Salutations, traveler of The Internets! Welcome to William's Bloody Hell, so named after our founder, Sir Bloody William.
He is seen in the likeness above in a rare, 19th century woodcut. This
image was rumoured to have been
commissioned after a bout of unpleasantness
in the White Chapel district of London. Do enjoy your stay and peruse our many, varied offerings, much of which cannot be found elsewhere!
::Today's soundtrack: The Smiths "Still Ill" ::
There are a few words out there that when used in a certain way irk the heck out of me. In general, they are good words, don't get me wrong. I even use them myself from time to time. There's just something about them when in the wrong hands that makes me cringe every time. Such as......
Space. A normal word, yes? Has many uses. The one that gets me though is when I watch a home renovation or decorating show and the professionals say "space" instead of "room." "The stone fireplace is a great focal point for this living space!" "I don't know that this is the proper colour for this space." Blegh. Is the word "room" simply not good enough for you? Or do you need to make it sound like you are more intelligent than the people who hired you? Please, just stop it, okay? Say room like normal people! I don't call my kitchen "eating space" or dining room "dining space", no one does, alright?
Soul. Another good word. Handy for fantasy adventure stories, especially. One thing I don't like about is when people say things like "When he sang, he touched my soul!" or "When we're apart, my soul aches." BARF. I'm a sensitive and romantic person. Seriously, I cried during WALL-E, okay (um, shut up)? But, come on now, cut the crap. Oddly enough, I don't have issues with using "heart" like this or even "spirit", but using "soul" in that way, like I said, barf. It's almost like the people who use soul like this are trying some oneupsmanship, as though feeling something in one's soul is deeper or better than feeling it in one's heart and what they feel is more important or poignant than what you feel. Screw you, okay?
Journey. I don't mind this word at all in its day to day, normal usage, but it's getting as though I can't sit through an awards show without someone using it in that way. You know the way I mean. "I want to thank God and my mom and my manager for helping to see me through this wonderful journey of making this film..." "Album of the Year! What a strange journey it's been to get here...." Shoot me now. I have no problem in using journey to describe an actual, physical trek from point A to point B, but when people use it to talk about an emotional journey, it makes me roll my eyes so hard they almost fall out.
I don't know what it is about using these common words in this way that I don't like. Oh, wait, yes I do. It makes the speaker sound like a pretentious douche bag is what it is. Using these words like this doesn't make you sound knowledgeable or deep, it makes you sound like a poseur who is trying too hard to sound smart. Give it a rest, admit you're an asshat and stop talking. That's all there is to it.
William the Bloody (weird annoyances)
