I had to think about this one for, like, a while.

It’s becoming, like, an epidemic.

In my economics class last week, we had many discussions about various economic issues. The topics and discussions were interesting, yet I was having a hard time concentrating on them. The trouble was, instead of focusing on what my classmates were saying, I was focusing on how they said it.

One of my other classes, Studies in Literature, has only 14 people in it – the only students in my grade who were nerdy enough to take a course about literature, I guess! That being so, and our teacher having been an English teacher for over 20 years, we often get into tangents about how the English language is going down the drain – how technology is killing our spelling, how laziness is affecting our speech... etc. We often talk about the “like” phenomenon, how “to” is pronounced “tuh”, how “the” should be pronounced “thee” but is pronounced “thuh"... it goes on. What scared me first was realizing that yes, the English language is damaged on a daily basis. What scared me more is that I do all of these things that we were discussing.

While I'm having a hard time stopping myself from saying "like" and "thuh" and "tuh", I am picking up on it around me everywhere! The more I hear it, the more I want to stop myself from saying these things, but it is much harder than I thought! I often realize I've said one of these blunders after saying it, but by that time it is too late - I have done my part in killing the English language. My English teacher described it perfectly the other day: she said she visualizes a speech bubble, as in a cartoon, floating above her head with the blunder just floating there, as if to expose you.

I'm beginning to think a vow of silence might be the only solution.

Alright, I'll admit it...

The first step to recovering from an addiction is admitting you have an addiction, right?

Right. Okay. Well, here goes...

I am legitimately addicted to HBO's "In Treatment".

For anyone who hasn't heard of this show, first of all YOU MUST WATCH THIS SHOW. Second of all, well... I guess I should explain its premise in case you still aren't convinced.

It's a show any aspiring writer should watch. Basically, it follows the life of a therapist, Paul, through a regular work week. We learn about four of Paul's patients, as well as get a glimpse of Paul as a patient when he sees his therapist once a week.

What's so incredible about this show is that each episode is solely a therapy session and yet the characters are round and believable. Sometimes we get little tidbits of the characters' lives outside the session, but mostly we learn about these people through what they say. What's also incredible is that this show is never boring, no matter how dull that description just sounded. I've always wondered what seeing a therapist would be like, and while I know that this is probably a glamorized and exaggerated version of what real therapy would be like, I find it so interesting to observe the relationship between therapist and patient. It's made me realize that everybody could benefit from therapy. It's also made me realize that I would be very scared to ever enter therapy, ha. Everything you say and do is analyzed. You are analyzed.

My mom's friend lent us the first season of this show, and I have to say I am so grateful I did not start watching it on TV. There are nine discs and I've already gotten through five, and it's only been about a week and a half! In my defense the episodes are short, around half an hour each...

Pet Peeves

We were talking recently in my Writer's Craft class about what inanimate objects, tendencies, preferences, dislikes, etc, can say about a person. I never used to think those things indicative of what people are like, but I'm beginning to think that they are indeed pretty significant in their own ways.

Though I used to think that the term "pet peeve" literally meant something that annoyed you about your pet (it used to puzzle me exceedingly when somebody asked petless-me about my pet peeves), I have since realized that I have a great many of my own, and I'm wondering what they say about me. So that's why out of the blue, I have decided to list things that annoy me:

1. Typos in published work. As someone obsessed with correct grammar and spelling, it pains me to see mistakes in either. But to see such things in PUBLISHED work... *cringe*.
2. People who read the last page or last chapter of a book first before reading the book. What is the point of reading it after that?!
3. Excessive webspeak. I tink u noe wat im talkin bout. I do understand convenience, I do, but I think this takes it a little too far.
4. Blackboards that have been erased, but not fully. Those little bits of words that remain... once again, *cringe*!
5. Artists appearing more than once on iPods, because there are slight differences in spelling between them. Anybody who has an iPod knows what I'm talking about!
6. Titles with unnecessary exclamation points in them, ie. "The Theory of Relativity!" Are you yelling at me? Or are you genuinely that excited to talk about The Theory of Relativity?

So, what do these say about me? Perhaps that I am quite the perfectionist? I'm obsessed with spelling and grammar? Not too far from the truth!

