You must have missed the part in which I wrote, "(bearing in mind the fact that I'm about the complexion of Casper the Ghost)"

The two pics at the top are still frames from the second video linked in the article in which Meredith is telling Derek that she won't go on a date with him and the only relationship they are going to have is professional. Derek seems a bit perplexed by this.

Him: ...First time here, I'm new in town. (first video)

Right? It's called "pulling all-nighters" as you swear up and down "NEVER EVER AGAIN THE LAST MINUTE!!!" That promise never seems to stick. :-P

My grandmother was an English prof. She once had a student approach her to discuss a failed paper. According to her the conversation went like this:

"Thank you for your apology."

Just didn't want you screwing yourself unintentionally for something so avoidable. :-)

Consider it done.

In a lot of jurisdictions, discharging a weapon in the air is a criminal offense, so firing in their general direction may not be your best option.

A person can still be racist even if they aren't white, so likely not.

I keep a spare phone that runs on a battery in my car's emergency kit. Without a SIM-card, it will still dial 9-1-1. It's something I'm of the opinion everyone should have on hand.

The last time I had someone knock on my door unexpeditly in the wee hours of the morn, I approached the door with a punching knife in my waistband, a can of mace in my right hand, and my phone to dial 9-1-1 in my left. The plan was: see who's at the door without opening it. If the person is someone I don't know/don't…

Ditto that! I'm learning fun linguistic traps to avoid as well. Thanks for accidentally bringing it up!

I don't know from Downer's Grove, but I do know from Detroit & Dearborn Heights. DBH is a good 20 minutes+ away from Detroit. It is a suburb in the Detroit-Metro region. It is not a part of Detroit itself.

Yup! I live in Dearborn, just on the border of Dearborn Heights, and it's a really quiet, safe feeling, multi-racial community. If my car broke down (bearing in mind the fact that I'm about the complexion of Casper the Ghost) in the middle of the night in my neighborhood, I'd have absolutely no qualms about knocking…

Social life, family life, religious life, pretty much all life. And for those of us who have different diets, navigating the "food we didn't personally prepare" waters can be very tricky at times. I've found that checking menus ahead of time to make sure we go someplace that has food I can eat and bringing my own food…

I am sure you are a lovely and kind person even though right now you are doing a fantastic impression of a judgmental jackal.

You know, I have met a number of people who have chosen to confide in me about their lap surgeries. Not one of those people was all, "And really, it beat the hell outta yoga and dieting, and I just love having invasive procedures performed and having to sit though recovery time!" Not.a.one. You know what they did tell…

Is it horrible that I read that with the voice of Cher from 'Clueless' ringing in my ears?

If you use Chrome, there is a way around that. :-) You can get a Chrome app called Hola which will unlock websites that are restricted by country access. I've not tried it on PBS yet. Let us know how it goes!