WELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!

[kagordo4]

Oh and the grammar thing in general, I think it was addressed in response to NicoleBen (or is it Nichole? I'm sorry I've forgotten) stating she was very mature, super responsible, etc, etc. In fact someone said it gave her a "tween" appearance. This is so true, I mean seriously... How can you take someone seriously who types like my boyfriend's 8 year-old nephew? Please don't take that offensively, I just mean: how can you be viewed as an adult when you do not portray yourself as such? Typing is the ONLY thing we see here, other than pictures. Keep that in mind.

I don’t think anyone intentionally attacked the OP, especially based on grammar or spelling, etc. I think people are generally attempting to offer tough but loving advice, which is would appear the OP could you. If she does not want/need advice then posting on a public forum was probably bad form. I know I have personally had my butt handed to me, and quite frankly I was annoyed at the time but then realized they were correct. I believe it was Monarch actually, and now I must thank you for that : ) you gave me some solid advice that honestly, I needed to hear.

LOL!

Hi, I'm going to come in to a thread that I admit is a dead topic and say all of these offensive things to you but then ask you to not take it offensively.

kthxbai

Excuse me, but where exactly did I say "offensive things." I’m really trying to figure out how you could construe that and I find I’m coming up lacking. I mean this quite literally, please point them out, as I honestly do not see rude nor offensive things in my post. Ah, other than perhaps the 9-year-old comment, but that was factually based. Tono, uses text speak in his writing and it drives his teachers insane.
I gave a perfectly valid argument on the grammar front, if you disagree, then we disagree. Big deal, I was supporting others that were attacked, just like I assume you are supporting the OP.

I specifically requested the OP not take my topic offensively because my mother suggested it, I meant no harm to OP, just a pulling of specific points. My mother suggested I make sure my post could not be taken of out context, as people with Bipolar disorder/manic depression often suffer from a mild distortion of reality. As OP did not mention experiencing this, I had to assume the professional was correct to caution me.

Also, don't dismiss me "kthxbai". Who the hell are you? And if that was not a dismissal then I apologize, but the way in which I interrupt "Okay, Thank you, good bye" is quite literally "okay, Thank you, I'm done with this [you], good bye"

Oh, and IndyLady, my confusion as to the correct spelling of the OP's name resulted from a PriceScope error, the Topic review at the bottom of the page consists of little squares and coding. Sometimes, happy faces. Why did I not just open a second browser to check to correct spelling? I was using my iPhone. I fully intended on returning later to edit but didn't get a chance. As all things here require an explanation, I was changing the diaper of my niece and then tucking her into bed.

So NicoleBen, I'm sorry I confused the spelling of your first name. I feel like this second apology is necessary, as the first was clearly not enough. So again, I'm sorry. Ironically niece's name is Nichole.

Also NicoleBen, I really hope you find some happiness. That is all my post was leaning towards. I really think you could be so much happier if you took the reins from B.D./ M.D. You are a super-smart, wonderful, and awesome woman. Autopsies are awesome to assist with, and quite frankly I'm jealous. I've assisted with only one; they let me hold the Liver. You have so much to look forward to, and this is just a small blurb on the radar. Please take my post and the posts of all others as they should be: advice and honestly [taken] with a grain of salt. Oh, and if you found my previous post to be less than polite, please do forgive me. That was most certainly not the intent, coldness and hard crass were not my goal. You live and learn, right?


Sometimes I wonder if people read your post in a totally different tone than in which you typed it? Like my previous post, to me sounds fine, but apparently it can be read as rude or offensive, hmm that's an interesting conundrum.

 

[fieryred33143]

Don't backpeddle. If you did not think that there was something in your post that could come across offensively, you would not have included "please don't take this offensively." You didn't say anything that others had not said already in this post multiple times but yet you still chose to bring it all back up again, including comments about her being a "tween."

Also, as a side note the "who the hell are you" also reeks of tweenism.

 

[nicoleben]

Excuse me, but where exactly did I say "offensive things." I’m really trying to figure out how you could construe that and I find I’m coming up lacking. I mean this quite literally, please point them out, as I honestly do not see rude nor offensive things in my post. Ah, other than perhaps the 9-year-old comment, but that was factually based. Tono, uses text speak in his writing and it drives his teachers insane.
I gave a perfectly valid argument on the grammar front, if you disagree, then we disagree. Big deal, I was supporting others that were attacked, just like I assume you are supporting the OP.

