WEeeeeeeeird!

Written By: admin - Dec• 10•13

Something weird happened to me yesterday.

First I got an email from Kacia. Kacia has earned her RPB Badge many times over, so this was obviously getting posted.

Kacia

Oh, Target. How many ways is this wrong? The word you’re abbreviating is “until,” so there’s no need to add an extra “l” when you abbreviate it. I’ll let the backwards single-quote function as an apostrophe because there’s no point in getting too technical when you’re going to do stuff that stupid. And then, of course, there’s… whatever is going on up top there. You’re missing an apostrophe in “time’s,” and even if we allow the lack of capitalization because you’re being artsy, the colloquialism you were looking for is a-ticking (or, one might argue, a-tickin’) and not… whatever that dot is.

YARRRRRGH.

Then! This is the weird part! Moments later, I got a text. At first I thought Kacia had gone all overboard and REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted me to post this, but then I realized it was actually from Q! But it is subtly different!

Rayanne

I will tell you that my head nearly asplode with the “tictac,” because that was all I could see in my text software. At first I thought they’d decided to Frenchify the common “tick-tock,” or else it was some kind of subliminal breath mint advertising (do they still make those things? they were gross). But when I scrolled down and saw the Spanish below I figured they probably just decided to translate it funny. Because the English doesn’t say “Tick-tock. Tick-tock.” It says “We don’t know how to use apostrophes, and we’re trying to use a colloquial construction but haven’t quite let go of our fondness of the letter ‘g.'”

Perhaps they couldn’t figure out how to say all that in Spanish?

Thanks, Kacia and Q!

Set in stone. Literally.

Written By: admin - Dec• 06•13

I’m going to allow my own use of “literally” even though ceramic isn’t, I suppose, technically stone. Because otherwise there will be no joy in this post.

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I found this in the Kentucky Artists’ Center in Berea, KY. I thought about linking to the artist but I won’t. But it’s SO HARD.

Happy Friday, y’all.

Luggage I won’t be buying

Written By: admin - Nov• 06•13

Dear MAJOR corporation,

Fail.

Love, RPB

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Here comes the rain…

Written By: admin - Oct• 21•13

…and a letter “s”! Thank goodness you were warned.

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TigerMama of a whole new sort

Written By: admin - Oct• 16•13

Dear [Redacted] PTA:

I don’t know if you’re aware of it yet, but one of your young pupils comes with a bonus: his mama is GrammarTroika Sister #1.

You might want to recommend that all his teachers and all your staff proofread their stuff really, really well.

Because she’s also creative, and you don’t want to see what sorts of things are “outside” the envelope.

Love,

RPB

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Enough is enough

Written By: admin - Oct• 15•13

We all know that Facebook is not a good place to whip out your metaphorical red pen — unless you want to spend the rest of your life there and go slowly crazy. But Jake had to send this in, because when things occur this close together, it’s a sign.

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A sign… of the APOCALYPSE.

Thanks, Jake!

 

Academic digression

Written By: admin - Sep• 12•13

My lurker-friend Des sent this to me. I’m usually hesitant to post links to other blogs, because obviously One Blog Shall Rule Them All etc. But in perusing this one I noticed something so fascinating I couldn’t help myself. So I’m going to try to do this with as much internet etiquette as I can.

The image, on my server for posterity, but linking to its original (as far as I can determine) location:

Everywhere I can find this on the internet, there follows a bemused conversation about whether this is irony. I think it must be. I don’t want to live in a world where it isn’t, honestly. So that’s not the interesting part.

The interesting part is a comment from a guy named Dave, which goes like this:

I think you’ll find that is actually correct, as it’s a possessive thing. If you were to read it as an “it is” abbreviation, it makes no sense. “Great taste on it is way”….Huh?

For those of us on this side of the apostrophe wall, this is a fascinating glimpse at an actual attempt at logic. I’ve always wondered if people just stand there and think “Eh, it looks prettier with/without the apostrophe, let’s just do that.” Or if they even think about it at all. Here we have a gentleman (presumably) who is attempting to make a logical argument about his completely wrong belief that “it’s” is appropriate here. I think I love it.

So thanks, Des!

The things we do for RPB

Written By: admin - Sep• 10•13

GrammarTroika Sister #1 says:

Okay, so the $26.99 belongs to Rose, and the $19.99 to Dahlia, but how much do the roses and dahlias cost?

True exchange at the nursery where these photos were snapped:
Husband:  what are you doiii… (Trails off and sighs resignedly) You’re taking pictures of grammar errors again, aren’t you? (Shakes head and begins walking away from me)
Me: (mock shouting after him) it is my civic duty to maintain the laws of good grammar. I’m practically a superhero, ya know!

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You’re a superhero in my book every day of the week, GTS#1!

Could be poetic

Written By: admin - Sep• 03•13

I get where you’re going with this one, Lisa (and nice selfie!). But in a more beautiful world, this sign was actually created by someone with a lyrical mind. The computer’s repair is to be found within, after all.

A reach too far

Written By: admin - Aug• 30•13

First of all, I’m not sure what Menards is doing here. I would have said “type” of wood, because that’s a good, solid, no-nonsense kind of word. I think they were aiming for “species,” which would have felt awkward even if they had gotten it right.

(For the curious: “specie” is actually a word, so this may have slipped past some spellcheck software. But it doesn’t relate to wood in any way.)

Of course, one can’t expect much from YET ANOTHER company that can’t spell its own name. That’s right, Menards. I even read your “about” history page. And John Menard is ONE GUY, and I don’t see a mention anywhere of sons or cousins or even furkids. Argh!

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