Monday, December 29, 2008

Name this photo

Oh my gosh!!! I can't believe how long it's been since I posted. In fact with the weather, work load, Christmas, I haven't even kept up with my e-mail. I log on download my mail and log off. I am requesting that everyone stop posting until I have caught up. No, really, I will let you know when I'm ready. No seriously.

As some of you may know, I am a sentimentalist. I save everything I think is important to family history, favorite toy, gift from a loved one, an item that might come in handy some day. It's a curse really. I have had to adopt a strict policy of "if I haven't used it in 5 years, get rid of it." My grandson learned to ride the same bike his Mom learned on.


So, how about giving me a title for this thermomater that doesn't work. See the snow? It's about 25 degres outside. But it's been hanging there since, lets see, 1991? In fact the frame it's mounted on is original to the house when we moved in (1980).

I have a hard time letting go...

What do you think is the best title for this photo?

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Did I hear a snowflake fall?

If you look back a few posts you will see that I truly love summer. But I do love a good snowfall. Here is why. and There is also... Plus...

Teaching Gdaughter to ski.


Teaching Gson to ski.

But there is always the good ole' fashion toboggan!!!


Pray for snow.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Language Barrier?

An interesting conversation happened at work several years ago, and it has been one of my favorite stories to tell. Let me introduce you to a man I have worked with for years. I have know him for about 15 years and his name is long and difficult to pronounce, so he goes by an American name, Lon.

He was born in Thailand and moved to the USA when he was a young man. He still has a very heavy accent and leaves out words in his sentences.

Here is something he might say:

I watch you, I make sure you wuhk hawd, you do nothing ahh day.

He might say something like this with a big smile and thick mocking sarcasm.

At any given time you might be engaged in work dialog with any of the crew on my shift and find yourself talking just like him. We all do. Kinda like talk like a pirate day, only it's talk like Lon day, everyday. So, on with the story.

Lon walk up to a co-worker and says:

Lon: "You sea lion?"
co-worker: "What?"
Lon:"You sea lion?"
co-worker "Lon, what are you talking about?"

by now Lon is starting to get frustrated.

Lon: "You-sea-lion???"

Now the co-worker is equally frustrated, and their voices are escalating in tone and volume.

co-worker: "Lon, I'm not a sea lion. I can't tell what you want."

Lon now realizes that what his co-worker is hearing, isn't what he is saying, so he changes it.

Lon: "No! You see supervisor."

Now the light bulb comes on over the co-workers head.

Co-worker: "Oh!. Have I seen RYAN?

It's the classic, what you heard is not what I said. You sea lion, said with an Asian accent is translated, you see Ryan. You won't find that in any translation book.

This happened about 10 years ago and we still refer to Ryan as the sea lion.

Do you have a nick name? I would love to know what it is and how you got it?