Returning to a Pessimistic State of Normalcy

I am far from perfect when it comes to spelling & grammar... although, I consider myself quite the stickler (and I'm often right even when others think otherwise). Lately, I've noticed I make lots of mistakes (more than I used to, I think); and I often overlook them (skim right over the darn things) in the editing stage. Ironic (is that the proper use of the word???), I think, especially because everyone at work sends me their announcements (et. al.) to review for spelling & grammar prior to sending out. Well, just because I make a lot of mistakes in my own writing doesn't mean I'm not great at catching other people's oopsies. That, I can actually do really well. Bottom line... I think if I were able to read my writing like someone else's, my own spelling & grammar would be better. Of course, that's impossible... because by the time I've finished a paragraph (or a blog post, as the case may be), I've read it so many times, I'm much, much, much, much, much too close to it to be able to read it with a discerning eye.

So, some of my common mistakes lately (that I've noticed myself):

• Its/It's & Their/They're/There -- not sure why this one's tripping me up all of a sudden. Duh... I know the difference between the possessive and the contraction.


• Embarrassment (and others) -- spelling words with double letters... gets me every time


• Judgment & Curiosity -- Where'd the missing letters go (E for judge and U for curious)? No doubt, Kona had something to do with it. (She just looks guilty.)


• Sundries/Assundries/Asundries -- Yeah, Dad... this one's for you. Thought you might get another chuckle out of my ignorance. :)

Anyway, because of my tendency to misspell difficult words and my strong desire not to get caught making up my own words (as the-always-humorful Jon enjoys), one of my favorite sites to have open in the background of all blog posts is M-W.com. I believe Haley & I had classmates in high school who professed "reading the dictionary". Well, no need anymore, peeps... the dictionary is electronically searchable.

Now, for grammar classes, I read this past week that there's an excellent podcast now available (just cracked into the Top 10, I believe) from Grammar Girl. (First link when searching Google: http://www.podcastdirectory.com/podcasts/18587. It looks like a pretty useful listing of the lessons.)

Other interesting notes from today:

• Sleeping in is hard with two dogs puppies who keep hearing the porch-builders next door. You must be very dedicated in order to achieve success.


• Days when Carolina and Oregon both play (at non-competing times) and win are very fun days at my house.


• The Zaxby's drive through SUCKS. Prolonged wait times often make one choose to remove oneself from the queue and reposition in the next-door Wendy's line.


• My dogs need tennis shoes.


• When Cooper doesn't get his nighttime stick exactly when he wants it, he'll go get it himself
  
  

Oh yeah, and one more thing I learned (from Paul Sadowski, whoever that is):
As of 1/28/2007 12:26:01 AM EST,
I am 30 years old; 362 months old;
1,578 weeks old; 11,045 days old;
265,080 hours old; 15,904,826 minutes old;
And 954,289,561 seconds old.

Wow... I'm REALLY OLD in seconds. And really bored... because I find that fascinating.

Hope y'all are having a great weekend! XO