Why do I teach American grammar to grownups? To business professionals? As my mother constantly asked, “Didn’t everyone learn it in school?” Well, first of all, no. We didn’t all learn it in school, and there are several reasons for…
Stop the Insanity!
You know the modern definition of insanity, right? “Insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting different results.” Yet even knowing that, we often still continue down the same paths again and again, appearing surprised when things…
The Grammar Goddess is NOT Passionate About Grammar!
True. I’m not passionate about grammar. Yes, I teach it, but I’m not passionate about the topic by itself. How can anyone get passionate about colons, commas, dashes – or quotation marks? Grammar is a tool, one among many, and…
What’s Your Why?
The TED talk that Simon Sinek gave last year went viral, and it got a lot of people talking. It’s all about the reality of Steve Jobs and Apple — and the reason so many people are passionate about their…
In New England, We Are Hunkering Down!
Anyone who has watched TV in the last week — especially yesterday or today — knows that there is a monster storm heading up the Atlantic coast, from D.C. to Maine. We are about to get slammed with as much…
Two Wolves and the 2015 Superbowl
Tonight, as I watched the Super Bowl nail-biter with bated breath, I also was posting on Facebook, in the general arena and in a local sports-oriented group. The sports group fell quickly into two main camps: one thinking the Pats…
Dr. Seuss Did What?
NERD (n. Slang) 1. A foolish, inept, or unattractive person. 2. A person who is single-minded or accomplished in scientific or technical pursuits but is felt to be socially inept. I stumbled across a posting on Twitter from the Dictionary.com…
Fish and Trees
Does this resonate with you? Did you grow up as I did, hearing and believing that a smart person — however that was determined — would always succeed just because of those smarts? Did you also realize that it didn’t…
Networking 1-2-3, Plus 1
Updated 4/19 Everybody’s doing a brand new dance now – and I don’t mean The Locomotion. I mean Networking! Networking has become such big business that it’s hard to keep up with all the possibilities. No matter where you live,…
The Three Strangers Who “Created” the Grammar Goddess
How did I get started in the training business? Partly pure dumb luck and partly three total strangers who helped me become the Grammar Goddess. It was 1994. I was unemployed (for the first time ever), looking in the Sunday…
Spunky Old Broad Indeed!
Did you know that February is “Spunky Old Broads” month? I sure didn’t, but according to Claire LeSage, it is! And when I read her short piece, I laughed. I loved the vision I had of her mother, and all…
Surprise! The English Language is Evolving!
A few days ago, I shared an article written by Oliver Kamm in The Wall Street Journal on “Proper English.” I had hoped it would spark a few comments, and boy, has it ever done that! Who knew so many…
Swear Words. Nasty Words. Hurtful Words. Labels.
Funny (?) how we so often don’t actually say a “bad” word, but we say or write something like “that ‘b’ word” or even worse. Do we all know which word is not being said? Of course we do. But…
I Gotta Be Me — ISTP!
I was adopted right after my birth by a wonderful set of parents who got far more than they had bargained for, and so the story of a little girl struggling to figure out who she was began. Growing up…
Of Manners and Men . . .
I had a really different kind of request recently: a friend asked if I could or would teach a class in manners — to a group of men in a rehab facility. These men were in the last phases of…
Courtesy and Customer Service
In my last post , I wrote about recently giving a refresher program on manners to some men in a long-term drug rehab. While we talked about a wide range of ways to use good manners, but this particular one…
Hiring Others: Lessons Learned
A while ago, I had a project I could not complete on my own. I knew my own limitations – I can do a lot of stuff, but sometimes we all need help – so I went looking for recommendations…
Nice Guys DO Finish First!
You may not be a golf nut — nor watch it on TV — but you can’t escape knowing that there was a Major Event in the golf world this weekend: The Masters Golf Tournament. And if that weren’t enough…
The KISS Principle — My Way
Many of us know the KISS acronym, which is too often used with these words: Keep It Simple, Stupid. You’ve heard it or seen it, right? Faithful readers of my blogs know how much I dislike hurtful language, and “stupid”…
U.S. Memorial Day, May 25, 2015
Today is Memorial Day in the U.S. I will not be posting a Monday Grammar Checkup today in honor of the day’s importance. The picture is real. It was taken by an amateur photographer, Frank Glick, and there’s a wonderful…
Well, enough about me. Let’s talk about you. What do you think about me?
Hey, listen! Listen. Listen to the silence. Listen to the noise. Listen to the birds chirp, the clock tick, the babies giggle, and the wind blow. Oh! You can’t hear those sounds? Why not? Are you too busy talking? How…
Happy Father’s Day: Qualities I Learned to Value From my Dad
My dad — who was actually my adoptive dad — has been gone now for nearly 30 years, but I can still hear him on the phone saying, “Hi, Sis — how are things going?” (Sis stood for sister; I…
That Nice Guy Finished First Again: Gritty Spieth Makes Major History
Two months ago, I wrote a post about Jordan Spieth, the 21-year-old phenom who also comes across as a truly nice guy. I had seen him play last year, and something about him grabbed me. He seemed so unassuming, so…
Why Are We on LinkedIn Anyway?
What are we all DOING on LinkedIn? I ask because I had a little extra time this morning, so I thought I’d visit the writing groups I’m in to see who’s posting interesting stuff. I admit I haven’t done that…
Serena. Novak. Jordan.
