You aren't from around here, are you?

That's a question I am asked a lot. Most recently in the grocery store a few weekends ago. I find that it's a good thing that I can't be pinpointed to an area of the country whenever I open my mouth. There are enough stigmas about having an accent from a particular region of the country, whether it is the South, the North, or the Midwest, that being associated with one or another is enough to cause people to view you differently. So in the interest of "research," Brian sent me links to some accent quizzes to determine where we rate on our English speaking ability.

Exhibit A:

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Northeast Judging by how you talk you are probably from north Jersey, New York City, Connecticut or Rhode Island. Chances are, if you are from New York City (and not those other places) people would probably be able to tell if they actually heard you speak.
Boston
Philadelphia
The Midland
The Inland North
The West
The South
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Exhibit B:

What American accent do you have? (Best version so far) Neutral You're not Northern, Southern, or Western, you`re just plain -American-. Your national identity is more important than your local identity, because you don`t really have a local identity. You might be from the region in that map, which is defined by this kind of accent, but you could easily not be. Or maybe you just moved around a lot growing up.

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

Exhibit C:
The Yankee or Rebel Test
49% Dixie. Barely in Yankeedom.

Another year's gone by

So I had a birthday a little while back. I think the older I get, the less I feel like it's a huge deal, other than the fact that I am a year older. I have less of an inclination to "party it up big" for my birthday and "go wild and crazy" like I might have in college. That same view stretches over to celebrating other peoples' birthdays. I'm not so much a downer or a party pooper as much as I'm starting to feel too old for wild crazy nights. Once you're legal enough to drink, it really isn't a big deal anymore, and from 21 on, each year added to your age serves as a reminder to wake up and see what's really going on. And with every year I gain, I see more friends getting married, settling down, and having families of their own. One by one, they move away from the "youthful" part of our lives and more into an "adult" phase. Honestly, it can be a little constricting, to think that I have to be on this "plan" and moving towards finding someone, marrying, and settling down. But in reality, I much enjoy my freedom to make decisions that affect me, without having to run things by a boyfriend/spouse. I still have the ability to travel, to see the world and do new things, without being tied to a place or people. My friends wouldn't keep me from exploring myself, I know. But many of them have confessed that they wish they had the time/ability/opportunity to be able to go to Korea like I will in two weeks. It's not to say that I don't want someone special in my life, 'cause I do, but I've been content for so long by myself I wonder if I know how to be in a relationship again. I've watched many friends go through the pain and troubles of relationships, and offered whatever helpful ear I could. And I still don't understand why some would want to continually subject themselves to another go-round, even with different people.

Is it really hard to separate ourselves from the idea that we need to be with someone to be "complete"?