Grab a chair and a couple of root beers...

Okay, so... maybe shouting myself hoarse through two games in an open air stadium while the temperature drops into the forties and only wearing a hoodie because I left my jacket in the car wasn't the smartest thing I could have done.

Lesson learned? Carry the damn jacket and make the Impossible Son carry the blankets.

Oh, and next time I drive by the farmer's stand, buy the big jar of local honey.

I spent the weekend curled up in bed on the Husbandly One's orders, because I woke up Saturday morning with no voice and a nasty, rattling cough. Yeah, I probably had the bug already, and Friday night just made it worse. Fortunately, THO didn't have his usual trouble keeping me in bed because keiramarcos had a lovely new fic up, and it pretty much kept me engrossed for the entire weekend.

When I finished that, there was Netflix and movies.

And when I get back from seeing the doctor, there will probably be more movies and such until it's time to pick up the kids.

I hate being sick. Of course, this is a good opportunity to do things like finishing up crochet projects I've been putting off, or making more jewelry to sell, or ... writing.

*sigh*

Or I could read that book about Julia Child and Avis DeVoto I'd started reading Saturday, but had to quit because they mentioned food and Saturday, me and food... no, not so much.

Did I already warn you guys about the ultimate nastiness of chicken chili? Smells great, but looks like barf. Avoid at all costs. Do. Not. Go. There.

Anyhow, hopefully, I'll be well in time to go sit in the cold and wet on Friday (since tomorrow's game has been canceled, due to the other school's team not having enough players to make up a junior varsity and varsity team, long story) where the long range forecast says, "It ain't getting out of the forties all day plus SNOW FLURRIES, folks!"

YAYS!!

Texas, folks. This is Texas. Where the weather can't make up its mind. Ya-hooo.

*sigh*

How many of you have read fics, be they fan-fiction or original, and thought, "Dude, seriously, you need to actually use the spell-check and grammar-check functions on your computer!!"

*stops to count hands*

Okay, so... how many of you have read fics, be they fan-fiction or original, and realized that they not only did use spell-check and grammar-check, but... they either didn't have enough background to choose the appropriate words, or... just picked at random, and still bombed?

*nods as she counts the hands*

Yeah. Me, too. And you know what? It's not any less jarring, is it? You just can't win.

*laughs ruefully and returns to keeping kids from killing each other/blowing up the house/ending life as we know it on Earth*

Dear Numerous Fiction Writers,

Please do pick up your dictionaries, or go to dictionary.com, and use the damn things!!

Discreet - (adjective) Careful or circumspect in one's speech or actions, especially in order to avoid causing offense or to gain an advantage: We made discreet inquiries.
*Intentionally unobtrusive: A discreet cough...

Discrete - (adjective) Separate and distinct: speech sounds are produced as a continuous sound signal rather than discrete units.


They sound the same, but they do not mean the same thing and thus cannot be used interchangeably.

Also...

Taut - (adjective) Stretched or pulled tight; not slack: the fabric stays taut without adhesive.

*(especially of muscles or nerves) tense; not relaxed.

Taunt - (noun) A remark made to anger, wound, or provoke someone.

Provoke or challenge (someone) with insulting remarks: students began taunting her about her weight.

Reproach (someone) with something in a contemptuous way: she had taunted him with going to another man.



These barely sound the same, and definitely do not mean the same thing!!

Also, news writers, telephone POLES are what fall when you have an earthquake. POLLS fall when those questioned don't approve or agree.

You cannot depend on Spell-Check. Please use your brain as well!!!

GAAAAH!!!!


Extremely annoyed,

Auntie


I swear, y'all, if I have to read about another "taunt belly" or about a lawyer warning his client to be discrete in revealing his whereabouts, I will scream!!!

*throws up hands in exasperation*

I did not sleep well last night. The poor Husbandly One tossed and turned most of the night, and therefore, I spent a lot of it curled up against his side with my chin digging a hole in his chest, chatting and making him laugh. I know, sounds an odd way of spending a night when someone is restless, but THO needed distraction in a big way, and for once, sex wasn't going to do it.

Why, you ask? Well, he got his hair cut yesterday, very short, and afterwards, he got progressively grumpier, and grumpier, and shorter, until it was bedtime, and I thought he was just tired and cranky, he'll just pass out and wake up tomorrow in a much better mood, right?

