1. Brenda’s post about pronouns cracks me up. It is right up my grammatical alley, because Sister and I (not “me and Sister”) have had MANY conversations about common (mis)usages that drive us (not we) crazy. My personal pet peeve is when people use the “and I” construction incorrectly, and Brenda does a wonderful job of addressing the rules with a little Southern flair.
There was an adorable girl on Amazing Race a couple of seasons ago who was The Worst “and I” Offender EVER: “I’m so proud of Jon and I…They were really rude to Jon and I…I really feel that the race brought Jon and I closer together.” And all of those examples drove I bananas. :-)
[A brief aside: I was about to go on a tear about why I cannot stand the use of the word “myself” as anything but an intensifier (“I myself have never experienced that” is fine from time to time…however, “that’s between Sister and myself” is kind of obnoxious), but then I realized that, you know, nobody cares. You can take the girl out of the English department….]
2. Oprah’s “Legends” special – anybody see it? At first I was all, “Oh, here Oprah goes, talking about ‘energy’ and ‘power’ and getting all New Age-y on me,” but I must admit that the way she honored the women who have gone before her – Cicely Tyson, Tina Turner, Maya Angelou, etc. – was very touching. I loved the footage of the gospel brunch – I would have HAD ME SOME CHURCH if I had been there. Which I wasn’t. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it because I wasn’t invited.
Anyway, David and I estimated that the whole Legends celebration probably cost AT LEAST five or six hundred dollars. Okay, maybe a smidge more.
3. I mention my friend Emma Kate just about every other day in my posts, it seems. Well, I’ve been holding back with a little EK info because I didn’t feel like it was time to share, mainly because I didn’t think that she and her hubby were ready to share. And this is all starting to sound very much like a pregnancy announcement, so let me just go ahead and apologize if you were reaching for some yellow yarn and getting ready to start on some baby booties. Because that’s not the news.
And there’s not really ANY news to speak of, because this is actually a very circuitous route to a prayer request.
EK and Brad have been meeting with about 12 other people to pray and study and see if God might be leading them to start a new church in the town where they live in Mississippi. They have a vision – a God-given vision, to be clear – for a church that is rock-solid doctrinally and theologically but different, especially in terms of worship and programming, from anything else where they live.
This is not a fly-by-night deal…this is a result of several years of prayer and a genuine desire to be faithful to what God is calling them to do. And in case you’re wondering if they really have what it takes to be on this path, I can assure you EK and Brad study the Bible like nobody’s business. Let me put it this way: when I get in the car, I crank up my music, but when they get in the car, they crank up preachers like Andy Stanley or Ed Young or Louie Giglio. They know their stuff.
So here’s the thing (THANK GOODNESS, you’re thinking, that she finally has a point). They need your prayers. They truly believe that for this vision to come to fruition, they must first have God’s man. They have the resources to attract someone of the highest caliber, but obviously God has to turn that man’s heart toward Tupelo. If you would pray for that, I know EK and Brad would appreciate it. Their group is meeting tonight, and they are at a real fork in the road in terms of what comes next. The next few weeks are going to be HUGE for them, and wisdom and discernment will be key.
4. Newest Google search that made me laugh out loud? “mama de nemo”
So in case the searcher is still lurking around, let me see if I can help using my, er, increasingly limited abilities in Spanish.
La mama de Nemo es muerto. La mama de Nemo fue comida para un “Jaws.” Lo siento mucho. Marlin es un padre excelente. Tambien, Dory es una “amiga especial” de Marlin al fin de la pelicula.
:-)
Gracias, y hasta luego.
I was SO wanting to do a grammar post, but I don’t know how to do that without sounding like a snob. I’m going to jump over to Brenda’s post right now and check it out. I am sure that her and I would get along good. ;) So, I DO care. But then again, my husband says I am an “english teacher wanna-be.”
And, to be fair, I do like an occasional misuse of “myself.” Like when my son says “there is a boo boo on myself.” (Don’t worry, one of these days I’ll learn him right.)
Okay, I just read your comment on Brenda’s post, and it was hilarious. But it made me think of the a particular episode of “Big Brother.” In it, one of the last three contestants was trying to describe the tension in the house. He said “this place is LITERALLY a house of cards!”
But this is another topic entirely, no?
Lori – What is so frightening is that I know the exact BB quote to which you’re referring. In fact, the prospect of the upcoming “All-Star” BB season gives purpose to my summer TV watching…and also fills me with a certan degree of joy. :-) CHICKEN GEORGE, anyone? We are SO hoping that Amy (the blond who was on Marcellus’ season) will be back this summer.
And lest anyone feel paranoid, I do not in fact troll blogs and comments for grammar and punctuation mistakes. Y’all have to have noticed I play loose and fast with the standard rules of commas and sentence structure. My pet peeves are only in regard to 1) formal essays and 2) people who go on television and try to sound intelligent.
And this is why I, myself, will not be appearing on television anytime soon! ;-) I do always love it when people use the word literally in a figurative sort of way. :)
And Lori, you mean to tell me you are a Science nerd AND an English nerd….That is SO unfair!!!
EK – I’ll be praying for ya! Big, big stuff indeed!!!
That’s a great opportunity for them and others too! Prayers and blessings.
Blessed beyond measure!!!!! Thank you for your prayers on our behalf.
hey- tell ek to email me.. i have someone that she might be interested in talking to about this church… sf
Awww…I didn’t know that Nemo’s mama was eaten by “Jaws” (me and myself didn’t know it, either). :)
Well, technically it was just a shark, not Jaws, but I MYSELF didn’t know how to say “shark” in Spanish, just between you and I. ;-)
I think I am afraid to have you read anymore of my posts. I don’t even think I look for misspelled words anymore. I was an English teacher in my other life, but 4 years at home with, well babies who don’t speak correctly, kind of messes you up. I will say double negatives drive me insane particularly when used with “ain’t”. Blech!
Your last comment regarding el pescado es delirante!
You referenced me in your post! How cool is that? Is it sad that it’s such a big deal to me? Hope not. :)
Praying for EK, Brad, and Tupelo.
Hugs!
Brenda – that post is hysterical. I knew my “home folks” would get a kick out of it – especially my sister. As a matter of fact, I think I’ll go re-read it right now. :-)
Sister and Soph,
I just read Brenda’s post; I think she and I would be grammar nerds together if I knew her (as you and I are, Soph). Sister, your comment reminded me of an incident involving my husband during his freshman year at Vanderbilt. He was sitting in English class and wanted to make a comment about a story they had read, but he was afraid to raise his hand because he couldn’t remember if you were supposed to say, “She could have gone…” or “She should have went…” How sad it that? Yes, I did say he was at VANDERBILT!