Life's Soundtrack

Wouldn't it be handy if there was a soundtrack to our lives?

Think about it. In the movies, the soundtrack is often a form of warning for what is about to take place. If there was a soundtrack to life, maybe we could be more prepared for life's surprises, or just stay along for the ride and enjoy the music. For the moments when all was well, maybe a favourite song would be playing. For those moments when something could potentially jump out of the closet, there would be the Jaws theme. In those moments of sadness, Sarah McLaughlan would come on.

Maybe though, the effect would not be so good. Thinking back to poor Neville from the Harry Potter series and to his Remembrall, which is supposed to remind him that he's forgotten something, he could never remember what he forgot. Maybe it would be more annoying then anything to be deciphering what scare would soon take place, and the Sarah McLaughlan would get annoying when you just wanted some peace and quiet.

Still, food for thought.

Boredom

Boredom.

It's a strange thing. It's something I crave at times, definitely. When studying for exams, for example. Rather be bored than study, I think. Hopelessly, utterly bored.

Trouble is, when boredom is suddenly at your disposal, what exactly are you supposed to do with it? Time is what I would crave, but when it's looking me in the eye...

I used to deal with boredom by reading. This was by no means a chore, however. When I was young, I was known to finish a book a day. My mom would get flustered, exclaiming that she had just bought that book yesterday. What was the point, she would say, of buying a book if it is finished the next day? But it was not in an accusatory tone - she loved that I loved to read.

Trouble is, I don't read that much anymore. I find myself having trouble concentrating on reading for long periods of time. I still love to read before bed, though, in the same way I would when I was young - finishing the chapter even if it means rereading it the next day because I was too tired to digest it the first time.

Recently I've been trying to get back into reading. I had a sudden realization, while sitting in front of my computer, multi-tasking Facebook and MSN, that in the past I might have been reading instead. Enjoying myself far more than I was at that moment, with a mere book and comfortable couch.

Is it ever too late for New Years Resolutions? I sure hope not, because I've developed a new one: read, read, read!

Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go find my book...

The Constant Companion

People come and go. Things happen or do not happen. But what I'm beginning to realize in this life of inconsistencies is that there is always something constant, a companion of sorts that is there whether or not you want it to be. Stress.

Maybe it's just the mood I'm in. It is 9:00 on a Sunday night. The weekend is coming to a close, procrastination is dominating, and there is a lot on my mind. At this moment in time, it feels as if nothing is right, even though, in reality, lots is going right. I guess the few things that aren't completely perfect are taking over.

There's a conclusion I've come to recently, though - life is never going to be perfect. I can't count the number of times I've thought "Once this happens, then I will be able to relax". Yet here I am, still worrying on a new set of issues.

Perhaps it's life's way of teasing us. It'll give you this tidbit of happiness, let you enjoy it for a while, but as a side dish, there's a new set of worries to go along with it. Sort of like saying, "Here's some cake, but be sure not to eat it all!" The hidden cost on the contract.

Recently I've been thinking, while walking down the hallway at school, passing people in the street, or giving people their bags of baked goods at work, that every person I interact with could be the subject of a novel. Every one of us has our own story, our own set of troubles. We are all complex. Certain things in our lives are going well, other parts are not. Nobody's life is perfect.

Reminds me of a quote from one of my favourite movies, About A Boy:

"The thing is, a person's life is like a TV show. I was the star of The Will Show. And The Will Show wasn't an ensemble drama. Guests came and went, but I was the regular. It came down to me and me alone. If Marcus' mum couldn't manage her own show, if her ratings were falling, it was sad, but that was her problem."

We're all our own shows, but once in a while, we're on the same channel.

I want a whole nother apple!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbSSQe6vsSw

"Oops, my bad."
"Your bad?? What are you talking about?! There's no subject! Your toe, your IQ?"
"Hey, don't make me feel bad about the way I talk!"
"You feel bad? Like evil? I think you mean feel badly."

Hahaha. That is just an example of this hilarious video I just discovered. I encourage everybody to watch it!

I have to say, it's making me think. Is the proper English language going extinct? I've long thought about the "like" phenomenon, which I myself am a victim of, as well as so many expressions that we say that simply do not make sense - are these signs that we're losing the concept of the well-spoken and well-written word?