i'm mean

people, people. i'm not unsympathetic (well, i can be). nor am i unrealistic (not sure about that one either). i know some people aren't great spellers. it's not that big of deal, though it does bug me. what's sad is when that flaw is inflicted on these people's children. permanently. in the form of an unphonetically, non-traditionally spelled name. i mean, if you want to spell kelly KELLEE or KELLI, fine. within the confines of the english language, that works. or if you want to spell sean, SHAUN, great, that follows all the rules. but i wish that there was an advice nurse that grilled women before they left the hospital. "are you SURE you want to spell the kid's name this way? it really doesn't look the way it's pronounced, and no one will ever get it right. are you ABSOLUTLEY SURE???" because, i have come across these unfortunate names in various places, and i bang my head against the wall. and really, i don't always blame the mom--she may not be fluent in english or have any education. but, someone help a woman out! so, i blame nurses. some names have been left off the list, due to the fact that they may or may not be related to me.

1. gabriele. for a boy.

2. kiaya. this was meant to be "kaya." i think the mom combined "kaya" and "kaia" and got this ridiculous combination. i thought of her as "kee-ya-ya."

3. gyno. for gino. this is an NCAA basketball player. too bad it looks more like "vagina doctor."

4. deeby. for debby. poor girl has to introduce herself by saying, "i know it looks like deeby, but it sounds like debby."

i know there are more, and i look forward to adding to the list.


while i'm on the subject of pet peeves, can i mention when people misuse the word "I" when trying to be gramatically correct? "please call my husband or I at home." Me is not a dirty word. sometimes it's the right choice.

and here's something i learned from a family circus cartoon: use "fewer" instead of "less" if you're talking about something that you can count. i.e., drink less alcohol, make fewer mistakes (those are two unrelated examples. i don't believe that sentiment for a second.)