Myself?

Alyssa and I were watching Secret Millionaire last Sunday evening. We enjoy the show because it reminds us that there are ways in which we can enrich the lives of others if only we look around us.

Anyway, one of the millionaires was talking and he used the phrase, “Chuck and I’s dream…”

And I snorted and called him an idiot.

Alyssa asked me why he was an idiot.

I launched into a spontaneous grammar lesson (you remember that one about how the pronoun I is never possessive, right?) and she listened, taking it all in.

I gave her the example of taking away the other subject/object in the sentence. I asked her how she’d describe a dream she’d had.

She tilted her head and said with a question in her voice, “My dream...?”

I clapped and said, “YES! You’d say MY dream. And so this guy on tv who was talking about his dream with his friend Chuck, should have said, ‘Chuck’s and my dream…”

She nodded wisely and said, “Ooooh, I get it.”

Yes, she gets it. Too bad so many people don’t.

I realize this is such a stupid thing to be bothered by but I can’t help it.

Recently I received an email at work. The end of the email had the following sentence, “If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact myself.”

Myself? Seriously? OMG!!!

The fact that people write/say this thinking it makes them sound more intelligent makes me want to cry.

I know, I know, if this is the worst thing I’m dealing with in my life I’m pretty darned blessed. I get that, even as I wipe away tears at the injustice of the slaughtering of the English language.