English is not always English. Check it out!

Well, it is, but it isn’t. If you’ve ever made a visit across the pond, or, like me, lived there, you know there is British-English and American-English. For those of you who have never been or are planning to go, here’s some words that do not mean the same thing in the England as they do in the USA. No doubt, you will know some of these. But you should see a few surprises as well!

The first word you see will be the American use of the word. The second is the British use.

American/British:

• truck/lorry
• fries/chips
• chips/crisps
• 2 weeks/fortnight
• 2 doors down/next door but one
• gas/petrol
• beer/lager
• egg salad/egg mayonaisse
• cookies/biscuits
• TV/telly
• cup of hot tea/cuppa
• buggy/trolly
• buck/quid
• unemployment/dole
• stroller/pram
• diaper/nappy
• faucet/tap
• Santa Claus/Father Christmas
• stairs/apples and pears
• leftovers/bubble and squeak
• soccer/football
• football/ n/a
• crush/fancy
• rain boots/wellies
• trash can/dust bin
• shag/…..
• sofa/settee
• sprite/lemonade
• closet/wardrobe
• bathroom/bog
• dumpster/skip
• President/Prime Minister
• yard/garden

It took me quite some time of my 5 years living in England to learn these. They also spell many words differently than we do. Another blog, another day.

#1 tip about visiting England: Go in the SUMMER. I know it costs more, but the weather is so much better, it’s worth a few extra bucks.

Bonus tip: Give yourself AT LEAST 10 days to visit (not including travel). Jet lag is terrible going to England (you lose 8+ hours) and not so bad coming back (you gain the same amount of hours).

Extra Bonus tip: Don’t ONLY visit London. You don’t want to miss it, BUT the countryside is “greeting card” beautiful and the whole country is full of history. Take it all in!

I will never live there again BUT I cannot wait to go back and visit for a while!

Talk to you again soon! xoxo

Twitter Tuesday – Inspirational Messages* That Make NO Sense.

Twitter Tuesday – Inspirational Messages* That Make NO Sense..

Twitter Tuesday – Inspirational Messages* That Make NO Sense.

People mean well. They really do. And inspirational messages can be, well, inspiring. But sometimes, people post inspirational sayings and comments that do not make sense or are just flat-out wrong. And, believe it or not, some are from famous authors! Here’s a list of just a few I found today. Let me know what you think. *I will only directly quote someone when their name was posted with the quote. We must give respect where respect is due…

• Living every moment to the fullest leaves no room for change.
• “Nothing that you have not given away will ever truly be yours.” C.S. Lewis
• The most beautiful things shine with you.
• If you aren’t living on the edge, your unbalanced.
• I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and my father.
• 3 eyes. 2 to look. 1 to see.
• All of my thoughts sound like music today.
• A man’s worth is no greater than his ambitions.
• I think everyday can be a new day.
• “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” Milton Berle
• “All things are difficult before they are easy.” Thomas Fulle
• Success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.
• “If you’re afraid of failure, you don’t deserve to be successful.” Charles Barkley
• “Everything happens for a reason.” (This quote always gets me. It should continue with “it’s not always a good reason though.”)

I read through a LOT of quote and many of them were really very good. Best quote I read today that DOES make sense: “Why fit in when you can stand out.” Dr. Seuss

Tomorrow night, I am going for a sleep study. I’ll write about it then. What could possibly go wrong?

xoxo

My Unintentional Blog Turned In To A Must Read.

My Unintentional Blog Turned In To A Must Read..

My Unintentional Blog Turned In To A Must Read.

Unfortunately, the stats show that my blog series called, “Letters from Russia” are proving unpopular with my readers. I understand why. I realize that many people are not concerned with that part of the world and have written Russia off a long time ago. I remember during the Reagan years when each country “knew” the other had their finger on the red button, ready to fire off nukes at a moments notice.

Instead, everything changed. The USSR crumbled, Russia and its neighboring countries left each other alone, while each country tried to make its way through a new, independent way of life. People were encouraged to think for themselves and many grew to love freedom and independence. Finally, the stress we all felt from that part of the world was all but gone.

But all of that has changed now.

Russia’s leader, President Vladimir Putin despises the west, equating it (us) as living in anarchy. This belief is what drives him. He cannot abide by the idea that those countries that border Russia being westernized and pulling further away from Russia. First the Crimea, now, various areas in Ukraine have apparently been taken over by Russian people paid to create major disturbances. In those areas, the Ukraine flag has been taken down and the Russian flag has been erected. Couple this with the continuing and rising unrest on the south and east borders of Ukraine and it appears Putin and Russian officials were lying about moving in to other areas of Ukraine.

