Ready for Rain!

The sun came out today and as I have come to expect of most British people I know, every single one of my colleagues went for a walk during their lunch breaks and upon their return released a moan/sigh noise which sounded somewhere in between post-orgasmic bliss and as if they'd just been treated to a free massage (they are always better if they're free, aren't they?).

Being naturally disagreeable, it got me wishing for rain and thinking of one of the best things about living in what is often considered a rainy place - the ease at which you can justify buying multiple cute umbrellas, even if they are insanely overpriced!

Here are a few that are so cute, you may even join me and wish for rain!

Mademoiselle Young Miss $72.00
Umbrellas.net

Lulu Guinness Birdcage by Fulton £32.00
Lulu Guinesss

Lulu Guiness Cameo Stripe Eliza £35.00
Lulu Guiness

Pasotti Rosa Turquoise £250.00
SimplyUmbrellas.co.uk

Whats Wrong with the Words You Already Know (Pt. two)

I've mentioned before that one of my biggest pet peeves is when Americans move to the UK and on day two are already injecting British vocabulary into their everyday speech.  One does not wake up from jetlag with an entirely new vocabulary.  We agree on this, yes? 

Ok, lets move on to something more important -

If we believe Delaware University professor, Ben Yagoda, it appears there is an even more cringe worthy group of Americans adopting Britishisms... non-expat Americans.   There are apparently people in America using British vocabulary in place of their perfectly reasonable "American" counterparts.

Professor Yagoda, a man after my own heart, has set up a website* which tracks British words making their way into American speech.  He's grading words on a "pretentiousness level", with advert (instead of commercial or ad) earning a speaker three points, and saying someone "got the sack" when they were really fired hopefully earning the full four points.  

Yagoda seems to object mostly to words which have "perfectly good American equivalents, like 'bits' for 'parts' and 'on holiday' instead of 'on vacation', saying that they are "purely pretentious".  (here here!)

Not surprisingly, the author of the the article which brought this to my attention doesn't really understand why Yagoda is irked by this, claiming that "Americans are angry with us for polluting their language" and even writing "After mangling our language for years, Americans are complaining about their own dialect being polluted by 'Britishisms'".   In typical British fashion, the news is being presented in a way which puts the emphasis on the British side of things and becomes slightly competitive without realizing that Professor Yagoda is not accusing the Brits of brainwashing Americans to use their lingo, he's actually attacking Americans with this website, not Brits or their vocabulary.  He's saying that Americans who are adopting the vocabulary are pretentious twits making a concerted effort to sound "cool" and they are who he is angry with, not the British people.

Keep Calm and Carry On. 


*Sadly, I do have work to do today and have not yet been able to find the website.  I would be incredibly grateful if someone can pass the link if they are able to uncover it.

Interesting Survey on British Attitudes Towards Immigrants

I wont go into my thoughts on all of this because it would result in a great deal of unreadable ramblings, but if you are an expat in the UK (and yes, even as an english speaking expat you technically ARE an immigrant) or are thinking of moving to the UK, or just want some good weekend dinner party conversation ammunition you might find this interesting:


Happy Reading and Happy Friday!

..but the actor is British

Sorry to labour the point, but as further proof of the argument presented in my last post... Take a look at this advert airing in the UK for the new season of House...

Seriously?  A trailer which focuses on the actor's nationality rather than the quality of the show itself?  That's what's going to urge Brits to watch the show?

Woe is me.

In Defense of the American Superhero

A while ago, I made a list of things that annoy me about British people and now, at the risk of being a bit offensive, I'd like to add to that list.

6. They personally piggyback on any British person's international success

Case in point... I am sure you have heard by now that Superman is the latest American superhero to be played by a British actor in a major motion picture. ....Wait, what's that, my non UK readers?  You havent heard about this?  Have you been living under a rock??...  No, you simply have been living anywhere other than in the UK where this has been a major headline on every radio programme, TV station, newspaper and news website I have heard or seen today. 

And why?  Who cares?  

The Brits (or atleast the British media) care.  They care anytime something like this happens, and they act as if it's a victory for the whole country.  Colin Firth (continually refered to as British actor, Colin Firth) winning the Best Actor Golden Globe was top news, delivered with undertones of patriotism and national triumph, but did anyone care which film won Best Picture?  Of course not, because it wasn't British (even though there was one Britsh actor in it).   I dont blame British people for not caring about meaningless American entertainment award shows, but either care or dont care. Why the cherry picking?  Do they actually think it reflects positively on Britian for a British actor who has left traditional "British" arts such as the theatre for the bright lights of Hollywood to win a silly award?