Nope. He was... upset about his hair!!

Even though he complained constantly that it felt like a wet mop on his head, it was heavy, and it's been so damn hot that it was like wearing a blanket on his head, he was more attached to it than he realized. He liked having it, and realized that it made him different, and he liked that, too. It made him rather a standout in this town, and he'd rather enjoyed that. And he liked our little ritual in the mornings of my getting up to put his hair in a ponytail before work.

I told him if I had known that, I would never have encouraged him to go ahead and get it cut. Yes, you read that right, I did. He was so miserable and hot and uncomfortable, well... what would y'all have done?

So... I made the appointment, and he thought he would be happy with it, but he said it didn't sink in how much he had liked it and just enjoyed having long hair until it was gone, and so I hugged him and said, "Well, now you understand how I feel sometimes when I get my hair cut and realized it was the Wrong Thing To Do."

"Yeah," he said sadly.

"Well," I said finally, "we already know your hair grows incredibly fast. In fact, I'm jealous of how fast your hair grows! So, by this time next year, your hair will be where it was today. And what will you be doing?"

"Just getting the dead ends trimmed off!" he said firmly.

*does a happy dance at the thought of long hair on THO again*

In the meantime, I'm getting mine trimmed and evened out today. Yes, I'm going to go ahead and let it grow out. He quivered his chin at me and did the tear-filled eyes thing, saying, "Please don't cut your hair! If I had not cut mine, I could bear you cutting yours short but right now, please don't cut it all off! I'll help you take care of it!"

*pause*

Okay, I'm back from getting my hair cut. Wanna see it? Do you? Do you really? Okay, here's a really bad Photobooth photo of me...




Yep, pretty much just look the same. Same ol' hair, same ol' freckles, same ol' purple shirt... I really need to get some new clothes, seriously.

In other news, got the results of Monday's blood tests back, and I don't have... mono. Okaaaaay....

Apparently, I just have a pissy little virus that doesn't want to let go, and I just have to let it... run its course.

And don't y'all know I'm just thrilled about that! So, I'm going to curl up in bed and spend some time with Lord Peter Wimsey. Actually, I started Murder Must Advertise at about 3 a.m. I'll probably finish it today and start on Gaudy Night.

Oh, and we rented "Knowing" yesterday. All I can say is... I'm glad we didn't pay full price to see it in the theater!! As it was, we enjoyed making fun of it as we watched it. I am sure the flaming moose is going to make itself a part of family jokes for years to come!!

Okay, off to bed for me!!

This morning...

*curled up on bed, nose buried in book, cat at feet, cup of tea on table slowly growing cold*

Later this morning...

*curled up on chair, nose buried in book, cat trying to get in lap, glass of ice tea with melting ice slowly dripping on desk*

Lunchtime...

*sitting at table, nose buried in book, forkful of salad suspended in air and dripping salad dressing on jeans and bare foot, unnoticed until cat starts licking foot*

After lunch...

*nose buried in book, curled on couch on porch, until sense of vague disquiet and the thought that something is being forgotten stirs in occupied brain*

Yes, I remembered to pick up my kids before it was time to pick them up. And in a few minutes, I'm going straight back to Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian. And I'm reading slowly because I want to savour it!! And y'all might actually get some fanart out of this one... maybe...

*curls up on bed again and is lost in book once again*

The house sure feels empty since chanteur_dombre and her husband Markle-Sparkle left yesterday.

*sigh*

I mean, they had a hotel room (because there just isn't room here unless you want to bunk in with us or the kids) but they spent their days here, and it's so... QUIET!!

*laughs*

It was a good visit, and I thoroughly enjoyed having them here. In fact, the Impossible Son has already asked when we're going to Australia to see them! "Next week, right?" he said hopefully. "Or... next month! Let's go next month!!"

Yesterday was Mr. Manzie's birthday, and we had a private, just us party for him, and he was most thrilled when he opened his present. We got him his very own iPod shuffle, a blue one (which is his favorite color), which I had to immediately load up with his favorite songs. This is to keep him from continually asking to listen to mine, and then complaining about the music I have on it. Hey... sometimes I like to listen to Mozart, sometimes I like to listen to Dir En Grey, and sometimes I like to listen to Nickel Creek. It's MY iPod!!

