Y'all and such...

Of all the southern phrases, nothing quite stands out like "Y'all"...  In the south, or even Florida, "Y'all" is ubiquitous.  Y'all this, Y'all that...Y'all everything, except for "Y'all come back now, ya hear?"  I have not heard that phrase once since I have been here, which tells me that either I am holding on to a charming little Southern gem that is not real, or no one actually wants me to return.

I heard Y'all this morning at breakfast, and I realized - I am getting used to this word. When I first moved here, I would cringe at the word, I hope only internally.  Maybe externally, I can't be sure.  But today, I heard the waitress say it, and I did not cringe, on the inside or the outside - I am pretty sure.  That is when I realized I think I am getting used to it.  

I wondered then - what else am I getting used to, vs what will I never get used to... Here we go... 

I am getting used to:

• Not having to say "no lemon" when ordering a diet coke.  This is because they never do it, and when I first said "no lemon", they looked at me like I had 4 heads... Why on earth would I bring you a lemon?  
• Y'all... I mean, hearing it, not saying it.... I have not uttered it, and if I do, I want any of you to slap me.
• A seemingly disproportionate ratio of pick up trucks to cars... odd.... 
• Seeing Fried Green Tomatoes on the menu EVERYWHERE!!  And discerning the difference between the good and the bad versions!
• Coke is it, Pepsi is not it at all...
• All wonderful things breaded and fried... Taking terrible sounding things and turning them into a paradise for your mouth, like Fried Okra!
• Avoiding Italian restaurants, even though they are called NY Style... They are not...
• Generally accepting that all food will be what it is - a weaker version of the really good food in NJ and NY.... I am learning that it is good - for here... That is how I accept it now... "It is good pizza! (for here)... Lowered expectations eases a lot of suffering... 

I do not expect to get used to:

• Boiled peanuts... Not going to be used to seeing the signs for them along the sides of the road, nor will I get used to what they look like - little baby alien pods... Creepy and gross!
• Barbecue not meaning "to have a BBQ" which means grilling burgers and hot dogs
• Confederate flags just being everywhere... and places that make little sense, why pay homage to something with a flag lining the wall of a closet??
• Country music everywhere... Everywhere... Classic country, new country, rock/country.... it is omg, everywhere....
• Having to look at OJ containers to make sure it is really from Florida... how is it possible OJ is sold here that is not made here??  
• Southern hospitality being a concept, rather than a real thing... I have met some very kind people, but for the most part, crappy service is alive and well in the south
• People working at glacial paces in places like, oh I dunno, "fast" food restaurants???
• Peanuts and coke as a snack... Literally nuts in the coke... 
• The phrase "Hey, Y'all!"  A brighter and cheerier version of Y'all, it just sounds like an overzealous cheerleader gone haywire... No, uh-uh... 

And there ya have it, more fun from the mind of a northern girl living in the strange and wonderful south...  Life is always fun, and rarely what I expect!

Thank you so much for reading and sharing!

I've been eating wings all wrong!

Hello, all, and thank you so much for reading and sharing!  Interesting factoid, I read where only 1 in 3 Floridians were actually born in Florida.... Hmmmm... That totally makes sense to me!

Sooo... another good week in the south, hahaha...  This past week, I learned a lot... One thing in particular that had my head spinning was the realization of how little I know about chicken wings.  Both in ordering them and in eating them... How did this "learnin" happen, you might wonder... Well, it all started with a simple play date...

My daughter had some friends over, and their dad, being super kind, treated us all to pizza and wings.  Since it was my house, I made the call to the local pizza place - now again, this is Florida, so my expectations on the pizza have been dramatically lowered.  I ordered 2 small pies, and honey barbecue wings.  They asked me what kind, and the dad replied "Flats".  I looked at him like he had 3 heads.  I thought, did he just say "flats?"  Did he hear my question?  Yup, I heard him right.... He ordered 20 wings, flats... I was befuddled.... So then he explained how there are drumsticks, and there are these 2-boned flat things... called, appropriately enough, flats.  Lesson one of the night... I had been warned that I was going to get "learned", lol, it was very funny... 

Then the food arrived.  The kids scattered with their paper plates full of pineapple and pepperoni pizza, and the second part of my lesson began.... And this is where I learned that I have been doing it wrong my whole life.  First of all, I learned that you really do need to use both hands.... I have been a one handed girl, but that was mostly because I was ordering the wrong kind, the drumstick kind.  What has a handle, really, and fits one hand...  OK, lesson learned.  Next, there is a detailed process, having to do with pulling the extra fat off of one end, and somehow separating the meat from between the 2 bones... I gotta tell you, I kinda forgot it all.  I am sure I have more work to do in order to really master this.  But I can say that I surely do understand that there is an ordering and eating process for wings that I had never ever heard of... and now, now I know that, and will work on following this method to the best of my ability.

I also think that in part of the lesson was that I should never order the drumstick kind, but I will have to pretend that I wasn't really "learned" on that part, lol...I can't help it, I like them...

