focalac

Birthday Plans for a Gen-X'r In His 50s Living Alone?

Posted by VinceHannity@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 269 comments

I'm a luddite.

Posted by HedgehogNo8361@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 44 comments

focalac@reddit

Yep, I’m an AV guy. Working in service has completely fucked any interest I had in the gear. Everything I see is broken, badly installed or difficult to access. The users don’t understand the kit well enough to not break it. I’m going to assume you’re an American as this sub seems to lean that way more than most; we have a saying in Britain, you probably have something similar “never buy a mechanic’s car.” We get so jaded from doing our jobs that the last thing we want to do is go home and do more work. You and I don’t want to keep up with tech, the mechanic doesn’t want to maintain his own car.

Grey divorce - how many do you know?

Posted by Walmucil@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 610 comments

focalac@reddit

I believe it means getting divorced when you’re grey. I knew a guy that went grey at thirty though, so who knows if I’m right?

I don't wanna be an orphan

Posted by Adorableviolet@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 143 comments

focalac@reddit

I’m a late Xer at 46. Dad dead of the booze when I was 20, mum of cancer when I was 35. Wife lost both of hers at 21 and 30. Life’s hard, man. It won’t help now, and maybe it won’t for a while, but you’ll be able to take some comfort in the fact you got to keep your mum this long. I’m not criticising you, you’re genuinely lucky.

Is this anything to worry about when buying a property?

Posted by Own_Initiative_6243@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 343 comments

focalac@reddit

If you’re too cheap to pay a surveyor to get a proper report, I’d strongly recommend buying the house. Let us know how it goes.

Why does my husband fall asleep so quickly?

Posted by Stroppyessex71@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 338 comments

focalac@reddit

I’m like that and I get tired, go to bed and fall asleep. Must be annoying to have an internal voice. I don’t have one, maybe that’s the difference.

Are Brits less likely to get married than Americans?

Posted by ButNotTheFunKind@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 44 comments

focalac@reddit

For me the tipping point was her saying “you do realise that your brother will be the one who’ll get to decide whether or not to turn your machine off?” Suddenly marriage seemed alright.

Are Brits less likely to get married than Americans?

Posted by ButNotTheFunKind@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 44 comments

focalac@reddit

Ha! I’m 45, been with my mrs for twelve years, got uncomfortable calling her my girlfriend because it seemed to infantilise and trivialise the relationship, so started using “partner” and “mrs”, which she felt were awkward or dishonest. We’re getting married in the spring but, for us, it’s really just a case of formalising what has been an effective truth for a decade or so. It amused me how on the nose you were, at least in my case.

Are Brits less likely to get married than Americans?

Posted by ButNotTheFunKind@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 44 comments

How much do you earn and how comfortable do you live?

Posted by Brownchoccy@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 2264 comments

focalac@reddit

I didn’t mention the 150 in my replies, but I can see why you thought I was referencing it, I wasn’t very clear. I did reference the fifty OP specified in his original post.

How much do you earn and how comfortable do you live?

Posted by Brownchoccy@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 2264 comments

focalac@reddit

It rather depends on how your outgoings have gone up in the interim, doesn’t it? Where you have to live, how far you have to commute and so on. It’s well known you can live in modest comfort on fifty grand in the north west, for example, but you can’t in Richmond.

How much do you earn and how comfortable do you live?

Posted by Brownchoccy@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 2264 comments

My husband feels guilty because he was never taught how to DIY?

Posted by heyho2023@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 192 comments

focalac@reddit

Good lord. And for this he imagines he’s going to turn the house into a money pit by using you tube? Do yourself a favour, watch you tube yourself. The glass door will take literal seconds with a bit of sealant. The damp room might be a bit more complicated depending on the issue but checking the read and bleeding it if necessary is child’s play and the first place to start. Door latches aren’t hard either.

Whose Christmas is ruined already? I want your (comedy) horror stories 🎅❄️

Posted by nategarrettshandler@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 1747 comments

Whose Christmas is ruined already? I want your (comedy) horror stories 🎅❄️

Posted by nategarrettshandler@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 1747 comments

Whose Christmas is ruined already? I want your (comedy) horror stories 🎅❄️

Posted by nategarrettshandler@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 1747 comments

focalac@reddit

Ah it’ll be fine, if it’s a Euro plug just snip it off you can buy replacement plugs in B&Q when it opens back up in a couple of days. Piece of piss to do safely, I promise.

