I keep trying -clearly unsuccessfully - to copy and paste and then add quotation marks, with commentary! But those two sentences are SO good they deserve to be reprinted twice! They capture our national self-importance, our consumerist focus on material details rather than difficult democracy, our false sense of individuality, our general complacency. All of which are being exploited as the Republicans eviscerate our Constitution, the military occupies our cities, children are illegally separated from their families, and our highest court stamps the imprimatur of legality on it all. It is remarkable how comfortable Americans are with authoritarianism if we are still allowed the illusion of individuality and hence self-determination.
Ibuprofen isn't great for your stomach lining or if you have dodgy kidneys. Otherwise it's a great anti-inflammatory. I find it useless for pain relief. I love these commentaries on finding America and walking home through the woods reciting Robert Frost is just so 'an Englishman Abroad'!!
There are not only 50 States but in my state of New Jersey municipalities are deemed to have home rule because they preceded the constitution of the United States and even in many cases the Declaration of Independence. Then there’s special jurisdictions such as school boards and interstate jurisdictions like the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for instance. Anyway I hope you and your family are feeling better, and that we’re not too weird a country for you.
Sorry to hear about the problems with your family domicile, Henry. I hope that it won’t be too long until you can get things sorted out. The country is different, the customs and way of living are decidedly different, but, thankfully, people are pretty much the same all over the world. I hope you will find it fascinating and stimulating once you have acclimated. All the best, John.
Ibuprofen isn't too dangerous though it is bad for your stomach if you take it a lot on an empty stomach. Acetaminophen is another story.
The liquor laws in America are amazingly varied. In New York you can't buy wine or spirits in places that sell food (you can buy beer, though), so the grocery stores all sell this absolutely noxious stuff called "Chateau Diana" that I think exists solely to trick people into buying it because they've just moved there and don't know any better. It is so bad.
My husband is from a city in southern California that has a horse racing track. One day when we were visiting and taking a very early morning walk, we saw a bar near the track that opened at 6 am. Another day when we walked by at a similarly early hour, the door was open and people were in there drinking!
Continuing to delight in an Englishman’s take on American mores. “It was the hell of a weekend.” I thought myself conversant with most of British English but that’s new to me, or I never gave it any notice. Yanks say “a hell of a.”
Property managers - a varied lot, from wonderful to ‘welcome to hell.’ Far more of the latter. My sympathies.
It’s appalling that pharmacies (drugstores, in the American parlance, which make them sound quite sinister compared to the British “chemists”), meant to be the repositories of all things healthful and medicinal, sell something as harmful as cigarettes. But as Henry rightly observes, America is all about convenience - one-stop shopping. In Texas I once saw a laundromat that also sold ammo.
Just for info, the restriction on over the counter drugs began in 1998 with paracetamol, as by then because of its availability it had become the drug of choice in nearly half of all overdoses. Pack size was cut from 100 to 32 tabs and limited to one pack at a time - the thinking being that much of the self-poisoning was impulsive rather than planned. In the first year following the change there was a significant drop in both deaths and liver transplants following paracetamol poisoning. Get a half bottle of ibuprofen, and you can spend the change on a head of celery!
I think you can buy a ton of ibuprofen in the UK. It’s paracetamol they worry about as teenagers use it to ‘commit suicide’ and then discover that they have actually succeeded and in an excruciatingly painful way.
I can’t resist two tweaks tho—Sears sold several styles of kit houses, not just one; and it’s not that we fear being mistaken for our neighbors—that’s not why people keep saying *but not everywhere* in America is like x, y, z. It’s because we fear you’ll be disappointed if you go elsewhere and things are different—it’s about being a good host.
As for farmer’s markets—yes! Outrageous prices in suburban and urban areas. You need to get to a rural farmer’s market for the deals. If my Amish neighbor sold celery it would be for no more than $1.75.
I keep trying -clearly unsuccessfully - to copy and paste and then add quotation marks, with commentary! But those two sentences are SO good they deserve to be reprinted twice! They capture our national self-importance, our consumerist focus on material details rather than difficult democracy, our false sense of individuality, our general complacency. All of which are being exploited as the Republicans eviscerate our Constitution, the military occupies our cities, children are illegally separated from their families, and our highest court stamps the imprimatur of legality on it all. It is remarkable how comfortable Americans are with authoritarianism if we are still allowed the illusion of individuality and hence self-determination.