He wanted me to be sure to tell Chan and Markle-Sparkle that he has his own iPod, so I'll be emailing her later to let her know. I just wish y'all could hear him singing, "I know whoooooo I waaaant to take me home..." over and over again. *snorts with laughter*

This is a rather disjointed post, but I am feeling a little scattered this morning. Mostly because what I really want to do right now is curl up in a cozy corner and read, instead of scrounging up snackage for my constantly hungry offspring. Inkheart is calling my name very softly, and very insistently.

*sneaks off to get in a little more reading before the kids notice she's gone*

After school yesterday, the Impossible Son and I were sitting at the table while he did his homework. One of his assignments was to read out loud to me, so he read a story called, "Owl and Moon." Mr. Manzie is a "kinesthetic learner," which means he can't really sit still while he's working. He's rocking, or kicking his feet, or tapping his leg, the table, his chair, all in rhythm while he reads. Of course, it's not quite as enthusiastic as it was when he was in kindergarten; he's learned to tame it somewhat, so mostly, you see slight head-bobbing, or his hand moving, legs kicking a little, but when he's really excited, well... he is only 7!

Anyway, it occurred to me as I corrected pronunciation, or encouraged him to slowly sound out his words, that English is a pretty difficult language to learn, even if you're a native speaker! It sounds one way, but looks another when you look at it on paper. And for every rule you teach your kids to help them learn to read it, there's a whole bagful of words out there that break it, and that they'll come across right after you teach them that stupid rule.

"When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking and says its name," you tell your kid, and they happily read, "bead, braid, dial..." and then you come across, "dead, bread, tough..."

"I before E, except after C" you say, and read "piece, sieve," and "receipt." Then "weird," pops up.

"GH sounds like F" you say, and "laugh, draught, cough," behave appropriately... until it's "night."

"AAAAAUGH!!!" shouts my son. "I'm so confused!!"

It's funny how you don't think how much of the language you've learned is taught, not by learning all the rules in school, but by simply having your parents read with you, their finger moving under the words as you pronounce them, and having them correct you when you flub it. And how you store that nugget of info in your memory so the next time you see that word, you remember that it's a rule-breaker.

It's even crazier when your parents are from two different parts of the country, and don't pronounce everything the same way. The Husbandly One was born in Texas, but both of his parents are from Connecticut and New York. So his accent is a mix of East Texas Piney Woods, and a Northern mix. He pronounces some words so completely differently from me, and both of our kids do not sound like they're from around here as a result. Well, heck, sometimes, I don't sound like I'm from around here, but that's because my parents are from Mississippi and Louisiana, and their accents cancelled each other out. But I still sound mostly Southern, so there are many times when the kids frown, stare between us, and say, "Okay, but how do you really say it? Which one is right?"

THO still boggles at some of the things I say. Like when he gets home, and I say, "What you know good?" Though it comes out more like, "Whatchu know good?" And what it basically translates to is, "How was your day, anything interesting happen, or anything that made you happy/sad/angry, tell me everything!" And basically, it's just saying, "You got a good story to tell today or what?"

Regional differences do not make learning to read any easier, I guess. Or speak.

I have explained to Little Man that English is a mish-mash of different languages, with Teutonic under-roots, and that is why it breaks its own rules on a regular basis. That it is a fluid, and flexible language, constantly evolving and adapting, because people are always evolving and adapting, so one should never really be all that surprised in what shows up from day to day. And that half the fun of learning it is spotting all the changes. And that, of course, his parents and his grumpy big sister will always help him when he finds a word that he just can't twist his tongue around.

And in case y'all are wondering, the title of this post is from a book called, "Imogene's Antlers" by David Small, which is a hilarious book, and one that I highly recommend to those of you with small people in your homes. It's one of those books you can really ham up when you read it out loud. Great illustrations, too.

Yep, that's one of the ones we read on a regular basis. Along with "Skippyjon Jones."

As for me, I'm going to take a bit of a break and bury my own nose in a book for the next hour. If anyone wants me, I'm revisiting Dragonflight.