Happy 23-month-old birthday, Jimmy! You're almost two and you're growing up so fast! Daddy, Snoopy, Smoke, and I love you very, very much!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Grammar Lessons
Okay, grammar is one of my pet peeves. Driving around town I see English grammar mutilated by people who want my business. If you don't care enough to use your native tongue properly what assurance do I have that you'll treat me properly as a customer? I won't go on about all of the ways supposedly educated people abuse the English language but I will touch on a few.
Apostrophes. Never has such a small piece of punctuation been so horribly abused. Let's get this straight. And in case you were wondering what an apostrophe is, it is in "let's". Of course if you were wondering what an apostrophe is you probably wouldn't be reading my blog. The only proper use of the apostrophe is to either denote possession or ownership (John's shirt) or as a contraction of two words into one (Let us = let's, would not = wouldn't). Got it? An apostrophe is NEVER, NEVER, NEVER used to make a noun plural. This is where I gnashed my teeth when I saw a sign advertising "Puppie's"! That would denote belonging to Puppie, not the plural of baby dogs. Aaaarrrrrgh! When pluralizing our last name it should be the Meissners, not the Meissner's, and the possessive would be the Meissners', i.e. the Meissners' car. Also, when denoting a possessive if the persons name ends in the letter S then it is proper to place the apostrophe after the S, i.e. James' toys, not James's; my kids' teachers, not my kids's teachers. Got it? Let's go on.
Alot is NOT a word!!! It is "a lot", two words, meaning many. Always. Forever. It has never been any different. Anybody omitting the space between the A and the L should be whipped.
Now for one bit of confusion that I have a hard time understanding why it's (apostrophe!) confusing for anyone who was paying attention in class: There, their, they're (again with the apostrophe!). Pay attention! There denotes in a particular location, i.e. over there; never, never, never is it to denote possession or mean they are. Their is the one that denotes possession, i.e. their car; never, never, never does it mean a location or is it a contraction of they are. They're is a contraction of they are, i.e. they're coming over at 7:00; never, never, never does it mean location or possession. Learn and memorize these and life will be better.
And the final one upon which we will touch today is the misuse of your and you're. Your is the possessive, i.e. your raincoat; it belongs to you, it is yours. You're is a contraction of you are (that's what the apostrophe means), i.e. You're late for work (you are late for work).
Unfortunately I realize the people who most need to learn these lessons probably won't read this. If I can save at least one person from writing like a fool, my work here is done.
Apostrophes. Never has such a small piece of punctuation been so horribly abused. Let's get this straight. And in case you were wondering what an apostrophe is, it is in "let's". Of course if you were wondering what an apostrophe is you probably wouldn't be reading my blog. The only proper use of the apostrophe is to either denote possession or ownership (John's shirt) or as a contraction of two words into one (Let us = let's, would not = wouldn't). Got it? An apostrophe is NEVER, NEVER, NEVER used to make a noun plural. This is where I gnashed my teeth when I saw a sign advertising "Puppie's"! That would denote belonging to Puppie, not the plural of baby dogs. Aaaarrrrrgh! When pluralizing our last name it should be the Meissners, not the Meissner's, and the possessive would be the Meissners', i.e. the Meissners' car. Also, when denoting a possessive if the persons name ends in the letter S then it is proper to place the apostrophe after the S, i.e. James' toys, not James's; my kids' teachers, not my kids's teachers. Got it? Let's go on.
Alot is NOT a word!!! It is "a lot", two words, meaning many. Always. Forever. It has never been any different. Anybody omitting the space between the A and the L should be whipped.
Now for one bit of confusion that I have a hard time understanding why it's (apostrophe!) confusing for anyone who was paying attention in class: There, their, they're (again with the apostrophe!). Pay attention! There denotes in a particular location, i.e. over there; never, never, never is it to denote possession or mean they are. Their is the one that denotes possession, i.e. their car; never, never, never does it mean a location or is it a contraction of they are. They're is a contraction of they are, i.e. they're coming over at 7:00; never, never, never does it mean location or possession. Learn and memorize these and life will be better.
And the final one upon which we will touch today is the misuse of your and you're. Your is the possessive, i.e. your raincoat; it belongs to you, it is yours. You're is a contraction of you are (that's what the apostrophe means), i.e. You're late for work (you are late for work).
