Learning

The Point Where Compassion And Mispronunciation Meet

/ Ally Bean / 24 Comments

I’ll tell you straight up that I did not correct this young woman’s pronunciation.

The whole conversation happened so quickly, and I was so slow to understand what she was talking about, that the chance never came in the moment for me to tell her: “that’s not how you say it.”

Plus she was so happy about what she was telling me that I didn’t want to rain on her parade, so I said nothing even after I figured it out.

I’ll also tell you that this young woman is a high school graduate from one of the better high schools in the region.  And that she speaks using perfect grammar + polysyllabic words.  And that she is quite bright about the logic of things.

But here’s the thing, the situation that I found myself in, where I did not know what to do. 

She was talking about her vacation plans, in detail.  She had found a deal on airfare by watching the prices online.  When she saw that she could travel to her western destination with just one stopover in the midwest, she jumped on that ticket because the price was right.

As she had never been to that part of the midwest [and I guess that she missed school the days when the teacher talked about it], she was mispronouncing this city’s name.  At first I didn’t understand where she was going, and then when I did it was– well, re-read my second paragraph.

So here is what she said to me.  She was going to change flights in: my knee A poe Lis. 

Care to guess where she was going?  And any suggestions about how to handle a similar situation should it arise in my lifetime again?

I await your comments below.

I Hate Fickle

/ Ally Bean / 15 Comments

fick•le adjective 

Definition of FICKLE – : marked by lack of steadfastness, constancy, or stability : given to erratic changeableness

Origin of FICKLE – Middle English fikel deceitful, inconstant, from Old English ficol deceitful; akin to Old English befician to deceive, and probably to Old English fāh hostile

~  Merriam-Webster

•  So this morning it is still snowing here.  Pathetic.  I am tired of this stuff.  I am depressed because I cannot make any progress on any of my health + home decorating goals.  I am bored being stuck inside.  I feel like I have lost the month of March, one of my favorites, to fickleness.

•  This last week or so I’ve used my iPad more.  It’s a great device if you want to consume something.  Read an article or a book.  Watch a movie or a TV show.  Play a game.  Wonderful.  Easy.  But when it comes to creating an email message or a blog comment I find it awkward.  Fickle even.

This cute little machine auto-corrects willy-nilly and often sends/publishes what I write before I’m finished writing it.  So if you’ve received something from me that doesn’t make sense, know that it came from me & my iPad.  And that I am trying to get more comfortable using it.  There’s a learning curve here.

•  And while I’m in a complaining mood, let’s talk about advertisements.  In just the last few months I’ve seen more adverts on blogs & in magazines & on cable TV & in my snail mailbox than ever before.  And I don’t like this trend.  It seems desperate.

It is visual clutter and/or wasteful.  And, quite truthfully, when I see or receive lots of advertisements I immediately wonder what is really going on.  My spidey senses tell me that I am now the product and that someone is trying to use me.  Deceive me, perhaps.  It is fickle [in the original meaning of the word], ‘ya know?

Nine Years Ago This Week I Started My First Blog

/ Ally Bean / 21 Comments

YES, it is true.

I’m probably more amazed by this fact than you are.  Who’d have thought that I’d stick with blogging, more or less consistently, in one way or another, for this long?

My immediate answer to that question is: not me.  But that’s a bit too flippant.  In reality, I think that the reason I have continued to blog is that it’s a quiet way to make your mark on the world.  To question and learn.  To reflect and inspire.  To laugh and enjoy.  To connect with people in a casual, easy way.

At least, those would be the reasons why I keep a blog at this point.  Any dreams I might have had of making money or of getting noticed by a publisher are long gone.  Now I write about what happens in my life because I can– and because I want to.  Very simple.

– • –

In honor of this auspicious occasion I’ll do something that I rarely do.  Today I’ll point you in the direction of a few of my previous posts about blogging.  I’ve learned a few things.  I’ve experienced a few things.  And naturally, I’ve talked about them all.

To Comment Or Not To Comment

Blogging: Then And Now [Subtitled: In Which I Explain How I Came To Be A Blogger] [Sub-Subtitled: Blame It On The Dirt]

My 5 Suggestions For Writing Better Blog Posts

An Explanation Regarding The “Absurdities Of My Week” Post That Is No Longer Here– Absurdly

An Inconvenient Blogging Truth

– • –

So what does the future hold for me and blogging?  If I am entirely honest I have to answer: I haven’t a clue.

Throughout the course of my illustrious blogging career I have never felt the need to have an overarching plan with a mission statement, monthly objectives and weekly goals.  Instead I have always done whatever makes sense to me in the moment.

And right now it makes sense to me is to say thank you to all my gentle readers.  I appreciate that you make the effort to visit here on a regular basis.  Your comments make my day and keep me on my toes.  You’re the best.

THANKS for stopping by.

Odds & Ends

/ Ally Bean / 19 Comments

::  I’m waiting at home today while my car, Olivia, is in the shop.  She is a 10 y.o. Honda Accord Coupe.  Yesterday I went in for an oil change, knowing that there’d be more to it than just that.  At ten years there has to be.

Apparently at year 7 something involving the timing belt [belts?] was to be done.  But I didn’t do it then.  Probably because no one at the dealership told me to do it.  Whatever.

So I’m having it done now.  And this, people, is why I like Honda Accords.  They are very forgiving about maintenance schedules, which is a good thing when they belong to a person such as me.  That would be a woman who means well, but often forgets to have the oil changed on a timely basis.  A woman who maintains her car based on whims– and prayers.

::  I got a new slow cooker [aka crock pot] for Christmas.  Did I tell you this before?  Probably not.  Exciting news such as that I usually keep to myself because I wouldn’t want you, gentle readers, to be jealous of my good fortune!

My new slow cooker is shiny and bright red– and works about a hundred times better than the old one.  Considering that I have the time today, I’m going to research some new recipes to make in it.  Clearly I know what herbs +  spices are available in our kitchen.  Plus we have a busy weekend coming up, so fixing and forgetting a meal sounds like a good thing to do.

Anyone got a favorite slow cooker recipe that I should know about?

::  I’ve mentioned this before but as a refresher: Murphy Brown had Eldon, the painter– while I have Greg, the landscaper.  And it being on the cusp of spring here, Greg has been in touch.  Actually he first phoned me in January, but I dodged his calls because I didn’t want to talk about gardening.  Couldn’t I just have one month off?

However, Greg is nothing if not clever.  He started emailing Zen-Den, who then started forwarding me photos of shrubs and bushes and such– so that I’d decide a thing, or two, about this year’s spring garden clean-up & replacement ideas.  [We’ve been at this residence close to 14 years now, so lots of the original bushes are near the end of their vitality.]

And you know what?  Much to my surprise I’m rather pleased to be looking at photos of + details about green growing things.  I think that I’m ready for spring.