So true.

RRA1 - I

I'm English, Irish, Welsh, Scottish, and Native American. How about you?

 I never realized until recently how many ethnic groups are in the former USSR. I was interested to learn that the Yusupovs, the richest family (even more than the Romaovs) prior to the Russian Revolution (a Yusupov married Nicholas II's sister and helped to kill Rasputin) were Tatars. Lenin was descended, in part from a Mongol group. Hmmm...the eyes.

Oh, Captain, My Captain -  Did not mean to exclude you, just responding to two chicks. I love fall veggies, too, especially roasted.

Agree about ethnicity in that we all come from people who came from other people. My English grandfather's surname, for instance, refers to the person who tended to the sacrificial cauldron tp the Norse ggd, Odin. It is more common in those areas of the British isles in which Vikings were known to have settled. Mixed in with Angles and Saxons who came from France and Germany, etc. , etc.  As to whether it is important, well, I think that it incredibly interesting. I love, love, love learning about different traditions and where they came from, how a person came to have certain coloring, shape of eyes, blah, blah, blah. You should see my students light up when I inquire about their ancestry and share what I know. One girl with a very typical Armenian name was thrilled that I even knew what Armenian is. We discussed the genocide, how her great-grandparents survived and came to America. People can get very odd, though. I once got so fed up with my Puerto Rican students (many of whom were clearly of Black African descent) demeaning my African American students that I did a mini-lesson on how we all ended up as we are. "Oh, no! I'm 100% Puerto Rican!" was the tiresome refrain. I even had parent complaining. They actually had no idea that there was first the native population, then the Spanish, then the African slaves they brought., and most PR are a mix of some kind.

OK!

1. dog-log-leg-peg-pat-cat.

2. fashion-grunge = kids who like grunge dress a certain kind of way. spaceship-pest = people who are especially interested in space travel are usually annoying pests. kite-parasol = In that fun scene in Mary Poppins she had her parasol and everyone was flying kites. milkman-nickel = when milkmen delivered milk when I was a kid a small bottle was a little more than a nickel.

3.  lasagna

Ladies -  I must say that fall is my favorite season (a close second to summer). My typically depressed mood lightens considerably, I get a  rush of energy, dig out cozy sweaters, it's all good! Where I live, in PA, nature usually puts on a delightful display of color  with the changing of the leaves. An added bonus is that I look my best in fall colors! I've been to NOLA several times, but only in the summer. There is something about it that is just so unique, a soft heaviness in the air. I always felt an odd feeling of anticipation as I walked the streets. Gotta do something about those noseeums, though!

RRA1 - The grandfather (paternal) I am talking about spent his childhood in Birmingham, Eng;land reading about American history. He went to  a school in the factory where his father worked, but had to drop out very early to help support the family when the father came home "shell shocked" and drank himself into oblivion. "Grandpop Vic" came to America in 1919 at the age of 19.  I am a descendant of two passengers on the Mayflower.  I guess even Native Americans are not  so original to America, as they came over in two waves from Asia. But you are right about most of us being a mix. I kind of enjoy that, all of the stories of who is what and from where.

RRA1 - Gotta agree about Tom Cruise. I just never found him attractive, believable, meh.

Jay - There is really no strict cut-off as to when the Baby Boom began and ended. Some put its beginning as early as the early 1940s rather than the year WWII ended. Of course, that makes all of our Boys Boomers. I've also seen the end put at 1963, although there was a sharp decline in birth beginning in 1961.

NOLA BB Fan - You were born in the peak year!

JK - The year I started kindergarten kids were bussed all over the school district, some teachers had to teach combined grades, and k-3 classes  were an unusually high 35 or so kids in order to accommodate the burgeoning kiddo population. By junior high, we were so crowded that we often waited in line so long that there was time only for a bite or two of lunch and a guzzle of milk before we were herded out for the next group. I was actually born, in 1960, in a janitor's closet in my local hospital. It had to expand its maternity department, hence my make-shift surroundings. Mom was pissed that the gas didn't work - no natural childbirth glorification for her or her peers!   

RRA1 -
Fascinating! You answered my question and more! I always think that it is interesting to learn how people from a given place see/sense their own history and how it might differ from other peoples' perception of it (looking from the outside in). My cousin's wife, age 45, is from Moscow. She seems amused by my interest in this, probably as I am amused by some people's perceptions of what America and Americans are/were like. My grandfather dreamed of coming to America after reading all about cowboys and Indians as a child, but never met one nor went to the West once he arrived here.

Might Litva refer to Lithuania?

