Rotary vs. Roundabout vs. Traffic Circle

Rotary
noun
5. Chiefly Northeastern U.S., traffic circle.
Roundabout
noun
6. Chiefly British, traffic circle.
Traffic Circle
noun
A circular arrangement constructed at the intersection of two or more roads in order to facilitate the passage of vehicles from one road to another.

Sunday, UK

On the way to the airport the directions said to take M62 Signposted Liverpool. But that's not the way it is: M62 is signposted Leeds, Manchester, Etc; M58 is signposted Liverpool. So I choose Liverpool because I knew that's where the airport is, but that was wrong. I guess the airport is at a corner of Liverpool best reached by going around it. It was especially nerve-racking because there is another airport in Manchester, and it is posted for maybe 20 miles before the Liverpool airport is posted, so I thought maybe the guy who gave me directions mixed up his airports.

And by then it was dark. I even got off the motorway again when I saw another service sign, but then at the roundabout about I couldn't see the service station; I would have had to travel down another motorway, so I just got right back on the one I was on. Then soon enough the Liverpool Airport signs began, and I rejoiced!

Then came the mystery roundabout. I exited the M62, I think that's where it was. The first exit is signposted to keep going for the airport. But then there is no signpost for "exit here for the airport" or even A561 or whatever it was. I went around three times trying to find A561 painted on the road. Luckily there wasn't any traffic. But then on my third lap there was traffic, multiple cars began honking at me and I was forced out of the roundabout. But then as soon as I got off I saw a sign for Liverpool airport. Hooray!

Moldy Cheese

Moldy Cheese
noun
Cheese that originates from regular cheese when it gets too old and dies, giving birth to a new, more evil form of life: Moldy Cheese.

UK, Friday

Today was souvenir day. All I did was read books and go souvenir shopping, most notably for chocolates, moldy cheese, and ladies hats. Interestingly, the best of the three, moldy cheese, was also the cheapest, at about £17.50/kg. The chocolates, second most appealing, were right in the middle at £46.00/kg. The ladies hats, least necessary, topped the scales ranging from £60-600. That's right. £600 for a bloody hat!

Homework
What kind of souvenirs do you prefer?

Tea

Tea
noun 
1. The dried and prepared leaves of a shrub, Camellia sinensis, from which a somewhat bitter, aromatic beverage is prepared by infusion in hot water.
3. The beverage so prepared, served hot or iced.
7. British. Any meal, whether a light snack or one consisting of several courses, eaten in the late afternoon or in the evening; any meal other than dinner, eaten after the middle of the afternoon.

Thursday, UK

I've always told my students there are not many opportunities for Americans and Brits to misunderstand each other. That's true, but the more time I spend here the more things I hear that make me stop and think, such as, "Have this sausage for your tea."

Now you're not going to misunderstand that, right? I mean you're not going to put pork sausage into your tea cup and drink it. But you might have to stop and think. Here are a few other examples from today; keep in mind some of the may be Cumbrianisms not heard all throughout England:

loo = bathroom
loo paper = toilet paper
kitchen paper = paper towels
sweet shop = candy shop
gammon = ham
biscuit = cookie
windscreen = windshield
single cream = cream
pudding = any dessert
ta = bye
pip = seed
pleas = it's my pleasure
bloody = fucking
bugger! = fucking shit!
streaky bacon = bacon
bacon = back bacon
well done = uh huh/ok
hot up = heat up
luck (pronounced look) = luck (pronounced luck)
spot on = great 

Don't worry, there are not spots on anything.

Homework 
Do you know of any regionalisms in Lithuania (or Latvia)?

Curry Powder

Curry powder
noun
A pulverized blend of up to 20 spices, herbs and seeds, usually cardamom, chiles, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, fennel seed, fenugreek, mace, nutmeg, red and black pepper, poppy and sesame seeds, saffron, tamarind, and turmeric.

Wednesday, UK

Today i went to a spice shop. A few text messages later I found out that this place is cheap! I bought three kinds of  hot sauce, MSG, extra hot red chilies, tandoori masala, extra hot chili powder, jerk seasoning, hot madras curry powder, and a bottle of Super Malt original non-alcoholic beverage. Should be interesting!

Homework
What is your favorite spice? Tell me about it.

Fibonacci Sequence

Fibonacci Sequence
Noun. Mathematics.
The unending sequence 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, … where each term is defined as the sum of its two predecessors.
 Noun. Music.
Now in its eighteenth year, the Fibonacci Sequence is considered one of the UK's most distinguished chamber ensembles with a wide-ranging discography and impressive reviews.

Tuesday, UK

Last night I went to a Fibonacci Sequence concert. It was pretty good!

