UK TV and a few translations

As a lady of leisure, I'd like to take a moment to comment on the television options here and then will end that short rant with new translations on words and phrases we have started to use.

The TV here is in a word- Terrible. I may have a different opinion once we get set up in our own flat with another cable/sattelilte option- but our temporary housing options are just not happening. Many of you reading this I know are thinking- why is she complaining? She doesn't have a job, why is she not out sightseeing? Shopping? Well, I ask you all to think for one moment on how you'd fill 8-10 hours a day in a foreign land day after day while your significant other works. You can only shop and sightsee so much... I digress... Some observations:

1. The commercials here are so odd. I think they are supposed to be funny, ironic, etc. but they make no sense at all. There are gorillas playing drums to a Phil Collins song that is supposed to make you want to buy and eat cadbury. There is a man dressed up as a squid who is selling a mobile phone. There is a couple having a row (fight) in a kitchen that is selling appliances. The list goes on. JP and I just look at each other and giggle while trying to figure out what it is the advertiser is selling.

2. There is no set TV schedule here- shows start at 5:10pm and go until 5:35pm and then another show starts. They have one channel that plays a series of shows, mostly old reruns, and the next channel plays the same thing, just an hour later. I'm not sure on the purpose.

3. I understand why the English hate us so much. The shows they watch here from the US do not do us justice. I hate to think of people judging me based off of the most recent episode of Laguna Beach that aired today. They don't have The Hills here- they are a few years behind on all that.

4. They have UK versions of our shows (or, it could be that we have US versions of UK shows, and I just didn't know it). Supernanny (yes, I know that was a UK show) is over here as well, only she counsels bratty brit kids instead of American kids. The Today show here is called GMToday (Good Morning Today) and it makes me miss Ann Curry and Matt Lauer SO BAD. The soap operas here are funny because in the US the soaps have all beautiful people who can't act. Here, the people can't act, but they also aren't at all attractive. I believe they took a random sampling from the tube stop by our flat to cast these shows.

A couple thoughts on words and spellings. I still can't figure out if I should be replacing the Z in all our words (organization, realization) and putting an S to reflect the UK spelling- it causes serious anxiety everytime I email a recruiter here.

Also, they say the word "Zed" for the letter Z. So, when I spell my last name, I should be ending it by saying "Zed" instead of "Z". Yesterday on an interview, I spelled my name the way I would in the US, and I ended up with a nametag that read Angie Menendeg- nice huh!

Finally, here are some translations for your enjoyment....

UK word US Equivalent
Row Fight
Solicitor Lawyer
Assessor Interviewer
Mum Mom (there are only "Happy Birthday Mum cards here!)
Flat Apartment
Straight away Right away
CV Resume
Mind the gap Watch your step
Car Park Parking garage
Details Business Card
Answer Phone Answering machine/voicemail
Cheers Thanks
Mobile phone Cell phone
Toilet or Loo Restroom (they have no restrooms in the UK)
Diary Schedule

A couple things that you DON'T say here- the word fanny (has negative connotations equivalent to our "C" word) and to "cruise" such and such street or area (cruising means looking for gay people)... not that we say fanny too much, but coming from SoCal, I'm used to cruising to see my friends... :)

There are many more, I'll include in future postings.

And contrary to our cultural training- they do ask how are you and how you doing here upon greeting- thank goodness!

Now off to do more of the same, until next time...