Who cares? We ALL should.

If Putin continues taking over areas outside of Russia, the international community will have to get much more heavily involved. President Obama is going to have to do FAR more than he is doing now, which is next to nothing. Most of us were not yet born during WWII, but we know it began with HItler first only wanting Czechoslovakia, then more and more. The question is, does Putin hate (fear) the west so much that he would go back on his word? I believe the answer is yes. He took Crimea with practically no international interference. A few sanctions here and there. Whoop-de-doo. It would be easy enough for him to create disturbances in Ukraine and take them over again, to use his excuse, “to protect Russian speaking citizens”.

The only real risk he would be taking and would be blissfully unaware of is that Russian citizens are not ignorant. They have access to news from around the world. Still, it’s difficult for them to believe anything that shows Russia in a bad light. It is their way to love their homeland and believe in it wholeheartedly. Still, Russians will certainly remember Putin’s promise that he does not want anything from Ukraine (except what he’s already successfully taken). If he takes it further, he will create doubt in the minds of many Russian citizens.

My dear young friend who I have been writing about in my blog series, “Letters from Russia”, contacted me at 1:00am her time, very scared and confused. She desperately wants to know the truth. In her words, “my mind is blown and I don’t know what to believe”. I reassured her at least for now, so she could sleep (they are 13 hrs. ahead of us). I told her it appeared to be localized right now and no big moves have been made yet. I promised her I would continue to research this and she will awake with contact from me regarding the latest news.

The point I am trying to make here is that this is not just about governments and territories. These situations never are. It’s about people, nations of people who are largely left in the dark and worse, lied to.

I am worried about my friend. And she is just one of many. Imagine living in a country where freedom is non-existent. A country where you must subscribe to everything your government says or in my friends words, “you must hide because it is not safe for you”.

I’m going to sign off for now. I have more research to do for my friend. If this situation matters to you, I encourage to reach out to Russian and/or Ukrainian people. Attempt to bridge the gap that our governments have failed miserably at. If I can do it, anyone can.

Talk to you again soon! xoxo

Blog Series: “Letters from Russia” Chapter 3*

I cannot understand why every human being on this planet does not want world peace. Why? WHY??

I still have much to share from my friend, Jessica Cher. We have committed to each other to not give up. It’s difficult at times, though, for both of us. The information she receives from her government almost always directly contradicts the information I give her. And though she has access to news outside of Russia, she has been brought up, as most Russians have, that Mother Russia loves you and is a part of you. You are taught to believe in the motherland above all others. We have resolved our issues by both believing we can support and love our respective countries and not support our governments. It is my opinion that President Obama has no clue whatsoever what to do outside the borders of this country, therefore, he does nothing. It is also my belief that President Putin rules with an iron fist for one reason, fear. People fear what they do not understand. Putin does not understand being Westernized and he will not stand for it in his country or on its borders.

Border countries have much to be concerned about right now and concerned they are.

Still, Jessica Cher and I persevere.

*I am changing the format slightly. Copy/pasting each conversation takes an incredible amount of time. Some conversations will be condensed though it’s integrity will not be compromised. You will also no longer see quotation marks. The comments made are direct quotes nonetheless. Hopefully, these changes will make it a more pleasant read.

So we pick up right where we left off in Chapter Two.

Jessica Cher: Have you seen those reports how happy people of Crimea now? They are happy that now they live in they motherland.

Me: I am sure there are lots of Russian citizens who are very happy about it. But the way Russia too Crimea is illegal and wrong. Putin has stated clearly that he does not want to take Ukraine. We don’t believe it. Do you?

Jessica Cher: We don’t need Ukraine 100%

Me: I soooo wish you could come to Miami for a visit.

Jessica Cher: Ahah fast friends! I’d love to come;).

Me: It is such a cool city! I’m from SC and moved to Miami 2 years ago to get married. I love it here! Always summer!

Jessica Cher: Sooo cool! It’s 4 degrees outside now. The whole world is scared of Russia right?

Me: Yes, I think so. Our leaders would never admit it but I believe it is the truth. However, we saw all nations getting along at the Olympics.

Jessica Cher:Btw did you like Olympics in Sochi?

