Email etiquette

So we've entered a whole new world where anyone can enter your home during all times of the day and night through your computer. They can do it anonymously, whether this is intentional or not, sometimes we don't know. We can hit the "reply all" button, change the subject, erase the content and create a whole new email. But what if some of the people that you replied to don't know who you are, or more specifically, what if their spam blocker alerts them to your presence? Now you become this crazy solicitor that is stalking them...because let's face it, there are crazy people out there that will do anything to get you to answer them or log on to their site.

So what happens when I send out an email to say, 20 people. One of those people hits the button and forwards something to all of the people I originally emailed. They don't know everyone on my list, and all my people don't know them. One of those people doesn't like what they were forwarded and responds. I feel bad because essentially the address came from me. Should I be responsible for keeping their anonymity? Can I do that? I don't think I have the computer skills for that.

Now what if you received something from someone you don't know? You can just delete it. You can open it. You can respond if you want. You can try to figure out who the heck sent you something. Maybe you don't care. Maybe you're sick of all the junk. Maybe you're in a really stinky mood and lash out. It's just like how you react to someone on the phone or a lousy sales person or customer. Unfortunately, I think we all kind of disconnect from what we say through email. It's like we're not really talking to a real person and can say things we'd never say in person. Or maybe we just say something in jest, but the other person doesn't get it because there was no "JK" ("just kidding"...in case it takes you forever to catch on to those savvy new acronyms, like it did me!).

I'm know I've been on both ends of this quandary and am trying to be better. It's easy to send out a mass email requesting help or info. It really gets the job done a lot quicker, you can do it at midnight if you want, and you don't have to wait for people to call you back. That's how I look at it. I've learned to hit the delete button quite well, especially when I get a lot of forwarded mail and am not in the mood to look at it. Heck, it's just like junk mail...if you're in the mood you might peruse it, if not, just toss it!

Wag more, Bark less

I have seen that bumper sticker on several vehicles now. Don't you wish that people were a little more like dogs sometimes? Dogs are loyal and forgiving. Dogs don't hold a grudge. Dogs really respond to positive reinforcement, not just when they're in the mood. They are always there when you need them, and when you don't, they are fine just lying around. If you make a mistake they don't remind you of it.

Actually, I guess it really does depend on the dog. There are those dogs that just yap, yap, yap all day long. Or the dogs that have to have their nose into everything. We don't have either of those. They drive me crazy. Just like people that yap all the time drive me crazy. Especially when it is a mean yap. Keep it too yourself or go yap at someone else! It makes me sad that they don't have anything better to do than to stick their nose in my business and try to make my day miserable. Of course, then I come home and am greeted by a great big tail wag, or two, or three! (my dog, and the kids)

Hop on Pop, or Mouth off to Mom

Maybe, if I pictured my girls a little more like this...

I would feel less like this...

I've been mad and grouchy at them all day because they were rotten this morning when I left them with my mom. Individually they do fine with her, together they are dreadful. Then I yell at them, they are disrespectful to me, and it goes round and round. What to do?!

Thou shalt not

Take the Lords name in vain...or something like that. Basically, don't say God unless you are talking to Him or about Him. Right? It's always bothered me when people overuse His name, but especially when it comes out of the mouths of children.

I was at a Halloween gathering my girls were invited to. The kids were on their second round of food and spotted some of the sweets that they had missed the first time. My friend's daughter spotted the Nutter-butters and asked who brought them. I told her that I had and she said, "thank God you brought these" as she bit into the cookie. I automatically replied that I didn't think God really had anything to do with it.

Later, her mom "thanked God" for something else that I couldn't really argue about. And who knows, maybe He did guide me to Safeway and put those scrumptious cookies on sale, 2 for 1.

