Two things that drive me nuts. Part II

FIRST

The word "hella."

I can't stand it. I don't remember when I first heard it, but I know that I didn't like it. If I've said it, it was by accident. I do my best not to use this word and I do my best not scream at the people who do. (Especially since one of my best friends says it all the time, but I forgive her.) Gwen Stefani and those three guys who follow her around did me a great disservice when they used this word in a song that the idiot masses of this nation took into their barely beating hearts.

I do know where this word came from. It all started by someone somewhere shortening the phrase "hell of a" into one word. That way instead of saying, "I had a hell of a good time." they could be more succinct and say, "I had a hella good time." Then it started to be used out of that context, like if someone says, "This song's hella good." Doesn't that translate into: "This song's hell of a good"? Does that make sense to anyone? It's "hell of a good" what? It doesn't make sense! AAAARRRRRG!

Whenever I hear the word "hella" used, I cringe inside. It may not look like it, but a piece of my soul is torn out each time that so called word is used. Yeah, I know that English is one of the most accepting languages in the world and there are probably more variations on it than any other language out there, but my knowing that still won't make me like that word.

And for you jokers out there who want to fill up my comments with posts using the word "hella" go right ahead, just know that I already knew you were thinking of doing it. Not so funny anymore, is it?

SECOND

The phrase "Take it easy."

I just don't understand this phrase. Take what easy? Life? Work? School? Girls? Masturbation? Love? Sex? The Monkees? What? I don't know what I should take easy.

Maybe it's about stealing. "Take [the money or the car or the dog or the magazine or the candy or the keys or the baby] easy." I don't think that's right, though.

Why not just say "bye" or "good-bye" or "I hope to see you later" instead of "Take it easy"? Those are things that I understand, that I trust you mean. That I don't assume it is a pleasantry you use just to lull me into a calm before you hit me over the head and take my wallet, easy.

And I know it's not the people who say it. One of my mom's friends is a wonderful persons, but her way of saying "bye" is always "Take it easy." In person or on the phone and probably even in e-mail. I doubt she even realizes she says it, like all those people who say "you know?" or "know what I mean?" at the end of almost every sentence.

Even if the "it" in this phrase was to be defined, I think the phrase would drive me nuts. It's been used so much it's become meaningless, and for this phrase it wasn't a long move.