Unfortunately I realize the people who most need to learn these lessons probably won't read this. If I can save at least one person from writing like a fool, my work here is done.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
A Couple Rants and Some Musings
First the rant: WalMart Sucks! Somehow I don't think I'm the only one with this opinion. This morning Jimmy and I took off for our local WalMart (about 5 minutes away) to get some dog food for the boys.
My Snoopy
So I went to the nearest WalMart Neighborhood Market at Highland Avenue and Greenlea Street in Clearwater. They only had a little 6 lb. bag and that was leaking. Hello? I'm feeding 2 dogs! Six pounds of food won't last. So I then went to the WalMart at U.S. 19 and Northeast Coachman Road, the one they're converting into a superstore...very, very slowly.
By this time I'm steaming and I told the guy working there that it was absolute BS that I had to go running all over the county to try to find dog food they carried only a month ago. It seems because they're "expanding" they've discontinued a lot of their lines. Sheesh!
Finally I had to suck it up and go to the WalMart Super Center in Oldsmar. OLDSMAR! I live in southwest Clearwater, almost in Largo and I had to go to Oldsmar! I'm unemployed so I don't have the money to waste gas like that. I also don't have the money to buy a more expensive premium food! I'm sure that if I had complained loud enough they would have been happy to direct me to another brand that would have cost $4-5 more a bag. I used to like WalMart but after being met with such a poor brand selection and incompetence today I'm changing my opinion. The hell of it is I'm on a very limited budget and I usually can't get what I need less expensive elsewhere. It's a Catch-22 and I hate it.
*******************************************************
Second WalMart Rant: Idiots who don't return shopping carts to the cart return. I know it's a problem at most stores with shopping carts but it seems to be worse at WalMart than anyplace else. I mean, how stupid and/or lazy are these people? I can almost understand it if you're parked at some distance from a cart return but I've seen idiots (yes, they're idiots) leave carts next to their cars when the cart return was RIGHT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT! Not a few spaces away either; I mean if the person backed their car up straight they would run right into it. And when the return is only 2 or 3 spaces down and you can't put your cart there that's pretty damn lazy/stupid too. So I got "carted" in a WalMart parking lot today because someone didn't want to make the effort to put their cart back in the proper place. Granted, our car is pretty beat up, but really! Wake up, people! Put the shopping cart in the cart return; that's what it's there for!
*******************************************************
Musing: Two days after Jimmy was born a couple tornadoes tore through Kearney, Nebraska causing a lot of property damage and frayed nerves...and made it into an episode on The Discovery Channel show Storm Chasers. I think it's affected him. My little Husker is actually more of a little twister. Like the tornadoes of his birth, he can plow randomly, mercilessly, blindly, and even blithely through the landscape causing great destruction and mayhem. Of course being almost 2 now he thinks it's great fun. (Was I this much of a handful at his age? If so, Mother, I'm sorry.) Such is life with a tornado, er, toddler. I need to go put parts of the house back together.
My Snoopy
So I went to the nearest WalMart Neighborhood Market at Highland Avenue and Greenlea Street in Clearwater. They only had a little 6 lb. bag and that was leaking. Hello? I'm feeding 2 dogs! Six pounds of food won't last. So I then went to the WalMart at U.S. 19 and Northeast Coachman Road, the one they're converting into a superstore...very, very slowly.
By this time I'm steaming and I told the guy working there that it was absolute BS that I had to go running all over the county to try to find dog food they carried only a month ago. It seems because they're "expanding" they've discontinued a lot of their lines. Sheesh!
Finally I had to suck it up and go to the WalMart Super Center in Oldsmar. OLDSMAR! I live in southwest Clearwater, almost in Largo and I had to go to Oldsmar! I'm unemployed so I don't have the money to waste gas like that. I also don't have the money to buy a more expensive premium food! I'm sure that if I had complained loud enough they would have been happy to direct me to another brand that would have cost $4-5 more a bag. I used to like WalMart but after being met with such a poor brand selection and incompetence today I'm changing my opinion. The hell of it is I'm on a very limited budget and I usually can't get what I need less expensive elsewhere. It's a Catch-22 and I hate it.