I specifically requested the OP not take my topic offensively because my mother suggested it, I meant no harm to OP, just a pulling of specific points. My mother suggested I make sure my post could not be taken of out context, as people with Bipolar disorder/manic depression often suffer from a mild distortion of reality. As OP did not mention experiencing this, I had to assume the professional was correct to caution me.

Also, don't dismiss me "kthxbai". Who the hell are you? And if that was not a dismissal then I apologize, but the way in which I interrupt "Okay, Thank you, good bye" is quite literally "okay, Thank you, I'm done with this [you], good bye"

Oh, and IndyLady, my confusion as to the correct spelling of the OP's name resulted from a PriceScope error, the Topic review at the bottom of the page consists of little squares and coding. Sometimes, happy faces. Why did I not just open a second browser to check to correct spelling? I was using my iPhone. I fully intended on returning later to edit but didn't get a chance. As all things here require an explanation, I was changing the diaper of my niece and then tucking her into bed.

So NicoleBen, I'm sorry I confused the spelling of your first name. I feel like this second apology is necessary, as the first was clearly not enough. So again, I'm sorry. Ironically niece's name is Nichole.

Also NicoleBen, I really hope you find some happiness. That is all my post was leaning towards. I really think you could be so much happier if you took the reins from B.D./ M.D. You are a super-smart, wonderful, and awesome woman. Autopsies are awesome to assist with, and quite frankly I'm jealous. I've assisted with only one; they let me hold the Liver. You have so much to look forward to, and this is just a small blurb on the radar. Please take my post and the posts of all others as they should be: advice and honestly [taken] with a grain of salt. Oh, and if you found my previous post to be less than polite, please do forgive me. That was most certainly not the intent, coldness and hard crass were not my goal. You live and learn, right?


Sometimes I wonder if people read your post in a totally different tone than in which you typed it? Like my previous post, to me sounds fine, but apparently it can be read as rude or offensive, hmm that's an interesting conundrum.

I did not take anything offensively. However, I am factually not an 8 year old child typing on the internet. And stating that I am an 8 year old child because I do not include an apostrophe here and there, or my I's aren't capitalized, or I laugh out loud, well it amuses me people get so mad. I think the LOLS give posts a little bit more personality. I didn't care that you put it down, but if we are going by "fact's" I am not an 8 year old child and factually based, well.. I do not believe an 8 year old male child would be graduating with a masters degree. ( I am not trying to come off as snotty, it was just a joke!.. This thread has become so serious :\ LOLS

If it matters to anyone, I have been trying to go back through my post and correct the words, contractions, punctuation, etc etc etc so people don't get their panties up in a twist!

I know from your post you were not trying to come off as "snooty" at all, so please do not feel like I did. I am perfectly fine with the responses. It is what it is.

Yes, my name is spelled Nicole. It doesn't bother me that people add an H, it happens all the time!

 

[kagordo4]

You get the “h” added all the time? I get called "Kenny" all the time. There is nothing like a professor taking roll the first day with "Kenny LASTNAME," and expecting a man to answer.

Actually when I went for an interview at a med-school in Georgia the tiny, older gentleman called me Kenny at least two or three times. But he was tiny, and cute so I forgave him completely : )

 

[HappyNewLife]

*steps around the dead horse*

Just wanted to send you (Nicole) a hug. I hope you've let all this drama go and are just focusing on you and your health and your relationship instead of all this nonsense. I don't care how you type, as long as I can read it. I personally never capitalize "I"s on forums because, I too, think it adds personality (and I'm lazy).

I'm glad you didn't get driven off. I personally enjoy reading about LIW's enthusiasm and excitement. Everyone has bad days. I'm sorry if I was harsh to you previously.

<3

-HNL

 

[dawnabee]

I haven't been around here too long but I am really ashamed to see how out of hand this post got!

Nicole--- wish you the best and hope you keep getting the help you need. I was a Literature major in college and never check the posts I write on here either... I can't believe that would define you as a person. I have a ton of improper sentences, no apostrophes, run-ons and tons of LOLs !!!!!!! etc etc

 

[beezygal]

We're not trying to hand in an essay here or anything. As long as it makes sense... does it matter if it's not correct once in awhile?
Sometimes we're just too anxious to post a msg we might not have time to check everything over.
I always use "..." and stuff.

Don't worry too much, nicole. *HUG*

 

[princesss]

We're not trying to hand in an essay here or anything. As long as it makes sense... does it matter if it's not correct once in awhile?
Sometimes we're just too anxious to post a msg we might not have time to check everything over.
I always use "..." and stuff.