BTW, I can't help but wonder - geography aside, is Florida even really considered "The South"?  I mean, when you consider "The Old South", civil war history and plantations and all that, do you ever, ever picture Florida?  I never have... I picture South Carolina, I picture Atlanta, Georgia... But Florida?  Not really the south... and based on the people I have met, it is a northern state hiding in the south.  Culturally, it really has a unique feel, very different from the north, but very different from the deep south... Either way,it's home now... And I love it... :-) 

Thank you for reading and sharing, I really appreciate it!

More to come.... xo

Hello!  And thank you for reading!

As I write this, I am happily back home in Florida... I was away for two weeks, back up north in New Jersey.  Having been born in the great state of New Jersey, I naturally felt very happy to be home.   Home.... Home in NJ where most of my friends and family are....But now, I am home, home in Florida, home where I now live.  

Now that I have had some time to reflect, I feel like I can now list  a few reasons why I truly do identify as a northerner as opposed to a southerner.... And believe I always will...

In the North, 

1) Pizza, Bagels and Chinese Food are real..... OK, and Subs..... In the south, they are pretending....

2) Accents make sense... In NJ, "see it" is 2 words meaning the obvious... In the south, it is one word, meaning "sit".... Sit..... I swear....

3) There are no confederate flags in view - In FL, there are tons of these ugly flags, and I am sorry if I am insulting you... and this is not political at all, this is pure aesthetics... They are an ugly form of "decor", and if I see one on your car, yes, my northern sensibilities will kick in and I will automatically assume you are a hick....

4) The beaches rule... Down the Shore in New Jersey is better than any other beach, even the gorgeous gulf coast beaches of Florida... I can't say why it is better, it just is... There is a unique vibe that only exists in this one glorious spot...

5) There are book stores everywhere... Here, I have to drive 30 minutes to find one... In NJ, there is one within a 5 mile radius... And not just the box chains, but there are also small local shops with tons of exciting new and used books to pour through.... Here in FL, not so much... In fact, our local B&N just closed down for what I hear is a teen clothing store... I mean really??

6) It is accepted that when you order food and it doesn't come out the way you asked, you can return it... In the south, they look at me like I have 3 heads.... 

7) People understand that I am not shouting... Everyone talks like this!

8) People are friendly and talkative... Southern hospitality is a myth... Not that southerners are rude, but the whole southern charm, "y'all come back and see us" thing?  I have not seen it in play.... 

9) People have a standard pace for walking, driving and speaking... In the south, no, not so much.... It is painstaking to walk down the street, and do not get me started on driving!  OMG!!

10)  Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, there are DINERS!!  Regular diners where you can order a cheeseburger at 3am and know it will be great!! Or breakfast at 3am, if you so choose... 

And that's that... This is why I will be a Northerner living in the South... And will never be a Southerner.... 

This is not to say that the South doesn't have a lot of wonderful things to offer... It does.  And the people I have met have for the most part, been kind and smart.... So this is not to diss everyone and everything southern.... It just means, no matter where I go, a little part of my heart will always miss New Jersey....

Thank you for reading and for sharing!!

A hootin' and a hollerin'!

Hello, all!  Thank you for reading!

So today was a very "southern" day indeed!  And for me, authentic southern means "Cracker Barrel"!  Hahahaha...  Yes, I know, I am indeed a northerner... 

But I enjoy the southern feel of Cracker Barrel, and I even like the southern food... I have gotten accustomed to whole "biscuits and gravy" thing, I actually kinda like it.  In small doses.   And if I add enough butter and maple syrup to them, I like grits too - they taste like Cream of Wheat, which I love!   But again, if you add enough butter and maple syrup, you can make my flip-flops taste good.....  Man, maple syrup and butter - now I am hungry again!

If you haven't been to a Cracker Barrel, you should know that in addition to their southern cooking (I prefer their breakfast to their other meals) they have a shop.  Excellent business strategy, feed people and let them shop in one place... Well done!  And so after you eat, you pay the bill and walk out through the shop - just like when you get off of a ride at Disney or Universal.  And today, we saw that they have their fall and Halloween stuff out, and as part of that, they have their football collection.  As part of their football collection, you see a lot of "Gators", lots of "Seminoles".  Not that I am fans of those teams, but those logos are ubiquitous in Florida.

The sales guy was hovering around today, talking about the fall stuff, prancing around in a Halloween mask, just having fun.   And he started talking about football, and said that his team is Alabama.  Not really knowing anything about college football except that sounds like a team I have heard of, and I think they are Big 10 or whatever, and I smiled politely and said, "Oh, right, Alabama".  Then as I left, he told my husband that "Come a few weeks, my whole family will be sittin' around the TV, a-hootin' and a-hollerin!"  

And there ya have it.  Pure, authentic southern charm, about to be mocked by a cynical northerner... To be fair, he was nice and just being happy and excited.  But I couldn't help but wonder what other colorful euphemisms could be used to mean the same thing as "a-hootin' and a-hollerin'"... What do you think?  What might a northerner have said?  It couldn't have just been "celebrating", that is no where near as fun.  Living it up?  Partying?  Letting our hair down?  No, no... none of those work.  Carousing?  No, too scary....

