I've always had a good relationship with my parents. I'm 10 years younger than my siblings, and my parents did foster care my whole life - so in ways I'm an "only" and in ways I'm the "baby." There were days when it was 3 of us at the table, and days when there were 8 of us! Sure, I had my days where I knew they just didn't understand how HARD my teenage life was, I was grounded a handful of times . . . but for the most part we got on very very well. Things only got better when I went to college. Something about getting out of eachother's hair made us get even closer.
Now that I'm "old and married and mature" my mom is truly one of my best friends. She is the first person I call when I have a problem with a baby, cooking, or Steve. ha ha juuuust kidding! She is so loving and supportive, and I truly count myself blessed.
Yesterday while I was at the grocery, my mom called. I almost didn't answer it because I was just pulling out of the parking lot and trying to keep the baby happy etc - but I did.
Good thing.
My mom had been in a car accident. She was turning left on a GREEN ARROW and someone - apparently not seeing the RED LIGHT he had . . . smashed right into her. Full speed. She was in her Aurora, he was in a Jeep Grand Cherokee. She said she saw him out of the corner of her eye and thought he might miss her. Nope. SMACK right into the drivers side of her car.
She had just dropped my 90 year old gramma, who has a broken pelvis, off at the doctor for an hour worth of x-rays and was getting something to eat. Apparently the guy didn't see he had a red light, and - perchance - my mom pulled out slowly into the intersection. If she had pulled out quickly - like I am apt to do - he would have hit her - at 70 mph - in her door instead of the front of the car. My mom saw his Jeep flip (literally flip) in mid-air, land on the roof, and turn the wrong way onto the median. He was fine - he crawled out - but my mom was taken to the hospital. She had some pain in her neck, and knew she had to get it checked out asap. So she calls me right after the fact, tells me she's been in an accident, and she can't get ahold of my father. I told her I'd keep calling and I'd go right over there. (Luckily I grocery shop about 15 minutes away from my parents' house) Luckily I got him on the first try. I don't think I've ever broken the news to someone that their significant other was in an accident. It was easier because she wasn't hurt, but not the news I want to give my dad. He said he'd head right over. I took my Mother in Law home and got the baby settled in at home. My dad called to let me know they were taking my mom to the hospital. I just wanted to be there with her - she's always at my beck and call - my every need she drives up to the house or comes up and takes the baby.
Enter - my wonderful husband. We talked about it and he offered to come home and be with the baby so I could be with my family. I raced to the hospital and saw my poor little mom on that awful board and cervical collar. It was rough.
Turns out, she was fine. Some pain in her neck with the doctor said was totally normal, but should desist in a few days. She was really sore - but nothing broken or torn or misplaced.
Thank God.
It's scary - when you think about how close you must "cheat" death sometimes. All those things you haven't said to the people you love - or the things you've said that you so wish you could take back. I wish we could keep that at the forefront of our minds always.
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? Every every minute?"
"No, Saints and Poets maybe - they do some."
Wednesday 29 August 2007
Tuesday 28 August 2007
Because some people in our nation don't have maps!
I'm not a huge YouTube fan but....this is utterly priceless.
She may be beautiful...but honestly....this is ridiculous!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww&mode=related&search=
*Is glad she at least has brains!*
She may be beautiful...but honestly....this is ridiculous!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww&mode=related&search=
*Is glad she at least has brains!*
Monday 27 August 2007
Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end
Thursday night my best friend from my "old" work came over to see me. She hadn't seen the baby in a while and we hadn't seen each other in forever either! It was so nice to catch up - but part of it was painful. Jenn and I hit it off pretty much from the beginning. We both loved shoes, purses, grammar, and working downtown. We had crazy adventures together ranging from tripping face first on the circle to being followed back to work after doing some investigations. We loved getting breakfast together at the Chase building and sneaking out in the afternoons for "1/4th pound fudge" from South Bend chocolate. She quickly became one of my best friends. We were incredibly alike in many ways, and so different in others that it provided good, and never heated, conversation. Working with your best friend makes your job, even on the worst days, super fun.
She came and sat with me in the delivery room for a couple of hours - trying to make me laugh with silly gift and jokes and inside jokes, while I breathed through contractions.
But Thursday was different. I've been gone from work now for almost a year. There have been new people hired that I don't know at all. She's gotten really close to the person I hired to fill my job, and it's hard not to be jealous of that. It's so hard to look at someone I care about so much, and not be a little jealous that their life hasn't changed 180 degrees. She still gets to go to the mall and scope out bargins from our favorite stores. Ido miss that part of my life sometimes. So often I am in shorts and a t-shirt all day. Maybe leaving the house to go to the post office or the library.
It was my choice to quit my job. Steve and I talked for hours about it - but ultimatley it was my desicion. He said something very wise that I'll never forget. "Of course I think it's best for one of us to be home with our daughter, but it's more important that you're happy. If you're not happy you're not going to be the mom you want to be." He was right.
But I love being at home. I hate to admit it, but no one was tougher on stay at home moms than I. I always thought "what a waste." Now, I know it's the hardest, most noble thing you can do. YES I miss my job sometimes - YES I wish that on the hard days she was somewhere else ... but that's just selfishness. We had a baby because we were ready to put our own desires second. I'm NOT saying that moms who continue to work are selfish - not at all!! I'm saying that I get selfish when I sit and pout about "everything I gave up" to be at home with Madeline. It's so challenging and I am constantly on my toes. But, it's also more rewarding than any job I've ever had. Seeing her smile - seeing her crawl for the first time or clap her hands for the first time - makes alllll those hard days worth it.
A part of me mourns for the part of me I left at my job. I miss putting on suits everyday and going to meetings and using "that" part of my brain. But I haven't given it up forever. I can certainly give Madeline these few years of my life. Soon she'll be in school and I can go back to school too - or go back to work then. I have a feeling when she finally goes off to school I'll be crying, wishing for the days when I got to hang out at home with her all day.
It was soooo good to see Jenn - to catch up on all the goings on at the office and talk about things besides babies. I need those evenings spent catching up with those people I love so much. But, it's still a distant second to holding my sleeping baby in my arms, trying to figure out where the last 10 months went.
She came and sat with me in the delivery room for a couple of hours - trying to make me laugh with silly gift and jokes and inside jokes, while I breathed through contractions.
But Thursday was different. I've been gone from work now for almost a year. There have been new people hired that I don't know at all. She's gotten really close to the person I hired to fill my job, and it's hard not to be jealous of that. It's so hard to look at someone I care about so much, and not be a little jealous that their life hasn't changed 180 degrees. She still gets to go to the mall and scope out bargins from our favorite stores. Ido miss that part of my life sometimes. So often I am in shorts and a t-shirt all day. Maybe leaving the house to go to the post office or the library.
It was my choice to quit my job. Steve and I talked for hours about it - but ultimatley it was my desicion. He said something very wise that I'll never forget. "Of course I think it's best for one of us to be home with our daughter, but it's more important that you're happy. If you're not happy you're not going to be the mom you want to be." He was right.
But I love being at home. I hate to admit it, but no one was tougher on stay at home moms than I. I always thought "what a waste." Now, I know it's the hardest, most noble thing you can do. YES I miss my job sometimes - YES I wish that on the hard days she was somewhere else ... but that's just selfishness. We had a baby because we were ready to put our own desires second. I'm NOT saying that moms who continue to work are selfish - not at all!! I'm saying that I get selfish when I sit and pout about "everything I gave up" to be at home with Madeline. It's so challenging and I am constantly on my toes. But, it's also more rewarding than any job I've ever had. Seeing her smile - seeing her crawl for the first time or clap her hands for the first time - makes alllll those hard days worth it.