Homework
Click the link for the ensemble (Noun. Music.). At the top left of the page there is a link called Sampler. Click and enjoy.

Podcast

Podcast
noun
A digital audio or video file or recording, usually part of a themed series, that can be downloaded from a Web site to a media player or computer.

Monday, UK

Ieva goes to the University of Cumbria, and I didn't have anything to do, so I went into Carlisle with her where her campus is. She had to finish a thesis by 4 o'clock that  she was almost half done with, so I went souvenir shopping and got lost in a ginormous bookshop. If you think Barnes and Noble is big, you haven't seen nothing yet. If I'm ever rich and bored I'll spend a week there.

Homework
J.K.: Listen to this parenting podcast. What do you think?
O.R.: Listen to Episode 9: Create Urgency for Better Marketing. What do you think?
S-Z: Listen to BJU Podcast 1: Sunny Jain. What do you think?

Steamer

Steamer
noun
Something propelled or operated by steam, as a steamship. 

Sunday, UK

We went for a trip around the lakes. I drove down to Ullswater and got on a boat for about two and a half hours; I drove to get some more practice driving on the left side of the road, which was okay because my compatriots' hair is already gray.

The trip around the lakes is quite nice. The way out the wind was with us, so it was not cold. On the way back the wind was against us, but Maynard found a very warm spot to sit without going below deck: the steam shaft, made of metal, conducts enough heat that it will keep you warm, but not too much to sit on.

Homework
When's the last time you were on a boat?

Orchard

Orchard
noun
An area of land devoted to the cultivation of fruit or nut trees. 

Saturday, UK

Joy has an orchard that needs pruning, and I am an experienced pruner (I pruned at the instruction of my mother as a youth). So I went out with her and Ieva this morning to show those fruit trees who's boss.

It reminded me of my first trip to Dzukija in 1996 when I climbed a fruit tree and my aunt called me a monkey. This time Ieva remarked, Joy, looks like we've got a monkey in the house. Trees are more stable than ladders. If there is a comfortable spot to put your foot down, you should always stand in the tree when sawing off limbs.

Pruning in England is very different in England. In both Lithuania and the US, you prune in fall or spring. Here you prune in winter and summer. I have always been taught not to cut too much off: after the first few years, once a tree is established, you are only regulating growth by pruning, not reshaping the tree. Well, not here. At the behest of my host, I lopped off half an apple tree.

I used a fancy Japanese saw that only saws in one direction--you saw on the pull but not on the push. Boy does that thing do a good job; for a branch the thickness of your thumb you need only one pull to saw right through the whole thing.

Homework
Do you have an interesting garden experience you can talk about?

Pie

Pie
noun
A baked food having a filling of fruit, meat, pudding, etc., prepared in a pastry-lined pan or dish and often topped with a pastry crust: apple pie; meat pie. 

Friday, UK

I had a sandwich for lunch. Maynard came home and asked me if I'd eaten anything, and I told him of my sandwich. Well, he said, I brought back some pie if you're interested.

I said, Sure, that sounds great! (I mean, who doesn't like a little dessert?)

Little did I know in the UK pie is typically meat pie; in the US it is never meat pie unless you specifically use the word meat pie. Did not realize this until my first bite was already moving towards my mouth.

So I ate two lunches.

But I did work it off. We drove out to the second highest hill in the region, 476 yards high. And we climbed it all the way to the top, with only a few stops  along the way for photos. We were so high the car was no longer visible--I thought it would at least be an ant-sized-speck. It might have just been behind a roll in the hill.

We then drove around the countryside, including up to a mine for tea. The mine tea house is pretty neat, total stonework inside, but not to make it look like a castle; everything from slate, pretty much, piled high.

There in the tea house at Ieva's suggestion I ate the mintiest thing I ever tasted besides a mint: Romney's Kendal Mint Cake

Homework
Write a comment about the mintiest thing you've ever tasted.
OR
Next time you're offered pie, say, Is it meat pie?

Marmalade

Marmalade noun
A jellylike preserve in which small pieces of fruit and fruit rind, as of oranges or lemons, are suspended. 

Thursday, UK

The first morning after I arrived I accompanied my host, Joy, for some volunteer work: a day of unpacking marmalade for The World’s Original Marmalade Awards & Festival, which I'm sure you've all heard of. The packages come from all around England and many from the far corners of the world. Even Canada! Hey, I thought they only had maple syrup there.

The whole thing takes place in a castle, so it's a little chilly. But once we got going we warmed up and took off our jackets and stuff--it's hard work tearing open boxes, bubble wrap, packing tape, paper, and styrofoam. We had two more ladies helping us, friends of Joy, so we had some laughs.

