I love reading and finish about a book a day – sometimes, 2 books a day, depending on what else is going on. When I find an author whose style is pleasing, I read several of his/her books. Lately, I’ve been astounded at the poor editing displayed in the books I read, from lots of ticky-tacky things to major errors. Here are some of my favorites:
Off of: it’s either off or it’s on, but never of
Towards: there is no s on toward, or backward, or forward
Till: this means to cultivate the ground or to have a money drawer. The “short way” to write until is ‘til, but the word is short enough to use as it is.
Farther/further: if it’s distance, it’s farther; if it means taking an idea to the next level, it’s further.
As of yet: it’s just yet
There are many more examples I could point out, but these are the most commonly misused words I’ve encountered in the past week.
Yeah, I know: I need to get a life!
Thursday, July 20, 2017
RATS!
The engine light came on in the RAV, followed by the “skid” light, and the cruise control light was blinking. Worried that this must mean something dire, I took my RAV into my favorite auto service center and said, “What’s up with this?” The technician opened the hood and there was the problem: rats!
.
Rats have been under the hood, storing dog food they’ve stolen from the bag of food in the garage. They’ve also nibbled on a variety of wires, knocking out sensors and causing the various lights to come on. Not sure how far into the wiring harness they have gnawed, but the tech says that sometimes, the rats win and I end up with a very big repair bill.
I’ve left the RAV there as it’s a two-day process to repair. A friend will pick me up tomorrow and take me to my car as the dealer has promised to have it repaired for me for the weekend. After I pick up my car, I’m going to get myself to the big box hardware store and get some rat killer!!
UPDATE: I went to the lumberyards and bought a sonic wave thingy that's supposed to scare the rats out of the garage. In case that doesn't work (I'm a pragmatist), I also got some rat bait and some out-and-out rat killer pellets. I'm going to use all 3 and see what happens. The dog food is in the trash, so that's not there to tempt the rats to stay. I'm actually going to put the pellets under the hood of my car as that's where the rats took the dog food for snack time.
We'll see what happens. Meanwhile, I have to keep Daisy out of the garage as she forages for the rats -- and I want to see them die from poisoning, not my dog.
.
Rats have been under the hood, storing dog food they’ve stolen from the bag of food in the garage. They’ve also nibbled on a variety of wires, knocking out sensors and causing the various lights to come on. Not sure how far into the wiring harness they have gnawed, but the tech says that sometimes, the rats win and I end up with a very big repair bill.
I’ve left the RAV there as it’s a two-day process to repair. A friend will pick me up tomorrow and take me to my car as the dealer has promised to have it repaired for me for the weekend. After I pick up my car, I’m going to get myself to the big box hardware store and get some rat killer!!
UPDATE: I went to the lumberyards and bought a sonic wave thingy that's supposed to scare the rats out of the garage. In case that doesn't work (I'm a pragmatist), I also got some rat bait and some out-and-out rat killer pellets. I'm going to use all 3 and see what happens. The dog food is in the trash, so that's not there to tempt the rats to stay. I'm actually going to put the pellets under the hood of my car as that's where the rats took the dog food for snack time.
We'll see what happens. Meanwhile, I have to keep Daisy out of the garage as she forages for the rats -- and I want to see them die from poisoning, not my dog.
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Maudie
There is a very sweet movie playing, Maudie, starring Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke, that I recommend for its simple story told with complexity in the acting. Maudie is plagued by what appears to be severe arthritis, and because of her physical difference, she keeps to herself. When a notice is posted on a bulletin board asking for a woman to become a man’s housekeeper, Maudie responds to the post by walking 7 miles from town to a small cabin where Everett lives. Everett doubts that Maudie is physically able to be his housekeeper, but she is tenacious and he offers her the job.
Everett is anti-social to the extreme, but Maudie’s gentle presence slowly works its way through his tough exterior and they form a bond that benefits both. When, however, Everett wants to become physically intimate, Maudie says “no.” If Everett will marry her, Maudie will grant him husbandly intimacy, but she’s too proud to be taken advantage of by a man’s basic human needs. Eventually Everett gives in and marries Maudie, and the story of their relationship takes a turn.
Maudie paints simple, colorful rustic scenes of what she sees around her. One day, a passerby stops at the cabin and offers to buy some of Maudie’s art. Maudie is shrewd and asks for $5 per painting, which the woman gladly pays. As the story evolves, Maudie’s paintings become more popular and there is even a news feature done on her and her artwork. Life for the couple settles in and moves on. Maudie’s health deteriorates, but still she paints and takes care of Everett, but surprisingly, he also takes care of her. Their story is sweet, gritty, and unnecessarily cruel, but quite engaging, and is based on the life story of a real Maudie.
I recommend this film for the older crowd because I’m not sure younger people will watch long enough for the story to emerge and grow. The acting is first-rate and really sells the story. Sally Hawkins completely catches the peculiarity of her character, Maudie, and Ethan Hawke deftly captures the frustration and isolation of his character, which is mirrored by the environment in which they live, Nova Scotia. Together, these two actors make the movie work and it is a film worth seeing.
