New Yorker English is Different from Texan English

Interesting things happen sometimes when my boyfriend, who's from New York, and I (from Texas), talk. It goes so far beyond y'all.

(Just for the fun of it, I've put the definitions of a lot of the things I've talked about in this post at the bottom- words are marked with a *- tell me how many you knew before looking them up!)

For instance, it took me a long time to figure out what he meant when he said pocketbook*. Or what a jump drive* was.

We don't really have to worry about the soda/pop/coke divide- Aram doesn't even drink soda. And some of the other stuff I had already figured out- like what calling fives* means. Plus most of his Yiddish phrases I knew from going to a high school where a ton of people were Jewish, plus a previous boyfriend. So I know the obligatory, Oy vey*, chutzpah*, goy*, traif*, and shiksa*.

But every time I think I have it all figured out, some new word or language divide comes up. We went to a Mexican restaurant last night, where I ordered queso*. He had no idea what I was talking about. Plus I hadn't ever thought about it- Aram has no concept of some Spanish words I've known since I was very young- no clue what a sopaipilla* is.

Plus I randomly had to explain to him what beanie weenies* were. I think a childhood without beanie weenies is sad- thus, I'm going to make him some soon.

The weirdest one happened today out of nowhere. He was talking about how he wanted to get a pie* for dinner and I was so confused about what he meant.

I know it's happened other times too- I can't remember them all right now. But it leads to some amusing moments. I actually really enjoy it. A lot of it's based on where you're coming from too- for example, everyone in Texas, when they heard I was going up to Virginia for college, thought I was going 'north' for school. Some even made jokes about me becoming a Yank. Aram, however, thought he was going way south for school. I guess some of it's just perspective. Sorta like how, metro, subway, and train, mean almost the same things in my mind, mostly because Dallas doesn't really have any of them (okay, we have a DART rail train, doesn't really count). However for Aram, these all have distinct and different purposes.

What other regional traits have you encountered/experienced? I think they're so much fun.

Let me know! : )

-Rach



*Words used in this blog post*

Pocketbook- a woman's purse

Jump Drive- what I would call a flash drive or a USB drive

Calling Fives- the equivalent of "Seat Check" in Texas- a way of saying- I can get up from this chair and it better be empty when I can come back- I've got dibs on it first.

Oy Vey- an exclamation of dismay or exasperation, like, oh my gosh

Chutzpah- audacity, kinda like saying someone has balls.

Goy- non-Jew (goyim is plural)

Traif- non-kosher food, used famously by a character in Robin Hood Men in Tights to refer to a cooked ham

Shiksa- a non-Jewish woman- I've heard it used both in a derogatory manner and a friendly manner, so I think it depends on the context (I've been told that when an old Jewish mother says it, it's generally an insult)

Queso- a cheese sauce to dip tortila chips in that has jalepenos and peppers mixed in. I actually remembered this happening once on a mission trip to Colorado- at a Mexican restaurant a girl asked for queso and got a cup full of sliced cheese instead, since, well, that's what queso literally means.

Sopaipilla-A fried pastry that you can eat with honey- quite good.

Beanie Weenies-A recipe combining baked beans/pork'n'beans with hot dogs and ketchup. Kids love it. So do I. : )

Pie- In this case, Aram wanted a pizza- like, pizza pie. I really thought this was only used in movies with old Italians in them like, Lady and the Tramp.

Campaign Site, XKCD Style

This website is brilliant. Very very funny cartoon about a guy who's running for state representative in Kansas. Stylistically, very similar to xkcd, which I positively adore. (I also have a very cool cartoon on my door in my apartment that the creator Randall Munroe drew for me at a comic convention Aram and I went to in New York.)


Read it. It's awesome.



rach

Further Pacman love

I want this hoodie so badly. It's depressing though- hot topic's been sold out of it for like- months. LAME.

Apparently, this is a rug. Hand-woven out of wool I would buy it, but I don't happen to have a spare $2031 lying around. Sadness.

I want this freaking chair.


OMG Pacman Christmas Tree.


I don't know who did this. But I love them.


Eeek! Want! Driven! To! Consumeristic! Frenzy!

WARNING: CAPITALISM IN ACTION



more later, probably


<3rach

Update and Wokka Wokka Wokka

So the internship at LoudounExtra is going really well- things have changed a lot since I first started. My days are way more structured now, and I do a lot more for the website. I update the linked up in loudoun blog daily, update the you said it feature (which pulls a comment from a reader and puts it on our front page), and do pretty much whatever Meghan wants me to do. I coordinate the weekly entertainment feature that Sydney, the other intern, and I write. We're working on expanding it a little more every week- so it's pretty fun.

I did a pretty awesome package of stories for Fourth of July that involved a lot of google map making- it was great fun. Today the first story in our new Q&A series got posted- it's mine! I interviewed the very cool founder of the Loudoun County Skate Project and got some badass pictures of him skateboarding up on the website (view the evidence below- the picture quality here is crap though, so go look a the story on the site). I'm very proud. : )



So LE is going great. I love it there. I'm trying very hard to stay on through school (it's up to my bosses to see if they like the hours I can give them or not). I'm a little worried about overcommitting myself- I'm taking 5 classes in the fall that I don't really want to drop (the 4 journalism classes decide whether I can go to London in the spring on an intern abroad trip). I've got the August 1 rock harp gig (that I seriously need to practice for), and I just applied for another writing gig which would be blogging on a (at-least) weekly basis for a youth political blog run by UWire, Washingtonpost.com, and CBS.com. Even though it would make my life CRAZY if I got it, I really really want it- I have a ton of videography ideas I want to put into being.

