Two people, both complete strangers, that I’ve talked to recently on the phone, have referred to me with what I thought were rather strangely inappropriate endearments. One called me “honey” and the other repeatedly called me both “momma” and “baby girl” during our conversation.
These are women who I am betting are younger than me, and even if they are American, doing this kind of thing strikes me as weirdly off. The only people I would refer to as “honey”, first of all, are my husband or my children. The only other time I would call someone “honey” is if I was being sarcastic, and using it like some people use “bitch” nowadays. Which I would never do because, honey, that’s just rude.
And to refer to someone whom you have never met, have only talked to briefly on the phone, and know nothing about, as “momma” OR “baby girl” is just downright bizarre. Is this a thing? A thing that I’m too old and too out of it to get?
***
I had to run to the grocery store after work today to pick up a few things that were on our list, and while I was there, I thought I’d just be nice and get some hotdogs for dinner for Anders and I. Anders loves hotdogs. Like, LOVES them. They’re his go-to comfort food and he has them at least once a week.
I’m not a huge fan of hotdogs*, though I’ll eat them if that’s what’s offered, but once in a while I’ll get them for dinner, because I know it makes my husband happy. I like cheese dogs if I’m going to eat hotdogs and our local deli makes good ones. Anders like spicy dogs, like chorizo or cabanossy. I picked up a combo pack for him that had 2 each of 3 different kinds of spicy sausages, a package of durum hotdog buns, and a pack of cheese dogs for myself.
Then I grabbed milk, which I figured we must be about out of (though I don’t drink it myself) and the rest of the items on my list and headed home. About 10 minutes after I got home, Anders pulled up. He came into the house, carrying a grocery bag.
“Oh!” I said. “I went to the grocery store, too! What did you get?”
He got the EXACT SAME THING. Down to the exact same combo pack, the same cheese dogs, the same buns and…milk. 😀
So, we had hotdogs today on the Fourth of July, even though a) it is raining, cold and overcast and b) I am not wearing red, white or blue and c) the AWC Independence Day BBQ isn’t until Saturday, since it’s not a holiday here…and it might get cancelled because of the bad weather which is forecasted for the weekend.
***
To be honest, I am feeling less and less patriotic as the years go by. I don’t see how to reconcile being proud of my country with what its government is doing right now. Even if I have been proud to be an American, the pride I have felt is so tempered by the awfulness of my country’s current administration that I honestly don’t know if I WANT to be an American right now. I don’t understand how things have gotten this bad, how the behavior that I read about every day seems to be shrugged off as normal, and how people seem to blithely ignore it and carry on with their daily lives. I know that there are lots of Americans who are NOT sitting still and who ARE protesting and doing what they can to turn things around, but it’s so hard from over here to feel connected to the good things when so much of the news is overshadowed by the insanity in charge. I miss being proud of being American. I miss being glad that I am. I love so many things about America that it makes me sad to feel this way. And honestly, I think it’s time to stop thinking so much about our countries and start thinking more about our EARTH. Although, I guess we have to think about the first in order to get to the point where we can think about the latter. GAH.
***
Our summer has completely disappeared. We’ve gone from extreme heat and humidity to …well, regular Swedish weather. Cold, drizzly, windy, overcast. I hope that wasn’t the end of it, though I’m not exactly complaining…the heat was murder, and I’m always much happier when it’s cool…but I WOULD like some more sun, please. Also too, I talked Anders into FINALLY buying blinds for our living room where the afternoon sun beams in like a furnace on sunny hot days, making it impossible to sit on the sofa or indeed, in the living room at all, and he’s currently putting the third one up (they have to be cut to size) and of course, the day after he got them was the day the weather went south. We’ve lived in this house for how long? Took us long enough.
And WHY do flies feel the need to divebomb your head with a suddenly loud buzzing noise when they are otherwise quiet? Is it some kind of fly sonar warning signal? They only do it by your head. Fuckers. I hate flies.
Hope your Fourth of July is full of fun, funnel cakes, family, friends and fireworks with no flies and no grumpy existential expat angst.
*Though when I’m in the States, at my mom’s, I regularly eat Oscar Mayer cheese dogs, because yum.