Will an American feel welcome on the QM2

[fridayeyes]

Goggling? Is that anything like "The Google" (as a famous texan once said)??

 

That's the Royal 'The', sort of like the Royal 'We.' You know, as in 'The Decider'?

[Lurker1]

 

You have a point Nitny, and given that he just found out he was Scottish, who knows but what he's also part Cherokee!:)

 

We'll adopt Gary, both the Scots amd the Cherokees have clans. :)

[GCurry]

We'll adopt Gary, both the Scots amd the Cherokees have clans. :)

I'm sure this will be a life time dream coming true for him!!:D

 

Goggling? Is that anything like "The Google" (as a famous texan once said)??

Spell check got a bit confused, goggling is what I do on the Caribbean Cruises.

[Lurker1]

I'm sure this will be a life time dream coming true for him!!:D

 

 

Spell check got a bit confused, goggling is what I do on the Caribbean Cruises.

 

Is that a Texan spell check? (Sorry, the devil made me say that). :D

[garigoun]

We'll adopt Gary, both the Scots amd the Cherokees have clans. :)

 

Who is Gary?

 

Gari

[Lurker1]

Who is Gary?

 

Gari

 

Someone who looks just like you, but not as smart. ;)

[nitnyleo]

As the unofficial off-topic (hijacked?) thread on the Cunard board, I just wanted to say that I am one very happy Pennsylvanian today.

[Lurker1]

As the unofficial off-topic (hijacked?) thread on the Cunard board, I just wanted to say that I am one very happy Pennsylvanian today.

 

I'll avoid the politics . . . and note that we have started week 6 of this thread.

In my last post I used the term "smart", and I later remembered that in UK terms that often means "fashion", in Yank terms it usually means "intelligence".

So is Gari fashionable or intelligent?? :)

[garigoun]

I'll avoid the politics . . . and note that we have started week 6 of this thread.

 

In my last post I used the term "smart", and I later remembered that in UK terms that often means "fashion", in Yank terms it usually means "intelligence".

 

So is Gari fashionable or intelligent?? :)

Answers on both sides of two sheets of A4 single line spacing 8 point font please.

Gari

[capnpugwash]

Smart is also a sharp pain. :)

[The Real PM]

Smart is also a sharp pain. :)

And it smarts can mean it's embarrassing, but the best fit for Gari is to be smart or to be a wise a**, don't you think?:)

[GCurry]

And it smarts can mean it's embarrassing, but the best fit for Gari is to be smart or to be a wise a**, don't you think?:)

With the exception of myself, we are known for our brevity here, so why don't we just acknowledge that he is a smart pain in the a**, and save ourselves the paper, 8 font indeed, etc.

Of course many of you could just kiss him off as a Yorkshire man, but I don't know how they rate in the hierarchy of things over there ("Made glorious summer by this sun of York").

Probably Ole Pugwash could tell us if we wait long enough.

[capnpugwash]

I am not sure who Old Pugwash is! In his absence I cannot allow the Bard to be misquoted - "son of York" thanks. Yorkshire is a fine county - my wife comes from there, of course she is greatly improved after a few years of my southern charm and she welcomes the experience of modern living, electricity, inside plumbing and the like. Can't say much more or everyone will want to move here. :eek:

[garigoun]

Ok I get it, I see what's happening here. You all wait until my mate Jimmy is sequestered on the wide blue sea and I'm all alone and defenceless to gang up on me. Just wait till he gets back. Then we'll see, then 'All the clouds that lour upon my head' will be, 'in the deep bosom of the ocean buriéd'.

Gari

[GCurry]

Ok I get it, I see what's happening here. You all wait until my mate Jimmy is sequestered on the wide blue sea and I'm all alone and defenceless to gang up on me. Just wait till he gets back. Then we'll see, then 'All the clouds that lour upon my head' will be, 'in the deep bosom of the ocean buriéd'. Gari

A Yorkshire man calling upon the Scots for help, could that possible be true?

I am not sure who Old Pugwash is! In his absence I cannot allow the Bard to be misquoted - "son of York" thanks. Yorkshire is a fine county - my wife comes from there, of course she is greatly improved after a few years of my southern charm and she welcomes the experience of modern living, electricity, inside plumbing and the like. Can't say much more or everyone will want to move here.

I knew that whichever way I quoted that line some one would take umbrage with it, one of those lose lose situations.

It is noted that we do have the Southern Charm and modern amenities in common, although we prefer Southwestern.:)

[The Real PM]

A Yorkshire man calling upon the Scots for help, could that possible be true?