A part of me mourns for the part of me I left at my job. I miss putting on suits everyday and going to meetings and using "that" part of my brain. But I haven't given it up forever. I can certainly give Madeline these few years of my life. Soon she'll be in school and I can go back to school too - or go back to work then. I have a feeling when she finally goes off to school I'll be crying, wishing for the days when I got to hang out at home with her all day.
It was soooo good to see Jenn - to catch up on all the goings on at the office and talk about things besides babies. I need those evenings spent catching up with those people I love so much. But, it's still a distant second to holding my sleeping baby in my arms, trying to figure out where the last 10 months went.
Thursday 23 August 2007
Meme (Rhymes with sashimi?)
So I was "tagged" to answer the following questions. Bear with me, it's my first Meme (Rhymes with Shanaynay?)
First, the Rules:1) Post these rules before you give your facts
2) List 8 random facts about yourself
3) At the end of your post, choose (tag) people and list their names, linking to them
4) Leave a comment on their blog, letting them know they’ve been tagged
Since I recently listed what I thought were odd facts about me - I guess I'll try to think of new ones!
1)I dyed my hair red because of a poem called "For Anne Gregory." I heard an old religious man, but yesternight declare, that only God, my dear, could love you for your self alone and not your yellow hair.
2) I (way too) often quote literature and movies. "A hot dog is singing! You need me to be quiet while a hot dog is singing?" (See? I can't control myself!)
3) I eat in bed. (MUCH to the chagrin of my husband.)
4) I am addicted to ebay (selling on ebay that is).
5) I am an Anglophile. (One who is obsessed with Britain - or as I say "Matranostra" - Our Mother)
6) I've always wanted to work in a Womens' Prison helping them get GEDs.
7) I hate Uma Thurman. Well, I guess I've just embraced her after hearing I look like her for most of my life!
8) I love school. I would go to school the rest of my life if I could.
Wow - I'm really not that exciting.
O well!
I fulfilled my Meme (Rhymes with ?)
First, the Rules:1) Post these rules before you give your facts
2) List 8 random facts about yourself
3) At the end of your post, choose (tag) people and list their names, linking to them
4) Leave a comment on their blog, letting them know they’ve been tagged
Since I recently listed what I thought were odd facts about me - I guess I'll try to think of new ones!
1)I dyed my hair red because of a poem called "For Anne Gregory." I heard an old religious man, but yesternight declare, that only God, my dear, could love you for your self alone and not your yellow hair.
2) I (way too) often quote literature and movies. "A hot dog is singing! You need me to be quiet while a hot dog is singing?" (See? I can't control myself!)
3) I eat in bed. (MUCH to the chagrin of my husband.)
4) I am addicted to ebay (selling on ebay that is).
5) I am an Anglophile. (One who is obsessed with Britain - or as I say "Matranostra" - Our Mother)
6) I've always wanted to work in a Womens' Prison helping them get GEDs.
7) I hate Uma Thurman. Well, I guess I've just embraced her after hearing I look like her for most of my life!
8) I love school. I would go to school the rest of my life if I could.
Wow - I'm really not that exciting.
O well!
I fulfilled my Meme (Rhymes with ?)
Tears for Ears
Steve and I have been rubbing our eyes latley. Seems like Madeline doesn't want anything to do with sleep right now. Her naps have gotten shorter and shorter and her nighttime routine has gotten reeeeeeeeally iffy. We are doing everything the same but SHE isn't. She's waking up about 2 hours after she goes down and when she wakes up she cannot be consoled unless picked up. Once she's up - she's great! So that's how I know she's being a little faker.
I took her into the Pediatrician's office today just to make sure she doesn't have an ear infection. Considering she's had more ear infections than Van Gogh, who eventually cut off his ear, no doubt due to ear infections! But, she was clear clear clear. The doctor said it was normal at this time of life and to..bum bum BUM cry it out. Now - that's like saying cut out your heart to lower your blood pressure. But - the other option is to swing/sing/dance/amuse/read/sleep in our bed instead of her own/watching Baby Einstein for 3 hours. The doctor said tonight will be the worst but the succeeding nights should get better, little by little.
I remember alllll those people who told me to get alll the sleep I could while I was pregnant. Little did I know!
I took her into the Pediatrician's office today just to make sure she doesn't have an ear infection. Considering she's had more ear infections than Van Gogh, who eventually cut off his ear, no doubt due to ear infections! But, she was clear clear clear. The doctor said it was normal at this time of life and to..bum bum BUM cry it out. Now - that's like saying cut out your heart to lower your blood pressure. But - the other option is to swing/sing/dance/amuse/read/sleep in our bed instead of her own/watching Baby Einstein for 3 hours. The doctor said tonight will be the worst but the succeeding nights should get better, little by little.
I remember alllll those people who told me to get alll the sleep I could while I was pregnant. Little did I know!
Tuesday 21 August 2007
Scroll Jordan Scroll
So - I'm not a comment begger. I read some blogs and EVERY entry people are like "pleassssssssssssssssssssssee leave me a comment!" I keep this blog as a place to let out my pent up thoughts. If you don't want to comment - that's fine with me. I welcome and enjoy comments, but my life isn't over if you don't comment on my rousing thoughts about grammar! (Because I do have a program on here that tells where you're reading from. Don't freak out, it doesn't give me your IP address or anything, but it just tells me the country and state.) HAHA!
So anywho - down to business - I will, however, beg you to click on the link below. One of them is about how noone reads anymore - that's not really news. It just made me mad so I wanted to put it out there. The "You Kidding me" one - that video is worth watching from start to finish. I am still covered with goose bumps! I've watched it about 500 times! It's only 3 minutes so watch it and then let me know what you think!
So anywho - down to business - I will, however, beg you to click on the link below. One of them is about how noone reads anymore - that's not really news. It just made me mad so I wanted to put it out there. The "You Kidding me" one - that video is worth watching from start to finish. I am still covered with goose bumps! I've watched it about 500 times! It's only 3 minutes so watch it and then let me know what you think!
Monday 20 August 2007
Un-Wedded Bliss?
Yesterday, in all my wifely glory, I decided to make some home-made chocolate chip cookies. Well, I am of the school of thought that to really cook, you need to get your hands dirty! So, I removed my engagement/wedding ring and placed it in a secure location. Of course, I got busy after the cookie baking and made it up to bed without my ring back on. I kept feeling that it wasn't on and telling myself to remember to put it on in the morning when I had breakfast.
WEll, surprise surprise I forgot.
So I ran out to do some errands in town today - one of which was to pick some medicine from Marsh. So, as I'm strolling through the store I realize that I am, indeed, sans wedding ring. It doesn't help that my hair's pulled up in a ponytail and I"m in grubby clothes. Also, Madeline had decided that during these, the worst of the teething days, she doesn't want the expensive teething toys I bought for her, she wants butter lids. I don't know if it's the little rim she can sink her teeth into or what, but that's what she wants. So - get this picture in your mind. Me - looking like a 16 year old skipping school, buying medicine for myself. My poor little girl - bear footed - who doesn't even have toys to play with and has to play with kitchen accoutrements.
So now, even as I write this, I still haven't managed to get my ring back on. It's amazing how incredibly naked your finger feels minutes after the ring comes off.
Don't worry honey - I love you more than life itself. The last thing I want right now, it to be single again. Ick.
Meanwhile, I gotta go get my Karats!
WEll, surprise surprise I forgot.
