[When you Brits think of American English, you're probably thinking of the southern USA drawling accent]

Oh, NOT end of chat!  American pronunciation is softer and slightly slurred, but you guys go on about that sort of thing mostly to boost your own egos.  And my post WAS serious.  Perhaps slightly overstated, but still serious.  Oh yeah, I forgot.  When you Brits think of American English, you're probably thinking of the southern USA drawling accent, which I also believe makes the speaker sound pretty stupid. New Englanders like myself can often pass off as British in foreign countries, avoiding the stigma of our country.

Now lay off, pls, before we ruin a perfectly good thread about the nature of the EU.

You presume far too much, I dont think of southern accents when I think of Americans.... maybe to people who speak English as a second language you might sound British, but only them. My post was also serious, it's not my fault you can't accept how your country has butchered the language.

Meh, I'm fairly certain you can draw the same parallels between Mexicans and Spainiards, and I'm sure they have the same arguments, even.

Beyond all the name-calling, one of the great benefits of English is that it's so flexible.  Just the fact that any noun can become a verb (Poweriser -> powerising) is a huge benefit.

http://icanhascheezburger.com/

Have you ever seen the way kids type in text messages?  Between that, and the way some students are writing "lol" in their homework, I'd say you don't have a foot to stand on with your

I WOULD NOT STAND TO HAVE MY LANGUAGE DUMBED DOWN JUST SO EVERYONE CAN PRONOUNCE IT!!!!

That said, whoever wrote those paragraphs is pretty clever.

http://www.lolcatbible.com/index.php?title=Main_Page

Genesis one:

1 Oh hai. In teh beginnin Ceiling Cat maded teh skiez An da Urfs, but he did not eated dem.

2 Da Urfs no had shapez An haded dark face, An Ceiling Cat rode invisible bike over teh waterz.

3 At start, no has lyte. An Ceiling Cat sayz, i can haz lite? An lite wuz.

4 An Ceiling Cat sawed teh lite, to seez stuffs, An splitted teh lite from dark but taht wuz ok cuz kittehs can see in teh dark An not tripz over nethin.

5 An Ceiling Cat sayed light Day An dark no Day. It were FURST!!!1

6 An Ceiling Cat sayed, im in ur waterz makin a ceiling. But he no yet make a ur. An he maded a hole in teh Ceiling.

7 An Ceiling Cat doed teh skiez with waterz down An waterz up. It happen.

8 An Ceiling Cat sayed, i can has teh firmmint wich iz funny bibel naim 4 ceiling, so wuz teh twoth day.

9 An Ceiling Cat gotted all teh waterz in ur base, An Ceiling Cat hadz dry placez cuz kittehs DO NOT WANT get wet.

10 An Ceiling Cat called no waterz urth and waters oshun. Iz good.

11 An Ceiling Cat sayed, DO WANT grass! so tehr wuz seedz An stufs, An fruitzors An vegbatels. An a Corm. It happen.

12 An Ceiling Cat sawed that weedz ish good, so, letz there be weedz.

13 An so teh threeth day jazzhands.

14 An Ceiling Cat sayed, i can has lightz in the skiez for splittin day An no day.

15 It happen, lights everwear, like christmass, srsly.

16 An Ceiling Cat doeth two grate lightz, teh most big for day, teh other for no day.

17 An Ceiling Cat screw tehm on skiez, with big nails An stuff, to lite teh Urfs.

18 An tehy rulez day An night. Ceiling Cat sawed. Iz good.

19 An so teh furth day w00t.

20 An Ceiling Cat sayed, waterz bring me phishes, An burds, so kittehs can eat dem. But Ceiling Cat no eated dem

.21 An Ceiling Cat maed big fishies An see monstrs, which wuz like big cows, except they no mood, An other stuffs dat mooves, An Ceiling Cat sawed iz good.

22 An Ceiling Cat sed O hai, make bebehs kthx. An dont worry i wont watch u secksy, i not that kynd uf kitteh.

23 An so teh...fith day. Ceiling Cat taek a wile 2 cawnt.

24 An Ceiling Cat sayed, i can has MOAR living stuff, mooes, An creepie tings, An otehr aminals. It happen so tehre.

25 An Ceiling Cat doed moar living stuff, mooes, An creepies, An otehr animuls, An did not eated tehm.

26 An Ceiling Cat sayed, letz us do peeps like uz, becuz we ish teh qte, An let min p0wnz0r becuz tehy has can openers.

27 So Ceiling Cat createded teh peeps taht waz like him, can has can openers he maed tehm, min An womin wuz maeded, but he did not eated tehm.

28 An Ceiling Cat sed them O hai maek bebehs kthx, An p0wn teh waterz, no waterz An teh firmmint, An evry stufs.

29 An Ceiling Cat sayed, Beholdt, the Urfs, I has it, An I has not eated it.

30 For evry createded stufs tehre are the fuudz, to the burdies, teh creepiez, An teh mooes, so tehre. It happen. Iz good.

31 An Ceiling Cat sayed, Beholdt, teh good enouf for releaze as version 0.8a. kthxbai.

I imagine you could take one bock off to drive, though you'd still be viable for the darwin awards then.

If you need circulation, feel free to take one bock off for 10m or so, but spend the entire time hopping on one hoof.

Definately order them online.

If you really don't want to have them shipped to you, for some reason, you might be able to convince one of the bockers near NYC (I assume you mean the city, everybody who doesn't live where I do, does) to have them shipped to their house, and you two could meet when you visit.

Bonus points for doin' it with bocks on.

Minus points if you put such a thing on the internet.

Hampton, New Hampshire, USA.  I strongly doubt it's anywhere near you.

Two of us in upstate NY, two down near NYC, three I can count off the top of my head from rhode island, and one from Boston.

We're pretty close :p

I will have to find a way to live with the disappointment. Someday I will meet another bocker and learn something.

You and Mantis only live like, three and a half hours away from eachother, as the google map flies.  I've driven farther than that to see a movie with friends :p

Sorry to intrude, but can you guys get a picture in front of a sign for this town?
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=bocking&sll=45.786889,-93.552661&sspn=0.013586,0.029182&ie=UTF8&ll=51.884915,0.555668&spn=0.024052,0.058365&z=14&om=1

It's seriously the ONLY reason I'd ever say "I wish I lived in the UK".

Everything else, bah!  We threw their tea in the harbor for a reason!

Oh, and Gordon Ramsay's TV show, but that's on BBCA, so I'm good.

Whatever, what sprog does in his own house with consenting men and women is his own business.

Personally, I think I'd rather leave Capital bocking at the capital (DC and London), and bock the state capitals during the rest of the year.  Something about having a regular event at a regular place is attractive to me.  I may be alone in this feeling, however.

I'd rather avoid aug 2/3, as I have an anniversary that following monday :/  9/10 and 23/24 sound good to me.

I bought my stilts from xphub, good service, they managed to fix an error in my order just in time.

I (and a handful of other US bockers) have met the getjumpingstilts (hereafter as GJS) guys.  They're friendly, seem excited about the sport, etc.  They showed up to two of our meets last year, at DC and NYC.  They were also pretty liberal with the swag.

On the subject, where in the US are you, LP?  I don't mean to pry, but bocking is more fun with more people.

There's next to no difference.  That particular model arrived in the UK in 08, so they call it by that name.

There are marginal improvements I suppose (bushings and spacers) but they're the same.

That said, good choice!  I've got a pair of PR7090s and they're the most fun I think I've ever had.

If we start planning now, can we get everyone from MI to NC to MA together sometime this spring, before capital bocking?