Small Talk: "I'll Take Non-Show Chat For $400, Alex."

[30 Helens]

What a beautiful, funny, heartbreaking story, @Prevailing Wind. Thank you for sharing that.

I once rescued a tiny white kitten from a dumpster and he was the light of my life for the next 19 years. Sometimes the best gifts come from the most unexpected places… but as you describe Bosco’s personality, I think a playground actually makes perfect sense. 

Hugs to Stella. She sounds like a pretty great gift, too.

[zoey1996]

Found this today: https://www.kitcarsoncountycarousel.com

The Kit Carson County Carousel in Burlington, Colorado. I want to go.

[Prevailing Wind]

Re: Accents from the "Today's Host"...

I was born in Philadelphia, grew up in Miami and have lived in Metro Atlanta for 50 years. I do not think I have adopted a Southern accent. I do admit to using "y'all" (It's so handy for second person plural) and calling a grocery cart a buggy, but other than that...  When I grew up, it was mostly before the Cuban influx, and Miami was more New York with palm trees.  Yet, to this day, people that "know" accents and can place people by them, can hear me speak just a few words and say to me, "You're from Philadelphia."  I have no idea what it is that I say that pegs me as being from Philly. I do realize I learned to speak from my parents, both born & raised there, so it would be natural I would have that accent, but after all those years of living in different places?

[Bastet]

I grew up in Los Angeles, as did my mom, and my dad is from Oklahoma.  He'd lived here about ten years by the time I was born, and as a kid I didn't really perceive him to sound different* from most of the people I knew (he certainly didn't sound like my aunts and uncles still in Oklahoma).  No one said anything until junior high when a new friend came over the first time and quickly asked, "Where's your dad from?"

*In terms of accent.  He certainly used expressions not otherwise heard in L.A., my favorite of which remains "He's so dumb, if his brains were made of cotton he couldn't make Kotex for a pissant".

[Mindthinkr]

5 minutes ago, Bastet said:

In terms of accent.  He certainly used expressions not otherwise heard in L.A., my favorite of which remains "He's so dumb, if his brains were made of cotton he couldn't make Kotex for a pissant".

I’m not laughing at your father, but find what he said pretty funny. 

[Browncoat]

I love it!  If I can remember that, I may have to borrow it.

[Clanstarling]

17 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Re: Accents from the "Today's Host"...

I was born in Philadelphia, grew up in Miami and have lived in Metro Atlanta for 50 years. I do not think I have adopted a Southern accent. I do admit to using "y'all" (It's so handy for second person plural) and calling a grocery cart a buggy, but other than that...  When I grew up, it was mostly before the Cuban influx, and Miami was more New York with palm trees.  Yet, to this day, people that "know" accents and can place people by them, can hear me speak just a few words and say to me, "You're from Philadelphia."  I have no idea what it is that I say that pegs me as being from Philly. I do realize I learned to speak from my parents, both born & raised there, so it would be natural I would have that accent, but after all those years of living in different places?

I was raised all over (military brat), my Dad was from the South and my mom was a native German speaker. I wonder what someone would peg me as - that would be very interesting. I think I speak pretty blandly - though I do throw in a southern saying or two now and then.

I never noticed my parents' accents (which people tell me were strong) or picked them up, even though I pick up accents at the drop of a syllable. But when I would talk to my southern relatives on the phone, my husband could always tell, as I started speaking with a thick southern drawl (specific to their area). And when I was recently visiting with my mom's family, they were thrilled that my German was deeply accented with their regional accent. And one of the passport control guys in Germany asked if I was from there. So I'm pleased, in those cases, to be able to get it right for the people I love.

Edited June 18, 2022 by Clanstarling

[PBnJay]

On 6/16/2022 at 11:50 AM, zoey1996 said:

The Kit Carson County Carousel in Burlington, Colorado. I want to go.

Take photos to share when you do! It's near Kansas after all. The website is a hoot, I played all the carousel music, so much fun. Thanks for finding and posting that.

Edited June 19, 2022 by PBnJay

[zoey1996]

23 minutes ago, PBnJay said:

Take photos to share when you do! It's near Kansas after all. The website is a hoot, I played all the carousel music, so much fun. Thanks for finding and posting that.

We should be moved (not settled) in Kansas by mid-August. If I can’t visit by Sept. 5 when they close, I’ll go next year. It’s about 3 1/2 hours from Ellsworth.

