Did I answer your question about “general conversation”?
I must be stupid, Kevin, but I still don’t understand “general conversation”. I know the meaning of “conversation” – обсуждение, разговор. General has a few meanings. Can you give me a synonym (I remember, thx) to this word in that particular meaning, maybe from ABBY.

I found it interesting your comment about “кажется”. Again, in English, the word “it” would be implied if omitted. By your explanation, in Russian it is not, and I have to specify to who it “seems”.
I must have stated my point of view in a wrong way. I’ll try to put it as follows. Generally we say Мне (ему, ей, нам, моей матери, Наташе, всем людям) кажется (казалось, покажется) and do not omit мне, ей, ему, им and so on. It’s true of expressing both someone’s opinion and sensation. Ему кажется, что он разбирается в живописи (opinion, he thinks). Ему показалось, что он слышит ее голос (sensation, he felt). Only the word “мне” can be omitted if кажется expresses sensation. Eму кажется, что он слышит ее голос. Мне кажется, я слышу ее голос. or Кажется, я слышу ее голос. But: Мне кажется, что она неправа.
There is one more case standing apart. In the author’s speech in fiction the person is omitted, too, and “I (the author)” is implied. Казалось, он больше не сможет подняться.

On a few occasions I’ve written the phrase “спасибо болшой”, and have been corrected to say “болшой спасиба”. My question is that I have always heard it on television as the former…even heard it this morning. Definitely “спасибо болшой”. So is it improper to say it that way, and should I ignore it?
When I express my gratitude with these two words only, I always say Большое спасибо, as in Russian we generally use this word order: adjective-noun. I’d say that Спасибо большое or Спасибо огромное is common, too. But for me, Спасибо большое sounds a little bit sloppy, as if someone said Спасибо only but then was like, “Oh, I hate to pronounce two words instead of one, but ok, let him think that my gratefulness is bigger.” At the same time I don’t feel absolutely comfortable saying Большое спасибо also because it sounds some pompous. You know I always remember the origin of the word cпасибо. It’s a strange word. It derives from “Спаси (тебя) бо(г)” which means “Save you god” literally or rather “May god save you”. So, спасибо is not a noun yet is combined with adjectives and it makes me feel awquard. Actually I think that combining of cпасибо with adjectives is only a 20th century invention, so... But if one expresses his gratitude in more that these two words like in “Большое спасибо за ваш подарок”, then the opposite word order “Cпасибо большое за ваш подарок “ sounds ok for me and even warm and hearty. It’s only my perception of the use of спасибо in speech, I may be be wrong.

I’m still very appreciative of the time you spend to help me.
Don’t mention my time spent on this thread. I’m practicing and acquiring knowledge from you. I’m the one who ought to thank you.

You know, Kevin, I’ve never in my life immersed myself into the Russian grammar so deep. And now, after refreshing a tiny part of it in my mind, I am like, “OMG, how can it all be learned by a foreigner?” I am deeply impressed by the huge amount of knowledge to be acquired and by the necessity of learning to think a different way. It’s not that I’m trying to discourage you, no way. I’m just trying to imagine how much the person should be resolute to succeed.