PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

This is one of three departments I run. No one tells me when to open this department or what it should do. So call me a dictator, with the ability to call out pet peeves when I choose to do so.

USING PLURAL PRONOUNS TO MODIFY SINGULAR NOUNS: One of my pet peeves is when otherwise good writers use a plural pronoun to modify a singular subject. Here is an example from hill.com:

“The jury in the trial of Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort will begin their third day of deliberations on Monday.”

The word “their” should have been the word “its” as a modifier of the single noun, “jury.”

Does anyone care about this pet peeve? Probably not much, but for whatever reason, the mistake is one that grates on my ears.

THE WORD “TRADITION:” Or, for another pet peeve, consider the word “tradition.” It is often said that a tradition is being started. Impossible. You cannot start a tradition.

Here is the dictionary definition of the word: “The handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice.”

Thus, what can be done is to start something you hope becomes a tradition.

Does anyone care about this pet peeve? Probably not.

BEING A “TWEENER” IN GOLF: As a golfer, I am what could be called a “tweener.” That means that I carry a single digit handicap, which carries two implications:

(a) I am not able to beat a scratch golfer on a gross score basis (which is fine because, in sports competitions, there is no problem for me if the best player wins), and

(b) I am usually not able to beat a higher handicap player, especially if that player is what we call in the game of golf “a sandbagger.”

Sandbagger refers to a player who does not observe golf as game of honor and, instead, keeps his handicap higher than it should be in order to win most of the time.

Does anyone care about this pet peeve? Probably not. But it was fulfilling for me to write about it in the words above.

THE BLAME GAME PRACTICED BY DONALD TRUMP: I have written several times about this worst of all U.S. presidents. I may do so any time the Department of Pet Peeves opens because Trump deserves to be called out time and again.

In the wake of guilty verdicts for two of his allies – Michael Gohen and Paul Manafort – Trump was quick to blame others…anyone else.

One hopes his blame game only works until he is caught in the net and has to give up the presidency. Our country would be better for it.

Does anyone care about this pet peeve? I hope everyone does.