When Natalie Portman won her award, did the American media continually refer to her as "American Natalie" and wave the stars and stripes behind her?  

And back to Superman  - Telegraph journalist Andrew Lowry took this "big news" even futher saying that Henry Cavill (the next Superman) and Andrew Garfield (the next Spiderman), both born in 1983 are young but somehow don't "feel" young - whatever that means - and goes so far to say that Jesse Eisenberg (who he seems to think is the only young American actor around) is "a fine actor, but not a man you’d expect to hit the gym to get some bullet-repelling abs, or swing around on the elaborate rigs needed to simulate Spiderman’s powers, or to wield the authority needed to take all Gotham’s troubles on his shoulders," and continued to ask "what does it say about young American men that the avatars of their iconic heroes need be imported in from the UK?"

And he's not done yet... His article concludes: "Nerd culture has taken root across the Atlantic far deeper than over here, and while fumbling, awkward boy-men are ideal for The Social Network and Scott Pilgrim, when it comes to men of steel, casting agents seem to be forced to cast their net wider, to somewhere where dorkery is not seen as an aspiration for a young man."

So, let me get the straight (and try to act surprised by this predictable response)... a member of the British media has taken the casting of a British born actor in the role of an American superhero to imply that all young American men are "dorks"?  

Nice one, mate, but the truth is that superheros are supposed to be "the boy next door". That's part of their appeal. Lois Lane didnt know that  Clark Kent was superman becuase all she saw was that "dork" in glasses and that whatever-her-name-Kirstin-Dunst-character didnt know Peter Parker was Spiderman cause he was that "dork" that lived with his Grandma.  So, if a well-known American actor like Zac Effron or (my personal mini-crush) Chase Crawford was cast as a superhero, this image of a relatable, everyday, normal young man would be harder to get across.  Very few people will look at Henry Cavill and say "oh yeah, that was that guy from the Tudors".  No one will recognize him without his period costume and, so with a good American accent, he can easily be your (very!) handsome boy next door turned flying superhero.  His British-ness will not even feature and is a non-issue.

You got me? 

Oh, and by the way, there will always only be one real Superman.

American Actor, Christopher Reeve

Enquiring minds want to know: Why the Orange Face?

The difficulty with writing a blog which often points out "differences" between two places is that (as most expats soon find out with surprising disappointment) one can only live in one place at a time. When I notice something that seems unusual or new, I often assume it is unique to Britain, when I really have no way of knowing since I no longer know the current goings-on in America. (Note to future expats: the day you realize this is probably the topic of a whole other, much more useful post, so let's not dwell too much on that at the moment).

Here's the thing... any readers outside the UK, can you please tell me - have your towns and cities also been invaded by Oompa Loompas?

Willy and his Oompas

I can only speak for Southern England, but the Oompa Loompas are everywhere!

There seems to be a fashion statement trending for girls of a certain age (seems like maybe teens to late-twenties) to wear orange make up. Its not just fake tan, its seriously orange foundation and bronzer that often doesnt match their neck, and is generally accompanied by lighter-than-nude lips and mascara that would make Tammy Faye Baker take a second look (if she can see through those globby eyelashes of hers).

I can't seem to post the photo due to copywrite issues, but you can see a fashion victim here.

What is this!? Do they know they look like this?  I demand to know where these girls' mothers/aunts/older sisters/etc are to teach them the fine art of matching the proper foundation shade to your skin tone and blending evenly past your jaw line. Is this a failure of British female role models or a global problem?

Either way, I'm certainly not the first to notice. Sometime last year, just when I started to think it was me - maybe I'm too old, maybe I'm not cool, maybe skin tone matching makeup is so last year - I was introduced to POD (the Personal Overhaul Device) and Snog Marry Avoid, a BBC show which takes overly made-up girls (and sometimes boys) and gives them a make-under to reveal their "natural beauty", all while taking jabs at their shabby make up application and dreadful overall apperance. Quality televion.  Highly recommended viewing.

Oh and if you are a young girl who even for a split second mistook that Oompa Loompa photo for a "girls night out" pic on your Facebook, Auntie Lady Liberty suggests a quick viewing of this Ehow video and Loreal True Match Liquid Foundation (not the roll on stuff, but the liquid in a bottle). It's good stuff. 

Comparing Like For Like

Thinking of a move to the UK? 

I've just come across this very interesting website that offers some direct comparisons between various countries.  This link has it set up to compare living in the US to living in the UK, but you can play around with different country combinations (or reverse so you compare if you are already living in the UK).    No major surprises there (except I think I have way more than 8.85% more free time in the UK than I did in the US), but interesting none the less.


Ugh.. now I have the GoCompare song in my head.