Do I detect an accent?

You never really think you are the one with the accent. Everyone else is talking funny. You sound totally normal. On my trip to Europe I was one of few people from the Midwest or to be even more general, "The North." On the last day of the trip we all signed each others T-shirts. On the back of my shirt it it states: "I love to hear you talk." What's so interesting about the way I talk, I thought to myself. Then I realized the man who wrote it was from Georgia. So I did talk "funny." The group seemed to, in general, agree. I was baffled. So then I innocently ask, "Where do I sound like I'm from." Wrong question my friend. They all know you live in Wisconsin. So naturally, they say Wisconsin. Then I almost fell over. "I do not talk like I'm from Wisconsin!" I protested. I tried to explain what a person from Wisconsin would sound like in comparison to the way I talked, unsuccessfully. For instance, Wisconsinites would pronounce the word bag as if it had a long a, so "bage." They also call a drinking fountain a bubbler, but that is a rant for a later date. Unfortunately, those were the only solid examples I could muster up.

There have been other times where I've actually caught myself saying something like a person from Wisconsin. An "Oh sure" here and there that is a little too drawn out. It's times like these that I make the effort to get back to the Land of Lincoln. The Windy City is calling me home before it loses me forever. I like to think my Chicago accent is still well in tact, but things like this make me nervous. They make me long for home. I have grown to identify with Milwaukee, but I will never identify with this state. I'm just a Chicago girl living in Milwaukee; a FIB at heart. It's a good thing in a few weeks I'll be home for five straight days over Thanksgiving and then just a few more weeks and it's home for over a week for Christmas and New Years.

In the mean time, it looks like I'll be watching a lot of Super Fans sketches and will put Blues Brothers on loop.

Traveling girl

During the last week of September I spent 10 days traveling around Western Europe. The trip took me to Belgium, Germany and a brief stop in the Netherlands. Although the work was business in purpose, it was still some of the most fun I've ever had with a bus full of strangers. The work part of the trip was extremely interesting, and I learned a great deal about the industry. The fun part was even better. We were able to do a little bit of sight seeing and spent the last day at Volksfest, Stuttgart's Oktoberfest celebration. It was an experience that can't really be described. You really have to be there. The liters of beer were flowing, the music was loud, and everyone was up on the benches.

It always amazes me on trips like this how a group of complete strangers can go home being best friends. I made a number of friends of all ages (27 to somewhere in the 50s or 60s I would guess).