Grammar Nazi strikes again

Pet peeve: when people use words that sound similar to the word they really mean. Eg. mutilate when they mean mutate. Means a totally different thing. Elevate and relegate. If I ask you what the hell you mean, don’t get mad at me! You’re the one who is too lazy to think of the right word or use one that has less syllables because you’re too busy trying to sound smart.

Also: double negatives. Saying it twice negates the negative dumbass! It doesn’t make it more negative. Example: I haven’t got none. Not only does it make you sound like a hayseed, it means the exact opposite of what you really mean. The worst? Irregardless.

Want a lesson in prefixes and suffixes?? Too bad.

The prefix ir- means “not” (Just like the prefixes in- il- and im-) i.e. Irresponsible literally means ‘not responsible’. Inconceivable, immature follow the same pattern. “Irregard” does not follow the same logic, nor would you ever find someone using it in normal speech because IT IS NOT A WORD. You’d probably hear disregard instead, since the prefix dis- actually means: the reverse of. Dystopia, disarm, disability, disfunction… you get the picture.

the suffix -less literally means ‘lack of’. Following that, harmless = lack of harm. Regardless = lack of regard.

irregardless = a double negative and should not even exist in your vocabulary.

Bottom line: If it comes out of George W.’s mouth on a regular basis then it probably shouldn’t be coming out of yours.

/rant

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment » | Tags: grammar nazi, rant, wordgeek

I do not resent the fact that I come second in your life. How could I? Of course she comes first, she’s your DAUGHTER. There is nothing in this life more important than our kids and I can’t understand anyone who puts other people before thier children. I would never make you choose. Ever. If anything I’d take the choice from you and you know it.

Posted in Fiction, Uncategorized | No Comments » | Tags: just to say, wicked stepmother

…stand in the back or be the star

I spent some time today finishing clearing up the crap The Child left. It looks like a proper room now, not like some hurricane touched down in it. I’m a little peeved still that she left so much and just expected us to deal with it. She really does not give a shit about her stuff. There’s clothes, some of which she only wore once or twice, art supplies, things she was given over the holidays… I can see why the rest of her family only gives her gift certificates. *sigh* I will not allow myself to be infuriated by her attitude and behaviour. I don’t have to deal with it anymore.

Anyway. That room is now a storage/craft room. I’ve always liked the way the sun came in that window and so I’ve decided that’s where I will do my photo albums. I cleared out the last of the crap today and the table is set up in there so that I can spread all the photos out to my heart’s content - and get this - I can close the door so the cats don’t sit on it all. Not that I would really do that, since the Kitten has taken a liking to the futon, now that it’s set up as a couch.

In other news, I have decided to go back to school. I’m playing the waiting game right now, one one hand for a registratin package and on another, for consent and/or letters from potential academic referees. I was originally only going to apply at UWO (University of Western Ontario) but J has convinced me that I should probably hedge my bets a little, so I’m applying for other schools as well. Wish me luck!

Listening to: Madonna - Hard Candy
Reading: Charles Dickens - Bleak House, Ken Kesey - Sometimes a Great Notion
eating: Cherries
Drinking: Rum and Pepsi

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments » |

Protected:

Posted in Uncategorized | Enter your password to view comments | Tags: nescience, rant, thinky

I’m spinning it tight…

I was going to write a blog about how I detest some of the programming that’s on TV – how I think reality TV is watchable only in a train wreck sense: how it’s impossible to tear your eyes away even though you know that some television network is exploiting people for money, and that those same people are allowing themselves to be exploited for money and or whatever dubious fame they can achieve. It’s sick. And it’s a symptom of just how sick our world is. What’s next? A reality TV show following the next teen gunman? How far is too far? How desensitised can we be to violence, mistreatment and exploitation before we lose our core humanity?

Bre was watching Robot Chicken the other night and the disclaimer at the beginning said that it was for 18+ and I said off hand that she should probably not be watching it then and she threw me attitude. She doesn’t even get all the jokes and every other frame has someone being raped, beaten, stabbed or otherwise killed and/or humiliated, albeit in cartoon fashion. I remember when people were upset about the violence in bugs bunny. We have lost our subtlety

Granted I’m not one for censorship; people should be allowed to express their feelings and show how they see the world as they see fit. I’m an advocate of free speech – but at the same time I’m worried about how much is too much. There is a line whether we like it or not and mass media has left it far, far behind because sensation sells.

For instance, the kid who committed suicide on a webcam –what led him to such drastic measures for attention? How can a kid think that shooting everyone in his school will somehow end his pain? How does a man just decide to decapitate the man sitting next to him on a bus? Where did we get so disconnected? (No, I’m not blaming mass media for these behaviours any more than I can blame a violent video game - it’s how people process the input that causes the rift, the disassociation if you please - and there does not seem to be the tools available to help people differentiate and/or make sense of the crap versus the not-crap - or rather the people to teach these differences and supply the tools.)

I can see a prime example in teenagers today. Parents are either too self-absorbed or too busy to pay much more than the cursory attention to thier children. They end up appeasing thier guilt and/or the kids with gifts and bribes and by letting them get away with the most outrageous of behaviour, and now these kids have this sense of entitlement that seems to be a trademark of the generation. That’s oversimplifying, I know but the fault lies in thier upbringing, more than on the state of the universe. Though mass media: the Internet, TV, you name it, feeds the consumer tendency, that doesn’t mean anyone has to buy into it. But because it’s there and it’s so prevalant and, for the most part, unregulated by parents… they watch things they don’t entirely have the capacity to deconstruct in a useful manner and where does that leave them? (And if not regulated, then parents are not taking the time to deconstruct or interpret the content with these kids - I tell you I’ve had some interesting conversations about Robot Chicken recently…)

Why is it so hard to give each other attention? That’s all we really want and need at the end of the day: to feel loved and appreciated by someone. When we don’t get that we feel less than ourselves. Am I wrong? I don’t think so.

