For Lent I'm going to give up hating Chicago and swearing at FIBs on the highway

[Rabrrrrrr]

And I'm not gonna call them FIBs, either. From now on, for this Lent, they are my beloved brothers and sisters from that great state of Illinois with alternative driving styles that I appreciate for their purely individual approach to being in traffic, their complete lack of predictability, and their unashamed determination to tell Johnny Law to fuck off with his tyrannic laws and oppressive regulations - the things that I love in art, and I will learn, this Lent, to love it in driving as well.

God Bless Chicago! God Bless the people from Chicago!

[KitchenWitch]

1. WOW!

[taterguy]

2. You swear at FBI agents?

Enjoy your stay at Gitmo

[Rabrrrrrr]

31. FIBs - not FBI.

[Radical Activist]

3. Yes, god bless

people who actually know how to get somewhere in traffic instead of driving like a bunch grandma's with nowhere to go. They make our economy more efficient. ;)

[Critters2]

6. And kill 40,000 people a year.

But people who don't matter, because they were in the way of people with important places to get to.

[Radical Activist]

13. the elderly

get in the most car accidents per mile driven. You can't always equate driving quickly with driving recklessly.

[Critters2]

4. I'm giving up chocolate. nt

[ScreamingMeemie]

5. Even the ones with the stupid trailers???

You're a better person than I.

[Connonym]

7. I thought only people from WI called 'em FIBs.

One of those stereotypes that proves true all too often.

[Rabrrrrrr]

9. I am a Wisconsin native.

and even living in other states, always on the lookout to see if idiot drivers have Illinois plates - surprisingly, even on the East Coast and out west, often they are.

Excuse me, I don't mean idiot drivers - I mean, people who live out the American dream of individualism by driving according to their own rules, and not those of Johnny Law. :-)

[Critters2]

12. 35th smartest state in the Union!!! nt

[Rabrrrrrr]

14. Wisconsin was 8th in the latest ranking.

Or do you mean IL? Did it come in at 35?

[Critters2]

21. Wisconsin 8th, Iowa 9th, Illinois 35th.

The FIBs must be proud.

[Rabrrrrrr]

22. BWUHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

Ooops, that was nasty of me.

















:rofl:

[Critters2]

25. Kinda puts their sense of superiority in perspective

They're not smart enough to know they're not as smart as Wisconsinites or Iowans.

[Rabrrrrrr]

28. I think so!

:rofl:

[LSK]

8. this FIB says

SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Rabrrrrrr]

11. OMG, yes!

That is one thing that WI drivers have going against them - especially in that section of three-lane Interstate between Madison and Portage. Wisconsinites don't have a fucking clue how to drive that section of highway. Makes me fucking insane - slow people in every fucking lane.

[KitchenWitch]

15. And the penchant for passing on the right!

:grr:

[mark414]

16. this is true

i loves me my state and the people in it but christ...learn how to drive

[eyepaddle]

45. That seems to be endemic to the upper midwest

MN, WI and IL all seem to have more than a healthy share of left lane drifters. I don't know who started it but damn does it drive me crazy.

And yes, that stretch of 90/94 is THE worst of all time for that. When I head down to Chicago I have to just zen up and not look at the speedometer. I find it helps to stay in the right lane; if I'm gonna be goin' slow I'd at least like to be in the right place for it.

A bonus level of fun are what I call "The Formation Flyers" setting up their moving road block and driving in complete oblivion.

[greatauntoftriplets]

34. Let's make him an honorary Chicagoan.

For life.

:evilgrin:

[LSK]

35. and for initiation, we trap him on the Kennedy at 5pm on a Friday

:evilgrin:

[greatauntoftriplets]

36. During a rainstorm....

No more snow, please.

[mark414]

10. what if they're hauling boats?

FIBWABs....FIBs With A Boat

i grew up 10 minutes from lake geneva and spent a lot of summer days and nights there...

Go home FIBs!

[Critters2]

17. Especially if they're hauling boats. nt

[ForrestGump]

18. Giving up hating Chicago

seems a little extreme.

[SOteric]

46. It does, doesn't it.

[Critters2]

47. I know I couldn't do it.

Why set oneself up for failure?

[matcom]

19. so you are a Cubs fan now?

