Randomness

My frustration continues on the blog commenting. 

I can never get a comment to Barbara at Welcome to Simple. 

I leave messages on every post and I never see them. Sometimes I get a rejection and most often nothing at all that is letting me know it was or wasn't posted. I have not seen a comment that I've sent her in months. 

So Barbara if you are reading this I am reading you but I will no longer attempt to leave comments because you aren't getting them anyway.

There are many of you that I read but can't leave comments. Just know I'm reading you. If only blogger could figure this out!

Speaking of bloggers. Another fun person I read was going on a trip and was frantic about her stuff getting there. She was flying on a small portion and then a long road trip to family. Her husband had shown her the issue right now with bags not getting to their destinations etc. 

You could feel her stress.

Here is a big helpful tip that I have used many times.

Pack those big things she was talking about, heavy hiking shoes, cooler climate clothing that isn't needed on the road trip etc. Pack it up well. Go to UPS and have it shipped to your family's home that you are going to. It will be there when you arrive. No hassle if your airline loses your baggage, no issue with your bag being too heavy to pay more or lug. It is worth the price. Yes, they will deliver your baggage to you if they lose it. But they bring it to you in the city in which you landed. She is not staying there. 

She is landing and someone is picking her up for a several-day road trip. 

So she can't hang around for her luggage to show up for a couple of days. 

She had two choices, not bring what she was going to need or risk it not being there. I'm guessing she didn't pack what she needed and she will regret it. She was leaning that way. God, I hope not! We will find out. Then the day before you leave pack up your stuff and go back to UPS and ship it home. It will probably be there upon your arrival at your home. No stress. 

I've also done this to hotels. I shipped a box to a hotel we were going to be staying at. I called the hotel first. I told them what I was planning to do and I asked if could it be done. The man said it is done every day!  So I put all the info on the box that the hotel told me to put on there other than the address. They held it and when I checked in they said, "there is a package here for you" We were going north where a coat, hat, scarves, boots, and heavy outer wear clothing for us both would be needed. It was the heavy winter coats and boots I didn't want to lug on the plane or through the airport or risk checking them and losing them.  

It has always worked for me and it takes so much stress off of you for the trip. She was sweating this so I hope her clothes made it and that all the things she wanted to take but couldn't she didn't need. 

That is my hope for her! The trip alone is stressful you don't need to add to it. 

And the best part of doing this is that the cost that I have spent to ship is not more than checking my bag! Nothing better than when my cousin text me to say, "your box arrived!"  try it next time you need something like this, you'll love it.

In my 30 years in the travel industry, I never lost bags but once. 

Good odds really.

But today is a different world. My bag went to Hawaii back in 83 and I went to Chicago. I wish it had been the other way around. I got a call from the airline letting me know they located my bag & it was in Oahu and would be back to Chicago in a few days. I was leaving Chicago in 1 day. So I had them send it back to DC where it all started. I hoped my bag had a nice trip. I was envious. 

And lastly, there is a phrase I don't much care for that the local TV news folks use a lot. "Past little while" 

What is that? 

"I saw that past little while"

Huh? Is this English?

"I saw Adele a past little while"

"It be rainin' past little while" (oh not a typo, she said  'it be')

HUH? 

She didn't just say "it be" on televison. 

Did they not go to journalism school and have speech classes and such?

I need a translation book. No shit.

These were said this week. Rick said, "it means a little while ago I think."

I figured that out Big Guy but I've never heard those words put together in that way. 

Well, we're in the south. English is not their strong suit.

But it's not mine either Rick as you know. And isn't that a stereotype? What in God's name will I sound like after 2 years here? 

He imitated how I'd sound.

I threw a sofa throw pillow at him.

We haven't heard many accents anywhere in Raleigh because no one is from there. True. I live in the sticks where all these fancy talkin' folks are moving to and they hate us. I'm telling you 8 miles away is a whole new world! Thank God!

I recall when I went to school in Pittsburgh I was given a book on Pittsburgheze. I laughed but then learned it was invaluable. 

The accent is strong and confusing as well. 'Yins' is one I really disliked and heard all the time. Same as ya'll or you guys. 

Their "o.w.n" sounds were odd to me. Rick had that accent when I met him. 

Down doesn't sound like the down we know. It is an accent I could never imitate as I could others. (very very similar to Baltimore) 

So that book came in handy many years later when I met Rick. Pittsburghers will tell you what it means if you ask, they are proud. 

I was never afraid to ask, "what did you say?" Or could you tell me what that means? They would generally laugh and ask where I was from and they were most happy to explain the meaning and how it came to be. I loved learning that. Sometimes it was funny or clever too.

 

But what I won't do here is ask. I don't dare ask here because they would be offended or I'd hear a nasty Yankee comment. I've had enough of that word this year for my lifetime. It would be one thing if said as a fact. But it's said maliciously and full of piss and vinegar. They don't mean it in any shape or form to be a nice word. So they showed me their colors and I just try to stay away from them.

But I think a book on local speech should be given in your welcome wagon packet. How helpful that would be!

I'd have been prepared for "a past little while"

Have you ever heard that? If so are you in the south?