Back

[iago]

Sorry I haven't posted anything lately.. my hotel's router got mad at me (probably because I was nmap'ing it.. old habits die hard). 

Anyway, the only thing remotely exciting I did was go to the Mall of America. which was pretty boring. 

Other than that, I have discovered what a sore back is like.  IT SUCKS.  I've had a sore back before, but never for more than a day.  It's been 4 days of horrible pain, and I haven't enjoyed it at all.  Any time I've ever made fun of somebody for having a sore back, I take it back -- it's HORRIBLE.  I've been taking pain-killers all weekend, and most of you know how I feel about pain-killers.  But it SUCKS. 

Anyway, observations about the USA compared to Canada:
- Highways are a lot faster (both speed limits and traffic and the way they're set up)
- Drivers are maniacs, but in a good way -- Canadians tend to drive slower and, somehow, less safely
- Street signs are a lot more explicit -- we have signs that have a P with a line through, and the US has signs that say "No Parking".  Intersections here don't typically have signs at them (unless there's something special about them), whereas American intersections pretty much all say "Left turns yield to oncoming traffic" -- which is an implied rule here.
- There are a lot more left-turn priority lights, there aren't many at all here
- People are ugly (seriously!  Attractive people (female and male) were few and far between... maybe it was just the area I was in?)
- People are rude -- anybody I tried to strike up conversation with wouldn't return it, I was left with awkward silence so many times.  I don't think I had a single conversation with an American. 
- Some stuff is way cheaper (gasoline, alcohol, and tobacco), and other stuff is the same price or more expensive (food, electronics)

Some stuff that is different:
- We don't have "Mountain Dew Baja" -- it sucks anyways
- We don't have KFC Buffets here, but we didn't go there anyways
- We don't have Outback Steakhouse -- I wasn't impressed with it
- We don't have "Big 'n Tasty Burgers" at McDonalds.  Actually, we do, but they're called "Big Xtra", and they're identical
- We don't have Hardees -- their food is ok

I wouldn't consider the trip either good or bad overall, but it's the first time since i've been grown up that I've been to the US and was a neat experience. 

[trust]

I love Hardee's Thick Burgers..until I have a stomach ache after eating them.


Why would people want to talk to you? I hate when people I don't know try to have a conversation with me, of course I endure it to be polite but it's annoying.

[Sidoh]

Not all of the USA is like that.

Come to a town with a university in it and you'll see a lot more attractive people (lots of young people)!

[Joe]

For instance, Madison Wisconsin.

Seriously, it seems like you're all over the place (you found a Hardess for God's sake!), so if you do get a chance, stop by. I think you have my cell number but even if you don't I'm sure you could get a hold of me.

[trust]

What's so special about Hardee's?

[Hitmen]

- Drivers are maniacs, but in a good way -- Canadians tend to drive slower and, somehow, less safely

:|
If you ever come to massachusetts you will see what maniac drivers are really like. People here are impatient, drive faster, and way way less safe then anywhere else.

What's so special about Hardee's?

Very few of them exist in the part of the country he visited.

[Blaze]

- We don't have "Big 'n Tasty Burgers" at McDonalds.  Actually, we do, but they're called "Big Xtra", and they're identical

That's one thing I picked up fast after being embarrassed by some young yankee doodles.

[Quik]

The place where you were at is generally ugly. Come to California if you're looking to pick up hot chicks.

[trust]

The place where you were at is generally ugly. Come to California if you're looking to pick up hot chicks.

Or the South.

[iago]

Re: appearances: you're probably all right, it's an ugly town.  I couldn't believe it, though!  I mean, I consider my city to be pretty average, and in St Paul the average was wayyy below here.  It was disappointing. 

Why would people want to talk to you? I hate when people I don't know try to have a conversation with me, of course I endure it to be polite but it's annoying.

Where I live, it's generally customary to make some kind of small talk while you're waiting for something.  Either while gas is pumping, or a credit card is being verified, or somebody else is running back to the car.  I tried all the common starters ('*weather*', 'busy day?', 'How's the *', etc), (not at the same time), and none of them provoked much.  Where I come from, people generally make small talk.  It's really annoying standing in silence while we're both waiting for something. 

Seriously, it seems like you're all over the place (you found a Hardess for God's sake!), so if you do get a chance, stop by. I think you have my cell number but even if you don't I'm sure you could get a hold of me.

