Proof Reading My OCD compulsion

Growing up an only child of divorced parents in an extended upper middle class family, I was taught at a young age that proper use of English made the difference in how people treated you, whether it was the spoken language or the written. It wasn't until I got to college that I finally 'got' the written language. The most important information the professor told us was: There are more ways to write a sentence correctly, than there are to write it incorrectly. That professor ruined me for life.

Ever since that class, I cannot read the newspaper, search articles online for information, or even simply check out a website or advertisement without finding spelling and/or grammatical errors. I drive my children and husband crazy with my almost obsessive compulsive behavior about spelling and grammar. I recently told my daughters new boyfriend that I couldnt understand how he managed to graduate after I proofread his college paper. I have stopped going to our local news stations websites due the lack of written news. I spent an entire year emailing them with an offer of proofreading services at half the cost of their copywriters, but never heard anything. Apparently, they prefer their stories to be lackluster and full of mispellings and errors.

Obviously, everyone is going to make a mistake here and there, and these minor infractions are not what gets my goat. Its the mistakes that spell check doesnt catch, but every child with a 6th grade education can. I thought about starting a proofreading company. My father suggested I find websites with errors and send them an email pointing out 5 and offering my services for a price. Frankly, I just don't know where to start.

So, if any of you who happen to come across my site ever has need of an off-site proofreader, HERE I AM!