Our blonde friend (the e is European ooh laa laa)

 So Today as I got home I had a very pleasant surprise. Our friend U (name withheld) was Skype-ing with my lovely bride! For those of you in my family who don't know U she is my wife's best buddy and sister from another mother. She is very sweet and holds a deep seated hatred for me for whisking her best friend away from her to the other side of the planet. However she is very understanding about it, so I have to love her, and I do! She has 2 beautiful children, a sweet dog, she has traveled, is messy, enjoys coffee with good company, and loves tequila nights with my Mrs.

 Now to truly appreciate U you have to understand that she speaks 3 language conversationally (English, Greek, & Swedish) and a bit of French and  Spanish too I just learned. Pretty amazing considering that I have yet to master English (American dialect, Mid-Western sub-dialect)! However you have to understand that at the end of the day she is blonde (ooh laa laa). In the midst of all this multilingual brilliance, nay genius, there is one thing that can wreak her head.....the letter "J"! Below is the quick and dirty of why this is the case.

U-The letter J makes a K sound.
Me-Wait (reaching into the fridge for a jar) so is this a Jar, Kar, or Yar?
U-Its a Jar. No wait!!
Me-But you said a J makes a K sound. So is it a Jar, Kar, or Yar?
U-I said Yar!
Me and Shona-No you said Jar! It is a jar!

 You see the Jam Jar was a long running source of frustration for our friend as Yam Yar would be the way it would be pronounced using Swedish as the mother tongue. Yam Yar was a constant source of good natured fun for everyone because in the middle of all this brilliance there was one tiny little snag that she just had a little trouble working past. J. The funny thing was I was never Yarboe! At least not to my face anyway.

 So what is the big deal? The big deal is while she still occasionally has trouble with J she is still able to correct my spelling while speaking 372 languages and playing scrabble (in English...her 3rd language)!!!! Meanwhile I have yet to wrap up a complete sentence in Greek, French, Swahili, or Pidgin Hawaiian (ok that is made up, I speak wicked Pidgin Bra!)! So I have to ask what in the world do the Swedes put in their water?