Redundant Redundacies

I have a big chip on my shoulder about redundancies.  I am a trained journalist, so I am well aware of the rule of avoiding redundancies like "8:00 a.m. in the morning" or "total destruction." 

But I had a boss a few years back who had a bug up his butt about using the same word twice within a piece of writing.  In this case, it was grant reports.  So, he would have everyone proofread everyone else's writing, and if you used a word twice, you were in trouble.  

I have been using words on purpose repeatedly in this blog, for effect, and in my writing in real life for a long time.  I don't think you have to use a fucking thesaurus to compose.  I think some words are fun to use over and over and over.  I would have liked to have had this argument with my boss, but he fired me before I could get to it.   I think this is the one black cloud in my brain that just won't go away.  I got fired for being incompetent as a philanthropist. 

Sigh.  The only other job I was ever fired from was a fast-food restaurant when i was 15.  I was smoking on the job -- even though I didn't smoke.  Found a pack in the dining room after closing and lit one up to be funny.  What I didn't know was my regional supervisor was hiding in the dining room spying on us.   Oh well, I lied and said I was 16 anyway to get the job, so there. 

So, to sum:  don't be redundant unless the redundancy is effective.  Don't work for rich, snobby people, and whatevr you do:  don't smoke on the job.