Grammar Matters!

"Let's eat Grandma!"
"Let's eat, Grandma!"
Commas save lives!!


As someone who dressed up as the grammar police for Halloween last year you can see why I might think this.  I work in communications professionally, and participate in online dating personally, I cannot stress enough the importance of grammar.  On OkCupid, I sometimes fight the urge to discriminate against someone who can't tell the difference between "your" and "you're" (can't tell the difference or can't be bothered to care) but then realize that while it may be over-educated snobbery it is something that I want.  Not to say that someone needs to have perfect grammar or spelling all the time but I need someone who cares enough to double check themselves and fix it. So, while I now accept that I am okay with not liking someone based on the grammar in their self-summary I have restrained myself from correcting their messages to me (which I count as a success).

On a professional level I'm much less forgiving.  Every program you use has a spell check tool, most have automatic flags for when something is potentially incorrect. It actually takes work to not correct your own writing! Why?!?

I do love scanning the Daily Infographics every once in while and this is one that covers all these rules so nicely (if you can't tell I feel like "silly" is a nice word for what these grammar goofs make you look like):

Stay Creative

Toilet leprechauns

I can't take credit for this thought but these days I find myself more often going down the winding road of over-analyzing what most would assume are straight-forward things in everyday life. It can take you to some weird places but never as weird and wonderful as where this woman goes!

I love her blog and it often just makes me literally laugh out loud and this post was no exception

http://thebloggess.com/2015/04/toilet-leprechauns-probably-the-pandoras-box-of-our-generation-i-added-the-probably-so-they-cant-sue-me-for-libel/

You would make a horrible bulimic

I've recently found a new track of inspiration that has gotten me back to doing some art which is actually a wonderful bit of calm and sanity these days for which I am incredibly grateful. Hand lettering and illustration.  This is not really a direction I've ever explored before but I was drawn to the look of the hand lettered signs that are ever so popular these days and then would be over come by that moment of "ugh, I'm not paying for this, I can make that myself." Only this time I actually did!

I don't think it's that much of a departure because I was also drawn to doing art that was not separate from the human experience. These are less related to the human experience in the abstract and more related to the human experience of me and my friends.

I have two completed, one that I like and show below that are based on either sayings, quotes, or in this case an joke that resulted from a ridiculous conversation. Luckily, I have a best friend who as lists of quotes from years of our hanging out that are just begging to be illustrated.  Here's hoping the inspiration lasts because I really enjoy the end product of this one.

Entitled "Yum", printed on heavy weight paper and, if you're so inclined, is for sale at RadBaby.

Dear Cupid, please help.

Wow, it's been a long time since I've been here and a long time since I've felt like I had the space and desire to write a blog post. Frankly, I'm not sure I'm there yet but I figured why not give it a shot.

These days when people ask how I am or how it's going I usually answer with a vague "Oh, you know, life". This is not because I don't want to share or don't believe that someone else would get it because I know that others go through issues like these. It's more because I feel like I'm walking a delicate line of being able to keep functioning and if I unpack that baggage right now the dam might break and I wouldn't be able to keep acting like I was mostly ok.

I am still very lucky - one of those things that keeps me going - and the good people still around me in life are what make me feel like I'll actually come out the other side even if I don't know when. I'm just tired. Tired of feeling sad and feeling like I can't actually take things turning around at face value because for about a year now each upswing has been rather promptly halted and sent crashing back to the ground.

Ok, topic change!

What I actually wanted to post about was another observation about online dating. First, let me say that I was inspired to think about the weirdness of dating again because of a good friend's new blog call Tin Foil Knights - always a fun read.  Back to it, there is a newer development that I don't quite understand - not sure that I don't like it but it begs an explanation. I am 31, I'm confident and find myself beautiful, know that as a thick chick I may have a niche audience but frankly it's not a narrow field so please don't read the next as a veiled self consciousness.

Why do more 21 year olds want to talk to me more than men my age or older?? 21 is very young on so many levels. I have a few theories:

1. There is something inherently wrong with men in my generation - ok, ok, this isn't a new theory but it has yet to be debunked
2. These 21 year old youngins grew up with the concept of cougars as commonplace and have somehow translated that to think it's normal
3. 21 years olds these days are just overall smarter and clearly like a better caliber of women (remember how I said I don't lack self confidence)

None of the above stops my gut reaction to a 21 year old asking if I want to hang out from being "No, I'm sorry I can't babysit that night".  There has been so much change between 21 year old me and 31 year old me not to mention my taste in men - while not amazing now it has definitely improved!

In case you were wondering about what my niche is, and it changes periodically, currently it appears to be a relatively balanced mix of older men with children (who on the whole seem nice if not a little beat down by life), polyamorous men (so many polyamorous men), and children (aka 21 year olds).

Dear cupid, please help.

So true...

Frankfurts are good

Using a grill makes them great

Coppa salami and anything cured

Kick ass no matter what.

Cheeses are heavenly

Only requirement is quantity

Dill or kosher pickles, whatever so long as it’s Klausin

Yup it keeps us flossin.

Oops

Tonight I had every intention of coming home and treating myself to an evening of pampering. I had even picked out some DIY spa treatments on Pinterest to try tonight.

Instead, I am currently on my couch in a tank top and underwear, with a fan directly on me, plowing my way through my Hulu queue. 

Ah, what a glamorous life this single gap leads...