So we look outside of ourselves to reinforce the way we feel about ourselves. If we don’t have people to do this for us we turn to food, alcohol, drugs, media, to make us feel better. Food to fill the void, alcohol and drugs to alter our emotional state – though that never lasts for long- media because there’s always some poor sap who’s worse off than we are. It’s a weird kind of one-upmanship.

Whatever happened to those feel-good programs? You know, like ‘on the road again’ and such, where the host would visit these people with extraordinary tales of survival, creativity and accomplishment. I miss those! Where is our pride? We’re a mess, people.

listening to: Tori Amos - Strong Black Vine

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments » | Tags: rant, thinky, wtf

Protected: damn…

Posted in Uncategorized | Enter your password to view comments | Tags: thinky

template madness

So I’ve spent the majority of the day trying to find a template that doesn’t make my eyes hurt too much because css and I don’t seem to be on speaking terms yet. There is no garuntee that this one is the one I will stick with, but for now, it’s what I’m logging off with. Comments are appreciated. Cheers until later when I have my brain back in my head. Right now I have to go and fold laundry so that I can crawl into my nice warm bed and hide from the nasty sleety weather.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments » | Tags: geek, internet

hello, 2009

The new year is upon us and tradition begs a recap of the previous year and resolutions for the next. Since it’s ankle-deep in rain outside I’ve been spending a lot of time indoors listening to it drown out the sound of the traffic and thinking.

In a nutshell, 2008 had a few more lows than it did highs and as a result I spent a lot of time hibernating. No more of that in 2009 I tell you. I’m going to do my best to thwart the evil procrastination monster that has taken over my life. I need to find out why I do it and then stop. Procrastination and compulsive lying. I find things coming out of my mouth lately that are complete bullshit and I shock myself. When did that start? it’s a recent thing, but totally silly, like I can’t admit that I don’t know certain things for whatever reason and I have to stop that (and I know I can because I did it for a brief period in junior high, it’s just a matter of being more aware). I’m well on the way, but it’s work! “Do you know how to fill out that report?” “Oh yeah” and there I am thinking WTF just came out of my stupid mouth? Jeebus. If I’ve done it to you, I apologise.

I think also, that I may change careers. In 2008 I learned that I am not made to be a boss. At least not yet. I can’t seem to wrap my mind around being an authority figure and it’s starting to tell here. (Ok, having several employees just up and leave does nothing for the self esteem either, even though they were unrelated to my managing style - which up until now has been “oh I can do that tomorrow” …see? stupid.)

And then there is the field of relationships. One could call that a minefield, actually. I’ve been thinking rather hard and deep about that particular sphere of late for myriad reasons.

I think the human heart is a peculiar animal. In fact, it really is much like an animal, operating on the most base of instincts. It likes the things that give it pleasure and despises the things that cause it pain. it craves attention from those it deems important in it’s life, be it parent, sibling or partner and when it does not get the attention it feels it deserves, it will do things to get it back, and sometimes even go to extremes of bad behaviour to get it and so end up tangled in a knot of it’s own making which causes said heart more pain than it would otherwise have experienced (if it had only listened to it’s counterpart).

But thankfully the human heart is not left to its own devices. It has the aide of the mind. Of course, the mind has to work overtime sometimes not to be overruled by the blind reflexes of the heart, and is often overwhelmed by raw emotion, but it can shed perspective on the behaviours of itself, and of others to help guide the heart to actions and reactions that affect deeper and more positive relationships.

I’m working now for one of those deeper and more positive relationships.

Happy New Year.

listening to: the endless rain
reading: The Dragonbone Chair - Tad Williams
word count: you’re looking at it
eating: chili
drinking: pepsi and wishing there was rum in it (but where’s the rum gone?)
feeling: small
headspace: thoughtful

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments » | Tags: blargh, little black raincloud, obsessobsessobsess, the road less travelled, think

it’s a strange day

Ok, since I really have nothing intelligent to say I’m going to do a meme I saw on Elizabeth Bear’s journal… a couple of times now actually, but the latest is here

Put your music player on shuffle, and write down the first line of the first twenty songs. Post the poem that results. The first line of the twenty-first song is the title.

It’s a strange day

keep the noise low
momentary sensory promises
before I can open my all too eager eyes
I feel a little bit left of centre

god sometimes you just don’t come through
I haven’t ever really found a place to call home
blind talking (blind talking)
oh, life is bigger, it’s bigger than you

it was me on that road, but you couldn’t see me
you believe in what nobody else does
see the stone set in your eyes
inside you’re pretending

let’s lie and say it’s alright
I’ve been alone for so long
not that I’m that hard to please;
there’s not enough, enough love

the failing sky grows darker every day
I know that I’ve been mad in love before
follow me into deeper waters
I lost my friend

Goldfrapp - Utopia

Brand New - Sic Transit Gloria…Glory Fades
Kosheen - Out of this World
Emiliana Torrini - Fingertips
Thornley - So Far So Good

Tori Amos - God
Dido - Life For Rent
Moby - Lift Me Up
REM - Losing My Religion

Royksopp - What Else Is There?
Matt Mays - When Angels Make Contact
U2 - With or Without You
Portishead - Mysterons

Hawksley Workman - Piano Blink
Stabbing Westward - Waking up Beside You
Delerium - Stopwatch Hearts
Kosheen - Not Enough Love

Ferry Corsten - Holding On
Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy
Balligomingo - Lust
Holly McNarland - Water

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments » | Tags: inspiration, music