*there is a biography of Maudie Lewis on Wikipedia that provides more details of her, her marriage to Everett, and her painting.
Everett is anti-social to the extreme, but Maudie’s gentle presence slowly works its way through his tough exterior and they form a bond that benefits both. When, however, Everett wants to become physically intimate, Maudie says “no.” If Everett will marry her, Maudie will grant him husbandly intimacy, but she’s too proud to be taken advantage of by a man’s basic human needs. Eventually Everett gives in and marries Maudie, and the story of their relationship takes a turn.
Maudie paints simple, colorful rustic scenes of what she sees around her. One day, a passerby stops at the cabin and offers to buy some of Maudie’s art. Maudie is shrewd and asks for $5 per painting, which the woman gladly pays. As the story evolves, Maudie’s paintings become more popular and there is even a news feature done on her and her artwork. Life for the couple settles in and moves on. Maudie’s health deteriorates, but still she paints and takes care of Everett, but surprisingly, he also takes care of her. Their story is sweet, gritty, and unnecessarily cruel, but quite engaging, and is based on the life story of a real Maudie.
I recommend this film for the older crowd because I’m not sure younger people will watch long enough for the story to emerge and grow. The acting is first-rate and really sells the story. Sally Hawkins completely catches the peculiarity of her character, Maudie, and Ethan Hawke deftly captures the frustration and isolation of his character, which is mirrored by the environment in which they live, Nova Scotia. Together, these two actors make the movie work and it is a film worth seeing.
*there is a biography of Maudie Lewis on Wikipedia that provides more details of her, her marriage to Everett, and her painting.
Monday, June 26, 2017
My Favorite Things
My favorite time of the day begins about 2 pm, when the dogs and I go into my bed to read. They cuddle up next to me and I take a full cuppa joe with me, so we have our routine down pat. Me and my Kindle and my best friends. It doesn't get much better than that!
Thursday, June 22, 2017
Olive Garden Restaurant Fail
Today, my friend and I decided to treat ourselves to lunch at OG, one of our favorite places to eat. We arrived promptly at 11 am, were seated, made our selections, and waited for the magic to happen.
My friend's soup 'n salad came to the table, along with a big bowl of salad, so we began by serving ourselves from the salad bowl. There were big chunks of the ends of lettuce, far too many pieces of wilted lettuce, and only 2 black olives in the whole bowl. My friend finished her salad and said she'd wait to eat her soup until I received my salmon. Finally, I summoned the waiter and asked where my salmon was as it had literally been 25 minutes since I ordered it and still no sign of my entrée. He went back to the kitchen to check, and came back to tell me it would be up shortly. I urged C to eat her soup and enjoy another bowl of salad, but we both were grossed out by the salad and didn't want to eat any of what remained in the bowl.
Finally, my salmon and broccoli arrived. The broccoli was plain, no sauce/no seasoning/no butter, and it tasted just warm enough to have been put into the microwave and been heated. He offered to go back to the kitchen and get another serving of broccoli, so I decided to move on to the salmon. The salmon was dry; again, no sauce and no seasoning. I took about 3 bites and called the server back. I told him that so far, my lunch was an epic fail and I had no intention of eating anything else.
The manager came to our table and was polite and pleasant, apologizing for our meal and comping it, which was a good move as I hadn't eaten more than 4-5 bites of anything. My friend left behind most of her bowl of soup, but did manage to eat at least one serving of salad.
I appreciated the response from the employees, but left hungry enough to drive all the way home and fix myself some lunch. I won't hurry back to Olive Garden, but will give them another try ... later.
My friend's soup 'n salad came to the table, along with a big bowl of salad, so we began by serving ourselves from the salad bowl. There were big chunks of the ends of lettuce, far too many pieces of wilted lettuce, and only 2 black olives in the whole bowl. My friend finished her salad and said she'd wait to eat her soup until I received my salmon. Finally, I summoned the waiter and asked where my salmon was as it had literally been 25 minutes since I ordered it and still no sign of my entrée. He went back to the kitchen to check, and came back to tell me it would be up shortly. I urged C to eat her soup and enjoy another bowl of salad, but we both were grossed out by the salad and didn't want to eat any of what remained in the bowl.
Finally, my salmon and broccoli arrived. The broccoli was plain, no sauce/no seasoning/no butter, and it tasted just warm enough to have been put into the microwave and been heated. He offered to go back to the kitchen and get another serving of broccoli, so I decided to move on to the salmon. The salmon was dry; again, no sauce and no seasoning. I took about 3 bites and called the server back. I told him that so far, my lunch was an epic fail and I had no intention of eating anything else.
The manager came to our table and was polite and pleasant, apologizing for our meal and comping it, which was a good move as I hadn't eaten more than 4-5 bites of anything. My friend left behind most of her bowl of soup, but did manage to eat at least one serving of salad.
I appreciated the response from the employees, but left hungry enough to drive all the way home and fix myself some lunch. I won't hurry back to Olive Garden, but will give them another try ... later.
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