Language as a Legacy

Every parent knows that if Mommy or Daddy says bad words, so will Baby. Children first parrot what they learn from those around them, then begin to create their own phrases and sentences using the vocabulary, grammar, spelling, and punctuation available to them. This is fairly evident in, and easily proven by, immigrant families. Teachers these days, especially in the grade school level, face a dozen challenges with the children of non-English speaking parents. These hurdles come in all shapes and sizes, varying from the child who has no English because of this to the child whose parents cannot foster a strong language education... and beyond, into nightmares that schools and teachers struggle with daily.

I've been thinking lately about language as a legacy, and how our interactions with everyone around us affect literacy and language development. For instance, on a very small level, every time Cameron hears a "big" word, he subconsciously stores it away in his brain for future use; and future use for him is about thirty times in the week following that acquisition. Despite the fact that, often times, he knew the word before, could have given an accurate definition, and used it in a sentence, it's the hearing it that prompts him to incorporate the new word into his daily speak.... And he will go out of his way to do so.

We blame "schools these days" and fallen American education for the degradation of the English language, but I say we stop pointing the finger for a moment and consider what we've done to contribute. Every day, I deal with dozens of intelligent people--people who have MS degrees, who are CEO's of companies, who write professionally, even--and shake my head at the disgrace brought upon the tongue I speak. Sure, I sound like an English snob now; I've never denied that I am a purist in this. But hear me out: When we get sloppy, it gets noticed. Sometimes I think that we get so used to living in a world where virtual communication is acceptable that we don't stop to think about what we're communicating.

There's a small, publicly-traded company I work with based out of Costa Mesa. The Director of Human Resources, a perfectionist whom nearly everyone in my office can't stand, regularly sends me emails with typos. Huge, easy-to-spot typos. Sloppy typos. Things like, "Please check Josh's reference's," or, "There going to interview him Tuesday." I know, small things to you, yes? But this person is the face of her company to me. My opinion of her company is formed based on my interactions with her... and she doesn't care enough to give her email a once-over for that? My guess is that she's very intelligent and has at least one degree; these are just sloppy mistakes, and if someone else sent them to her... well, that would be the end of the world.

Here's another annoyingly common trend: adverbs. I totally enjoy adverbs and their ability to transform a sentence. In fact, I'm a firm believer that adverbs completely help to emphasise a point. But realistically, I've just written four sentences that would have been just fine without an adverb, but used one anyway. The overuse of adverbs is a trend noticeable in recent years, likely attributed to the "valley girl" dialect and popularised by shows like Beverly Hills 90210. In case you didn't notice, there are six adverbs in this paragraph. Literally. And I think things would have been okay without them.

I could go on and on, but I'll refrain. It comes down to this: Pull yourselves together, team. What you say and write is noticed. Go ahead; do the unpopular thing and proof read that text you're about to send. I'm not saying that I never have typos; God (and my boss) know I do. Certainly, I am not perfect in anything I do, even this, which I am passionate in. But language is a legacy, and though it evolves (in the sense that it changes constantly), it seems to me that "devolve" is the proper word in this instance. We are allowing laziness to punctuate our IMs and emails; God forbid you type "see" rather than "c" in that text.

Language is contagious. Get it right. You are commissioned; go and do.

Wordy Wednesday: Affect/Effect

I'd like to introduce Wordy Wednesdays, even though it's Thursday, which will teach you something new about the English language. Sometimes, it will be correct pronunciation of words (for instance, that frozen stuff you eat is sherbet, not sherbert; and you frustrate me when you say fustrate); sometimes, correct grammar (no examples here; just study my blog and every word), sometimes, a little something about punctuation. I will discuss made up words that do work, and made up words that don't, the evolution (and, often, devolution) of the English language (thank you, Urban Dictionary), and so much more. In a nutshell, Wordy Wednesday is just one English nerd's attempt to save the word, one bad sentence at a time. At times, I'll play book critic, praising books with fabulous verbage, condemning those novels whose authors should consider burying themselves alive for the disgrace they've brought upon the English language.

