You’re in Boston baby, good luck to ya

Posted on October 5, 2014 by simplygiselle

There is not enough time to get you up to speed to understand all of the nuances of Boston. So I will just concentrate on the verbiage you will hear on the street as you are lost wondering the streets because the signage completely sucks. Even the natives get lost because you never know where you are or all the new construction popping up that detours you into a one way, going the wrong way (of course).

*DO NOT ask someone a random person or bartender to repeat the phrase – Pahk the cah in Harhvad yad, (park the car in Harvard yard). We get it, we only have 25 letters in the alphabet. You talk funny to us and we don’t bring it up. And don’t try talking like you have a Boston accent, we can tell you are trying and no, it’s not working for you. If you think I have an attitude, please read my early post on Boston and it explains it all.

bang – to make a left turn (often, “bang a left”; also used often as “bang a U-ie” – make a U turn); sometimes used interchangeably with hang

barrel – trash can

The Basement – Filene’s Basement, a department store in Downtown Crossing, This store does not exist any more but many people still use it as a landmark

Beantown – Boston (never used by Bostonians unless we are making fun of visitors. If you want to blend, do not ever use it)

breakdown lane – right margin or shoulder on highways used for broken down vehicles.

bubbler [pron. bubblah] – water fountain, drinking fountain

The Cape – Cape Cod (there is a Cape Ann but when you hear some one say they ‘went to the Cape’ they are referring to Cape Cod. Cape Ann is just as beautiful)

chowdah [chowder] – New England clam chowder, or occasionally fish chowder. There is no other chowdah, so if you want that red Manhattan stuff, don’t even bother coming here.

The Common – Boston Common. There is only one Common. If you are getting directions, don’t ask, which one. We will give a big sigh and begrudgingly give you the rest of the directions, and may be not the correct ones. Just the way it is.

frappe [pron. frap] – a milkshake; the term milkshake has a separate use. Frappe and milkshake cannot be used interchangeably. Milkshakes are flavored milk of a sort, frappes are super thick with icecream and rock. Try sucking one through a straw and get back to me on your headache.

The Gahden – a reference to the Boston Garden or the TD Banknorth Garden, home of the Boston Celtics and the Boston Bruins.

grinder [pron. “grind-ah”] – A submarine sandwich or Hoagie for you in the Philly area. Some insist that a grinder is toasted, while a sub is not.

Hoodsie – A small cup of vanilla and chocolate ice-cream from the HP Hood Company. Eaten with a thin wooden spoon that comes with the Hoodsie. Beware the splintered tongue.

Massholes – derogatory term for residents of Massachusetts, especially of Boston drivers (popular in New Hampshire). Yes, I am a Masshole. I will admit it, a little proud of it too.

“No suh!” [No sir, compare “no sirree”] – “No way!”. The appropriate response is “Ya huh!”

packie (also package store) – liquor store. Back in the day, we called it a packie because laws prohibit walking in public with an alcoholic beverage in plain view and a bag was required.

The Pike – the Massachusetts Turnpike, also the Mass Pike

pissa – cool, good: “You hit the Lottery? That’s pissa man.”; less commonly it can be used instead of pissed to mean drunk: “I had ten beers last night. I was wicked pissa!”

Salt and Pepper Bridge – Longfellow Bridge. Yes it is a longer to say Salt and Pepper Bridge but if you saw it, you would too. Look it up.

sketchy – A term used, most often by teenagers, referring to something strange or out of place (such as a suspicious person).

skally – a driving cap or an cap that has snap button front.

So don’t I – pleonasm, used to agree with a statement; a replacement for “me too”; (“I like the Red Sox.” “So don’t I.”) I would be shocked to find out that other places do not use this term. Please comment.

Southie – South Boston; also used for residents of the area. Not to be confused with the actual South Boston, two different places, go figure.

spa – neighborhood shop that sells groceries, soda fountain drinks, sandwiches. A mini mart of sort but owned by a family not a chain.

The T – the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority; also used for services run by the MBTA, particularly the Subway. Taken from the MBTA’s logo, a block-letter T within a circle.

townie – In the strictest sense, a resident of Charlestown, Massachusetts; I do not recommend you using this term unless you are from the area. You may get your butt handed to you.

triple decker – a three-story, three-family house, also called a “three decker”.

The Vineyard – Martha’s Vineyard

wicked – very; or occasionally cool. Used indiscriminately, can modify anything (e.g.: “Wicked good.” “Wicked bad.” “Wicked boring.”, etc.). Almost always used as an adverb, rather than an adjective; some Bostonians feel it is grammatically improper not to put an adjective or verb after “wicked”.

wicked pissa – awesome, very cool

The above are excerpts from the online dictionary http://www.aboutlanguageschools.com/slang/boston-slang.asp because I didn’t want to overlook any but I am sure there are plenty more to list.

