I’ve been watching SKY TV lately and I’ve been struck by the similarity between American and British commercials - especially midday commercials for the out-of-work.  It’s full of spots for lawyers, insurance companies, diet snacks, banks and easy loans.  Sound familiar?  Evenings, the commercials change tone a bit to add feminine wash, laundry products, department stores and men’s fragrances.  All quite normal and expected.

But there’s this one commercial that just freaks me out.  I haven’t yet caught the product name, but it’s anthropomorphic sausages that look like SlimJims and the full-size sausage is looking out the window of a home at an approaching school bus as a small, snack-size sausage (presumably, the larger sausage’s offspring) jumps with excitement.  The larger stick of dried meat asks “snack-size” if he’s ready for his first day of school as the happy little sausage enthusiastically jumps into a lunch box, then the parent salami quickly slams the box shut and growls, “… and your last!” then cackles gleefully.

I watched it a few times without really watching and thought, at first, that the “adult” sausage was saying, “At last!” with the relief that a SAHM feels when her underfoot toddler finally reaches an age to spend a few hours away from home with age-appropriate fellows and didn’t give it a second thought.  Then, one night I really watched it and realized just how twisted the spot is.

So, I ask you - Is this British humor or just advertising gone awry?  I’ve watched some British telly and, while I don’t always “get” all the jokes, none of them seemed quite so barbaric so I can’t help but think this is out of character.

On a slight tangent, though still TV-related, my hubby recently installed a second satellite dish on our roof-top terrace so we could receive a few British channels and I swear it’s going to kill me!  I’m a sucker for CSI, Law & Order and other shows of the genre but they all come on late at night and I find myself staying up until 1 in the morning waiting to see “whodunit.”  I’ll get over my obsession soon - TV never holds my attention for very long - but it’s been so nice to be able to understand most of what I’m watching.  I say most because I honestly can’t understand some of the people with various British accents.  There’s a sandwich shop commercial with two men - one white-collar worker and a blue-collar worker - and the only word that I think I understand is “honeymoon” but it’s quite obviously not that word because - hello! - why would these two be talking about a honeymoon when the ad’s about sandwiches?

You’ve all been very sweet to hang around this long to listen to my crazy ponderings… chat later!

Tschüss!