In Which I Finally Lose All Patience

I try, really I do.  I try to accept that not everyone is as annoying and picky as I am.  I try because I know I am far from perfect and there is likely a litany of things that others could talk about that I do that drives them crazy.

But still, sometimes I just lose it and want people to pay attention just one more second before they proceed.

Case in point: I have a friend who, whenever she makes a mistake in an e-mail, comment, etc. will write "Opps!"  She means "Oops!" and it makes me crazy.  Once I asked her if anyone other than me commented on it, and she said everyone does, but she can't take the time to make sure she types the correct thing, and besides we all know she does it.  Ugh.

I might add that this individual is only too happy to point out mistakes that others make, and not in a kind way.  "Opps," indeed.

Then there is the co-worker whose messages look like she took grammar and composition lessons from the Tweets of Donald Trump.  You know, she spells things incorrectly, or uses poor/no punctuation, or randomly capitalizes words for no reason.  Last week she sent an all-staff e-mail that said, "Helo everyone there are some jounals we get in the library that are extras or duplicates..... so you ARE welcoume to have THem."  It's hard enough to get our colleagues to take us seriously as fellow professionals, this cannot possibly help our cause.

She is also regularly complaining that "foreigners" don't even try to understand English. 

Look - if you are someone with little/no education, or if English is your second language, or if you are making an effort at all, I'm completely on board with you doing as well as you can.  I admire those who may not really understand the language, or who realize they are dyslexic, etc., and who struggle to get it right, and make it work however they can.  I admire those who are always trying to do a better job. 

But I am just really weary of lazy and careless people, or those who claim they are just being casual, so there is no reason to check spelling, punctuation, etc.  Do I speak to the pets or The Tim at home the same way I do to my colleagues at work?  Not necessarily, but I am at home, and not trying to communicate with the wider world in a logical and professional way.  Heck, I even make an effort here to make things make sense and write in a way that if one of my old teachers happened upon the blog, they would be pleased with my writing, even if not by my topics!

I'm sure part of this is a result of my upbringing.  My parents always expected us to speak well and write well, believing that "just because we are poor, we don't need to sound poor."  And I love words and language, so admittedly I can be obsessive.  But I am also a firm believer in presenting yourself to the world in the best way possible.  I don't want everyone to like me, but I do hope they can appreciate that I make an effort with my writing.

And so, on this President's/Presidents' Day (a holiday that no expert can agree should be written one way or another), when we have someone who is the leader of our country who can barely put a sentence together as well as a first grader, I have to admit that my patience is gone. 

*****

If you have a day off today, I hope you enjoy it.  I am hoping to knit, read, and even take some time to plan dinner, rather than making it to 4 pm or so and then saying to myself, "Oh yeah, I should think about dinner."  Whatever your day holds, I hope it's a good one to start this week.