 

I knew that whichever way I quoted that line some one would take umbrage with it, one of those lose lose situations.

It is noted that we do have the Southern Charm and modern amenities in common, although we prefer Southwestern.:)

My cousin's husband--from the south--told me how a southerner says anything he wants without getting into a bit of trouble. It goes like this:

 

Gari is a smart a**, bless his little heart!!! Do you think that works in Yorkshire as well?:)

[garigoun]

My cousin's husband--from the south--told me how a southerner says anything he wants without getting into a bit of trouble. It goes like this:

 

Gari is a smart a**, bless his little heart!!! Do you think that works in Yorkshire as well?:)

 

Our version is, 'Bless his little cotton socks'.

Gari

[The Real PM]

Our version is, 'Bless his little cotton socks'.

Gari

So Griz, is this the true origin of the "little cotton socks"?

 

 

"George Edward Lynch Cotton, English clergyman and educator, assistant master at Rugby 1837-1852, the young master in Thomas Hughes's "Tom Brown's School Days". Bishop of Calcutta, 1858 where he did missionary work and established schools for Eurasian children. In requests to England he asked for donations of clothing, often emphasizing "warm socks" for the children. In fact he seems to have held the simplistic view that if the children had warm socks many of their problems, mal-nutrition, disease, racial prejudice etc. could be easily solved. Little old maiden ladies all over England spent their time knitting socks for Bishop Cotton and sending them off to India. He blessed all items used in his schools, and many shipments would arrive labeled " Socks for Cotton's blessing" and reportedly even "Cotton's socks for blessing". Cotton's socks easily became corrupted to cotton socks,"

[Lurker1]

So Griz, is this the true origin of the "little cotton socks"?

 

 

 

"George Edward Lynch Cotton, English clergyman and educator, assistant master at Rugby 1837-1852, the young master in Thomas Hughes's "Tom Brown's School Days". Bishop of Calcutta, 1858 where he did missionary work and established schools for Eurasian children. In requests to England he asked for donations of clothing, often emphasizing "warm socks" for the children. In fact he seems to have held the simplistic view that if the children had warm socks many of their problems, mal-nutrition, disease, racial prejudice etc. could be easily solved. Little old maiden ladies all over England spent their time knitting socks for Bishop Cotton and sending them off to India. He blessed all items used in his schools, and many shipments would arrive labeled " Socks for Cotton's blessing" and reportedly even "Cotton's socks for blessing". Cotton's socks easily became corrupted to cotton socks,"

 

I thought they didn't wear socks in the South, went barefoot all the time, (except in Texas, where they wear cowboy boots). :D

[GCurry]

I thought they didn't wear socks in the South, went barefoot all the time, (except in Texas, where they wear cowboy boots). :D

No socks with boaters or sandals, it is a tropical island after all.

I do have one pair of cowboy boots, but only for ceremonial purposes of course. In my panhandle days, I had three pair, danced C&W and played the guitar (state law)!

[nitnyleo]

How to make a Londoner feel welcome in Pennsylvania . . .

 

Lineman a Jack of all trades

 

 

 

By Matt Fortuna

 

Collegian Staff Writer

 

His journey has been eccentric, one that has spanned more than 3,500 miles and a half-dozen sports.

Yet just four years removed from the "real gray, real dull" environment of London, Jack Crawford is the man Penn State is pointing at to fill the gap left by Aaron Maybin, its All-America defensive end and first round NFL Draft pick.

The conundrum, of course, is that it's been a mere three years since the sophomore's discovery of football.

"I lined up offsides as a receiver on the first play. I stood up as a defensive end," Crawford said through his mild English accent.

"I had no idea. I didn't know the rules, to be honest. I didn't even no what offsides was."

Such is the predicament Crawford found himself in upon his arrival to the United States in 2005.

He entered a basketball camp at powerhouse St. Augustine Prep in Richland, N.J., the summer before his sophomore year.

The now 6-foot-5, 262-pounder hoped to dazzle opponents with his finesse as an off-guard and small forward the same way he had in England, where he gave boxing, cricket, rugby and soccer tries before realizing nothing would provide him the educational opportunities that America had to offer.

At the camp, Crawford befriended Peter D'Andrea, a rising freshman working as a counselor.

The two bonded and, not long after, Crawford asked if he could move in with Peter's family.

"We both come from families that are always entertaining," Steven, Peter's father, said of he and his wife, Mary. "We've always welcomed kids and people in our home, and Jack was just a pleasure from Day 1."

