taking stock

what four odd years stateside have done to my english:

• i spell american, exclusively. there are rules about -or and -our that i no longer seek to impose on the spell check function.
• i tend to shamelessly split my infinitives these days.
• peeps of heartiness push out through my native style. i say pop of color and sometimes i even say i'm good when strangers ask me how i am.
• i remain unable to say 'erb, as in 'erbal soup and 'erbert 'oover. i say wa-ter instead of WAH-der. but i do say an-tie-bodies and mul-tie-national.