I thought I was somewhat literate and knowledgeable about things when I started my blog earlier this year. I thought I knew some stuff cuz I had lived a little. Had to have gotten something out of all this time going by besides laugh lines and achy knees.
Plus I'm the only one in my family that knows how to spell, which makes me feel a little superior. Spellcheck can't even begin to help correct my husband's attempt at typing, say "superior." I understand he's an art guy, not a speller guy, but I raz him about it anyway. Doesn't stop him as I'm leaving his office to yell out the word S.H.R.E.W., letter by letter. Didn't stop him just the other day from emailing me some artwork after I had had a mini-nervous breakdown, with this loving message: Here you go, you hose beast from hell!"
I emailed him back and wrote how proud I was that he had spelled every word correctly! Only real soulmates could have that much fun together. We laugh and we laugh and we laugh.
But, I was about to discover how wrong I was in my assumption about my general knowledge. Or lack thereof, I should say. Like my great, great grandmother always used to say, just stop talking, you don't know jack.
For example, I never knew there was a word for accidentally swapping letters or syllables in a phrase, slight tips of the slung, so to speak. But I was quickly educated by this gentleman.
I also never realized, until I started reading comment threads that *Classic Rock* did not describe the kind of music I like from the 70s, but this kind, this kind and this kind. And this gentleman clued me in on that one.
I kind of know what a troll is now, but I've yet to encounter one. Maybe I have and I just haven't recognized the little guy. I'm so grateful for comments, I could be blinded by sheer joy.
God knows I didn't know for a long time how to upload a post. Check! thanks to this guy. How to create links with my post. Check! thanks to this guy. Then, how to add photos to my posts. Check again! thanks to this guy.
The latest thing I learned was how to spell a new word when I was writing my post last night. And if you take a gander at that post, you'll see I copied and pasted most of it. Man! Even my short little original writings take it out of me. I should own stock in dictionary.com. Oh wait. That's a free service. God knows I've never known a dang thing about economics. Never claimed to, no way. Can't get me there. And I've got a very unbalanced checkbook to prove it.
Anyway. It was this word that stumped me: prerogative
I never would've spelled it that way. I would have spelled it perogative. But, I checked in with my trusty dictionary. No, wrong. Then the thesaurus. No, I'm wrong again. I didn't trust these sources. This word should not be spelled this way. Look at how that word is spelled! Say it out loud!
Doesn't it it sound like, if you pronounce it the way it's spelled, doesn't it sound like the way Scooby Doo would say it? prrrerrrogatif!
So, I guess my great, great grandmother was right. The older I get the more I realize I don't know jack. But with a little help from my friends and dictionary.com and the thesaurus, I get to learn something new everyday.
And now I'm going to end this post. But, believe me, I'm gonna hit dictionary.com one last time before I do.
Phew. I think I'm good.
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