Saturday, July 31, 2010

Y R Werds Speld So Stoopid?

Some people have brains that grasp math concepts, others are experts in science, geography, languages. I know numbers. Numbers are a language to me, and it is one in which I am fluent.

What I DON'T get is English. Words are spelled in ways that defy all human understanding. Hooked on Phonics would be fine if words were spelled phonetically, but as we all learned in 7th grade English class, they simply aren't! It is baffling.

I love doing crossword puzzles because I usually get the clues and know the answers, but how can I be successful at this or any other word game (e.g., Scrabble, Boggle, etc.) when I can't spell?

If, when I ask how something is spelled, one more person tells me to look it up in the dictionary, I won't be responsible for what I do. Look it up....can't spell something, so look it up in a book that requires you to already know how to spell it....DUH! Hello?????????????????????? Anyone but me see the oxymoronicity of that?

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Fishing makes me smarter

Fishing is an interesting.......activity. I'd call it a sport, but any sport that involves a jerk on one end of a pole waiting for a jerk on the other end can hardly qualify.

One thing fishing does, though, is help me focus. Ideas for novels and how to promote them seem to come much more quickly and clearly when I'm doing things that make it impossible to write them down: showering, brushing my teeth, driving, and most especially fishing. I've considered taking along a pocket recorder so that I don't lose any of these brilliant thoughts, but I know if I were fishing, it would quickly end up in the drink.

I've tried repeating key words over and over until I can get to a pen and paper, but then I'll feel a tug on the end of my line, and suddenly I'm not trying out new ad captions in my head, I'm feeding the fish! And when I actually catch one, even if it's far too small to keep, I feel like Alexander the Great conquering the Himalayas on elephants.

So, even if you're squeamish about worms or crickets, you can use fake bait and fish, fish, fish till the cows come home.

Has anyone ever figured out what time cows do come home????????????????????????

Sunday, July 25, 2010

BUZZWORDS I Loathe

The following are buzzwords I loathe and would be very happy if I never heard again:

at the end of the day (unless you mean 11:59 p.m., stop using this!)
buy-in (unless you are purchasing a part ownership in a business, cut it out!)
out of pocket (unless you are taking something literally out of your pocket, or you are paying for something out of that pocket. it is NOT correct to say "I'll be out of pocket." if you really mean "I'll be out of the office" or "I'll be out of contact".
synergy (self-explanatory)

These, among so many others, used repeatedly and incorrectly in the business domain, drive me absolutely NUTS!

Do you have "favorite buzzwords" you loathe? Let me know!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Ebook sales!

I am very proud to report that my ebook is selling! For any of you who have purchased it from the Kindle Store on Amazon, a warm and heart-felt THANK YOU. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

If you haven't yet read it, and you are interested in doing so, check out my web page at http://www.josephmrinaldo.com/ or go to www.amazon.com/A-SPY-AT-HOME-ebook/dp/B0033WSVVC for an excerpt, reviews, more info or to order for only $.99!

Again, thanks for following my blog, checking out my web site, and reading a preview of my book!

Joe

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Things I Don't Get

I don't get commercials. Especially the one for Cialis that shows a man and a woman in separate bathtubs. What the heck does that have to do with having sex? I mean, maybe if they were in the same bathtub, but........

I don't get the fashion trend for young men to wear their pants with the crotch hanging down around their ankles. They have to hold them up all the time just to walk. I hope they are never in a burning building...they couldn't run!

I don't get the Weather Channel. Millions...maybe billions in technology and equipment, and they still don't get the weather right more than half the time.

I don't get scissors that are either right-handed or left-handed. Wouldn't it be more efficient if they just made a pair that were ambidextrous-handed?

I don't get how so many mediocre writers have so many published books!

And, among many other things, I don't get how people can't spell! I mean, when I think of a word, the image of the word and how it's spelled just pops into my head. Why can't everyone do that?

Friday, July 2, 2010

Learning as I go

Because I am still new to the blogging process, I welcome any suggestions, comments, shortcuts, advice, etc. you have to give. I'm also experimenting with the page design. Feel free to offer constructive criticism about the design I have chosen, the layout, and the comment. Please post comments to my blog, but I also welcome emails at rinald47@gmail.com.

Thanks.