Thursday, July 30, 2009
The Apostrophe: What Did It Ever Do to You?
It's such a cute little punctuation mark. Why do people abuse it so? I'm not sure what's worse: when folks don't include it (ex. "Its so hot outside!") or when they include it incorrectly (ex. "I went on vacation with the Smith's."). Some quick rules:1) Its = a possessive (ex. "The cat licked its paws.") This is the only way that this word should not have an apostrophe. You can maybe get a pass for leaving it out in a quick text message. But even then, you're running the risk of looking grammatically inadequate.
2) Stop using apostrophes to pluralize! If you want to talk about more than one of something, just throw the S on it.
If you're feeling smug, as if these are basic principles of good English, let's move to the advanced class:
Which of the following is correct?
a) Chris' sneakers
b) Chris's sneakers
c) Chrises sneakers
Post a comment with your vote... :-)
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Roses are Red, Contestants aren't Brown: Come on, ABC!
The Bachelorette is one of my guilty TV pleasures, and has been since the first season. Click here to read my piece on The Root imploring the producers to diversify the show. In the meantime, any thoughts on whom Jillian should pick Monday night? I'm rooting for Kiptyn all the way, although I can relate to Ed, the guy who had to leave the show for a second because he had too much work to do at his job. Shouldn't that happen more often on reality television? Who has professions that allow for six-week long vacations? Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Beauty on a Budget: Recession Rules Revealed
My hair was in a tragic state this morning. I'd been trying to do the "wash and wear" thing, but sometimes my mane does not cooperate. I could have blown it dry myself, but then I remembered it was Wednesday, which equals $20 Wash and Set Day at the Dominican salon down the street. Wash and Set is really a misnomer, because they wash, set, and then blow out your hair at a degree of heat that will scare it straight for at least a week. For the price of a grande latte and a scone (or two) at Starbucks, I left the hairdresser with a sleek 'do. That's when the sun decided to come out, and I immediately felt the loss of the sunglasses that I'd left behind in DC this weekend at my sister's bachelorette party (I'd like to make up some sordid story about how the glasses got lost, but alas, they're sitting on Nadine's kitchen counter as we speak). Knowing how often I lose a pair of shades (or break them), I knew that I needed a low price point. This is where teeny-bopper stores such as Forever 21 come in handy. I found an equivalent establishment and was thrilled by their selection of $10 sunglasses. When I brought my choice to the register, the salesgirl even offered me a second pair for half price. I resisted (the five dollars had already been spent as my tip at the salon).
I headed back outside, excited to don my oversized, durable, plastic, wanna-be-hiding-from-the-paparazzi new purchase, but I didn't slide on the sunglasses fast enough to hide my view of the chipping nail polish on my toes. Luckily, I was across the street from my favorite mani-pedi spot. Not wanting to spend $25 on a full pedicure, I instead requested a "polish change," which is awfully similar to a pedicure except your feet don't get as wet. Judge me if you will, but it cost me $10.
So in a matter of three hours, I went from a frizzy haired, squinting, crusty toed chick to being the poster child for summer chic - all for forty dollars (tips excluded). Have your own economic eccentricities to share? Post away.
