Monthly Archives: May 2012

prayer for the injured

Nationality: American
Age: 62
Occupation: hospice nurse
Residence: Lakehurst, New Jersey
Performance Date: March 16, 2012
Primary Language: English

Whenever an ambulance drives by (with the sirens on), the informant (a born-again Christian) told me that you should do the sign of the cross and say “God bess the hurting and the helping”.

This is important to the informant because she is religious and used to be an ambulance medic, so she feels especially for those people who are in need of an ambulance.

dreadlock gesture

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: student
Residence: Eugene, Oregon
Performance Date: 3/23/12
Primary Language: English
Language: Chinese

(I didn’t hear this, but my friend did, so even though it was directed to me it was technically my friend serving as the informant:)

A guy approached me at a concert (I have dreadlocks) and said, “I hate to stereotype, but do you have a pipe?”

A lot of people stereotype someone with dreadlocked hair to be a dirty hippie stoner bum, which is not always the case, but why this guy prefaced his question with “I hate to stereotype”…

to stop a nose bleed

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: student
Residence: Howell, New Jersey
Performance Date: January 21, 2012

If your nose is bleeding, you should stick your finger between your top front teeth and upper lip. This dries out your mouth thereby drying out your nose bleed.

“skunk in the graveyard”

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: student
Residence: Arlington Heights, Illinois
Performance Date: January 18, 2012
Primary Language: English
Language: french

“Skunk in the graveyard” is a running game you would play with friends outside, and it is like the daytime version of “ghost in the graveyard.” Essentially, one person is the “skunk” and they go and hide while everyone else counts at the “base” and closes their eyes. When it’s time to go seek out the skunk, everyone goes out from the base and once the skunk is spotted, the spotter yells, “skunk in the graveyard!” and that signals everyone to run back to the base before the skunk can tag you. If tagged, you become another skunk and thus another round begins. The rounds continue until there’s but one person left untagged, and that remaining person then becomes the one skunk to start the next game.

“Iced”

Nationality: Indian
Age: 19
Occupation: student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 25, 2012
Primary Language: English
Language: Hindi

In order to “ice” someone, you have to hide a Smirnoff Ice somewhere that they would find it, and then once they do they have to chug it right then and there. Then they’ve been iced. It is said to be used to get back at someone.