don't forget that 58% of all stats are also made up on the spot.

Well, my Bro and his family do have a family holiday each year, sometimes two, for about a week at a time. But they also have separate holidays sometimes as well. So, for instance, my SiL and her sister might go away for a week leaving Martin and the girls. Or Jen and the girls might go away and leave Martin to have a bit of peace and quiet for a week:P Very rare that Martin goes away without Jen though. I think that's probably happened maybe three times in the last decade. When they were first married it was more common for Martin to go on holiday without Jen, because he used to do caving/potholing trips.

But yeah, most years Jen will go for a holiday with just her sister/friends/the kids at least once. I don't think it's that uncommon really. In fact, I think Jen and Amelia are going away this year. Just the two of them off to Tunisia I think.

About once a year, my wife will take the kids with her to go see her mom. And gosh darn the luck, I usually am not able to get time off from work, so I stay home alone for a couple nights. I don't know if she would call it a holiday, and I'm still going to work, so it's not really one for me, but there you go.

bizarrely, 58% was the stat I heard on the radio today for the number of divorces in which one partner's use of porn is cited.

Beest goes away for one or two nights by himself to paintball. Does that count?

alright then how about this then...


In the days of the Depression, a family had trapped a few ducks. As they needed some things only money could buy, the father requested his three sons take a duck each and travel around trying to sell them. They agreed and headed off on seperate ways.

The youngest of them knocked on the door of a nearby farm house and a shapely young blonde farm girl answered the door.

"S'cuse me ma'am" said the guy. "I'm wunderin' if y'd be intrested in buyin this here duck frum me". The woman replied "I'd sure like me that plump duck to cook fur our supper, but I aint got no money to spare". "How about a fuck for it?" she asked. The man didn't hesitate and replied "Sure!".

After they'd done the deal, the lonely farm girl said "If'n yer fuck me again - ya can have the duck back".

So he did, and afterwards headed off along the road with the duck still under his arm. Soon a large truck roared past the man which frightened the duck so much that it jumped out of his arms and right under the wheels where it was squashed.

The truck driver stopped and got out to speak with the man who explained that he was out trying to get money for his family by selling the duck. The truck driver felt remorse and offered the guy a dollar for his trouble. The man agreed and headed for home with the money in his pocket.

That evening as they all gathered around the table, the father asked them how they did.

The first son replied "I done good pa, I got me three dollars fur my duck".

The second son replied "I done better 'n him pa, I got five dollars".

Then the third son leaned back in his chair showing a cheeky grin and said "I done better 'n all uf yers, I got a fuck for a duck, a duck for a fuck and a buck for a fucked up duck!".

I need the proper American term for the big chain stores you see in every mall/shopping area across the country. I was using the phrase "high street stores", but after 6 years, someone finally said "that's a bit British, but I know what you mean". I don't want to sound British on this occasion. Someone tell me what to say? I want a term for stores like Gap, Bed bath and beyond, American Eagle, Cabelas, Best Buy, Old Navy, Panera, Starbucks, ToysRUs, Macys, Chipotle..... the small and large chain stores that are everywhere.

tia

but they're not all big box stores. Starbucks... chipotle..... American Eagle....?

Mall Stores?

We have a tendency to distinguish between chains that sell general merchandise (often wholly corporate owned) and chains that sell other goods and services (often privately owned franchises). In common use, the terms "national stores/chain," regional stores/chain," and "local stores/chain" are aptly descriptive where "stores" denotes general merchandise [incl. specialization] while "chain" connotes either general merchandise; or, other goods (e.g. fast food) and services. So, "high street stores" = "national stores and [all other] chains." Otherwise, "mall retailers" works. The term "chain stores" [chain as an adjective rather than a noun] covers stores of any distribution size (national, regional, local) selling general merchandise; although, it is occasionally used to generically mean any chain ... which can be confusing even when in context. :2cents:

Here's my take: in a mall, the anchor stores (such as JC Penney, Sears, Elder Beerman, Macy's) are Department Stores. The smaller stores around the mall are retail stores. The big area where all the food places are is the food court. The little (or big) booths in the middle are kiosks.

Strip malls (all in a line and you walk outside to get to each one) are pretty much the same, without the kiosks.

I consider big box stores to be the Wally Worlds and Targets. Strip malls typically use one of these types as the "anchor" store.

Yes, except that the smaller stores are referred to as "specialty retail" because they usually specialize in a product (shoe store, women's clothing store).

You're not making my life easier. I think I'm going to have to go with just chain stores. But that's usually used as a bad term rather than a good one. ah well

I call them "stores."

♫ Longer trucks are coming to fuck us
They're coming to fuck us, they're coming to fuck us
Longer trucks are coming to fuck us
Hold on to my coors, they'll be picking my ass from the floor ♫