What's made you smile today? (Part II)

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Midwest is loosely used for the area between New York state/Pennsylvania and Montana/Wyoming. Many from the eastern states call it 'flyover country' because it's mostly wide open prairie.

Akron is in northern Ohio, just south of Cleveland, and would be considered Midwest. Also, the basis for The Pretenders 'My City Was Gone'. Bob was possibly a transplant from Kentucky or Tennessee, though southern Ohio also has a southern 'drawl'.

The Appalachians is the eastern mountain range that runs from northern Canada down through the southern state of Georgia. Some great hiking all along them, and yes, where you'll find white steeples and red barns nestled in the valleys in between.

You puzzled me for a minute there. "Flyover country"? I was thinking "wide open spaces with not a lot in between" why would they have lots of flyovers? Then I realized you meant Flyover, as in aeroplane not flyover as in elevated roadway - Doh!

Bob did have quite a strong southern accent. he would say "thet's really gotchu hornswaggled, huh Jan? I had to really concentrate when I first started there but after a few weeks it was fine.

My daughter lived in rural southern Maryland and you'd quite often hear a strong southern drawl there. I speak with a Scot's accent but not an especially strong one. I remember once, whilst buying spare parts for my daughter's lawnmower in Lowes, The sales assistant called her friend over and said to me "could you please just say something, anything, so my friend can hear the way you speak - I just Looove your accent". Of course I obliged and her friend gave me quite a "funny" look. Don't think they'd ever heard a Scots accent down there out in the countryside.

We also had an interesting experience visiting Old Ironsides" (USS Constitution). The sailor who showed us round had such a strong southern drawl we were only picking up on occasional words. Luckily Mrs J is fluent in French and I have my schoolboy french backed up by what I've learned when over there so we got hold of one of those speaking machines (which spoke french) and she translated the bits I couldn't understand. The sailor, a lovely very big muscly chap (Mrs J kept looking at him?) might as well have been speaking Martian for all I could make out.

 

[Cheest]

Even though I am originally from northern Wisconsin, I have a soft Midwestern 'twang' because I've lived in northern Illinois most of my life. That is, until I get with friends and family from up nort. My wife and youngest kid can't understand me when that happens. The oldest went to college in Ashland, Wisconsin, on the shores of Lake Superior and had four years of immersion in that dialect, so she at least gets the gist of it.

Here's a couple for ya ta enjoy, eh! The last one is a take on Siri and Scottish accents.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Thanks for those. Maybe because I've spent quite some time over your side of the pond I actually found I could follow your videos quite easily. Where I was brought up in the Scottish borders we speak like this:

In fact that river - The Tweed - runs right past the bottom field where I was brought up and the video was shot probably about 5 miles from there.

As a contrast here's a Glasgow accent:

Could you follow what he was saying?

As everywhere I suppose, these very strong accents are being diluted as people travel more so the youngsters tend to speak with more neutral accents and everywhere there are international "trendy" words creeping in.
I have to admit my borders accent does tend to "thicken" when I'm back down there with my brother or even when just speaking to another person I meet with a borders accent.

If you want to hear some of the most indecipherable British accents try looking on you tube for "English West Country Accents" Mrs J's sister lives down there and even after over 40 years of regularly holidaying there we still have trouble understanding some of the older country folk!

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Busy on Saturday and was out all day yesterday at granddaughter's birthday party so haven't really paid any attention to the garden for several days. This maorning I made a cup of tea and went for a wee wander round, mainly to see how the bedding plants - geraniums, lobelia, petunias etc - in my half whisky barrels are settling in. Then I suddenly noticed the peonies which have all of a sudden come into glorious bloom:

Just behind it is my biggest Hydrangea which is bursting with promise - you can see the many nascent flower heads which will soon be a riot of colour

Then, turning round to look at the plants on the other side of my shed, there's another smaller Peony I planted a couple of years ago which is giving the bigger plant in the other border a good run for it's money:

Oh how I do enjoy my garden. Think I'll make a cup of tea and just go out and sit on my garden bench for a half hour or so!

