Lesson the Third: You did it all by myself!!

So I have this annoying habit of correcting improper grammar usage during conversation. It is something that, when I started doing it, I thought it would be kind of funny and just another quirk that I have. However, now that I have spent some time with this I realize that it is obnoxious and flat rude (don't get me wrong, I still correct you in my head, I just don't say it out loud). That being said, the one misused word that gets me riled up every time is the word myself (though technically I speak to every word in that family: myself, yourself, himself, herself and themselves). I absolutely, positively, unequivocally hate when people use that word incorrectly. And it seems to be happening more and more!! It is almost like people want to sound more sophisticated, so they trumpet out the word myself in the following way:

"Burr won't be in the office today, so just email Michelle or myself."

Now if you have just read the above sentence and thought to yourself "yeah, that is the correct way to say that" please press the back button at the top of your web browser and go watch You Tube clips of Santa Barbara because no. It should be me...just email Michelle or me. If you are unsure how to use it, or think that you may possibly use it incorrectly, just don't use it. If you absolutely must use it, please say the sentence in your head first and just use "myself." The above sentence sounds even more stupid when you say:

"Burr won't be in the office today, so just email myself."

For those curious about the rule, the "self" family of words are used only to describe the subject (i.e. I did it myself.; You did it yourself.; She did it herself.; He did it himself.; They did it themselves. - Notice a pattern?).

I certainly don't want to come off as a pompous Grammar Nazi, but this is just one of those things that I need yourselves to take care of.

Here endeth the lesson.

A blackout of a different variety.

So I was driving to work this morning and started really thinking about how crappy the WGA's strike is for the TV viewers. I absolutely hate that my favorite shows are being cut short, not airing, or cancelled altogether. I cannot fathom that, after finally getting the slow start to pay off, that I only have 3 episodes of Heroes left. I hate that The Daily Show has been stuck in perpetual reruns. I hate that shows like Journeyman and K-Ville, while admittedly not the best shows I have ever watched, will end up as afterthoughts of memories when all is said and done.

But at the same time I feel some internal struggle because I actually think that the WGA has some legitimate beefs. For those of you that don't know, the writers are fighting to increase the revenue they get from back-end residuals on DVD sales and to get any residuals on money received from Internet broadcasts (iTunes and Amazon Unboxed sales and also ad sales from website broadcasts). It is funny because everyone knows who the actors and directors are for movies and television. A large number of people know who the producers for shows are (Jerry Brukheimer/Joss Whedon/Shonda Rhimes/Bryan Singer/Aaron Sorkin/Mark Bellarus all pop to mind without even thinking hard). But how many people know who the writers are for shows (besides TV freaks like me)? These people are the ones who craft the genius that is our favorite TV shows. I can assure you that Grey's Anatomy, House, CSI:, CSI: Miami, CSI: New York, CSI: Turks and Cacaos and every other show that you love to watch would be shells of the shows they are without the writers doing what they do. And what are we going to get instead of these scripted shows? That's right, reality TV. Celebrity Big Brother, Celebrity Apprentice, 3 episodes a week of Deal or No Deal, a brand new American Gladiators (seriously), Extreme Makeover...all kinds of crap that the networks can put out to make sure they have something to broadcast. I don't know about you, but the last thing I want to watch on TV is Todd Bridges in the boardroom with Donald Trump.

So here is what I propose: On December 20th (a Thursday night - the most profitable for the networks) we should all turn our TVs off. While it is especially important that Neilson families are a part of this, I think that we should all do our part and not watch the television that night. By doing it on the 20th of December, it gives us a little over a month to get the ball rolling on the grassroots campaign that we will need to get this going. I truthfully have no idea how many people read this blog, but if any of you know people who can create applications for Facebook or a website that we can use as a petition/sign-in book for people who will be turning their TVs off that night, please let me know (email me at tvblackout@hotmail.com). I am going to do my part and email my idea to several people who have larger readership than me in the hopes that they will take part as well.

I really think that we have an opportunity to show the people in Hollywood that we are the third party in these negotiations, and we have the most negotiating power!!

You should probably be praying for intelligence.

So the governor of the State of Georgia decided that, in the face of the worst drought on record, he would lead a prayer group on Tuesday at 11:00am. This prayer group would be charged with turning the tide, getting God back on our side and starting our faucets and hoses flowing again. Forget the fact that they waited to hold the prayer group until the forecast was in their favor (a better than half chance that it was going to rain on Wednesday night). Forget that the simple admission that we needed to pray to God for rain means that he was willfully withholding the rain for us for some reason and that we must appease him. Instead, just revel in the following quotes given by our Governor this morning:

"It is great affirmation of what we asked for." - Exactly. Especially since we asked for the weatherman to predict when it was going to rain so that we could stage a stunt prayer group and look like we actually had something to do with the rain.

"As we do all we can from a conservation standpoint, virtually all of us know we are dependent on rain. I am just a person who believes it comes from God." - And I am just a person who believes that if it comes from God, then when it doesn't come that this is from God too.

I certainly don't mean to poop on the power of prayer, but I just cannot stand it when politicians stump for religion in such a blatantly dumb way. And whoever it was that decided to piss of the Big Guy this season, please apologize so that he will let the rain fall again.

Peace out!!

At last, he returns!!

So allow me to start off by apologizing to anyone who has read my blog in the past. I have been a negligent blogger since I returned from NYC, and for that I apologize. I wish I could say that it is because I have been so exceptionally busy that I just didn't have time to do it...sadly, I have just not been in the mood to sit down and write anything. But enough about that, because I am back and that is all that matters!!

I leave tomorrow morning for a trip to Tampa, FL for work. I will be down there for the next four days and will be flying back up on Tuesday afternoon. For anyone who has known me for any period of time over the past 10 years or so, you know that I have absolutely hated to fly to this point in my life. I have thought a great deal about this, and I am pretty sure that it has to do with the loss of control that accompanies getting on a plane. That being said, I have decided to take a little control back and I am going to do my level best to not be frightened like a little girl tomorrow and Tuesday (no offense intended to little girls, of course). As a small aside, should the unlikely happen and my plane crash, I have instructed my family to have the following tombstone created:


I know that it is horribly irreverent, but it just kind of struck me as funny and I think really summed up my attitude in life.

Not much else to say right now, but if anything crazy happens while in Tampa, I will certainly let you know about it!!