[Clanstarling]

1 hour ago, seacliffsal said:

I admit to being old and grumpy, but I don't participate int he expected standing ovations unless there are extenuating circumstances or I truly feel it was an exceptional performance (and, yes, I get looks from other people).  I also don't support "everyone gets a trophy" so there it is.  

1 hour ago, 853fisher said:

Someone online compiled a few examples of incomplete or badly written answers accepted: these are supposed to be John Denver, Crete, and Jefferson.  "John Denve" is the most recent, from January, with the same production team we have now.  That call would not have affected the outcome of the game either way, but that can't be the standard for judgment.  My perspective has shifted a bit - now it seems to me that Sadie really did get the short end of the stick.

No children in my life right now are old enough to perform, but I attend various professional and amateur performances regularly.  I literally cannot recall one in the last ten years that did not end in a standing ovation.  I recently read a pan of a theatrical performance, under which was a reader comment like "well I saw her play it last week and she got a standing o, so what now?"  I thought, so did the piano soloist I once saw who ground a performance to a halt because her sheets were out of order...twice!

I don't like "everyone gets a trophy" either - and the kids are well aware of what it means (just as they know what the cutesy reading group names mean too). One of my kids was in a storytelling contest, and at the end of all their hard work and performances (which were, actually quite good) the contest runners decided to pick a name out of a hat. Which infuriated all the kids and parents and left the "winner" with a trophy that didn't really mean much.

However, having sat through many a terrible or tedious children's play, or orchestra performance, I also got to see that the encouragement they got when they weren't much good helped many stick with it and become good or excellent performers as they got older. So I'm not going to nip them in the bud - even though I am also grumpy and old (and have silently groaned through many things).

[Bastet]

52 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

However, having sat through many a terrible or tedious children's play, or orchestra performance, I also got to see that the encouragement they got when they weren't much good helped many stick with it and become good or excellent performers as they got older. So I'm not going to nip them in the bud - even though I am also grumpy and old (and have silently groaned through many things).

I don't think anyone should sit there and silently scowl when the kids are awkward and terrible; they deserve applause because they practiced, and then got out there in front of people and tried.  But they don't deserve a standing ovation.

When everything gets a standing ovation, they become meaningless, and now there has to be something else added - fist pumps? jumping up and down? hooting and hollering? - to indicate a truly superb performance.

[Ailianna]

On 6/19/2022 at 2:38 PM, Bastet said:

When everything gets a standing ovation, they become meaningless, and now there has to be something else added - fist pumps? jumping up and down? hooting and hollering? - to indicate a truly superb performance.

This is exactly my thoughts. I have given standing ovations--a small handful of times in my life when something was truly amazing. But otherwise I usually sit and clap and can't see the curtain call because of everyone standing in front of me.

(A few examples of performances I did think deserved it include NPH in Hedwig, Oslo (paid Lincoln Center prices to see it TWICE!), Lifespan of a Fact, Alan Cuming in his one man MacBeth. All performances that have stayed powerfully with me years after I saw them.)

[shapeshifter]

Although the "New Emojis!" thread is closed, I am still a little uncertain about the meaning of the fire emoji.
Even though I've used the fire emoji, there's still this:

On 6/2/2022 at 12:01 PM, ams1001 said:

But I guess it could also be a dumpster fire...

And I just came across:

Source: newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/no-worries-if-not

[Clanstarling]

Quote

What does fire mean in slang?

What is the meaning of fire 🔥?

The fire emoji is a flame that is mostly yellow with a little red on the top. It is used to signify that something is cool, awesome, exciting, or more colloquially, “on fire.” It can also convey that someone is sexy, (i.e., hot), or refer to other various metaphorical fires.Feb 28, 2018

Quote

Something that is really good, amazing, crazy(in a good way)

“That song is straight fire” (urban dictionary)

These definitions seem on point - cool, awesome, amazing - those would be great reactions to some of our posts.

Edited June 22, 2022 by Clanstarling

[Browncoat]

Was it in this thread I was tasked with ascertaining the correct (Scottish) pronunciation of scone the pastry?  (As opposed to the stone.)  I don’t remember!  I have consulted with actual Scottish people, and they agree that it’s pronounced with a softened “ah” sound.  Almost like “scahn.”  The stone, of course, is pronounced like “scoon.”