:cry:

[Rabrrrrrr]

24. Don't be insane. I didn't say I was going to trade Chicago-hate for self-hate.

I'd never be a Cubs, White Sox, Bears, Bulls, or any other Chicago team fan.

[Rabrrrrrr]

20. In fact, I'm even going to learn some Chicago history and try to learn to appreciate it.

I won't be able to make any trips there, but this is my guarantee to Chocagoans - it's time to let go of the hate, and see if I am wrong.

[mark414]

23. you should read

'the devil in the white city' by erik larson

it made my chicago hating go from extremely negative to only slightly negative

[matcom]

26. Deep-Dish Pizza Still Sucks Ass

:hide:

[Rabrrrrrr]

29. I like the Pizza Hut Badger Special deep dish pizza

You meanie-pants albatross-raping ditch-weed-smoking mendicant bastard.

:cry:

[LSK]

33. Liar!!! There is no such thing as bad pizza!

:D

[AngryAmish]

39. Ever had pizza in Wisco?

Then you will find bad pizza.

[LSK]

40. who in their right mind would go to Wisco?

:hide:

[greatauntoftriplets]

42. It's full of cheeseheads!!!

:eyes:

And then there's Michigan!!!

:bounce:

[zanne]

27. For lent, I'm giving up making fun of Florida people....

Everytime it's cold down there. (Not really)

[ZombieNixon]

30. So I can finally send you that Bears jersey I bought you?

:rofl: :P

[Rabrrrrrr]

32. Yes, please! I want to wear it on St. Patrick's Day

and then for my wedding.

[jobycom]

37. I gave up fibs for Lent once, when I was a kid. nt

[AngryAmish]

38. It is funny to see chedderheads upset

They stamp their little feet and get all upset. Unfortunately they really are not smart enough to do anything about it. They just get kinda red and they furrow their brows trying to think up a good rejoinder. However they do live in Illinois' largest state park and we do need someone to clean the toilets.

[Rabrrrrrr]

41. We're not cheddarheads, we're Cheeseheads.

If you're gonna name us after a cheese, name us after one of them invented here: colby or that other one that I can't remember (farmer's cheese? some kind of white cheese, anyway).

[matcom]

43. You're a Munsterhead

:rofl:

[greatauntoftriplets]

44. Velveetaheads!!!

:hippie:

[Critters2]

57. Chicken soup cheese?

My dad loves that, but it sounds disgusting to me. 'Course, I don't eat chicken soup.

[Critters2]

48. Smart? Again--Wisconsin 8th, Illinois 35th

I'm assuming the FIBs aren't smart enough to grasp what that means.

[AngryAmish]

51. God bless you cute little round people!

You try so hard!

[XNASA]

49. Driving is dumb.

Arguing about it is dumber. To quote Tracey Walther in Repo Man: "The more you drive, the less intelligent you are."

I take the train to work myself.

[Critters2]

50. We don't have public transit where I live.

All that money goes to Chicago. We have to drive.

[Rabrrrrrr]

52. Then come on out and build us some light rail in the 99% of America

that isn't a major metropolitan city.

Biking is fine if you live close. Not so handy for going away for the weekend 500 miles away.

I do miss the transit system of the Northeast, being able to take the train from NYC to CT or upstate NY or Boston or Washington, DC... outside of that area, though, one is pretty much fucked.

[greatauntoftriplets]

55. When I worked downtown, I took the train. And loved it.

Now that I commute suburb to suburb, I have very few options other than to drive...unless I want my daily 12-mile each way commute to stretch to two hours each way as opposed to just one.

The tax burden is spread way too thinly (everywhere!!!) to pay for light rail in many areas. The City of Chicago bugs the Illinois legislature for more money, and the legislature in turn bugs the feds. Resources are limited. I could go on and on and on here, but I won't.

[grace0418]

53. At least it's warming up a bit, a little easier not to hate it here.

What's an FIB though?

[Dastard Stepchild]

54. I don't know how to react...

The Milwaukee-born part of me understands the FIB detesting tendencies, but the Illinois-living part of me realizes that it might be a description of me.

:dilemma:

[madrchsod]

56. well if that`s the case

come on done and take the 355 south or north .one is walled in at over 80 miles an hour--no one drives slow and lives.
when i come up to madison or the dells it`s the back roads for me.it`s 15-30 minutes more to madison or the dells and a hell of a lot saner