bhavok

Once a Pennsylvanian, ALWAYS a Pennsylvanian!
About Pennsylvanians:

You've never referred to Philadelphia as anything
but "Philly" and New Jersey has always been " Jersey"
You refer to Pennsylvania as "PA" (pronounced
Pee-ay). How many other states do that?

"You guys" is a perfectly acceptable reference to
a group of men and women

You know how to respond to the question
"Djeetyet?" (Didyoueatyet?)

You learned to pronounce Bryn Mawr, Wilkes-Barre ,
Schuylkill , the Pocono's, Tamaqua, Tunkannock, Bala
Cynwyd, Duquesne and Monongahela.

You know what a "Mummer" is, and are disappointed
if you can't catch at least highlights of the parade.

You know what " Punxsutawney Phil" is, and what it
means if he sees his shadow.

The first day of buck and the first day of doe season are school holidays.

You know how to get 'rid' of things and how to read up.

You can use the phrase "fire hall wedding reception"
and not even bat an eye.
You can't go to a wedding without hearing the
"Chicken Dance," at least one polka and either an
Italian song (sung in Italian,) or "Hava Nagila."

At least five people on your block have electric
"candles" in all or most of their windows all year
long.

You know what a "Hex sign" is.

You know what a "State Store" is, and your
out-of-state friends find it incredulous that you
can't purchase liquor at the mini-mart.

You own only 4 condiments: salt, pepper, mustard and
ketchup.

Words like "hoagie," "crick," "chipped ham,"
"sticky buns," "shoo-fly pie," "pierogies" and
"pocketbook" actually mean something to you. That's
PA slang for purse!

You can eat cold pizza (even for breakfast) and know others
who do the same. (Those from NY find this "barbaric.")

You not only have heard of Birch Beer, but you
know it comes in several colors: Red, White, Brown,
Gold.

You know several places to purchase or that serve
Scrapple, Summer Sausage and Hot Bacon Dressing.

You can eat a cold soft pretzel from a street
vendor without fear and enjoy it. It almost always
comes with mustard.

You know the difference between a cheese steak and a
pizza steak sandwich, and know that you can't get a
really good one out side PA, except Atlantic City on
the boardwalk. <-- I've never had a good cheese steak anywhere besides the city..

You live for summer, when street and county fairs
signal the beginning of funnel cake season.

Customers ask the waitress for "dippy eggs" for
breakfast.

You know that Blue Ball, Intercourse, Paradise ,
Climax, Bird-in-Hand, Beaver, Moon, Virginville,
Mars, and Slippery Rock are PA towns. (and the first
three were consecutive stops on the Reading RR)

You know what a township, borough, and
commonwealth is.

You can identify drivers from New York , New Jersey , or other neighboring states by their unique
and irritating driving habits.

A traffic jam is 10 cars waiting to pass a
horse-drawn carriage on the highway in Lancaster County <-- Sadly enough, this is true..

You know several people who have hit deer more
than once.

You carry jumper cables in your car and your female
passengers know how to use them.
You still keep kitty litter, starting fluid,
de-icer, or a snowbrush in your trunk, even if you
now live in the south.
Driving is always better in winter because the
potholes are filled with snow.

As a kid you built snow forts and leaf piles that
were taller than you were.

Your graduating class consisted of mostly Polish,
German, and Italian names.

You also know someone who lives "down the lane".



I think if you have ever really talked to someone from PA, or know someone from PA.. You'd notice that they have a unique accent, and sadly enough alot of these are true..

So my weekend was very different for the most part.. Something I thought would never happen did finally happen.. My stepfather admited he has a alcohol problem, and finally checked himself into alcohol detox.. It took him to hear from a doctor " If you keep drinking the way you do, your going to need a liver transplant, and by the time people normally receive them, they're already dead ".. So he heard that news about a week and a half ago, and drank all the way up 5 minutes before my mother took him there.. It's been stressful for my mother all weekend, I hungout with her all weekend, although she told me she didn't need a babysitter, I really didn't want to leave her alone, even though she said she'd be fine and knew I was there as well as my brother, for support.. So she broke down saturday, cleaned the entire house.. And just was a wreck.. Yesterday and last night she was pretty quiet, he called her yesterday cause they've had him on Lithium, but not telling him the dosage amount, and he already has health problems.. And last night he called her saying " I checked myself out, come and get me".. My mother said " No, I'm not coming to get you ".. He says " so this is how your gooing to leave me?" She says " this is what you need, you need to be there".. So he says " Fine I'm going to remember this".. So I'm waiting to see if he checks himself out later today, even though he only has till tomorrow to go, or if he has to be there till thursday..

She said leaving the hospital after dropping off my stepfather that, her going through this is something she never wants my brother or I to ever have to do with her.. With those words being said from her, I just hope it's enough to encourage her to either cut down or even eventually quit drinking herself.. Alcoholism runs in my family, I don't drink myself, my brother he hardly does anymore either, with my nephew being born and such.. But the hospital my stepfather is in, is the sameone my grandfather went to for his alcoholism.. He's been sober I think since 91'.. His drinking got to the point of where he would drive home from the bar, and fall asleep in his vehicle.. My mother and grandmother would have to go wake him up, or pick him up at the bar.. So I know different generations end and start certain trends that they pass on with the continuation of generations, and I think it's safe to say that it's stopping with my brother and I.. I just hope my uncle's habits don't portray onto my cousin..

But on a different side I think it's safe to say that the slogan for Philadelphia can now become changed to, Philadelphia: " The city of there's always next year sports fans " with the loss of the Eagles, and the downward slope of the Flyers season..