Let’s just get this out in the open at the start:

I really hate how Ariel gives up everything for some guy she just met.

Girl, you are lucky he turned out to be a good person, if a bit dimwitted. You could have ended up with a sociopath.

Otherwise?

“The Little Mermaid” is still one of my favorites. The music is great, first of all. I don’t know anybody who doesn’t like the soundtrack to this one.

And I’ll admit, despite the fact that I feel like Ariel gives up everything she loves, and Eric doesn’t really do all that much until he helps her save the day, I have to give her credit for being very, very brave.

Not many people could give up the only life they have ever known in pursuit of something new. And even fewer still would do so without hesitation.

In a way, her bravery has always reminded me of my own family. My grandparents–on both sides–immigrated to the USA from Santa Maria, Acores, back in the late 60s and early 70s. They came to a land where everything, even the language, was strange to them.

When my parents were small, they lived a life very, very similar to the Amish of the United States. So when they came here, it really was quite the shock.

Last week, I was lucky enough to be able to attend a lecture at The Old Colony Historical Society, where Michael Hall discussed his Azorean roots and his journey of familial discovery.

And its made me want to pull a reverse-Ariel.

I’m going back.

Thanks to Mr. Hall, I now have a place to begin. While he is lucky enough to have several generations of ancestors and relatives here in the states, I’ve always felt that my search had come up against the brick wall that is the Atlantic Ocean.

I’m a first generation American, so where could I possibly begin?

I’ve only ever heard vague stories, with kernels of truth hidden inside. Now, I know that there is a website to help folks like me: Cultura dos Acores. They have religious and civil archives for the Acores, some of which date back to the 1600s.

So as if I didn’t already have enough on my plate, I’ve decided to head back to my Atlantica, and I cannot wait to get started.

Even better: I don’t have to go through a dodgy sea witch to do it.

Recently, I picked up a U.K. to U.S.A. Dictionary, just for fun. Because as much Brit Lit as I’ve read, and as much British telly as I’ve watched, there are still some phrases that manage to give me the slip.

So I thought I’d share some of my favorites, some common ones that most people probably already know, and some amusing/interesting ones.

Oh, and the last section is pages and pages of Cockney slang. I will never get it, but I can assure you it can be really, really funny.

U.K. to U.S.:

Agony aunt: Advice columnist

Back of beyond: The sticks/boonies. Or, where my friend Brittany lives. Don’t tell her I told you that, as she gets very mad when I say that.

Beer and skittles: pleasure, amusement

Berk: Jerk (one of my favorites!)

Best of British: Good luck

Billy No-Mates: Person without friends. Hey, at least you have a cool name.

Bob’s your uncle: All is well, “you’re all set”

Braces: Suspenders

Brolly: Umbrella

Cakes and ale: the good things of life

Car park: Parking lot

Cheek: Nerve

Chippy: Fish & Chips Shop. Also known as Heaven.

Chuffed: Please

Codswallop: Gibberish/Nonsense. As in, Hagrid said Voldemort’s death was “codswallop” and if everyone had listened, they would have saved Harry a whole lot of trouble.

Digestive: Round biscuit. But also so much more. Love these!

Dressing gown: Bathrobe. But classy.

Elevenses: Morning coffee/tea break. One of a Hobbit’s seven essential meals. And an integral part of any quest to save Middle Earth.

English Breakfast: Cereal, eggs, sausages, bacon, tomatoes, tea, mushrooms, fried bread. Followed by me not eating for the next day.

Fairy lights: Christmas lights

Fancy dress: Costume. So if someone invites you to a fancy dress party, that ball gown works either way!

Fortnight: Two weeks. Everyone should say this. It just sounds cool.

Garden: Yard

Haberdashery: Notions store. Also I want to work at one.

Haver: Talk foolishly, babble. If you’re a Proclaimer, you’re gonna be the man who’s havering to you.

Hob: Stove top.

Holiday: Vacation

Homely: Pleasant and unpretentious. That is a much nicer meaning for this word.

Jumper: Pullover, sweater. John Watson’s uniform of adorableness.

Ken (Scottish): know, be acquainted with

Lift: Elevator

Lodger: Boarder

Loo: Bathroom, restroom

Lutine bell: Bell rung at Lloyd’s of London to announce the loss of a ship

Mac, Mack: Mackintosh coat. Love these.

Make a meal of it: Exaggerate.

Marmite: Spread made from essence of yeast and beef broth.

