Re "I resorted to an old trick: Talk about the weather.": Gee, is this guy English? That's what we do. At the moment it's quite warm for October but it gets dark early . . .
Re "pork tenderloin sandwich": I like Yank food (burgers and what-have-you) but I'll draw the line at a pork tenderloin sandwich thank you. "Boca burgers" never made it across the Atlantic but sound more appetizing. Re "There’s John Lennon signing jai guru devaaaaa in “Across the Universe,” drawing out what should be a silent a": Is that right? I know that "Jai Guru Dev" is the correct masculine form but Lennon went for the "Deva" variant - the feminine version - as it went better with the song. Good for him. In that case - ie, accepting that we're saying "I give thanks to Guru Dev(a)" or even "victory to the greatness in you" in the feminine form then the "a" should *not* be silent, no? (Don't spoil one of my favourite Beatles' songs!)