I wasn't really "all over".  We took the following route:
- Highway 75, south, out of Winnipeg and to the US border
- I29 (which is the same as highway 75, except the American part) south, stopping at Pembina for bathroom, Fargo for food/gas
- I94 east, to St Paul

And on the way back:
- I94 west
- I29 north, stopping in grand forks
- Highway 75 north

It wasn't a very exciting trip for driving.

[trust]

How was your experience at the border? When my grandparents went to Canada they got in there so easily.

[rabbit]

- Drivers are maniacs, but in a good way -- Canadians tend to drive slower and, somehow, less safely

:|
If you ever come to massachusetts you will see what maniac drivers are really like. People here are impatient, drive faster, and way way less safe then anywhere else.

You've clearly never been to New Jersey...

Anyway, The Mall of America sucks, it's only a tourist attraction.  If you want pretty people, University cities are definitely the place to go.

@Trust: It's Canada...

[iago]

How was your experience at the border? When my grandparents went to Canada they got in there so easily.

Ah, good question, I forgot to mention that! 

Coming into the US, the border guard wasn't bad.  He asked for our IDs, asked us where we all work, and gave us the "orange sticker" ("multiple people search" or something).  We pulled in, and got out.  We stood beside each other, and each talked to a separate guard, who asked all of us the same questions ('where do you work?', 'how do you know each other?', 'where are you going?', 'why are you coming here?' and 'have you ever been fingerprinted?'), got us to empty our pockets, take off hats, etc.  Then they sent us to a little room with a 1-way mirror (so that we could see out, but they couldn't see us.... wtf?).  They opened our trunk, searched two bags (totally missing the bag that had my friend's 20 bottles of pills...), then let us go.  Maybe 15 minutes total, including waiting for the person ahead of us to get finished.  Easy enough. 

Going back to Canada, we had to pay some tax on stuff we bought.  All I bought was books and some little souvenir things, and you're allowed $200, so that was ok.  One of my friend's paid $10, and the other paid $70.  So not a whole lot, considering the amount of crap they bought (girl stuff -- clothes and makeup and stuff).  They also made my friend throw out the Aleve she bought, because it's illegal in Canada.  She was pretty upset about that, but she'll get over it. 

Anyway, The Mall of America sucks, it's only a tourist attraction.  If you want pretty people, University cities are definitely the place to go.

Yeah, and we were tourists, so that worked out .  And yeah, I wasn't looking for pretty people, I was just shocked at the lack of 'em.  We did drive through Grand Forks' university area, with all the fraternity houses, which was cool because we don't have frats here.  But there weren't many people around, or I wasn't really paying attention to them. 

[trust]

Why is aleve illegal? Why don't you have fraternities?

[iago]

Aleve contains a drug that is only allowed for prescriptions in Canada (and most of the rest of the world, according to the Wikipedia page -- it doesn't say why).  I'm not sure what.  It's very, very common for people to bring it back, and is one of the #1 things checked for by border guards (at the border, they have two display cases of illegal stuff, one was endangered animal products, and another was Aleve).

I don't know why we don't have fraternities.  I mean, we have a couple, but it's a very minor thing.  I think it might be because most people here live at home or on their own at University, not on campus.  Any frats we do have are fairly quiet, and don't have the letters on front and stuff, they're just houses. 

[Ergot]

Anyway, observations about the USA compared to Canada:
- There are a lot more left-turn priority lights, there aren't many at all here
- and other stuff is the same price or more expensive (food, electronics)
Some stuff that is different:
- We don't have "Mountain Dew Baja" -- it sucks anyways
- We don't have KFC Buffets here, but we didn't go there anyways
- We don't have Hardees -- their food is ok

- It's creepy how you Canadians stack the intersection to make the left turn after the light turns red. And that whole flashing light thing too.
- Electronics are more expensive because they don't have Fry's up there !
- I thought they stopped making Mountain Dew Baja, and yea that stuff is nasty.
- AFAIK, there are no KFC Buffets here (SF Bay Area, California) as well.
- WTF IS A HARDEES?

[Quik]

Anyway, observations about the USA compared to Canada:
- There are a lot more left-turn priority lights, there aren't many at all here
- and other stuff is the same price or more expensive (food, electronics)
Some stuff that is different:
- We don't have "Mountain Dew Baja" -- it sucks anyways
- We don't have KFC Buffets here, but we didn't go there anyways
- We don't have Hardees -- their food is ok

- It's creepy how you Canadians stack the intersection to make the left turn after the light turns red. And that whole flashing light thing too.
- Electronics are more expensive because they don't have Fry's up there !
- I thought they stopped making Mountain Dew Baja, and yea that stuff is nasty.
- AFAIK, there are no KFC Buffets here (SF Bay Area, California) as well.
- WTF IS A HARDEES?

