Fixin to, Is it at, This data, Like

So, maybe growing up in central Texas didn’t help the fact that I picked up some regional grammatical errors throughout childhood. Like, I’m fixin’ to get the problem with that data where you are at.
Yes, I am constantly checking myself to avoid using phrases such as “fixin” or the ubiquitous use of “like” and those damn dangling prepositions (Where is it at?). Most recently, I am fighting with the proper usage of the word “data” in its correct plural form. Does this make me odd that I am trying to overcome these issues? I’m certainly not odd for having them.
One cannot converse it seems to a person without the reference to a third person as “like doing something” rather than just “doing something”. Or even better, “He was like, ‘I can’t believe it!’” rather than “He said, ‘I can’t believe it!’” The use of “like” I’m sure would make for an interesting linguistic study. Call me old, but I remember its use as a regional slang for a group of rich girls that lived in upscale San Fernando Valley – “Like totally... oh my God!” Popular culture allowed it spread and now 25 years later, it is “like totally” a grammatical virus (well, maybe not the totally part – that’s dated).
The dangling preposition is another often-misused phrasing that also makes me ask why. Is this because we are lazy? Is it easier to say, “Where is it at?” vs. “Where is it located?” Why not just drop it all together and simply ask, “Where is it?” When one says, “Where are you going to?” doesn’t that seem redundant? I don’t get it, but often it gets me and I have to correct myself.
Oh, and what about the use of words that are not words? Irregardless, for example. I remember in a senior level History of Anthropological Theory class where the professor (who typically presented himself as a know-it-all) used irregardless all the time! This is a person who talked constantly about his degree and studies in English/Writing and the numerous books he has written! Maybe he was just saying that to make everyone scared when it came time for us to write our papers.

Why am I thinking about this right now when I should be sleeping or better yet, working on things that are stacked up on my desk? I came across a short article in the recent AAA Anthropology News that discussed regional accents and the social biases that people might make because of a regional perception of “bad English” (not about Bad English, the “like totally” lame 80’s band). In the article was a web link to the Speech Accent Archive. On this site, individuals can submit a recording of themselves reading a common paragraph aloud, in English. Through this, one can realize that the accents are not the result of “bad English” or bad grammar but to understand the systematic linguistic components based on various regional dialects. I thought it was cool… and well, it got me to write this post of where my recent thoughts about grammar exist, at. No! Not him again!