In other Scottish tour news, in case you don’t read the vacation thread, we have one confirmed covid-positive test among out little group.  There are a couple of others with symptoms.  We assume they are also positive, but no one else has been tested.  So far, symptoms are mild, and are being treated with OTC meds.  I suspect we’ll all get it before the trip is finished, so I am doubly (triply, even!) glad I don’t have to get tested before returning to the US.  I’ve been wearing my mask, and will continue to do so — especially in the airport and on the plane, and in any public spaces in Scotland.  I am, as of now, asymptomatic.

[shapeshifter]

13 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Was it in this thread I was tasked with ascertaining the correct (Scottish) pronunciation of scone the pastry?  (As opposed to the stone.)  I don’t remember!  I have consulted with actual Scottish people, and they agree that it’s pronounced with a softened “ah” sound.  Almost like “scahn.”  The stone, of course, is pronounced like “scoon.”

Thank you for using phonetic spellings that make sense to me.
Just saying a vowel sound is pronounced the same as in another word presupposes that the reader knows how the poster pronounces that word, and that the poster and reader pronounce that reference word the same.

13 hours ago, Browncoat said:

we have one confirmed covid-positive test among out little group.  There are a couple of others with symptoms.  We assume they are also positive, but no one else has been tested.  So far, symptoms are mild, and are being treated with OTC meds.  I suspect we’ll all get it before the trip is finished, so I am doubly (triply, even!) glad I don’t have to get tested before returning to the US.  I’ve been wearing my mask, and will continue to do so — especially in the airport and on the plane, and in any public spaces in Scotland.  I am, as of now, asymptomatic.

I really, really, Really appreciate you wearing a mask while you think there may be a risk of having Covid. If I was still working at the college library reference desk, I would wear a mask any time I had a cold or sore throat and, if asked, would use it as a life-teaching moment to model such thoughtful behavior.
May you manage to escape the scourge. 🐧

[Browncoat]

I may have spoken too soon.  I’ve felt a little off all day, but can’t decide if it’s straight up lack of sleep or if I’m actually ill.  There were VERY noisy gulls outside my window all night.  And since it essentially doesn’t get dark here this time of year, the gulls don’t sleep either.  We’ve been saying that someone requested a wake-up gulll far too early, and there wasn’t a snooze button!

Fortunately, I have been to Orkney before, so I’m okay with resting a bit this afternoon before dinner.

[shapeshifter]

3 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

I may have spoken too soon.  I’ve felt a little off all day, but can’t decide if it’s straight up lack of sleep or if I’m actually ill.  There were VERY noisy gulls outside my window all night.  And since it essentially doesn’t get dark here this time of year, the gulls don’t sleep either.  We’ve been saying that someone requested a wake-up gulll far too early, and there wasn’t a snooze button!

Fortunately, I have been to Orkney before, so I’m okay with resting a bit this afternoon before dinner.

It sounds like it would be difficult to get those instant tests there?

Regardless, you are wise to rest when feeling "under the weather."

[Browncoat]

I don’t really know about the tests.  We’ve just been treating symptoms.  In the end, I suppose it doesn’t matter what I’ve got, treating the symptoms will be the same regardless.  Mostly I hope my four jabs will keep things uneventful.

[Mindthinkr]

I was changing channels last night and saw the Daytime Emmys were on; specifically the game show category. Jeopardy won. 
So I watched another minute to see about best host. MB wasn’t even nominated or Ken for that matter. Steve Harvey won. Then I went back to my regular viewing. 

[shapeshifter]

39 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

I was changing channels last night and saw the Daytime Emmys were on; specifically the game show category. Jeopardy won. 
So I watched another minute to see about best host. MB wasn’t even nominated or Ken for that matter. Steve Harvey won. Then I went back to my regular viewing. 

Probably Ken wasn't eligible since he's "hosting" but not "the host"? 

[PBnJay]

On 6/24/2022 at 4:48 PM, Browncoat said:

I’ve been wearing my mask, and will continue to do so — especially in the airport and on the plane, and in any public spaces in Scotland.

I wear my mask here in the U.S. everywhere I go, and almost all of the time I am the only one who is. I will continue to do that, damn the torpedos. I mean, damn what anyone thinks. My body, my life!

I hope you can get back into the U.S. w/o having to be neg on a COVID test. Maybe restrictions are relaxing, but I've read of people stuck in UK and Mexico and not able to get home. One woman went to a destination wedding in UK, got COVID while there and had to spend 14 days in the hotel (her expense!) before she could return home.

