Social Networking

my cousin and i were having a conversation on gchat while also simultaneously commenting on each others facebook walls. yes. we were having two different conversations at the same time. welcome to the world of social networking. where multitasking includes keeping up your gmail account while also checking your facebook wall. it can get tricky. it is a good thing i don't tweet and/ or twitter that is a bit too much for me to handle. who needs that really. though clearly i think that i am important enough to blog and actually believe people want to read it. we are quiet self- absorbed, my generation. though. i mean. we are pretty awesome.

yes, i do know how to use all of those equations. sadly. ha.

TA-DA

so i finished war and peace. in less than 3 months..barely. anyway. it was quite the read.

also who has ever heard of a 100 page epilogue. tolstoy apparently thought it was a good idea.
i might beg to differ.

so in my reasons for starting to read war and peace. i left out a major reason-- bragging rights. i mean it is gold. it is a great feeling to start a sentence by...when i read war and peace...or i just finished war and peace. it sounds snooty i know but i did just finish war and peace...i should get some recognition right?

also. i feel that i should name an animal after a character in war and peace. so when people come over and ask my pet's name the conversation can go like this-

'what is your dog's name?'
'-- some character's name--(i haven't decided yet)'
'oh that is interesting. where did you get that name?'
'oh i named him after a character in war and peace, have you read it?'

ha. amazing.

ok. seriously though.

the book was good for the most part and had some really insightful things in it. at one point i even marked a line. yes. i am a nerd. though i think someone has to be interested in the napoleonic wars with russia to make it through. you know in atlas shrugged where ayn rand (yup, i am book dropping again) lectures you about politics and different capitalistic views. tolstoy does the same thing but with understanding history and human behavior and some things i may or may not recall. (some of these are really interesting and he has amazing insight, others..you just read to read them) however, the story line is really good. again you must like 19th century russia. so basically you have to be a really big war and russia nerd. guilty.

overall. i'm glad i read it. the benefits are already paying off. ( i answered a trivia question about who married the princess of austria in 1808 correct...yes, it was napoleon.)

English Lessons

So. I'm an American living in England. We both speak English right? Wrong. BIG FAT wrong.

i have said so many wrong things slash not understood so many other phrases which has resulted in me looking like an idiot...which kinda reminds me of being in Russia. which is sad because i supposedly speak english. i guess just not well enough for her majesty the Queen....

the youngest boy i watch asked how i say something in french and then realizing it wasn't french but clearly not english switched to calling it "my language" fair enough i suppose.

here are some examples of how my language differs from the Queen's. i'll start with the basics.

flashlight= torch
tomato= tomAAto
hood (of a car)= bonnet
trunk= boot
swimsuit= cozie..i'm not even sure how to spell it.
thanks= cheers
any luck= any joy
cookies= biscuits
soccer= football
pouring rain= bucketing rain

now some hard ones

pants here are underwear. what we call pants are trousers. yeah. it has caused problems.
chips here are fries. what we call chips are crisps. "chips are cooked! these are crisps!" -direct quote
i still haven't figured out all of the jumper, sweater, hoodie mess.

now some interesting facts.

damn is not a bad word. it is weird hearing this used at church.
the kids i watch keep saying "oh that is pips"..which means easy or they will just say pips. no idea if they are crazy or if that is a phrase.
they are upset that i don't say awesome...but i consider that a good thing since i only use awesome sarcastically.

War what is it good for?

remember that seinfeld where elaine talks about how the title for War and Peace was going to be war what is it good for?

well. I am currently reading war and peace and i think that title fits for book I of the war and peace monster. the first book and 300 something pages are horrific to get through. each time you think. hmm. am i really reading this. and what is it good for? normally i think i would have stopped but i didn't for several reasons. a- i bought this book a couple of years ago and didn't make it past page 30. which would have been fine if it was a library book. but i bought it. and if i paid the money for it i might as well read it. yes. i am that cheap and spending money on something means i have to actually use it. b- i am a russian minor and haven't read tolstoy. i went to moscow studied the language..put in my time but still feel like a fraud. what russian minor hasn't read tolstoy? probably plenty but i just can't live with myself. c- people say the book is a classic or so i've heard. i'm skeptical but that isn't really a new feeling for me.

the good news is. i made it to the end of book one. i only have 3 more books plus the epilogue which is a good 1100 more pages. (ps tolstoy means fat in russian, the man lived up to his name through his books). also good news. book 2 seems to be promising. it is less of the war side and more of the peace. which means less tactical battle planning and more gossiping. don't get me wrong i love a good war book but i could go without several pages of how the austrian and russian armies are going to defeat napoleon in a certain battle and whether are not the the weaker side is the left flank or the right....

anyway. i am pressing onward. hopefully it doesn't take another month to get through 300 pages.

if i get bored i can just think about jackie chan singing 'war what is good for" in a chinese accent with chris tucker trying to help him say y'all.

well hello.

So. Clearly I haven't written in forever. As an apology I just wasted some time making my blog cuter. in a none hearts and flowers type way (it was harder than it sounds...there are just too many bubbly blog templates) i hope those who actually read this mess appreciate it.

currently i am in england. not london. but the english countryside. look out.

i have been here for about a month. it has been going interestingly enough. some days i have no idea what in the world i am doing here. especially since every time i open my mouth people stop and look at me. yes that was an american accent. no, i'm not sure what i'm doing out in the middle of nowhere or how i got here. seriously. it happened to me at least 2 or 3 times to me today.

man at grocery store putting away his basket(the ones you carry not the ones you push).

me reaching for a basket anyway..."oh, i'll take that from you"

man. stares at me and smiles caught of guard by the way i talk.

yup. i'm american. maybe you saw me on the OC or in 24 because that is how all of us live. actually i guess it would be 90210 now.

also. just because i'm american doesn't mean i know all the artists from america ever. i happen to like classic rock and weird bands no one has heard of. which means i don't know every teeny hip hop music group out there.
me: oh i don't know them
millions of people clearly more the loop: oh well they are american.

sarcasm aside it has been pretty enjoyable. most people are really friendly. and i am having a good time. still have no idea what i am doing with my life. which is fun. but you can't have it all. i do have a bachelors degree. which means nothing during a recession but hey. what can you do.