Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Language matters every day.
Since the onset of language in humans, someone has bemoaned its deterioration. I’m sure there was a caveman somewhere listening to the cave kids grunt the wrong way, thinking to himself, “Civilization is doomed.” I’ve become that caveman ... um, woman .... um, person ... oh, forget it! My point is that I notice and care about grammar, punctuation and spelling. (It drives me nuts that I had to leave out the comma that should be placed after the word “punctuation” because it’s journalistic style to do so.) I’m not talking about personal correspondence in e-mails or texts. We all make mistakes in those from time to time. (OK, I’m lying. I hate those stupid abbreviations and lack of capital letters, and my husband just this moment sent me a …
41.16675
-81.440614
Walgreens
2086 Graham Rd, Stow, OH
/articles/living-in-the-grammar-cave-is-lonely
1085854
/locations/3766354
Monday, February 28, 2011
They're not just for sailors anymore.
“Who is Kelly Osbourne to be telling people how they look when she has those awful tattoos on her arms?” That was my mother’s question on the phone one day as we discussed the latest episode of Fashion Police. Of course, I couldn’t help but to take the comment a bit personally. Much to my mother’s chagrin, I have eight tattoos. Most people are surprised to discover this fact even though at least two of them are visible most days, depending on what I’m wearing. I guess I don’t look like the tattoo type, whatever that is. Most people I know have at least one tattoo, some visible, some not. Most of them are well-educated professionals who lead lives pretty similar to everyone else and don’t fit the biker or sailor stereotype. “We obviously …
41.181248
-81.473444
Valleyview Tattoos
4139 Hudson Dr, Stow, OH
/articles/tattoos-are-here-to-stay
1086441
/locations/3517227
Sunday, February 20, 2011
A book club discussion turns to education debate.
My book club used to get together monthly to discuss our latest selection. Once the book had been adequately dissected, muffins consumed, and tea sipped, the conversation often turns to current events. During one meeting, our discussion drifted to the topic of education. We touched on subjects from gifted programs to school security and finally rested on the issue of teachers' salaries. One mother was concerned about the inability of her school district to pass its levy, citing teachers' apparently exorbitant benefits as the reason why the community wasn't supporting the levy. I was the only teacher in the room, and the club members were very careful about phrasing their responses, fearing they might upset me. But, there was still an …
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Columnist started her resolution a month early, so don't make her wait for the elliptical.
I don’t like vegetables. I don’t like exercise. I don’t like spandex. I also don’t make New Year’s resolutions because I don’t believe in waiting to make a change in my life. If a change needs to be made, then the time to make it is at that moment. It’s for that reason that I joined Akron General LifeStyles on Allen Road in Stow a month ago instead of waiting until the New Year to join the hoards who will resolve to lose 50 pounds in 2011. I’ve needed to join a gym for years, but money and time were hindrances to health. However, around Thanksgiving, I threw out my back for about the hundredth time, so I resolved then and there to get into better shape. I’ve been going nearly every day for a month, and I have to say that it’s not so bad. …
41.18487
-81.47389
Akron General Health & Wellness Center
4300 Allen Rd, Stow, OH
/articles/resolved-eating-chocolate-is-not-an-acceptable-cardio-workout
1086052
/locations/2994302
Monday, December 20, 2010
I was either going to chase them down with my shovel, or I was going to sit down in a drift and cry.
Although northeast Ohio certainly gets its fair share of snow, it's an acceptable trade-off for not having to deal with hurricanes, tsunamis, major earthquakes or tarantula hawk wasps. A tarantula hawk wasp is one of the largest wasps on the planet that hunts tarantulas for food. Thankfully they aren't in northeast Ohio. Apparently, the female's sting is among the most painful insect stings known to man. Wow. So, what's worse, the sting of winter or the sting of this insect? Dec. 13, I awoke to find some of the worst winter weather I've encountered, and I grew up in the snowbelt. I'm a teacher, so I waited patiently for the telephone call telling me I didn't have to come to work Dec. 13. No such call came although every school district …
Amanda Harnocz
4:45 pm on Monday, March 28, 2011
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