So I ran out to do some errands in town today - one of which was to pick some medicine from Marsh. So, as I'm strolling through the store I realize that I am, indeed, sans wedding ring. It doesn't help that my hair's pulled up in a ponytail and I"m in grubby clothes. Also, Madeline had decided that during these, the worst of the teething days, she doesn't want the expensive teething toys I bought for her, she wants butter lids. I don't know if it's the little rim she can sink her teeth into or what, but that's what she wants. So - get this picture in your mind. Me - looking like a 16 year old skipping school, buying medicine for myself. My poor little girl - bear footed - who doesn't even have toys to play with and has to play with kitchen accoutrements.
So now, even as I write this, I still haven't managed to get my ring back on. It's amazing how incredibly naked your finger feels minutes after the ring comes off.
Don't worry honey - I love you more than life itself. The last thing I want right now, it to be single again. Ick.
Meanwhile, I gotta go get my Karats!
Friday 17 August 2007
Miner Pain
My heart is breaking about these 6 coal miners trapped. Now 3 rescue workers have died trying to save/recover them. I don't know if they could possibly still be alive now. It's been over a week hasn't it?
When I first heard about it, that they were stuck, I felt so horrible inside. I was sitting at the dinner table with Steve and said, "How do we sit here and eat our dinner and play with our baby and there are people trapped - possibly alive - at the bottom of a mine?" We just couldn't reconcile that. These men were conceivably writing notes to their loved ones on scratches of paper and I'm sitting in my sunroom playing with my dogs. Something about that just seems so twisted. I know there isn't one single thing I could possibly do to help the situation - it's not like I know these people even, but at some point - we're all connected as humans. (Not to get all Circle of Life or anything) but it's true! I hurt so badly for these women whose children die in car accidents or are kidnapped from their homes. But there's just something odd - something spooky I guess about thinking that these men may be alive - in a tiny space with limited air - and I'm going about my merry way. It makes me wonder:
Did they kiss their wives goodbye that morning? Or were they in a fight about something silly - as most marital fights are - so they stubbornly gave each other the cold shoulder that morning. A wife now laden with guilt. My husband kisses my forehead every morning when he leaves for work. I'm still half asleep - but I'm awake enough to feel it and smile. Though my husband isn't in a high-risk job, anything can happen to anyone at anytime. It's time for the pettiness to stop. It's time to savour those moments biking with my family - laughing and wrestling on the floor. One time, after the baby was born my husband and I were re-folding all of the socks in his drawer (I don't know why) and he threw one at me - like a snowball. We spent the next 10 minutes on opposite sides of the bed - popping up like Wack- a Moles throwing rolled socks at each other - laughing so hard we almost cried. These are memories I cherish and will be my companion in my old age. These are the memories that these men think (or thought) of as they lay trapped - not their 401(k)s or the ding their wife put in the family car.
"That's what it was like to be alive, to spend and waste time as if we had a million years."
When I first heard about it, that they were stuck, I felt so horrible inside. I was sitting at the dinner table with Steve and said, "How do we sit here and eat our dinner and play with our baby and there are people trapped - possibly alive - at the bottom of a mine?" We just couldn't reconcile that. These men were conceivably writing notes to their loved ones on scratches of paper and I'm sitting in my sunroom playing with my dogs. Something about that just seems so twisted. I know there isn't one single thing I could possibly do to help the situation - it's not like I know these people even, but at some point - we're all connected as humans. (Not to get all Circle of Life or anything) but it's true! I hurt so badly for these women whose children die in car accidents or are kidnapped from their homes. But there's just something odd - something spooky I guess about thinking that these men may be alive - in a tiny space with limited air - and I'm going about my merry way. It makes me wonder:
Did they kiss their wives goodbye that morning? Or were they in a fight about something silly - as most marital fights are - so they stubbornly gave each other the cold shoulder that morning. A wife now laden with guilt. My husband kisses my forehead every morning when he leaves for work. I'm still half asleep - but I'm awake enough to feel it and smile. Though my husband isn't in a high-risk job, anything can happen to anyone at anytime. It's time for the pettiness to stop. It's time to savour those moments biking with my family - laughing and wrestling on the floor. One time, after the baby was born my husband and I were re-folding all of the socks in his drawer (I don't know why) and he threw one at me - like a snowball. We spent the next 10 minutes on opposite sides of the bed - popping up like Wack- a Moles throwing rolled socks at each other - laughing so hard we almost cried. These are memories I cherish and will be my companion in my old age. These are the memories that these men think (or thought) of as they lay trapped - not their 401(k)s or the ding their wife put in the family car.
"That's what it was like to be alive, to spend and waste time as if we had a million years."
Queen of the Road
I have been mentioning the bike trailer we got for Madeline. Well - wait no longer! We're really into giving gifts early around here I guess! I had been pining for one and thought maybe for her birthday that would be our big gift to her. :) I'm SO glad we got it! We've been out on it probably 6 times and she just loves it! Sits happily - eating whatever toy we've given her - or chewing the seatbelts.
Of course, I don't really like riding bikes as that qualifies as exersize, but I've actually really enjoyed it. The three of us go riding after dinner most days, and sometimes I take her out during the day if it isn't too hot. It'll be really nice when fall comes around and the evenings are crisp and cool. Yummmm!
Well, today I am gettng a pedicure. YAY!!!! I am in SORE need of one - even though sandal season is coming to an end. Steve's afraid to come over to my "side" of the bed because of my professed talons. (They really aren't that bad!)
It's amazing the things you appriciate after you have a baby. When I run errands in Indy - I usually drop the baby off at my parents' house. All the sudden, it's like I'm on vacation! I don't mind waiting in long lines, traffic, because it's quiet... About a month after she was born I had to have a cavity filled at the dentist that took like 3 hours. They apologized that it took so long and I was like "NO PROBLEM! Take as long as you need!!" This pedicure will be like a vacation from Teething Town.
Thursday 16 August 2007
Just another day in Paradise
You have just caught Madeline in her new pasttime. Playing in the dog's bowl. I snapped this picture just before I told her "no no" and took her away from them. (and I just cleaned them so you know). And the bowls aren't normally kept there - they're kept behind the cabnets to the left. She moved them!! Looks like all that broccoli is paying off!
Oh yeah - happy anniversary sweetie! We were supposed to do this quite a while ago, but I JUST found our cake topper. haha! It still looks gorgeous - I 'm not quite sure how it's going to taste. O well!
Sugar Baby has been really happy today because I found her long lost favourite toy - Tony Bear. It's a little blue bear I got her she she was only 10 weeks old. She carried it around like her lovey and now won't put it down for more than a second! awww the prodigal bear returns!
Oh yeah - happy anniversary sweetie! We were supposed to do this quite a while ago, but I JUST found our cake topper. haha! It still looks gorgeous - I 'm not quite sure how it's going to taste. O well!
Sugar Baby has been really happy today because I found her long lost favourite toy - Tony Bear. It's a little blue bear I got her she she was only 10 weeks old. She carried it around like her lovey and now won't put it down for more than a second! awww the prodigal bear returns!
So we went on a family bikeride yesterday after dinner. (Had to work off that soy crumble taco salad!!) I pulled Madeline in the bike trailer (I promise to get a pic off that soon) because Steve's bike is too high for me AND the seat feels like it was made out of concrete. We went out to the site across the street where all the digging is going on. We were passed by two cars with a bunch of people inside who got out and were looking around. There were even a few little kids. So - I am guessing they are going to be the new owners of the house. One more family for our little tiny population on our street. It'll be nice to have other small kids around though. most of my mom friends live down in Indy and I don't get to see them all that much. :(
Yesterday I got to go shopping sans baby. I had a coupon for Kohls so I went and bought Madeline some really cute little outfits. My mom wanted to buy her some too (twist my arm mom!) so I got to spend her money as well - which is even easier than spending my own!! As a result Madeline has a slew of much needed outfits. She was busting out of her 9 month clothes and the 12 month will probably only fit her for another month. So - her new couture is very exciting to me. Perhaps I'll post a picture of her modeling some of it.