Some lights make you stack and wait for traffic to clear.

Never seen a KFC Buffet. :?

You've never heard of Hardees? We don't have them around here, but you'd think you would have heard of them.

[Ergot]

I've seen KFC Buffet when I was in Oregon and Washington... and nope never heard of Hardees.

[Towelie]

You should come visit Southern California. I guarantee it's a lot better than minnesota

[iago]

- It's creepy how you Canadians stack the intersection to make the left turn after the light turns red. And that whole flashing light thing too.
- Electronics are more expensive because they don't have Fry's up there !
- I thought they stopped making Mountain Dew Baja, and yea that stuff is nasty.
- AFAIK, there are no KFC Buffets here (SF Bay Area, California) as well.
- WTF IS A HARDEES?

Making left turns here is the same as there, except when there's a priority (arrow) light.  And we don't have flashing lights here, but I remember seeing them in BC -- but I don't know what they mean. 

Electronics are more expensive in the US, I mean.  Actually, they're about the same.  I figured it'd be cheaper in the US, but it's not.

[Joe]

Why is aleve illegal? Why don't you have fraternities?

I was in a hurry to leave this morning and read it as "Why is aleve illegal.. don't you have fraternities?", and laughed out loud at the thought of fraternity initiation requiring aleve.

- WTF IS A HARDEES?

McDonalds, basically, plus fat and smell, under a different chain name.

And we don't have flashing lights here, but I remember seeing them in BC -- but I don't know what they mean.

Woohoo, iago is passing out the Driver's Ed exam! A flashing red light (ex: traffic lights) means to stop until it's safe to proceed. A flashing yellow light (ex: by the edges of school zones) means to look out for stuffs that would make you stop. A flashing green light would make me pull over and stop to think for a second.. yeilding until the safety to go has ended?

[rabbit]

Flashing red = stop sign
Flashing yellow = other street has a flashing red

[Killer360]

I was at Minneaplois last month, it's a neat place.

Have you ever been/stayed in Fargo or Grand Forks, iago?

[iago]

Woohoo, iago is passing out the Driver's Ed exam! A flashing red light (ex: traffic lights) means to stop until it's safe to proceed. A flashing yellow light (ex: by the edges of school zones) means to look out for stuffs that would make you stop. A flashing green light would make me pull over and stop to think for a second.. yeilding until the safety to go has ended?

Well, those two happen everywhere, don't they?  A high proportion of our intersections here go to blinking yellow/red at night. 

I was talking about blinking-green, which happens in BC (and probably elsewhere).  I believe a blinking green is an omni-directional priority light, meaning you can go in any direction without worrying about getting interrupted.  But I could be wrong. 

[iago]

I finally got around to uploading pictures: http://www.javaop.com/~ron/ospap/show_category.php?category_id=36

I didn't take much, mostly just in the Mall of America. 

[Sidoh]

http://www.javaop.com/~ron/ospap/show_picture.php?picture_id=265

ROFL.

[iago]

http://www.javaop.com/~ron/ospap/show_picture.php?picture_id=265

ROFL.

Haha yeah.  But isn't that the most perfect picture of that fish, though?  He's like the most photogenic thing in the aquarium, and he has to go jump into my picture!

[Sidoh]

Hahaha.  Damn him!

[disco]

I haven't had a Mountain Dew Baja or been to a KFC Buffet.  Virginia sucks.

The rest of the stuff you said is true about where I live though.  Trying to start a conversation beyond a single comment or small talk would most likely lead people around here to think you were not quite right.  The unwritten rule for walking around here is to not make eye contact, acknowledge the persons existence, and if you are with someone start a pointless conversation to justifiably perform the first two.  GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD, MAN!

[iago]

The unwritten rule for walking around here is to not make eye contact, acknowledge the persons existence, and if you are with someone start a pointless conversation to justifiably perform the first two.  GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD, MAN!

Haha wow, that's awful.  When I'm walking or riding my bike, I often greet strangers with "good morning/evening/afternoon" or just a simple "hi", and they almost always return it.  Frequently, others will make the first move, it's not like I'm doing something abnormal.

[disco]

Yeah it's pretty depressing.  The upside is that no matter where we go for travel people always seem friendly.  Hell, we thought people on the NYC subway were "so nice" for nodding and occasionally saying hello or asking how we were doing.

