I Know an Editor Who Needs A New Profession

I love to read, so when I found myself in a school library to help with student testing, I looked through the books to find a quick read I might enjoy. I found one (which shall remain nameless) and began reading ... and was really surprised at some of the sentence structure and wording. I waited for the kids to go home for the day (no camera's allowed during testing!) and took pictures of a few of the things that left me scratching my head. I only document a few here, but there were many, many more. The story itself was actually quite clever ... and I couldn't help but wonder how so many blunders made it through the editorial process of a major publishing house.

Is it just me, or is it troubling that the editor/proofreader(s) didn't find fault with these? (My snarky comments are below the snippets in red.)

No grammatical error, per se ...
but that's your best description of a headache? Really?!

I believe Reeve was MORE HANDSOME, not HANDSOMER.

Three words ...
Worst. Metaphor. EVER!

Um ... I hate to tell you, but Mirriam-Webster says SPROING
(and therefore, SPROINGED) is not a word.

P.S. Yes, I realize I do not always follow proper sentence structure, and I've been known to use the word "ain't" or "funner" in my blog ... but I think a book specifically geared toward children to ignite their love of reading should also teach them proper English. And, it's okay to make up a word (like "sproing") ... but you can only do so when a character is using the word. You can't make up a word to use as a description!

I'm Creating a Website for a New Business

I am so proud of how well it is turning out!

My daughter knows a couple of women who are starting a new business ... tea parties! They were needing a website built, and Thing 2 told them I know how to do that. It's not finished, but I got the background, header, and logo built. (Don't ask me how long I spent creating each element!) The photos on the website are just placeholders until I get images from them. I'm waiting on several things before I can really build much more, but so far, I think it's adorable!!

Below is a short video of the home page animation.

Happy Star Wars Day ... and May the 4th Be With You!

If you are a Star Wars fan (I'm not ... I've never seen any of the movies), then today is the day to get your geek on. Today is National Star Wars Day. I bid you adieu with today's catchphrase  ... "May the 4th be with you."

This Would Be My Luck

A man if Georgia fired his 9mm pistol at an armadillo. The bullet ricocheted off the animal's armored skin and went through a fence, a door, and a chair to strike his mother-in-law in the back inside her home, 100 yards away. It's legal to kill nuisance armadillos, so no charges were filed. The armadillo is dead, and the mother-in-law is fine.

I'm just glad I never found myself in similar circumstances. My ex-mother-in-law is the kind of person who keeps Jerry Springer in desginer clothes, luxury cars, mansions, and women half his age on his arm. While there was never any love lost between us and I never wished her any harm ... no one would have believed me if I said I shot her on accident!!

You can read the full article here.

New Zealand Prime Minister Apologizes For Repeatedly Pulling Cafe Worker's Hair

That headline got my attention! When you see an article about the Prime Minster of a country forced to apologize for pulling someone's hair, you kind of have to read it!

It seems the Prime Minister of New Zealand repeatedly pulled the hair of a cafe worker, even after she told him (more than once) not to. No means no, Mr. Prime Minister!!

Don't worry ... the Prime Minister eventually made things right (in his mind anyway) ... he gave her two bottles of wine and told her he was sorry ... that he didn't realize she didn't want him to pull her hair. I'm paraphrasing that last part, but that's my take on his apology!

Very peculiar ... and a little creepy ... right?!

You can read the full article here.

You're Done Studying

You may pet me now.

Great-Aunt Carrie's Toy Chairs

When I was growing up, my mom would take us kids to see my Grandma, who lived with her spinster sister (Great-Aunt Addie) and her brother's widow (Great-Aunt Carrie).

Aunt Addie and Aunt Carrie tried to stay out of the way and let Grandma visit with us kids, but I'd always wander into Aunt Carrie's room ... and stare at the three little chairs her father whittled for her when she was a little girl. She was born in 1901, so these chairs are over 100 years old now. Aunt Carrie was a sweet old lady. She never had any children, but I suspect she would have been a wonderful, loving mother. I liked being around Aunt Carrie ... and I absolutely adored those chairs!

