Monday Morning: On Flying Phones, Pronouns, and Syria.

Hi Guys,

I guess that term "guys" has such wide, and gender neutral, usage that I can employ it as an all-encompassing greeting, right? This is another of those mushy-brain type days, and no, it doesn't have anything to do with yesterday's birthday celebrations, which were very low key.

Maybe it's the Monday syndrome, but I can't come up with a good blog topic. Here are some of my ideas, but none of them are panning out. If there is something all y'all would like to see, feel free to leave a comment.

Topic One: The correct use of the pronoun "y'all." As evidenced by the previous paragraph, I'm a southerner, I understand the nuances of usage. For the Yanks reading this, it's really quite simple. Contrary to what Wikipedia says, "y'all" is the singular form of the contraction. The correct plural is "all y'all" as in, "All y'all lookit dem trailers."

Topic Two: Smart Phone Tips. This seems to be a hot talking point, so I thought a blog post might work, but I can't come up with enough material.  So far I have two:

• Never text with one hand and drive with your other. Use your knees like everyone else.
• Recalcitrant cell phones should be rapidly tossed from the window of your van. Don't wait on your next upgrade. I know this from experience, and the phone still resides in a field between Martinsville and Henry, on the east side of Route 220.

Topic Three: Syrian intervention. The British wrested control of Syria from the Turks in 1916. Unfortunately, the Sykes-Picot agreement between England and France divided the Middle East into French and British spheres of influence, so in 1923 France invaded and conquered Syria. This cycle occupation continued till 1946, when the last French soldier left Syria. Notice that nowhere in that history is the United States mentioned. So why, exactly, is it our problem? Seems to my simple mind that Britain and France should take the lead on this. All y'all agree?

See you tomorrow.