Accents

This week, Richard made a trip into the city to have dinner with me. He is so sweet and it is so nice to spend time with him like that. We found a great restaurant - you guessed it - Italian. It was so fun. I have really missed just being together like that.

Before we went to dinner though, we went to the pub for a pint and were soon joined by my bosses and a few colleagues. Three are Scottish and one has an English accent. Having been around these accents even before I left Houston, I have grown pretty accustomed to it. I will say there are still times when I miss things though, particularly when there are colloquialisms being used - like "brawlie" or "ta". Also, when there are three or more gathered with a like accent, the accent becomes stronger. This was the first time Richard had been around these guys in London and he has not spent a great deal of time in lengthy conversations and no time in the pubs before this. As we chatted, Richard seemed to be in on every joke and I thought he was more ahead of the conversation than I was.

Later that night, he confessed. He said there were several times when the conversation was like a different language for him and he happened to laugh in the right places. I guess we will have to get him to the pub more often...

To be fair though, there have been times when I have been lost in the conversation and quickly asked, "What?" Then everyone has laughed because I apparently made a great joke. Great for me as I look witty - but I still do not know what was said.