It was more like "Aye, that's DISGOOSTIN! Here, have a hand, and can we be gettin you a taxi?"

I think maybe it has to do with liking words.

Very much this. Vast gobs of language are tragically underused. I consider it my duty to use as many different words as possible each day. That's what they are there for gorramit!

Okay, that's not actually a word, but it makes my point.

Oh, sweet Jesus, Kristin, that was hilarious.

Bonnie - man, that's sad about the lady. Well done you.

Thanks Fay. At least 4 other people in my sight line had walked by her before I stopped.

Since I don't have a cell phone, I called out a youngish guy in a business suit walking his dog. He attempted to debate me about whether or not a woman curled up on the ground in near freezing temperatures qualifed for a 911 call.

I am not ashamed to say, I shamed him mightily. Then he waited around to swoop in when the cops came and claim credit for making the call because 'they would want to now what cell phone it came from.'

I'm sad for him too.

I think maybe it has to do with liking words. I spent a night drinking with a bunch of Irish guys once and my accent was muy fucked up by 3 am.

As a high school senior, I received a college scholarship from a foundation that included, as part of the scholarship, a trip to Washington, DC, to see government work (or not work). About 30 seniors from all over the country received the same scholarship, so I spent 5 days with people from Maine, Wisconsin, Texas, Alaska -- all over.

When I called home after 3 days, my mom said "What accent IS that? You sound like a hillbilly who crawled through a gutter in Boston and came out in Texas!"

All true. I could never replicate it now, but it was the easiest thing in the world then.

I am completely susceptible to accents, all on accident. It's one reason that I've never made fun of celebrities who move to London and pick up an accent. When I am there for school, within 2 hours I've picked it up.

I'm loving this.

Of COURSE my buffista peeps would have the Universal Translator accent. Not sure why it never occured to me before.

When I went to go walk the world, I just slipped into whatever I heard, where ever I was. Worked great in the UK but not so much in Denmark when people started rapid-fire Danish.

Still, a useful tool, all in all. It's so unconscious though, I rarely know I'm doing it until later and/or caught.

And can I just say how much I'm enjoying hanging out with y'all this evening?

I've got so much STUFF to do, but I've had an unfun day and it is just lovely to sit and chat with smart/funny folk.

I don't do the accent change, but DH does it all the time.

bonny, maybe you were the start of waking up the young man.

maybe you were the start of waking up the young man.

What a lovely thought...which had not occurred to me while I was busy judging him. Thanks for that beth. I needed help pulling my head out of...well, you know.