The D'Andreas immediately fell in love with Crawford, whom Steven said was polite and kept out of trouble while staying reserved for the first three to four months of his stay.

It was around that time a pair of events shifted the gentle giant's focus to the gridiron.

First, Crawford came across the 2006 Rose Bowl on television, taking a liking to Southern California despite its loss to Texas.

Then, Dennis Scuderi was hired to resurrect the downtrodden St. Augustine football team.

"[Coach Scuderi] came in and he built the program, and after Jack's sophomore year he's asking Peter, 'What is this American football?' " Steven said. "Peter described it to him, showed him 'Madden' on his X-Box and how the game works, and he said he'd like to try it."

Crawford played his junior year, with Peter helping him unwrinkle the cobwebs along the way.

The agile Crawford -- Penn State defensive tackle Jared Odrick called him "one of the most athletic human beings I've ever come across" -- quickly shined at defensive end and even wide receiver.

By his senior season, the Hermits were 8-2, six games better than their 2-8 campaign just two years earlier.

Peter, who will be going to Pennsylvania as a tackle in the fall, said the two engaged in a brotherly rivalry during line drills in practices.

"It's funny because in high school you have a lot of kids who don't go 100 percent in practice -- they're just there because you gotta be there," Peter said. "When you have a kid like Jack, there's no such thing as not working hard. For me, it was pretty tough."

The offers began to roll in, but Jack, no longer California dreaming, was set on staying close to his new family, with Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers as his finalists.

Crawford had never even heard of Joe Paterno, the man who has a summer house in Avalon, N.J., about 25 miles from the D'Andreas' home in Longport.

"We tried to explain that certain guys like Woody Hayes, Vince Lombardi, if you're fortunate enough to play even one play for them, it's something to tell your kids about forever," Steven said. "That's how we were with coach Paterno."

Paterno was effusive in his praise of Crawford before Saturday's Blue-White game.

Crawford saw action in every game his freshman year at Penn State and will likely start in 2009.

"He works hard, he's tough, he's trying to be really good," the 82-year-old said. "He's been a real asset to us."

But it's been tough for the D'Andreas to travel to Penn State games because Crawford has touched so many people, said Steven, who lives next door to his parents, two houses from his sister-in-law and three houses from his brother.

Steven receives four tickets for each home game, but even then, he considers himself lucky if he can attend more than one contest a year on account of everyone in his large family wanting the chance to watch Crawford play at Beaver Stadium.

That's a privilege Crawford's parents have only seen through YouTube videos.

Crawford visited them in London over spring break, and feelings of homesickness have been gradually alleviated through his father's occasional trips to the D'Andreas, who call the Crawfords once a month and exchange gifts with them during holidays.

"What those people did for Jack is incredible," Scuderi said of the D'Andreas. "They took Jack as their son. You don't find many people like that. They are great people."

Crawford's legacy is now set in stone at his high school, which went 10-1 this past fall without him.

And as he currently sets his sights on developing more techniques to beat his collegiate opponents, he has already won something bigger -- the enduring love of a second family and adopted hometown.

"As a little brother I can't give him too much credit, but to say he flipped our football program around wouldn't be enough," Peter said. "We never had a big D-I prospect, so for a kid to come from London is just a 'Cinderella' story.

"Everyone loves him."

[Kristi Williamson]

I thought they didn't wear socks in the South, went barefoot all the time, (except in Texas, where they wear cowboy boots). :D

 

 

Bite your tongue, man! They wear boots in Texas? ;)

 

And as a fully certified Southern belle, I can assure we that we do, in fact, go barefoot. Of course, we have the weather to carry that off, don't we?

 

I'm not partial to mint juleps, though.

[garigoun]

I'm not partial to mint juleps, though.

 

How about Mint Imperials?

Gari

[heywood]

How about Mint Imperials?

Gari

 

Yummy! How about Mintoes? (oops-back to being barefoot again)

[Lurker1]

Bite your tongue, man! They wear boots in Texas? ;)

 

And as a fully certified Southern belle, I can assure we that we do, in fact, go barefoot. Of course, we have the weather to carry that off, don't we?

 

I'm not partial to mint juleps, though.

 

Of course they wear boots! And having trudged through a few cow pastures in and around Fort Hood, I can understand why :eek:.

 

If I went barefoot where I live for more than a few weeks in the summer, I'd have severe frostbite . . .

 

Who needs the mint? The bourbon is just fine.