English Thinking

In college, I was a waitress at the Cracker Barrel. One night, a young couple came in with their toddler. When I went to greet them and take their drink order, I was pleasantly surprised with their English accents. It pretty much made my shift. At the end of their meal, like a fool, I told them that I loved their accents. They kindly replied that they liked my accent too. Then I ran into the kitchen like a school girl and I quite possibly giggled as such.

I don't know what it is, but I just love accents and English accents are in my top three. (In case you are wondering, the other two are Irish and Australian.) There is something so classy about English accents. I went on a Europe trip when I was in college. Our first stop was London (one of my favorite places) and we were there for four days. While on my trip, I kept a journal to remember all that we did. I found that as I was writing the events of the day, I was thinking in an English accent. I kid you not. It started to seep into my daily thinking too. I would get hungry for lunch and want to say something like, "Shall we pop into the pub for a bit of fish and chips?"

Recently my "English Thinking" has come back. Last Friday was my birthday and Troy and I should have been celebrating at The Melting Pot for drinks and fondue, but I caught a cold which inhibited me from smelling or tasting, so we took a rain check for the Melting Pot and ordered a pizza. I decided to peruse Netflicks and see what girly thing I could tap into when I stumbled upon a little show called Downton Abbey. Also known as crack for your eyes. I had lots of friends tell me that I needed to watch the show especially since I love historical fiction. So, I decided to give it a go.

The show is about Lord Grantham and his family living in an enormous mansion in the countryside of England. The first episode takes place the morning after the Titanic sinks. This already tragic event is compounded by the news that the family's heir was on the ship and the family struggles to figure out their future with a new heir. The costumes are fabulous as is their way of life. It is so interesting to see how the elite lived with their rituals and social graces. After the first episode, I wasn't sure if I was a fan, but after episode two I was hooked. It have been four days since I was introduced to Downton Abbey. I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I have already finished seasons one and two. Due to my surplus of Downton Abbey viewings, I have had a hard time getting much of anything done and my English Thinking has come back.

Unfortunately, my execution of English accents is very poor. I have always wanted to pretend to have an accent when I go to a restaurant or store or something, but my acting is not good enough and I know I would start laughing. I think the only way I could get a real English accent would be to move to England. Troy said that I am like a sponge with accents, but I need to be immersed in the culture. I had a Chicago accent until I moved to Minnesota, and now I say things like "Ufta" and draw out long o sounds like Sarah Palin. After we move to Cincinnati, it is only a matter of time before I start saying "ya'll" and offering people grits with every meal. So, I guess the only way to get my English accent to match my English thinking is to move to England. I'm in.

I wonder if the Crawley's have any room for me at Downton Abbey?