Spelling Fanatic

I have always loved words.I am not the type to purposely use a $5 word to show the listener that I know this word (and maybe they don't) and force them to ask, "What does that mean?" That's just rude and inappropriate. The purpose of speaking is to convey a message. If you can't do that then you are not an effective speaker. Oh sure, sometimes I babble on incessantly and somewhere in there,there is a point, but you really have to look for it. I think we all do that.

So with this in mind I am sure you can see why typos drive me insane. I don't like mine or anyone else's. In Lillianna's pre-school there were so many typos on posters around the school and also on their letters home. It's a school of teachers. Where was "spell-check" when the memos were being typed?
I am not perfect with my spelling by any means but if I make a mistake I am usually the one to find it.

When I was 13 we ordered my Bat-Mitzvah invitations. The man from the company came to our house to have us look them over. He said, "I have looked them over twice and my office has proof-read it a few times so it's just a formality, really." Mom, Dad, Nana and Papa took an invitation and read it. They all smiled and said it was "perfect." Just as the man was getting ready to get paid I yelled, "Hold it!There's a typo on this." Everyone stared at me. Actually no one believed me even after I showed them what it was. It was so subtle. Like when you see a word you know but you don't really read it you just acknowledge it in your mind. The town where the ceremony was being held was also the town where the reception was being held. The second time the town was mentioned it was spelled wrong. It's the difference between "Anytown" and "Amytown."
The invitations went back to be changed. When they came back a second time the man handed one to me and no one else bothered checking it. If there was a mistake, I would find it!

Just ask my co-workers about my relationship with the medical dictionary. We have one in our office. It is on my desk because I am constantly reaching for it before I send a page out to a doctor. Medical terms are very tricky to spell. I like to be accurate if I can.

Are you a fanatic about spelling?