Stupid Things People Say

Okay, so we all have our pet peeves. As a kid my mom never let me end a sentence in a preposition and so later as a teacher I became the one who does this to kids:

Little Johnny says, "Can I go to the bathroom?"
Anal grammar freak teacher says, "I'm sure you CAN.....I wonder if you MAY?"
Little Johnny begrudgingly says, "May I go to the restroom?"
Anal grammar freak teacher says, "Yes you may Johnny."

At the end of the day I'll be the first to admit that I get a little hung up on grammar, but honestly, we have it for a reason.

One thing I seem to have noticed is that common grammar errors are occasionally colloquial. For example, New Yorkers who unnecessarily pluralize things such as somewheres, nowheres, anywheres.

My peeve of the day seems to be Midwestern in origin. I've noticed it both in Ohio and Michigan, but I don't know exactly how pervasive this offence is. You see, for some unexplained reason Midwesterners are under the mistaken impression that the sinuses are an affliction, not a part of the body.

I have had a cold for most of the winter. Persistent post nasal drip ad nauseam. Frequently people say, "Oh you've got sinuses too, huh? I've had them all Winter, they just won't go away." Well, yes OF COURSE YOU HAVE, and NO I certainly hope for your sake they don't go away. Sinuses are standard equipment on ALL human beings! It's sort of like saying, "Oh I see you have and arm too, I've had one all Winter, just can't seem to get rid of it." I really fear that one of these days I'll snap and start a basic human anatomy lesson for some poor soul who is trying to be empathetic.

So this is my peeve of the moment. I'm curious about other people's grammatical and otherwise stupid or confused peeves so feel free to post them here.

On Love

I started this blog roughly this time last year. In the back of my mind I was hoping it would chronicle the year (singluar) that I spent in my hometown regrouping before resuming my otherwise fabulous life and moving on to bigger and better things. I am still here. My life has no outword signs of fabulosity. Despite the fact that I made the least amount of money I have ever earned, and my finances are a constant challenge for my creativity, my life here is pretty rich. Will I be here forever? Probably not, but as it turns out this is a good place to be.

Although I haven't been on the receiving end of sizeable paychecks, or great accolades for my professional successes, I have received a great deal of love. In fact I've never felt so loved in all my life. From the moment I packed up my life in Detroit the people who love me whether friends or family, rushed in to support and encourage and care for me. Every time I go back to visit everyone is so happy to see me, and I'm thrilled to see them. And down here in Ohio my family is always there when I need them in any sort of way. And I get to spend quality time with them, which is something I was just "too busy" to do before.

While here I've met someone truely special who loves me and appreciates me. When life's dissappointments show up he is there to pick up the pieces without ever being asked. And life's little triumphs are even more joyous because he is there to share them. He can support and listen without judging and it seems like there isn't anything he can't handle. Around this time last year I read True Love by Thich Nhat Hanh. I was inspired and discouraged. The way he described loving another person was exactly the way I thought love should be, and yet I'd never experienced that. Now I have, and it is wonderful.

What I'm learning about love is this: love is infinite and limitless. The degree to which we can be loved is only limited by the amount of love we are willing to allow into our lives. AND the degree to which we can love others is only limited by the amount of love we are willing to share with the people in our lives. Love begets love. The more we are open to giving and receiving love the more love will enter our lives. Its a remarkable phenomenon to say the very least.

Knitting for Peace

My boyfriend created this little comic as a Christmas card. It’s cute, its funny, and the ending is poignant. When I showed it to my grandmother, she said, “You better get busy with that last part.” With sarcasm in my voice I replied, “Yeah…..”

As impossible as it may seem, the truth is that we all see little snippets of peace on earth every day. I realized this a little over a week ago when visiting my pals in Detroit. When most people, even Detroiters sadly, think of Detroit the image is glum. People think of a city long past its prime. A place filled with poverty, crime and little hope of regaining its former glory. When I think of Detroit I don’t think of urban decay and unemployment, no, thoughts of Detroit fill my heart with the warmth and the loving spirit of the people who live there.

My recent trip was mostly focused on my knitting buddies. We participated in a fundraiser for breast cancer research on Saturday and had an all girls Superbowl party on Sunday. The weekend was inspiring to say the least. On Saturday we experienced the comradery of working together for a cause, but more importantly we met an extraordinary person. This young woman attended the same event the previous year and was inspired to do something big for breast cancer research. She pledged to raise $10,000.00 and if successful she would shave her head. Saturday she arrived with no hair. What was more spectacular was that she exceeded her goal. She raised $20,000.00. In addition to those efforts she also began working with prisoners at a women’s prison teaching them to crochet chemo caps. These prisoners pledged to make 500 chemo caps. According to sources at the prison her efforts have led to a complete turnaround in the women there. Suddenly there were less fights, more cooperation. The women were teaching each other and working together for something meaningful. My friends and I were blown away. For anyone who is under the mistaken impression that the efforts of just one person are inconsequential I would like to introduce them to a young factory worker who has changed the lives of countless people with her efforts.


Sunday was the now annual “Knitting Bowl” all girls Superbowl party. One of my fabulous knitting buddies is the host and we usually have soups and munchies and lots of knitting fun. Another great recurring tradition is the Superbowl brownies lovingly made and decorated by Joe the wonder husband. Last year’s brownie bowl was played by cats, this year we had aliens vs. ninjas. Although the snacks were lovely, what was truly inspiring was the community gathered in that humble living room. In one room we had the most diverse group of people thoroughly enjoying their time together. There were women of varied and even opposing faiths, races and economic backgrounds and sharing love and laughter and fun. One woman, a Muslim convert, another Jewish, and others Catholic, Protestant, Atheist and Agnostic.


Two of the women work for the same company in vastly different capacities, one and hourly union employee while the other is salaried management. Yet another woman is fighting cancer and brought a tote bag with the message: Cancer can kiss my ass. A whole rainbow of skin, hair and eye colors filled the room. Our respective bank account balances likely varied greatly and yet the sum total of all these differences only added up to a greater richness.

What binds us is the shared experience of our humanity, the realization that there is so much that we all share, and even those things which seem different aren’t all that different from up close. Those differences are what make us who we are and are ultimately what we love about one another.

Every week these women get together for the simple and yet profound purpose of knitting and in the end their lives weave together like the fabrics they knit. This is peace on earth. If only the rest of the world could visit this living room……………