No you have to ask for a Sprite here also. The differentiating part is that here we don't say soda, pop, tonic and all that jazz. It is a Coke. Of course, it was invented here so we have had a head start.

Y'all will grow into unviersal acceptance. Just a matter of time.

And, an aside, soccer will beome known as soccer throughut the world. Just a matter of time.

In Venezuela, if you order a Coke, you get Coca Cola. If you order a Coke in Mexico, it comes in powder form.

No youse is a substituion for y'all. Poorly conceived obviously.

In NYC, many will say: "Youse guys should have been there".


In Puerto Rico, if you order a Coca Cola, it costs five dollars.

If you order a Coke at the Atlanta airport, it costs $10. What's your point?

That a coke in PR is half the price of one at the Atlanta airport...

Isn't that kind of a long way to go just to save $5 on a Coke?

It's not that you would. It's that you could.

It is so obvious now that you point it out.

If I WERE smart, I could have figured that out for myself.

Do you need a visa to go to Puerto Rico?

No. Not even to Bermuda. Or Mexico. And they use American money in PR. No conversion tables required. And the food is excellent. In places...

LOL, have I crossed some boundries that I am unaware of or are you just possessive?????

Too funny,
I have lived almost all of these geoslang places...grew up where "youse" was common...moved to Boston and it was like a foreign lingo for the first 6 months due to the rapid speech and adding "er" to all words ending in vowels like a soda was a soder and dropping er on words that already contained them mother...motha

I next ventured south where I was scorned for being a Yankee and to survive in my professeion had to pick up the lingo and use it or loose clients...so I resorted to y'all and "cut off the lights" and "sug" etc

We moved when DD1 entered kindergarten...I wanted to be in a location where phonics made sense when kids are learning to read/write...miss the friendliness and food of the south so instead of having heart disease from great southern cooking we'll get heart disease from stress and the faster pace dog eat dog lifestyle:) What a relief!

Never been on the west coast to try out that culture but I'm sure they would evict me

I guess NZ and U.S. have some common slang we didn't know about <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" />

Howdy,
B-day today and the only event was me insisting H leave...he's gone and hopefully will decide what it is he wants. I know he wants cake and ice cream but that's not on the menu...he said he didn't want to leave but wasn't saying any of the right stuff to make me want him to stay; he says he will only need a few days to figure it out...

I thought I would feel some relief but since there is no real agreed upon plan it is causing me anxiety and dread!

I guess I should try figuring out Todd's alphabet game puzzle...that'll keep me busy for at least a few days:)

KiwiJ,

You should see how much "trouble" my daughter is having with the mid-west "pop". She grew up on the "left coast" (CA), here it is a "soft drink" or a "cola" or a "coke", but never a "pop" which seems to be prevalent in the mid west. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Having lived all over the US I can assure you, that you can indeed tell where people come from and if one really pays attention you can tell what part of certain states.

But, I must tell you an interesting story. Took the family to Europe many years ago when the kids were relatively small. Spent a week in Germany and a week in England. While they enjoy both countries alot, there were actually more comfortable in Germany than England, and we were staying in places where English was not really used.

I asked them why? They said in Germany when they saw a road sign they knew how to pronounce it. In England they did not have a clue. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Further, they had a terrible time with the terminology of every day discourse.

Oddly, they did NOT have that problem in NZ nor Austrailia. Odd isn't it.

I have been wondering why I have not heard "Jumper", "panel beater", "juderbar (sp)" from you? Are you cleaning it up so that us Yanks can understand you?

Always enjoy these sorts of discussions.

JL

2much, I'm sorry about your sitch and Happy Birthday from me anyway. Try to relax. I'm having (work related) panic attacks at the moment as well and they suck.

I'm finding that coming here and joking around with you guys is really helping.

JL, you KNOW I translate into American English so I can be understood. LOL.

Yes, I say "jumper" for "sweater" but "judder bar" is only used in rural (or backward LOL) areas. We call them speed humps or speed bumps here in the city. And what's so funny about "panelbeater" LOL? I remember sitting on a bus in Australia with a bunch of tourists and when they saw "Smash Repairs" written on a car repair business they all pointed and laughed. Couldn't see the joke myself. LOL.

NZ English has far more in common with American English than it does with English English. Sheesh, sometimes even I don't understand Bob Pure. j/k, I'm multilingual LOL.

We're just going out now but I WILL find the Bill Bryson book. It's really, really interesting.

BTW DD told me recently they sat down (which as you know you NEVER do in Italy) in a cafe in Florence and had two cokes and a couple of sandwiches. The two cokes cost them 7euros each. That's NZ$28.00.

2much,

Head Lice is that possessive...

He thinks it is okay if he has an EA with Robby, but I am supposed to sit at home like nothing happened.

And for those who wonder about Head Lice's personality: trust me, he has no personality. He is somewhat intelligent, but in the personality department, he is devoid.

t/j infidleity, infidelity, infidelity.

There, it is out of my system...

end t/j

KiwiJ.,
smirking while typing the period! Thanks for the greeting...I'm trying to relax. I am enjoying the joking diversion as well...occassional flashbacks to reality but at least I can count on yins (another slang instead of youse) to make laugh.

I had to smile when you referred to your work r/t panic attacks...I had a long stretch of that...more like the impending doom, lurking black cloud that never went away until you hit it directly head on...then you had to deal with the hail, rain, sometimes even flooding!

Total mind game that your work buddy pulled on you about "we have to talk" and then letting you brew all w/e. I would act as if I had no care in the world when I arrive at work on Mon if I were you. Sounds like they know which buttons to push...don't let it get to you.

Todd gave you some excellent advice as well...who'da thought that the mad scientist was also an ambassador!!!! No wonder he won the Nobel prize. To date my greatest achievement has been...hhhhmmmmm that is difficult...I have to say on a serious note that I feel like my greatest achievements occurred while I worked hospice. I really bonded with most of the pt/family's and if were receptive to the philosophy I helped them maximize the quality of their last months, weeks, days etc.

I have some great invention ideas that I haven't had the time/$ to patent, not to mention as a gov worker the gov would own them so it'll have to wait until a later date! I wonder Todd since you have the paperclip 747 how'd the patent work out for you on that??? Perhaps you have some advice for me?

I truly invented the McDonald's shaker salad well before it was available...came up with it while on the road alot trying to be healty...too bad they stole it from me!

So what kind of unique NZ culture do you want to share info on???? Do you have a tribal tattoo??? I have 7 myself:)
I got my first shortly after leaving the convent and have been adding to them since...

Hope I've lifted your spirits <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

2much,

Lest I forget, Happy Birthday!!!!

And, BTW, my winning the Nobel was not a joke.

You do realize that don't you?

I mean, a PhD from MIT has to be good for something, right?