Anyway, I would love one day to visit Russia and some of the other former Soviet republics. My parents visited the USSR in the mid 1980s, then again during the Gorbachev years.  My studies of the Romanovs often "take" me to Crimea, which must have been like a whole different world to those from Moscow or St. Petersburg. I suppose that, in addition to the palaces the extended family had, there must have been many fancy sanatoria for those who could afford to travel there and stay for recovery.   

 

Yes. My sons resent the characteristics ascribed to Millennials. They work very hard, take full responsibility for themselves, and could never be described as "snowflakes" or "entitled." Nor did I spend my teen years (in the 1970s) in a haze of pot smoke. 

I've always thought of slapstick as mainly comedy. I believe that the first was the old Punch and Judy puppet shows, which started in 1600s Italy. Punch had a stick that he would beat people with (including the much-abused Judy). The Three Stooges (a TV series) was classic slapstick in which one of the Stooges would pick, poke in the eyes, and do other violence to his peers. Thank goodness, it evolved more into still physical, but less violent fare. The Monty Python troupe did slapstick, as did Abbott and Costello (A and C Meet the Mummy), Chevy Chase (National Lampoon series, Caddyshack), Jim Carrey (Me, Myself, and Irene). Disney's The Shaggy Dog is another example.

the Captain - I hear you about labeling generations. I'm sure that the differences among the given individuals are certainly greater. I always enjoy reading descriptions of youth in times past. For example, take Socrates:  “The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise.” Still, some tendencies might be noted in given cohorts. For example, my parents' generation, who grew up during the Great Depression, do seem to go to greater measures than mine to save, reuse, etc.
This makes sense, as they and their families were more vulnerable to deprivation than we are today in the US and western countries. They had no food stamps, subsidized housing, etc., and if they were not driven into poverty through no fault of their own, they knew many who were.

RRA1 - Tell me about what is thought of USSR children and perestroika's children. I talk to may of the latter when I go to my favorite beach town, where many come to work and experience US culture each summer. Several have compared this freedom to their parents' inability to leave the USSR, to go where they want.

RRA1- Digit comes from the Greek word, digitus. It refers to whatever exists at the end of a limb - hooves in a horse, fingers on people, etc. I think in Old or Middle English it referred to a unit of measurement that was the width of a finger.

Boris and Stepan were in a jovial mood and decided to take their broods to hear music and singing at a nearby cafe-chantant. Their wives, Monica and Nala, got gussied up in their best Gucci ensembles and pierced nose rings. They piled into Boris' van, which after a jumpstart, went "vroom" as they sped down the highway. When they arrived at their destination, they gave each of the kids a big lollipop to keep them occupied and settled in it listen to the main act, Cooper and the Copts. He and his talented peer were ensconced on stools; they whipped themselves into a veritable banjo frenzy. Next up were Ravi and Grayer. They threw dark marine balloons into the crowd as they sang. With the lovely and talented Dusya accompanying them on a xylophone, all were mesmerized by their musicianship. Afterward, Boris and Stepan took their families to polish off pork and sauerkraut at a nearby outdoor cafe.

When were you born? I was a "Baby Boomer," how we describe people born from mid 1940 through around early 1960s.  Do Russians label age co-horts in a similar way?

OK!

       label - sticky, digit - finger, glory - guts, business - money, light - dark, freeze - melt, banjo - strum,  nerd - goofy, karate - judo, fan -
       enthusiastic

Yes. Born in 1960.

Free lip color from Mother Nature, add a little balm and ... very nice. I don't need blush for the same reason.

Stingray bikes were rather low to the ground with a long banana-shaped seat and thick-ish tires. The handle bars looked like the letter V with slightly U-shaped bottom. The rider's hands went on little bars coming off of the top of the V on each side. These were the coolest bikes around! (At least until the early 70s when ten-speed bikes were in vogue. I got my first job at 12 to save up for one.)

Love your story of the cat brooch. There is probably no greater joy to a kid than to receive something as a present that you wanted very much but thought you would never get. I have a whole collection of animal jewelry. I don't like to wear plain pins, necklaces and earrings. They have to "say" something, especially about the wearer. I hope that you take the kittie brooch out of the safe to wear it once in a while and that it brings you special enjoyment when you put it on.   