As a fair warning, I think the Brits have it right: colour, realise, centre, ageing, cheque... you get the idea. I won't insist that you do it this way, but when you're trying to impress your boss with new vocab, just don't quote me letter for letter without checking the dictionary first.

For my first edition, let's talk about effect and affect.

effect--n. something that is produced by an agency or cause; result; consequence

There are a BUNCH of other definitions for this word, but you get the idea. Remember when you were six and learning about parts of speech? A noun is a person, place, or thing. Effect is a thing.

affect--v. to act on; produce an effect or change in

Verb... something that implies action. As a general principle, if you can add "ed" on the end of it, it's a verb. Let's look at some differences between these two homonyms:

The pain killers had a strong effect on her after the surgery.
After the surgery, she was strongly affected by the painkillers.

I cannot affect the outcome of the race by cheering.
My cheering does not have an effect on the outcome of the race.

One last note: If you look in the dictionary, it will tell you that affect is also a noun. This is true, but it's not pronounced the same way; nor does it have a similar meaning to effect. These two words are not interchangeable, even though they sound the same.

Go forth and make use of this information!

Fwd: I Hate You

For some inexplicable reason, my fairly internet-savvy father has failed to pick up on the fact that forwarded emails are like paper brown bags of poop on your doorstep. You see it sitting there, and you pretty much know what's in it, but you have to look anyway, just in case it's not... and then it is, and you have to decide what to do with it.

Several times a week, he goes through all his forwards and sends them out. Assorted pithy jokes? Sure. Interesting discovery in history? Yes. Fraud protection? Definitely. Virus alert? Check. Beware of gangs abducting women at gas stations? You bet... several times.

Because I'm addicted to my phone, and because right now there's an ant reenactment of D-Day happening on my nightstand, my phone has been sleeping with me. First thing every morning, I reach for it, one I squeezed shut, the other barely open, and check to see what's occurred during my slumber--in the form of emails (on three accounts), texts, and, yes, facebook (now, if only I could get my blog subscriptions, my phone would fulfill all my cyber-needs). This morning, not surprisingly, even though my parents are in a cabin in Big Bear without anything but a dial-up (remember those?) connection for the net, I woke up to a forward.

Ugh.

Except... as I started reading, I found myself actually laughing! This list of "truisms" my dad sent were actually worth my time. So like it or not, I'm posting the list here. I just love them too much to let it die!

1. There is a great need for sarcasm font.

2. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

3. Bad decisions make good stories.

4. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

5. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

6. The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

7. The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again

8. A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.

9. Was learning cursive really necessary?

10. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

11. Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

12. Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

13. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

14. Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"

15. What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

16. While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

17. MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

18. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

19. I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

20. Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

21. If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

22. Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....

23. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

24. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

25. There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

26. 'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

27. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

28. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

29. I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

30. Why is a school zone 15 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...

31. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

32. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

33. It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

34. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

Happy Labour Day!

Comments!

I fixed the comments so now you can tell me how loveliful my new blog layout is, and how much you love all the photos I'm posting... starting tomorrow (realistically, there's just no way that I could post today... too short of notice).

Sow me some love, people. And refer people to my workshop! And give me photo business love so I can send you a referral fee!

Whining

This post is intended purely to spread the word about how irritable I am right now. I've been up since 5:21 am Hawaiian time (8:21 am PST) yesterday. I went shopping with my mother, which is similar to running a marathon backwards, blindfolded, twice; I packed, unpacked, then packed again. I stood in line for forty minutes at American Airlines check in, only to be cut in front of by an unsuspecting Christian surfer there from Chicago for a wedding. I stood in line with four hundred other people to pass through airport security. I sat next to a squirming pregnant lady and her overly-attentive husband (okay, fine, I admit... they were really cute) on a sixty degree five hour plane ride. My plane got lost in the fog, making us land late, instead of early like we usually do. I barely made it to my doctor appointment on time. I came home to discover that my dog, who hasn't chewed shoes in years, ate my favourite pair of stilettos while I was gone (just the same... I'm giving up heels, anyway). And I've been lying on my couch for five hours now, trying desperately to sleep. The sweet bonfire I was looking forward to tonight might be canceled, one of my friends is really upset with me and it's breaking my heart, one of my friends is leaving for a year soon and I'll barely get to see her before she leaves, my best friend is out of the state on her birthday, and I received some unexpected, interesting (in a not-cool way) news about an hour ago. I need to shower because I smell like gross LA air and gross American Airlines airplane. I have a pounding headache. And I'm no longer in Hawaii.

