The access to technology is at an all-time high. It is no longer simply a privilege to use a computer or a telephone; these items are now viewed as necessities to everyday life. With the access to these devices comes (in my opinion, of course) the responsiblity to uphold a sort of standard, or even a certain etiquette. Now, let’s review some of the more disturbing (okay, maybe not disturbing, but certainly annoying) habits of the untrained technology user.

1. All caps at all times. You’ve probably seen it quite a few times before. This uneducated individual either is oblivious to, or ignores, the fact that all caps when typing means you are YELLING. For example, here are two exact statements, written in different ways:

a. Why haven’t you called me?
b. WHY HAVEN’T YOU CALLED ME?

Now, the trained eye will view the first statement as merely a question and the second statement as a forceful question, potentially filled with anger or frustration. Or so you may think…

Some people simply keep caps lock on all day and type and type, completely oblivous to this annoying habit. There are two reasons that I can think of why one might type in all caps:

1. Laziness
2. Lack of education

The reason I say this is that there are standards in writing. Standards that everyone begins to learn in kindergarten, first grade, second grade, etc. Why did your third grade teacher take the time to help you write your letters and explain the reasons for using lower case and upper case if you are just going to throw all of that out the window when writing turns to typing? My advice: turn off the caps lock and show a little respect to those people who taught you the foundations of writing early on.

2. The elimination of punctuation. I am a grammar snob, I will admit it, but I get things confused at times, just like anyone else. I ponder if I used a comma correctly in a sentence, or if I spelled something right…but the point is that I always try to include correct punctuation in everything I write. I don’t care if it’s a business letter or a text message, I am going to try to make it grammatically correct, including punctuation. There are going to be times when a comma is left out, or if something is not proofread well, the document may be missing a period. But nothing is more infuriating (and nothing shouts “lazy bastard” louder than a person that refuses to take the time to include punctuation. I recently received an e-mail from a colleague that included zero puntucation. A message, no matter what form, should be set up to eliminate as much confusion as possible for the reader, and the reader should be able to discern what the message says without too much difficulty. With that said, and I believe that to be a relatively fair statement, how is a person supposed to take your message seriously and understand everything you are trying to say if they have to figure out where a sentence ends and where the new thought begins? Let me reiterate my point with an example.

Hey there I am trying to figure out what to do with this case I am working with a couple of people and they told me to contact you for this information we are trying to figure out what will work best and how we can best accommodate a group in this instance do you know of any places we can go for lunch or perhaps just a meeting I’m not sure of the area and I know you have been here for a while so why don’t you e-mail me with a list of places that may be suitable maybe a Sunday or other day that is not quite so busy…

OK, so this makes relative sense, but it is confusing at first glance! The passage of information should be done so with efficiency and a sense of urgency, not with an utter laziness and lack of respect. The lack of proper punctuation is a message of blatant disrespect. You might as well title the subject line, “I’m too lazy and don’t think you are important enough to properly format my e-mail/letter/message.”

3. Complete disregard of correct spelling/word usage. In the days of handwritten letters and papers, incorrect spelling or word usage was understandable. If a dictionary or thesarurus was not available, the word went on unchecked. These days, everyone should have correct spelling at least! Every electronic document can be spell checked, or even copied and pasted into a program that can spell check for you. Microsoft Word not only has spell check, but also a thesaurus within the program.

I am still sent e-mails, messages and texts that include dumb mistakes. I saw someone who tried to use the word “sum” instead of “some.” I don’t care if the phoenetics are the same–the words have two completely different meanings!

4. Last, but certainly not least…the abbreviations. I don’t care how widely known “LOL” or “KIT” or anything else is. These are not acceptable in business relations, or anywhere outside of a text message, for that matter. If you are typing on a keyboard, spell it out. And especially, if you are writing a formal paper, an essay, or anything that will result in a grade, do not, I repeat, DO NOT, abbreviate. You take the time to type out the whole damn word. The teacher or professor who has to review the paper will appreciate your lack of brevity, and will certainly appreciate the fact that you are educated and respectful enough to uphold a standard.

Cinco de Mayo to Americans holds many misconceptions. First, many think that it is the Mexican Independence Day. It is not…that date is September 16th. This day is important because on 5 May 1862, the Mexican army defeated the very strong French Army at the Battle of Puebla, a success that was believed not to be possible. After all, before this point, the French Army had not been defeated in over 50 years!

