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First, an announcement ... if you like to read more of my craziness, check out my new blogspot, http://fangplace.blogspot.com .

More weird stuff, with an emphasis on the Undead ... er, teens.

Anyway, someone I know and very much respect (really, really respect) touched on something that reminded me of a post I'd done once before. I want to repeat it because, well, I'm getting old and you repeat things when you get old.

Here goes:


Guess what time it is? Time to vent again! Yaaaayyy!!!!! Wheeeee!!!!

And can you guess what it’s going to be about this time?

I thought not.

Even I, myself, am not too sure.

Ha! I lied. But the sentence above should have given you a hint. And I’m sure those of you with bumpy brains not only figured what it meant, but also figured out what I was going to say. Which is pretty darned good, considering I don’t know, myself.

Look! There was another hint! Did you get it this time?

Okay, okay, I’ll get to the point.

Michael Jordan, you know him? Bald guy? Bad knees?

Anyway, Michael Jordan was interviewed once, and he said something along the lines of, “The other guys and myself really beat the pants off of Detroit.”

Now do you get it?

That’s right, the word ‘myself.’ The most abused word in the English language besides ‘excuse me.’

Yeah, I know, ‘excuse me’ are two words. And they’re abused for opposite reasons. “Excuse me” should be said more often, and ‘myself’ should be used less often.

Back to Jordan. And we don’t mean that place out by Syria. What His Airness should have said is, “The other guys and I really beat the pants off of Detroit.” Not myself.

Way too many people are using the word ‘myself’ instead of ‘I.’ And worse, it’s people who should know better. Radio personalities, government officials, even teachers! These people should know better!

Not only that, but because they are getting radio and television time, their mistakes are being broadcast to a large audience, who all think to themselves, “Hmmm, Michael said, ‘the other guys and myself.’ He’s a Floydillionaire (a really big number), and a graduate of the University of North Carolina. He must be using the word correctly.”

Then, at work, they all say, “The rest of the staff and myself are going out for lunch.” And head off to go buy Mc-Whoppers.

I realize that this is way better than saying, “Me and the rest of the staff are going out for lunch.” Of course, these are both wrong, even if you switch the ‘me’ or the ‘myself’ with ‘the rest of the staff.’ Either way you put it, it has to be ‘eye.’ Er, ‘I.’

Aaaarggghhhh. It drives myself crazy!

Norm

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