Good spelling is a curse.

Anyone who knows me understands that I have a thing about spelling. It's a curse, really. Especially when our lovely language is so flagrantly f-d with on such a consistent, pervasive basis.

Back in the day, there was no spell-check. We used carbon paper and typewriters, for the love of god. Perhaps that intention, that knowing that if you screwed up you had to start all over created an imprint of some kind.

My history is not the history of Everyone.

Here's a sampling of what I've run across lately. If you know me, you know this stuff drives me nuts.

This lovely example was evident and conspicuous to people like me. And this beautiful sign is most likely considered to be a sales tool.

Let's visit the shoowroom, shall we? I'm sure the KC Cabinetry company has many fabulous cabinets to shoow.

So I'll relax.

Perhaps I'll do some gardening.

Maybe I need a geranium, I thought to myself. So I wander into the Ace Hardware that's by my house, and what to my surprise!

I saw this lovely sign, which made me want to dig a little deeper into my soil, if only to scrape away at the angst I feel at the flagrant overuse of the coveted apostrophe...

Who does the geranium belong to, and why must we apostraphize this lovely flower?

So I'll go to work. My workplace is filled to bursting with smarty-pants people who understand the value of education and science. I work at a hospital, for the love of god.

Someone apparently felt very ardent about the vacuuming. That person generated not only one but several signs indicating that their personal work space was riddled with crunchy bits that required the function that only a vacuum could afford. How lovely would it have been if they were to have known how to spell the word that would bring them a clean, crust-free environment?

We'll never know. I'd assume the vacuuming took place quickly, what with this very assertive plea.

So I'm done gardening, I'm through with work. All I want is a tasty meal. One of my favorite places to eat, despite the havoc that descends on my colon, is Garbanzo. This tasty spot began here in Colorado, and has the vibe of a restaurant that's just aching to go national. But they need to work on the signage....

It's not "it's". It's "its".

I filled out my customer satisfaction survey on line that day Mr. Fabulous and I ate at Garbanzo and I saw this sign. I mentioned this gaffe in my response. I have no issue with service or quality, but I did make mention of my issue with this sign. I returned to Garbanzo a few weeks later, and this same sign smacked me upside the head once again.

Apparently the folks at Garbanzo don't have the same disdain for the flagrant use of the apostrophe as I do.

As you can imagine, this language love is a curse. Because the more we ignore or discard these abuses, the more they're going to happen. Kind of like the proliferation of meth labs.

Am I too enmeshed with my appreciation of good grammar?

Guilty as charged.