I've taken a lot of grief over correcting others' spelling errors. I've exchanged a couple of tension-filled emails with a good friend over this matter. I've been labeled the "spelling nazi".
I truly can't help myself. I have an illness. It's OCD. I've never been diagnosed but I know I've got it to an extent. I don't obsessively wash my hands, nor do I count the number of sidewalk squares around our block or anything like that, but I do obsess a good amount of the time.
I have been helping paint the house of my good friend and the attorney for our closing. I brought over to her house a few of my belongings. I needed my step stool for our new house and, as we were planning to see her at our closing, I had emailed her reminding her to bring it along. A few days later, I reminded her again. Then again. Sure enough, when the closing came around, she had it in her trunk, ready to hand over to me.
She and The Swede were mocking my obsessive behavior. The Swede, nodding, doing his dead-on Dustin Hoffman Rain Man impersonation "step stool...definitely step stool..."
Then I realized something. The Swede is my enabler. The difference between my friend, the attorney, and The Swede is that she had actually remembered to bring my step stool.
The Swede, God love him, is a good man. I couldn't wish for a more devoted husband and father. He has many, many, many great qualities.
Taking action isn't one of them.
He is the worst procrastinator I've ever encountered. I need to be on him reminding him 5-6-7 times to get something done. Eventually, he meets with one of two "Krauts", the "I'm disappointed but I don't have the energy to lecture you right now Kraut", or the "I'm so sick of this I can't take it anymore and I need to unload all of the 16 years of built-up frustration on you at this moment Kraut".
His life must be a living hell.
But this started as my spelling obsession, right?
For as much of a perfectionist as I am, I have never gotten in the habit of using spell check. I, a computer geek and professional proofreader, never use this convenient and necessary little feature. Consequently, in my haste, I, myself, often misspell words. It's like the old adage of the shoemaker's child...
This poor guy didn't have the benefit of a computerized spell check, nor the backspace/delete button but he sure could've used it.
Too bad he doesn't have a friend like me around.
8 comments:
Not only can I not spell - I used to be a spelling bee champ...but this is what spell check does to you. Anyway, I also need a million reminders!!! I am a female version of TMS!!!!!!
You have found a friend in me. I am a perfectionist with a complete and total lack of patience. This means that I make mistakes because I lose my patience. Please, PLEASE - feel free to correct my spelling mistakes ANYTIME and I will lick you like a puppy for each and every spelling error you save me from. Really.
Grammar mistakes drive me crazy.
I feel bad for that guy, Jade is supposed to be a good place to go, I guess not!
If you had never started your blog, I would never have thought of you as a perfekshunist with OCD. I'm tellin' you...I never noticed it. Maybe my TSK-filter is turned up higher than TMS's is.
I'll have to adjust it down a notch before my next visit.
I can totally relate to having to remind your husband....a zillion times a day.
This is because, I, too, suffer from the curse of perfectionism with a touch of control freak thrown in. The more I ask my husband to do, the less he does. He is very passive, aggressive about proving that he will do things ONLY on his schedule and not mine. AARRGHHHH!
I try mot to make many spilling nistakes, and I proofread my conments carfully to make sure my comments are readable.
I point out mistakes when I see them and most definitely want mine pointed out to me.
I never use spell check either, although I'm not sure why. It's obvious that I need it since I have to go in and edit every post I make.
People should read this.
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