7 Quick Takes (Things That Annoy Me Edition)

Today it's being hosted at Camp Patton!

Sometimes you just gotta get a few things off your chest.  I don't complain too much usually, so today I am going all "kitchen sink" on you with 7 things that annoy me.

— 1 —

The "Happy Birthday To You" song.  The melody of this song is terrible, especially for people who have no musical training.  It has an octave jump that just makes people uncomfortable because it usually requires switching from your chest register to your head if you're female.  It's also really awkward to be the birthday person.  What are you supposed to do?  Sing along?  Smile in silence?

— 2 —

When people on Pinterest don't pin the original recipe/idea and you have to jump through five hoops to get to it.  Or worse, the link is just a generic blog link and not to any post in particular.  Good luck, sucker!

— 3 —

Dresses that tie in the back for no reason.  I have a few of them, and it's usually just a little cotton cord (nothing special).  If it doesn't change the structure of the dress by tying it, then all it's doing is making it uncomfortable for me to sit in a chair (or a wooden church pew, or my car, etc. etc.).  I would just take it out, but often it's sewn in or I would have to cut off those little loops too.

This dress ties in the back, but WHY?  It's probably a conspiracy.

— 4 —

When people write "wa-la" (or some variant) but mean "voilà."  If you're going to use a term, learn how to spell it first, please.  It literally means "see there" in French, so let's keep it French.

— 5 —

Sites that have a "keep me logged in" option, but then don't actually keep me logged in.  Woe is me.

— 6 —

People who want to "eat my baby's face".  Why is this a thing?  I mean, she's cute, but I've never wanted to "eat her up" or "eat her with a spoon" or whatever.  Why do some people feel compelled to eat cute things?  I'm sure Freud has some answer, but please keep your cannibalistic tendencies away from my baby's face!

Please don't eat me!

— 7 —

When people say they are "apart of" something but really mean "a part of" something.  Um, do you realize you just said the opposite of what you meant?  Grumble grumble.

For more of today's Quick Takes, check out Camp Patton.

i heart freebies

I'm starting to get known in some circles as a freebie addict. I guess I always was, from all the free t-shirts I amassed in college (my friend bet me that I could go about 3 weeks wearing only free shirts--she was right), and my "free food radar" nose. I seriously can sniff out free pizza from half a mile away!

Now my freebie-hunting is mostly online.  Thanks to sites like Hip2Save (my fave deal site!), I am always finding freebies in the mail.  My favorites are still the food ones.  Here's a glimpse into some of the stuff I've gotten lately:

Suave hair-styling product; Glade air freshener, body wash, various magazines (my favorite is SHAPE!), Orville Redenbacher popcorn, Yoplait yogurt, sample fragrance from Victoria's Secret, some feminine items, Kirkland surface wipes, some snoring control stuff from Brez that I've threatened B with, various shampoo and conditioner samples, a mobile headset from 1saleaday.com, and some fiber powder.  Not pictured are some food samples that were immediately devoured upon receipt, including the incredibly yummy Raisels.

Oh, and since you asked, yes that is a Pilates DVD from Veria!

In addition, I signed up for a lot of birthday-club-thingies, and got a few freebies from that this past month.  Most required an additional purchase, so not all got used.  My favorite, however, was the $10 off $10 that World Market emailed to me.  I decided to get some nice chocolate and candy to satisfy my sweet tooth, and I walked out of there only paying 28¢ for $10 worth of products.  If there's one of these stores near you, I highly recommend signing up for their club.  You don't even need a card--you just punch in your phone number at the register.

I also started messing around on Swagbucks back in February, and have made over $35 in Amazon gift cards!  I cashed in about $6 worth and got this book in mail last week:

Oh yes, my trivia thirst is now being quenched on a daily basis.  I was even reading parts of it during the Jeopardy! commercial breaks, prompting B to chime in, "Wait are you reading trivia while watching trivia?!"  Okay, so maybe I'm a bit obsessed.  Also, I wanted to point out the correct possessive apostrophe use in the title.  Ken Jennings's Trivia Almanac.  Everyone, please make a mental note.  Especially if your last name is Jones.