Scahns for breakfast for everyone!

[Clanstarling]

45 minutes ago, PBnJay said:

I wear my mask here in the U.S. everywhere I go, and almost all of the time I am the only one who is. I will continue to do that, damn the torpedos. I mean, damn what anyone thinks. My body, my life!

I hope you can get back into the U.S. w/o having to be neg on a COVID test. Maybe restrictions are relaxing, but I've read of people stuck in UK and Mexico and not able to get home. One woman went to a destination wedding in UK, got COVID while there and had to spend 14 days in the hotel (her expense!) before she could return home.

Scahns for breakfast for everyone!

The US just eliminated testing to come home a week or two ago. When I was in Europe two months ago, I still had to test. And tested positive. My brother - far less careful about masking (I'm like you), was negative. But fortunately, I was staying with cousins who'd just gotten over Covid, so they didn't feel the need to isolate me in the house. They had a nice home, and a lovely yard, and we had a great time just talking and drinking Coke (couldn't get enough of it - I guess my Covid body needed Coke, which I rarely drink)

Their government, however, was very strict about quarantine, and at one time I had the police come check on me (long story). I didn't get to come home until I tested negative - and at the time the test was only good for 24 hours, which means I had to book expensive flights for the next morning immediately.

Still, I was lucky. I got my second booster a few weeks before going, I didn't even know I was sick. I figured I was just tired from jetlag and running around, and the rumbly tummy from eating lots of new food. As disappointed as I was that I could no longer stop and see my daughter on the way home, I was glad I didn't carry the infection to her, or anyone one else. But as I said, I was most fortunate. 

Still haven't gotten any of my refunds, though. And I can't use the insurance until I do.

Edited June 26, 2022 by Clanstarling

[Browncoat]

Yes, fortunately, I don’t have to get tested before flying back to the States.  I am much better today, though I’ll continue to take the meds for a couple of days.  It has mostly just felt like a mild flu — achy, sniffly, and a bit of a cough.  And I am so tired! 

[Clanstarling]

2 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Yes, fortunately, I don’t have to get tested before flying back to the States.  I am much better today, though I’ll continue to take the meds for a couple of days.  It has mostly just felt like a mild flu — achy, sniffly, and a bit of a cough.  And I am so tired! 

Good luck and feel better soon. Being sick while traveling, even before Covid is the pits ( though I didn't mind it so much when we visited my mother in law once (shhhh, just between us).

[shapeshifter]

Dragging this over from the main thread because my response was going further off topic:

23 hours ago, Welshman in Ca said:

Being a grumpy old man I would agree with you but have learnt that language has always evolved and changed over the years and just laugh to myself now, not try to be too much of a right word grump but I do sometimes fail miserably.

So basically just because we don't agree, it doesn't make it wrong either.

On 7/2/2022 at 6:47 AM, stonehaven said:

I take great umbrage at being called a "language fussbudget" because I know the difference between "anxious" and "eager". In college, one of my journalism professors drilled that into me in a 15 minute lecture in class.

Nearly 25 years later, I still remember it. I thought Jeopardy was supposed to celebrate smarts and not belittle it. Just because "everyone" does it, doesn't make it right....

I can't remember anything else about the game as I spent the next 20 minutes fuming at my TV....

8 hours ago, South said:

A lot of people jab me about texting with full words, punctuation, and upper and lower case letters as needed.  
My mom would say it’s similar to being better overdressed than underdressed for an occasion.

My mom, both a bit of a grammar fussbudget and a fashion maven, always said the opposite. She advised that it was better to be a underdressed than overdressed.
Mom also believed it was better to be "fashionably late" than early, which I assumed was to give your host time to make sure (as Mom would have) that their home was spotless and everything was in its place.

But most interesting to the grammar discussion: 
On the Literally thread, I recently learned that a grammar rule I absorbed from Mom in the 1960s is not only incorrect, but the phrasing that offended Mom has a worthy origin: 

[PBnJay]

I don't text, but I do email constantly for business. I begin my emails with a salutation and sign them with my name at the end. There's nothing wrong with being old school.

I am irked, however, when people have an auto signature that contains 20 lines beyond their name, like they have to give their life history after every two-line email. No one cares! (At least I do not.) 