Wednesday 15 August 2007
Who could ask for anything more?
To start off - Madeline and I have been very snoopy about our neighbors of late. You see - living out in the boonies like we do, we actually only have 5 houses on our street. I actually like this a LOT - NO traffic - NO loud obnoxious neighbors - NO neighbors living 15 feet away from us - - so I guess you could say that country life is growing on me! That being said, we're verrrrry interested about the "goings on" on our little street. This week we discovered -
Anywho - - - yesterday was a fun day of gifts!!!! As you can see above we have our NEW ART!! This piece is called Keys Current and it's 46" by 46" which, we realized as we hung it - is HUGE. But - we are both totally in love and I am SO HAPPY that our living room isn't quite so naked anymore.
We procured this other piece as well - Indian Summer. However, I like to call it "Can't see the forest" We had a totally different place in mind for it - but tried it in the dining room and it just POPPED. We were both in love with it so we settled on it immediatly. There were even already nails in the walls from the ginormous clock that used to hang there and keep terrible time.
Which ended up here on the wall above the dining room - the front door entry way. That was really scary to watch Steve hang, but he made it in one piece. We decided not to replace the battery as it would be a huge hassle to climb up there every month and change it. So, we set it to 9:00 (in honour of Madeline's time of birth) and felt like we had a whole new house!
Something is going on! Just adjacent to us someone is building! We aren't sure what because it looks really really huge, but I think it's a house. Steve thinks it's a lake. It's exciting to watch because no one has built out here since we moved in. We were the last people to build so - if it is indeed a new house, it'll be really fun to watch it go up little by little. Madeline and I rode past it (on our new bike and bike trailer but that's for a different post) and they are leveling a HUGE plot of land. I would have stopped and asked, and ended said mystery - but I was more concerned about NOT tipping over on my bike. So I guess we'll just have to postulate for a while longer.
Anywho - - - yesterday was a fun day of gifts!!!! As you can see above we have our NEW ART!! This piece is called Keys Current and it's 46" by 46" which, we realized as we hung it - is HUGE. But - we are both totally in love and I am SO HAPPY that our living room isn't quite so naked anymore.
We procured this other piece as well - Indian Summer. However, I like to call it "Can't see the forest" We had a totally different place in mind for it - but tried it in the dining room and it just POPPED. We were both in love with it so we settled on it immediatly. There were even already nails in the walls from the ginormous clock that used to hang there and keep terrible time.
Which ended up here on the wall above the dining room - the front door entry way. That was really scary to watch Steve hang, but he made it in one piece. We decided not to replace the battery as it would be a huge hassle to climb up there every month and change it. So, we set it to 9:00 (in honour of Madeline's time of birth) and felt like we had a whole new house!Steve worked at the fair yesterday at the Ball State table. SO - he brought me fair trinkets which I hate admitting I like. We never seem to have enough pens in this house so I'm always trying to collect pens and paper. He brought Madeline a little rubber bracelet (a la Lance Armstrong) and - - - he brought me an elephant ear!!!! He knows I hate the fair but LOVE fair food. So - he bought an elephant ear and had them put it in a bag and brought it all the way home. It's things like that that mean the most you know?
But he wasn't finished!!! We've been hyper aware of the cleanliness of our floors what with Madeline crawling around like a maniac now and wanting to eat everything she finds. He was so kind as to mop the kitchen tile over the weekend! But I couldn't imagine us finding time to do that every weekend so he and his mom got me a Bissel flip vac. It vaccuums up dry stuff and then it flips over to wash (and dry!) the tile! WHO HO!!!
I never thought I'd be so excited about household supplies!!
Art, mops, and junk food from the fair. This is the life!!
Sunday 12 August 2007
Not for the faint of Art -
Ok, so I'm going to digress from my grammatical tyrades for a while. (I promise I'll refute the points in my previous entry Jen :)
Meanwhile - I want to go onnnn and onnnn about the BEST birthday present EVER!!!!
My birthday isn't until the end of September, but Steve decided to give me my present early. YAY! I *heart* presents!!
So yesterday my MIL came over to watch the baby and my husband took me to PF Changs dowtown. (YUM!!!) We had a nice long lunch. (It's so nice not to have to snarf down food because you know, at any moment, the baby is going to shriek and people are going to give you dirty looks) We walked around the mall for a while and then went to South Bend Chocolate Company for a few chocolates and we watched people drive around and around the circle on their Harleys. After that came the BIGGEST suprise!
Steve arranged a private meeting with a local artist named Jacobina Trump. She is in the Stutz building downtown. After walking around the building about 300 times and almost dying of heat exhaustion, we found an open door. :) Jacobina is Dutch like me. (Gooooo cheese!) As soon as we walked into her studio I was in SHOCK. Her art was amazing. I mean - breathtaking!!!
Now, I have long been a propponent of art for arts sake. If you want to drop a blob of red paint onto a big white canvas and call it art-that's cool by me. I really believe art is relative. In this post-existential society it's merely a reflection of the worldviews so present right now. But latley I've been getting a lot picker about art. I've always HATED people who were like "that's not art" or "I could do that." But now they don't seem so ignorant. I'm still not against red blobs on canvas or (Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art) IMOCA's "chair art" or "tape art." Yes, they had an artist who displayed her tape as "art." But - I guess I just respect artists who have to go through a process to produce their art.
So anywho - we walk in and I don't even know where to begin looking. She's painted two murals on the walls that make it look like there are arches leading to another room. They're so real that I wanted to touch them to make double sure they weren't. However, I didn't consider poking my grimy hands on her walls to be in good taste. She had pictures of seascapes, trees, the seasons, portraits... and - I got to pick some out!!!!! We must have been there close to 2 hours. She was THE nicest lady and certainly the nicest artist I've ever met. Most think you're not good enough to lick the dirt off their shoes - she, on the other hand, took us through the whole process. She showed us her sketches and her notes and then showed us the corrosponding painting. I can't believe that people can bring such beauty to life. I can't even draw stick people right!
So - after two amazing hours, our feet were burning and we arrived at two paintings that we both loved. We decided to come home and measure the spots we were thinking of and to sleep on it. BUT I will give you a little clue - :) go to http://www.jacobinatrump.com/ and there will be 3 pictures rotating on the front page. We are looking at at least one of them. :) Tell me which one you like best!!
We left downtown, and headed to Conner Prarie for the Symphony. It was Mardi Gras themed so everyone was handing out beads and the song list was all jazz. It was really great and, I must admit, a nice change of fare for SotPrarie. We were there with Ball State Alums - so there was lots of food and fun! We even got out without too much of a hassle!!
All in all it was a wonderful WONDERFUL early birthday gift. It makes being almost 27 a little easier to deal with.
Meanwhile - I want to go onnnn and onnnn about the BEST birthday present EVER!!!!
My birthday isn't until the end of September, but Steve decided to give me my present early. YAY! I *heart* presents!!
So yesterday my MIL came over to watch the baby and my husband took me to PF Changs dowtown. (YUM!!!) We had a nice long lunch. (It's so nice not to have to snarf down food because you know, at any moment, the baby is going to shriek and people are going to give you dirty looks) We walked around the mall for a while and then went to South Bend Chocolate Company for a few chocolates and we watched people drive around and around the circle on their Harleys. After that came the BIGGEST suprise!
