Literally, Literally, Literally etc...

It is interesting how the word literally has really got out of hand over the past few years. Before it was the word SURREAL that was the newcomer but now LITERALLY has taken over. This word wouldn't bother me at all if people just used it right. A fine example of correct usage was on the Disney Channel Show, "Suite Life on Deck" (don't ask why I was watching this show) where either Zak or Cody was buried up to his neck in sand and ant were supposedly attacking him. After he was freed from being buried in the sand he said, "I have ants in my pants, literally!" Good job! Correctly used.

But here's a little exaggeration of how most people use literally.

"I literally don't understand why literally so many people literally use the word literally in just about every situation they literally are in. It has literally come to my attention that the overuse of the word literally can literally drive a person up a wall. Why don't people just literally take the word literally, literally out of their vocabulary?" Not once in that obscure paragraph was the word literally used correctly. The only spot that came close was where I said "literally drive a person up a wall" if that's even possible, which I doubt.

The only time the word literally should be used is when you are saying some sort of cliche and it actually happened. For example, if you got up right when the sun started to peak it's head over the horizon you could say, "We literally got up at the crack of dawn." On the other hand, if you got up at 5:30am which may have been the crack of dawn, saying, "We literally got up at 5:30am." it's not correct. Just say, "We got up at 5:30am." Now you could say, "We actually got up at 5:30am." That would be correct, but not literally. Are you following me? I hope so.

So from now on when you use the word literally, make sure you're using it correctly. If your not sure, leave it out. It doesn't make you seem any smarter, especially when it's used wrong. Now I'm finishing my rant on the word literally. It's almost 1:00am and all my dogs are sleeping and even though I'm tempted to wake some of them up I'm literally going to let sleeping dogs lie. Now that wasn't so hard was it?

What I didn't tell you was.....

I don't know why and I don't know for what reason I decided to go to the ventriloquist convention back in 1980. I've got to think that Sue some how encouraged me to go. I never went any other year and this was the first year I was together with Sue. It's been a great 29, 30, 31 years with Sue. She has been so good and put up with a lot from me. But when I went to the 1980 ventriloquist convention, I was looking at the puppets and one that stood out was a cat puppet by Puppetcraft. I looked at it everyday and, even though Verna Findley had quite a selection there I kept going back to the cat puppet (for the record, I don't care for cats!). Sue was a big fan of cats back then and maybe that's why I decided (as a matter of fact, I know that's why I decided) to get the cat puppet. I took him home and named him Fuzzball, the name of one of Sue's favorite cats. For years I had no routine for him and then, one day, it all came together. I am now on my second Fuzzball figure (made by Mary Ann Taylor) and he is the hit of my show. Thanks to Sue for all of her encouragement! Next blog I will tell you about how I got involved in I-Fest!