License to Spell

I admit it, I can't help it, I mentally spell check and correct grammar in my head when I read. Books, newspapers, billboards, emails, letters...anything. I blame my sixth grade English teacher, Miss Skokos, who, while teaching us the Greek and Latin roots of our every day English language, instilled a love of writing in me. She also told us stories about misspellings on billboards and signs in local public places, and about how she'd call the owners/advertisers to helpfully point out the errors and expect them to fix their signs.

Unless someone specifically asks me to proofread something I bite my tongue and try to read for content.  Besides, in these times of computer-speak and Facebook, sometimes it's hard to tell if something is misspelled or just shorthand. LOL.

Several times a week, while walking Excalibur, we pass a neighbor's car with one of those magnetic signs advertising their business. "License Massage Therapist" just leaps out at me. I don't think my neighbor  massages licenses. I think it's more likely he is a "Licensed Massage Therapist". Would I call the phone number on this sign and recommend a correction? No. Would I smuggle a black Sharpie along on one of our walks and correct the sign myself? No.

I saw this neighbor the other day and he's kind of a big scary looking guy. No one I'd want massaging me, that's for sure. I'm just going to keep walking past that sign and not say anything. When I saw my neighbor, he was angrily rummaging through his garbage cans.

Maybe he was looking for a "D".