1. My last post spoke of the use of the word “pussy” and the one way that word offends me.  I thought it prudent to also state for the record I find Trump’s statement as a whole offensive; he stated in graphic terms that he gropes women without their permission. I didn’t go there for two reasons.
A. I didn’t want to debate whether Trump is suited to hold the office of POTUS, I’ve done my best to be non-political.
B. I took it for granted everyone thought it offensive.

I believe no one should have to endure an assault, be it male, female, sexual, physical or verbal.  Of course some acts are more egregious than others, but no act of assault should ever be condoned.

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2. My co-worker posted recently on social media a blog regarding “The Dutch Reach.”  Sure it sounds like something Donald Trump might do when nobody’s looking, but it’s actually a potential life-saving technique everyone should use before they open the driver’s side door while parked on a street.

According to the article, “The Dutch Reach is a practice where instead of using your near hand — usually the driver’s left hand — to open your car door, you use your far hand. Your right hand. In doing that, you automatically swivel your body. And you position your head and shoulders so you are looking directly out. First, past the rearview mirror. And then, you are very easily able to look back and see if there are oncoming bicycles or cars or whatever.”

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3.  I have some words of advice for those struggling on what life is all about: “Be kind, help where you can and don’t look inward…look outward. See your environment, and truly see the person in front of you.”

Start by making this planet better by enhancing another’s life, one person at a time.

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4. I can’t express how much I miss my dog Sammy, and so I’m allowing the possibility of adopting another pound puppy.  Yes, we got Candy last Spring for my dad, but she rarely visits me, so I started perusing pet adoption sites of the local animal shelters.  It didn’t take long before I came across this photo and I had to go see if we were a match.
How sweet is she?  9 pounds and about 2 years old (a little younger than I want, but look at that face!)
Well I drove directly to the Camarillo shelter after work just in time to see her owner get reunited with her.  She was so happy; it was a bittersweet moment.  When I was leaving I saw her and her owner walking away, it appears he is homeless, which is sad, but they made a lovely couple, and hopefully he won’t let her get away again.

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5.  I’ve mentioned before how stores rarely cater to single people and if they do, it’s more expensive; but now I have another pet peeve and it has to do with fast food coupons. All of a sudden, they’re two for one!  WTF!!  I don’t need two burgers.  I need a discount on the one meal I want to buy.

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6.  From my Grammar Nerd file:
If the majority of people mispronounce a word, does that then make it correct?  One of my pet peeves has always been the coo-pon vs cue-pon debate. I’ve always sided with the coo-pon camp, so I was surprised when I stumbled upon a blog on this very topic.  They said that Coupon.com commissioned a nationwide poll and found that 57 percent of the people polled pronounce the word as cue-pon.
Furthermore, if you look up the word on Dictionary.com (Random House Dictionary) they give both pronunciations.
Source Article
I investigated further and found a Pronunciation Note on Dictionary. com explaining the origin of the difference which gives understanding:
“Coupon, related to copeand coup,is of French origin. It has developed an American pronunciation variant [kyoo-pon] with an unhistorical y -sound not justified by the spelling. This pronunciation is used by educated speakers and is well-established as perfectly standard, although it is sometimes criticized. Its development may have been encouraged by analogy with words like curious, cupid,and cute,where c is followed by a “long u” and the [y] is mandatory.”
Source page

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7. Apparently you can push semi-illiterate people too far.

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8. A quick of word of advice, don’t text questions, unless the question can be a five-word-or-less response.

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9.  I have a confession, In less than a month I got through the entire PBS Masterpiece Theater series, “Downton Abby.” It’s just soooo good!  I now understand the term “binge-watching.”

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10. I saw a headline recently which read, “Why ex-KKK leader’s son fled the movement.”  Do we really need to ask why?

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11. Have you ever walked into a bar or music venue and thought to yourself, “These are not my people”?

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12.  From my favorite quotes file: “Good manners are appreciated as much as bad manners are abhorred.” – Bryant H. McGill

Thanks for listening!