Satcherday Fewlishness

JPennant: hail up, yout.
McClint: Greetings and salutations back at you
McClint: :-)
JPennant: irie, I.
JPennant: :-)

McClint: oh a couple months ago on cable access I saw some program shot here in jax but it was 100% jamaican
McClint: I couldnt understand a word they said hahaha
JPennant: I thought you had caribbean blood :-)
JPennant: hehehe
McClint: i do but even when I hear my dad speak it, it sounds alien to me
JPennant: you need to make a trip home, iyah
McClint: when we back back to the island back in 1990 my dad would bump into childhood friends and he would instantly slip from English to whatever it was they were speaking
JPennant: yup
JPennant: your mind automatically switches gears
JPennant: I only feel comfy talking in patois to other Jamaicans
JPennant: otherwise my mind is constantly interfering trying to adjust and translate according to the listener
McClint: you woulda loved this tv show. I could only GUESS that the father on the show wasn't pleased with the friends his son had taken to hanging out with
JPennant: heh
McClint: but for all i know they could have been discussing a very important purchase of a gallon of ice cream
McClint: :-)

JPennant: some english programs are like that too
McClint: British english?
JPennant: yup
JPennant: the stereotypical 'black' folk on their sitcoms are usually of Jamaican or West Indian ancestry
McClint: yeah. i love british comedies but sometimes I just have to pretend I understood what they said
McClint: yeah
McClint: ala "Chef!"
JPennant: zactly
McClint: sometimes i think england is more of a melting pot than the US is
JPennant: in a way it is
JPennant: its the 'mother' country, so all parts of the far-flung empire brought people together
McClint: i think it's cuz in england you see all kinds of faces speaking with the same accent. here you have many groups who try to stand out and retain their ancenstral voice
JPennant: hm
McClint: not much melting going on
JPennant: mmm, I would disagree
JPennant: but I agree on the cultural part
McClint: fer example: i know many people who were born and raised 100% in the USA but they identify themselves as puerto rican or anythign else and English isn't even their 2nds language. it's more of a 3rd language if they speak it at all
JPennant: tru

McClint: Chicago trip is getting closer :-)
JPennant: how's the itinerary?
McClint: i still have some of the links you sent me for chicago tourist stuff
McClint: i think i definitely wanna print out the train routes/stops
JPennant: yup
McClint: what exactly is "the Loop"?
JPennant: downtown chicago
McClint: and i'm not refering to a yummy place to eat in Jax :-)
McClint: why do they call it the loop?
JPennant: its where the elevated tracks loop around downtown in sorta an elliptical oval (actually squarish)
McClint: aahhh ok i can see that on this map
JPennant: thats where the restaurant got its name
McClint: duh :-)
JPennant: the El (for the Elevated trains) is the name of the elevated portion of the subway system
McClint: is it like boston where a train may have parts of its tracks above and parts underground? or are there 2 seperate kinds of trains?
JPennant: like boston and new york
McClint: oh ok
JPennant: the subway is pretty much only underneath downtown chicago
JPennant: most of it is elevated
JPennant: except for the Skokie Swift portion which is mostly at street level
McClint: ah
JPennant: chicago is a very 'planned' city
JPennant: so it grew up around the fixed portions
JPennant: thats why a lot of the El goes within feet of peoples windows
McClint: just like in the Blues Brothers? :-)
JPennant: LoL. yup :-)
McClint: i'm gonna have to take a blues brothers walking tour
McClint: hehehe
JPennant: thats not such a bad idea..
McClint: actaully... probably a combo blues bros & Ferris Bueller
JPennant: cept you wont have time to go to the Wisconsin Dells :-)
McClint: yeah. where is that?
JPennant: Wisconsin :-)
McClint: and what scene?
JPennant: Actually, I think the concert was in Geneva, Wisconsin
JPennant: "And we're wearing sunglasses. Hit it."
McClint: :-)

McClint: are there any parts of town my country-bumpkin ass should avoid?
McClint: how about downtown at night?
JPennant: pretty much most of the southside
JPennant: if you go to Comiskey Park, dont go wandering around outside
JPennant: to the train station and back, dont deviate
McClint: yeah I didnt see too much on the map south of downtown that I'd be compelled to see
McClint: oh wait...
JPennant: DOnt get me wrong
JPennant: there is a LOT to see
JPennant: the best eating is on the South Side
McClint: Adler Planetarium?
JPennant: thats off downtown
McClint: oceanarium too?
JPennant: Shedd Aquarium. right beside it
McClint: are they worth the trip?
JPennant: only thing southside is Museum of Science and Industry. WORTH going, definitely.
JPennant: Only the Field Museum blows. Dont waste your time.
McClint: where is that, i cant find it on this map
JPennant: which one?
McClint: the museum
McClint: hmmm near 55th st. that seems to be way out there
McClint: i'm looking on the msichicago.org site you sent me
JPennant: it is. but def worth it
JPennant: if I had to pick only one
JPennant: thatd be it
JPennant: make it #1. trust me
JPennant: shedd, adler and the Art Institute after that
McClint: k. i will see if i can squeeze it in

McClint: oh.. what about downtown? is it safe to go out at night?
JPennant: yeah, mostly..
JPennant: try not to hang out past Roosevelt and State
JPennant: (south part of the Loop)
McClint: okie
JPennant: aw man, theyre restoring the U-505
JPennant: http://www.msichicago.org/exhibit/U505/index.html
JPennant: its closed til 2005
McClint: that woulda been cool
JPennant: well, the inside is.. you can still go underground
JPennant: http://www.msichicago.org/exhibit/U505/moving.html
McClint: they have the Apollo8 Command Module too?
JPennant: :-) yup
McClint: cool. I saw one at the Pensacola NAS air museum but I dont know if it was a real one or a mockup
JPennant: this one is real
JPennant: this museum is cool
JPennant: you also wanna go to the lower level to "old town" and have yourself a malted shake
JPennant: I havent found anything close to what I used to have there .

McClint: well i gotta run and try to find a K&N air filter for my Mini then run to Home depot. later man
McClint signed off at 12:25:44 PM.
McClint signed on at 1:54:24 PM.
McClint: you there?
JPennant: yup
JPennant: sending spam
McClint: did you get my previous IM?
JPennant: McClint: well i gotta run and try to find a K&N air filter for my Mini then run to Home depot. later man
JPennant: da last ting
McClint: oh.. i sent one a few minutes ago.. i guess you didnt get it...
McClint: Guten Abend, Herr Pennant. Wie geht es Ihnen? Haben Sie eine Ahnung wo man kann Damen in Chicago kaufen?
JPennant: What about Chicago hookers?
JPennant: :-)
McClint: hahaha i was just trying to see how much German I remember
JPennant: heheh
McClint: I havent had to carry on a conversation in german since FSU... 10 years ago
McClint: the only German i've been exposed to since then is WWII movies
JPennant: why fluent in duetsche, Scotsman?
JPennant: when you can hardly speak patois, your daddy's mother tongue?
JPennant: BUAHAHAH!
McClint: hahahah