Quote from: Sarah B on July 26, 2024, 05:21:42 PMHi Everyone

It's bad enough speaking three languages, American, English and Australia.  Even today after leaving old mother England, 55 years ago.

As for "Instead of saying "oh no", you say "oy noy!" I guess it's a cultural appropriation."  I guess my brain has become befuddled with all the accents.  In regards to, 'cultural appropriation', I will tell the person, politely to take an extremely long walk off a very short pier, jetty or wharf.

I will not tell the people wearing budgy smugglers, that somebody has taken a walk of a short pier either.

Love and Hugs
Sarah B
Official Greeter

Lmao omg. I never knew what "budgie smugglers" were until delving into the depths of Aussie culture. That image just weirds me out on so many levels, LOL.

I feel for you folks though. Literally the whole country wants to kill you. How do you even deal with stuff like that? I've been watching videos on the bush fires you have down there and omg... the strength of character of folks in Australia is something else. Your trees literally explode. But you're like... you have the same spirit as the blitz. "Keep calm and carry on!". We aren't so different at all. You just have a climate that would make most british people melt. Girl, you have grit more than most to even live there.

Hi Everyone

You want to know why we have a good collection of nasties?

Just to remind you we have spiders (funnel web), snakes (western brown), jelly fish (chronis flexis), crocodiles, blue ringed octopus and sharks (great white).  There is a lot more of them, I just listed the worse.  The most weird one is the platypus, but you would be extremely lucky to come across one.  Oops, one more, the stone fish (deadly spines) cannot swim really.

We have all these nasty creatures including the kangaroo which can kick your guts out if you get into a boxing match with them.  The most vicious one of them all is the famous 'Drop Bear'.

Having them we are able to keep the Americans and you British out of Australia.  One other thing, we are surrounded by water and that makes it even harder for you poms and yanks to get to Good ol' Australia.  Unless you are a very good swimmer.

Love and Hugs
Sarah B
Official Greeter
@Sephirah
PS  Disclosure I'm just kidding, about keeping you away from Australia.

Quote from: Sarah B on July 26, 2024, 06:12:18 PMHi Everyone

You want to know why we have a good collection of nasties?

Just to remind you we have spiders (funnel web), snakes (western brown), jelly fish (chronis flexis), crocodiles, blue ringed octopus and sharks (great white).  There is a lot more of them, I just listed the worse.  The most weird one is the platypus, but you would be extremely lucky to come across one.  Oops, one more, the stone fish (deadly spines) cannot swim really.

We have all these nasty creatures including the kangaroo which can kick your guts out if you get into a boxing match with them.  The most vicious one of them all is the famous 'Drop Bear'.

Having them we are able to keep the Americans and you British out of Australia.  One other thing, we are surrounded by water and that makes it even harder for you poms and yanks to get to Good ol' Australia.  Unless you are a very good swimmer.

Love and Hugs
Sarah B
Official Greeter
@Sephirah
PS  Disclosure I'm just kidding, about keeping you away from Australia.

Yeah no Brit or American would dare to go there, lol Not least because you're literally on the other side of the world 18 hours on a plane next to a 5 year old marvel fan is NOT fun.

You literally live in probably the most dangerous place on earth... and choose to keep living... that's testament to you folks. And why you should always listen to Sarah B when she says stuff. She is a girl who lives in one of the dangerous places on the face of the planet

But also one of the most beautiful. Just look at the coral reefs.

I know you're kidding sweetie. I've been to Oz, back when I was in the Navy. I can't deal with the heat, but the Australian people are the nicest people you will ever meet. By a long way.

Hi Everyone

Us Aussies are very tough we have to be.  If you make it to Australia, despite all the warning we can give you and the determination that resides within  you.  Then we will welcome you with open arms.

You will be given "a fair go" and should you get into trouble, you will be greeted with, "she'll be right mate" regardless of where you come from or your status in life.

Sorry Emma for hijacking your thread.

Anyway come to Australia and if you do I will put a 'shrimp on the barbie' for you.

Love and Hugs
Sarah B
Official Greeter
@Sephirah
@Emma1017

Yeah you have to be tough. Literally 90% of the country is uninhabitable.

You are all extremely tough folks. Makes me understand you more, Sarah.

Don't challenge people to not go there, lol. You are the nicest, most genuine people I've ever met. You are like Aquaman. Y'all mostly live around the seas. Because it doesn't literally melt you as a person

A genuine aussie barbie is something you have to experience. It's not about the food. which is sublime... it's about this mystical experience geared towards connecting to nature. It's something else.

OK, I go away for a couple of days and my blog gets busy.  Excellent!

Sephirah, I agree about northern England. Over the last 15 years, I have been excavating Roman ruins on Hadrian's Wall.  I rent a flat in a tiny town halfway between Carlisle and Newcastle called Haltwhistle and the people are always welcoming and great to work with(and the beer is excellent too).