[PBnJay]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

My mom, both a bit of a grammar fussbudget and a fashion maven, always said the opposite. She advised that it was better to be a underdressed than overdressed.

I respectfully disagree with your mother. I've sat a few times in a restaurant lobby waiting for my take out, and have been stunned by what the people coming in to eat are wearing ... baggy gym clothes, ripped t-shirts, caps on all the men (take off your hat when you come inside, fellas!), short shorts, clothes that would even be embarrassing to wear in the privacy of your own home much less in public and much less in a nice restaurant. Plus most look like they hadn't seen soap and water or a brush and comb for months. Frankly, I find it disgusting.

No, I don't "gussy up" when I go out, but I take a bath and put on clean, fresh clothes that don't need ironing and have no holes plus fit me correctly, meaning they aren't falling off my body or revealing any body parts that should stay hidden. 

Plus, if someone tells me to be there at 8, I'm there at 8. If they really meant 8:30, they would have said 8:30. To arrive more than a few minutes later is rude. If someone hadn't cleaned their house by then, that's just poor planning on their part. Nothing "fashionable" about it.

[shapeshifter]

12 minutes ago, PBnJay said:

I respectfully disagree with your mother. I've sat a few times in a restaurant lobby waiting for my take out, and have been stunned by what the people coming in to eat are wearing ... baggy gym clothes, ripped t-shirts, caps on all the men (take off your hat when you come inside, fellas!), short shorts, clothes that would even be embarrassing to wear in the privacy of your own home much less in public and much less in a nice restaurant. Plus most look like they hadn't seen soap and water or a brush and comb for months. Frankly, I find it disgusting.

No, I don't "gussy up" when I go out, but I take a bath and put on clean, fresh clothes that don't need ironing and have no holes plus fit me correctly, meaning they aren't falling off my body or revealing any body parts that should stay hidden. 

Plus, if someone tells me to be there at 8, I'm there at 8. If they really meant 8:30, they would have said 8:30. To arrive more than a few minutes later is rude. If someone hadn't cleaned their house by then, that's just poor planning on their part. Nothing "fashionable" about it.

Actually, you and Mom would have been pretty much on the same page.

She acknowledged that there would be people in shorts in a fancy restaurant in Hawaii, but neither she nor my father would be wearing shorts unless to the beach. Her own “underdressed rather than overdressed” attire would mean a flowing pants suit rather than high heels and a dress.

And her “fashionably late” would be about 10 minutes—–just enough to allow the host some breathing room for unforeseen issues.
Or if it was a party that went on for a long time and had a guest list that included the entire neighborhood, like, say, on New Years Eve from 8pm to 1am, they might arrive at 9 and leave by 10.  
🙂

[Clanstarling]

38 minutes ago, PBnJay said:

Plus, if someone tells me to be there at 8, I'm there at 8. If they really meant 8:30, they would have said 8:30. To arrive more than a few minutes later is rude. If someone hadn't cleaned their house by then, that's just poor planning on their part. Nothing "fashionable" about it.

I'm with you on that. Then again, I was raised in the military - where being on time was actually being late - on time would be 5 to 10 minutes early. I still do that, though my excuse is that I don't know what the traffic and parking's going to be like. 😄

That being said, I don't expect anyone to be that early from the stated time, but more than 5 or 10 minutes late without a good reason does tick me off.

Edited July 3, 2022 by Clanstarling

[Mindthinkr]

24 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

, I was raised in the military - where being on time was actually being late - on time would be 5 to 10 minutes early.

That’s my brother. Of if you are 10 minutes late or more, you are no longer invited. He will actually get up and leave a restaurant if that’s where you are meeting. If I call him die to extenuating circumstances (flat tire) I may or may not still be invited. Last time he came here he said he was 58 seconds to the appointed meeting time. You learn fast to be “on the dot” in my family. 

[legaleagle53]

It depends, too, on the culture. For example, Latin-American culture is well-known for having a much more lax attitude toward time than Anglo-Americans do, so "be there at 8 PM" means in practice "not before 9," so if you arrive at 8 PM on the dot, it's going to be awkward for everyone because nothing and nobody is going to be ready for you. The way to avoid that is to ask upon receiving the invitation, "¿Hora inglesa u hora española?" ("English time or Spanish time?")

