Ack-sint?...Whut Ack-sint??

Dave and I have had a running argument for the past 10 years over whether or not I have an accent. I think I sound just like any other self-respectin' Texas girl, and he thinks I sound like I've got a mouth full of cow patties.

We had this discussion over the phone many times,  but it was truly brought home to me, just how different I sound, when I made my first trip West, into the land of granola.

Dave and I had gone to Santa Cruz, to see the boardwalk. It was off-season, and the middle of the week, so it was pretty deserted. We decided to take in some of the shops. We went into a little gift shop...Dave went over a couple of aisles and I was looking in the front cases...here's how that went:

(Young, pretty clerk): Hello, how are you today?

(Me):Whul, A'hm jist peachy, Sugah, how are yew today?

(Y,PC): You're not from around here, are you?

(Me): Now whut makes yew think A'hm not a native Californyun, Darlin'?

(Dave): Maybe it was when you opened your mouth.

*_*

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I have since discovered that I can work this thing to my advantage. You can catch a lot of flies with a little Southern sugar, ya know.

Case in point:

My friend Michele and I were working on a party for our co-workers and we had been sent to buy supplies. We took her pickup truck to the grocery store, where we loaded a cart full of 20lb bags of ice. We were about to pay, when she mentioned that the hard part was coming...loading it out of the basket and into the bed of the pickup truck. I said, "Why not just ask one of those boys in the aprons to do it for us?" Well, she said, they don't do things like that out here.

Oh Pshaw!!....watch this....we checked out and paid for our mini-iceberg, then I stopped the first boy in an apron, and asked in my sweetest Southern belle drawl...

(Me):"Sugah, do yew thank y'all could come load all this ol' aice into our truck?"
(Boy in apron): "Oh yes Ma'am, I'd be happy to!"
(Michele): How'd you DO that?!?!?
(Me): (insert sweet smile here)

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I've been out here 8 years now, but you  know what they say....you can take the girl out of Texas, but you can NEVER take Texas out of the girl.

Now how 'bout we have a piece of pai and a glass of Sweet tea, Darlin'?