Sarah, I loved Australia too but it is inhabited by a creature that I am highly allergic to, my kid brother.  The coolest thing I get to do when I visit besides seeing my niece and nephew, is to hold koala bears because one of my in-laws is a ranger in the Blue Mountains. They are the softest, sweetest animals I have ever held.

I want to use this as an opportunity to dispel the myth that New Yorkers are rude.  They are extremely friendly but they don't live in Manhattan where all the tourists wind up.  Manhattan is inhabited by all the Type "A", masters of the universe from around the world who come to New York to become "New Yorkers". 

They are not.

The easiest way to call them out is to simply ask them, "Where did you go to high school?".  If it wasn't in the five boroughs then they are absolutely not real New Yorkers!  If you are really lucky, you were born in  Brooklyn...like me   Yes, we can get a little tribal too but we are really nice people too.

Quote from: Emma1017 on July 27, 2024, 08:00:01 AMIf it wasn't in the five boroughs then they are absolutely not real New Yorkers! 

People born in my state feel the same way about transplants and it's a pity, for transplants aren't happenstance. We chose. I've lived in about 35 places from farms to ghettos to the wilderness to small towns to cities, from the West Coast to the East Coast, from the South to the North. I have perspective that no I-was-born-here-person can ever have.

O&C I agree with "I have perspective that no I-was-born-here-person can ever have." as I have lived around the world as well.  My point is that New Yorkers take a lot of criticism for being rude.  I hear it everywhere I go.

We are a Type A magnetic.

Maine is not afflicted with the same malady.  The worst for Maine is the wave of summer tourists.  We get the tourist wave year round AND the Type A's move and stay here.  Fortunately, the outer boroughs attract the real transplants.  I was talking with an executive at Home Depot who was opening a new store in Brooklyn and he told me that they identified over 89 different languages spoken in Brooklyn.  I love the cosmopolitan feel.

Manhattan is for business, tourists and NYC wannabee's.  That's ok.  I take the subway home every day.

By the way Maine is my favorite other state, particularly in the fall and spring.

Rural Worcestershire is being taken over by "outsiders" , lots of new build houses that locals cant afford and larger old houses go for stupid money. Then the outsiders try to run the local councils and associations not under standing the country side, things like why are there no street lights!!!

Davina the same thing happened here.  Parts of Brooklyn became "cool" and the wannabes did the same thing to real estate property.  Covid forced the "Manhattanites" up the Hudson River for their safety compounds.  Ruining those areas for the locals as well.

Park Slope is nice, at least, I think it is.

Chrissy

Chrissy it's a great neighborhood, all up hill.

If it were a city on its own, like it was in 1890, it would be the fourth largest city in the US.  The population is 2.7 million. 

Quote from: davina61 on July 27, 2024, 10:00:53 AMThen the outsiders try to run the local councils and associations not under standing the country side, things like why are there no street lights!!!

Wait, what? I live in literally the middle of nowhere. There are more sheep, horses, and weirdly... llamas than people in my corner of the UK. It's about as rural as you can get. But even we have streetlights, lol. Is this some unwritten rule I'm unaware of?

Maine is also probably my favourite state in the US. Probably because I'm a massive Stephen King fangirl.

Tonight is one of those nights where I feel so sadly lonely. I know it is because I am so angry and tired of being transgender. I am am tired of the endless doubt and the endless guilt I feel for the hurt I know I am causing my wife.

I guess I am just whinning...again.

I know, how boring. 

I just needed to vent anonymously once more on the internet.  Sorry everyone.

There are better blogs to read. 

Quote from: Emma1017 on July 27, 2024, 10:56:30 PMTonight is one of those nights where I feel so sadly lonely. I know it is because I am so angry and tired of being transgender. I am am tired of the endless doubt and the endless guilt I feel for the hurt I know I am causing my wife.

I guess I am just whinning...again.

I know, how boring. 

I just needed to vent anonymously once more on the internet.  Sorry everyone.

There are better blogs to read. 

Never be sorry, Emma. Venting on the internet is the only form of solace some people have.

You're not alone, okay? You're not.

What I would say is think about where this anger is coming from. Where this sadness and tiredness is coming from.

You are trading yourself for someone else. is no wonder you feel exhausted, resentful and angry, sweetie.

Can I ask you a question? More to the point, will you be honest in your answer?

Is it worth it, Emma? I've known you a long time and girl, you've been in a prison of your own design... can you honestly say this is worth it? Do you get back the sacrifice you're making?

Yes.

We laugh every day and I will not hurt her. 

But you are right Sephirah it is coming with a toll. Tonight it just hurts and I needed to let it out among friends.

And this is a safe place to do that. We understand because we feel it too.
Never be sorry for venting. That is what we are here for. You got this.
Hang tough, Sister.

Hugs!

What she said. <3

              Thank you  ❤️