After Aunt Carrie died, my mom got the three little chairs. I (morbidly) told my mom (often) that when she died, I wanted Aunt Carrie's chairs. When my mother died, my brothers and sisters asked what I wanted. I told them that all I wanted was Aunt Carrie's chairs.

I did get Aunt Carrie's chairs ... and all these years later, I love them as much as I did as a child. Every time I look at them I think of Aunt Carrie's kind eyes and sweet smile. I'm sure it makes her happy when she looks down from heaven to see those chairs taken care of and protected, and that she knows I treasure them as much as she did.

WWII Memorial in Washington DC

The World War II Memorial in Washington, DC

The World War II Memorial in Washington, DC was dedicated on April 29, 2004 to honor the brave men and women who served during the war. I think it's a shame that it took 59 years to honor these patriotic American's. Sadly, many of those who served never lived to see this monument ... my father included. My kids and I went to Washington DC on Thanksgiving Day, 2004. The memorial was still under construction and hidden from view ... and I really wanted a glimpse!

Four Hundred Thousand Americans lost their lives during World War II. One wall of the monument holds four thousand stars, one star for each one hundred American's killed. Had these men and women lived, most would have came home and started a family. It's hard not to wonder what these men and women, and their children and grandchildren, could have accomplished. Perhaps a cure for cancer ... or, on a lighter note, perhaps they would have perfected the hovering skateboard from 'Back to the Future'.

Field of Stars to commemorate the 400,000 men and women who gave their lives for the war.

My father fought during World War II in the Pacific Theater. I wrote a blog post about my father's service during the war (you can read it here), and his crossing the equator on D-Day, June 6, 1944, as part of General MacAuthor's promise to return to the Philippines and liberate them from the Japanese.

Those who fought this war, both at home and abroad, are often referred to as 'The Greatest Generation', and I couldn't agree more. I do wish, however, that my generation or my children's generation could be called that, but we won't be, and we shouldn't be ... because we aren't.

Maybe one day a new generation of children will be raised with the same faith and patriotic spirit of my parents and they will emerge as a new 'Greatest Generation'.

Safari Cat

Louie, Thing 1's silly cat, was always trying to escape and go outside ... so she bought him a harness and leash. Surprisingly, Louie doesn't seem to mind the harness or the leash at all, which is surprising because, well ... he's a cat ... and they generally don't let on that they enjoy anything.

A cat that tolerates this is new to our family. Years ago we bought Mr. Whiskers a harness and leash, and he slunk (is that a word?) around the yard crouched down and terrified. Sweet little Maggie never wanted to go outside, and Olivia can only walk backwards when wearing anything other than a collar ... or she falls over, stiff-legged as though rigor mortis has set in!

We can rest secure in the knowledge that Louie is okay with the leash because he didn't yell at my daughter. Louie is very vocal. When he isn't happy, he tells you. When Thing 1 gets up in the morning, Louie meets her at her bedroom door, complaining that he was locked out of the room all night ... and why does the stupid dog get to stay in there and not him? When she comes home from work, he meets her at the door and tells her all about his day. He goes on for quite a while, so apparently, no detail is too small to include in his litany.

Now that Louie knows he can go outside, I expect him to pester Thing 1 to take him outside all the time. I fear, in her sweet innocence, she's created a monster.

Happy Birthday to My Friend!

Last Saturday was a good friend's 50th birthday. We invited the couple over for lunch and grilled out, then sat around talking and laughing. It was my boyfriend's job to get the birthday boy away from the house, so I went into the other room and called him, pretending to be the security company and inform him that the alarm was going off at his business. The guys took off to go fight evil, while my friend and I decorated and waited for her kids to run all over town picking up the food and deliver it to us.

The birthday boy never suspected a thing and was completely surprised when the garage door opened to reveal his friends and family, packed in like sardines, screaming "Surprise!"

The party had to be moved inside due to rain, but we were able to move back outside after the storm passed. Other than the rain, the party went off without a hitch and everyone had a blast.

I kind of felt obligated to host his birthday party ... I'm the one who talked her into going out with him years ago. If I hadn't done that, they would never have gotten married, and she wouldn't be planning his birthday party. It's my "fault" that she's married to him, so the least I could do was offer my boyfriend's house for the party, right?!