Steve arranged a private meeting with a local artist named Jacobina Trump. She is in the Stutz building downtown. After walking around the building about 300 times and almost dying of heat exhaustion, we found an open door. :) Jacobina is Dutch like me. (Gooooo cheese!) As soon as we walked into her studio I was in SHOCK. Her art was amazing. I mean - breathtaking!!!
Now, I have long been a propponent of art for arts sake. If you want to drop a blob of red paint onto a big white canvas and call it art-that's cool by me. I really believe art is relative. In this post-existential society it's merely a reflection of the worldviews so present right now. But latley I've been getting a lot picker about art. I've always HATED people who were like "that's not art" or "I could do that." But now they don't seem so ignorant. I'm still not against red blobs on canvas or (Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art) IMOCA's "chair art" or "tape art." Yes, they had an artist who displayed her tape as "art." But - I guess I just respect artists who have to go through a process to produce their art.
So anywho - we walk in and I don't even know where to begin looking. She's painted two murals on the walls that make it look like there are arches leading to another room. They're so real that I wanted to touch them to make double sure they weren't. However, I didn't consider poking my grimy hands on her walls to be in good taste. She had pictures of seascapes, trees, the seasons, portraits... and - I got to pick some out!!!!! We must have been there close to 2 hours. She was THE nicest lady and certainly the nicest artist I've ever met. Most think you're not good enough to lick the dirt off their shoes - she, on the other hand, took us through the whole process. She showed us her sketches and her notes and then showed us the corrosponding painting. I can't believe that people can bring such beauty to life. I can't even draw stick people right!
So - after two amazing hours, our feet were burning and we arrived at two paintings that we both loved. We decided to come home and measure the spots we were thinking of and to sleep on it. BUT I will give you a little clue - :) go to http://www.jacobinatrump.com/ and there will be 3 pictures rotating on the front page. We are looking at at least one of them. :) Tell me which one you like best!!
We left downtown, and headed to Conner Prarie for the Symphony. It was Mardi Gras themed so everyone was handing out beads and the song list was all jazz. It was really great and, I must admit, a nice change of fare for SotPrarie. We were there with Ball State Alums - so there was lots of food and fun! We even got out without too much of a hassle!!
All in all it was a wonderful WONDERFUL early birthday gift. It makes being almost 27 a little easier to deal with.
Friday 10 August 2007
To begin with . . .
First, I would like to disagree with the author's point in that the "rules" of grammar are starchy and arcane. THEY'RE STARCHY AND ARCANE BECAUSE NO ONE USES THEM!
Within the last 2 weeks I have seen with my OWN eyes - the following:
Bagger's work for tips only.
(sooo the baggers are possessing the work?? Even if it said, "The bagger's work is/are for tips only" I could have excused it.)
Piano's
(There is just something about using an "s" that just FREAKS people out!)
Free Wine on Monday's
(The best part of this, is that it is in HUGE letters off the interstate on the top of a restaurant. Ok, so the best part really is that I stopped in and left a note for the manager denoting said grammatical mistake.)
Let me say again, that in no way am I trying to state that I am better than anyone else. Anyone who has read this blog even once knows that I am the world's worst speller. This is something that I could do something about - just like people learning better grammar.
Ms. Brockenbrough continues by saying that she knows these grammatical non-rules are right because, "many great authors broke them." Hmmmm - so the fact that someone in whom there should be distilled a higher sense of syntax and grammar breaks these rules shows that they don't exist? Are you joking?
Exhibit A - Chappaquiddick.
Just because someone KNOWS the laws or - heck - even helps MAKE them doesn't recuse them from breaking said laws.
Of course Jane Austin broke the rules - women like weren't even allowed to go to University back then. And Shakespeare? (If you even believe he wrote his plays - which I, by the by, do not). He didn't even go to school. His dad made gloves!
e.e. cummings only capitalized things at random! Does that mean Capitalization isn't really That important? i mean, he is after all - a literary "giant" of american History. *segue* I went to school with a guy with the last name Cummings and if I would have married him I would also be e.e. cummings. ha!
The bottom line is, just because people don't OBEY rules - doesn't mean they magically don't exist!
Within the last 2 weeks I have seen with my OWN eyes - the following:
Bagger's work for tips only.
(sooo the baggers are possessing the work?? Even if it said, "The bagger's work is/are for tips only" I could have excused it.)
Piano's
(There is just something about using an "s" that just FREAKS people out!)
Free Wine on Monday's
(The best part of this, is that it is in HUGE letters off the interstate on the top of a restaurant. Ok, so the best part really is that I stopped in and left a note for the manager denoting said grammatical mistake.)
Let me say again, that in no way am I trying to state that I am better than anyone else. Anyone who has read this blog even once knows that I am the world's worst speller. This is something that I could do something about - just like people learning better grammar.
Ms. Brockenbrough continues by saying that she knows these grammatical non-rules are right because, "many great authors broke them." Hmmmm - so the fact that someone in whom there should be distilled a higher sense of syntax and grammar breaks these rules shows that they don't exist? Are you joking?
Exhibit A - Chappaquiddick.
Just because someone KNOWS the laws or - heck - even helps MAKE them doesn't recuse them from breaking said laws.
Of course Jane Austin broke the rules - women like weren't even allowed to go to University back then. And Shakespeare? (If you even believe he wrote his plays - which I, by the by, do not). He didn't even go to school. His dad made gloves!
e.e. cummings only capitalized things at random! Does that mean Capitalization isn't really That important? i mean, he is after all - a literary "giant" of american History. *segue* I went to school with a guy with the last name Cummings and if I would have married him I would also be e.e. cummings. ha!
The bottom line is, just because people don't OBEY rules - doesn't mean they magically don't exist!
National Redundant Day (Again)
Not 20 minutes after my last entry - my husband has the audacity to send me the following article. (Which I intend to rebuff point by point as time allows)
Errors That Aren't: 12 Grammar Rules You Can Toss Out the Window
by Martha Brockenbrough
In an uncertain world, it's nice to be sure of a few things:• Socks go on before shoes, and underwear, before pants; • An apple, when dropped, will fall toward the earth; and• It's a crime to start a sentence with a conjunction, or end one with a preposition.
There's a bit of a problem, though, at least when it comes to the so-called certainties of grammar.Despite the insistence of teachers, starchy bosses, and more than a few well-meaning nuns, certain rules of grammar aren’t actually rules at all. They're myths, the Loch Ness Monster of language foisted upon us, many times for reasons unknown.The declarations against starting sentences with conjunctions and ending sentences with prepositions are two fine examples. And of course, there are quite a few more.It can be upsetting to realize these solemn rules of writing don't exist, sort of like figuring out Santa and your mother have the same handwriting.
I still remember the time my high-school English teacher put a disapproving check mark beside a split infinitive, and the time a college-writing instructor told me not to use "like" as a conjunction. Those corrections are among my most vivid school memories, and in the years that followed, I took care not to make the same mistakes in my writing.And now, I must accept that those instructional gems were fake. At best, many commonly passed-down "rules" might politely be called convention. But even that’s shaky, because crafty dictionary users can always dig up examples where respected writers have departed with said convention for literally hundreds of years.
That, alone, isn't a reason to discard a rule, of course. After all, people have been killing each other for millennia, and it’s still not OK. Or, to use a less extreme example: Just because your grandfather did something one way doesn't mean he did it the right way simply because he was born before you.
