"DIFFERENT" THINGS ABOUT WHERE YOU LIVE NOW Strange sayings, accents, words, or just general things you notice about where you live now that are different from Nebraska Different Thing #9: Georgia Rubbernecking New word to learn for Georgia Nebraskan frustrated with local drivers From Stacy D. of Kingsland, GA After moving down here I started to notice many differences between the people down here and those from my home state of Nebraska. The first difference almost anyone would notice is that it seems the further south you drive, the lower the general intelligence drops. Driving from Kearney to Lincoln you might see an accident, and slow down for 5 seconds only to continue your trek at 80 mph. Or you might notice a dead animal on the road and slightly glance at it. But here the first thing you will notice is that it takes FOREVER to even get to your destination. People are constantly slowing down to 5 mph on the interstate to try and catch a glimpse at an accident on the other side of the road! This of course backs up traffic for 5-20 MILES. And you sit in the God forsaken heat hoping your car doesn't over heat. This they call "rubber necking" a phrase I had not heard of until moving down here. Another difference I found is the general terms we use to start conversations are given a blank stare. I asked one of my friends "so, what do you know?" and she gave me a horrified look as if I wanted to know everything she knew. Back in Nebraska it would have been answered by "oh, not much" or "it's cold" or some smart comment. Sarcasm does not exist here.... as much as they say it does, they have no idea :) Stacy D. Kingsland, GA Different Thing #8: Texas Talking The ad on TV says Texas is like a whole 'nother country...here's proof From Shari in Dallas, TX So if you were registering for a hotel, and the clerk asked you for your tag number, what would you tell them? I never knew I had a tag, to be quite honest. Around here, they call license plates "tags". Then there's pop. Ask for a pop, and you'll get either a blank stare, or a giggle. They don't call it pop down here. Here they call everything coke. Example conversation... "Will you get me a coke?" "Sure - what kind do ya want?" "A Dr. Pepper". Lastly, is my fascination with how people refer to a group of people. I knew before I moved here that the people say "y'all". I even do it sometimes. It's a nice little contraction, and it comes in handy in conversation. I got thrown for a loop, though, the first time I heard someone say "all y'all". (e.g. "So, are all y'all coming to the show, or just some of you?") But wait - it gets better. At one point I wound up traveling in Tennessee and Kentucky. There I found a whole new word that I had never heard before - "youenz". (I'm sure that's not spelled right, but you get the idea.) But that's not all. I'm not sure of all the proper syntax, but occasionally they make "youenz" either plural or possessive, resulting in "youenz's" (pronounced you-enz-es. The accent on the "you".) And they laugh at me when I say "you guys". As a parting note, I would like to assure all of you (or is that all y'all) that even though I have lived in Texas longer for nearly 20 years,at no time am I "fixin' to do" anything, neither do I "recon" anything, I don't "figure on" anything, and I do not I "itch" my mosquito bites. (I SCRATCH them!!) Shari Dallas TX Different Thing #7: Right On Washington! From John Polacek, Moses Lake, WA One phrase I hear numerous times a day is "Right on". Not a phrase I heard in Nebraska very often. Usually people just say it kinda casually when they agree with someone. One guy I work with really gets into it and pumps a fist when he says it. I have to fight back my laughter. Different Thing #6: Plenty pricey at the pump. From Jack Snell, Rio Dell, CA Another difference I want to mention is that we have the honor of paying the highest gas prices in the nation. Regular is now at 1.47-1.52. This is due to a monopoly of two or three people who control gas prices. I have been on a letter writing compaign against our gasoline barons, the most recent of which was in the paper yesterday. I had a call from a columnist in a town north of here commending and thanking me for this letter. This is the first response of this kind I have had. Perhaps we will organize some sort of reactionary movement. Cheers!!! Different Thing #5: Cool Redwood Curtain summers. From Jack Snell, Rio Dell, CA Hi: A difference in life behind the Redwood Curtain. In this part of the state summer temperatures rarely get above 80. We had two days last May when it was in the high 90s. Some portended the end of the world was at hand. Winter temperatures rarely get below 30. The last time we had snow that stuck to the ground was in 1992. I love the climate, but my wife in on the fence sometimes. When we get to Nebraska and Iowa in the summertime and it is in the 90s with 90s humidity, she appreciates getting home. After 28 years in this climate, it would be hard to adjust to something radically different. Different Thing #4 In Connecticut, they're carriages, not carts. From Jim D. Berryman, New Haven, CT Here's another strange one I hear in Connecticut all the time. If you're ever driving through Connecticut and you stop at a grocery store, you won't use a shopping cart here. Here, most people call it a "carriage". I remember the first time I was done shopping and loading my trunk with groceries and this woman came up to me to ask if she could have my carriage when I was done with it. I said: "Huh? My carriage?" "Yes, that right there." she said pointing to my SHOPPING CART. So, next time you're out this way, you'll be pushing a carriage at the grocery store, whether you have a baby or not! Which reminds me...other things I miss about Nebraska: Russ's B&R IGA in Lincoln and HyVee Stores. Much better stores than you find here in CT. Stop and Shop is the big chain here, and they have lots of carriages. Different Thing #3 Hey ya'll, let's all mosey on down to Texas. From huskerintexas of Dallas, TX I guess the biggest thing is our accent,Ex. Howdy, Ya'll. We don't walk here in Texas, we mosey. We don't work "we put in our time". I can't think of anymore right now. Help me out Beverly. Ya'll come back now ya heeuuaa. Different Thing #2 Washington Taxes. From: John Polacek of Moses Lake, WA Washington is one of a few states that doesn't have a state income tax :) ....but they make it up on other taxes. They just added a 60 cent tax to a pack of cigarettes. Now a pack is $4.95. (I know.....quit smoking) :P. Now they are talking about adding a 6% tax to junk food, calling it a sin tax. I didn't know buying a candy bar was a sin. ;) Different Thing #1 Connecticut Cwwaahfee. From: Jim D. Berryman, New Haven, CT The first thing I noticed when I moved to Connecticut was that many native residents in my area seem to put a “w” in front of vowels pronouncing certain words. One word where it is very noticeable is “coffee”. I hear people here say "Cwwahhfee". Many people say the New Haven or East Haven accent is a mixture of Brooklyn and Boston. Very funny. This is only the first in a series of “different” things about where you live now. We welcome you to send in or post your “different” item! MissingNebraska@MissingNebraska.com Post It