Things that bug an old man

It is always the little things! Like,

1. Rules of grammar: if you don't now the rule, you don't know when you break it. If you do know the rule, if can be very upsetting when someone else breaks it.

I once had a friend, a very competent and accomplished guy. Many times, in telling me of some past event, he began with "We was... ". To this day, when I think of him, I think "We was...".

I will be first to admit I do not always know the rule. I am sure my breaking the rule is upsetting to some. So, we should strive to learn the rules.

2. Watch TV news programs where they play clips of important politicians, and note the number of times you hear, "I couldn't have...". "I couldn't have been more proud"; "We couldn't have been more disappointed"; "I couldn't have been more surprised." Really? How do they know?

Whatever happened to "I was very proud."; "We were very disappointed"; "I was very surprised"?

3. People who do not take the time to articulate. Being old and hard of hearing, this is especially important to me. 

You don't have to pronounce veg·e·ta·ble with four syllables... the common veg-ta-ble is okay. But, if you slur those three syllables, or run over them with preceding or following words, you lose me.

As a radio announcer, I often worked a morning shift... a very early morning shift. Often when I had been up late the night before. Driving to the studio with lips and tongue feeling like clay, I repeatedly recited "How now, brown cow?", in an attempt to annunciate.

Listening to the news, I often want to ask the reporter to pause and recite "How now, brown cow" a few times.

4. Hearing politicians say things they could not possibly believe to be true, but which support the position of their party.

The current discussion of workers being "job locked" is the latest example. Victor Davis Hanson skillfully articulated my feelings today.