Me: Love love love the Olympics! Especially the figure skating and the hockey. Damn Canadians. Lol!

Jessica Cher: Haha don’t want to sound rude but Russians don’t like Americans after that game on Olympics when our goal wasn’t counted. But it’s ok now, we calmed down:))

Me: Oh I know. Wasn’t that game incredible? Haha I must go to bed now. Let’s talk again soon? Just let me know when you have some time!

Jessica Cher: Ninight<3

Me: G’Nite! Talk again soon?!?

Jessica Cher: Yeah for sure!

Me: kk Good night from the USA!

I will stop here for now. You may have picked up on a pattern. Whenever she or I pick up on the fact that we may be insulting the other, we quickly change the subject. The object here is never to fight. What would be the point? The object is to show that we can work through our differences and remain friends.

In the coming chapters, you will see this more clearly.

Talk to you soon! xoxo

 

 

Dear Dedicated Followers

I definitely spent more time looking through tons of images that encompass the followers to my blog than I did actually writing this blog.. First, I came up with this one:

But I immediately thought, “BORING”. We may be a lot of things, but boring, we are not. So, I continued my search. I considered zombies, but then I remembered I’m an adult. So I stopped looking and started thinking. What do the followers of my blog represent to me? Then it hit me!

Diamonds! While I may not know you personally, I know that I appreciate each and every one of you. Just as no two people are the alike, the same is true for diamonds. Beautiful, interesting, complex and admirable. Diamonds. The perfect way to describe my blog followers and guests.

I touched on it briefly a couple of days ago, that I have been in hospital. I am home today but, as you can imagine, I’m a gigantic, hot mess! Even so, I still wanted to send you something brief to explain the irregularity of my posts. I also want to convey to you how much I admire and appreciate you sticking with me.

Look for more posts coming soon. Funny stuff to share with you!

Talk to you soon! xoxo

Y’all…I’m in the hospital.

Greetings from the hospital! I came into the ER last night with a  laundry list of symptoms. Having a general distrust in doctors anyway, I like to have a pretty good idea of what I had. I read up online before even going to talk a doctor. (I like using the Mayo Clinic website.) In this case, however, I was way off.

The doc has decided I need to be observed until at least Friday. In the meantime, I truly feel like shit. That, along with the fact that I must focus on getting better. I’m literally falling asleep typing this to you.

I just did not want you to think I had disappeared on you. As soon as I improve, I will be back raring to go.

Happy April Everyone!

Talk to you soon! xoxo

Tirade Tuesday: Automate THIS!

Tirade Tuesday: Automate THIS!.

Tirade Tuesday: Automate THIS!

How long has it been since you called a company, whether it be a Doctor’s office, Government assistance, Utilities, etc. and an actual person answered the phone?. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve picked up the phone to ask a general, easy question and it has taken me over an hour to speak to a real person. In some cases, “speaking to a live representative” is simply not an option, no matter how you go about it.

It’s annoying. No. It’s infuriating. My question does not magically always match your “press this” options. Then, I’m totally screwed. Ugh. I’m a person. I want to speak to a person. Not an automated service system. What’s more, if I was a betting person, I would guess 100% of people feel the same way.

Companies, did you hear that? 100%!!! Do you want more business? Do something no one does anymore and answer the phone. Then advertise that you answer the phone.

I’m buying from you!!

I’m not saying companies should have a person available 24/7 (although that would certainly be nice). But a living, breathing, human being should at least answer the damn phone during office hours.

Initially, it seemed like a good idea. “Information at our fingertips”. And for companies, it was a no-brainer. Fewer bodies in chairs, less payroll, more profit.

Win/win? NO.

Almost immediately, the consumer did not like the automated phone service. Still, pushing ease and convenience (ie. higher profits), companies persevered. So did we. We quickly learned a “work around”. We could either press zero, or repeatedly say, “customer service representative” and voila! A person picked up the phone!

Ahhhh, those were the days, huh?

Most companies put the Kabash on that as well! Now when you call, you’d better listen carefully “because our options have changed”. It has truly gotten so bad, you can press numbers for 10 minutes, to sit on hold for 45 minutes and that automated bitch finally chimes in with, “call volume is higher than usual – please try your call again later.”

I hate that automated phone bitch. She’s lucky I cannot reach through the phone and go for her automated jugular.

End of tirade.

Talk to you again soon! xoxo