Learned Something New and Surgery Update, Sort of,

Midland, Michigan
January 8, 2019 10:26am CST
I followed a link to a mylotters offsite blog and saw a typo which I notified them about. But, before finishing my suggestion I thought I'd make sure I was right and found that I was wrong myself in the correct spelling of the term they meant to use. As many people know English can be a difficult language to learn and keep straight. The blog was about a hobby of sorts and the person said it was their favorite pass time. I thought I was correct in using past-time. I knew past was the correct word, but found out that what it should be is one word pastime. So, come to find out, I've been using it incorrectly for a long time too. I'll be including a link to a blog that I don't make anything on which explains the different words within sentences. I called the surgeons office last week to inform them that my wound was healed and to request a date for surgery for my knee replacement on the other knee. My first surgery on the left knee was Feb of 2017. The right knee was planned for June of 2018, but the wound kept pushing the date of surgery back until it was cancelled. The office gal contacted me today and we have a tentative appointment set up for Feb of this year. I'm hoping to have the surgery sometime in May or June, but last year I had to wait four months to get in for an appointment and then there was another wait of several months before surgery, unless my memory isn't serving me and I requested the surgery to be later in the year. I asked whether there was a wait time before surgery could be scheduled if I didn't see the doctor until next month and it looks like it may work for me to have it when I want. The problem will be whether I can go to the appointment because I also have Jury Duty for all of February if they even need me.
I noticed a couple of days ago in a book I’m editing that the author confused pass time with pastime, and I thought that meant perhaps others are having trouble with these words, too. Here’s a quic…
9 people like this
10 responses
@shaggin (71573)
• United States
8 Jan 19
Why do you have jury duty for an entire month? I have always used pastime incorrectly as well. Learned something new today that hopefully I will be able to remember.
2 people like this
• Midland, Michigan
8 Jan 19
Have you ever done Jury Duty before? I had it twice. The first time more than fifteen years ago. We call the courthouse each week at the end of the week to see whether we're serving the next week or not. I never had to go in the first time I was scheduled for it. Then I got the papers to serve a few years ago but in the summer months. I told them if I did it five people would be out of work for that month, and they allowed me to not serve, Since Feb is our slowest month at work and we're not busy with windows yet, it's a good time to do it. Work will pay me my wage for any portion of my shift that have to be a juror. If I didn't get paid from work I wouldn't be able to afford doing it. That's one reason I decided to go back to work later this month so just in case I did have to be a juror I would have some work time in to benefit my company too.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (71573)
• United States
8 Jan 19
@MarshaMusselman hmm so odd I think when my children's father was called for jury duty he just went and then he had to return on a certain day to do it. He was not paid by his father who he worked for because he was considered a sub contractor even though he really was an employee. His dad put him that on taxes so he wouldn't have to pay for workman's compensation insurance. So anyway he had to take those two days off of work and drive a half hour there and a half hour back. Has was really high at the time and after the two days he was given $12 for jury duty. He lost two days of work so he lost out on $100.
1 person likes this
• Midland, Michigan
8 Jan 19
@shaggin He may have been able to request to be removed because serving would be considered a hardship. If my work didn't pay something for days at work I might miss, I'd get out of it or that reason.
1 person likes this
@amadeo (111956)
• United States
8 Jan 19
I flunk Jury Duty
2 people like this
@amadeo (111956)
• United States
8 Jan 19
@MarshaMusselman No because of my deafness.
1 person likes this
• Midland, Michigan
8 Jan 19
@amadeo Oh, I didn't realize that you were deaf. Did that happen early on in life after you got the measles in the service, Fredo? I've heard that can be a result of having measles later in life or after one graduates into adulthood at whatever age that might be. If you can't hear well, that may also be another reason why you have the ringing in your ears. Maybe they both appeared around the same time in your life then?
• Midland, Michigan
8 Jan 19
What do you mean by that exactly? I'm sure you wouldn't have to do it now with your health concerns, but did you never do it when you were young?
@m_audrey6788 (58487)
• Germany
8 Jan 19
I`m also confused with the usage of past time and pastime.
2 people like this
• Midland, Michigan
8 Jan 19
Did you read the link? She explains it very well and has several sentence choices to show each one. If you're still confused, I'll see if I can help.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (157563)
• Boise, Idaho
8 Jan 19
Maybe you will luck out and not be needed. Sometimes it is nice not to be needed.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (157563)
• Boise, Idaho
9 Jan 19
@MarshaMusselman .....Yes, I did. I have missed out twice now.
1 person likes this
• Midland, Michigan
8 Jan 19
Lol, I had to reread a part of my discussion to connect with your response as I was thinking of my knee surgery and thinking how would that not be needed? Of course, you mean me being a juror. Since I've never done it, I might not mind checking it out but not everyday the whole month.
1 person likes this
• Midland, Michigan
9 Jan 19
@celticeagle I'm somewhat surprised that it doesn't come around more often than it does, but then again I'm also glad that it doesn't too. If I were retired and not so busy it might be different.
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64363)
• United Kingdom
9 Jan 19
I hope you get your surgery at a convenient time for you Marsha. I've always used pastime correctly but have noticed that past, passed etc are some of the most incorrectly written terms.
1 person likes this
• Midland, Michigan
15 Jan 19
I've noticed that before too along with contractions, then and than, and a whole slew of words to numerous to name.
1 person likes this
@amadeo (111956)
• United States
8 Jan 19
a busy woman there.First thing first you need to heal there.
2 people like this
@amadeo (111956)
• United States
8 Jan 19
@MarshaMusselman sorry I thought that you all ready had the surgery.Me bad
1 person likes this
• Midland, Michigan
8 Jan 19
Heal from what? I can't heal from the knee surgery until after the surgery is performed. I can get around fine at present.
• Midland, Michigan
8 Jan 19
@amadeo I had the surgery on the first knee two years ago and have been waiting to have the second knee done since last year. But, because I had that wound they wouldn't keep me on the schedule until after it was healed. Now, I get to start the process all over again, but this time it should be faster.
@marlina (154183)
• Canada
8 Jan 19
I have always use the word "pastime" correctly in English. My first language is French
1 person likes this
• Midland, Michigan
9 Jan 19
I'm thinking that many people that learned English as a second language possibly get more right than those of us learning it from birth. Although, I don't think that was a term used much when I was young. Work was more a part of life and while one had hobbies, they weren't allowed into our days as much as is common now.
@mom210 (9023)
• United States
8 Jan 19
oh goodness, I know the knee replacement will help so much. A lot of my friends have had them and are so happy
@DianneN (246452)
• United States
8 Jan 19
I truly hope you can get your knee surgery scheduled at a time that works out for you. I taught English for years and get confused at times. The English language isn't an easy one, even for those of us whose first language is English.
1 person likes this
@just4him (303324)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
9 Jan 19
All of February? Jury duty here is only one week. Courtney said her jury duty was only one day. It's amazing how different states have different laws for jury duty. I hope you'll be able to get the surgery when you want it and you won't need to reschedule again. I'm glad the wound is healed. I find words I've known and written for many years to be wrong too, to my embarrassment. That one I happened to know. I'm very happy I have both Grammarly and Prowritingaid to help me with my spelling and grammar. I also get another grammar check from somewhere on the use of homonyms and the correct spelling. I've missed on a couple of those to my shame. I'm grateful for all the help I can get to keep my work typo-free. (I have Grammarly on all my comments so I can correct any issues as they come up.)