Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Pretend there's no title

You know the other day I revealed a rather personal tidbit related to spouse and my navel. (I was a little surprised at the disgust level expressed. A little thread balled up in there is pretty clean, it's not like it's in your pits, crack, or .......toenails, now that would be gross) And ever since reading it again a couple hours after posting, I have not been able to stop wringing my hands over my spelling error. Oh, sure, it was a simple "a" in place of an "e", but it is one of those hallmark words that people might use to gauge your intelligence. Having once belonged to the clan of perpetual intellectual superiority, I know of what I speak. I have been working hard over the past decade to extricate myself from the clan, but it has been a hard road. I have learned that "holes" in someone's knowledge or skill in any particular arena does not indicate that they don't have superior knowledge or skill in some other particular arena. I have equal respect (hell, maybe more) for the illiterate guy who can put an engine together without instructions as I do for a University professor, refined in his social habits but who is also scatterbrained. I didn't use to, but now, that is true.

Anyway, I have this policy not to fix any errors in my writing unless I catch it just after posting. I just want to keep it real. Sometimes it pains me to see "the the" or a misspelled word. Most misspelled words are typos (I don't need no stinking spell check) but once in a while I err for real (as in, not on purpose). Like last Friday. And I keep wondering if some small judgement has been passed based on the mistake, and then asking myself why I should possibly care. Anyway, I don't really know what I'm trying to say. I'm not stupid!

Did you figure out the word yet?

Day five of no cigarettes has dawned, and in my experience, this should be the last of the really difficult days, day four was harsher than I expected, just a constant gnawing need grating at the inside of my abdomen, though admittedly, less intense than day one. I just keep marveling at the bad feelings, and I keep telling myself, "You'll never have to feel this way again as long as you don't pick one up." And I remind myself that I'm 40, and what kind of pathetic man am I if I can't be in charge of myself. (The flog oneself with shame method) And finally, I keep remembering what my Grandpa said when he told me how he finally successfully quit, "I just didn't want this inanimate object to control my life, and then it became a war."

A war, indeed.

19 comments:

Cincy Diva said...

I found it but it took me several re-reads to distinguish it. I guess my mind was adjusting for the error. No big deal really. I would not have noticed had you not mentioned it.

Good going on the smoking!

tornwordo said...

I would hate to make people do several re-reads, so here's a hint. It's a word that is spelled correctly in the first sentence of this post.

Snooze said...

I did notice it - I wondered if that was a typo or if you didn't know the difference [or if you were fantasizing about marines at that moment]. I just cringe when I see my own typos- and I make many. Ah well, nice to know there is another blogger who is as uptight about spelling and grammar.

Kevin said...

Well sure, it's right there. It happens all the time. Even if you know the right spelling I find occasionally my hands will type the wrong thing. Grrr.

And don't you hate it when other people point out your mistakes? Blech. That's why I try not to. If I can help it.

It's a judgment call.

The Wisdom of Wislon said...

I can't locate it.

I get knarked with my own typos too, I make plenty.. my excuse is I wasn't born to type ;-)

Chunks said...

Typo schmypo...fuggedaboudit.

Your Grandpa was totally right, I felt the same way. Smokes are WMD.

St. Dickeybird said...

Your Grandpa's control point, along with the "don't have to go through it again unless I smoke again" idea were the 2 things that kept me abstaining for 6 months last year.
Keep up the good work, and wash your belly button.
:)

Anonymous said...

Just so you know and can put your mind at rest. I, myself, have only thought of you as a strikingly handsome man who's ass I think of regularly. I really couldn't care if you can spell your own name. Can you? Oh never mind... [I don't have to tell you that this a bit of cheek, a joke, a lark hon....] It's obvious that your friends don't care if you can't spell your way out of a wet paper bag. I'm almost 40 and I still have problems swaping my i's and e's in thier.
Mwah,
kb

Jason said...

I guess I shouldn't take up smoking. Thought about it to lose weight once.

Stink Foot said...

Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode Tornwordo and His Addiction.

_Psycho said...

Addictions, I can usually stop any addictions I have when I want it or it become needed. I know some peoples cannot. It's strange, not sure why. I hope you will overcome the smoking addiction !

Adam said...

This is a totally forgivable error my friend. Homonyms are a tricky species and can easily fool even the most cunning of authors such as yourself. I didn't even notice the mistake because you mentioned "bellbutton" earlier in the sentence. Funny how that works no?

GayProf said...

I can't spell nor can I put an engine together with or without instructions.

It seems to me that you are way ahead.

ink said...

Many really good writers are not particularly good spellers. (Some of them aren't very good at putting engines back together either. Of course, taking them apart is another story ...)

As a fellow word (and grammar) junkie, I empathize completely with your angst over a mis-spelled word. Just remember, you are your own worst critic. (Unless you give me something to edit. Then I'LL be your worst critic!)

Take care of yourself and stay strong. Your loyal fans are all rooting for you!

CoffeeDog said...

Usually my spelling errors aren't due to poor spelling, just poor typing and being in a hurry!

Patricia said...

pish posh. i saw it the first time and just thought, “cool! he has a nautical belly button!”

i prefer to see my similar malady as a sign of genius. you and i are simply so far ahead of ourselves as we think slash type out our blog that our fingers are unable to keep up. and so, on occasion they try and cope as best they can by substituting words that might’ve been what we were hoping for. it’s really quite brilliant, my friend.

madamerouge said...

I think of your ass regularly, too, but only when I'm in hotel bathrooms with cold flourescent lighting.

(I'm totally never letting you live that one down!)

Tony Adams said...

I've asked the same questions about : to correct or not to correct, and I always correct typos, spelling etc. Why not? When C read something I posted recently he said "Rio doesn't have barios, they have favelas. Change it" and I did.
Don't underestimate yourself. Wouldn't read ya if ah didn't like how your mind worked. I keep a heap of little pieces of paper with words that I've run across often but never knew what they meant. Words like juggernaut and inexorable. One word keeps popping up in the New York Times these days: "bespoke". I had to look it up, now I've got to use it in a post quickly before it goes out of style.

jjd said...

when did you get the new profile pic you handsome, non-smoking devil you?