It's true. Sad, but true. I may only be 29 but, apparently, I am old.How do I know this? I was at the park with Ashleigh when a group of teenagers turned up. They were talking about a retro theme party they were soon to attend, and asked me ...
Archives for September 2011
Having your child’s laugh as your SMS alert tone is dangerous
Ashleigh's laugh is absolutely adorable. Whenever I hear it, my heart seems to grow in my chest and I can't help smiling. Surely, only good things can come of having that sound as my SMS alert tone?Um... no. Guess again. When a ...
An ‘Alot’ can help you cope when you face grammatical incompetence
I'm being a bit lazy with my post today, but it's Sunday, it's a beautiful day (thanks Bono), the sun is shining, the birds are singing, bees are trying to have sex with them (thanks Bart), and I've been staring at a computer all afternoon ...
There are lots of words for a group of whales
I recently entered an online cryptic clue-writing competition. The challenge? 'Schoolboy error'. The start of my clue? 'Group of whales'. No-one else had done it yet, and it helped the rest of my clue make some sort of sense. Double tick.Someone ...
‘P’ for product includes ‘P’ for packaging
I'm sure that all marketeers, practising and aspiring, are familiar with the marketing mix. Marketing 101, day one, introduction to the four Ps: product, price, promotion and place (distribution). In the realm of services marketing, add three more: ...
Verbing nouns is commonplace
In fact, I'd argue that it's so commonplace these days that most people won't bat an eyelid at this post's title.But you should (for now). 'Verb' is a noun. The Macquarie Fifth Edition Dictionary lists it as a noun, with 'verbal' ...
Roses are red, violets are… violet
I've never given it much thought. Roses are red, violets are blue, and if you don't like it, nuts to you!But they're not. Violets are quite clearly, obviously, violet. In fact, the word for the colour was taken from the word for the ...
Every parent thinks their child is a genius
Pre-bub, I swore I wouldn't do it. Rave on and on (and on and on and on) about this latest milestone of Ashleigh's, or that latest accomplishment. But I do. Even when I see my friends' eyes glazing over as I mention that Ashleigh can ...
Not everyone knows their 1x tables
I have been told that I can be too harsh on people and their (in)ability to complete simple arithmetic without assistance. Last year, I shared the following exchange with friends:Stranger at supermarket: Oh, your daughter is soooooooooooo cute, how ...
Treat every discussion about what you do for a living like a job interview
Someone I know recently forwarded me an email from their workplace asking for ideas for a tagline to go on a new brochure. 'A word game for you to ponder today.' I thought of a few possibilities, typed them out, and got ready to hit send. But I ...