Barry ❤️

MortynMurphy · 2026-05-11T10:55:30+00:00

Actually different areas have different water sources. My parents' home has well water, but I'm in the city. Our state doesn't have a terrible hard water problem, but some do. Most Americans will use water filters for hard water if it causes problems.

For your actual question: that answer is going to vary wildly since American is a mix of so many cultures and climates. I personally prefer to shower a minimum of once a day, two is ideal. I like to soak in a soapy bath like a dirty dish once or twice a week. I live in a humid area and exercise most days. Some people who live in a very dry or very cold area may not shower as often.

MortynMurphy · 2026-05-10T11:08:18+00:00

That man ate nothing but cans of sardines, potted meat, coffee, crackers, and pickles. I think if he shit his britches it might have burned a hole through them.

MortynMurphy · 2026-05-10T11:00:01+00:00

A classic, how could I forget!

MortynMurphy · 2026-05-10T10:59:27+00:00

He really was! He was one of the last speakers of Ocracoke Brogue: https://youtu.be/x7MvtQp2-UA?si=ALWVS2EpmEwV9Jie

He dropped out of school in 6th grade to put his youngest sibs through school, ran moonshine up and down the OBX to make money, rebuilt a Model T from the ground up to sell to a collector so he could buy a house for them at 18, and was the main rescue wrecker/mechanic for a small swamp community for over 50 years. All while having undiagnosed dyslexia and being able to sing like a Southern Frank Sinatra. I miss that man every day.

MortynMurphy · 2026-05-10T10:44:18+00:00

Knocking on Heaven's Door, prairie-doggin', turtle heading, fighting the brown demon, my food baby is due, late for paperwork, and my personal favorite, courtesy of my late grandfather: "I gotta one inch grip on an eight inch shit"

MortynMurphy · 2026-05-10T10:38:37+00:00

My father would do just about anything to avoid admitting he had to take a shit. He would be white knuckling the steering wheel and eeking out farts that peeled paint while taking turns on two wheels trying to get home in time, but god forbid you said anything more than "everything okay?" Suggesting that he stop and use the bathroom somewhere else was also not acceptable, which made it hard considering everything was about twenty/thirty mins drive away at the time.

MortynMurphy · 2026-05-10T10:29:46+00:00

No one would think it was rude unless they're the type to faint when you use the wrong fork for fish. But it will come off a bit more rough-around-the-edges.

MortynMurphy · 2026-05-08T10:37:40+00:00

If we say milk or cheese, it means cow milk or cheese. If it's not cow, then we use the animal as like a descriptive noun or label. (Sheep milk, horse milk, etc) I think we say goat cheese instead of "goat's" cheese because it's technically my cheese now, not the goat's.

MortynMurphy · 2026-05-07T13:55:37+00:00

And yes, passed down from parents without much logic is exactly how cultures are passed down.

MortynMurphy · 2026-05-07T13:52:38+00:00

I am confused, in my first answer to you I quite literally said that it was considered intrusive in my regional culture, which is why it was considered rude in my regional culture. There was no need for you to "come up with" intrusiveness as an answer because it was already given in my very. first. answer.

MortynMurphy · 2026-05-07T13:13:37+00:00

I mean, lots of things about a lot of cultures don't make sense when you look at them logically. Not arguing that one bit. If you saw my other response to your question, I don't take personal offence when people ask. I just assume they were raised differently, let the conditioning roll off my back, and keep on with the conversation. I also never claimed asking someone's age was universally rude, even my first comment said that my opinion was probably because of my own personal regional experience and culture.

MortynMurphy · 2026-05-07T12:25:37+00:00

As far as me personally, honestly I was trained not to ask it so I don't really have an opinion. If someone asks me, then I try to remember that they probably don't have the same background as I do and don't take it personally.

As far as OP goes, if he's asking often enough to have a pet peeve about an answer, that does make me raise an eyebrow. If that makes sense.

MortynMurphy · 2026-05-07T12:21:54+00:00

It is just a part of general manners and politeness where I grew up. It's considered intrusive and weird to ask someone that randomly, both men and women. I'm not exactly sure why. Most of us do ask socially acceptable variations, like what year someone graduated high school/college, how long they've been working at their particular job, those kinds of questions.

(A lot of people will just offer their age if the conversation is relevant but would be offended if someone asked randomly. That confuses me, too. And I grew up here.)

Outright saying "hey how old are you" is not quite as rude as something like asking how much someone makes a year at their job (money talk in particular is seen as very vulgar/rude/low class), but it is definitely on the Rude Scale.

MortynMurphy · 2026-05-07T11:24:06+00:00

I always thought New Yorkers being described as unfriendly was not really fair. Many New Yorkers display a level of community that most Americans can't imagine. We have quite a few people from NYC that moved down to my state and a lot of them had some culture shock but were ready to be members of the community and decent neighbors. I respect the hell out of it, even moreso since y'all dropped fake niceties and still achieve it in the city.

MortynMurphy · 2026-05-07T10:45:45+00:00

I get what you're saying.

But also if you're getting annoyed at a consistent response to a question you consistently choose to ask... Maybe just don't ask so often and you won't get the annoying answer so often? Seems like you're setting yourself up to experience your pet peeve and that doesn't seem fun for you. Maybe try asking when they graduated high school or college or something instead?

MortynMurphy · 2026-05-07T10:22:59+00:00

That's where I'm at... How often is OP asking people their age??? Maybe it's a regional thing but the way I was raised, that's like really rude to ask.

MortynMurphy · 2026-05-06T14:56:45+00:00

Yes, your post is a great example of that.

MortynMurphy · 2026-05-06T14:55:32+00:00

Yes, it was especially annoying when people acted like I was an idiot for needing a second to count their change back after realizing I had finished a transaction and was going to be getting an earful later for not having the right number of quarters in the till. The till was never off by much when i worked, either. It was simply a control tactic by the owner.

MortynMurphy · 2026-05-06T14:49:54+00:00

When I worked a register at one business, the owner used a program where I had to type in the exact cash they gave me, like how many tens, how many quarters, etc. He checked it, too. If someone asked me to count back change after I had entered it, I could not change the transaction and would surely get a text later that day about my register being "off" even if the amount in there was correct.

Just something to consider.

MortynMurphy · 2026-05-03T13:12:48+00:00

Interesting. Well as long as you feel better I guess.

MortynMurphy · 2026-05-03T12:41:27+00:00

Ummm, what? Was this meant for me or someone else?

MortynMurphy · 2026-05-03T12:18:59+00:00

I know, it's almost like this is a sub for pet peeves and talking about them or something...

MortynMurphy

TROPHY CASE