Ibuprofen isn't great for your stomach lining or if you have dodgy kidneys. Otherwise it's a great anti-inflammatory. I find it useless for pain relief. I love these commentaries on finding America and walking home through the woods reciting Robert Frost is just so 'an Englishman Abroad'!!
Going to memorise more of his poems now
I was watching some police-procedural/mystery thing the other evening and the forensic pathologist was quoting Robert Frost (as they do…🙄)
You don't even want to know what kind of stuff we sell at pharmacies the further south you go.
Guns?
There are not only 50 States but in my state of New Jersey municipalities are deemed to have home rule because they preceded the constitution of the United States and even in many cases the Declaration of Independence. Then there’s special jurisdictions such as school boards and interstate jurisdictions like the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for instance. Anyway I hope you and your family are feeling better, and that we’re not too weird a country for you.
Not too weird at all I love it!
I'm enjoying your takes on American life, Henry.
Thanks!
Sorry to hear about the problems with your family domicile, Henry. I hope that it won’t be too long until you can get things sorted out. The country is different, the customs and way of living are decidedly different, but, thankfully, people are pretty much the same all over the world. I hope you will find it fascinating and stimulating once you have acclimated. All the best, John.
I do find it fascinating yes!
Ibuprofen isn't too dangerous though it is bad for your stomach if you take it a lot on an empty stomach. Acetaminophen is another story.
The liquor laws in America are amazingly varied. In New York you can't buy wine or spirits in places that sell food (you can buy beer, though), so the grocery stores all sell this absolutely noxious stuff called "Chateau Diana" that I think exists solely to trick people into buying it because they've just moved there and don't know any better. It is so bad.
I remember a pancake place in Cambridge MA where the waitress and a customer bitched about liquor laws because he couldn’t get a beer at like 10am.
My husband is from a city in southern California that has a horse racing track. One day when we were visiting and taking a very early morning walk, we saw a bar near the track that opened at 6 am. Another day when we walked by at a similarly early hour, the door was open and people were in there drinking!
Continuing to delight in an Englishman’s take on American mores. “It was the hell of a weekend.” I thought myself conversant with most of British English but that’s new to me, or I never gave it any notice. Yanks say “a hell of a.”
Property managers - a varied lot, from wonderful to ‘welcome to hell.’ Far more of the latter. My sympathies.
It’s appalling that pharmacies (drugstores, in the American parlance, which make them sound quite sinister compared to the British “chemists”), meant to be the repositories of all things healthful and medicinal, sell something as harmful as cigarettes. But as Henry rightly observes, America is all about convenience - one-stop shopping. In Texas I once saw a laundromat that also sold ammo.
"I came home through the woods reciting Robert Frost."
?
just loved the phrase
Just for info, the restriction on over the counter drugs began in 1998 with paracetamol, as by then because of its availability it had become the drug of choice in nearly half of all overdoses. Pack size was cut from 100 to 32 tabs and limited to one pack at a time - the thinking being that much of the self-poisoning was impulsive rather than planned. In the first year following the change there was a significant drop in both deaths and liver transplants following paracetamol poisoning. Get a half bottle of ibuprofen, and you can spend the change on a head of celery!
Out of curiosity, which Robert Frost? I’ve about got Stopping By Woods mastered (a bit wobbly in the middle) but I might make brain-space for another.
Perhaps this is what the Americans fear most. It is not tyranny they scent on every breeze, but the fear of being mistaken for their neighbours.
Perhaps this is what the Americans fear most. It is not tyranny they scent on every breeze, but the fear of being mistaken for their neighbours.
I think you can buy a ton of ibuprofen in the UK. It’s paracetamol they worry about as teenagers use it to ‘commit suicide’ and then discover that they have actually succeeded and in an excruciatingly painful way.
I have not been allowed
I just love these American essays.
I can’t resist two tweaks tho—Sears sold several styles of kit houses, not just one; and it’s not that we fear being mistaken for our neighbors—that’s not why people keep saying *but not everywhere* in America is like x, y, z. It’s because we fear you’ll be disappointed if you go elsewhere and things are different—it’s about being a good host.
As for farmer’s markets—yes! Outrageous prices in suburban and urban areas. You need to get to a rural farmer’s market for the deals. If my Amish neighbor sold celery it would be for no more than $1.75.
That makes sense. People here are excellent hosts!
Take 2
?
I was trying to assist the questionable Advil dosage. Cheers.
Oh I see thank you