Bad, Mad, and Sad - Next Step in Skin Cancer Recovery!

Here’s the thing about English teachers, even former English teachers, we all have our personal grammar pet peeves. And some of us have A LOT of grammar pet peeves. I, for instance, hate it when people use apostrophes to make a plural, or use the word “myself” when “me” is appropriate or confuse it's and its...

There are more (don't even get me started on there, they're and their) but you probably get the picture.

I’m not saying I always speak perfectly because I don’t. I mix metaphors, I end sentences with prepositions…In fact, I’m frequently guilty of NPR Grammar Hall of Shame’s #1 error (in related news, how dorky is it that I actually know the NPR Grammar Hall of Shame?!) misuse of the words “me” and “I.”  I say things like “This is a picture of Opie and I” instead of “Opie and me” because it somehow sounds better even though it’s wrong. I have to correct myself on this all the time.

And if you think it’s annoying when someone else corrects your grammar, you should think how poor Opie feels when I shout out corrections for both of us.

Friends of ours got me
this bag a few years
 ago and it's so true!

But I digress…

I was going to talk about my personal #1 Grammar Pet Peeve – the misuse of the word “badly.”  Even more specifically, when people say “I feel badly.”

If you say this, please note that “I feel badly” does not describe your emotional state. It actually means there is something wrong with your ability to feel. Like you have nerve damage.

It is interesting to note that I have actually complained about this so much with this exact explanation to Opie that when someone on television says “I feel badly” we now both say “Nerve damage?” at the same time.

Anyway, there’s a whole long grammatical explanation for the “I feel badly” issue that has to do with linking verbs versus action verbs and how adverbs and adjectives work...but if you didn’t pay attention to your English teacher back in high school, you’re probably not that interested in a grammar lesson now.

So, just trust me, “I feel badly” is wrong.

And if you don’t want to take my word for it, think about this: you don’t feel madly, sadly, or gladly do you?!

Of course not, that would be ridiculous.

Anyway, you might be wondering what in the holy heck this has to do with skin cancer recovery. Well, to be fair, I do feel bad, mad, sad and not at all glad that I got skin cancer. But, the thing is....

....Wait for it....

Because of the skin cancer, I also DO feel badly! In the sense that my ability to feel has been compromised! My scalp is still numb where I had a bunch of staples and my nose is numb because it’s new at being a nose and is still getting used to it. But—worst of all—when I touch the flap to clean it or whatever, I don’t feel it on my nose, I FEEL IT ON MY FOREHEAD!

Why?

Because after sustaining all the surgically induced NERVE DAMAGE, the flap feels badly!!!

I’m not going to lie, I tell Opie that with alarming frequency.

But my next surgery is Tuesday. During this one, the doctor is going to cut off the flap to make my forehead and nose separate entities again and all the nerves should start recovering and waking up and I should be on the road to feeling good again (yes, good although well also works when you’re referencing health…but that’s a whole predicate adjective grammar lesson for a different day).

I still won’t be posting pictures of my face for awhile, and I have to have another (more minor) procedure for another spot of cancer on my chin in May which does make me feel bad, mad and sad all over again but I will be able to stop screaming “I FEEL BADLY!” every time I wash my face.

Which will probably be a big relief to Opie.

So, once again, I’d appreciate your thoughts, prayers, positive energy, and cookie donations in lieu of blood sacrifices (I like macarons) while I go under the knife again.

But, whatever you do, don’t feel badly for me because there’s really no need to give yourself nerve damage on my account.

If you want to read more about my skin cancer journey, you can find that info below:

Sunscreen, Skin Cancer and Spiritual Support

Happy Birthday to Me


National Doctors Day

Dogs & Daffodils


And if you want more information on skin cancer in general, check out these articles at the CDC:

CDC - Skin Cancer Information