Dear Construction Workers,

I remember back about 20 years (yikes, am I that old?!), my aunt, who was a Jr. High English teacher told me about a sign that she saw. It said, "Constrution Zone Ahead" and yes, it was misspelled. She commented that it was signs like that that gave construction workers a bad rap. Well, I'm here to tell you that it is more than misspelling! In fact, I'll forgive you any grammatical errors, punctuation, spelling issues, and even the sewer smell that permeates from the open streets while you are ripping open pipes...just PLEASE learn how to place cones so they cause the least amount of congested traffic.

I get that you have to merge traffic before the lane actually ends. I get that you need a lane free so that your big trucks can maneuver a ease. I get that you are trying to do your job. But do you really have to back up traffic 2 miles because you won't let people turn right? Do you really have to block off the yellow lane BEFORE cars can enter the left turn lane? I actually saw 3 cones stopping people from entering a lane at one point, and then given the go-ahead a mere 20 yards later.

Is there a class that you take? Can you get a raise for completing the class? How about national recognition for the least congested construction zone? No, probably not. I bet the power trip is much more satisfying. Hey, watch how I can ruin the days of hundreds of unsuspecting drivers in the valley. I bet I make 50 people late for work today. Wah, ha, ha (evil laugh)! The power!

Kyra "volunteers whenever help is needed"

So I'm reading Kyra's report card this morning...confident reader, working on cursive, very good in math, well organized (whose child is she talking about?!), popular, excellent work ethic, very good artist...blah, blah, blah...and then her teacher writes, "she volunteers whenever help is needed". I actually teared at that line. I'm raising a child that can live in the real world, offer real help, and not sit around while everyone else does the work. I'm so proud! It's not that I don't care about the academics and other stuff, it's just that you never know what sinks in from home. This school is terrific and everything but I know they don't have a class on volunteering!

I love Kyra and I think she's terrific. I try to tell her that more than I criticize her. I do my fair of apologizing to her because I seem to be very adept at making all the mistakes and saying all those things that you shouldn't. Fortunately I don't do it more than, say, 3 or 4 times a day.

Yay for us, Kyra is helpful!

Reading 101: the E rule

"The 'E' at the end of a one syllable word is usually silent". I hate that rule. Although the 'e' usually doesn't really make a sound, it virtually always has a reason for being there. "Magic E" might be a better name for him. I don't know. I don't call him anything. (why is E a him?!) Here's what he does...

For beginning readers the E is usually making another vowel say it's name. Like in name, Pete, time, home, fume (AEIOU). Each time "the E jumps over the consonant, hits the vowel on the head and says, 'say your name in the alphabet!'" You won't see the E jump over for another E very often. They tend to stick together (feet, seem). On the other side, I don't know if you ever see AE together, the E always jumps over for that one (cake, tame). Sure, there are other ways to make a vowel say its name, or make the "vowel long" but that's another lesson for another day. Right now we're talking about that cool E at the end of a one syllable word.

Give and gave. In give the E doesn't make the I say it's name. In gave it does make the A say it's name. Why? No idea. What I do know is that "V doesn't like to be alone at the end of a word". You won't see it in English. That makes spelling easier, but reading harder.

Cheese and please. You don't need the E, the vowel sound is already long, right? Right. But what about that S? Isn't he supposed to say 'ssssssssss' like a snake? Yep. Often times if an S is followed by an E it will sound like a Z. So what about freeze? I don't know, someone went E happy.

Choice. E makes the C say SSSSSSS.
Dodge. E makes the G say JJJJJJJJ.

Of course there are "cheater" words out there. Hmmm, like there and where. They don't follow the rules. You know them, my favorite is "choir" (shouldn't that be spelled quire?). Kids love that. "Cheater". It means that the word is wrong, not them. In the lower grades many people call them sight words but that is often misleading. Cat and dog are not sight words, you can sound them out and they are phonetically correct. In my book (not an actually book), a sight word is something you can't sound out.

That's it for today. Magic E, Super E (for Justin), whatever you call him, he usually has a purpose.