Talena Winters

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Tickling the strings, and a Short Parable on Spelling

Okay, everyone, don't blow a gasket, but--

I ACTUALLY PLAYED GUITAR TONIGHT!

Shocking, I know. I started teaching myself to play just before my second son, Noah, was born, did really well for a few weeks, took a LONG sabbatical, played again really faithfully for another few weeks, and haven't touched it since. I have had the best of intentions but despite the fact that my Palm reminds me to practice every weekday, it hasn't happened for well over a year.

In spite of a split on the middle finger of my left hand that has made both typing and pressing strings interesting (not to mention painful), I actually got to practice for about 15 minutes before I decided that I didn't want the rest of my fingers to start bleeding, too.

Jude and Noah had fun playing with the tuner. (It's the type that is kind of like a harmonica.)

Hopefully, I can continue the habit....

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Okay, recent pet peeve:

Person A decides, "I need to make some extra money. Hey, I know, I'll write an eBook and sell it for an exorbitant price!"

Person B says, "I need to make some extra money. Hey, here's someone selling an eBook about how to make money! I'll buy it!"

So, Person B pays exorbitant price for Person A's eBook. The only problem is, Person A can't spell to save his or her life, and relied solely on his computer to check grammar. This drives Person B batty. If Person B spends good money on a book, whether it be an eBook or no, they should not have to muddle through someone else's inept grasp of the English language. Hasn't anyone ever heard of proof-reading anymore?! If grammar and spelling aren't your forte, hire someone else to do it! For crying out loud, all of your other expenses for the book are nil! You could at least spend a few bucks to make sure you're turning out a quality product! (Or maybe a low-quality product with everything spelled and worded correctly!)

Ahem. Guess which side of that story I was on?

I think I can relate to Professor Henry Higgins from My Fair Lady, except my lyrics would read:

"Why can't the English (Americans, Canadians) teach their children how to spell?"

I don't think people who can't spell, and therefore place a very low importance on doing it correctly, realize how it drives people who actually care about our language UP THE WALL to read something that is spelled so poorly or incorrectly.

Sigh.