Welcome back to real life, self. This is what you asked for.

Relationship by Technology

A week ago, I walked over to my desk after being in a long morning meeting to find a stuffed animal elephant waiting for me. He looked friendly enough, and he was wearing a name tag from Presbyterian Hospice. Now, I wasn't sure how or why this elephant--Herman--had come to be waylaid at my desk, and I wasn't really sure what to do with him, but I let him stay...

For about thirty minutes, until someone came over and dumped six binders of reports from 2006 on my desk, and then my desk was full, with no room for Herman. At this point, I had to make a decision: do I stash this cuddly creature under my desk until his owner comes by, or do I find out who left him here, and why?

Because I'm a naturally curious human being, I opted to send an email out to the whole company via work BlackBerry:

From: Megan
To: Hospice Care
Sent: Tue Jul 07 11:21:39 2009
Subject: Elephant

Who left the elephant on my desk?

---

From: Anita
To: Megan
Sent: Tue Jul 07 11:28:27 2009
Subject: Re: Elephant

Bereavement. Can you make him a Hospice Care badge?

---

Okay, so, mission accomplished. I took Herman's photo, popped his picture into the database, created a name badge, and delivered him back to the bereavement department for... whatever use he might have.

Today, I walked upstairs to grab a new load of laundry. On my bed, there was a plastic raft. I know what the raft is for--pool hang out in Hawaii. I know that it was left for me by either my mother or my sister-in-law. But I reach for my Storm to find out who the culprit is...

And that's when it hits me. I have traded in personal, face-to-face relationships with people for virtual, technological relationships. My sister-in-law was across the hall. My mother was downstairs. It would only take a few steps to figure out which one of them left it for me... but my first (and errant, because my mother can barely pick up a text message, and hasn't read her emails in years) reaction was to grab my phone and use that as the go-between.

It's not that I'm suddenly against texting, emailing, Google chatting, BlackBerry Messangering, etc, etc. I LOVE all those things. I mean, do you know anyone else who will be chatting with someone by google chat AND by text... just because? I'm just awed by my instinct to avoid human contact. I want to have personaly relationships supplemented by technology... not defined by and lived through it.

Beautiful Moments

Timing is everything. In the grand scheme of things, in the small, day-to-day tasks, in things work-related, in things personal. It's all about timing.

Today was a really trippy day for me. The morning started off well with a coworker asking me to do head shots, faded into another great marketing meeting (and though I'm often sarcastic and dogmatic about meetings, I do really love my marketing meetings), and then nosedived into troubles I cannot recount publicly. I have two new knots in my back, both with names of people from my office.

At 1:30, I gave up, threw in the towel, decided to head home. It seemed like the wisest decision overall. I'd already driven two hundred miles for the day, and heading from Santa Ana to Downey in an hour of traffic to do just one more hour of work... No thanks. So I headed home, discouraged, deflated, angry and frustrated... tired. On facebook, I proclaimed it to be the "worst day ever."

And ten minutes later, an old friend texted me, commenting on that--a friend who once shared a piece of wisdom with me, a piece of wisdom that I'd passed along earlier in the afternoon. Through a series of perfect timing (and "coincidence"), I was able to meet up with my friend in time to take in some rays of sunshine poolside, sip a perfect summer day drink, and catch up on years of things unsaid.