[shapeshifter]

8 minutes ago, legaleagle53 said:

It depends, too, on the culture. For example, Latin-American culture is well-known for having a much more lax attitude toward time than Anglo-Americans do, so "be there at 8 PM" means in practice "not before 9," so if you arrive at 8 PM on the dot, it's going to be awkward for everyone because nothing and nobody is going to be ready for you. The way to avoid that is to ask upon receiving the invitation, "¿Hora inglesa u hora española?" ("English time or Spanish time?")

“Hawaiian Time” can even mean that the plumber will likely appear 2 weeks after the set date.

[Bastet]

6 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Mom also believed it was better to be "fashionably late" than early, which I assumed was to give your host time to make sure (as Mom would have) that their home was spotless and everything was in its place.

Gods, yes.  There's no need to be there right at the start time (if the party "starts" at 8:00, generally people start arriving around 8:15), although it would be fine if they did, but showing up early is just wrong. 

[Driad]

45 minutes ago, Bastet said:

showing up early is just wrong. 

Showing up early is just volunteering to peel carrots, sweep the porch, etc.

[shapeshifter]

5 minutes ago, Driad said:

Showing up early is just volunteering to peel carrots, sweep the porch, etc.

Only if you and the host know each other well enough for that to be a good thing. 😉

[SoMuchTV]

43 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

And then there's the town of Buena Vista in Virginia.  Normal places might pronounce that "Bwayna Vista", but not Virginia.  Nope.  It's "Byoona Vista" in Virginia.  Even though it grates on my last nerve, that is the local pronunciation, so I try to roll with it.

From the main show thread… Gotta love Virginia pronunciations. Staunton is pretty much a shibboleth. Norfolk can duke it out with Nebraska. And its Monticello Avenue is in an intrastate battle with TJ’s Monticello. (-sello vs -chello. Unless I got that backwards. I always have to stop and think.)

[Prevailing Wind]

4 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

From the main show thread… Gotta love Virginia pronunciations. Staunton is pretty much a shibboleth. Norfolk can duke it out with Nebraska. And its Monticello Avenue is in an intrastate battle with TJ’s Monticello. (-sello vs -chello. Unless I got that backwards. I always have to stop and think.)

TJ's house is chello.  A FB friend in Virginia recently flew to Seattle. She said she had to school the flight attendant on how to pronounce Staunton and Shenandoah. When I asked if there were any other way to pronounce Shenandoah, the friend replied that the attendant had it right, but after the faux pas with Staunton, she needed confirmation.

Where I live in Georgia, the county is DeKalb. Did you know there's a silent L in that? I know Illinois pronounced the L in their DeKalb, but here it's pronounced De-CAB.

[Prevailing Wind]

Then there's the tale of the two Northerners driving through Georgia. They got to Vienna and proceeded to argue about how to pronounce it. They stopped at a Dairy Queen, ordered some Blizzards and then asked the girl at the counter, "How do you pronounce this place?" and very slowly, she replied, "day-ree kween."

BTW, It's VYE-enna

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Where I live in Georgia, the county is DeKalb. Did you know there's a silent L in that? I know Illinois pronounced the L in their DeKalb, but here it's pronounced De-CAB.

Cool😎.
Now pronounce Illinois. 🙃

[Prevailing Wind]

51 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Cool😎.
Now pronounce Illinois. 🙃

The S is silent.  Is there anyone who pronounces if Illi-nwah?

Edited July 4, 2022 by Prevailing Wind

[Browncoat]

11 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

Staunton is pretty much a shibboleth.

It confused me for a long time why people had problems pronouncing Staunton.  When we talk about our aunts, we pronounce that as "ant", so it makes sense that Staunton is pronounced "Stanton".  It didn't occur to me until I was probably college-aged that Staunton could be pronounced any other way.

Norfolk, on the other hand....  And better yet, there was a dorm at my college that was spelled Taliaferro, but pronounced Tolliver.  Took me ages to figure out they were the same building.

[shapeshifter]

5 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

The S is silent.  Is there anyone who pronounces if Illi-nwah?

6 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Cool😎.
Now pronounce Illinois. 🙃

Sometimes silently in my head I pronounce it Illi-nwah. 😉
It does seem people rarely say the S anymore -- at least not as often as they did in the mountains on the California/Oregon border towns in the 1980s and 90s.

[Prevailing Wind]

Georgia has a Taliaferro county, pronounced Tolliver.

