"I think that I shall never see, a billboard lovely as a tree.
Perhaps, unless the billboards fall,
I'll never see a tree at all."
Ogden Nash
o~o~o~o~o~o
one thing that's always been a 'pet peeve' for me...
are spelling mistakes.
i guess it stems from my dad's constant obsession
with sounding out words and
spelling them correctly.
while growing up...every night...at the dinner table...
it was 'spelling bee' time!
to this day...i can recite...off the top of my head...
antidisestablishmentarianism!!
got that? i knew how to spell it...
before i even knew what it meant!
scary.
so his obsession...rubbed off on me.
not that i know how to spell every word correctly...but if i'm not sure...
i know how to use a dictionary.
it's always amazed me how a business can actually put up a sign...
with a word misspelled!
i've seen this countless times!
(i hate to say it...but i've seen it more in FL than anywhere else i've lived)
a few miles up the road...across from the (locally) famous waldo flea market...
'dinning'...
are they trying to be funny? making up their own word? intentional?
some kind of play on words?
i don't get it. i tried to give them the benefit of the doubt...
but what else can it be?
they misspelled DINING!!
what's really scary is that more than one person had to see this sign...
before it was constructed!
between the people who own the restaurant...
the people who decided what the sign should say...
the people who did the lettering & painted it...
and the people who put it up there...
on the main road...for all to see...
NONE of them noticed that DINNING should be DINING!
damn!!
((ok, so DIN is a word...to make a loud noise...
but i don't think the Pea Patch meant
"come eat here...in our very noisy dining room!"
uh, make that dinning room!))
nowadays with computers...and spell check...
people don't have to learn to spell. BUT even spell check isn't fool proof.
spell check doesn't necessarily know the difference between their, they're and there.
or bear and bare. hare and hair. to, too and two. your and you're.
angle instead of angel.
and so on.
even i...master speller that i am...HA!...
have to sometimes repeat the phrase
gee, thanks dad!
i'm a spelling freak. obsessed!
noticing big unbelievable blunders...to minute typos.
blah blah blah.
i'm getting carried away...just a dumb pet peeve that was instilled in me in youth!
finally...got it off my chest...or back...or outa my head! ha!
(outa...short for out of. :) )
o~o~o~o~o~o
quickly now...before i go...
been feeling a little stressed lately.
one of those days...yeah...day after day.
The walls we build around us
to keep out the sadness
also keep out the joy.
~Jim Rohn
when i get down...down in the dumps...i tend to withdraw!
withdraw...and write.
if i could sing (and i sure as hell can't) i'd be singin' the blues right about now...
anyway...by the weekend i hope to have clawed my way out of this hole...
and post a few pic's from last weekend when sam and i went exploring through the dead
thorny brush...out back!
'til then...stay cool...wander safely!
laura :]
I am a horrible speller. But I used to also have to make signs for a job.... hello, proof reading! Let someone else double check your work!!
ReplyDeleteSpelling bees at dinner sound like they could have been fun (as long as your dad made a game of it!). I not a good speller, but I do try to make sure I use spell check.
ReplyDeleteWithdraw or not, you write a great post! I'm with you on the spelling...I was always in the spelling bees at school and always finished 2nd or 3rd. I'd get in a hurry. The last one I went down on was biscuit. Only two of us left-I'm feeling pretty cool and blurted out "buscuit"! My son is the same. Two left and he goes down. He is a great speller, but 2nd in his school too! Like mother, like son, like father, like daughter! It looks like Florida got left out of any snow. Maybe next time. Until then, Laura-Damn, you're human! Your post was actually uplifting.
ReplyDeleteLaura - I thought I was the only person left on this earth who cares about correct spelling ;)
ReplyDeleteThe other day I saw a small dinghy and trailer on the side of the road with a large sign saying "For Sail". I went back with my camera next day, but it had gone.
I can't decide if the signwriter was
(a) ignorant or (b) very witty...
Hope you feel better very soon.
I'm with you Laura, can't stand spelling mistakes. Easy enough to use a dictionary which I do often.
ReplyDeleteSo, wat the hek, as long as you unnerstan wat i am speeking about.
It's a peeve of ours as well - quite prevalent in Australia. Newspapers, Ads on TV, even a local traffic directional sign we saw the other day... forgotten what it said now [*blush*] but it was wrong, wrong, wrong LOL :)
ReplyDeleteI think it's sometimes a matter of a person not knowing (or perhaps not even caring?) that something is wrongly spelt so, therefore, doesn't realise it needs to be checked!!
Another thing Laura ... what's this about you not being able to sing??? Of course you can, just let it out - on a walk in the bush, in your garden... heck, and especially in the shower (acoustics are great in the bathroom) - who cares if the voice may be a little untrained.
