long-skirted Latin speakers from the planet Zurg

[deird1]

Conversations that make me feel like an alien:

1)
Coworker: "What did you do this weekend?"
Me: "I went to a wedding."
Coworker: "Ooh, did you get drunk?"*

2)
The whole skirt thing.**

3)
Me: "Yeah, I'm teaching myself Latin."
Coworker: "...why?"***

4)
Random Acquaintance: "Anyone else hungry?"
Me: "Yes! Very!"
R.A.: "Great! Let's have Devonshire tea!"****

5)
*Coworker inspects my window ledge of fictional space things, including Serenity, Starbug, a DRD, and a Skutter*
"Are they... planes or something?"*****

---

* Seriously, why???
** I have finally tracked some long skirts down, and now have a spiffy winter wardrobe.
*** I keep feeling like staring at them blankly and asking "Why wouldn't I?"
**** Scones with jam and cream. I seem to be the only Aussie in existence who doesn't like this.
***** Yes, these are all different coworkers. They all think I'm very strange.

---

Comments

[alexseanchai]

Sympathies on the skirt thing. This is why I wear pants; I can generally find them in ankle-length.

Why not teach yourself Latin?

...jam and cream? WTF?

[curiouswombat]

...jam and cream? WTF?

It is acceptable to put just butter onto a fruit scone, or a cheese one, but plain scones are really meant to be eaten with jam and cream - what else would you eat them with?

Sadly I do not have the correct icon for this sort of thing over here :~)

[velvetwhip]

I can't understand anyone questioning you on why you'd want to teach yourself Latin. I myself do research projects for fun, so more power to you!


Gabrielle

[zeborah]

I love scones with jam and cream. But they wouldn't be my answer to hunger.

[urania_calliope]

You have a DRD aaaaaand a Skutter?

Marry me?

[owenthurman]

1. Drunk? I guess because sometimes there's an open bar. Some people have an irrational affection for free alcohol. The freeness makes it better.

2. Like a peasant skirt? There were always lots of college girls in them when I was in school. Well, now I hang at a more fashionable campus and the girls are all in skin-tight jeans; no skirts of any kind.

3. I learned Latin in school and it was great. Then I used it all up.

4. English-style scones I assume, and not real scones. But what could be better than jam and cream and scones and tea? When I went to Europe we sat out on a giant manor lawn one sunny day and ordered lots of cream and jam and fruit and tea and scones. It felt like the most civilised and decadent thing ever.

[curiouswombat]

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<iEnglish-style scones I assume, and not real scones.</i>

You mean someone, somewhere, uses the word for something that isn't actually a scone? Which, of course, is a Scottish word, not an English one...

You'll just have to imagine either my 'Grandma from the Perishers' icon, or my 'Domestic Goddess' one - oh - or my 'afternoon tea' one - as I don't have them here - but we bump into each other enough for you to use you imagination!! :~P

[owenthurman]

Real scones, of course, are a light, fluffy, soft pastry deep fried until golden brown. They are an ideal base or serving beans, stew, or ice cream. Also, they are delicious to eat plain or with a touch of honey. They were invented by Native Americans in the western states a century ago. Sometimes they are called frybread, especially by the Native Americans.

The English (Scotch?) kind are perfectly adequate for tea, but they bear little resemblance to real scones other than being made from wheat.

Icons successfully imagined.

[curiouswombat]

Ah - you mean this is another word that left home a couple of centuries ago and eventually got misused by the dominions? Like pasty...

PS - 'Scotch' is a type of alcoholic spirit and is never used to refer to the people or the language - it is a sad sign of a poor upbringing to not understand these fine points of linguistics I feel :~P :~P :~P

(I really must import some icons over here...!!)

[owenthurman]

Pasties like the buttery, flaky empanadas? Or like the nipple covers you wear exotic dancing?

>>'Scotch' is a type of alcoholic spirit

Yeah, but I was getting tired of all the tea with my scones.

[curiouswombat]

Pasties like the buttery, flaky empanadas? Or like the nipple covers you wear exotic dancing?

Exactly. Although the original is a very solid and indigestible hunk of pastry with meat at one end and jam at the other to be lowered on a string down a mine. The current version is slightly lighter...

I was getting tired of all the tea with my scones.

Seems fair enough to me.

[verity]

LATIN <3 <3 <3

As for skirts, my all-time favorite is this one - it's hella expensive, but I've had it (in mustard and black) for four years and it's worn very well.

[petzipellepingo]

I think learning Latin is neat and having your little collection of fandom items at work is also neat.

[curiouswombat]

Scones, to be honest, are nicer with butter and jam anyway - especially as people have a habit of putting the cream onto fruit scones as they don't understand the correct propriety for this sort of thing... :~P

And cream scones are certainly not something you'd eat for hunger!

I love the way Australians call cream scones Devonshire tea - I can see you all being stalked by vindictive Cornishmen....!!!

My daughter is also, slowly, teaching herself Latin.

[redsixwing]

Jam.. and cream? :o
That sounds delightful, but I'd probably get the etiquette all wrong.

I sympathize with feeling like an alien. I get the same sort of responses. "What's that?" Mammoth ivory. "Oooooh, why are you supporting killing mammoths?" /headdesk

[mauvedragon.livejournal.com]

I had one those moments recently. A healthcare professional described me as "a woman of varied interests". My first reaction was "What? Most people have less interests?" Then I remembered that I was talking to a non geek

[watchingtheaeroplanes.blogspot.com]

Re: #2, you have taste. Such people will always be a minority.

Re: #3, "why?" is a fair question, but "why not?" is just as fair a reply. :-p

Re: #4, this is proof you are, indeed, an alien.