to most of them.]

    "You should write a post entirely in German!"

[I roll my eyes, because I am too tired to write a post entirely in German and I don't think the German-speaking readership is very sizable around here.]

    "You should build a conlang and write a post in THAT with just a link to the grammar!"

[I roll my eyes, because are you familiar with conlangs, my friends? They are constructed languages, like Klingon, in which people invent the sound system and vocabulary and syntax. Two of my children have been working for years on a conlang. I want to get this post finished no later than 9:15.]

    "You could do a speed conlang," he assures me.

[I don't know what that is, sorry.]

Can you tell that Pete has decided he wants to study linguistics in college rather than botany?