At first I thought marmalade is just another word for jam, but then somebody else asked what the difference is. We asked around a little bit, but the authorities were already busy with the taste testing. Joy could tell me only as much as this with confidence: while jam can be made from berries or fruit, marmalade must be made from fruit, probably citrus fruit.

When I got home and looked it up I found that to be true, but that is only half the story: marmalade must contain the rind of the fruit as well.

It was a fun day and they gave us lunch, steak and kidney pie, which reminded me of this:

"Lisa, hello. How are you doing in England? Remember, an elevator is called a 'lift,' a mile is called a 'kilometer,' and botulism is called 'steak and kidney pie.'"
-Marge Simpson

Homework
Next time you are in a position to do so in English, ask for some marmalade. Reject any jam, insist you need that rind!

Drunk Bumps

Slang.
Drunk bumps 
1. (n) The tiny orange-and-red speed bumps that line the edges of highways, intended to awaken drowsy drunks before they drive off the road by making for a violent and uncomfortable ride should one drive over them. 

Wednesday, UK

I found my rental car, but I couldn't get in. I kept pressing one button on the key, then the other. I knew something was wrong because I could hear the car unlocking and locking, but the driver's door wouldn't open. Finally, I realized I was trying to open the passenger door.

Thank God the pedals were in the right order, at least. There were three of them, which you probably realize means I was driving stick.

I know how to drive stick, but I've never had to shift gears left handed. You might not realize how habitual it becomes, but the first few times I had to shift while already in motion I banged my right hand on the car door.

For a while it slowed me down enough that one driver honked and pulled around me at a freshly green light. But that only happened once in over two hours. I yelled at him, "With all due respect, thanks buddy!" That's a mix of English and American insults that I don't suppose anybody could understand. But the window was rolled up, anyway, and he was long gone.

Once I was on the highway the driving was much easier, with one great exception. I'm used to being situated on the left side of the lane, because normally the driver's seat is on the left side of the car. Perhaps drivers have all sorts of ways of staying in the middle of their lanes; my way is to align the left side of my body just a couple of feet from the left line of my lane.

Obviously, that would be a disaster in this crazy land. You can guess the result--thank Jersey for drunk bumps! I tried to stay in the left lane on the highway so that I wouldn't veer into another car to my left, and many, many times I heard and felt the car vibrating as I rolled over the drunk bumps.

Once I got off the highway I did not have this problem anymore. It was almost midnight so there were very few cars on the road, which meant  could just drive down the middle. Not only could I, but I had to, in fact, because there were such great puddles that I feared sinking the whole car.

But this led to another problem. It's another thing that only happened once, but it was scary: the first time while I was driving down the middle and I saw a car coming towards me in the distance, I pulled towards the right side of the road (for just a second).

Homework 
Do you have any funny stories of driving on the wrong (left) side of the road? Please comment.
OR
Do you think the UK/former UK colonies will ever switch to driving like the rest of the world? Why or why not? Please comment.

Karma

Theosophy.
Karma 
The cosmic principle according to which each person is rewarded or punished...according to that person's deeds. 

Wednesday, LT

I had to pop into a shop for five minutes, but I was in too much of a hurry to risk getting a parking ticket that I might have to argue about. Minimum payment unit = one hour.

When I came outside I was glad to see someone about to buy a ticket; I told him he could have my remaining 55 minutes, and he was very happy to get them. Helping stangers always feels good.

Then I forgot to register online for my flight in time, four hours ahead. Why does it have to be four hours ahead? Bah!

That slip-up costs 70 lits, that's what the woman from Wizz Air told me on the phone. So when I got to the ticket counter at the airport I had to turn on the old charm. First a joke, then a reasonable request (discount for a pedagogue), show my business card (another joke if you've ever seen my business card). And BAM--"have a nice flight!"

Homework
Do you believe in karma? If so write about an experience you had that made you believe. If not, write a comment about why not.

Maiden Voyage

Idioms & Phrases
maiden voyage 
The first experience, as in This tennis tournament is my maiden voyage in statewide competition. This term, originally meaning the first voyage of a ship, was first recorded in 1901, but the use of maiden to signify "the first time" dates from the mid-1500s. 

The maiden voyage of this blog is actually a sort of maiden voyage of my own: I'm going to England for the first time. This is at a time when I'm teaching five private English classes a week and talking to a couple more individuals about beginning classes. I wouldn't want to leave all of you hanging for twelve days.

I've created this to keep in touch while I'm away, but if it turns out to be valuable I hope we can continue to make use of it as an extra English resource you can visit when you're feeling ambitious (or bored).