The second misconception is that the holiday is all about drinking and having a great time. While the date is a cause for celebration, it is not as widely celebrated in Mexico, as the Independence Day celebrations hold more significance to the people. The day should be about observance over what should have been an impossible defeat, one that should teach us about perseverance in spite of the odds!

But, alas, we are Americans, so bring on the tequila!

I haven’t written anything in quite a while. Primary reasoning being that I lose inspiration sometimes. And then, I somehow find it in the oddest of places. At the moment, that place is television. I know…television? The current “stars” of televison are the ones of the “15 minutes of fame” variety. The reality stars who will do anything (and embarrass their family in the process) to grab the media’s (and the public’s) attention for a mere span of time.

Then, out of nowhere, a little jewel of a television show appears. No one is in a bikini being hosed down or dancing in bubbles, or eating a pig’s brains for a few bucks…an actual show. Now, the show has all of the ingredients to be absolutely terrible. On the SOAPnet channel (the home of guilty pleasures for women everywhere), a female lead (they don’t always make a female lead character likeable AND real), and based out of Canada. So, at first glance, you might think that it has to have terrible, self-indulgent, bullshit writing, a hot, yet not quite admirable lead character (probably a blonde, Paris Hilton-type) and based out of an area that I don’t know much about. Not the case! What am I referencing? Being Erica!

To be fair, the show will not appeal to the average male. But, the show will appeal to the average woman, and the man that has at least acknowledged, at some point in his life, that he has at least one semi-feminine trait and can be slightly introspective. This is not a blow to the male species, simply a recognition that we are different.

The show focuses on Erica, a woman with many regrets. Her character has a great education, great friends, and a seemingly great life, but she still cannot manage to get it together. She does not have the great job or significant other. She feels like these regrets are holding her back from what she could achieve…so then a mysterious therapist comes into the picture, with promises to help Erica with all of these regrets. What ends up happening is that the therapist sends her back to specific moments in time, all on her list of regrets, and Erica gets the chance to change the past…or can she? Many times she finds that the past cannot be changed, even if things are done differently.

This is important, because at some point, everyone wishes they would have done something differently, or reacted differently to some situation. As corny as it may seem, the show has ignited some sort of light in my brain that is slowly beginning to accept that things are okay as they are.

In the show, “Erica” is 32 years old, still at a dead-end job, and watching her friends’ lives blossom around her.

All too often, we judge ourselves based on others’ successes, instead of our own. Gone are the days when we progressed at the same rate as our peers…graduated from kindergarten at the same time, moved on to high school at the same time, started driving around the same time…all of the milestones were shared. Now, we’re all on our own.

I find myself in a similar circumstance. I am happy and satisfied with many parts of my life, and yet there are some aspects of my life that keep gnawing at me…primarily, where I am in my career. I see others that have milestones, whether small or huge, and I feel as if I’ve plateaued. I’m not saying I’m alone in this (although at times I’ve tried to convince myself that I am), but still, I am 25 years old, with a undergrad degree that is 2 years old, 2 successful internships under my belt, too many organizations to name while in college, a job with decent pay and insurance, and yet…here I am. Still unsatisfied.

The funny thing is…I’m not alone in this. Many people have not reached a satisfying level of success in their careers by 25. And I’m truly not sure where I think I should be by now. I think all that I need is a plan. The issue with that is… I thought I had one already!

I studied Communications in college, with a focus in print journalism. I loved it! I took really great classes, and I have to say, was interested in each and every one (at least the last two years). Each one offered something new and stimulating, and even if my grades weren’t perfect in each one, I walked away having really learned something. My goal was to eventually become a successful editor, and possibly copy editor, but yet, I graduate and find every job that is the farthest away from that goal as possible. So, two years after graduation, I feel like I am back at square one, only this time, without a game plan.

So where to go from here? Well, that’s going to take some time to figure out. Deep down, I know where I’m meant to be, but the real challenge is going to be staying happy when all other facets of my life are wonderful, rather than focusing on the stuff that’s not as satisfying.

We’ll see how this goes! In the interim, I’ll watch Erica stumble and fall and make different choices…and hell, she’s got a few years on me, after all!