Don't worry too much, nicole. *HUG*

Not trying to defend PPs or direct this at anybody, just answering this comment. Please don't get mad! I just want to make a comment on this in a general way.

Once in a while, no, it doesn't matter. However, in general, many PSers enjoy the coherency of posts found on PS. The text speak, abbreviations, shortening words and other things make it much harder for people above, say, 24 to understand (and at and under 24 - I can barely understand it myself and generally skip posts/posters that use that kind of shorthand). The average age in LIW is lower than the average age on PS as a whole, so in here it's a little less of a big deal.

The way we present ourselves in public (and PS is a public place) leads others to make assumptions about us. So, right or not, because text speak is largely used by teenagers, most of us associate it with being less knowledgable/mature. So while your message can say "I'm a mature adult" how that message is delivered can undermine the content. So if a poster generally types out their sentences and doesn't use text speak, but shoots off a quick message from their phone, people assume it's a once in a while kind of thing. But if all of your posts are in text speak, no matter your achievements (and in this particular case, it seems like the OP is quite the accomplished person), the way that information is presented can make people doubtful because of the assumptions they make about people who use text speak. While this is an issue with the reader and not with the poster, we should be aware of how we present ourselves to other people and be aware of the behaviours WE exhibit and how they can affect peoples perception about us. Generally you'll get a pass from other PSers if you use it once in a while, but if all of your posts are like that, right or wrong, assumptions will be made about you. The OP is not the first PSer to run into this, nor will she be the last.

Again, this is not directed at nicoleben or any other poster on this thread, just making a general statement prompted by your comment.

 

[lilyfoot]

Don't backpeddle. If you did not think that there was something in your post that could come across offensively, you would not have included "please don't take this offensively." You didn't say anything that others had not said already in this post multiple times but yet you still chose to bring it all back up again, including comments about her being a "tween."

Also, as a side note the "who the hell are you" also reeks of tweenism.

:snort:

 

[nicoleben]

I'm sorry I just have to laugh at this whole thing now. Can't we all just get alooooooooooong?? Just Kidding. But really, let's just go back to whats most important! Were all getting engaged, are engaged, or married already and this is why we came on here in the first place!! Support and positive criticism will help everyone along!

 

[diva rose]

We're not trying to hand in an essay here or anything. As long as it makes sense... does it matter if it's not correct once in awhile?
Sometimes we're just too anxious to post a msg we might not have time to check everything over.
I always use "..." and stuff.

Don't worry too much, nicole. *HUG*

Not trying to defend PPs or direct this at anybody, just answering this comment. Please don't get mad! I just want to make a comment on this in a general way.

Once in a while, no, it doesn't matter. However, in general, many PSers enjoy the coherency of posts found on PS. The text speak, abbreviations, shortening words and other things make it much harder for people above, say, 24 to understand (and at and under 24 - I can barely understand it myself and generally skip posts/posters that use that kind of shorthand). The average age in LIW is lower than the average age on PS as a whole, so in here it's a little less of a big deal.

The way we present ourselves in public (and PS is a public place) leads others to make assumptions about us. So, right or not, because text speak is largely used by teenagers, most of us associate it with being less knowledgable/mature. So while your message can say "I'm a mature adult" how that message is delivered can undermine the content. So if a poster generally types out their sentences and doesn't use text speak, but shoots off a quick message from their phone, people assume it's a once in a while kind of thing. But if all of your posts are in text speak, no matter your achievements (and in this particular case, it seems like the OP is quite the accomplished person), the way that information is presented can make people doubtful because of the assumptions they make about people who use text speak. While this is an issue with the reader and not with the poster, we should be aware of how we present ourselves to other people and be aware of the behaviours WE exhibit and how they can affect peoples perception about us. Generally you'll get a pass from other PSers if you use it once in a while, but if all of your posts are like that, right or wrong, assumptions will be made about you. The OP is not the first PSer to run into this, nor will she be the last.

Again, this is not directed at nicoleben or any other poster on this thread, just making a general statement prompted by your comment.

Princess - your post is a good response and hopefully nobody will be mad.
However I'm going to give it a different perspective on this whole 'text speak' thing.

I'm 30 and use text speak frequently. My friends (associates) also frequently use text speech and they are all 27+
I also visit other forums and it's commonly used amongst 25+ year olds.
I really don't think it is as age based as some people are stating here. Nor is it education based.

