Really so very annoyed

I was reminded today of one of my pet hates regarding the misuse of the English language. I know I'm quite a pedant and I myself am far from perfect, but it gets my goat that people just can't be bothered to speak correctly.

The offence du jour? Use of the word 'really' instead of the word 'very'. 'Really' and 'very' do not mean the same thing and they are not interchangeable. "How was your trip to Melbourne?" "Great, but it was really cold." No! It was very cold. Say what you really mean (not what you very mean).

Speaking of 'very', it is also being increasingly omitted from 'thank you very much' and being ludicrously replaced by 'so'. The phrase 'so much' requires a 'that' followed by a descriptive statement. "I love you so much that I just had to buy you these flowers." "Thank you so much" is trendy, but completely meaningless.

There is nothing wrong with the word 'very'. If you mean 'very' then say 'very'.

Thank you really much.

Strange real estate photos

I love looking at houses for sale on the web. We might be in the market for a house some time later this year and I've been doing some preliminary investigation. It intrigues me that some of the ads have some very strange photos. You would think that people would show photos that display the more appealing aspects of their property, but I often wonder what I am supposed to be impressed by when I see an overgrown back yard full of junk or a laundry strewn with dirty washing.

I was looking at houses on the web today when I came across this gem. (Click to enlarge. Woo-hoo!) I can't quite work out what it is meant to be a photo of, exactly. Now, I like the shiny wooden door and the seahorse fridge magnets, but the piles of rubbish in the back room are a bit of a turn-off, don't you think?

Seriously, how does this promote the house?

Awesome!

I usually get up at about 7:15 to get ready for work. I have my alarm set for 6:50 and after it goes off I let myself stay in bed for a while before getting up. My alarm clock doesn't have a "snooze" function so I can't go back to sleep. I've never liked getting out of bed immediately after waking up. I'd rather lie there for a little while and get up when I'm fully awake.

One day I woke up suddenly at 7:20. My alarm hadn't gone off and when I looked at the clock I thought "Oh no! 7:20 already! I have to get up straight away. Bummer!"

Then I realised that it was Saturday and with great relief I rolled over and went back to sleep. That was fantastic.

Just so you know

If you ever have something stuck in your teeth and you can't find a toothpick anywhere, DO NOT straighten out a paperclip and use that instead.

Don't worry - the bleeding has stopped now.

Another one

Here is another unmotivational poster for you.

This could become a regular feature.

Loose lips sink (friend)ships

Suppose you’re friends with two couples, but the wives in those two couples don’t really like each other. They tolerate each other and you can all go out together and have a good time, but underneath there is this simmering ill-feeling born out of what? Jealousy? Disgust? Who knows? But it’s there and it bothers you that you have two friends who don’t like each other, and you feel powerless to fix the situation.

Now suppose one of those two wives confides in you the full extent of her ill-feeling toward the other one, and goes into great detail about all the big and little things about the other one that make steam come out of her ears. You turn ashen upon hearing the appalling litany of disgust and disdain pouring out of your usually pleasant friend. You didn’t know she knew words like that.

What should you do?

Well, you absolutely, definitely, without a doubt, should not, at any time, for any reason, repeat said ear-steaming tirade of brimstone to the well-meaning best friend of the husband of the other wife.

Don’t do it!

Wives of outback bloggers take note.