Nicole be Thinking...

A while ago, I pointed out that the main problem with a lot of writing is incorrect usage of commas . Of course, once I said THAT, I started noticing other problems that could be THE main error plaguing English writers and speakers. During Camp Nicole , as I tried to explain algebra the best way I can (in terms of language), I found myself in the weird position of explaining that "obtuse" means "intellectually dull," but that's not really related to an angle of more than 90 degrees. My brother thought it was funny and wanted to use it as an insult, but he couldn't put it into a sentence. Then, I began to notice that they sometimes have trouble transitioning a word from one part of speech to another. They would just add "-ize" or "-tion" onto a word and assume the work was done. It left me scratching my head in confusion (and decidedly against ever attempting to teach algebra again…). Without going into an in depth morphology lesson, word...

I don't like stupid people. This is nothing new. It is important to note here that I'm not talking about people who simply don't know ; they can be taught. No one knows everything. But.. I have a huge problem with people who refuse to know, or those who relish in their ignorance. That automatically makes you stupid. As a customer service representative, I deal with people all day and I'd say about 15% of them are stupid. It's a relatively small number considering how many calls I take, but it has made me sensitive to other instances of stupidity around me. For example... I love watching Parking Wars. It cracks me up. However, I think I watched too many episodes last night because it was starting to get on my nerves. People are always telling the ticketers to get a real job as if they aren't receiving a real paycheck... Arguing with them is pointless. People, you know when you do wrong. Common sense tells you that you can't park on the sidewalk or where ...

A couple days ago I was out with Michelle chilling. Enjoying things. A table of dudes happened to sit at the table next to us which was pulled to our table because of the previous party. One dude of the bunch is clearly trying to talk to me, trying to get in somehow. I'm not feeling him, not trying to start anything. ( I really don't like small talk.) But I'm cordial. I answer questions. I smile. All that crap. Then dude says, "Is that an iPhone 4? Can I see it?" Of course my answer is, "Yes. And absolutely not; I don't know you," and all of a sudden, I'm "mean" and his friends are telling him that he's "wasted enough of his pride" on me. Um… At what point did I become obligated to carry on a conversation with someone despite ALREADY conversing with the person with whom I'm dining ? Why do I have to engage a man simply because he's interested? And who decides what's "mean?" It's been my opini...

Most of you reading this don't know my Sweet Auntie Tonda. She is a very colorful, strong woman. (We often joke that she could have written Linda Blair's lines from The Exorcist …) She wants things her way when she wants them (where do you think I get it from?) and she has a tendency to tell you that. Some people call her abrasive. Vulgar. Mean. Whatever. We love her. And with all of that, she has found a devoted man who loves her and has loved her for about 25 years. Rodney is a special man. He is a large man, big and tall. He has a deep booming voice, a strong presence. He does whatever Tonda wants him to do, willingly. If she told him she wanted tacos from Mexico, he would go there to get them and make sure they were still hot when he got back to the Bay Area to give them to her. He is awesome. To many people, Rodney's devotion to my aunt seems like weakness. Her venomous verbiage emasculates most men, but not Rodney. Some folks may dismiss Rodney as a bitch, but I dar...