Hi Lis! Funny, I completely forgot about this post. A dear friend gave me a poinsettia in early Dec (he calls it "the Robert Goulet of plants"). I pretty much neglected it,and it rather quickly withered and finally bit the dust. I threw it out about a week ago, but felt rather guilty (my friend understood). Don't give up. It can't last forever. Thanks for commenting. And Happy New Year!

I meant thanks FOR reading. :))

Thanks, Art! And yes, I DO remember "Outrageous", though for some reason, it never bothered me that much at the time (definitely not as much as "awesome"). There are too many annoying expressions today to even count (let's unpack them all). Thanks or reading...please share with others who might appreciate my rant.

Thanks, Brad! Sounds like a good solution. I dread having to replace our mattress, but will remember this for next time.

I know what you mean, Eileen. I've noticed that, too. Do they all have a clause in their contracts saying they have to wear sleeveless??

Thanks, Kirsten. Nice to know there is a 32 year old woman out there who understands.

Oh gosh, I hear you. Good luck and thanks for writing.

Sorry, Anya...I feel your pain. But hopefully, you will like the new mattress. I like ours. Just wish the process wasn't so arduous. Good luck!

I agree! She is the exception.

Thanks, Jennifer! And congratulations! I should warn you I don't post very often...too busy with work. But I'm thrilled to have you as a subscriber. Please share the blog with others...it really helps me find new readers. Thanks again!

Hi Dee, Sorry to hear your story. I feel your pain. I understand only too well. Compared to you, I think we have had it relatively easy. That said, our "new" bed (only 2+ years old) is now saggy and mushy and I think it gives me hip pain. These beds are NOT meant to last. By the way, don't know if you saw it, but I was quoted in a recent NY Times article about mattress shopping. I can't seem to add the link here...but Google "An Easy Choice Dream On New York Times October 8, 2014 Steven Kurutz". The author did a deep dive into this topic -- interesting. And check out the comments, too. People have strong feelings about this topic!

Hi Darden, No, the blog has no relationship to the medical condition. The name is just a play on words, connoting general world weariness.

You are most welcome, Danielle. Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone out there. I agree with everything you said. My office is the same way. And no, you can't get used to it! Impossible. Have you noticed all the female voiceovers on tv commercials also have The Voice? There's no escape.

I hear you! I have the same reaction. My self esteem plummets every time I see her toned biceps.

It's good to know I'm not alone in the wilderness! Also: a mere quarter page tribute in People Magazine. And barely more than that in Time and Newsweek. I expected entire souvenier tribute issues of LIFE or People. Really, all I should expect these days is to be disappointed.

So true. And she got scant attention on the Oscars show. That was sad to see. I hoped for some type of tribute.

Sorry to hear all this. I think the mattress retailers are determined to give us all mental breakdowns. Good luck.

Hah! Exactly right.

Thanks, Alan. Glad you are inspired by this topic! I, like, am interested in your theory about "like". You may be right. I don't know. One of my colleagues uses a similarly wishy-washy expression -- she says, "sort of" all the time. As in, "I guess we could sort of have the meeting on Tuesday and if we sort of agree to move forward, then the next step would be to create a sort of budget." I'm not exaggerating. One of my favorite meeting games is to count the "sort of's"! I don't think this is a common trend. It's just her own verbal tick. But it's in keeping with your theory about unassertive women. Sadly, I say "like" constantly. So I can't claim to be above all that. But it definitely annoys me when I hear it from others. Especially when I hear it from the "baby voiced" Val Girls. Truly, it's The Voice that puts me over the edge.

Michael - thank you for those nice comments. I haven't had time to write in a very long while, so your feedback is great encouragement. Fortunately, I've adapted to the new mattress. Thank God. As I've said many times before, any day I don't have to go mattress shopping is a good day! Thanks again for reading and commenting.

Hi Alan, Thank you for your comments. Great to know I am not the only one who is driven to distraction by "The Voice"! I think (hope) the media is starting to pick up on this trend. The recent film, "In a World" touched on the topic...but only briefly. I now have to stop myself from approaching women and shouting, "WHY are you speaking that way??!!" The urge is becoming overwhelming.

Thanks so much! Appreciate the nice feedback.

Sandy - Sorry to hear your tale of woe. Like I always say, any day I don't have to shop for a new mattress is a good day. Just seeing the mattress commercials on tv gives me the willies. Good luck!

Thanks for your observations, Jonathan. You make a convincing case for placing the blame for all this on the Disney Channel. Maybe they are the original culprit, who knows. But as you say, we can definitely blame Corporate Hollywood/TV. I have assiduously avoided most of the sitcoms you mentioned, so I haven't heard as many guys speaking Val Talk, but I suspect you are right about that. I work with young, techie guys, and I really don't hear Val Speak much (just "awesome!" which is the only word anyone uses around here). Every time I hear the young women around me speaking this way, I am completely bewildered as to WHY, oh why, does this new crop of 2013 females (and some of the guys) aspire to speaking like (childish) morons? Is this a backlash to Women's Lib? Or a reaction to MEN being threatened by grown-up sounding women? I don't know. But it's a sad commentary on our so-called "culture".

Hi Carol, Sorry to hear about your mattress travails. But why do you only have 2 weeks to return it? That is outrageous. Most of the major retailers allow 2-3 months to return a mattress. All I can tell you is it took me some time to adjust to our new mattress (both of our new mattresses), but I eventually did adjust. So don't give up -- it could get better. Hope so!