Peeve Alert
[copied from dland]
Today's entry is brought to you by the pet peeve "poor editing." I can only assume that poor editing is responsible, because writers will make mistakes but editors are supposed to catch them and correct them before they're published. And just because your newspaper -- or news whatever -- is online, mistakes should not be excused, nor standards relaxed.
The one that got me today is an error that couldn't even have been made, let's say 30 years ago. Here goes.
What's wrong with this sentence?
For one, to have "another thing coming" is a colloquialism, and has no place in journalism, where a more formal style is appropriate. But I do understand that such standards have relaxed in recent years, so I'm going to let that one go. However:
ANOTHER THING COMING??????
Editors, please read the sentence, and really, don't use colloquialisms unless you can get it right. The essential part of the sentence is
Condoleezza Rice may have thought .... but she has another thing coming.
Folks, what she has got coming is another think. She had a thought ... the implication is that she was wrong ...therefore, what she needs is another think, not another thing. This turn of phrase is what makes it informal, a bit of a tongue-in-cheek use of language.
Sheesh.
I return you know to your regularly scheduled entry.
I gymmed this morning, and plan to tomorrow, since I'm not going into work. Even though I had cut back on my original gym plan when I went back, I think it was still too ambitious for me to achieve. I need to start even smaller, and make that a regular habit, and then pick up more. I've decided not to do any classes at all for now, unless the new schedule coming out in two weeks has that Gentle Yoga at a time I can go. Otherwise, I'm just doing the weights, and instead of planning Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday, I'll just go whenever and as often as I can, and hopefully, it will be at least three times a week. Part of the after-work problem is that I'm more comfortable changing at home and going in with just my keys and headphones and not schlepping a bag and changing there, but once I'm home, it's hard to get out again. Gotta get that all worked out.
From the *SMACK!* I coulda hadda V8! department:
So I was back from the gym and fiddling with this entry, among other things, and K stomps through the kitchen carrying an armful of sheets. The midnight pooper has struck again. Poor Boo is an old cat and loves K's bed and is not intentionally pooping everywhere, he just can't help it. So she puts her sheets in the washer, making that every day this week, and plops onto the couch in the family room. When this happened yesterday, she announced with justified annoyance: "We've got to put a door on my room."
Easier said than done, Grasshopper, our house is not so conducive to doors. The only rooms that have them are the Hubs' and my bedroom, and the bathroom. Her room is up the steps to the attic and then poof, it's a room. Putting a door up there would involve building a wall, which should have been done before we put down the carpet, but we didn't.
But this morning, she was so miserable and it occurred to me for the first time -- we've lived in this house for 20 years -- that we can put a door at the bottom of the stairs. The bottom, where there's already a door frame ... what a concept! This is so easy that 10 years ago, I could have done it myself, but now I'll call someone or other. All it involves is buying a bi-fold door, painting it, and putting it up. I'll make a call or two tomorrow. It probably won't even be an expensive job, I wouldn't think. Another problem solved.
Next problem is that I've got to replace the rug in the living room -- again, hello cats -- and I'm going to be smarter this time and get even cheaper rugs that I can throw into the washing machine. I almost don't care what they look like. If I could get one of these and it was machine-washable, I would get it. (Maybe I could make little road signs for the cats that say "Poop Here" or something.) I'm considering the biggest bathroom rugs I can find, if they don't look too plush, i.e., like bathroom rugs. Someday, I'll get really really nice rugs, probably just in time for grandchildren to throw up on them, but I'll cross that bridge when I need to.
I have been very, very good with the eye drops today. The hearing aids have been irritating -- just cut out before for no reason and then came back -- but the eye drops are working out. Yes, I'm 15 years later than I should have been in doing this, but hey, whatever. What's a little corneal damage among friends at the old age home.
It's 2:00 in the afternoon and I'm crashing. I need to put my head down somewhere and sleep, even if it's for 15 minutes. Later.
WATCHING GILMORE GIRLS on DVD :: ENTRY #1348
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