English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

@Cerberus I just don't know what to make of it. Why would he ask if I was Portuguese or Italian? And then quiz me on my ethnic background? And THEN ask me for coffee?

Cerberus

That is just making conversation.

That doesn't surprise me.

Beggars do it too.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus well, what specifically are you thinking of?

Cerberus

Soliciting sex by walking and standing around in certain designated areas.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus it was a strange conversation though. No opening, no chit-chat, just "Are you portuguese or italian? well, then what are you?"

Cerberus

6:05 AM

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Those kinds of conversations are always strange.

We are dealing with strange people here.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus yeah. Well, that does happen for sure. But I honestly don't know where. I do know that there are neighbourhoods where prostitutes are active and they are essentially anywhere. Like, my mom used to walk her dog near her home, in this park, and there was a prostitute who worked the park all night, and she would talk to my mom in the morning. She was an old, worn out drug addict. My mom saw her giving a blowjob to a guy on a park bench.

Anyway.

I should be off.

for realz

cya

Cerberus

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Yes, I guess prostitutes walk the streets. But gay men? I thought they went to parks and woods and such.

Night!

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus Oh, you mean just gay men looking for hookups with other gay men? not gay prostitutes?

Cerberus

Yes.

I have never heard of gay prostitutes in public spaces?

Does that happen at all?

Not here.

Men don't require payment, apparently.

Or they just don't take to the streets.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

I don't know where they go. certainly they go to parks. But I think they go other places too. And in fact there's a "Bath house" not TOO far from where I was waiting for the bus. Maybe a mile or two.

Cerberus

6:10 AM

Oh yes, bath houses, parks, anywhere outside with trees/bushes.

But I think those who want sex specifically got to the areas where you can actually do it.

Unless this bus stop was a conventional location near a park.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus Well, there are gay prostitutes for sure. Actually there was a kid from Belleville who dropped out of school and went to toronto and ended up as a gay prostitute and died of... well, I forget what it was. drugs, maybe. Anyway I recall some religious people in belleville were vilifying him for being gay.

Cerberus

But on the streets, I mean?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus No. But also it was -15°C.

Cerberus

Hmm.

I suppose you can still do it with -15?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus Well, we don't so much have brothels here. where else are prostitutes going to work?

@Cerberus what? how? shrinkage!

Cerberus

6:12 AM

Expose only the bare essentials?

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Does that happen?

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 At home?

They come to your house, or you to theirs.

I know that that happens with straight prostitutes and escorts here.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus I'm not sure. Probably to some degree. That's pretty cold.

Cerberus

With escort girls, it always happens like that, of course.

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 I bow to your expertise.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

I must admit I'm not really up to date on the various techniques that prostitutes use. I suspect there is less need for gay prostitutes but I can't really say for sure.

Cerberus

Can't cold also be stimulating?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus possibly but blood vessels constrict to keep the blood in your core.

AAAAAAAANYWAY, I don't know if that's what that guy had in mind.

Cerberus

6:15 AM

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 I think it certainly exists, but I have just never heard of it happening on the street. We also have zero male windows. We used to have a few, years ago.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

It wouldn't be the first time a gay man has approached me. No wait... maybe it was the first time. Well, it wasn't the last time, anyway.

Cerberus

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 He had better had had(?) that in mind, or it would have been no fun!

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Really? Like when?

I have never been approached like that.

I probably look less friendly than you.

And less accessible to strangers.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus Well, one time at the Gay Pride parade. So that's kinda self-explanatory. I was talking to this guy in French, because ... I forget how we got started. He was in town from Montreal, I don't think he knew anyone, and I guess his English wasn't good. Anyway he seemed disappointed to learn that I wasn't gay.

Cerberus

Aww.

Yes, at a gay pride, that makes sense.

At day time?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

The second time (or third, if we count the 4am guy) was on the subway. I was getting off and this guy came up to me and started talking to me and asked if I wanted to get coffee. I declined, and said I had to get going, and he seemed upset. I felt bad for him.

Cerberus

6:19 AM

I have never been approached like that at a gay pride tbh.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus yeah, broad daylight.

@Cerberus I guess I wasn't approached per se.

Cerberus

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Aww. What was he like? Was he cute?

Or old?

code4eight

Hello.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus Not really? He was about my age, maybe a bit younger. A little chubby, I guess. From the 30 second conversation he seemed nice. I got a feeling that he worked up some courage to come talk to me.

code4eight

I have a question to ask about the meaning of "anyone" in "Anyone wants to talk to Abi."

Cerberus

6:21 AM

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Of course he worked up some courage. But then, why approach a stranger in the subway, who may very well be straight? A bit strange.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus yeah I wonder. Women don't approach me. So maybe I register a false positive on people's gaydar.

Cerberus

@code4eight In that context, it means "everyone".

Most probably.

code4eight

Abi is a woman who played in Survivor. She wasn't nice in the show and was voted out yesterday.

Cerberus

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Well, women do that sometimes, but I think men in general do that more often.

As to the gaydar, I cannot say.

code4eight

Everyone post on Survivor page that they glad she had gone.

Cerberus

6:23 AM

Huh.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus Well, women don't really flirt with me. Or else I'm incredibly obtuse about seeing it.

Cerberus

Then perhaps it was a typo for "no-one"?

code4eight

One comment said that "Anyone wants to talk to Abi."

Cerberus

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Probably the latter.

@code4eight Hmm odd.

code4eight

@Cerberus Yes, it might be a typo. What I want to ask is, does "anyone" in that sentence means something negative?

Cerberus

6:24 AM

@code4eight Normally, it does not.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@code4eight It's a bit of an odd sentence. Do you have more context for it? maybe a link to the forum?

code4eight

Yes, wait a sec. It's on Facebook.

Cerberus

In that sentence, I don't know: is it possible that whoever wrote that didn't speak English very well?

code4eight

I cannot get the link, it's on my facebook app in iPhone.

She comes from the U.S.

My best guess would be typo.

Cerberus

I really don't understand it either.

If this was a mistake, it isn't obvious.

So it is just incomprehensible.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

6:29 AM

okay gotta run for realz I mean it I'm outta here, prob be back monday, bye bye bye bye!

Cerberus

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 have funZ!

This whale is slowly going to die.

Nothing can be done.

It is beached on a sand bank.

Transporting the right equipment there would take too long.

They tried with nets, but they all broke.

The whale is 12 metres long.

Peter PAD

8:06 AM

Hey everyone. I wrote some descriptive paragraphs, and need someone check it for me. Please.

Jez

9:18 AM

look at MSDN's new look: msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb340482.aspx

looks like they forgot to include a stylesheet

Peter PAD

@Jez I meant writing execises

Transcript for

English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…