The truth is that writers--even great, dead ones--sometimes make grammatical errors. In Pride and Prejudice, for example, Jane Austen's narrator says, "Every body declared that he [Wickham] was the wickedest young man in the world; and every body began to find out that they had always distrusted the appearance of his goodness."To be correct, she should have written "and people began to find out that they had always distrusted the appearance of his goodness."This doesn't mean Jane Austen was anything less than a brilliant writer.
Grammar is important, but it's not the hallmark of great writing. Rather, it's a tool to help us express ourselves and understand others. It's what separates "Let's eat children!" from "Let's eat, children!" (If you can't see the difference there, please do not invite me to your house for dinner.)Where rules help us say what we mean, they're worth learning and obeying. Where they get in the way and twist our syntax--or worse, change the meaning of a sentence--they should be rejected.
Here are 12 grammatical "errors" that aren't actually wrong, according to my own judgment, and that of a variety of experts, including: • Patricia T. O'Conner (Woe is I), • Paul Brians (Common Errors in English Usage, and his Washington State University Web site),• Ronald Wardhaugh (Proper English: Myths and Misunderstandings about Language), and • Mark Liberman and Geoffrey K Pullum (Far from the Madding Gerund).
It Ain't So No. 1: It's wrong to end a sentence with a preposition.The suffix pre means "before." This is perhaps where people got the idea that a "pre-position" couldn't be positioned last in the sentence. It's just not true, though. Even Shakespeare did it. There are certain times, though, when it's ugly to do this. "Where's he at?" is one of those times. "Where is he?" is better form.
It Ain't So No. 2: You are not to split your infinitives.The Roman Empire is long gone, but Latin's luster remains to a surprising degree. The ban on split infinitives--those "to-plus-a-verb phrases"--owes its existence to the idea that Latin grammar is superior to English. Balderdash. In Latin, you can't split infinitives because they're one word. In English, infinitives are two words, and it's not only fine to split them, it's sometimes necessary for the sake of clarity. As Patricia T. O'Conner puts it in her book, Woe is I, there really is no other way to say "To more than double" your rent without splitting the infinitive. The landlord "expects more than to double your rent" just doesn't fly.
It Ain't So No. 3: Use "that" with restrictive clauses, "which" with nonrestrictive clauses.I fed the dog that barked.I fed the dog, which barked.These two sentences have almost identical words, but their meanings are slightly different. The first one is restrictive--the only dog I fed is the one that barked. In the second sentence, the barking is incidental. It's not essential to the meaning of the sentence. Some people, including many publications, insist that writers use "that" with restrictive phrases (those not set off by commas), and "which" with nonrestrictive ones. It's not wrong to do this, and there is a certain amount of elegance to making that distinction. But, you can say "I fed the dog which barked" and still be correct. It sounds a bit more pompous, but it's not wrong, not if we're to go by the example of many accomplished writers. That said, it's not correct to write, "I fed the dog, that barked." "Which" can go both ways, but "that" can't.
It Ain't So No. 4: It's wrong to start a sentence with "and" or "but." Writers have been doing this for more than 1,000 years, despite the hand-waving of frantic English teachers. And they're going to keep on doing it. I could have used a comma between the "teachers" and the "and," but the period gives a longer pause and more emphasis on the second sentence. The conjunction still links the two ideas together; they just happen to be two sentences instead of one. It's fine to do with good reason, but your writing will be choppy if you do it too much.
It Ain't So No. 5: Don't say "hopefully." Say "I'm hopeful" or "It is hoped."While many people still avoid the technical misuse of "hopefully," it's misused often enough that it sounds a bit stilted to say "I'm hopeful," and even worse to say, "It is hoped." Language does evolve, and this is one of those cases where the incorrect use has won out. It doesn't mean you have to say "hopefully" yourself, but holding out the hope and expectation that people will stop doing this is the equivalent of being outraged that people are no longer holding up their socks with garters.
It Ain't So, No. 6: Thou shalt not say healthy food.Extreme language purists still insist that we describe nutritious food as "healthful." But if you don't want to sound as though you've just snapped on a fresh pair of sock-garters, you don't have to. It's fine to describe food as being "healthy." That said, the two words are not interchangeable. As Bill Walsh points out in Elephants of Style, a "healthy" appetite is not always "healthful."
It Ain't So No. 7: None comes from "not one" or "no one," and is therefore always singular.Actually, it just might have come from "not any of them," which is plural. "None" is very often plural. None of the sorority girls have hair, for example. If you're talking about something that can't be divided into units, then make it singular. None of their hair is real. Another way to remember: If "of it" could be swapped in for whatever follows "none," use the singular. If "of them" could be swapped in, use the plural.
It Ain't So No. 8: "Since" must always refer to time.Many people are under the impression they cannot correctly use "since" as a synonym for "because." That's crazy-talk, because it's been used this way since at least 1450. While it's nice to keep distinctions of meaning between words, it's not a crime against language to use "since" for "because," even if you can't use "because" for "since." Like healthful and healthy, and which and that, they can be synonyms even if they’re not interchangeable.
It Ain't So, No. 9: Don't use "like" as a conjunction.Is it wrong to say, "I feel like a million bucks"? Or is it better to say, "I feel as though I am worth a million bucks"? If you were to say the latter, anyone in earshot would be perfectly justified in making fun of you. It's been used as a conjunction since at least 1200, according to the Oxford English Dictionary [OED]. That said, many people--such as my college writing teacher--bristle at this usage. In formal contexts, this is a rule worth obeying, just so people don't think you're a rube.
It Ain’t So, No. 10: When answering the phone, you must say, "This is I" or "This is she." "It is I," and "This is she" are two phrases that reek of eau de pomposity. At least 400 years before Shakespeare wrote "O, Woe is me," we've used that particular expression in English. That's ample precedent.Where you do want to be careful, though, is with sentences such as this: "He likes chocolate more than me." Do you mean he likes chocolate more than you do? Or he likes chocolate more than he likes you? If he prefers you to chocolate, then you're better off saying, "He likes chocolate more than I do." If you're second in his heart, well, here: Have some chocolate. It'll make you feel better.
It Ain't So No. 11: You must always use "whom" when it's the object of a sentence.Remember that Noah Webster guy? The one who wrote the first dictionary of American English? Even way back when, he had the sense to advocate "Who did you speak to?" over "Whom did you speak to?" Sometimes, "whom" is just a bit too stuffy. This doesn’t mean it's not nice to know the rule--use "who" as the subject of the sentence, and "whom" as an object--but you can break this rule on occasion with Mr. Webster's blessing.
It Ain't So No. 12: Ain't isn't a word.It is. Right here, see? And it isn’t just a lower-class expression; once upon a time it was an upper-class colloquialism the OED reports--the cousin of won't, don't, can't and shan't. Keep it to music lyrics, musical titles, and appropriate rhetorical sprees. Even with its centuries-long pedigree, it just ain't a word to bring with you to fancy places.
Errors That Aren't: 12 Grammar Rules You Can Toss Out the Window
by Martha Brockenbrough
In an uncertain world, it's nice to be sure of a few things:• Socks go on before shoes, and underwear, before pants; • An apple, when dropped, will fall toward the earth; and• It's a crime to start a sentence with a conjunction, or end one with a preposition.
There's a bit of a problem, though, at least when it comes to the so-called certainties of grammar.Despite the insistence of teachers, starchy bosses, and more than a few well-meaning nuns, certain rules of grammar aren’t actually rules at all. They're myths, the Loch Ness Monster of language foisted upon us, many times for reasons unknown.The declarations against starting sentences with conjunctions and ending sentences with prepositions are two fine examples. And of course, there are quite a few more.It can be upsetting to realize these solemn rules of writing don't exist, sort of like figuring out Santa and your mother have the same handwriting.