-sigh- It's times like these that I remember something a senior (filled to the brim with activities) told me back when I was a sophomore in high school trying to write stories for the Pony Express. I asked him how he made all his activities fit in his schedule and he just looked at me- dead-serious- and said, you make the time for what's important to you and you make it work. (At least somethign along those lines. I'm pretty sure it was in a slightly less Tim Gunn-ish way) The sentiment, at least, has stuck with me all these years (thanks james aton, wherever you are).

You make the time for what's important to you. I have so many things important to me coming up for this fall. It's important that I take these classes so I can intern in London in the spring- It's important I take the history class because I absolutelypositivelyamdying to be in Mills Kelly's class of awesomeness. It's important that I'm active with Lutheran Campus Ministry so I fulfill my role as a peer minister and serve the youth in the ministry as best as I can. It's important that I stay on at Loudoun Extra so I continue to get money and get amazing experience and connections. It's important that I try for this political blog thing- even though I probably don't have the time- because it's such an amazing opportunity to get my work out there in a really amazing year for journalism that I can't possibly turn it down.

And it's important that I try to see my boyfriend and friends a little too or I'm going to go stark raving mad. It's happened before.

Mehh. part of me can't WAIT for the fall, and part of me wishes it was still a million miles away.

Oh well.

And now an homage to my love for all things pacman.


Wokka Wokka bitches.

G'night

<3-Rach

Somebody Tell Me....

What the hell has the cow been doing that she's laughing and why is she wearing earrings?

I'm pretty sure she's the spawn of Satan. Can't you see it- with that bright red skin- the sadistic maniacal laughter- the evil look in her eyes? You just know she's enjoying the fact that I can't possibly ignore the call of her amazingly good cheeses. She probably doesn't even give milk- she probably has cow tits filled with liquid acid.

Curse you hell cow!


Hellboy is so much cooler than you that it's not even funny.



-Rach

Assorted Music Such, including harp rock options

Yeah I decided not actually to comment a ton on illegal immigration, mostly because my own ideas on the topic haven't completely formulated yet and i'm actually willing to admit that fact.

i love the song from duffy on the radio now- mercy. it's brilliant. very old-school throwback- even more than amy winehouse. and people described her voice in a very funny way- saying she sounds like a toddler on a pack a day. i can see the resemblance. i can't embed the music video in here- but you should go check it out anyways. Mercy, by Duffy

i'm going to start playing a bit of harp rock here- i have a gig at the opening of a bar in Manassas that i'm compiling music for now. means i actually really need to go practice- which is actually a lot harder than it sounds when my harp's over in the performing arts building. i never go anywhere near the PAB these days- i work full time in arlington- come on! i tried very hard to get the music department to let me keep the harp in my room for a few weeks and they flatly told me no. despite the fact that i'm the only harpist on campus until late august. and despite the fact that i've used this harp responsibly for two years now. hmph.

i considered kidnapping the harp, but allen (starfish) talked me out of it. probably a good idea.

anyways! here are some of the songs i'm planning on learning and rearranging for rock harp- i'm really trying to get a good mix of old and new, rock and relaxed, etc.

Big Yellow Taxi, Joni Mitchell! I'm extremely excited about doing a version of this. Check out Joni- isn't she brilliant?


Another Brick in the Wall, Pink Floyd- I hope I can do this. Might be difficult to pull off. I think it could be awesome. If you haven't seen the video to this (out of the Wall)- you're missing out, it's amazing.




Losing My Religion, R.E.M.- I think the mandolin solo on this could really work well on harp. Plus I just love the song.




Save the Last Dance for Me, michael buble was NOT the first person to do this song, but i can't remember who it is right now- and this is a fun version anyways. i just love this song- it's so classy.


It's Been Awhile, Staind- I know, an interesting choice. I think I can bring out a lot of feeling and femininity in this song that doesn't exist in the original version



I'm actually looking at a ton more stuff then this- I'm not going to give all my secrets away at once- but hopefully that gives you an idea of what sort of stuff I'm looking at doing.


Yep.

Rach

Illegal Immigration

This story made me think



I'll write more later-

Down with Wiggles, Up with Rock

Mr. Brian and the Boppets performed an interactive rock concert in Loudoun this last week- actually a couple concerts. Boppets are puppets without muppet copyright infringement, btw.

I was writing up a little brief for a photo gallery about the event when I looked up the website.

And it said-

"Why wiggle... when you can rock!"


Brilliant. Just Brilliant.




-update- seriously, the wiggles are SO FREAKING CREEPY. why would children want to watch 40-year old men dressed in primary colors dancing around?

but then, i guess i didn't get teletubbies either.

or dora the explorer. she's so dumb.

gosh i just feel like kid's programming was so much better when i was younger! sesame street is still enjoyable to watch even now (i know, that's lame, but shush, big bird's my home boy). watching some of the kid's shows today makes me want to pry my eyeballs out.

except the wonder pets show with like the superman guinea pig. that one is awesome.

Watch out world! The Teenagers Are Coming! (And the illegals)

So look at the comments on this.


Really? Clearly, it's the illegals causing all the trouble. Or the teenagers. I mean, they just go so -wrong- when they turn 13, I don't know what we can do about it.

I think the solution is to lock them in a closet and never let them go anywhere or do anything until they turn 20 and magically all their criminal inclinations disappear.

Yeah, can we have some parents taking some responsibility here?

Jeez.


More on this later, should probably not be blogging at work.


-Rach