Whose Christmas is ruined already? I want your (comedy) horror stories 🎅❄️

Posted by nategarrettshandler@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 1747 comments

focalac@reddit

We were on our way to pick up our goose yesterday and came across a hedgehog with a broken leg. We gathered it up, took it to the vets, made the mistake of naming it (Hedwig the Hedgepig) and the vet put him down. It was the right thing to do, but it’s made me a bit glum. Have a drink in the little chap’s memory for me.

Whose Christmas is ruined already? I want your (comedy) horror stories 🎅❄️

Posted by nategarrettshandler@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 1747 comments

Whose Christmas is ruined already? I want your (comedy) horror stories 🎅❄️

Posted by nategarrettshandler@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 1747 comments

focalac@reddit

I’m 45 and I quite often have a point of water before I go to bed. It helps with the hangover, but guarantees you’re going to have to sit down for your first piss as you’ll be there a while.

How to deal with lumps of salt the size of coal?

Posted by wimsey_pimsey@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 183 comments

What's with all the Beef Wellington's?

Posted by Giddyup_1998@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 84 comments

I watch a fair bit of UK television and whatnot. Do you guys really call each other by your last names?

Posted by Wang_Fire2099@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 283 comments

I watch a fair bit of UK television and whatnot. Do you guys really call each other by your last names?

Posted by Wang_Fire2099@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 283 comments

focalac@reddit

Speaking as man that calls his fiancée by her surname and is also getting married in a few months, I imagine he’ll continue to call you by your maiden surname, or one of the nickname variants of it that I have no doubt he has. My grandfather called my grandmother “dickie” (Dickinson) until the day she died. It’s a thing we do.

My boyfriend's father calls me a slut, is that a cultural thing?

Posted by aussland3r@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 710 comments

focalac@reddit

This is what I immediately thought. I wouldn’t be surprised if the father’s got it into his head that OP has somehow seduced his son into being gay, hence the terminology.

Why do UK radio stations seem to play the same 20 songs over and over?

Posted by MikeTorsson@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 264 comments

What is widely accepted as "normal" today that people 50 years ago found disturbing?

Posted by Theo_Cherry@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 1093 comments

focalac@reddit

Yep, my ex and I got together online in about ‘03. For years we told people we’d met through a university exchange programme.

Do you consider yourself to have an adequate historical knowledge of the England/Britain?

Posted by GotAnyNirnroot@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 130 comments

Can someone explain an interaction I had in London?

Posted by Few-Pineapple-1542@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 632 comments

Do you consider yourself to have an adequate historical knowledge of the England/Britain?

Posted by GotAnyNirnroot@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 130 comments

focalac@reddit

Yes and no, I have a pretty decent breadth of knowledge, but it’s to a fairly shallow level because there’s a *lot* and it’s usually presented through certain lenses.

As a foreigner, would it be politically incorrect to call myself British once I receive a British passport?

Posted by Isopropal-Licorice1@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 58 comments

focalac@reddit

It wouldn’t be politically incorrect, or factually incorrect. You might find some people who think it’s culturally incorrect. You may also find people that think it’s politically or factually incorrect, but that’s their issue, not yours. We don’t use the term “British-American”, or anything like it; you’ll certainly get some raised eyebrows if you go around calling yourself that. The term we use, as others have pointed out, is “dual-national”. You won’t need to say the other nationality is American, we’ll know. British passport = British nationality = British person.

What’s a distinct regional dialect word or phrase you only hear in your part of the UK?

Posted by Gainsbite@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 553 comments

Is my impression wrong, or does the UK have a relatively high amount of mixed-race relationships?

Posted by RadioReader@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 315 comments

focalac@reddit

Racism is a learned behaviour, I’m convinced of it. I grew up in an overwhelmingly white area, to the point I could count the number need of non-white people I’d met on one hand until I was well into my twenties. Not raciest and nor are any of the people I grew up with. We had nobody teaching us to be so. I was, of course, profoundly ignorant. Most people will forgive genuine ignorance, in my fairly extensive experience.

Is my impression wrong, or does the UK have a relatively high amount of mixed-race relationships?

Posted by RadioReader@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 315 comments

focalac@reddit

I don’t know where you live, obviously, but I can give you an anecdotal counter. I’ve been in a relationship with a British Indian, my brother is married to a Romanian and one of my friends was in a relationship with a black girl. This was all in Guildford. I don’t think there’s a hard and fast rule of any kind, to be honest.