I am a speech pathologist and all my associates are either medical professionals (dentists, doctors, physiotherapists, psychologists etc) or accountants/lawyers. So we are all educated people. Are we lazy? I highly doubt it. It takes many years of studying and hard work to do what we do. For us using abbreviations is common. It is something we do daily - writing notes so text speak becomes easy to use.

The degree of text speak I use is probably minimal compared to an average text speak user but I use abbreviations, -, .... etc all the time. Sometimes I even use point form and leave out my end marks. I also love my LOLs

I think the main issue is how much text speak the person is using/the degree of it.

I also have a feeling Beezygal's comments were in reference to people criticizing Nicole's grammar/spelling and the manner they did it in. Please correct me if I am wrong Breezy.

I do agree some of Nicole's posts are difficult to read however it was the way a few PSers expressed this. Please focus I state 'few'. Some PSers have kindly asked Nicole to make her posts easier to read. In regards to spelling, who cares as long as you get the point.

Nicole ~ I hope you are doing well.

 

[princesss]

We're not trying to hand in an essay here or anything. As long as it makes sense... does it matter if it's not correct once in awhile?
Sometimes we're just too anxious to post a msg we might not have time to check everything over.
I always use "..." and stuff.

Don't worry too much, nicole. *HUG*

Not trying to defend PPs or direct this at anybody, just answering this comment. Please don't get mad! I just want to make a comment on this in a general way.

Once in a while, no, it doesn't matter. However, in general, many PSers enjoy the coherency of posts found on PS. The text speak, abbreviations, shortening words and other things make it much harder for people above, say, 24 to understand (and at and under 24 - I can barely understand it myself and generally skip posts/posters that use that kind of shorthand). The average age in LIW is lower than the average age on PS as a whole, so in here it's a little less of a big deal.

The way we present ourselves in public (and PS is a public place) leads others to make assumptions about us. So, right or not, because text speak is largely used by teenagers, most of us associate it with being less knowledgable/mature. So while your message can say "I'm a mature adult" how that message is delivered can undermine the content. So if a poster generally types out their sentences and doesn't use text speak, but shoots off a quick message from their phone, people assume it's a once in a while kind of thing. But if all of your posts are in text speak, no matter your achievements (and in this particular case, it seems like the OP is quite the accomplished person), the way that information is presented can make people doubtful because of the assumptions they make about people who use text speak. While this is an issue with the reader and not with the poster, we should be aware of how we present ourselves to other people and be aware of the behaviours WE exhibit and how they can affect peoples perception about us. Generally you'll get a pass from other PSers if you use it once in a while, but if all of your posts are like that, right or wrong, assumptions will be made about you. The OP is not the first PSer to run into this, nor will she be the last.

Again, this is not directed at nicoleben or any other poster on this thread, just making a general statement prompted by your comment.

Princess - your post is a good response and hopefully nobody will be mad.
However I'm going to give it a different perspective on this whole 'text speak' thing.

I'm 30 and use text speak frequently. My friends (associates) also frequently use text speech and they are all 27+
I also visit other forums and it's commonly used amongst 25+ year olds.
I really don't think it is as age based as some people are stating here. Nor is it education based.

I am a speech pathologist and all my associates are either medical professionals (dentists, doctors, physiotherapists, psychologists etc) or accountants/lawyers. So we are all educated people. Are we lazy? I highly doubt it. It takes many year of studying and hard work to do what we do. For us using abbreviations is common. It is something we do daily - writing notes so text speak becomes easy to use.

The degree of text speak I use is probably minimal compared to an average text speak user but I use abbreviations, -, .... etc all the time. Sometimes I even use point form and leave out my end marks. I also love my LOLs

I think the main issue is how much text speak the person is using/the degree of it.

I also have a feeling Beezygal's comments were in reference to people criticizing Nicole's grammar/spelling and the manner they did it in. Please correct me if I am wrong Breezy.

I do agree some of Nicole's posts are difficult to read however it was the way a few PSers expressed this. Please focus I state 'few'. Some PSers have kindly asked Nicole to make her posts easier to read. In regards to spelling, who cares as long as you get the point.

Nicole ~ I hope you are doing well.

Diva, I know exactly what you mean about using abbreviations all day! My company has some very specific abbreviations and I've become so used to them that I can't even write a sentence in an internal e-mail without them. I definitely understand about the time saving factor. I just never used them in texts/e-mails before so the abbreviations/shorthand that's used in texting takes me 5 times longer to read!

I only mentioned age because other thank "thank u" or "ur the best" I haven't gotten anything in text speak from anybody older than me in my life (not an exaggeration). Maybe that has more to do with the people I'm around than age. I definitely agree that the main issue is how often it's used.

