Pet Fricken Peeves

Never had them.
But am developing them quickly.

#1

"How are you?" walking down the hall, our secretary
address me.

"Good! And you?"

"Well. Thank you."

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

"How is everything at Habitat?" Just now, still
hanging on to the "editor's" position . . . "Everything good?"

"Everything is doing well, yes."

Grrrroaaaaar!

Ok, people, I know "well" is an adverb and "good"
is an adjective; you do not have to impress the
English teacher by correcting her. It's called colloquialism.
And you're pissing me off.


#2

In the middle of quite an energetic lecture,
I pause, hesitate, over the proper term:

" . . . machoism . . ." I announce. Now, I know
that isn't the proper adjective. But it's the term
I grew up hearing, and the ideas being expressed at the moment
feel so utterly vital that I wouldn't
want to introduce another "new" term at that moment.

One of my best students, a young man whom I've had
in an English class before and expresses adoration toward me,
comments:

" Yes, I think yadda yadda . . . machismo . . ."

Grrrrrrrrrrrr. Damnit Jim, quit correcting me!

The whole class casually chimes in with anecdotals
with "machismo" this
and "machismo" that--bunch of snots!

Happened a week ago and I'm still cringing.

Didn't want to look it up on Webster's online,
but finally, last night I did.
I was desperately hoping to find BOTH entries
just to save face--but I knew "machoism" wasn't a word.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Gr. Gr.
I hate being an "expert" in this field where
all of the cultural valorization is left over sentimentalism
from the fricken Victorian age! Rules rules rules.

No. I hate make shitty little stupid mistakes
and being called out on it.

Pppplth.