Talk to Me

Expecting someone to abandon their language and speak to you in yours is rude.

When someone does, they've shown you a courtesy you might not deserve.

I knew this before I was stranded in Europe, but seeing it play across the faces of multi-lingual Europeans made it real for me. In Holland, they're willing to speak English. In Brussels, they are not.

Waiting for our Eurostar connection, spent a day in Brussels where they speak French and German. Between us, we remembered enough high school German and early French to read the warning signs but not the directions. We stayed in our room.

This article at Times Online cracked me up. Speaking various languages, they call government offices asking for help.

I thought the funniest one was when they called the Catholic Church Media Office and asked, in Latin, where to buy a Bible. Odd, the only Latin they knew was a by-rote response to a phrase heard in Mass. Peace be with you.

C'est la vie.

FYI

When you see someone with these plugged into their ears, that means,

THEY DON'T WANT TO TALK TO YOU.

Leave them alone. They may be armed.

Or just very crabby.

Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull - May 1st and 2nd, 2010 from Sean Stiegemeier on Vimeo.

Old Time Religion

English Beef

Belgium

Buck Up

Peek-A-Boo

Guess where I am.



No. Don't.

Spy Cam

The Glass Teat*

Okay, I haven't mentioned this because I wasn't sure it would stick, but ... I haven't had television in over a year.

One year, no TV.

We canceled our Direct TV connection when we realized we were paying $80 a month to watch Frasier, Lucy and Law & Order reruns.

So, what do we do with that glass fronted box all the furniture is pointed toward?

Movies.

Lately, the old ones. Preston Sturges. Bette Davis.

I've only been tempted to return a couple of times.

Dexter -- with John Lithgow -- oh, I wanted to see that. Waiting for the Dvd.

Lost -- don't tell me -- I'm waiting for the Dvd.

Oscar night -- eh -- a tossup.

Would've watched the Kentucky Derby. I like horses.

Most nights, a movie. Some nights, we read. Others, we talk.

I beg your pardon, what was that?

Still others, it's really quiet here.

Television is a drug. from Beth Fulton on Vimeo.

TV, who knew?

Just say no.




*Landmark book on television by Harlan Ellison. More here and here.

Save Me

While we were in Amsterdam. Stranded. I saved Husband Dearest's life, FIVE times.

Five.

In addition to traffic approaching from the off side, this is what the sidewalk looked like.


And here is what the road looked like.


Five times. Dragged him out of traffic.

I should get a really good anniversary present next time.

Right This Way

Okay, does this seem strange to anyone besides me?

More From England

... where it's spring, by the way.


Pan at the Botanical Gardens, Sheffield.



A Photoshop layers experiment.

Gothic Sky

Look at this sky. No wonder the English write gothic novels.