Thursday, April 22, 2010

Friday Fragments, Episode #91


Friday Fragments is like cleaning a junk drawer; you dump the junk, save the good stuff, put it all in a somewhat logical order, and feel great when you're done. Consider FF your blogging junk drawer, and now it's time for some spring cleaning :) (Click the buttons above for more information on Friday Fragments. Danifred is sick this week, so there will be no Friday Night Leftovers today.)

***If you're the praying type, please keep Hallie in your prayers as she journeys through the darkest path any parent can go through; the lost of a child.

***When a white-as-a-sheet Caucasian leaves a Mexican restaurant at which the food was delicious, what should they say to the obviously-Latinos/Hispanic people working there?  "Thanks!" or "Gracias!" ??? Kendall and I were tempted to say gracias, but we didn't want to appear disrespectful or seem like we were mocking anyone.I'd be curious to know your thoughts.

***Messy Mommy had a dream about me, and it cracked me up...
I had a dream that I met Mrs. 4444 IRL. I was so nervous I just stood there and pointed. Luckily she recognized me. Then we were BFFs and played basketball. Ya, my dreams are weird.

***Mary's Flashback Friday post last week really resonated with me. If you can relate to childhood roadtrips or being part of a huge family, you will love it.

***Caution was my Favorite Friday Fragmenter last week, because she was the first one to make me laugh out loud....

Unsettling news takes over: While I was in the hardware store, I bought some suet cakes for the birds and found one claiming to attract teen-agers. I wondered what kind of bird would attract teens and I actually bought it. After I got home, I realized it said Tanagers - which is apparently not a human, but a bird.

Here's your award, Caution.  (Poor thing deserves it, what with her trying so hard to be the "cool" house for the teens to hang out at.)


***You may remember Bee from my audio recording of her post about her daughter's heartwrenching request of Santa this year.  I have never believed more strongly about the value of a post than I do of her most recent post, which includes her ailing husband's account of his own death and subsequent return to life last fall.  It's a MUST read: Angels and Ear Trumpets: Chilly's Story. (Chilly, thanks again for sharing your very moving story.)

***WooHoo!!! Molly's Brandon was the winner of our local GLEE Casting Call!!! This means simply that his audition video will actually be seen by producers of the show! If you voted, Thanks!

***Don't forget to visit Danifred's Sippy Cups Are Not for Starbucks and link up.  And here's a 14-second clip to give you an idea of what goes on over at her place when she's not busy with Friday Night Leftovers:




***Thank you for your wonderful comments this week; I've read every single one (of course) and plan to reply this weekend. I look forward to being able to better keep up with everyone once school lets out for summer in SIX MORE WEEKS!  (Yeehah!! :)

Here's the Linky for anyone who has a Friday Fragments post.  Just so you know, you don't have to link up a photo or button; if you don't, it will just be blank but will show your name.  That said, I think the "quilt" of linkers last week looked awesome!! This is also a "blog hop," (I guess), which  means that not only can the links show here on my page, but fragmenter lists can be posted on your blog, too, if you want.

34 comments:

  1. Say Gracias! No one will be offended. If anything they will be happy that you are making the effort.

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  2. I'm always afraid to speak in another language because I'm afraid people will thing I'm making fun and because I don't have the right inflexion in my voice. In other words, I would sound dopey. Six weeks? Wow! Doesn't time fly when you're having fun or teaching? :)

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  3. Crap, sorry my pic showed up twice but I can't figure out how to get them to show up on my blog. I did it last week without a problem, but now I can't remember how!

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  4. I'm always scared if I say "gracias", they'll start speaking to me in Spanish and I won't know what they're saying!

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  5. I agree with Unknown Mami say Gracias! I try to speak German here and it drives me nuts sometimes they just answer in English....like I will say thanks and bye in German and they say it in english so much for trying! Have a great weekend!

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  6. Am crackin' up over the Tangers!!! ;)
    As for the "gracias". Before mySamuelson came along, I hesitated to thank them in Spanish much like DysFUNctional Mom for fear they'd start rambling off in it! HOWEVER, my 6 year old takes Spanish at his christian school and soaking it up like a sponge...so I use him as buffer/interpreter...he's my Ace just in case they do start spouting spanish!

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  7. Caution's fragment made me laugh too! Thanks for highlighting it!

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  8. Love that dream and the fact that we only have 4 more weeks of school! Yay!!

    Have a wonderful weekend!

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  9. Thank-you, darling, for the award. I shall put it somewhere very safe.

    I absolutely LOVE your bloggers quilt/blog hop ! You are such a clever girl :)

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  10. Hey...sorry I haven't been by all week...gotta play catch up now. I changed domains so I've been trying to get used to everything...
    anywhoo...I've said gracias a few times, quietly..and I completely understand the hesitation.

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  11. I've always wondered about the gracias/thank you thing too. Thanks. :) Now we just need to figure it out.

