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49a: Better Know a Moderator: vacapinta
 transcript 
February 15, 2010 11:08 PM   Subscribe

This half episode hovers around 38 minutes and features a long interview with vacapinta talking about becoming a mefi mod, life in London, and his adventures in a new timezone. The second (normal mefi recap) half of this podcast will be up later this week.

posted by mathowie to MeFi Podcast at 11:08 PM (26 comments total) 3 users marked this as a favorite

I'm gonna listen to this right now as I take the subway to my office. (Why yes I am pulling an all nighter, how'd you guess?)

Yeeha, vacapinta!
posted by ocherdraco at 1:26 AM on February 16, 2010


He didn't tell you that he wears a black cape and mask while he does his good deeds in the night.
posted by joost de vries at 5:08 AM on February 16, 2010


Did I notice that obvious huge edit while Vacapinta was discussing his new doctor? Not at all
posted by wheelieman at 5:37 AM on February 16, 2010


I love the title. I hope you asked him "America: Great country or greatest country?"
posted by desjardins at 5:56 AM on February 16, 2010


talking about becoming a mefi mod

I'm imagining an iron maiden and a slow dip into boiling green liquid.
posted by The Whelk at 6:33 AM on February 16, 2010


Very enjoyable conversation, and a bit of nostalgia - my college was just round the corner from the British Museum and I was a regular visitor when I lived in London too. Being as it was there to visit pretty much anytime, there was no need to rush around trying to see too much and you could pick one amazing object and just spend your lunch break sat looking at that in more detail. Don't think I ate quite so well as vacapinta though.
Also liked learning that 'Steve' is silent in Portuguese.
posted by Abiezer at 6:52 AM on February 16, 2010


I'm still kind of groaning at my Emilio Estevez joke.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:55 AM on February 16, 2010


My mate whose half Peruvian, half upper-class Brit in state of genteel decay gets identified as Indian/vaguely Middle Eastern all the time. It's most annoying to him when traveling to Germany, where he seems to get singled out a lot on the German side.

...though my Filipino mate herein the US has that beat: he was in his front yard painting a ferce when a pick-up truck pulled up, someone shouted "wetback" and then sped off.
posted by Artw at 10:49 AM on February 16, 2010


Hey Vacapinta, my wife (who's mom is a historian in Mex) says that there are national archives/ historians in Mexico who would be really interested in the documents re : your grandfather.
posted by dhruva at 12:06 PM on February 16, 2010


Thanks dhruva. I've sent you a mefi mail as you know.
It was fun to chat with y'all.
posted by vacapinta at 7:02 AM on February 17, 2010


I would totally listen to podcasts of the mods just sitting around talking about random stuff. I need to get out more.
posted by jefeweiss at 10:35 AM on February 17, 2010


Heh. "Bucking Ham Palace"?
posted by Artw at 11:20 AM on February 17, 2010


I remember being in the City and having a guy ask me "Finsbreesqueh?"

And I said "Uh, no sorry." and a minute after he left thinking...oh wait, he wanted "Finsbury Square" (which I pronounce as "Fins-berry") Ah well..
posted by vacapinta at 1:31 PM on February 17, 2010


There's also Southwark which is pronounced Suth-erk.
And Holborn which is pronounced Ho-burn.
Clerkenwell is pronounced Clark-enwell.
Battersea is pronounced Batt-sea.
MaryleBone is pronounced Mar-lee-bone.

I swear you Brits are making up the pronunciation rules as you go along!
posted by vacapinta at 1:38 PM on February 17, 2010


If for some mad reason i am ever back in the Uk and spot you at a meetup or similar I am going to ask you the way to Lei Cester square.
posted by Artw at 1:41 PM on February 17, 2010


OOO! Can I play? More fun place names for Vacapinta to pronounce for us:

Norfolk & Suffolk
Berkley/Berkshire
Worcestershire
Eltham
Derby
Plymouth/Portsmouth
Norwich
posted by goshling at 4:35 PM on February 18, 2010


Worcestershire

Now that's just cruel.
posted by Artw at 4:37 PM on February 18, 2010


Just to clarify, I wasn't being sarcastic or anything. It was kind of like hanging out in a living room with some people. Especially since I tend to be pretty quiet.
posted by jefeweiss at 7:16 PM on February 18, 2010


I do know how to pronounce Cirencester - which most Brits get wrong!
posted by vacapinta at 1:35 AM on February 19, 2010


How do you hear it mispronounced, vacapinta? Used to live not far from Ciren, and bar that local shortening and the West Country accent, never heard anyone get it wrong. You are in London though, gathering place of eejits (present company excepted) so I suppose anything's possible :p
We had Cholmondeley near where I grew up, which usually catches people out because the 'correct' pronunciation is frankly ridiculous given that spelling.
posted by Abiezer at 2:12 AM on February 19, 2010


Heh, so there are people who live in San Francisco (or used to, anyway) and who walk a lot! This makes me laugh because when I was there for a vacation a couple of years back, I walked from my friend's house in the Potrero Hill sort of area, over to the cable car museum near Chinatown, and then back to a car rental place.

When I mentioned this to various people there, I definitely got the O_o sort of look from them, like nobody who lives there would ever do such a thing. Whereas to me it's like the perfect walking city... relatively compact and the weather is always suitable.

We had Cholmondeley near where I grew up, which usually catches people out because the 'correct' pronunciation is frankly ridiculous given that spelling.

My family always assumed that was a trick to catch spies during the war. Sure you may get the accent right, but the non-obvious pronounciations will trip you up and then we'll know you're not from here!

My brother and I also had a good laugh at some of the amusing (to us) place names when we visited the UK as kids. But then later I found out Canada has a place called "Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump", and those place names in the UK no longer seemed ridiculous any more.
posted by FishBike at 7:28 AM on February 19, 2010


How do you hear it mispronounced, vacapinta?

Its a trick. As Fishbike mentions, Cirencester is like a double-agent.

"Ok so how do you say Leicester?"
"Lester?"
"Good! How about Worcester?"
"Wooster?"
"Not bad. Then how about Cirencester?"
"Sinster?? Surnster??"
"Its pronounced like it is spelled of course! Off with his head!"
posted by vacapinta at 8:18 AM on February 19, 2010 [1 favorite]


IIRC theres a WWII era black and white film about an English spy infiltrating a German spy-training camp, possibly along Potemkin village lines, and attending a pronounciation lesson where everyone is being mistaught the pronounciation of "Slough", and it ends up being how all these spies are detected in the end.
posted by Artw at 11:24 AM on February 19, 2010


Really cool. I was wondering how you guys kept things working given all the Europeans on the site. I had no idea vacapinta existed even. All good gardens require diligent care.

I enjoy the podcast, it's even gotten me more into the site than I've been in years.

Keep up the good work, all y'alls.
posted by artlung at 4:20 PM on February 22, 2010


AskMe tells me the film i mentioned above is The Goose Steps Out, and that it's pretty much impossible to get a proper copy of it right now.
posted by Artw at 4:22 PM on February 22, 2010


I made this for you, vacapinta. (reference)
posted by ODiV at 4:35 PM on March 5, 2010 [1 favorite]


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