Be It Resolved...
New Year's is not that big of a deal to me. At least not like it is for some folks. I don't enjoy staying up late and watching Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest hold their celebrations. I'd rather get a good night sleep and feel ready to go in the morning when the soccer matches come on, followed by the arduous task of watching as many bowl games as possible. That's how we roll.
I typically will not make New Year's resolutions, either. I have a five year plan. I have another multi-year plan that I am dedicating myself to. Otherwise, I find it far more efficient to constantly evaluate, tweak and change a little bit at a time throughout the year.
On October 30, 2007 my friend KHook posted a YouTube video on facebook. It was a clip from Def Poetry Slam (a fabulous show, by the way), where Taylor Mali decries the endangerment of the difinitive statement. Hilarious.
While I do not struggle with making definitive statements, the video did get me to thinking about words I overuse. I came to realize that I said "actually" far too often. It was unintentional, but the result was a certain pretentiousness to everything I said. As though my statements were unexpected, revolutionary, new or otherwise brilliant. Things that the people I talk to could never have possibly considered before.
Be it resolved that I shall attempt to remove the word "actually" from my speech until a point in time where I am not running it into the ground.
I feel like such a better person now.
Here's the video. And if you are not offended by slightly R-rated humor, you should go to www.youtube.com and search for "Taylor Mali Proofreading". You won't be sorry. Not that anyone who writes or reads this blog would enjoy slightly R-rated humor. No. Of course not.
I typically will not make New Year's resolutions, either. I have a five year plan. I have another multi-year plan that I am dedicating myself to. Otherwise, I find it far more efficient to constantly evaluate, tweak and change a little bit at a time throughout the year.
On October 30, 2007 my friend KHook posted a YouTube video on facebook. It was a clip from Def Poetry Slam (a fabulous show, by the way), where Taylor Mali decries the endangerment of the difinitive statement. Hilarious.
While I do not struggle with making definitive statements, the video did get me to thinking about words I overuse. I came to realize that I said "actually" far too often. It was unintentional, but the result was a certain pretentiousness to everything I said. As though my statements were unexpected, revolutionary, new or otherwise brilliant. Things that the people I talk to could never have possibly considered before.
Be it resolved that I shall attempt to remove the word "actually" from my speech until a point in time where I am not running it into the ground.
I feel like such a better person now.
Here's the video. And if you are not offended by slightly R-rated humor, you should go to www.youtube.com and search for "Taylor Mali Proofreading". You won't be sorry. Not that anyone who writes or reads this blog would enjoy slightly R-rated humor. No. Of course not.