 

[mowermender70]

have got a very big smile to day after waiting for 4 1/2 years to-day the bos and i have at last got a dentist oh a touch of the ob joyfulls the quobo is far better than the pandas were all smiles to-day

 

[The Panda Nut]

Wind

 

[Cheest]

I’m flying home tomorrow from my next to last work trip. On and off, I’ve spent almost four weeks in southern Mexico since mid May. Actually, in Valladolid, Yucatán. Pretty little tourist town. It caters mostly to Canadians and Europeans. My coworker and I were probably the only Americans, aka gringos, in town. My fellow countrymen rarely venture out of Cancun. They don’t know what they’re missing. Wonderful place.

The job here was an absolute nightmare owing to the fact that my management team still hasn’t learned that cutting costs up front usually costs a whole hell of a lot more on the back end. Suffice it to say, three people, including myself, said the equipment should not be shipped because it wasn’t ready. One fcukwit, who doesn’t even know how to put the key in switch, overrode all of us. Mind you, I have 20 years on this clown and have built over 200 of these machines between ‘97 and ‘16. His “crew” have built five since ‘17 and every one has been an absolute POS. Two have been returned by one customer.

The above reads like a “What Made You Grumpy” thread but, it’s just the lead in. I’m retired as of 30 June. Yay! On 27 June, I, and the rest of the Field Service staff have been requested, nay, required, to attend this years international sales meeting at the US corporate headquarters. The first time ever that we’ve been asked to attend one of these things. We’ve been requested because we see every shortcut taken in production and the end result is that we are rebuilding new equipment in the field before it can commissioned. As such, we as a group, are gunning for bear and forcing International to fix this mess on this side of the pond. If it means reorganizing the cesspit or sacking everyone and starting over, so be it.

So for my last four days at this outfit, I may be forcing them to fire me. I don’t think I’ve been this thrilled since I got married.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Oh Yes! Go for it man! It's a wonderfully liberating feeling when you are able to tell it like it is with no fear of "reprisals" later! I've only once done this which ultimately resulted in me being invited to resign but I survived by dragging things out for so long that my chief protagonist actually resigned instead! I'd had a number of awkward official face to faces with this individual and I decided it had to either end or escalate so, as this individual had me in for another "silly" infringement and was starting to regale me I interrupted by saying that I was offended by the way I was being made to feel like a naughty child and was going to leave now. I then walked out. I never had another meeting and the whole sorry mess just seemed to be forgotten. It was all so "silly" because the whole thing was over a "storm in a tea cup" anyway.

 

[The Panda Nut]

I’m flying home tomorrow from my next to last work trip.

My hat is off to you for persisting with them they dont seem worth the effort. I hope you make it to retirement without giving in to the management ********* who seem not to appreciate someone who clearly cares more than do they! I hit 65 today and cant conceive of how anyone works at this age, even less how they keep it buttoned up to the last day!

I’m flying home tomorrow from my next to last work trip. On and off, I’ve spent almost four weeks in southern Mexico since mid May. Actually, in Valladolid, Yucatán. Pretty little tourist town. It caters mostly to Canadians and Europeans. My coworker and I were probably the only Americans, aka gringos, in town. My fellow countrymen rarely venture out of Cancun. They don’t know what they’re missing. Wonderful place.

The job here was an absolute nightmare owing to the fact that my management team still hasn’t learned that cutting costs up front usually costs a whole hell of a lot more on the back end. Suffice it to say, three people, including myself, said the equipment should not be shipped because it wasn’t ready. One fcukwit, who doesn’t even know how to put the key in switch, overrode all of us. Mind you, I have 20 years on this clown and have built over 200 of these machines between ‘97 and ‘16. His “crew” have built five since ‘17 and every one has been an absolute POS. Two have been returned by one customer.

The above reads like a “What Made You Grumpy” thread but, it’s just the lead in. I’m retired as of 30 June. Yay! On 27 June, I, and the rest of the Field Service staff have been requested, nay, required, to attend this years international sales meeting at the US corporate headquarters. The first time ever that we’ve been asked to attend one of these things. We’ve been requested because we see every shortcut taken in production and the end result is that we are rebuilding new equipment in the field before it can commissioned. As such, we as a group, are gunning for bear and forcing International to fix this mess on this side of the pond. If it means reorganizing the cesspit or sacking everyone and starting over, so be it.

So for my last four days at this outfit, I may be forcing them to fire me. I don’t think I’ve been this thrilled since I got married.

 

[StevenRB45]

Been a bear of a week this week/month/year.

So for my amusement I've been encouraging a colleagues direct reports to refer to themselves in the third person in their self-assessment mid years.

