The Maine Thing in Portland: Lobster

And you betta believe that I'm gonna get me some lobsta tanight...(spoken like a true East Coaster)...

Gawd, by the end of this year, I'm gonna have me a serious arsenal of accents, that's for sure.

So. I am currently in Portland, Maine having just arrived from Manchester, New Hampshire. I think it would be nice up here, but instead it's really crappy -- raining and foggy and generally cold. There are some differences between the East Coast and the West Coast (obviously), but here are some not-so-obvious ones:

1) The Wicked vs. Hella Dilemma -- East Coasters say "wicked" to mean really. West Coasters say "hella" to mean really. Who wins? When I hear people say "wicked" up here, it just sounds so unnatural. I mean, seriously... "She was wicked sweet...?" Who says that and doesn't sound like a contradictory idiot? Now, say "She was hella sweet" and you've got yourself a complete, congruent sentence. One point for the West Coast.

2) The No Billboards vs. Billboards Dilemma -- There are no damn billboards on these East Coast highways! I'm serious! It's almost so natural that it's unnatural. The West Coast roads (and Midwest, for that matter) are lined with advertisements galore. I mean, I'm reading about Home Depot and Applebee's every quarter mile! Regardless of the "appeal" of billboards (read: sarcasm), the East Coast wins for conservation and beauty on this one. One point East, one point West.

3) The Km/Hr vs Mi/Hr Dilemma -- Now, you'd THINK that being on the East Coast wouldn't affect the kind of car I drive, and I would tell you, "Oh, but it does." You see, since we are so close to the region I like to call Canada - Home of the Wildy Confusing, Yet Seemingly Useful and More Logical Metric System, I happen to be so lucky as to get a vehicle which operates dominantly on the lovely metric system (license plate: Ontario). So, after picking my car up from the Manchester airport yesterday, I nearly fainted at the wheel because I thought I was going 100 miles per hour. In all actuality, I was going 100 KILOMETERS per hour. Of course, you could probably see that coming. Now, on the West Coast, while the chances of that happening are still likely seeing as we are also so close to Canada - HWCYSUMLMS, it hasn't happened to me. So, West Coast wins for not freaking me while driving.

West Coast wins with two points.

Side Note: Though, I must say that the East Coast does have adorable accents, many of which I am trying desperately to master. Or should I say, to masta.

Okay, I'm out -- going to have lobsta in dawhntawhn Portland. :)