T-Give 2012

I wrote about Canadian Thanksgiving last year and I didn’t hold back on the insults. This year, I’m going to take some time to write about what I’m grateful for. Weird, I know. We can pretend that we’re sitting around the table saying what we’re thankful for except that it’s all about what I’m thankful for and you’re not really a part of it.

My family. They are the coolest. Most of you know mi madre. She’s pretty much WordPress famous. But not the kind of WordPress famous where you get Freshly Pressed. All the cool people haven’t been Freshly Pressed. It’s true! If you haven’t been Freshly Pressed, you must be pretty cool. And offensive. My brother is also cool. He’s a way better writer than I am. I don’t know why he doesn’t blog more. Or at all. And my dad is also, surprisingly, very cool. He does all the things. Each member of my family is located somewhere different, but we’re all still a perfect unit. I am pretty lucky that way.

Is it just me or is the black kid being segregated?

My husband. I still think it’s weird that I have a husband. It’s almost like I’m old or something. Without my husband I would be super sad. I tried being without him once after I met him and I didn’t like it one bit. He’s a hard worker and a kind fellow that takes care of me. It’s a big job, you know, taking care of me.

My friends. I really like my little groups of friends that I have all over the world. I am drawn to people that I don’t have to spend time with 24/7. I like being able to pick up right where I left off. My friends from Chicago were always so cool with me living in England and only seeing me during the holidays. I never felt pressure to stay anchored to one place.  I also like that my friends don’t take me too seriously and ignore me when I say dumb things and laugh at all of my jokes. I never wanted to have the most friends. I just wanted to have a few good ones.

Blogging. Blogging has opened up so much of the world to me. It’s weird because I never would’ve thought that writing could lead to friendships and learning and laughing. But I have so many people that can see who I truly am on here even when I say dumb things and offend everyone on the internet.

Diet Pepsi: You might be wondering why this is on my list. Diet Pepsi has been a part of my life since I can remember. Actually, I think my dad put some in my bottle once. So technically, it’ss been a part of my life since I can’t remember.

Laughing. Laughing and making people laugh are two of my favorite things ever. You can’t buy laughter. You can fake it, but true, genuine laughter is euphoric. I love being able to make any situation, no matter how serious or painful, funny. It’s a gift, really.

What are you thankful for this year?

Lily in England Part 1

Now that Lily in Canada is such a popular place for people to hang out online, I sort of regret the fact that I didn’t start blogging sooner. I lived in England for three years of my life and those three short years were full of ridiculous experiences and people. I’m going to fill you in on some of the weird stuff that I observed whilst on the other side of the pond. Many thanks to Mooselicker for this brilliant idea!

I’m going to break this up into categories because it’s just better that way. Also, the list goes on and on, these are just a handful of the oddities.

Sayings:

There was definitely a language barrier. I understood every word, but I often had trouble responding. If I passed people on the streets they would quickly say “youalright?” and then walk away. Apparently the proper response is saying “youalright?” right back. I could not, for the love of all that is holy, train my brain to do that. I would start saying “Yeah, I’m good, how are you?” and they would be down the street by the time I finished. I guess having a conversation is weird? Maybe just say “hi” instead of asking me if I’m alright. Because if you ask me a question and it’s pertaining to my life, I’m sure as hell going to answer it.

The name of the club that we would go to in Canterbury was called Baa Bars. No joke. Too many times I was asked the question, “You goin’ Baa Bars?” I couldn’t help smiling every time. First of all, Baa Bars. Second of all, “you goin'”, not “are you going to.” It was just all so weird.

By the way, Baa Bars was located in what seems to be an old factory...?

Their spelling is all wrong. They have unnecessary letters thrown into words. For example, program is programme. They also spell words like they’re living in the 16th century. Tire is tyre. Center is centre. Gross.

They would also pretend that they didn’t know what I was saying. Like if I said, “Ugh I’m so tired of school.” My friends would reply, “We don’t go to school, we go to uni.” Okay, everything is school. University is a type of school. Or if I said, “Have you studied for finals at all?” they would respond, “You mean exams.” OH SORRY. YES. EXAMS.

Food:

England is really missing out on a lot of great food. They do have something called Pork Faggots though. No joke. On the back of the box it says, “For all Faggot-loving families.” Ummmhghhhh. That just shouldn’t be allowed.

More importantly, WHICH West Country?

I find it weird that everyone drinks tea there. Like, everyone likes it. A common question is “You wanna cuppa?” This translates to “Would you like a cup of tea?” They also eat a lot of beans, which makes me uneasy. And don’t forget about spotted dick.

They do have some redeeming foods though. Indian food in England is melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Roast Dinners were also something of a delight. Roasts were usually at pubs on Sunday nights. They give you all the fixin’s–vegetables, potatoes, chicken (or beef or lamb), Yorkshire puddings, and loads of gravy. It’s like Thanksgiving every Sunday night. And you’re in a pub.

Stay tuned for part 2. Unless you already feel like throwing up.