I don't know about you, but I tend to lean toward a state of perfectionism or, at the very least, attempt it. For example, I occasionally get a hand written letter (does ANYONE write letters anymore?) Nevertheless, I like being able to read those I receive. My sister's handwriting is so sloppy and careless that I just can't be bothered trying to decipher it. She is surely not a perfectionist and makes no attempt at it. I, on the other hand, prefer those who are willing to read my letters find it an easy and pleasant task. So, as often as not, I print - even though I've been told my cursive is attractive and quite readable.
My poor husband on the other hand, is left handed. His teachers' attempts to make him hold a pen and place the paper the way right-handed people do, left him with a total inability to form letters well and his cursive looks horrible so he prints in an attempt to be understood. Even his printing looks horrific but not from a lack of intention and attempt. I blame it on those who insisted he hold writing implements in a way uncomfortable and inappropriate for lefties.
I'm finally getting closer to my intended subject here ---and that's to do with the matter of spelling. I just about can't STAND the idea that I've spelled incorrectly. (I even edit text messages and try to correct typing errors before pushing the "send" button.)
Realizing my penchant for perfectionism in spelling, my dear spouse one Christmas about 20 years ago gave me a dictionary. Not just any ORDINARY one. He gave me WEBSTER'S New Twentieth Century DICTIONARY UNABRIDGED SECOND EDITION-DELUXE COLOR. which I have typed exactly as the title appears on the cover. (I'm not sure what the deluxe color refers to; it's navy blue!) First, I'll ask you: Have you SEEN this thing? Or more important, have you tried carrying it around? It weighs over TEN pounds. It's the size of two loaves of bread side-by-side. You've got the picture. I know his intentions were of the very sweetest kind but it's like lugging around a cement block.
What I found shortly after receiving my Navy Blue cement block was an electronic dictionary/thesaurus. Now, here's a laugh. I wasn't positive how to spell "thesaurus" and (since I'm using my laptop) I used the spell check. But, often I either forget about the spell check or want different information than I get from it. THEN, I turn to my electronic dictionary. I've had the same one for 20 years, have used it half to death and it's never failed me.
I just looked at Amazon and see that NOW you can get models that TALK for crying out loud. You gotta take a look --
http://www.amazon.com/s/qid=1239803582/ref=sr_pg_1?ie=UTF8&rs=&keywords=electronic%20dictionaries&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aelectronic%20dictionaries&page=1
Puh-leeze, who do YOU know that honestly needs a Multilingual Talking Electronic Dictionary? It apparently speaks in English, Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. Item # 44 on page 3 (as of today) tells me you can have all that for $139.95 . Gimme a break! Well, maybe if you have a good many pen pals around the world who have no command of English, I suppose this could help.
And you CAN purchase one like mine for under $35.00 (It doesn't talk, has no 2nd language - just good ol' English - but gives decent definitions and has a thesaurus.) If you want one for your child, you can get a TALKING dictionary and "spell corrector" for $37.79 (non-talking for $17.99) or a Barbie model for under $20.00. On the other hand, (in case you refuse to check out the above web site) if you insist on having an English Portuguese Translator Talking Electronic Dictionary, you can truly have it all for $399.95.
However, I'm just talking about a nice little (mine is only about 4 1/2" x 5 1/2") regular dictionary/thesaurus (yup, I had to check the spelling of that AGAIN). If you're a crossword puzzle nut, you can keep it in the bathroom where a LOT of people (one who shall remain unnamed) seem to spend a huge amount of time at this endeavor.
Mine nicely fits in a handbag or man's jacket pocket for use in doctor's office waiting rooms (again, for the newspaper's daily crossword), or if you commute by rail, who knows how you might find it handy. Perhaps, look up, "pick-pocket?"
If you're a died in the wool intellectual and watch high-fallutin' TV programs, keep it right next to your remote. It's truly handy to look up definitions for those 75 cent words that people like William Buckley (he's dead now) was once famous for. Of course the masses who might wind up on a William Buckley type program for a few mistaken moments probably wouldn't bother to stick around long enough to look up what they didn't understand and the people who purposely choose to watch (and listen) while highly intellectual language is offered up like beer at the Super Bowl undoubtedly understand the language anyway. Perhaps I've just defeated my entire premise.