Anyways, sorry for the continued threadjack, Nicoleben! I just find the general question of text speak vs. standard English an interesting one and wanted to respond since it's something I can talk about all day (I studied literature and cultural anthropology, and spent a lot of time analyzing how people relate to one another and how language is used and the implications of word choice).

 

[nicoleben]

I totally get the text speak. I am just so used to it. I started typing at the age of 15, where it was very common for us to shorten what we say (A/S/L ?? Anyone remember? lols, see i lol'ed again!) Facebook I also use shortened words. I guess it is just a habit! As long as a person knows when to use it and when not to use it, then everything should be fine!

Just more more thing to love about everyone on the forum. Making me more aware of my posts and going through and fixing misspelled words and punctuation! Another wrinkle in the brain!

 

[diva rose]

I think it might be a cultural thing and where you are from or people you associate with.
Where I am - iphones and ipads are 'the thing' - they are all over the place. In hands of not only the tweens but many adults 30+.
People in their 40s are more tech savvy and into text speak than me - sending me messages with 'gr8'

Yes Nicole, sorry for the threadjack.

 

[princesss]

I think it might be a cultural thing and where you are from or people you associate with.
Where I am - iphones and ipads are 'the thing' - they are all over the place. In hands of not only the tweens but many adults 30+.
People in their 40s are more tech savvy and into text speak than me - sending me messages with 'gr8'

Yes Nicole, sorry for the threadjack.

UGH! I got an e-mail from a sales guy with "u" "ur" and "gr8" in it. The customer was in copy! Way to seem professional, dude.

And LOL to it being a cultural thing - I grew up overseas and have lived in 5 countries since I was 15 (6 different cities). That's one expansive culture!

 

[Amys Bling]

Nicoleben-

I wish you health, happiness, and a great engagement and marriage.

My .02.... you are becoming a little obsessed with engagment/proposal/marriage... I hope things are not a let down. From all of your threads/posts I have gotten the feeling that it's become an obsession (we are all obsessed/anxious about this time in our life!), and I fear that you are not focusing on the big picture- wanting to spend your life together, planning a life...not just the ring, proposal, and wedding... there is soo much more to it. You say in your posts that you tell yourself to calm down, and you know what is important, but I think you get caught up in the heat of the moment and react, when you are a person that needs to step back, breath, tell yourself what is importnat- the SURPRISE of the proposal, your future FI, your long and healthy lives together..... and let that stop you from the "bad" behavior you admit to engaging in from time to time. The proposal is a big deal for your future FI as well, so let him feel relaxed, excited, and eager as opposed to pressured, stresses, and dreading "not living up" to your fantasized obsession.

I in NO means mean this in a mean way- heck, I get "addicted and obsessed" with things all the time and literally have to tell myself to back away (i.e. working out EVERYDAY, reading book after book, shopping for sparkly things...) I think everyone has weaknesses and obsessions, but dont let it get in the way of your life!

Don't let all this spin out of control and get you all wrapped up, that once you have the proposal you obsess on ...how it could have been better... a proposal that would have been bigger abd better.... etc. you see where i can going with this...

so many brides say the day after their wedding is such a let down because of all the hype for months and months prior, the money, the planning, the excitement, and then the next day it's essentially "back to real life".. don't set yourself up for a "let down" the day after becuase you have hyped this up soooo much in your mind.

Relax.... you know it's coming...you know its a ring you will love.... and a man you love.

 

[nicoleben]

I think it might be a cultural thing and where you are from or people you associate with.
Where I am - iphones and ipads are 'the thing' - they are all over the place. In hands of not only the tweens but many adults 30+.
People in their 40s are more tech savvy and into text speak than me - sending me messages with 'gr8'

Yes Nicole, sorry for the threadjack.

UGH! I got an e-mail from a sales guy with "u" "ur" and "gr8" in it. The customer was in copy! Way to seem professional, dude.

And LOL to it being a cultural thing - I grew up overseas and have lived in 5 countries since I was 15 (6 different cities). That's one expansive culture!

Hahahaha.. If a sales guy used "u", "ur", and "gr8" ..I would just ignore him. Definitely not professional! lol

 

[Amys Bling]

p.s. I am also obsessed with PS

 

[FrekeChild]

I find the discussion of abbreviations fascinating.

I am an absolute stickler for spelling, punctuation and proper capitalization. I'll catch my own typos sometimes (on PS) and CRINGE--often because it's too late to edit because someone has quoted or because it's just too late. My mother was an English major and I grew up with this stuff being beaten into my head. Grammar? Not such a stickler because I've found that I tend to structure my sentences differently from most people.

