It's Official!

The ticket is booked! I'm heading home for Christmas in 50 days! See you soon Canada :)

This is "The Thing"

Trans-Atlantic communication...well, it sucks.

I hate being anywhere between 4-8 hours ahead of my friends and family, I can't talk to them whenever I want and this stupid Daylight Savings Time thing is mixing me up! Why can't England just turn their clocks back when Canada does? That way, my Dad can just tell me when to turn my clocks back. It would save the mid-shower panic that I had this morning when I convinced myself that it was 5:20 AM and I was up for work an hour early. Oops.

Well, "the" inspection call has come for the school. No, not Ofsted. We're not so lucky as to get it out of the way this early in the year. Instead, 2 inspectors from HMI will be coming in to observe lessons, talk with senior management and generally cause a heightened state of anxiety and tension in the school later this week. What does HMI stand for, you ask?

Well. Her Majesty's Inspectors, naturally. I only wish I were kidding. Again, I'll say it. Lizzie...you are becoming quite the pain.

On a positive note, the set for WWRY was built over the weekend and the kids got to get on the stage and try it out for the first time. It's starting to get to crunch time, only 6 weeks left to go! Thankfully, once this horrendously stressful week is over, it's holiday! I'm off to Norway on the first available flight on Friday evening and I can't wait to get there. I get to help celebrate my favourite brother-in-laws birthday and generally relax.

Other upcoming events this week...I get to chaperone a field trip for the first time. Hang on to your hats kiddies. Your minds will be blown when I tell you where I get to go. Ready? Really ready? I get to chaperone 45 little Year 7s as they adventure to...

The Shoe Museum! (again...I only wish I were kidding)

Northampton had a huge shoe-making industry and one of the trips that the Year 7s get to take is to visit the shoe museum...and yours truly gets to take part in this adventure in wonderland. Be jealous.

I should be asleep. Or planning. Or planning until I fall asleep. Whatever comes first. Instead, I was abruptly dismissed from a conversation I was having with a friend (again, this time-change thing is really ticking me off tonight for whatever reason) and I'm finding myself annoyed by it. I miss having face to face contact with friends, when communication actually meant something and goodbye meant something more than a click of a button--without waiting for a reply...rude.

Alright, that last comment was cranky, bordering on whiny. I suppose it is time for bed. If I survive this week, I'll reward myself in Norway. Lefse & decent coffee..roll on!

A Canadian Abroad: A (Definitely Not Complete) Linguistic Guide to Living in England

Over the last year and a bit, I've somewhat started to figure out exactly what these British people are saying. This is a (definitely not exhaustive) list of some of the slang terms I have picked up/heard while living across the pond. Enjoy!

Expressions

• Hello, how are you--alright? (Asked as a question...still not sure if people actually want a response.)
• Don't you think/do you agree--innit (used in the same way that Canadians say 'eh')
• Bad--mingin' (I think...I still can't quite catch this one)
• Going well--tickety-boo (seriously? No sweet clue)
• Get drunk--get pissed
• Party/fancy occasion--do (Example: "went to a fancy do last night")
• Thank you--cheers/ta
• "Insert general term of frustration"--bloody hell, blimey
• Go to the bathroom (for men, usually)--take a slash
• If something has gone wrong--pear-shaped (example: "it's all gone pear-shaped!), tits up
• The equivalent of "that's what she said," or something to mark a double entendre--Said the actress to the bishop
• The next one takes a bit of explanation. When I hear the word 'cottaging,' I figure that it means that a person is going to their cottage. In England, the term cottaging means for two men to engage in sexual acts in a parked car while others may or may not watch.

Insults

• To make fun of someone--take the mick/take the mickey, take the piss
• Get out of here--piss off, jog on, sod off
• Idiot--prat, git, sod, twat, eejit (I think this is an Irish one..?)
• Someone rather flamboyant, of the possible homosexual variety--pouf
• A skank--slag
• To call someone a penis (the equivalent of dickhead, I think)--bender, knob

Body Parts

• Boobs--top-bollocks
• A man's genitals--bollocks, knob, willy (Note: bollocks can also be used as an expression of doubt. Example: "you're full of bollocks!")
• A woman's "lady bits"--front-bottom, fanny (my students thought it was hilarious that fanny meant butt in Canada)

Objects

• Greyhound Bus--coach
• Truck--lorry
• Trailer (mini home)--caravan
• Rubber gloves--marigolds
• Cigarettes--fag, baccy
• Rubber boots--wellies
• Hot drink (usually tea or coffee)--cuppa
• Clothes rack--clothes horse
• Hickey--love bite
• Food--nosh
• Underwear--pants
• Pants (jeans, dress pants, etc)--trousers
• Money--dosh
• Eraser--rubber (this one caused a lot of confusion)
• White-out--tipex
• Glue sticks--pritsticks
• Document wallet--polly pockets
• Dessert, of most any variety--pudding
• Garbage can--bin

Miscellaneous—objects/words

• Americans--Yanks
• Supper--tea (e.g.--I made pasta for tea last night)
• Procrastinate--faff, faff about
• Avoid work--skive
• Back yard--garden
• Car hood--bonnet
• Car trunk--boot
• Fight--batter him/bang him out
• Cool--Safe, sick
• Uncool--dread
• Move over--budge up
• Skip school--wag it
• Nothing--nuffink
• Friend--bruv/blood
• The equivalent of a wanna-be tough guy/thug--chav
• Soccer--football (I'd be shot at dawn if I didn't include this one)
• Amazed about something--gobsmacked
• Disappointed by something--gutted
• Nap/sleep-kip
• Tired--knackered
• Very--jolly (example: "jolly good!")
• To wear civilian clothes (for example, my students want a day at school where they don't have to wear their uniform)--mufti
• Steal--nick
• To pleasure yourself--have a wank
• Whine--whinge (to whine is to whinge....to be a whiner is to be a whinger)
• Attractive--fit, bang tidy
• Something--sumthink/summit
• Call someone--ring them
• Fight--row
• To annoy or antagonize someone--wind them up
• Homeless person--tramp, dosser
• Bathroom--toilet, loo (very direct, eh)
• Pound (as in unit of weight)--measured in 'stones.' One stone equals 14 pounds. Therefore, your weight could be 8 stone 2 pound which translates to 114 pound. Somewhat confusing.

I'm sure that I've left out a lot. Please do forgive the oversight. Also, I didn't even think of touching the unfathomable Cockney rhyming slang. When the "taters in mould" (apparently a term for it being cold outside...) come out, I've got no idea what the hell these people are saying. I'm also realizing that these terms are not applicable to all of England, and all of the different counties/regions have their own slang...becoming fluent in "British" is going to take some serious time investment. Hope you enjoyed!

Another Countdown

Already counting the days until midterm, Christmas, a visit from certain Canadian friends, Easter break, end of year. I like having a long-term plan.

Went to London on Wednesday night to see The Lion King. It was absolutely amazing. From the very beginning to the last curtain call, it was fantastic. The set design, the costumes, singing and the use of the theatre space, it was awesome. Aside from getting startled by low-flying (fake) birds, it was great. The fact that all of the male actors were beautifully built and spent most of the musical shirtless only added to the overall experience.

Sadly, my late-night in London and a couple other late nights throughout the week led to me spending most of the day yesterday sleeping off some form of illness. Naturally, it was one of the most beautiful Saturdays in quite a while, so naturally I would be sick. I think I've slept most of it off, but I definitely wish I could have another day or two for the weekend. Wishful thinking.