Sting, November 8th in Cincy!

 

Before I get to the subject of this post - my fantasy co-husband and crush since I was 14 years old - the genius that is Sting ...

Let me tell you what just happened to me that made me LOL for like 10 minutes.

I was multitasking, trying to work on something for school and call a local business at the same time, using Siri, which I did last week, but this week, she acted like she didn't know what I was talking about. 

I tried 3 times and I said "Siri, I know you know what I'm talking about, you called last week."

Silence.

So then I jokingly said "All righty, well eff off, then lol."

Then I swear to God, Siri said ...

"I will not, then."

Hahahaha! 😂😂😂

Score one for Siri!

I tried to get her to do it again, but she would not.

But wait, is that scary?

Maybe a little - but also funny!

Anyway, so my classmate and I were chatting about Cincinnati, back in the day, with her being just a few years younger than me.

We were talking about seeing musicals at the Taft Theater before the The Aronoff Center became the place to see touring musicals.

I told her I saw Yul Brynner as the king in The King and I at the Taft, about a year before he died.

Then we started talking about people we wish we'd seen before they died or their band broke up etc. ... Nirvana, Prince, The Police.

Then she says this "I saw The Police right before they broke up here."

She did what, now?

Please? 😂

Aside Explanation - only in Cincy, will you ever hear someone say 'please?' when asking someone to repeat what they just said.

Rather than "I'm sorry?" or "come again?" or "What's that?" or "Can you repeat that, please?""How's that?" or "Beg your pardon?" or "Excuse me?" or "say what now?" or whatever else people say in the rest of the country, when being polite, rather than more informal/rude "what?"

Not everyone in Cincinnati says that - most say "I'm sorry?" - but if you ever do hear anyone instead say "please?" you'll know immediately that they either grew up in (or spent some time in) metro Cincinnati - it's distinctly Cincinnati. 😊

People in the rest of the country look around them trying to figure out what you're asking for and are like "Please what? Do you need something?" if/when you say that, by the way, I've seen it, on class trips elsewhere growing up 😂

You may not realize this, but how you ask someone to repeat themselves formally/politely (to someone you don't know well) reveals where you're from, sometimes even your class, and sometimes your generation.

Me, growing up in Cincinnati, I say "I'm sorry?"

That's very Midwest/Midsouth.

My husband Mark, from Detroit, says "What's that?"

That's very Great Lakes area.

My grandmother from Lexington used to say "Come again?" or "Beg y'pardon?" It was so cute 😊

Both are old-school Mid-South/Southern - the first is upper middle class, the second is working class.

Thus, she was displaying her upper middle class Mid-South upbringing with "Come again?," but after marrying a farmer in working class in Jessamine County for half her life had taught her to say "Beg y'pardon?" to communicate with those around her better. 

Unless she was mad at somebody - which was rare - then that "Beg y'pardon" became the full blown, "I beg your pardon, it did NOT!" 

It's kind of like use of the word "Honey" as a term of endearment here in Kentucky, it can go either way.

When Mark first moved here, he thought everybody was flirting with him for calling him "Honey!' 😂

Maybe - but I had to train him that  more likely, that's Southern manners, particularly if they're providing a business service -  they're either being polite OR they're softening the blow for whatever they're ask or tell you  😂

However, there's a caveat ... 

If the sentence ends with "Honey" - you're good.

Example: "What else can I get for you today, Honey?"

If the sentence starts with "Honey" ...  stop whatever it is you're doing and run away! 😂

Example: "Honey, if you do that one more time ..." 

They're either mildly irritated with you or just plain pissed and you better watch your step! 😂

The longer Southern way of saying it is: "You are getting on my very last nerve and I'm gonna have to put you in your place, if you don't quit."

Anyway, back to my classmate, so I'm like ...

Wait ... OMG ... you saw the Synchronicity Tour in '84 in Cincy!?!

I'm so jealous! My mom wouldn't let me go!

Then we started talking about needing to see Sting, he's getting up there, and she told me he's coming to Cincy November 8th.

How did I not know this?!?

It's only $2,000 for front center seats!

(Cough, cough).

Okay, we probably won't be front and center, but I'm going, come hell or high water!!!

I know he can't perform The Police songs, but I'm still playing Synchronicity II today, because I haven't in a while, in celebration!