Merry dancers: Aurora Borealis

Mobile: Cell phone

Motorway: Freeway

Natter: Talk, grumble

Nosey Parker: Overly inquisitive person. Quite possibly my favorite U.K. phrase

Nutter: Crazy person

Penny dreadful: Cheap storybook or magazine

Pictures: Movies

Pinny: Apron

Pissed: Drunk

Plaster: Band-aid

Pop one’s clogs: To die. Makes me think of that house falling on the Wicked Witch of the East

Pop round: To come visit

Post: Mail

Pram: baby carrier

Row: argument

Safe as houses: Something assured, secure

Sellotape: Scotch tape. Or, if you go to Hogwarts, Spellotape

Smashing: First rate, excellent

Snigger: Snicker

Steady on: “Whoa” in U.S.

Sticky wicket: sticky situation

Subway: Underground pedestrian walkway

Sunnies: Sunglasses

Ta: Thank you

Take-away: Take out. If you’re Hyacinth Bucket, you are not the Chinese take-away.

Tomato sauce: Ketchup

Torch: Flashlight

Trainers: Sneakers

Tube: Subway

Tuck in: Eat heartily

Underground: Subway

W.C.: Toilet

Waistcoat: Vest

Whinge: Whine

Wotcher: How are you

Yank: American

You lot: You guys

And now for some of that crazy Cockney stuff!

Alligator: Later

Apples and Pears: Stairs

Baked Beans: Jeans

Chicken Dinner: Winner

Friar Tuck: Luck

Gold Watch: Scotch

Obi Wan Kenobi: Mobi (cell phone)

River Nile: Denial

Robin Hood: Good

Next time: We return to Disney with “The Little Mermaid”

Author: Harvey Sachs

Publisher: Random House, New York

Those who enjoy history know that it is far more than a long and boring list of names and dates. History, like life, is messy and connected in ways that many of us never bother to look into or even imagine.

One thing I’ve realized over the years is that greatness can come from anywhere, but it just doesn’t come out of nowhere.

That rule most definitely applies to Beethoven, and his magnum opus, The Ninth Symphony.

Before The Ninth, there had been nothing like it, and there’s been nothing like it since.

But there is far more to the story of The Ninth than Beethoven’s ambition to set a poem–the “Ode to Joy”–to music. In the year it was first heard–1824–there were many other events great and small happening in the world, as there always are. Like any other work of art, The Ninth is a product of and connected to the world as it was at the time of Beethoven’s sitting down to compose it.

In this book, Harvey Sachs examines the world as it was in 1824, from its politics and conflicts, to its culture, society, philosophy, literature, its intellectuals, and of course its music. His scope is at once grand and minute, and he expertly travels the threads that make up our Historical Tapestry.

What strikes me most are the humanistic threads he weaves into it all. His Beethoven, and the men and women who think like he did, are those voices that cry out against the dual darknesses of ignorance and hate that are always threatening to overtake the light of this world.

But even the smallest of lights is capable of dispelling the darkness around it.

And The Ninth is a supernova.

Next time: Two countries separated by a common language.

Based on the beloved Dickens novel, this movie tells the story of an abandoned kitten named Oliver who is taken in by Fagan and his group of thieving dogs.

I loved this movie as a kid, because Oliver is adorable, as is Jenny, the young girl  who takes him in and gives him a loving home. Not that his other family doesn’t love him, because of course the dogs all come to hold great affection for little Oliver, especially Dodger.

Did I mention that Billy Joel is Dodger? “Why Should I Worry” is still one of my favorite Billy Joel songs.

This one is still well worth a watch. Anyone who isn’t delighted by Tito and Francis probably doesn’t have a sense of humor.

Couple of quotes from this one:

–“Hey man, if this is torture, chain me to the wall.”

–“Isn’t it rather dangerous to use one’s entire vocabulary in a single sentence?”

Side note: Marvel fans and comic enthusiasts were delighted over this past weekend with the release of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” I’m going to see it tonight, and I urge those who love Marvel to see it as soon as they can. Apparently THINGS HAPPEN. Especially to S.H.I.E.L.D. Speaking of, “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” is nearing its first season finale, and apparently the events in the film are directly connected to the show. So there’s that to look forward to! And Coulson. Because everyone loves Coulson.

Next time: The next installment of “The Year of Living Nerdily,” in which we discuss The Ninth by Harvey Sachs.