what else is there to say?

I am continually astounded by the tendency to not use the English language as the Good Queen intended.

Granted, we are no longer a colony of England. But I really don't see any reason why, in text messaging (and slowly infiltrating e-mail), people need to use the letter "u" to indicate "you," which is only two more letters. Text-talk bugs me, probably more than anything else.

But really what astounds me is the Teenager these days. I have had to deal with a couple of these Teenagers, who generally contact me with requests to pick my brain about what it takes to become a Writer. And I didn't think it would be possible to be astounded by Teenagers, because I'm still closely related to one and see him on a regular basis.

However, I would like to just put this out there for any Teenagers who may be reading and want a little bit of advice: When you are exploring a career, and this career involves the communications industry, and more specifically, this career would require you to write, and to write well, and to write intelligently, and to use proper spelling/grammar/punctuation/capitalization, when necessary, then perhaps you should apply some of those skills in your communications. Wild idea, I know.

And yes, I realize that Hunter Thompson et. al. may have rocked the boat a little bit with New Journalism, but you don't want to be the person whom my editor refers to as "that one who can't spell" when she overhears me discussing possibilities with another editor.

Also, when you're meeting with someone who could help you in your upcoming career, it is best NOT to regale them with stories about how irresponsible you/your friends/your family members' significant others are. Or how you don't like rules or guidelines. You can be a rebel, but try to do it with ideas, not punctuation.

I do sympathize more than most; I was in the unenviable position of making a complete ass of myself while stuck in an interview a few months ago with a (luckily) freewheeling author of books about subversive ideas. I know what it's like to project a personality that does not shed the best light upon you, and to leave an interview thinking, "God, I was just SUCH an idiot just then!"

But please, Teenagers, please, please, please, for the love of all things holy -- speak properly and write properly if you want a job. For reals. It's not brain surgery, it's just common sense.