Well, after cheating on my diet this weekend, I’ve almost recovered the little bit of ground I lost.  It would have been better if I’d not “fallen off the wagon” so to speak, but at least I didn’t do too much damage.

Goodness, I haven’t used/heard that expression in a long time:  so to speak

It may still be too soon . . . years ago, before we even had Jami (so at least 10 years), I met someone who literally used that phrase every other breath.  Oh, my, goodness.  It was so annoying.  We have a barbecue every 4th of July, and this particular 4th my husband invited a fellow teacher to stop by.  Well, he brought his girlfriend.  Oh, my, goodness.

This girl used that phrase at the end of EVERY sentence.  It was like a nervous tic:

“I took a quilting class where we learned to piece quilt tops, so to speak.  The teacher told us how important it was to invest in quality fabrics, so to speak.  Cheap or “bargain” fabrics are no bargain, so to speak . . .”

I am not exaggerating this at all.  I think that was one of the longest days because it got to the point where I couldn’t really focus on what she was saying because I was so fascinated by the “so to speaks.”  I started counting them in my head . . . I tried not to grab her by the shoulders and say “SNAP OUT OF IT!” 

I went through a phase when I was a kid where I said “you know” a lot.  I am so grateful that my mother stayed on my case until that habit was broken!