SUNDAY MAY 9, 2021 - SUNDAY FUNDAY

MAY OR CAN

I have been substitute teaching.  One of the questions I get is “Can I go to the bathroom?”  Of course, the correct question is “May I go to the bathroom”.  The word “Can” is the ability.  “Can I play tuba?” Yes, “Can I play your piano?”  

The word “may” is for permission.  “May I play your piano?” is asking for permission to play the other person’s piano.  It might be a valuable piano and they don’t want me messing with it.  In the case vein “Can I play your piano” is a question about knowledge and ability.  I can play piano, but not very well.  I can play chords with my left hand and try a simple melody with my right hand.  

So, if you are out someplace and need the restroom, “May I use the restroom” is the correct question.  

And, of course, the word “May” has another meaning - the month of May!!!

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STORIES (copied from  https://www.rd.com/jokes/funny-stories/) 

“One of my wife’s third-graders was wearing a Fitbit watch, which prompted my wife to ask, “Are you tracking your steps?” “No,” said the little girl. “I wear this for Mommy so she can show Daddy when he gets home.”   (Good idea - the kid is probably going to be more active than the mom!!)

“I was admiring my aunt’s necklace when she surprised me by announcing, “I’m leaving it to you in my will.” I was overjoyed, perhaps too much. “Oh!” I shouted. “I’m looking forward to that!”

“When I was a proofreader, I shared with my coworkers this example to illustrate how writing can skew based on gender: A professor wrote on the blackboard, “Woman without her man is nothing.” The students were then instructed to insert the proper punctuation. The men wrote, “Woman, without her man, is nothing.” The women wrote, “Woman! Without her, man is nothing.”

This is similar to the semi-popular grammar book of years ago.  The text was ``Pandas eat, shoots and leaves”.  So the fiction that does with that is:

“A panda goes into a restaurant and has dinner, then he shoots the waiter and leaves the restaurant.”  In this case, commas make the difference, “Pandas eat shoots and leaves” (with no commas.

I am not a perfect writer.  I use the Grammarly free version and I have these stats from last week:

Productivity:  I was more productive than 96% of Grammarly users.  (That’s because I write this daily blog

Mastery:  I was more accurate than 89% of Grammarly users.  (Oops - when I do my grammar checks before I publish I have many mistakes - and more often with commas!!!)

Vocabulary:  You used more unique words than 96% of Grammarly users.  (I like that!!!)

Then Grammarly gives these statistics:

Confident - 23%

Friendly - 20%

Optimistic - 16%

I’m happy with those statistics - being confident, friendly, and optimistic is good in my opinion!!!!  (I think Pollyanna would approve)

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NATIONAL DAYS

Today is Mother’s Day

The write up is: “

Remember when the Peace Corps adopted the slogan “The toughest job you’ll ever love”? No offense, Peace Corps, but that adage is more appropriate for motherhood — a job that is ever-changing and frequently exasperating. Moms don’t get days off, nor do they receive handsome salaries or generous pensions. Instead, their rewards come in the form of sticky kisses, necklaces made of elbow macaroni, and the satisfaction of seeing their children grow up to be happy, healthy adults. That’s probably not adequate compensation — so give Mom an extra hug on Mother’s Day, the second Sunday in May, just in case, and follow our guide to giving back.

Today, May 9th is National Lost Sock Memorial Day

The link says it all “National Lost Sock Memorial Day, celebrated annually on May 9, honors all the socks that are no longer with us. Where did they go? We are not certain but what we do know is that losing one sock of a perfectly matched pair is a widespread phenomenon. So much so that we have a day on which to honor those socks we have loved and lost.”

I have no idea where the socks go - but I do lose them.  I do have a bunch of white socks for exercising and I try to get the same socks so if I lose one, I’m okay!!!

Monday is National Women's Checkup day

“We jump at any chance to celebrate women and their importance in our lives, which is why we love National Women’s Checkup Day, held every year on the second Monday in May, on May 10 this year. To continue a bit of a theme, this day comes up right after the world celebrates Mother’s Day. In fact, it is celebrated on a Monday directly after Mother’s Day. Held to focus on the importance of regular checkups and doctor’s visits, this day encourages all women to take more steps and maintain better health.

Today in History - 1974 - The Watergate scandal. 

The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee opens impeachment hearings against President Richard Nixon, voting to impeach him on three counts on July 30.

The impeachment was the result of the scandal involving the bungled burglary of the offices of the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate apartment complex in Washington, D.C., on June 23, 1972. Eventually, it was learned that there was a criminal cover-up that went all the way to the White House. Nixon, facing the impeachment proceedings, resigned the presidency on August 8, 1974. His resignation had a major impact on the situation in Vietnam. Nixon had convinced South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu to consent to the provisions of the Paris Peace Accords by personally promising (on more than 30 occasions) that the United States would re-enter the conflict if the North Vietnamese violated the peace agreement. 

WRAP-UP

Have an awesome week my friends.  Mothers, relax and enjoy Mothers Day; Dads - make sure you take care of your special gift today!!!!  

Enjoy the beauty of May (and you don’t have to ask permission “May I enjoy the May weather”?)

LOVE WINS

HUGS

Karen