The new word for today, boys and girls is stoppooped. As in: “on our walk today, my dog stoppooped in the grass.” I don’t know how useful this word is. I can’t imagine someone saying, “Go ahead honey, I need to stoppoop before we leave.”
I didn’t say it was useful. It is just the word for the day…. Maybe I will start to use real words.

As I was pulling out of the parking lot today, I noticed that it is ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE to turn left onto a busy street. I knew it before, but it solidified in my mind today. You can likely turn right 5 or 6 times before you can turn left once. Esp when you are turning left in a line with 500 other people the first of which is a timid 84-year old in an ’84 Buick. (more…)

My spell check is going to love this post.

My latest new word is reviewal. Here is a sentence for you: Mark, Please make sure this document goes threw the reviewal process. Is it review? Is it approval? Yes. Let’s hear it for shorthand. The funny thing was, when I said this word the first time in a meeting, quite unintentionally, someone writing on a flip chart wrote review/approval. I would like to make it a real word, but the contraction thing is just too weird. I mean who would actually write review’al. And then it would be confused with “Review All”. People would get notes and memos about the new process and be utterly confused. And if those memos had gone through the reviewal process supervisors all over would be called into offices. Bosses wouldn’t be happy. Mass layoffs for the reviewalers may happen due to their approvalew of words that don’t make sense and then where would we be. So we had better let it die here. Someone needs to take a stand for change, but it is not going to be me. I am happy with our 50 some confusing English contractions, and one more will make little difference.

It was fun while it lasted anyway.

meanie pants. Noun. Someone who is mean in a fun and non-threatening way.

Today I made a statement about someone I work with that could be taken in a negative light. I said that Alison was not very good at her job when I first met her. Now this comment was made in the context of people who are new being inexperienced and obviously not intended as an insult. BUT Shelley decided she would have some fun at my expense and spent the rest of the day telling everyone how Andrew thinks Alison is bad at her job, and doesn’t know what she is doing. “Come on Shelley,” I touted, “You know that is not what I meant. Why do you have to twist what I say to make me look bad?” “I am a woman; that’s what I do.” came the indignant reply. I scowled. Shelley is a nice person and was just being ornery and making trouble. For this she was promptly awarded the title: meanie pants. And now the “meanie pants” proudly decorate her cube.