I agree that it is sad that many females do not feel secure without wearing make-up. I know several who simply will not be seen unless they have layers of paint covering their face. As for myself, I am comfortable without it, never wear it at home. I do wear full make-up when I dress up, however. I feel that my look is incomplete without a little bit of this and a little bit of that on my face when I am in a nice dress, heels, and a cute hairstyle. Otherwise, when I go outside, I wear a pricey foundation with zinc oxide in it to protect my skin from the sun. I can't tolerate chemical sunscreens, and zinc oxide is the best full-spectrum mineral sunscreen. The problem with it is that it looks white on the skin unless blended with pigment, hence the make-up. My one claim to vanity is almost wrinkle-free skin at 58 (a couple of soft "laugh lines" under my eyes if you look really carefully) because gave up my tanning addiction at age 19 and used sunscreen every day, year round, since then.     

There are so many words and phrases that might offend that one could live in a constant state of the same: gyped on a deal, welched on a bet, got off scot free, want that with a side of fries, hun? They live among us. Then there are the "virtue signalers" who actively seek opportunities to correct people who might have said anything that might possible offend anyone, context and prior knowledge of the speaker be damned. Why? It makes them feel holier than thou, virtuous, if you will. I once dated a man who almost had me believing that I was homophobic because I surmised that a mutual acquaintance was gay. Period. No mocking, no derisive comments, no past indicators of such an attitude. He also gave me the silent treatment for an entire evening because I expressed, while watching yet another defendant on Judge Judy assert that she should not have to repay a loan to the plaintiff because he had money, that I was tired of seeing "those people" on the show. "Those people," I was informed, was only something racists say, so I must be racist. Never mind that the defendant was white! Personally, I build my self-esteem in other ways. I also choose not to be offended unless I have reason to believe that the person meant to be unkind or disrespectful.

OK! What is your favorite dessert? I have to cheat and claim two.

One is Strawberry Shortcake made with real shortcake, hot and fresh out of the oven. (Too many people in the US just put berries on white cake and pretend it's strawberry shortcake, but they lie. Those Welsh and Scottish ladies know how to do it right.) My mom used to make it in the summer when there were ripe berries in our backyard. Cut them up, add some sugar. Put the berries and liquid that forms with the sugar on the cake and let the liquid soak in for a minute or two. Top with whipped heavy cream and eat until you can't move.

Dessert #2: Key Lime Pie made the easy way, with a bottle of key lime juice (found, I think, only in the Florida Keys, islands off of the southern coast of Florida.) Whip up with eggs and sweetened condensed milk, add a bit of the zest of a lime by grating the green part of the peel. Pour into graham cracker crust, which is just as good purchased pre-made at the store. Bake, cool, then glob on either meringue or whipped cream. Dear God, the taste and textures are so tantalizing that it is difficult to stop eating. Making matters worse, it never makes one feel full.

Now, top this!!!!!!

RRA! - So sorry! These phrases must be confusing! In America (perhaps elsewhere?) women who are middle age and beyond often refer to applying  make-up as "putting my face on." My comment referred to doing the same, but instead of keeping my make-up "in a jar by the door" (like Eleanor Rigby), I keep my make-up in the bathroom and apply it there.

JK - Thanks for the kind response and support!

RRA1 - Let's see. I received from "Santa" when I was 10 a new "Sting Ray" bike. This was a very big deal, as my brothers and I typically opened presents of clothes that we needed anyway, and some candy. That bike took me farther than I had ever gone in my little town, even to other towns in the area. My travels were a marvelous escape, giving me new feelings of freedom and possibilities. I became very lost several times, relying on kind people to let me use their phones to call home for a ride. How about you, RRA1 and JK? What were your best gifts ever?

Oh, the italics icon worked!

RRA1 and the Captain -

The Captain expressed my thoughts on the topic of the n-word, albeit more eloquently than I would have. It is interesting about words. There is one that sounds similar to it, but actually has Old Norse roots, and means to be miserly - niggardly, with the i sounded as a long e. I've heard it used a few times over the years, always with others, out of ignorance, shaming the speaker/writer. That makes as much sense as getting exercised over someone saying regina as the British do, or recoiling at the term penal institution. (Dang. Why does using the italics option not simply italicize?)

I believe that Bob Dylan's (Robert Zimmerman's) grandparents came to MN in the 1910s. The Jewish community of Hibbing had to bring in a rabbi to prepare young Bob and his Jewish peers for their Bar Mitzvah. I once taught with a semi-retired school teacher from the town. He said that Bob's brother was the music teacher in the town's public school, a very nice guy who instructed all five of his kids.  IIRC, David Zimmerman played an integral role in the Minneapolis recordings on Blood on the Tracks and found local musicians, as well. Wonder what it's like to be Dylan's brother? 

Ditto, 'cept my jars are in the bathroom.