Weekend Recap #17

IN THE NEWS: According to World Magazine, Englishman John Richards has been living with a misdiagnosed break in his neck for almost 58 years. This summer Richards went to his doctor for a routine visit and complained about a neck pain that had bothered him since he was 16--the time when he fell out of an apple tree. Doctors at that time treated him for a broken wrist but never checked his neck. In his life time, Richards worked on a farm and even spent 15 years as an amateur boxer--not knowing that one wrong punch could have killed him! When the doctors discovered the break, Richards was rushed into surgery to insert an inch-long bolt in his neck.

Well, all went well with my little family get together on Saturday. Civility and a nice time was what I shooting for--and luckily, that's what I got. Yay. I was very pleased with the whole situation. (Oh, and the food turned out yummy, too)

One funny thing that came up during our dinner was how people talk. I lived up in Massachusetts for a few years, so I shared a funny story of my experience with "accents".
I may have told this story before on this blog, so if I did, just smile and nod and pretend it's new information. Okay? Good.

Anyway... Here's the set-up: I'm working up in New England and my boss at the time (who had a very thick Boston accent) called to tell me about a meeting he'd like me to attend. Keep in mind, I'm not too familiar with town names or hotel names yet, since I'm still a newbie to the area.

ME: "Okay. I can make it. Where's the meeting going to be held?"

BOSS: "An inn called the Laud Wakefield."

ME: "Laud Wakefield?"

BOSS: "Yeah. The Laud Wakefield."

ME: (Puzzled, trying to figure out what exactly a laud is and what exactly kind of inn this is) "You mean, The Lodge Wakefield."

BOSS: "No. The Laud Wakefield."

ME: (Grasping at straws as to what he's saying) "The Large Wakefield?"

BOSS: (Getting agitated with my obsession with laud when all he wants to do is give me driving directions) "No, Jennafa, laud."

ME: "Laud?"

BOSS: "Yes! Laud! Laud! Laud!"

ME: "Um, I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm hearing you right. How do you spell it?"

BOSS: (Sighing) "L. O. R. D."

ME: "Oh!!! Lord."

BOSS. "Yes. Laud."

At that point I couldn't care less about the directions. I just wanted those 5 minutes of my life back.

Then my mom was quick to point out that we (in New Jersey) have accents, too.

What? Impossible. So she gave a few examples to me and my equally confused siblings.

EX. The food store "Acme". Normally pronounced with two syllables. Ack-me.
However, my mom pronounces it Ac-a-me. 3 syllables. I don't think that's a New Jersey accent though since none of the other NJ residents at the table said it like that.

EX. Water. Most New Jersians will pronounce it wooter. (Except me. I pronounce it correctly.)

I have to say, I think I generally buck the norm as far as NJ accents go. Although I used to be teased by my NORTH Jersey friends about my pronounciation of the word home. I still don't hear what I say that sounds so different.

Go figure.

Do you have an accent?