Last weekend was amazing! And I guess those whose names are in my headline — Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, and Jordan Spieth — would agree. I often find myself fascinated by sports contests, especially when I see individual excellence. Let’s…
Just When Will You Get . .
How much time do we waste? With our busy schedules, I’m sure we all have our ways of doing pretty much nothing — right? For me, it’s solitaire on the computer. I can sit and play for a half hour…
What’s in a Name? (Quite a Lot, Actually!)
When I was just three days old, my adoptive parents gave me my name: Susan Betsy Rooks. Easy to say, easy to spell, and easy to remember. Susan was for my mom’s mom, Sara. Betsy was for my dad’s mom,…
It’s National Punctuation Day!
I will bet most of my readers did not know this, but it really is! From Wikipedia National Punctuation Day is a celebration of punctuation that occurs each year on September 24 in the United States of America. Founded by…
Water and Gratitude
The picture above sparked a lot of comments on Facebook, as it should have. And it started me thinking about so many things we may all take for granted. I am sitting at my computer desk, looking out at my…
This Spunky Old Boomer Broad is Hanging on by her Fingernails
A few months ago, I wrote about labeling people and then seeing them more narrowly — read it here — and it got a few nice comments. I labeled myself a Spunky Old Broad, which actually fits pretty well. And…
Are You “Shoulding” All Over Everyone?
Language is meant to help us humans communicate, but sometimes even with our best efforts, we end up with a result we never intended. Years ago, I took my car in to a local service station. My oil light was…
Making a Difference
On December 6, 2014, I decided to take the plunge and write my first blog. Friends and colleagues had urged me to do it for a year or more, but I wasn’t sure I had a voice or a message…
Last Thursday Thoughts for 2015
It’s the last day of 2015, and we’re all getting ready to celebrate the new year, right? One night that weighs heavily on our minds — one night! Why not celebrate every day? Why do we wait for a specific, artificial,…
Hiding Behind the Cloak of Invisibility
Do you remember the Harry Potter movies? I’m reminded of them every time I receive a private message from a reader of one of my posts. These messages are always complimentary, and I’m grateful to receive them. BUT. I’m reminded…
How to Turn a Human into a Crankasaurus
This post is prompted by a TV ad — yes. Really. It’s an insurance ad, and although I have no idea of the quality of the company, the ad agency that created it definitely knows how to sell an idea…
A Rare Gift
Years ago, a wonderful man gave me a priceless gift, but one that took me years to recognize and use. He was easily the friendliest person I’d ever known. No matter where we were – a restaurant, an amusement park,…
Our Big Blue Marble and “Human Correctness”
There’s a truly negative vibe in America right now that some of our “President wannabes” are promoting nonstop. And one of the ideas that keeps coming up — on the political front and others — is the unwillingness to do…
Perspective
A friend on Facebook posted this recently, and it got me thinking . . . sometimes it does take a thunk on the head from the universe (or from our guardian angel) to help us see more clearly . .…
Thursday Thoughts: Give Your Readers a Break! Please!
Here on LI, I am part of a group / thread that is now talking about how long a blog post “should” be. The range mentioned is from micro (250-500 words) to macro/very long (1,200-5,000+ words), with several weighing in…
What is “Smart,” Anyway?
A few days ago, I remarked in an LI group I belong to that I needed some help understanding how to send Neil Hughes a voice message on my iPhone. Others were able to do that, but I couldn’t figure…
Aging
I woke up this morning. That’s a VERY good thing. I woke up with a few aches and pains. That’s also a VERY good thing. Why? Because although I’m in the last third of my life — or on the…
Thursday’s Thoughts: We Have our Hats
Growing up in a family that owned and ran a few small women’s clothing stores in the 1950s and ’60s, I often wondered why I didn’t like shopping too much. I didn’t mind it — nice clothes were and…
It Takes a Village . . .
Are you familiar with the expression “It takes a village to raise a child”? Well, this is a quick story of a village that changed a life forever, although it isn’t about a child. All my life I’ve been…
How Welcoming is YOUR Organization?
Have you ever attended a business networking event where you knew very few people . . . maybe no one? How did you feel when you were walking in? Confident? Curious? Cautious? Comfortable? Uncomfortable? All those are possible, of course,…
4.2 Seconds vs. 4 Minutes: What Are YOU Missing?
Before you read this, please watch the short video above. A fast-moving montage or a moment-by-moment experience: Which is more powerful? There is clearly energy in the incredibly fast-moving 4.2 seconds of scenes first shown above. I was pulled into…
The Gift of “Enough”
I saw this picture on Loribeth Pierson‘s final post of her excellent series called 12 Days of LinkedIn Tips — and I was struck by how it so closely mirrors how I grew up and how I live now. I…
Fireside Chats: Perception
How do others see you? How do you want to them to see you? What are you doing about it — now? I’m bringing this up because a friend and colleague, John White, recently wrote a response to a reader of his…
Fireside Chats: Milestones
Original version February 2017: Did you know that February is Spunky Old Broads month? I hadn’t until two years ago when a friend — Claire LeSage — told me about it. I wrote a post on it — Spunky Old…
Networkers: Are You Guilty of “Premature Solicitation”?
For about 30 years, networking has been the word “du jour” or “d’année.” Everyone who is anyone in business networks. And while social media is huge these days, many still love to be part of face-to-face events. They’re all networking.…
The Three Women Who Helped Me Become … Me
Each of us probably has / had a few people in our life who stand out, people who really made a difference, people who helped shape us to become who we are. There are three women in my life who…