Having free time during the day has exposed me to a lot of different things. For the past 22 years I was at my desk job using my stapler, then my stapler remover, then re-stapling the staple I just removed, calling my friends and using The Google to look up interesting factoids. Ok, that's not entirely true. I did work when I had a job. And most days I worked hard. So the fact that I am now roaming the streets during daylight hours has opened my ears to a whole new experience.
I start my day with a walk on the lakefront. I'll be out there anywhere from an hour to 2 hours heading from Museum Park and walking north. And, I never wear headphones. I think the sounds of the city are fascinating and meant to be heard so I never understood why people want to block that noise with boom boom music. Plus, if you aren't wearing headphones you are open to lost tourists looking for directions to the Shed Aquarium or the nearest Corner Bakery. And, I must be an approachable person because at least 3 times a week I'm helping people find their way.
On my walk yesterday I not only gave directions, but also got an earful of language from 3 grown men heading south on their bikes. From about a block away I could hear them talking not to each other but AT each other. The language was a little fuzzy but as they rode closer, the words became more clear. I'm not sure of the subject matter but it seemed like they were talking about installing a sound system. Now, think I could probably hold my own in a conversation about aligning the colored wires with the colors in the back of the stereo. And I know I could do that without swearing once. The conversation coming out of these guys was really fast and very passionate. I couldn't understand everything they said but what I picked up went something like this "that lil' bitch put the mu-fukn' red one into the wrong mu-fukn' hole 'n shit an now ain't no sound comin' out...shit". But, lucky for me, I was recently exposed to this dialect when I watched "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" last week. When those classy ladies get on a roll, they talk as fast and swear equally as much. I have to hand it to Bravo because they added subtitles for the dialogue on the show so the audience could follow along. It sure would be nice if there was a similar machine we could hook up to those bikes. Perhaps if I could read what the problem was I may be able to help. And then maybe they wouldn't feel the need to yell so loudly and swear so much.
Later in the day I hopped on the Green Line to meet a friend for lunch. I haven't had much of an occasion to get on the trains during the day because, as stated above, I used to work and play with my stapler, etc. But I needed to get to lunch on time and the Green Line coming from the Southside was how I could reach my destination.
I jumped on at Roosevelt Road and no sooner had I sat down when I heard almost the same conversation as the guys on the bikes. I took a quick look and saw a a couple of different guys screaming about something and using same words "mu-fukn' n' shit and lil' bitch". It was uncanny. Those are the only words I could make out in the 9 minute ride I had on the train. And I have to wonder if we don't understand their English, do they understand ours? I mean the recording on the train that tells riders what stop is next is in the King's English so how do these guys know when to get off? Or do they just ride until they're tired of riding? I think maybe the CTA should follow Bravo's lead and add subtitles on the trains so everyone knows when they're stop is coming up. They could keep the English audio and add a scrollbar to interpret. So, the audio would remain "next stop, Clinton; doors open on the right at Clinton". And, the scrollbar would read "this mu-fukn' Clinton n' shit so if this you, get off the train ya lil' bitch".
Or, maybe I should start wearing headphones.
Today's EiPod: "In the Ghetto", Elvis Presley
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