Did I miss some? If you are from town or visited and need clarification, please ask.

Coming to Boston? I wish you luck. Say good bye to your family you may end up in Canada.

Welcome, Stranger

Think about the town where you currently live: its local customs, traditions, and hangouts, its slang. What would be the strangest thing about this place for a first-time visitor? Daily Post

Shine from the inside

Posted on October 3, 2014 by simplygiselle

I found a way, to steal the sun from the sky… Long live that day that I decided to fly from the inside (Shinedown)

Howl at the Moon “Follow your inner moonlight; don’t hide the madness.” — Allen Ginsberg Do you follow Ginsberg’s advice — in your writing and/or in your everyday life?

I also connect the Allen Ginsberg to another saying –

Dance like there is nobody watching

Love like you will never get hurt

Sing like there is nobody listening

Live like the it’s heaven on earth

And speak from the heart to be heard (William W. Purkey)

It is difficult to remember in this fast paced world, but there are often times I do break out, embrace the ‘inner moonlight’ the ‘dance like there is nobody watching’ embrace the freedom of judgment from others – it is an amazing feeling – as close to flying as I can get.

Say your name

Posted on September 16, 2014 by simplygiselle

I follow quite a few different blogs to inspire me and hand me a question for which to write and today’s question made me pause. “Say your name”. Sounds simple enough. The assignment is to edit your name and tag line, but I can’t and ultimately I won’t.

When I was young, and for many, many years, I disliked my name so much. Most people could not pronounce it so it became a nuisance to the point of not even correcting them. Others, who were much older, would recall an actress by the same name well before I was born and I didn’t care who she was for I was bored with the same story over and over.

My parents were very clear on how I received this name for it was not a whim, in fact, it was an all out brawl between my mother, her sisters, and ultimately my father stepped in and took control. You see, this is not a family name, nor was it the first choice. Giselle is the name of a ballet, beautiful, tragic, complex, with music that ebbs and flows and all the time while watching or listening to it, you are transported to another place. Wow that is so much to live up to, yes? On the same note (pardon the pun) it is also an amazing story which will stay with me as long as I can tell it.

More specifically, after my parents brought me home from the hospital with no name, my mother gave it her all and stuck to her guns and told everyone, her name will be Eugenie (and you though Giselle was a mouthful, right?) As a woman from a family of eight siblings, the sisters all voiced their concerns, mainly the relentless teasing from all the children in school and the community. After several days, my father came home from his long day of work to hear the ballet playing on the stereo. The rest is history.

In recent years something magical happened; I grew into the name, embraced it, became one of a kind. Although many people still mispronounce it, I don’t care because I know chances of them meeting another Giselle in person are slim.

So you see, I cannot change SimplyGiselle because that is exactly who I am, SimplyGiselle…no more, no less, and I have the story to prove it.

Say your name

Deconstructing the misconception of the Bostonian

Posted on September 4, 2014 by simplygiselle

The amount of articles citing Bostonians as being racist, snarky, and just downright rude, could not be further from the truth. Bostonians, and I lump people from several different parts of New England into this category, are more loyal than any watch dog you could purchase.

Why are we so sarcastic, stoic and snarky upon first meeting? Well, simply put, we don’t know you. You see, there is a bit of a test that we put people through before we can call them a ‘friend’ in the true sense of the word. Not an acquaintance, not someone we just met or a work mate, a true friend, and we don’t use the term often, so when we do; you know we mean it. That is how serious we are about it.

It is a timely procedure, yes, you can equate it to a job interview where you are required to return a few times before you are told you have the job. You will be asked a hundred questions about your past, your relatives, and your high school. You will be made fun of, you will be tortured with relentless jabs and ribbing, you will be reminded of the horrible mistakes that you have made and not let you live them down, and will laugh at you… just like any family member would. And we expect the same in return. After all, if you are not receiving such a ‘roast’ you better run; it’s a clear sign that you are being tolerated but not liked.

We will not give you the ‘no there is nothing wrong with our friendship’ smile, while promptly texting and FB’ing everyone what a d-bag you are. We will not tell you that the awful Member’s Only Jacket is making a huge comeback and you are on the cutting edge. We will not agree with your choice of sport’s team, especially when one of our players turns rat and leaves the team for yours.

We are going to hit you smack in the face with the truth, because although it hurts more for the first few seconds, it won’t follow you around like toilet paper stuck to your heel.

We need to be sure that you are going to stick around, because when times get tough, when the ‘stuff’ hits the proverbial fan, we need to know that you ‘have our backs’ as much as we will have yours.

It is not unlike many families motto; I can make fun of my family all I want, but you say something, and you will get your ass handed to you.

So you see? We are not some heartless, sardonic, people; We have a heart of gold, sprinkled with a little sea salt.