What are rural American versions of "what the heck" that aren't mild oaths or expetives?

"Zounds" has always been one of my favorites. (I used it once about 30 years ago.) My name is Frank...starts with an "F" and ends with a "k"...so I prefer words like that. Ya know, like "fork."

I understand in the American south, the expression, "Well bless your heart" does a good job of what you seem to be seeking.

Been to the Frick in the years gone by? Did any artwork show a flock of feathered birds with a fleck or two of red?

Loved this post, Sturgis. I wrote an op ed piece lots of years back that dealt with an op ed piece about the movie, The Big Lebowski. The guy had written that a work beginning with "F" and ending with "K" had been used 13o (or more times) in the movie.

I started the essay by noting that with the name Frank, the comment had captured my attention. I opined that the author probably did not mean fork, funk, flock and several other f - k words, including Frank. And then had some fun with it...ending up, if you can figure this, with a shot at Miss Manners.

BUT, aside from all that..it is a sad thing that I have NOT seen the Frick collection. The Frick and the Guggenheim are the two collections in the City that I have not managed to visit. I visit the MET almost once every year and MoMA almost as often. Been to the Cloisters...and almost every other rickydink place, but not the Frick. So it is a glaring and unacceptable error on my part. Your question made me feel so disappointed in myself, I suspect if this coronavirus thing were not on, I probably would visit there tomorrow.

It may still happen. The virus can't put us completely out of business.

You're from rural America?

Yes. I reside in a pleasant and peaceful village.

Greenwich Village.

Good to know. What state is that in if I may ask?

How can you be so ignorant of your own country?

It’s a suburb of NYC.

That’s really well known.

I thought you might appreciate this, and it's relevant, since we are talking about American ruralisms:

When I first arrived in NYC I rented a room in an old hotel in Greenwich Village. I recall having to climb perhaps five flights of stairs. When my brother joined me the first thing he did was rent us a hotel room away from the village. It was no reflection on the location, just the squalor of the hotel.

Interjections

Actually, it's a neighborhood in the Manhattan part of NYC. A suburb of NYC is more like Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, where I grew up or, to the north, Westchester and Rockland counties.

Why was this thread moved to the NSFW forums?

Because you can’t talk about what is not vulgar without mentioning what is.

East Village is pleasant and peaceful at times, but the West Village is raucous almost all the time. Naturally, I prefer the West Village.

My favorite, though, is Chelsea...and The Pan. Cannot get over that you never joined Joe Nation, Blatham, Lola, Kickycann and me at the Pan all the many times we suzzed out there. Every A3Ker who came in from Europe or Australia spent some time there.

I lived there when it wasn't. Way over there in Alphabet City. A mugger's paradise. Slug's Saloon. Might as well have been on Avenue E.

I lived in Chelsea for a while, too. Now that was much nicer. I used to hang out a lot in the garden of a local seminary.

Frank, what is/was The Pan?

The Pan...is the Frying Pan...a restored lighthouse ship and pier jutting out into the Hudson at 26th Street. I discovered it years ago when it was a nothing, but now they actually have a rope on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. When it was located at 23rd, lots and lots of A2K people used to meet there...including people who were visiting from Europe and Australia. Last year I had a meet there with Jonathan and Kicky. (Not sure if you knew them.)

Take a look at some pictures:

https://www.google.com/search?q=the+frying+pan+nyc&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjM17zjrs_qAhXnVd8KHTYEDmMQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=the+frying+pan+nyc&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQDFAAWABg6okDaABwAHgAgAEAiAEAkgEAmAEAqgELZ3dzLXdpei1pbWc&sclient=img&ei=5AQPX8zVPOer_Qa2iLiYBg&bih=551&biw=1231

Here's an old picture from The Pan of me with Jonathan (JoeNation) on the left and Paul (Kickycann) on the right.

Like the shirt Frank.

I still remember about a thousand years ago way back I think when this was abuzz or something else.

Kicky and me both complaining about our jobs and where we worked --- only to find out much later that we both worked at the same company - one in NY and one in Boston but same company.

Wow...that is a coincidence.

He lives in Brooklyn...and commutes mostly by bike these days. He still has most of his hair...I don't.

I spoke with him and Jonathan about a month ago. Just checking to see if everyone was surviving.

So far...so good!

Yeah I thought I remember him no longer working there - same with me - we had both moved on.

I wish I could find the thread where we discovered that - and for some reason I think it was jespah that pointed out how we were both whining and complaining of our jobs just to find out we were at the same company.

The Frick is a bit eclectic, it's a private collection after all, but with a few extraordinary pieces. It's also a beautiful mansion.