I also grew up in the A/S/L age and it never affected me. In my office we use a TON of abbreviations, and while I've gotten used to using some of them, I don't use them all of the time. I've found that often it takes longer for me to think about the abbreviation than it would for me to just type out the full word. What is more efficient?

Here is something you might find in my office:

"We heard from ALJ on clmt, need more txment and med recs so we can write a medsum. Also need dr ?aires so we can write OTR. SS left a VM about PIA, and clmt needs to go to PERC appt so they can get SSI and then DIB. Call adj at DDS."

In reality this only makes sense structurally, none of this would be strung together the way it is, but you get the idea of what it looks like. I have to think about it to write "clmt", "?aires" and "txment" in particular. The rest of it was so intense that I had to make a list of acronyms because we used them so much.

I often have a bunch of typos because I type out every single word. Eh well.

 

[nicoleben]

Amy- Yes I did become obsessed.. However, I have really started to do things to take my mind off of the engagement. Im just going to let it happen.

I have started to finish my scrapbooks, repaint our living room and kitchen, and try my hand on reupholstering our couch ( It is a sad sad attempt i might add haha) I have to admit, I feel a lot better that I am focusing on other hobbies.

 

[Amys Bling]

oooo.... maybe focus on surprising him with something special?? I did that for my FI, about 3 days after he proposed, I went to the jewelry store and bought him a nice TAG watch he was eyeing and wishing to have. I NEVER spend that type of money on a gift...ever!... but knowing how much time, effort, and money he spent on my ring, I wanted to do something really nice for him. (we consider it our "wedding gifts" to each other). I hid the watch wrapped in the box and when he found it that night he was so stunned, excited... it felt nice to surprise him and think of him at the "proposal" time.

It doesn't have to require a lot of money...just thoughtful and a total surprise!

 

[merilenda]

I find the discussion of abbreviations fascinating.

I am an absolute stickler for spelling, punctuation and proper capitalization. I'll catch my own typos sometimes (on PS) and CRINGE--often because it's too late to edit because someone has quoted or because it's just too late. My mother was an English major and I grew up with this stuff being beaten into my head. Grammar? Not such a stickler because I've found that I tend to structure my sentences differently from most people.

I also grew up in the A/S/L age and it never affected me. In my office we use a TON of abbreviations, and while I've gotten used to using some of them, I don't use them all of the time. I've found that often it takes longer for me to think about the abbreviation than it would for me to just type out the full word. What is more efficient?

Here is something you might find in my office:

"We heard from ALJ on clmt, need more txment and med recs so we can write a medsum. Also need dr ?aires so we can write OTR. SS left a VM about PIA, and clmt needs to go to PERC appt so they can get SSI and then DIB. Call adj at DDS."

In reality this only makes sense structurally, none of this would be strung together the way it is, but you get the idea of what it looks like. I have to think about it to write "clmt", "?aires" and "txment" in particular. The rest of it was so intense that I had to make a list of acronyms because we used them so much.

I often have a bunch of typos because I type out every single word. Eh well.

First of all, I can actually read that, haha (well, most of it anyway). But comprehension is a LOT harder when it's written like that than if it's just written out fully.

Second, I'm a lot like you, Freke. I'm a total stickler for spelling, punctuation, and grammar. It sounds like we might work in similar fields, and I know that there's been a lot of problems with people using unofficial abbreviations and acronyms in official medical records where I've worked. It's actually a big problem when these records are used in court, etc.

Sorry if I'm off-topic, but I just totally identified with Freke's post.

Nicoleben, I really do wish you luck. I haven't gotten involved in any of this, but I've read most the thread. My field is in mental health, so I'm also pretty familiar with Bipolar. I'm sure you know this better than anyone, but that is an incredibly difficult diagnosis to control without meds. Anyway, I hope you've been able to calm down a little and you can enjoy this time. I'm not talking down at you at all here - I admit that I caused a few disagreements with my now-FI before we were engaged. I think probably most of the people here have at some point. I actually relaxed a lot once we started seriously looking at rings. I knew we were on the same page, and I knew that it would happen within a certain amount of time. Time goes fast, so don't go wishing your life away!

Oh and for me, I'll just tell you that we've been even happier than ever since we got engaged. Things are more relaxed and we've had less dumb arguments. Granted, we're not planning a major wedding, so that stress isn't there.

Anyway, good luck to you and your FF.