Oh well, one of the more famous men and great intellectuals of all times said, "The man with insight enough to admit his limitations comes nearest to perfection".- Johann von Goethe (and wasn't that my fantasy to begin with? I hope it applies to women too!)
So I rest my case about perfectionism but remain a fan of electronic dictionaries.
My poor husband on the other hand, is left handed. His teachers' attempts to make him hold a pen and place the paper the way right-handed people do, left him with a total inability to form letters well and his cursive looks horrible so he prints in an attempt to be understood. Even his printing looks horrific but not from a lack of intention and attempt. I blame it on those who insisted he hold writing implements in a way uncomfortable and inappropriate for lefties.
I'm finally getting closer to my intended subject here ---and that's to do with the matter of spelling. I just about can't STAND the idea that I've spelled incorrectly. (I even edit text messages and try to correct typing errors before pushing the "send" button.)
Realizing my penchant for perfectionism in spelling, my dear spouse one Christmas about 20 years ago gave me a dictionary. Not just any ORDINARY one. He gave me WEBSTER'S New Twentieth Century DICTIONARY UNABRIDGED SECOND EDITION-DELUXE COLOR. which I have typed exactly as the title appears on the cover. (I'm not sure what the deluxe color refers to; it's navy blue!) First, I'll ask you: Have you SEEN this thing? Or more important, have you tried carrying it around? It weighs over TEN pounds. It's the size of two loaves of bread side-by-side. You've got the picture. I know his intentions were of the very sweetest kind but it's like lugging around a cement block.
What I found shortly after receiving my Navy Blue cement block was an electronic dictionary/thesaurus. Now, here's a laugh. I wasn't positive how to spell "thesaurus" and (since I'm using my laptop) I used the spell check. But, often I either forget about the spell check or want different information than I get from it. THEN, I turn to my electronic dictionary. I've had the same one for 20 years, have used it half to death and it's never failed me.
I just looked at Amazon and see that NOW you can get models that TALK for crying out loud. You gotta take a look --
http://www.amazon.com/s/qid=1239803582/ref=sr_pg_1?ie=UTF8&rs=&keywords=electronic%20dictionaries&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aelectronic%20dictionaries&page=1
Puh-leeze, who do YOU know that honestly needs a Multilingual Talking Electronic Dictionary? It apparently speaks in English, Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. Item # 44 on page 3 (as of today) tells me you can have all that for $139.95 . Gimme a break! Well, maybe if you have a good many pen pals around the world who have no command of English, I suppose this could help.
And you CAN purchase one like mine for under $35.00 (It doesn't talk, has no 2nd language - just good ol' English - but gives decent definitions and has a thesaurus.) If you want one for your child, you can get a TALKING dictionary and "spell corrector" for $37.79 (non-talking for $17.99) or a Barbie model for under $20.00. On the other hand, (in case you refuse to check out the above web site) if you insist on having an English Portuguese Translator Talking Electronic Dictionary, you can truly have it all for $399.95.
However, I'm just talking about a nice little (mine is only about 4 1/2" x 5 1/2") regular dictionary/thesaurus (yup, I had to check the spelling of that AGAIN). If you're a crossword puzzle nut, you can keep it in the bathroom where a LOT of people (one who shall remain unnamed) seem to spend a huge amount of time at this endeavor.
Mine nicely fits in a handbag or man's jacket pocket for use in doctor's office waiting rooms (again, for the newspaper's daily crossword), or if you commute by rail, who knows how you might find it handy. Perhaps, look up, "pick-pocket?"
If you're a died in the wool intellectual and watch high-fallutin' TV programs, keep it right next to your remote. It's truly handy to look up definitions for those 75 cent words that people like William Buckley (he's dead now) was once famous for. Of course the masses who might wind up on a William Buckley type program for a few mistaken moments probably wouldn't bother to stick around long enough to look up what they didn't understand and the people who purposely choose to watch (and listen) while highly intellectual language is offered up like beer at the Super Bowl undoubtedly understand the language anyway. Perhaps I've just defeated my entire premise.
Oh well, one of the more famous men and great intellectuals of all times said, "The man with insight enough to admit his limitations comes nearest to perfection".- Johann von Goethe (and wasn't that my fantasy to begin with? I hope it applies to women too!)
So I rest my case about perfectionism but remain a fan of electronic dictionaries.
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