January 22, 2010 • randomness •

Week-End Review, 1/22/10: This week around the Blogiverse

Not too many distractions this week – the link round-up actually IS mostly links! Go forth and read, and have a nice weekend!

New Arrivals in my Google Reader

Books Blogroll
Musings

Dispatches: Links of the Week

When the whole world is your community, compassion can be complicated

“Real” kids, “not-real” kids, and “shiny happy stupid” ideas kids learn from their parents; parents may need to learn that “average” kids are all right

So much for the good ol’ days (and even the not-so-old days)

Some people shop till they drop – others would rather drop shopping (Not me. I like shopping – as long as I actually find what I’m shopping for!)


From the “sad but true” files, an obituary notice

Is Facebook wearing out its welcome? Also online: contemplating changes in the mom-blogger-marketing sphere; more perspective on brand/blogger relationships.

On the other hand – considering truly going offline and disconnecting

Whose blog couldn’t stand a few improvements? The Blog Improvement Project continues into 2010, now with a blog of its own – check it out!

“Senseless Sensibility,” via Not Always Right
Bookstore | Everett, WA, USA

Customer: “Do you have the movie Sense and Sensibility?”
Me: “Yes we do, did you want the British or the American version?”
Customer: “I don’t know which one it was, but it has two parts.”
Me: “I think that would be the British version.”
(I take her to the section and show her the movie.)
Customer: “Yes, that’s it! I’ll take it!”
Me: “Great! Is there anything else I can do for you?”
Customer: “Does this movie use subtitles?”
Me: “Ma’am, it’s British.”
Customer: “Well I don’t know! I’m not an English major!”

I don’t know. I seem to come across people regularly for whom English is apparently a foreign language, even though they were born and raised in the good ol’ USA. (Then again, I’ve heard that what we speak here is “American,” not “English,” so maybe that explains it.)

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5 comments

  1. Some of my first-year college students told me yesterday that the language they use for texting interferes with their ability to articulate thoughts in other contexts.

  2. Thanks for linking to the Blog Improvement Project!

    I have heard that a lot of British films have subtitles for Americans. Some of the accents in the UK can be very hard to understand. I'm sure period dramas would be OK, but I do think there is a lot of misunderstanding between the two languages. I was shocked to see fanny bags mentioned on a blog yesterday. That has very different meanings between the two countries LOL!!

  3. Jeanne – I don't doubt that for a minute, and I think it's rather sad.

    Jackie (FarmLaneBooks) – You make some good points. I haven't yet seen a British film with subtitles, but I could have used them for The Full Monty :-). And there are certainly different idioms. I shouldn't assume that just because I can usually figure out what's being said, everyone else can too.