[Towelie]

I finally got around to uploading pictures: http://www.javaop.com/~ron/ospap/show_category.php?category_id=36

I didn't take much, mostly just in the Mall of America. 

My dad has that car, a 350c. I love driving it because my car... has no power , so driving his car is great. But because of that, he doesnt let me drive it a lot ( I accelerate pretty damn hard in it )

[iago]

I actually didn't like the car much at all.  The windows were too small, automatic seats are annoying, and there was a lot about it that I didn't like.  Looking cool was probably the only good thing about it. 

I still like driving a small/sub-compact car.  It's better for the environment, easier to park, and cheaper to maintain.  Sure, it didn't really get good acceleration, but who cares?  I'm not racing.

[Quik]

I actually didn't like the car much at all.  The windows were too small, automatic seats are annoying, and there was a lot about it that I didn't like.  Looking cool was probably the only good thing about it. 

I still like driving a small/sub-compact car.  It's better for the environment, easier to park, and cheaper to maintain.  Sure, it didn't really get good acceleration, but who cares?  I'm not racing.

My small car gets good acceleration. What the hell are you talking about?

[Towelie]

I actually didn't like the car much at all.  The windows were too small, automatic seats are annoying, and there was a lot about it that I didn't like.  Looking cool was probably the only good thing about it. 

I still like driving a small/sub-compact car.  It's better for the environment, easier to park, and cheaper to maintain.  Sure, it didn't really get good acceleration, but who cares?  I'm not racing.

I think it looks great, and there is not much I don't like about my dad's car. I don't have a problem with the windows/seats

[iago]

I actually didn't like the car much at all.  The windows were too small, automatic seats are annoying, and there was a lot about it that I didn't like.  Looking cool was probably the only good thing about it. 

I still like driving a small/sub-compact car.  It's better for the environment, easier to park, and cheaper to maintain.  Sure, it didn't really get good acceleration, but who cares?  I'm not racing.

My small car gets good acceleration. What the hell are you talking about?

Holy shit, my car and you car are the same size but aren't the exact same?  That's unheard of! 

(disclaimer: it's not my car anymore, that was awhile back)

[Quik]

I actually didn't like the car much at all.  The windows were too small, automatic seats are annoying, and there was a lot about it that I didn't like.  Looking cool was probably the only good thing about it. 

I still like driving a small/sub-compact car.  It's better for the environment, easier to park, and cheaper to maintain.  Sure, it didn't really get good acceleration, but who cares?  I'm not racing.

My small car gets good acceleration. What the hell are you talking about?

Holy shit, my car and you car are the same size but aren't the exact same?  That's unheard of! 

(disclaimer: it's not my car anymore, that was awhile back)

You said that you liked driving _a_ small car, even though it didn't have great acceleration. You didn't say that you liked driving YOUR old car. My car _is_ small, so it fits the criteria.. however, it has excellent acceleration. What the hell is wrong with you? ;p

[iago]

You said that you liked driving _a_ small car, even though it didn't have great acceleration. You didn't say that you liked driving YOUR old car. My car _is_ small, so it fits the criteria.. however, it has excellent acceleration. What the hell is wrong with you? ;p

I said I like to drive _a_ small car.  Then I went on to describe _my_small car.  Notice how I said, "Sure, it didn't...." and not "Sure, they don't..."

[Quik]

You said that you liked driving _a_ small car, even though it didn't have great acceleration. You didn't say that you liked driving YOUR old car. My car _is_ small, so it fits the criteria.. however, it has excellent acceleration. What the hell is wrong with you? ;p

I said I like to drive _a_ small car.  Then I went on to describe _my_small car.  Notice how I said, "Sure, it didn't...." and not "Sure, they don't..."

You actually described all small cars. The only thing signifying that you meant _your_ car was the "it" which is entirely the point. It looks, however, like you were intending that for all small cars.

[d&q]

 

[iago]

You said that you liked driving _a_ small car, even though it didn't have great acceleration. You didn't say that you liked driving YOUR old car. My car _is_ small, so it fits the criteria.. however, it has excellent acceleration. What the hell is wrong with you? ;p

I said I like to drive _a_ small car.  Then I went on to describe _my_small car.  Notice how I said, "Sure, it didn't...." and not "Sure, they don't..."

You actually described all small cars. The only thing signifying that you meant _your_ car was the "it" which is entirely the point. It looks, however, like you were intending that for all small cars.

In the context, "it" would have to refer to a specific car, not a group or class. 

[Killer360]