[MrAtoz]

2 hours ago, Browncoat said:

 When we talk about our aunts, we pronounce that as "ant"

Well...some of us do.

[shapeshifter]

Dragging another post over from the main season thread because I'm going off on another tangent:

6 hours ago, South said:

I was raised using the word anxious in a positive manner, such as looking forward to something.  Then in middle school, I found that everyone, inexplicably overnight, used it in a more negative manner.  After consulting a few dictionaries, I determined that Mom was wrong about this one.

Your mom was not *entirely* wrong, IMO. The second definition begins:

• "wanting something very much" (Oxford via Google: google.com/search?q=anxious+definition)

And the OED online includes this example:

•  3. Having a strong desire for something, to do something, or that something should happen; keen, eager, greatly concerned. . . .
  • 1860   J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. §13. 93  
    I was anxious to see many parts of it once more.

Although not of Christian heritage, we grew up "celebrating" Christmas, that is, believing Santa Claus was going to leave presents for us under the tree.  @South, I think both your and your Mom's understandings of the meaning of the word anxious were perfectly fused in my Christmas Eve anxiety. 

This Christmas-themed anxiety was revisited with my own children, including my hesitation to go out and cut a Christmas tree with a small saw and a large thermos of hot chocolate because it would be "such a big family ordeal" to which my youngest piped up: "I *Love* family ordeals!" 
Perhaps you mom, @South, had some similar *fond* memories of being "anxious" for events?

And now, as promised, to go entirely off on yet another tangent:
I had always wanted to illustrate a children's book, and so when offered the opportunity, I snatched it up without a second thought. That the "author" immediately admitted that a previous illustrator quit did not register with me as a possible warning of Trouble Ahead. 
The book was eventually published over a year later, and I'm glad, and learned a lot, but if ever you need an example of the feelings of anxiety, the email exchanges from that time and a post on Reddit would provide much fodder.

It was a SEL alphabet book of feelings, with the words chosen by the "author."
Perhaps my most cryptic illustration of the alpha-book is for ANXIOUS:

 

Edited July 4, 2022 by shapeshifter

[Prevailing Wind]

3 hours ago, Browncoat said:

When we talk about our aunts, we pronounce that as "ant",

My mother used to watch a soap opera that had a large family. One of the family members was Aunt Liz. Everyone in the family called her Ant Liz, except for one guy, who called her Awnt Liz.  It was so stupid that one person, raised in the same family as everyone else, would have a different pronunciation.

On the other hand, I used to know two brothers who lived in Savannah, GA. One of 'em (J) had a Southern accent that sounded like everyone else in the area. His brother (P), who had gone to school in Virginia, had a much thicker accent.  I asked J why that was and he said it was just an affectation on P's part. He got used to speaking like that in college, and it stuck.

[Driad]

Once I heard an interview with Henry Kissinger's brother. The interviewer commented that the brother had hardly any German accent, while Henry had a thick accent. The brother said, "That's because Henry never listens to anyone."

[PBnJay]

12 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Where I live in Georgia, the county is DeKalb. Did you know there's a silent L in that? I know Illinois pronounced the L in their DeKalb, but here it's pronounced De-CAB.

Interesting! Living near DeKalb, Illinois (pronounced Dee Kalb Ell-en-oye) and having been there numerous times (Northern Ell-en-oye University!), I would of course show my ignorance if I asked "Which way to DeKalb" if I were in Georgia. Perhaps my northern accent would also give away the fact I was "from off" as my southern uncle would say.

My uncle was married to my ANT.

There was a discussion on the radio this a.m. about whether one should be early, late or on time to an appointment. (I wondered if someone was reading here.) It was agreed "on time" wins, hands down. One person said for family dinners at 5, one person would always get there at 3 so the host would tell that person dinner was at 7. 

I was thinking again about waiting in that restaurant lobby ... I was aghast when one guy came in with a tooth flosser sticking out of his mouth. It stayed in plain view until that group was seated. I wonder if he took it out when he ate or if he flossed during the meal. 

I'm glad I don't know the answer to that.

The capital of Iowa gives some people trouble, Des Moines. De-Moyne. Although I like to tell friends I'm going to Dez Moe-nez.

[Mindthinkr]

The is a Beaufort, N.C. And a Beaufort, S.C. They are pronounced differently. In N.C. they say beau-fort. In S.C. they say beew-fort almost like it stinks.