Beware the "W"

How many words a minute can you type? In today's world, it doesn't matter so much, but "back in the day" when I took those typing classes ("The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy fence"), if you didn't type at 80 w.p.m. you might as well pack up your bags and go home.

I loved it when we were given the puzzles to figure out (type 8 spaces and 4 "X") - they were so much fun. It was a little like a counted cross stitch. Only back then you couldn't erase anything so your little puzzle of the alligator might turn out to have some unwanted "X" opposite from him because you didn't count enough spaces before you clicked the "X". (Just a note - I've also tried counted cross stitch, but it turns out I can't count so I gave it up for Lent).

Nowadays when I watch my children type, I am amazed how fast they can go without their fingers on a.s.d.f.j.k.l.; ... but there they go just chatting with their friends doing the 'hunt and peck', all the while completing their 'homework' and surfing the net to find out the research they need for their latest project.

When you make a mistake in typing, it is called a typo. I have great fun looking for typos in bulletins and newspapers. Sometimes typos are letters gone bad and sometimes they are grammar gone wrong. For instance, a while ago, there was an ad for a handy man. "Handy Man Steve. Specializing in electrical, plumbing, carpentry, lawn care, foot care, and spa treatments". O.k. it wasn't really all those things, but the fact that he claimed to focus on so many specialized areas was a little off, in my humble opinion.

Every once in a while, I get emails with typos from bulletins. I am sure that you have seen them too. Like the one that says "Special missionary visit at tonight's service. Come and see Bertha Belch, all the way from Africa". One of my personal favorites is "Low Self-Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 to 8:30 p.m. Please use the back door." Or this one: "The rosebud on the alter this morning is to announce the birth of David Alan Belzer, the sin of Rev. and Mrs. Julius Belzer.

It is so fun to read these typos and laugh at the fact that someone didn't do their proofreading. "Ha, Ha, Ha, look at this one." we say. "The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict."
Grammar, and spelling are so important. A person can wonder why it is that there are so many bloopers around. Why don't people just do their proofreading? Especially with the spell checks that we have today. Really there's no excuse. Or is there? Let's face it. Even with technology that is available, people are still people and human error is still a part of our lives.

I found this out when my digi-scrapbooks were delivered yesterday. There, in black and white, was a label on the picture with the Disney character and my daughter and her two aunties. It said "Snot White comes to visit".

Yes, dear reader, "beware the 'w'".