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  12. I'm playing for the first time today. HI Y'ALL! :)

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  13. Tanagers... okay that one made me spit my tea. Too funny!

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  14. I think I would say Gracias. If anything they would assume you were drunk, not being disrespectful :)

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  15. I am so glad that I am not the only one with crazy dreams!!

    That baby laugh cracks me up!!

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  16. I'm loving Friday Fragments, since I have more than "2 cents" to say :-), but a friend needed the space to vent this week. So her vent is like my vent..

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  17. I love FF and finally am able to join in again! YAY for Mollys Brandon! That is awesome news!

    I have been lacking in the blog visiting department and hope to get back to normal soon!

    Have a great weekend barb!

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  18. I always speak in English because I am Mexican, look it, and do not speak a word of it. If I say "gracias", it will usually end up in me having to defend what a crappy Mexican I am and I don't want to go there..

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  19. Go for saying Gracias!

    Even if the suet cake DID say "attracts teenagers," what in the world made you think you wanted to attract teenagers? ;)
    (They are my favorite animal too!)

    Happy Friday!

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  20. Tanagers! LOL, I love it.
    I'd say "Gracias". I always say "shay shay" (not the proper spelling of course) when I leave my favorite Chinese place and the sweet lady that waits on us just loves it.

    I love the new "quilt". Thank you for offering to help me with a button! I actually have a neat photo idea for a header, and if I can get it done maybe I will take you up on making a small button out of the pic as well. :)

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  21. You Mexican restaurant dilemma made me laugh!

    My husband has this thing he does that drives me crazy!! He really wants to learn other languages, so he constantly asks people who speak them to teach him things and then he uses them in conversation. So someone told him the Chinese word for thank you is "She-Shing" (I have no idea how to actually spell that...I don't do well with spelling English words, much less ones from other countries) Every time we go to a Chinese restaurant he insists on saying this to the server whenever they bring us something. Usually when he does this they server gives him a weird look.

    Finally one day I told him, "listen honey, you don't even know for sure if that means thank you...you could be saying anything! Just say Thank You and move on. You don't speak Chinese"

    He was determined to prove to me that he did know what it mean so when the waitress came back he once again said that to her and then he asked her, "that does mean thank you in Chinese, right?" and she answered, "Who knows, I'm Vietnamese" and walked away (not just a little annoyed)

    When in doubt....just say "thank you" with a big smile! =)

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  22. We say Gracias ...however here there are lots of Hispanics and they kind of like when you make an effort to become part of their culture...I feel it is probably the same there =) Happy Friday

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  23. I'd say gracias, but I also try to speak a few words of Spanish at the table too. I've only ever seen them be glad I'm trying.

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  24. I would have said gracias as well-but at the place we like to go, they have know me and my kids for, I don't know, 8 or 9 years? So they rattle off in Spanish to us all the time and even though I can only speak enough to let them know I kind of understand every tenth word, they might be hurt if we didn't try. One time? We were there with some friends and one of them ordered a hamburger, and the waiter (whic quickly became our new favoe) very poekr-faced told her,"Do you not know this is a Mexican restaraunt?" and she was so horrified, but it was hilarious.

    What's that? This is YOUR blog? Well. Fine then. I don't have a FF post this week but will use the button you made for me next week-because that really does look neat.

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  25. I was laughing about your white-as-a-sheet Caucasian leave a Mexican restaurant frag....yes you should say Gracias! They will most definietly appreciate you. I am white as white can be and my hubby is Mexican and he is always encouraging me to speak the Spanish I know...

    Thanks for hosting FF's! :)

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  26. Light on the fragmenters today, aren't we? LOVED your I'm Not Worthy post! What an inspiration women like that are! :)

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  27. Coming from southern California, it is acceptable everywhere to say gracias even though we are obviously gringos. I like that in your dream you were playing basketball.

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  28. I say gracias. We have hispanics that work on our farm & I try to speak what Spanish I know to them, even if they think I'm an idiot. Which may be the case.

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  29. I had that exact same conversation today! Word for word. That's spooky.

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  30. Tanagers - that's good
    remember SNL with Rosanna anna ?
    I still remember her going on about Puerto Rico wanting steak.
    oh never mind.

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  31. depends on what language they speak to YOU in. if they say "thanks for coming" then I'd say "it was delicious" if they say "buenas tardes" then I'd say "gracious".

    but down here everyone is EXPECTED to know Spanish regardless of what they look like. After all, we have more Spanish TV and radio stations than English ones and all our children are taught Kindergarten in both languages whether we like it or not.

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  32. I'm prayin' for dear Hallie, my heart goes out to her.

    "teenagers and Tangers....I love it!!! Heeehehehe!

    Six weeks 'till summer break...Woohoo!!! I sure hope ya'll take the time off and ya don't fill it with summer school, girl.

    God bless ya and have a marvelous Monday!!!

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  33. tanagers. that's great. i love to laugh.

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