Have you gotten any awesome freebies lately?


p.s. If you've been thinking about joining Swagbucks, feel free to ask me about it!  And please use my referral link!

a public service announcement

THERE IS NO "E" IN SANTA CLAUS.

See, there was this cute little movie that came out when most of us were impressionable little 4th graders.  I won't go into explaining the storyline, but I want you to know the title is a pun.  Yes, a PUN.  Thank you, Tim Allen, for screwing up the spelling for an entire generation.

See how the "E" is hanging off over there in a different color?  Yeah, that's important. 

In addition, the correct phrase is FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES.  There's no such thing as intensive purpose.  And if you think there is, I don't want to hear about it.

Thank you, and have a nice day.

apostrophes: a quick lesson in punctuation

Did you know that today is National Punctuation Day?  To celebrate, we're gonna have a little refresher about my good friend, the apostrophe.

Alright bloggy friends, let's make the internet a nicer place and learn how to use apostrophes correctly.  I learned how to use my punctuation correctly back in 4th grade, and it just somehow stuck with me all the way through AP Lit. and onwards into college.  I don't know what happened to the rest of the internet (too much texting, I gather), but I'd appreciate it if my Facebook wall, the blogosphere, and other frequented internet sites weren't cluttered with ignorant abuses of punctuation.  I know, I know, you're typing too fast and your thoughts get ahead of your Elements of Style, right?*

If you're gonna have a blog, learn to proofread and EDIT please!  I'll be the first to admit that I have stopped following a blog if the grammar mistakes are getting out of hand.  It makes me cringe, and it makes me think the writer is an idiot.  Also, I absolutely refuse to read a blog with an unintentional grammar issue in its title.  I know I'm not perfect either, but at least I'm trying over here.  And I have been known to go back and EDIT posts from weeks (yes, weeks!) ago if I notice an issue.  [And, no, I would not be offended if you called me out in the comments.  Unless you're just plain wrong.]

Call me a grammar snob, but here is a 3-minute lesson, and I hope some of it sticks.

• Plural words:  This is probably where I see the most abuse.  They NEVER get apostrophes if they're not possessive also.  EVER.  I don't care if it's a proper noun.  The President and his family are the Obamas.  I like cats, submarines, restaurants, bistros, coupons, skillets, and biscuits on Saturdays.  I could go on all freakin' day.
• It's and its:  It's = It is (or it has).  Always.  It's a nice day for the beach. It's got amazing horsepower.  Here's a tip: It's can almost always be made into 'tis, because they are a contraction of the same phrase.  If 'tis can't work, then drop the apostrophe because you've probably got a possessive on your hand.  Its is the possessive form of it.  Did you give the cat its water?  My car lost its left front tire. 
• Possessives:  If it is a singular noun, the apostrophe goes before the S (with the exception of It).  This is Cat's blog!  She's using her husband's laptop.  If it is a plural noun that already has an S on the end, put the apostrophe after.  We're gonna have a bloggers' meet-up at the officers' club.  
• Contractions and omissions.  This when you get to use apostrophes a lot.  Taking out a letter?  Use one.  Combining a noun and verb into one word?  Use one.  Writing in dialect?  Use a few.  Here's a sentence where there ain't nothin' wrong.  If you're attempting some complicated experiments in the English language, I promise not to cringe if you're slightly off.

*Also, did you take note of the CORRECT forms of you're versus your in that sentence up there?  You're = you are.  Your = possessive.  I'll tackle there, their, and they're another day.

If you want to brush up a little more on your punctuation or read about why it's important, check out the book Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss.  If you're shouting "Amen!" to everything I just said, check out the site Apostrophe Abuse.  If that site doesn't make you cringe, then you really need to brush up.

And how awesome is this guy?:

Now go forth, write with correct grammar, and make your high school English teacher proud.  But don't forget to proof that sucker.