Answers to Readers' Questions

"gamma raise" asked how to play "traffic football" in a rural setting. To this reader, I respond that one might just play a much slower version and adjust the downs, or count something besides cars, like cows or light poles.

"ron g" asked me why I do not blog very often. To this reader, I respond with this: read the title of my blog! ;) Also, sometimes I find it difficult to come up with entertaining and informative things to blog about. However, as the New Year gears up and my twins turn 2, keep checking in as I am sure to find a lot of new inspiration!

To all 4 of my loyal readers, I wish you a Happy, Prosperous, God-blessed, Enlightened New Year.

IMA/AO TTFN

My girls absolutely LOVE Winnie the Pooh. Maybe even more than Elmo. While watching a vintage Pooh Bear episode, I discovered that Tigger was before his time and was probably the first to speak how people text and e-mail these days. He says "TTFN, tah-tah for now."

Writing or talking in acronyms like this one has recently overtaken "magazine-ad-postcards-that-fall-out-of-magazines-when-you-pick-them-up" as my biggest pet peeve. As many of you know, I am somewhat of a grammar curmudgeon. (I realize that some may be shocked by this as many of you have already found quite a few mistakes in my writings, including that the title of my blog contains a misplaced modifier. Is she a mommy of twin lawyers? Is the lawyer a twin and a mommy? While this bugs me too, I thought it sounded better than some of the alternatives I came up with.) Back to the abbreviation thing. The one that probably bothers me the most is IMHO. I apologize in advance to the friends and family members who frequently use this one. I find it somewhat of an oxymoron. Even the expression itself is an oxymoron. If you have to tell someone that your opinion is humble, doesn't that kinda negate the humbleness aspect of the forthcoming opinion? Also, if you simply state IMHO, it seems arrogant to assume people will understand that you are about to give a "humble opinion."

Since my therapist (yes, I see a therapist as ALL lawyers should!) has encouraged me to be more arrogant (or was it more assertive?) this year, I will be using the phrase "in my arrogant/assertive opinion," or IMA/AO.