Today I checked out a place my parents were considering moving to. (Don't beat me, Grammar Avengers! I'm in Florida, we get a waiver!)
Blah blah, took the tour, the only amusing moment was when the tourguide (a ditzy woman who kept asking me if I could "walk that far" - I was visibly years younger than she was and way, way fitter, but apparently she is programmed to say that) launched into a segue about the weather. We're supposed to get cooler (finally) this week, lows in the 40s, which will be very welcome. So she had to tell me that she had warm clothes, that she wore to "The Inauguration!" She was at The Inauguration! I guided the subject to the joys of warm clothing in general, and expressed no interest in the obviously exciting data that She, Ditzy Broad, had been at The Inauguration!
I did think that if she brought this up in front of my father, he might have a fatal coronary on the spot, trying to hold back explosive snorts of derision.
The place was okay but way overpriced. Way overpriced. They could buy a nice condo for the price of a studio-business-hotel-suite-sized-unit at this place - seriously overpriced. Yes, the services were nice, but you pay for those on TOP of the buy-in. Screw that. Scratched off list. Onward. So sorry, Extremely Ditzy Woman Who Went to THE INAUGURATION. If the place had been worth it your politics would not have played any factor at all, but somehow it was just the comical icing on the cake. If she throws that story into the pitch because that's her market, boy, do my folks not belong there.
Knitting: Yes, I still do it. Linen wash cloths, they are the salvation of my sanity. Ommmm.... And I think I'm going to make the Chicknits Eyelet Cardi from some black cotton in my stash. Soon. Honest. I promised myself I have to make an entire garment or two from the stash before I am allowed to buy more linen.
I'm also working all day and doing the CD based real estate licensing course in the evening. And the dogs, the house, the laundry, the rest of it. And holy shit, Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK??? The shrieks of panic in the office, as those of us who Must Host Dinner hit on this, was hilarious. Many of the people in the office are young enough to go to their parents, so they were oblivious, but at least two of us were shitting Butterballs. I have shopped for nothing. I have cat hair to chase. Clutter to move. I need a haircut. Can I do it? Sure. Just add it to the list....
This English major says go ahead and put the preposition at the end if it's where it really belongs!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I could have kept from saying, (Pause)... "OH," when she mentioned the inauguration. Eeuw! Good luck on a better place for the parents. Also Thanksgiving. I've never been a big fan and thankfully (LOL) have never had to host!
I started college as an English major (and was offered scholarships to other schools based on my writing ability - how funny is that?) but changed to legal studies/prelaw because I needed a real job. Prepositions DO belong at the end of sentences. But then, my Sister Mary Elephant sense of grammar perfection was seriously damaged by linguistics and folklore classes. Prepositions make perfect sense at the end of sentences. This does not, however, mean anything goes or excuse the torturing of innocent apostrophes.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, don't start me on the apostrophes! Or you're/your, they're/there/their and the like. Or the rampant use of quotation marks to mean -- what? Emphasis? Nothing at all? Sigh... My worst experience with that was the flyer for one of my high school reunions, where THE VALEDICTORIAN signed herself Jane "Roe" Doe. WTF?
ReplyDeleteNo, I can believe they liked your writing ability! Are you kidding? :-)
And oh yeah -- real job. I don't regret my lit degree because I loved it. However, now I work in benefits administration which has exactly nada to do with what I am educated to do, which is... um.... read. :-) I may teach someday. Til then, I do math by day and words by night!
ReplyDeleteshitting butterballs!! Too funny! I just love you Catherine, no matter how crabby and down I am you always make me smile!! See? :)
ReplyDeleteoh btw, thanks for the compliments on the Ribby Family. I love the flat panel front, is it too late to change yours?
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm afraid it is, the fronts are done! I'm on a sleeve now. Or I would be if i were working on it. ;-)
ReplyDelete