Susan in Australia has an audio CastBlaster and she sounds just lovely. You probably won't see me doing that. When you grow up with a southern accent you've usually spend a good deal of time defending your speech.

The first time I realized I sounded different from many other people I was 13 and visiting in Vermont, which is in the northern US. I was riding a large palamino horse through my cousin's neighborhood on a beautiful summer Saturday and people were coming out from their houses to see the horse, asking me his name, etc. The freak show soon turned to me as the children began asking me to speak for them. Wow, these neighbor sure are friendly.

"What's the horse's name?"
"What's your name?"
"Oh, oh, say the word 'country' again."
"Listen, Mama. Come out here and listen to her talk!"

I gladly obliged those neighbors like a good little trained seal but after a few of these mind-tripping episodes you begin to feel a little odd or embarassed when you're not with your "people". As an adult you learn how to adjust. People are no longer in my face making fun of me, but occasionally I can see them mentally subtracting IQ points when I speak. =)