AAE?

In the past few months, a strange, possibly medical, phenomenon has happened to me. I cannot live without my computer. Actually, to be more specific, I cannot live without the Internet. Somehow, I cannot continue to exist without the wealth of information and entertainment my regular dosages of online life provide. My current job requires me to use the Internet regularly, and I suppose I should be seeking treatment for this affliction. But I won't. I love it.

One of the side effects of Internet usage that I have noticed is a propensity for using acronyms, abbreviations, and the like. In childhood and adolescence, we girls all signed notes to our best friends with "BFF" and such. Before my immersion in cyberspace, phrases such as "TTFN," "ASAP," (one of my boss' favorite phrases), and "N E WAZ" required no special decoder for me. I'd even gotten used to "LOL," even though I don't like it. It doesn't sound like laughing to me. Whenever I see it, I hear a soprano singing as if she is practicing her scales. "Lawl, lawl, lawl, lawl!" I stick with "Hahahahaha" in my online writing. But don't let my aversion to "LOL" stop you from using it. I've worked past my issues with it...mostly.

A few months ago, I joined a list serv for copyeditors. The daily discussion of sentence construction, questions and answers (Q&A's) regarding computer technology, and occasional punny responses have been a delight for me, both personally and professionally. It is this list serv that I credit for my interest in these new expressions. Here are some common ones:

FWIW
IMO
IMHO
TIA
AFAIK
HTH
OTOH

Translations: "For what it's worth," "in my opinion," "in my humble opinion," "thanks in advance," "as far as I know," "hope that helps," and "on the other hand."

Recently I used HTH in an e-mail to a friend. I put the translation in parentheses in case she wasn't familiar with the acronym. She responded with "TAT! (Thanks a ton!)" She then typed "Har har!" Not LOL. This stuff cracks me up. Oh, dear--I'm such a language freak.

The other day someone from the list serv used an acronym that I couldn't figure out. Thanks to Google, I found this website: http://www.netlingo.com/emailsh.cfm. It's awesome. It has helped me decipher several comments online.

So, what does my post title mean? "Are acronyms evil?"

Doggie Fragrance

No, it's not what you think. I haven't begun dousing my dog with cologne, though a few months ago, I did see some fragrance made for dogs in Dillard's. Or maybe it was Foley's. At any rate, I'm not one of those dog owners.

This morning I walked by my miniature dachshund as he was sunning himself. He sits on the sofa every morning because the sun streams in through the back door. I bent down to kiss him on his head. He smelled like Rice Krispies! We haven't had Rice Krispies in that house ever, and I can't remember the last time I even ate Rice Krispies or Rice Krispie treats. (Hmmm...that sounds good....) Maybe there's some kind of chemical reaction when sunlight hits dog fur that causes such a warm, yummy smell.

As for the doggie cologne, though...last week, the little weiner cuddled up with my husband right after my husband put on cologne. A few minutes after that, I bent down to snuggle with the dog. Imagine my bewilderment when I smelled the cologne that my husband wore when we fell in love on our pet. Talk about twisted....

Pronunciation of the Elderly

I visited my grandparents last weekend. Several times, my 84-year-old grandfather mentioned my "blodges," referring to these lovely posts of mine. In the conversation, I used the word "blogs," but he didn't catch on. He also refers to the inventor of the chicken sandwich as "Chick-a-fil." I love it. I hope when I'm an old lady, my mispronunciations give my grandchildren this much joy and amusement.

In light of these fun moments that are the true stuff of life, I hereby declare that my only real New Year's resolution will be to post on this blog once a week. Life's too funny not to record such tidbits.