Years ago I had a bit of a thing about being in crowded places. I found that if I sang softly to myself all the while, it really helped. Since then I let fly when the urge hits, oh it feels good. My long suffering darling is used to it now.... hmmmm, 'praps the neighbours may have something to say but I don't ask them :D
I am above average speller(except when commenting at 7 am!), but my Grandmother (you've seen her picture) was a grammar freak. so I cringe when I hear someone say liBARY, or jewLARY, or these ones and many others I cant think of right now.... need coffee, bye!
ReplyDeleteHey Laura, too funny! I share your pet peeve about spelling, those misspelled words just jump out at me too! An old boss of mine relied on spell check so much that it corrected his misspelling of inconvenience to incontinent. As in Dear Sir, I am sorry for your incontinence..! Not good!!!
ReplyDeleteI hope you get out of the hole you're in...if you recognize it you CAN get out of it, I believe. this too shall pass...now get to singing a HAPPY song ;) ~stacey
you are ALL so HYSTERICAL!!!!! i feel so much better already!!
ReplyDeleteErika Jean! yes!! proof reading SHOULD do the trick...as long as everyone who proof reads knows what they're doing...and is just a little competent in 'spelling' than the person before them!!
Kateri! yes, my dad always made it fun...well, kind of! it wasn't ALWAYS a fun time when you got it wrong...but that eventually made me such a good speller...no worries!
Susan! so we can both say that if we were in a spelling B...we'd be in the top 2 or 3...not bad, eh!??
Alexia! i think a boat For Sail...was prob being funny...witty...at least i hope so! too bad it was gone by the time u got your camera!
Irma! i can tell you didn't use your spell check there!! ha!!
Susan! i admit...i DO sing...at times! in the shower...or in the car...when alone! i can WAIL!! but believe me...it NEVER comes out of my mouth the way it sounds in my head!! aaaarrrgh!!
Joanne! yeah...my dad was big on grammar too...but spelling was his first love. and he pushed us to the point of no return! now i can't help bu see misspelled words everywhere! ugh! and pronunciation...it can get to me too!!
Trucking Stacey!hahahaaaa!!!! i hope your boss's letter didn't make it into the mail before his mistake was caught!! too much!
well, i hope i didn't leave anyone out! thanks everyone!!
nice to know...i am not alone! ha! now i better watch myself...and not make any typos...ever!
and i'm really feeling much better...thanks for stopping by & making me LAUGH!!
i'll drop in SOON to visit you all in your part of the world real soon...this weekend! :]
take it easy! laura
Ugh. I see this kind of thing everywhere, and it drives me absolutely over the bend. I can understand the occasional typo - you're writing quickly, so you hit the wrong key and subsequently forget to correct it - but obvious errors on things, like signs, are just beyond the pale.
ReplyDeleteSadly, most people never notice it. They've become conditioned to accept substandard use of language. Sad, sad, sad.
Laura - Damn! Lady - you hit the nail on the head, for me anyway. Another misuse of the english language is the use of "its" (as in "the dog knew its own puppies") as opposed to "it's" (as in "It's a beautiful day today") HA - it's cold and snowy here in W. WA today, but then the sun wouldn't know what to do with its light here even if it wasn't!! I see these errors everywhere now: special sale for mom's; kid's - get a free ice cream cone! Bring your dog's in for shots, etc. etc. I agree - spell check certainly doesn't catch everything and that's what dictionaries are for. THANKS for venting here. OH - and you say you can't sing well; I believe the Bible states to "Make a joyful noise" - that's prob'ly (intended) also stated elsewhere, but that's what comes to mind. I'd put the emphasis on "joyful"...take care of yourself & feel better soon!
ReplyDeletehehehe really funny post, nice topic, made me laugh!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the spelling, although I try not to obsess or be too hard on the average Joe. People are just people after all and mistakes will happen. But I do expect a certain level of professionalism, pride and standards from those who are advertising, publishing or otherwise using printed words to enhance their business.
ReplyDeleteThe worst is a spelling or grammar error in a published book. How many layers of proof reading does a book go through before it goes to press? To me a spelling mistake in a book signifies true commercialism and a general disinterest in taking pride in one's art form.
yes! i'm not alone in all this! and no, i don't mean anything BAD to those who really can't spell...and i always wondered...if you really are a terrible speller, how the heck do you look it up in the dictionary??
ReplyDelete...i also see misspelled words...or typos...way too often in the books i read!!
thanks all...for your time & comments! take care!
laura :]
thanks for the memory trip ... 'i before e'
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're a spelling freak! I know I count on you...:) Hey, email me your address...:)JP
ReplyDeleteIt's really frustrating to be a teacher these days -- I think the primary reason for bad spelling is students don't read anymore.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about withdrawing -- I do it all the time! Thus, a blog. . . .
Very nice entry; very nice blog!
ahahahah!!!! L'ortografia non è sempre rispettata!! (purtroppo!) Pensa che qu' nel mio paese (Itlia- Sicilia) molti negozianti lo sbagliano di proposito il nome del locale, proprio per ...ridere! (anche se a volte non fa ridere affatto!!) Ciao Laura!! ;DDDD
ReplyDelete