I'm watching HGTV right now. What I notice is that in 99% of the programs, someone always must mention 'hardwood floors', i.e. "Oh, I love these hardwood floors!" or "Wow, look at the hardwood floors, they're gorgeous." What stings my brain is the use of the very specific term 'hardwood' instead of just saying 'wood'. Rarely is softwood used in flooring, and even so, what does it matter? So why don't people just say 'wood floors'?

I also have noticed the extreme overuse of the word 'space', as in "I love this space." or "Boy, we really could do wonders with this space." or "Always use neutral paint colors, to open up the space." I suggest the use of an alternate word once in a while, such as "area", "room", "region" or simply the name of the area, like bathroom or toilet. By the way, it seems that most Americans find it unthinkable to utter the word "toilet", as if it were some horrific profanity.

What of the Bloody Mary versus Caesar cocktail anomaly that exists between the two neighboring countries of Canada and the USA? In Canada, almost no one ever orders a Bloody Mary for a cocktail. The drink of choice is the Bloody Caesar, but they never call it that -- they just say 'Caesar'. Conversely, in the USA, the Bloody Mary is always requested using it's full name and never just 'Mary'. (On a side note, I have notice that in the last decade or so, a great majority of people have adopted the phrase "Can I get..." when ordering something. As in; "Can I get a Bloody Mary?" This makes me cringe when I hear it uttered -- after all, one is asking if they, themselves, are capable of getting a Bloody Mary and not if the server can get one for them. Highly irritating.)

Same drink, different binding medium. Bloody Mary uses spiced tomato juice, where the Caesar calls for the much less viscous Clamato Juice, which is tomato juice mixed with clam juices.

I'm not sure why Candians shun the Bloody Mary. The two drinks are nearly identical in taste and I would wager money that in a blind taste test, that one could not tell the difference. Conversely, Americans rarely request the Caesar - not sure why.

Since my wife is Canadian, and we live in the Metro Detroit area (next to Windsor, ON) - we frequently make trips to Canada. I have noticed many odd behaviors and conventions in Canada, when compared to the same in America. Of course, they only seem odd to me, because they are different than what we are used to here in the United States.

One of the truly strange phenomena that exists in Canada is how the citizenry pays for goods and services. I noticed several years ago that whenever we were at a restaurant or retail establishment and I was watching people pay their bill, the staff member would produce a little black point of sale key-pad terminal connected to a long umbilical cord, wherein the customer, after swiping their card, would enter his or her secret PIN (personal identification number). Incidentally, some people say 'PIN Number', which I never understood. Similarly, the USA and other countries also have this method of payment as well, but it is rarely used and offered in a different manner.  Most US issued debit cards can be used just like a Visa or Mastercard (they have the little logo on them), so there is no need for PIN entering. Typically the only time one uses their PIN (in the United States) is when they are actually withdrawing money from an ATM (automated teller machine). This is another one where people say 'ATM Machine' - strange.

In Canada, there is a widely adapted system, called Interac Direct Payment and it is the nation's most widely used method of payment. This I find to be very interesting, because the transaction itself seems clumsy and needlessly difficult. Apparently, the Canadians are very keen on security, and enjoy the tedium of the transactions. I believe there is also some sort of 'point' system or cash back reward; Also there is an air miles program attached to this? So perhaps it is because of incentives that it has become so widely accepted.

I don't think American's would enjoy such a system here, as most do not tolerate slow transactions - everything must occur rapidly and with little waiting time.

MaraBelumLampules is a word morph. It comes from the all too ubiquitous request at gas stations for cigarettes: Marlboro Lights. So the morph is as follows:

Day 1 - The dark, cold, dreary days of February wear on.