*******************************************************
Second WalMart Rant: Idiots who don't return shopping carts to the cart return. I know it's a problem at most stores with shopping carts but it seems to be worse at WalMart than anyplace else. I mean, how stupid and/or lazy are these people? I can almost understand it if you're parked at some distance from a cart return but I've seen idiots (yes, they're idiots) leave carts next to their cars when the cart return was RIGHT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT! Not a few spaces away either; I mean if the person backed their car up straight they would run right into it. And when the return is only 2 or 3 spaces down and you can't put your cart there that's pretty damn lazy/stupid too. So I got "carted" in a WalMart parking lot today because someone didn't want to make the effort to put their cart back in the proper place. Granted, our car is pretty beat up, but really! Wake up, people! Put the shopping cart in the cart return; that's what it's there for!
*******************************************************
Musing: Two days after Jimmy was born a couple tornadoes tore through Kearney, Nebraska causing a lot of property damage and frayed nerves...and made it into an episode on The Discovery Channel show Storm Chasers. I think it's affected him. My little Husker is actually more of a little twister. Like the tornadoes of his birth, he can plow randomly, mercilessly, blindly, and even blithely through the landscape causing great destruction and mayhem. Of course being almost 2 now he thinks it's great fun. (Was I this much of a handful at his age? If so, Mother, I'm sorry.) Such is life with a tornado, er, toddler. I need to go put parts of the house back together.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Miscellanea
My husband has been after me forever to update this so here goes. Just a few ramblings today:
************************************************************
Why is Facebook so darn stingy when it comes to giving away Facebook bucks on their games? I'm playing Treasure Isle and I can't buy extra energy or gems or anything because I only have five lousy Facebook bucks. It should be easier.
************************************************************
A royal purple Audi A6: Doesn't that just scream "Pimpmobile"? That's just wrong!
************************************************************
Dear God, what kind of sick sense of humor do You have that You give a toddler so much energy and his mother so little?
************************************************************
Sarcasm; it's not just for breakfast anymore.
************************************************************
Dear God, palmetto bugs a/k/a those bigass Florida cockroaches: Why?
************************************************************
The older I get the better I was. I'm not having anymore birthdays. Forty six is enough.
************************************************************
Why can't I get a job? I want one. I need one! Somebody please hire me.
************************************************************
Dear God, politicians: see above palmetto bug question.
************************************************************
I think I'm going to watch only PBS from now until November; no campaign ads.
************************************************************
Beach therapy should be covered by health insurance!
************************************************************
Speaking of beach therapy, here are some pictures from our trip to Clearwater Beach on Thursday (if I can get blogspot to cooperate):
That's enough for today. I need my Facebook fix.
************************************************************
Why is Facebook so darn stingy when it comes to giving away Facebook bucks on their games? I'm playing Treasure Isle and I can't buy extra energy or gems or anything because I only have five lousy Facebook bucks. It should be easier.
************************************************************
A royal purple Audi A6: Doesn't that just scream "Pimpmobile"? That's just wrong!
************************************************************
Dear God, what kind of sick sense of humor do You have that You give a toddler so much energy and his mother so little?
************************************************************
Sarcasm; it's not just for breakfast anymore.
************************************************************
Dear God, palmetto bugs a/k/a those bigass Florida cockroaches: Why?
************************************************************
The older I get the better I was. I'm not having anymore birthdays. Forty six is enough.
************************************************************
Why can't I get a job? I want one. I need one! Somebody please hire me.
************************************************************
Dear God, politicians: see above palmetto bug question.
************************************************************
I think I'm going to watch only PBS from now until November; no campaign ads.
************************************************************
Beach therapy should be covered by health insurance!
************************************************************
Speaking of beach therapy, here are some pictures from our trip to Clearwater Beach on Thursday (if I can get blogspot to cooperate):
That's enough for today. I need my Facebook fix.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Jimmy is 5 months old!
Yesterday was Jimmy's 5 month birthday! Can you believe it? Here is his update in his own words:
Hewwo evwybuddy! My name is Jimmy. I is 5 mumfs owd now. I is getting weawwy big an' I is eating wike a widdle bawacooda (watevew dat is), at weest dat's wat Mommy sez. I is now wowwing ovuw bof wayz fwum my bak to my tumee an' fwum my tumee to my bak. I is pwaying in my exursawser now. It's fun! I wuv to waff an' smiyul wots.
Mommy haz startud a noo job (watevew dat is) so I is staying home wif Daddy wen hez not doing hokee stuff. Day aw wooking fow a baybeesitur fow me fow wen Daddy haz to go owt uv town. Dere is a wady at chuwch dey aw gonna ask.
