The Wrong Side

When the alarm goes off during REM sleep I am not a happy camper. This probably accounts for why all I can think about this morning are things that bug me. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

On today’s episode of “Things That Bug Me”:

The Columbia Association is running a membership advert that includes two stock photos of people in the gym. That is, I think they are stock photos. They feel very staged to me. If I had only seen them once or twice I think they wouldn’t bother me. But, the algorithm of Facebook being what it is, I keep seeing these artificially grouped people and after the 100th time they have begun to disturb me. What are those people in the photo thinking? What was the photographer thinking? What was CA thinking when they chose these particular shots?

I guess that familiarity makes me think too much. And that is not a good thing. I’ve become convinced that these photos need captions. The people in them need backstories. I’d share them with you to invite just that but of course you can’t “go looking” for adverts on FB. They just come at you in their own sweet way.

Update: Found them!

                                 (These photographs are the property of the Columbia Association.)

Have you seen the ad I’m talking about? Does it bug you, too? Or is it just me?

The other thing on my mind this morning is this: 

My objection is not based on anything of a political nature. It’s a grammatical mistake in the promotional poster. Can you spot it?

“Performance by Locally Renown Musician”

Augh!

It’s “renowned.” Or, you could say “a local musician of great renown,” I guess.

Yes, we all have our own typos. I correct my own, daily. There may even be some in this post. But, on a promotional poster for such a solemn event, you’d think they’d proof it several times.

I had never heard of Mr. Phebus so I looked him up. He is, as they claim, locally renowned. He’s both a singer and the owner of his own trucking business, which reminds me of this earlier post about life as a working musician. This article, by neighborhoods correspondent Nancy McKenzie, is a delight:

Mount Airy bids farewell to season with last concert of summer series (2015)

Linda Brightwell, of Mount Airy, had something fluffy on her lap, but it wasn't a pet. She was knitting a lap robe for wounded veterans at Bethesda Naval Medical Center.

"I can hum along and knit," said Brightwell, a member of the Lap Robe Angels, a Mount Airy group that knits lap robes for the medical center.

Those neighborhood correspondents bring a personal touch that’s truly irreplaceable. I really hope they are not being discontinued by Baltimore Sun Media Group.

Okay, so I started out cranky but that piece in the Carroll County times brought a smile to my face.

I’ll leave you with a question. If you saw a similar poster promoting a “locally renowned musician” in Columbia/HoCo, whose name would be on it? I can think of one right off the bat, but I’m curious as to what you think.

Have a great Monday. Mine appears to be on the upswing.