Is my impression wrong, or does the UK have a relatively high amount of mixed-race relationships?

Posted by RadioReader@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 315 comments

focalac@reddit

Dunno, but I’ve been in a relationship with a British Indian girl if that helps you in any way. Nobody thought it was unusual that I spoke to.

With all the talk about banning minors from social media, were you a minor when you began using it?

Posted by mrjohnnymac18@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 244 comments

focalac@reddit

I was in my mid twenties when Facebook was created. I find it bizarre that people can’t seem to exist without social media. I genuinely think it was a mistake.

Who is buying the premium unleaded petrol?

Posted by Seeyalaterelevator@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 735 comments

To those who have made the transition from manual to automatic cars, is it really better?

Posted by Mr_Coastliner@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 1312 comments

focalac@reddit

Those guys are the ones who’ll switch to driverless cars the quickest. It’s not the eating at the wheel that bothers me about this thread, it’s all the people praising lane assist etc. all the computer “aids” that stop you having to concentrate on what you’re doing. You *should* have to concentrate, driving is dangerous. That said, once they’re all in completely autonomous vehicles, they won’t be making things more dangerous for us.

To those who have made the transition from manual to automatic cars, is it really better?

Posted by Mr_Coastliner@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 1312 comments

focalac@reddit

I’ll be a manual holdout for as long as I can. My current car is an automatic, which I bought because I was driving in London a lot. Yes, automatics are “easier”, but I don’t like them. I’m aware that automatics are going to be the default in future and that’s fine; it’s not like I’ll refuse to drive or own them if necessary, but I’ll always have a manual car in the garage that I’ll swear blind is better to a deaf audience.

Are people really spending £500-£600 per month financing cars?

Posted by Fuxio@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 367 comments

focalac@reddit

Some are leases, or HP or whatever with no intention of paying the final payment. Some are heavily into private debt. Some are spending money on cars instead of other things. Some people simply earn a lot more money than you.

Are people really spending £500-£600 per month financing cars?

Posted by Fuxio@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 367 comments

How do you pronounce "salt"?

Posted by Johnny-Alucard@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 969 comments

How do you pronounce "salt"?

Posted by Johnny-Alucard@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 969 comments

did london burn you out?

Posted by Delicious-Use6079@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 41 comments

focalac@reddit

No, but I did get tired of it, which according to a man three hundred years dead means I should probably just top myself. I spent a few years living in Muswell Hill and Chiswick. They were good times and, honestly, I do believe everyone should live there for a while for a similar reason to the idea that people should travel; different experiences broaden the mind. In my view though, it’s for the young. I grew up semi-rurally and after a couple of years I wanted fields again. No amount of nightlife or concerts compensate for space and air, but that’s me. Other people love it and more power to them.

How are the Beatles viewed in the UK now and back in the day?

Posted by These_Feed_2616@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 47 comments

Do Britons say 'at sixes and sevens' these days?

Posted by ArthurPeabody@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 100 comments

What was something mocked at the time which is now common place?

Posted by Same_Shite_New_Day@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 1671 comments

What was something mocked at the time which is now common place?

Posted by Same_Shite_New_Day@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 1671 comments

focalac@reddit

This is the first thing that came to mind. I met my ex online, it was still so uncommon then that we hid how we’d met for the first few years because it’s was seen as weird. Now it seems that things have flipped on their heads, online dating is completely normalised and people are saying it’s unacceptable to go out with people from work, which was completely normal and expected a few years ago.

What's a common misconception about British people or culture that you're constantly having to correct?

Posted by Severe-Voice8304@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 323 comments

Do most people in the UK know that Grand Theft Auto is actually a British game series? Also, where would you rank GTA in terms of the UK's greatest pop culture exports?

Posted by reerock@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 445 comments

What do you do if someone is driving with their full beams on *behind* you?

Posted by Fine_Cress_649@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 377 comments

focalac@reddit

You cannot “fix” other people’s behaviour. Everybody thinks they’re on the right. The guy behind you with his full beams on thinks he’s in the right. The guy middle lane hogging always has some bullshit rationalisation that means they believe they’re in the right. So, I don’t do anything. I flick my mirror, if they’re dazzling me I slow down until they pass or, if it’s really bad, I’ll pull over.