I still remember the time my high-school English teacher put a disapproving check mark beside a split infinitive, and the time a college-writing instructor told me not to use "like" as a conjunction. Those corrections are among my most vivid school memories, and in the years that followed, I took care not to make the same mistakes in my writing.And now, I must accept that those instructional gems were fake. At best, many commonly passed-down "rules" might politely be called convention. But even that’s shaky, because crafty dictionary users can always dig up examples where respected writers have departed with said convention for literally hundreds of years.
That, alone, isn't a reason to discard a rule, of course. After all, people have been killing each other for millennia, and it’s still not OK. Or, to use a less extreme example: Just because your grandfather did something one way doesn't mean he did it the right way simply because he was born before you.
The truth is that writers--even great, dead ones--sometimes make grammatical errors. In Pride and Prejudice, for example, Jane Austen's narrator says, "Every body declared that he [Wickham] was the wickedest young man in the world; and every body began to find out that they had always distrusted the appearance of his goodness."To be correct, she should have written "and people began to find out that they had always distrusted the appearance of his goodness."This doesn't mean Jane Austen was anything less than a brilliant writer.
Grammar is important, but it's not the hallmark of great writing. Rather, it's a tool to help us express ourselves and understand others. It's what separates "Let's eat children!" from "Let's eat, children!" (If you can't see the difference there, please do not invite me to your house for dinner.)Where rules help us say what we mean, they're worth learning and obeying. Where they get in the way and twist our syntax--or worse, change the meaning of a sentence--they should be rejected.
Here are 12 grammatical "errors" that aren't actually wrong, according to my own judgment, and that of a variety of experts, including: • Patricia T. O'Conner (Woe is I), • Paul Brians (Common Errors in English Usage, and his Washington State University Web site),• Ronald Wardhaugh (Proper English: Myths and Misunderstandings about Language), and • Mark Liberman and Geoffrey K Pullum (Far from the Madding Gerund).
It Ain't So No. 1: It's wrong to end a sentence with a preposition.The suffix pre means "before." This is perhaps where people got the idea that a "pre-position" couldn't be positioned last in the sentence. It's just not true, though. Even Shakespeare did it. There are certain times, though, when it's ugly to do this. "Where's he at?" is one of those times. "Where is he?" is better form.
It Ain't So No. 2: You are not to split your infinitives.The Roman Empire is long gone, but Latin's luster remains to a surprising degree. The ban on split infinitives--those "to-plus-a-verb phrases"--owes its existence to the idea that Latin grammar is superior to English. Balderdash. In Latin, you can't split infinitives because they're one word. In English, infinitives are two words, and it's not only fine to split them, it's sometimes necessary for the sake of clarity. As Patricia T. O'Conner puts it in her book, Woe is I, there really is no other way to say "To more than double" your rent without splitting the infinitive. The landlord "expects more than to double your rent" just doesn't fly.
It Ain't So No. 3: Use "that" with restrictive clauses, "which" with nonrestrictive clauses.I fed the dog that barked.I fed the dog, which barked.These two sentences have almost identical words, but their meanings are slightly different. The first one is restrictive--the only dog I fed is the one that barked. In the second sentence, the barking is incidental. It's not essential to the meaning of the sentence. Some people, including many publications, insist that writers use "that" with restrictive phrases (those not set off by commas), and "which" with nonrestrictive ones. It's not wrong to do this, and there is a certain amount of elegance to making that distinction. But, you can say "I fed the dog which barked" and still be correct. It sounds a bit more pompous, but it's not wrong, not if we're to go by the example of many accomplished writers. That said, it's not correct to write, "I fed the dog, that barked." "Which" can go both ways, but "that" can't.
It Ain't So No. 4: It's wrong to start a sentence with "and" or "but." Writers have been doing this for more than 1,000 years, despite the hand-waving of frantic English teachers. And they're going to keep on doing it. I could have used a comma between the "teachers" and the "and," but the period gives a longer pause and more emphasis on the second sentence. The conjunction still links the two ideas together; they just happen to be two sentences instead of one. It's fine to do with good reason, but your writing will be choppy if you do it too much.
It Ain't So No. 5: Don't say "hopefully." Say "I'm hopeful" or "It is hoped."While many people still avoid the technical misuse of "hopefully," it's misused often enough that it sounds a bit stilted to say "I'm hopeful," and even worse to say, "It is hoped." Language does evolve, and this is one of those cases where the incorrect use has won out. It doesn't mean you have to say "hopefully" yourself, but holding out the hope and expectation that people will stop doing this is the equivalent of being outraged that people are no longer holding up their socks with garters.
It Ain't So, No. 6: Thou shalt not say healthy food.Extreme language purists still insist that we describe nutritious food as "healthful." But if you don't want to sound as though you've just snapped on a fresh pair of sock-garters, you don't have to. It's fine to describe food as being "healthy." That said, the two words are not interchangeable. As Bill Walsh points out in Elephants of Style, a "healthy" appetite is not always "healthful."
It Ain't So No. 7: None comes from "not one" or "no one," and is therefore always singular.Actually, it just might have come from "not any of them," which is plural. "None" is very often plural. None of the sorority girls have hair, for example. If you're talking about something that can't be divided into units, then make it singular. None of their hair is real. Another way to remember: If "of it" could be swapped in for whatever follows "none," use the singular. If "of them" could be swapped in, use the plural.
It Ain't So No. 8: "Since" must always refer to time.Many people are under the impression they cannot correctly use "since" as a synonym for "because." That's crazy-talk, because it's been used this way since at least 1450. While it's nice to keep distinctions of meaning between words, it's not a crime against language to use "since" for "because," even if you can't use "because" for "since." Like healthful and healthy, and which and that, they can be synonyms even if they’re not interchangeable.
It Ain't So, No. 9: Don't use "like" as a conjunction.Is it wrong to say, "I feel like a million bucks"? Or is it better to say, "I feel as though I am worth a million bucks"? If you were to say the latter, anyone in earshot would be perfectly justified in making fun of you. It's been used as a conjunction since at least 1200, according to the Oxford English Dictionary [OED]. That said, many people--such as my college writing teacher--bristle at this usage. In formal contexts, this is a rule worth obeying, just so people don't think you're a rube.
It Ain’t So, No. 10: When answering the phone, you must say, "This is I" or "This is she." "It is I," and "This is she" are two phrases that reek of eau de pomposity. At least 400 years before Shakespeare wrote "O, Woe is me," we've used that particular expression in English. That's ample precedent.Where you do want to be careful, though, is with sentences such as this: "He likes chocolate more than me." Do you mean he likes chocolate more than you do? Or he likes chocolate more than he likes you? If he prefers you to chocolate, then you're better off saying, "He likes chocolate more than I do." If you're second in his heart, well, here: Have some chocolate. It'll make you feel better.
It Ain't So No. 11: You must always use "whom" when it's the object of a sentence.Remember that Noah Webster guy? The one who wrote the first dictionary of American English? Even way back when, he had the sense to advocate "Who did you speak to?" over "Whom did you speak to?" Sometimes, "whom" is just a bit too stuffy. This doesn’t mean it's not nice to know the rule--use "who" as the subject of the sentence, and "whom" as an object--but you can break this rule on occasion with Mr. Webster's blessing.