It was beautiful. Moments that perfect are rare, few and far between. I would take ten horrible mornings for one afternoon like today's. I drove away with the sunroof open, a smile on my face, and my heart feeling light... realising that, were it not for a bad morning, I would never have left work early, never have had a great afternoon. Timing is everything.

Never-Done-Before

Today, I do something I've never done before. In a few hours, I will be shooting a wedding.

Okay, it's not a real wedding, which is the never-done-before part (because, really, who has shot a fake wedding before?). I'm staging wedding photos for my portfolio, for my site. I'm bringing together five people, behind the camera and in front of it, and we're making this thing happen.

I'm anxious. I have a hundred things to do, and less than three hours to do them. I've checked, double checked, and triple checked my gear. I charged both batteries, replaced the batteries in my flash, scrounged up some rings, borrowed a wedding dress, crossed my fingers to find a perfect location... but I can't shake this weird feeling that this is, by far, the strangest thing I've ever done. I'm jittery and scatterbrained, and I can only hope that this will all go away before the shooting starts.

in over my head

I had no idea, when I took it upon myself to build my own website, how intensely time consuming it would be. I've spent over fifty hours--all in late nights or early mornings--importing photos, choosing fonts, matching colours, and... so much more.

If I'd known, I probably would have ditched the idea. Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, I'm in over my head.

Not in a bad way. Just in a... "Cr-rap, what have I gotten myself into?" way. But what could I do? I mean, I've already committed. I made the leap, took the plunge, (insert clever cliche here, because I can't think of any more).

Well, whatever. I guess I should stop crying about it, because... it's done. (Okay, okay, not DONE DONE, but done as in presentable. Like, your prom date just came to the door and that zit that magically appeared yesterday still hasn't magically disappeared, but what can you do but head out the door DONE.)

Yeah, I know I'm lame. Whatever. Just go visit the website, people. And tell me how much you love me, because I need it after all this introversion.

www.megan-beth.com

Amtec vs. Guitar

I've decided to take the plunge...

No, not marriage.

A website. See, it just seems so unnecessary. I'm not soliciting business. I never ask for it. I do free shoots for friends, inexpensive shoots for friends of friends. That's how I roll. Beyond that, I don't think too hard about photography as a profession. But... inadvertently, I seem to have caused my small, tiny photography side business to create sparks, to dazzle and wow (okay, okay, slight exaggeration). I just don't know what to do!

A few nights ago, I got home relatively early (6:08 pm--that's almost under an hour commute!), and I sat my butt down at the computer to start processing images, and I took a break around 10:13 to run the finished product of my Memorial Day shenanigans to Steph and Brett, and then I came home and sat at the computer again until 1:18, when I decided that I should probably get some sleep for my "real" job.

Then, a few nights after that, I promised myself I would relax. I would be irresponsible. But then I couldn't get ShowIt Fast out of my mind--thanks to the snazzy sites some of my favourite photographer's are sporting (see Jasmine Star and Kate Noelle), and really, Steph put it so well the other night: "Uh, play guitar or work at Amtec? Puh-lease." (Yes, she actually said puh-lease.) "Guitar."

The thing is, photography may not have been my dream as a five-year-old (missionary), an eight-year-old (architect), a fourteen-year old (fashion designer), but it's my thing now. No matter how much I resist it, photography--this form of art--is part of my life. It's not going anywhere.

I just think it's really ironic that the day before I got my job at Hospice Care, I booked two big jobs. And since then, several more. I say I'm busy, and people tell me they'll work around my schedule. How crazy is that? To be honest, I think it's nonsense. I don't see anything spectacular in my pictures. But the jobs keep coming my way, and the opportunities are becoming bigger and bigger... not to mention harder and harder to pass up.

So, here it is: the announcement. I'm taking the plunge, creating a website. I'm not sure why, yet, but I guess it's because if I had a choice between Amtec and guitar, I'd pick guitar... Well, in my case, I guess it's a "real job" and an artsy one. Let's be honest... I'm not exactly the "thrives well in a corporate environment" type.