What do you think?  Is there another phrase that a northerner would have used that would be both as charming and blog-worthy as the turn a phrase I heard today?  

Ah, the south.... This is going to be fun!   Bye for now!  Thank you so much for reading and sharing! <3 

Dawn's Blog: I'm back...

Dawn's Blog: I'm back...: Hello all!  I know it has been a really long time...And thank you for reading again! So the reason I have not been blogging is two-fold.  ...

I'm back...

Hello all!  I know it has been a really long time...And thank you for reading again!

So the reason I have not been blogging is two-fold.  First, I have been insanely busy, like really crazy.... Every part of my world has had moving pieces lately, so I am just having a hard time finding time to do some of the things I enjoy, such as blogging..... Secondly, I couldn't decide on what to discuss in my blog.  The money thing was interesting, but it was getting boring after a while.  I thought about other things that interest me, things about which I could write with some passion and intelligence.  Politics, I thought, I really love that topic, but then I thought, well, so many people do that.... Fashion?  I don't really get the new trends as much, so no.... Art, Literature and Music?   Yes, I love these things.... But enough to blog solely about these on a weekly basis?  Hmmmm, no..... 

And so now, something happened last night that hit me. 

Here is what happened.  I ordered a pizza from a place that is based on NY... Usually they understand my order, so imagine my shock when this conversation occurred:

Me:  I'd like to order a large plain pie with extra sauce.
Pizza Place: OK, anything else?
Me: Yes, an order of buffalo wings.
Pizza Place:  Um, what?  I mean, we don't have buffalo wings.  We have chicken wings...

OK, the rest of the conversation you can leave to your imagination.... But dear lord, did this yahoo think I was actually asking for wings that came from a buffalo??????  Seriously?  What on earth could I possibly have meant to this guy?  Jeez.... Wow.... Anyway.....so this is my new theme.... A northern girl living in the south.  I see things every single day that I cannot fathom, nor can I explain.... And it is very often just hysterical!   I have seen things like people with giant snakes hanging out of their cars, babies in the front seat of pick up trucks with no car seats, super weird things in the supermarkets, and more.... and as I experience these things from my very northern point of view, the situation is often, well, yes funny, at least most of the time.

OK, that is it for now, I just wanted to say hi, and tell you that I am back.  I hope you enjoy my new theme.  I am just writing about my life, my experiences, and I really do hope you come for the crazy ride.... 

THANK YOU!  <3

Money, money, money!

Hello!  And thank you for reading! 

So, I was wondering... Money is a frustrating topic... And it's sometimes funny, but more than not, it's downright depressing.... And stressfullllllll.... As a result, I sometimes don't have that much to say about it that isn't somewhat negative.  I was thinking perhaps it might be good to blog about more things than money.  I would like to always keep that as a major theme, since it drives so much of the way I live my life... It impacts what I do and how I think in so many ways.  

I have a lot of interests, but I do not really have expertise in many areas... I mean, I could certainly blog about adult learning styles, and current trends in social learning approaches.... but like only 2 of you would find that even remotely interesting, hahaha....

In terms of my finances, not much is going on... just trying to maintain the status quo, and that is really really hard!  I can say that I did go almost 3 weeks without having overdrawn my account, even just a little, so I am going to call that a huge victory!  

Although I do have to confess... I did make a splurge.  I feel like I rarely splurge - but others seem to think I do spend a lot on splurgy-stuff... So I will have to look at what is really a splurge, vs what is just a regular purchase.  My splurge though, was Yankee Tickets!  Since I live where they have baseball in March, I thought it would be a really nice and fun thing.  So, in a few weeks I will be going to Wide World of Sports in Orlando to see the Braves lose to the Yankees!  That will be fun, and while it was a splurge, it is something that I can do only a few times a year.  I love baseball, and spring training is only once a year - and I could see the Yankees play if they are in Tampa, but I rarely do that since it's kinda far... but I digress.   So that I feel, is a splurge.  

But what would you call the memory card for my phone?  Which I need so I can house movies and stuff..... Splurge?  What about the sandals that were super cute and were on sale from 65 to 32?  Yes, I guess conceptually that would be a splurge, but from a dollars and cents perspective, is 32 really a splurge?  Besides, I have been searching for really cute yet comfortable sandals for literally years....Cute and comfy, but not old ladyish is seriously hard to come by!!   Now, the clearance Michael Kors bag I picked up at Macy's a few weeks ago, it was 179 down to 59.... Again, is that a splurge?  To me, the beautiful and customized Louis Vuitton that I did not buy in Paris 3 years ago thanks to my awesome friend and her intervention!  That was like 2000 and it was a bag.... That to me, is a splurge!  One of course, that I did not do... or take.....What is the grammar on that?

New glasses... Is that a splurge?  I needed the lenses, but not the frames... But got them anyway.... Is that a splurge?  

Is a splurge simply anything that I just do not need regardless of price or is prices a factor?  Is there a formula, and would you like to do the math?  

PS - I really really want to see Elton John tomorrow night, and did not buy the tickets.... Even though I love Elton, and haven't seen him in years!!  Did not splurge!!  

What are your thoughts??  

Thank you for reading!!  xo