May have laid it on a bit thick when I suggested "The mighty Kevin has achieved many things your tiny mind cannot comprehend, however it is self-evident that the mighty Kevin is exceeding in his role".

 

[puntofan01]

The weather was absolutely horrific, but seeing Keane in Thetford was absolutely fantastic!!

 

[DaveMcT]

Took a cycle ride along the River Teign. Grey mullet are clearly visible through the crystal clear waters. Salmon and sea trout are seen between October and January so I'll have to head up there again later in the year.

 

[portland_bill]

Steaming home late last night on country roads. Approaching a village, in the gutter below the 30 signs were two eyes reflecting at me. Too close together for a cat, but about small cat size. Slowing a lot more, there in my headlights was either a stoat or large weasel. Darker colour fur than I expected, more like a Pine Marten, but they are supposed to be very rare.

It seemed a happy creature, sat up, with a pretty face, watched me go gently by. Hopefully it doesn't get squashed.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

This Tuesday just past, after taking my granddaughter to school we (Mrs J and I) took the wee lad to Gore Glen Country Park. It's about 15 minutes drive from where my boy lives and I'd noticed the wee sign at the roadside off the A7 which is the Galashiels road we travel when going down to visit my brother.

Anyway, Gore Glen Country Park: https://scotlandstartshere.com/point-of-interest/gore-glen-woodland-park/ turned out to be a lovely quite wild place. A small surfaced car park and a network of whin paths. Only one other car parked up and no cafe or coffee stall, nothing in fact except the glorious countryside, just my sort of place. We set off on the path down the hill and soon came to a well built bridge over the relatively recently reopened Borders Railway. This caused considerable excitement as he was hoping we might see a train. Of course the strike was on that day so there was no chance of that. We continued on, winding our way down into the valley on the "switchback" path - it's quite steep in places and the footing can be a little difficult due to the loose whin surface, I was thankful for my new walking shoes. After a while we started to hear the river and about 10 minutes later we came out on a slightly bigger and more used looking path that ran alongside the river. We wandered down stream a wee distance and found a rocky area where shallow water ran around between the rocks. "Ganny" sat herself down on the bank and us two chaps went out, stepping from stone to stone to a small dry land area in the river where we threw stones into the river and played Poo Sticks, but without the bridge.

After a while we walked back up the hill, which is pretty steep and left the two of us somewhat out of breath although the wee chap - he's not yet 3 - was running rings round us! Lots of "Busy Bees" in the wild flowers at the path side and stingy nettles to teach him to avoid. He found a nice big gnarly stick which had to come home with us. We saw a couple of water voles (I think) and other small creatures scuttling across the path as we walked which was probably because in all the time we were there we only saw two other groups of people.

We had a lovely time and will be taking him back in the near future, School holidays are coming up soon so maybe his older sister would like to tag along and we'll be able to distract her from her social media!

 

[chr1s]

Reading a BBC report on Toyota recalling their bZ4X electric cars due to "concerns about loose wheels", I love the Toyota spokesperson's downplaying of the problem: "If a wheel detaches from the vehicle while driving, it could result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash".

Catchy model name too !

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-61919424

 

[StevenRB45]

Fitted a new toilet seat which has been on my "to do" list for about 18 months.

I can already see "Well Mr RB45...if that's the level of your DIY god help you" but no allow me to expand slightly.

3 years ago we got a new toilet, the seat was a little loose but liveable pretty much from day one.

Unfortunately my wife had picked an enclosed cistern/flush pipe toilet. So there was precisely zero access to the fixings. I know what you're thinking "But it'll be a top fit toilet seat! only an absolute moron would fit a standard toilet seat to a toilet of that design".

But he did...and there we were, with a toilet seat that could not be either loosened or tightened without dismantling the whole damn toilet.

Anyway it was starting to get bad and to be honest the plan was along the lines of "let it fall off fit the correct seat for the application" but no wife had other ideas.

Anywho managed to unscrew the seat and lid and in a stroke of luck holding the rubber washer against the hole managed I could back the nut holding the hinge off until it fell off into the back of the toilet never to be seen again. Luckily he'd done them up only finger tight otherwise I'd have been at it with a saw/drill. He'd not trimmed the bolt to length either so had to wind out about 7 inches of thread..nearly lost the will to live.

Anyway, correct seat fitted tightened up...off the to do list. New seat fitting time 5 mins...old seat removal 45 minutes.