Just because I’ve forgiven people from The Life Before, doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten them. Not for lack of trying.
Longtime readers may remember the CEO who inserted mistakes into articles I’d edited. It’s amazing what people believe passes for good grammar. And then there was the supervisor who would come in and argue with me about whether the article “a” was more appropriate than “an” before a noun that started with a vowel. *headslam*
More recent readers may or may not know the stories of the HELLACIOUS e-mails I would get every Tuesday (and I mean EVERY Tuesday), accusing me of not knowing how to spell, how to address the subject matter or how to properly use grammar. The construction of the e-mails alone would send any editor worth her salt into heart failure. I don’t think even my NAME was spelled right in the salutation line most of the time.
For the record: My spelling/grammar is pretty damn good, only to be superseded by my knowledge of the subject matter. So there.
It’s quite a challenge, really, to hear — and be made to feel — that the skills I spent 4 1/2 years learning and 15 years practicing are either inadequate or disposable. Not to mention the added layer of specialized knowledge on top that NOBODY can replicate.
I really wish I were one of those people who could just go with the flow. But it’s those heavy-flow days that I have trouble with.
“And I think it’s going to rain today. …”