I is vewy, vewy exsitud! I is geting baptizeded on Sundee! My Ant Deedee is fwying up hewe fwum Fworda (wer Mommy is fwum) cuz her is my godmuvuw! Her huzbun Unka Wic cant com. We is gonna hav wots of fun! Is is gonna get to bewong to Jeezuz fowevew! I weawwy wuv going to da chuwch. Aw da wadies wuv me!
Daddy tooked me an' Mommy to a hokee game wast Fwidee nite. We went bak to dat pwace cawed Gween Bay. We seed dese gize fwum da weeg Daddy usta wuwk in. Dey wuz cawed da Gween Bay Gambwers an' da Fawgo Fowce. It wuz fun! Daddy seed sum kidz he nowed fwun da teem he usta wuwk fow. I weawwy wike hokee!
Dat's aw fow now. Daddy hasta take Mommy to wuwk so I gotta go get dwessed. I wuv aw uv yew!
Wuv,
Jimmy
Hewwo evwybuddy! My name is Jimmy. I is 5 mumfs owd now. I is getting weawwy big an' I is eating wike a widdle bawacooda (watevew dat is), at weest dat's wat Mommy sez. I is now wowwing ovuw bof wayz fwum my bak to my tumee an' fwum my tumee to my bak. I is pwaying in my exursawser now. It's fun! I wuv to waff an' smiyul wots.
Mommy haz startud a noo job (watevew dat is) so I is staying home wif Daddy wen hez not doing hokee stuff. Day aw wooking fow a baybeesitur fow me fow wen Daddy haz to go owt uv town. Dere is a wady at chuwch dey aw gonna ask.
I is vewy, vewy exsitud! I is geting baptizeded on Sundee! My Ant Deedee is fwying up hewe fwum Fworda (wer Mommy is fwum) cuz her is my godmuvuw! Her huzbun Unka Wic cant com. We is gonna hav wots of fun! Is is gonna get to bewong to Jeezuz fowevew! I weawwy wuv going to da chuwch. Aw da wadies wuv me!
Daddy tooked me an' Mommy to a hokee game wast Fwidee nite. We went bak to dat pwace cawed Gween Bay. We seed dese gize fwum da weeg Daddy usta wuwk in. Dey wuz cawed da Gween Bay Gambwers an' da Fawgo Fowce. It wuz fun! Daddy seed sum kidz he nowed fwun da teem he usta wuwk fow. I weawwy wike hokee!
Dat's aw fow now. Daddy hasta take Mommy to wuwk so I gotta go get dwessed. I wuv aw uv yew!
Wuv,
Jimmy
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Jimmy Went to the Doctor
We just got back from the pediatrician for Jimmy's 4 month checkup and shots. He is now 25 inches long and weighs 13 lbs. 11 oz. He wasn't too thrilled with the doctor giving him a full exam (Mommy and Daddy like his new doctor) and he (naturally) hated the shots. But he's doing very well hitting all of his developmental milestones and will have his next visit in 2 months. He's asleep right now, worn out from the shots and his appointment cut into his morning nap. We'll keep you updated as Jimmy continues to progress.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Jimmy Is Four Months Old
Can you believe it? Our Jimmy is 4 months old today. He continues to be a delight. He has discovered his hands and now grabs everything. In the past few days he's started grabbing and hanging onto his feet. He is eating like a little barracuda and growing like a weed. His 4 month checkup is this coming Wednesday so he'll get his immunizations and we'll find out how much he weighs and how tall he is. I look back at pictures of him when he was a newborn and I can't believe how much he's changed.
It looks like his eyes are going to stay the same bright crystal blue...just like his daddy. In fact, he is a carbon copy of John. The only part of me I see in him is the nose and chin. He's even built like his father with broad shoulders, narrow hips, long legs, and big feet. He's in size 1 shoes already. His 0-3 month shirts fit just fine for now but he still has trouble keeping his britches up (thanks to the narrow hips). He does great in his overalls though and looks just adorable.He is "talking" to us more and more. He loves to smile and laugh. The only times he cries are when he's hungry, overtired (and doesn't want to go to sleep), or when his teething is bothering him. I think he's going to get his first tooth in back; at least that's where it feels like it's ready to come through the gum. I know it may still be another couple of months before his first tooth comes in but he is showing all the signs of teething: excessive drooling, chewing on his hands, his toys, his clothes, and me! He's doing very well sitting up with support. He's been able to roll over since he was 2 months old. He also likes to try to pull himself up when I have him in the tub. That's a bit scary with a slippery baby! He is strong and really starting to explore his world. He doesn't crawl yet but when he's on his tummy he will kick his legs and scoot himself forward. He likes to sit in his bouncer chair and play with the hanging toys. He also loves to be in one of his play gyms and he grabs and bats at the toys. I still think his favorite toy is Daddy. The dogs are just wonderful with him.
