Yes, I'm Hot in This by Huda Fahmy for September 04, 2020

Reminds me of Lt. Commander Data’s reaction to Dr. Pulaski’s mispronunciation of Data’s name. “Dayta, Datta, what’s the difference?” “One is my name; the other is not.”

I would like to meet the artist one of these days, but I’m scared I’ll mispronounce her name and she will end me.

actually seems easy

I have a simple, five-letter, phonetically-spelled name. It is very unusual, but similar to other names that are not mine.

When I was a child, I was too shy to speak out. In my 20s I corrected mistakes almost always – exceptions being a “humorous” police officer in a foreign country where I was working and needed a driver’s license, and a friend of my mom’s who thought he was funny. It didn’t help. By my mid-30s, I just rolled with it.

Now I realize that there are often reasons, some good (poor hearing), some bad (can’t be bothered), some normal human (didn’t listen carefully enough). None of it is worth getting stressed over at this point, I’m nearly 60 with enough real problems to deal with. Plus, if they think they’re being funny, ignoring them is all they deserve.

I’m sorry, Huda, but it only gets better if you stop meeting new people, and that gets boring, fast.

A version of my last name has a “g” in it, mine does not. I’ve been fighting that “g” all of my life.

My family name is one that is sometimes spelled with an “e” on the end. People always ask me if the has the the “e”. I tell them, “No. We’re not pretentious.”

I pity my mother. Her maiden name was Shcherbatskii.

A little grumpy today? Don’t take it out on poor Susan—she kinda has a point.

My boyfriend’s name is Zsombor. Quite a few people have a hard time pronouncing it. I ask them if the can pronounce Zsa…as in Zsa Zsa Gabor. They pronounce it perfectly. When I tell them to just put a “mbor” at the end of “Zsa”, quite a few people can’t do it. Some have got it though. My mom gave up and told him “I’m just going to call you ‘Bob’”. I felt so bad. : (

My name is pretty easy, I think. I go by “Shell”. Short for Michelle. It is amazing how many people it throws though. As if it is the most different name they ever heard of. People can just be weird. ; )

Susan, next time, say ,,Who da hell?"

I feel like this is a message to certain criticisms of the strip. Not that I’m complaining.