Homonymphobic

Ok, if you have issues with words that don't appear to be what they really or are a member of some sort of group that supports idiots with no grammar skills, this probably isn't a blog for you.

It occured to me reading an article on Wikipedia yesterday that there are many words in the English language that people just plain do not know how to use. Most of these words are homonyms. For the dolts reading my blog, a homonym isn't a word that likes words of its own gender, it's a word that is pronounced like a similar word but is spelled differently and has a different meaning.

The grammatically gifted folks reading this know what I mean, as we all cringe when we see such words misused on a daily basis -- especially now that blogs, email, myspace, and the web in general gives anybody with a keyboard the ability to publish their mundane thoughts.

Here is my short list of words that are often misused:

there, their, they're

Proper use: Their house is over there, and they're going to paint it yellow.

spelled, spelt

Spelt is a european wheat. Spelled is many different things, but for my example it is the correct arrangement of letters to form a word.

your, you're, yore

Your house is on fire so you're going to have to step back a few feet to allow the firemen in with their big hoses.

I just threw the other one in for giggles like they used to do in the days of yore.

its and it's

It's sad how many times its taken me to explain the use of these two words.

it's -- only use this if you're too lazy to type "it is"

to, too, two

I lost the directions to your party, so it was two in the morning before we arrived. Oddly enough, my good friend Jimmy lost his directions too.

by, buy, bye

By the time you decided to buy the television, the salesman had walked away and said bye.

The basketball team had a first round bye in the tournament, so by the time we arrived at the tournament, I was not able to buy a ticket.

I supposed in this day and age, I could add 'bi' to the list as well, but this is about homonyms and not binomials.

but let's not forget a few others...

deer, dear

You eat one...wait you could eat both...

Dear Bambi,

Deer meat tastes good.

Sincerely, Elmer Fudd

meet, meat

Before we sat down to eat the meat, I had the glorious opportunity to meet her parents.

I saw a few new ones today....that I had not even considered. These are not homonyms, just abused words and phrases....

alot versus "a lot"

A lot of people do not know that ALOT is an acronym and now a word.

outside written as two words "out side"

I actually saw this today...instead of saying outside, as in "they were doing something outside the lines", the writer split them up.

wear, where, were, ware

Most people who live out where the buffalo roam wear their hearts on their sleeves.

Were you planning on to wear that shirt where you pedal your wares?

Mostly, people just don't type were right, but it happens way too often...

One pair of words that I haven't quite figured out is:

awhile versus "a while"

Mostly, I ask for you to consider all words equally and please use treat homonyms with respect because after all they too are words. Their feelings are important was well as their order in sentences we write to post here and there. If they're not treated well, they too will rebel and form their own society.

Please help stop word abuse.
Gio

I don't like New Year's Resolutions....

Personal change is a good thing. What I don't understand about personal change is that people wait until the start of a new year to start that change. I don't believe in New Year's resolutions. I believe in making resolutions, setting goals, making progress towards those goals, achieving them and setting new ones. What I oppose is waiting until the end of an already gone year to make those resolutions.

Your life may be different than mine, but rarely do life changing events in my life wait to time themselves with the changing of the calendar. These life changing events usually happen when we're already at our wit's end or have so much on our plate that anything else just wouldn't seem possible.

This year, if you make only 1 resolution, I ask that you consider this resolution, "For this year I vow to address improvements in my life in a timely fashion and not wait until next year to make those changes."

Don't get me wrong, I have a set of New Year's resolutions...but these are the same set that I've had for many many years. 1. Break 80 playing golf. 2. Have a three-way. 3. Make Director by the age of 40.

I shy away from the lose 20lbs by March, run a marathon, etc. type fad diet resolutions. Rarely (meaning it is possible for those dedicated individuals) have I seen anybody meet the goals they've made in a buzzed state on New Year's Eve. What I have seen is people who were ready to make a change making the necessary changes, it just so happens the timing of their epiphany was around the new year. The reason I warn against the fad diets in winter, you may wonder, is that they gyms are overly packed, they charge higher prices to take advantage of people wrapped up in the new year craze, and it's cold and not fun to go out. Add these things up and it makes for not such a fun experience as you're trying to change your life.

If you must make resolutions at this time of year, I ask that you do this to ensure that you'll meet your goals.

1. Write them down.

A written goal is more easily followed. In writing your goals down, put some sort of timeline and measurable in the goal. Also put in a reward. After all, what is the fun of doing so much to improve without celebrating when you're done.

2. Pick a friend, lover, spouse (or both), neighbor, co-worker to review your goals with.

Having somebody else to be accountable in addition to you will help keep you on task. Set up a monthly, weekly, bi-weekly review of the goals and what you've done with your co-resoluter (is that a word?). If nothing else, you'll build a long lasting relationship out of the deal and enjoy sometime talking about things with those closest to you.

3. Be realistic.

It is great to have lofty goals, but to reach lofty goals you must meet smaller goals along the way. Make these smaller, attainable goals your resolutions. This will make it easier to enjoy some success along the way. Besides, I have yet to meet anybody trying to lose 20 lbs. who did that in a week. I have met people who have lost 20lbs, 1-2-3 lbs here an there along the way.

4. Celebrate your accomplishments.

Begin planning your celebrations now. When you reach that goal, you'll be prepared and ready to celebrate. Too often people will accomplish something they've worked hard for only to have it go by in a blink of an eye with no acknowledgement. I often find these people sliding back into what they used to be/do becuase they didn't take the time to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Pick something you want, start saving for it now and use that as a reward for what you're striving for.

5. Expect setbacks

Not many people in the world have sat down to do something and completely mastered it the first time. There are a few of those people, but they're all called super-geniuses and are few and far between. Expect to work hard for your resolutions and expect times when things will not always go as planned. Use these setbacks as motivation to reach your end goal. Learn from the setbacks to avoid them again, or to adjust the course you've chosen to reach your goals.

Whatever you do this year, please do now wait until next New Years to begin changing your life. Before you know it, you'll run out of time or energy to make the changes you need to make it to the next year.

Life is too short to spend it miserable. I admire those of you who do make New Years resolutions and are able to stick with them longer than January.

No matther what you choose, have a wonderful and prosperous 2006. Enjoy the time you have with the ones you love, and enjoy the things you do.
Gio