He is once again sleeping in his crib instead of the car seat. We are continuing to do the gentle neck stretches and massage with him every day to help the wry neck and he has shown some improvement. It will take time. I think sleeping in the car seat caused the problem and now that he's back in the crib that will help his progress.
Please keep all of us in your prayers as James Harper Meissner is baptized into the household of God on November 2nd. He will be baptized at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. We have been attending services there since we got here and we feel very comfortable and welcomed there. It's a small congregation and they are just crazy about Jimmy. He seems to love it there and spends most of the time looking around at everyone and everything. He likes the lights, the statues, the colors in the windows, and all the different sounds. His morning feeding tends to conincide with service times so he takes his bottle during the service. There is a wonderful rocking chair in the back of the nave and one of us will take him back there if he starts fussing. We've been asked/told not to take him out of church when he does start making noise, they love hearing him. I told them that was no problem, I didn't want to miss out on any of the service either. It's great to be in a place where we are all welcomed, wanted, and loved.
John has posted new pictures to Jimmy's photobucket account. Here's the link so you can see the latest photos and videos of the world's cutest baby: http://s306.photobucket.com/albums/nn243/jimmymize/. Of course we're not prejudiced or anything (much!).
It's getting late and that early morning feeding comes all too early. We'll keep you updated as to how things are going with Jimmy and with us. And we'd love to hear from you too! Stay tuned for the latest updates from the Meissner family!
It looks like his eyes are going to stay the same bright crystal blue...just like his daddy. In fact, he is a carbon copy of John. The only part of me I see in him is the nose and chin. He's even built like his father with broad shoulders, narrow hips, long legs, and big feet. He's in size 1 shoes already. His 0-3 month shirts fit just fine for now but he still has trouble keeping his britches up (thanks to the narrow hips). He does great in his overalls though and looks just adorable.He is "talking" to us more and more. He loves to smile and laugh. The only times he cries are when he's hungry, overtired (and doesn't want to go to sleep), or when his teething is bothering him. I think he's going to get his first tooth in back; at least that's where it feels like it's ready to come through the gum. I know it may still be another couple of months before his first tooth comes in but he is showing all the signs of teething: excessive drooling, chewing on his hands, his toys, his clothes, and me! He's doing very well sitting up with support. He's been able to roll over since he was 2 months old. He also likes to try to pull himself up when I have him in the tub. That's a bit scary with a slippery baby! He is strong and really starting to explore his world. He doesn't crawl yet but when he's on his tummy he will kick his legs and scoot himself forward. He likes to sit in his bouncer chair and play with the hanging toys. He also loves to be in one of his play gyms and he grabs and bats at the toys. I still think his favorite toy is Daddy. The dogs are just wonderful with him.
He is once again sleeping in his crib instead of the car seat. We are continuing to do the gentle neck stretches and massage with him every day to help the wry neck and he has shown some improvement. It will take time. I think sleeping in the car seat caused the problem and now that he's back in the crib that will help his progress.
Please keep all of us in your prayers as James Harper Meissner is baptized into the household of God on November 2nd. He will be baptized at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. We have been attending services there since we got here and we feel very comfortable and welcomed there. It's a small congregation and they are just crazy about Jimmy. He seems to love it there and spends most of the time looking around at everyone and everything. He likes the lights, the statues, the colors in the windows, and all the different sounds. His morning feeding tends to conincide with service times so he takes his bottle during the service. There is a wonderful rocking chair in the back of the nave and one of us will take him back there if he starts fussing. We've been asked/told not to take him out of church when he does start making noise, they love hearing him. I told them that was no problem, I didn't want to miss out on any of the service either. It's great to be in a place where we are all welcomed, wanted, and loved.
John has posted new pictures to Jimmy's photobucket account. Here's the link so you can see the latest photos and videos of the world's cutest baby: http://s306.photobucket.com/albums/nn243/jimmymize/. Of course we're not prejudiced or anything (much!).
It's getting late and that early morning feeding comes all too early. We'll keep you updated as to how things are going with Jimmy and with us. And we'd love to hear from you too! Stay tuned for the latest updates from the Meissner family!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