It Ain't So No. 12: Ain't isn't a word.It is. Right here, see? And it isn’t just a lower-class expression; once upon a time it was an upper-class colloquialism the OED reports--the cousin of won't, don't, can't and shan't. Keep it to music lyrics, musical titles, and appropriate rhetorical sprees. Even with its centuries-long pedigree, it just ain't a word to bring with you to fancy places.
National Redundant Day?
So we all know that people who say "IPS Schools" are at the top of my pet peeve list. Honestly "Indianapolis Public Schools Schools" How hard is it?
Then I heard this:
PIN Number
Personal Identification Number ...Number
and this:
ATM Machine
Automated Teller Machine Machine
Ok, so I've probably been guilty of one of the above.....
Here, however, is something that is NOT redundant
Miniature Pony Pony
Down the street from us, a family has a huge pen in their front yard with a miniature pony in it. It's a landmark I tell people to look for when I'm trying to get them to our house. She's the cutest thing ever. She's always got her head squeezed through the gate trying to get the grass on the outside of the pen. (I'll avoide the obvious parable here)
Well, about 2 months ago the miniature pony - had a pony!! So now whenever I drive by there's a miniature pony and a miniature pony pony. It's about 2 feet long and a foot and half high. It's often lying on its side like a dog in the sun by its mom. I can only imagine the conversations that Madeline and I will have every time we go by there! She really will be begging for a pony.
Speaking of, smells like my little pony pony needs a change change.
Then I heard this:
PIN Number
Personal Identification Number ...Number
and this:
ATM Machine
Automated Teller Machine Machine
Ok, so I've probably been guilty of one of the above.....
Here, however, is something that is NOT redundant
Miniature Pony Pony
Down the street from us, a family has a huge pen in their front yard with a miniature pony in it. It's a landmark I tell people to look for when I'm trying to get them to our house. She's the cutest thing ever. She's always got her head squeezed through the gate trying to get the grass on the outside of the pen. (I'll avoide the obvious parable here)
Well, about 2 months ago the miniature pony - had a pony!! So now whenever I drive by there's a miniature pony and a miniature pony pony. It's about 2 feet long and a foot and half high. It's often lying on its side like a dog in the sun by its mom. I can only imagine the conversations that Madeline and I will have every time we go by there! She really will be begging for a pony.
Speaking of, smells like my little pony pony needs a change change.
Monday 6 August 2007
Blame it on the Rain
Today Madeline has been a first class TERROR. I don't know if it's because she is getting a handful of teeth at once or just wants to teach Mommy a first class lesson in patience, but she has been a little vixen! No naps - barely eating - only happy if mommy is holding her or right next to her. *Thus why I have time to blog and yet not clean up the kitchen* Anywho - around 3:30 a freakish monsoon started and so I took Madeline into the sunroom to watch the rain. It transfixed her for at least 3 minutes!
Sunday 5 August 2007
Funky Cold Maderma
Well, Steve and I are juuuust starting to get back to normal. I didn't post it - but Steve had to go back to the hospital AGAIN on Tuesday because he was so sick. They did a CT scan an admitted him to Ball Memorial again. We got the same room and even one of our favourite nurses. We hunkered down in the room and watched a re-airing of the Democrat YouTube debate (which only succeeded in making him sicker I think ;) and a show called "14 children and pregnant again." Which, I've recently learned is arcain because - she's had like 2 more kids since the show we saw. I have thoughts on people having that many children - but that's for another post.
They let him go late Wednesday because his biliruben count went back down and we are waiting for the results of his final blood draw. ~sigh~ drama drama!
Yesterday we had lunch at Chilis (YUM!) Madeline ate us out of house and home by eating a TON of broccoli, some of my turkey sandwich, and some of Steve's mashed potatoes. After that we went to Babies R Us where we only spent 10 bucks. YAY US!! Then a few more boring errands and then to the mall. I don't know what we were thinking going to Castleton on a Saturday. ICK! IT was so packed with back to school parents and whiney kids that I almost had a panic attack. It's changed a lot since I was in High School - it seems like a lot more sketchy people are there now. Every where you turn there are creepy cell phone salesmen leering at 13 year old girls. ICK! Anywho - we got in and out of there as fast as we could and then stopped on the way home for a hot fudge sundae treat! (Sorry Madeline! None for you!) Which we enjoyed later whilest watching about 6 episodes of COPS.
We aren't normally COPS watchers - but guess where they were filming? Oh yeah - right in downtown Indianapolis. How could we resist? As much as I like brainy, thought provoking movies - I enjoy a zone out here and there.
Segue
Recent movies I have watched:
The Queen - Brilliant movie. Helen Mirrien deserved her oscar.
Music and Lyrics - VERY cute. I kept singing "I've been dreaming with a clown above my bed" all night
The Departed - I got this one mostly for my husband. I hate action movies. But, it was almost Shakespearean (maybe a little more swearing though) in that it was very just. If you killed someone - you're going to die. No bad guys getting away with anything here.
The Black Dahlia - My husband loves Mob movies so I rented this one for him. I checked out a book on it, thinking that would get me more into it. So far - the book is reeeeeeeeeeeally slow and the movie was HORRIBLE! My husband and I barely made it through! Honestly, if i only had 2 hours to live I would watch this movie because it lasted a LIFETIME!
Anywho - Steve's mom bought him some Maderma for his scars and I think I'm going to snag some of it to try on my C-section scar. Although, it's probably too big an undertaking. Maybe, if we have a few more children (don't hold your breath) I could get them to make separate incisions and I'd have a Zorro thing going on.
alright - lots to do before the baby wakes up!
They let him go late Wednesday because his biliruben count went back down and we are waiting for the results of his final blood draw. ~sigh~ drama drama!
Yesterday we had lunch at Chilis (YUM!) Madeline ate us out of house and home by eating a TON of broccoli, some of my turkey sandwich, and some of Steve's mashed potatoes. After that we went to Babies R Us where we only spent 10 bucks. YAY US!! Then a few more boring errands and then to the mall. I don't know what we were thinking going to Castleton on a Saturday. ICK! IT was so packed with back to school parents and whiney kids that I almost had a panic attack. It's changed a lot since I was in High School - it seems like a lot more sketchy people are there now. Every where you turn there are creepy cell phone salesmen leering at 13 year old girls. ICK! Anywho - we got in and out of there as fast as we could and then stopped on the way home for a hot fudge sundae treat! (Sorry Madeline! None for you!) Which we enjoyed later whilest watching about 6 episodes of COPS.
We aren't normally COPS watchers - but guess where they were filming? Oh yeah - right in downtown Indianapolis. How could we resist? As much as I like brainy, thought provoking movies - I enjoy a zone out here and there.
Segue
Recent movies I have watched:
The Queen - Brilliant movie. Helen Mirrien deserved her oscar.
Music and Lyrics - VERY cute. I kept singing "I've been dreaming with a clown above my bed" all night
The Departed - I got this one mostly for my husband. I hate action movies. But, it was almost Shakespearean (maybe a little more swearing though) in that it was very just. If you killed someone - you're going to die. No bad guys getting away with anything here.
The Black Dahlia - My husband loves Mob movies so I rented this one for him. I checked out a book on it, thinking that would get me more into it. So far - the book is reeeeeeeeeeeally slow and the movie was HORRIBLE! My husband and I barely made it through! Honestly, if i only had 2 hours to live I would watch this movie because it lasted a LIFETIME!
Anywho - Steve's mom bought him some Maderma for his scars and I think I'm going to snag some of it to try on my C-section scar. Although, it's probably too big an undertaking. Maybe, if we have a few more children (don't hold your breath) I could get them to make separate incisions and I'd have a Zorro thing going on.
alright - lots to do before the baby wakes up!
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