Speaker: Um ah we used to say this. Like jar me out. Interviewer: Right. Speaker: Jar me out. I doubt they know what that means. Um slang or lingo mm. Um I-don't-know. I don't know, bag?

Interviewer: Can you think of any other ah any lingo or terminology that's particular to Timmins or Northern-Ontario that you would- might hear someone Southern-Ontario use or say? Speaker: Ah probably stuff like, "Oh that's a jar man." ... I can never understand that because, first of all ajar means a door is partly opened. And I don't understand how someone can learn that word and twist it like that anyway. Or jar-me-out! ... What the hell does that mean?

Interviewer: I know ah maybe not with your generation but my generation a lot used to say "To jar out." Speaker: Yeah. Interviewer: Did you guys ah use that too? Speaker: Yeah "Jarred me out."

Interviewer: So then here's another one I wanted to ask you too is ah I know obviously my generation had this but did your generation have to jar out? Speaker: Like have a good time? Interviewer: Like to jar out. To like laugh uncontrollably. Did you guys-? Speaker: Oh yeah yeah. Well see, jar out, like when ah, when I was using it, like when my friends and I used it, it meant so many things. It didn't just even mean laugh.

Speaker: Like you- there- my parents taught us that there's always a solution, there's never a reason to be angry. And if there is, fix it. Interviewer: Okay. Speaker: So, when I went to this house and saw the arguing, I thought, "Oh jeepers." So that- that unnerved me as well. I guess I- I didn't know if I li-- lived a sheltered life or just a darn good one.

And he's proud of that, he's always been happy. Ah, I wanted to name my daughter Rita, but my wife kiboshed that name for Kristen, which is fine. Ah, so I wanted to give it to them in their names. Their last names are Italian.

Anyhow, I- after this one meeting, I met him at the street. In fact it was kitty-corner from (inc) City Hall and he called me over. I was going by and I said, "Hi, how are you doing?" and so on...

Interviewer: Packsack is definitely a Northern-Ontario slang. Speaker: Why, what do they call it down there? Interviewer: It's back-pack. Speaker: Oh. Interviewer: Bu-- in Northern-Ontario. Speaker: I find that back-packs are bigger. I just call that like a packsack or a knap-sack. Interviewer: Yeah we- we're- we're the only people. Like Northern-Ontario is the only people, I swear to God, that call it a packsack. Speaker: Oh yeah? We called it a school-bag up until probably grade ten 'cause you use it only for school.

Interviewer: What would you call that object? Speaker: A bag? A bag-pack? Interviewer: What? Speaker: A bag-pack? Interviewer: A bag-pack? Speaker: Yeah. Interviewer: Really? Speaker: A bag-pack yeah. You don't call it? Interviewer: You wouldn't call it anything else? Speaker: A knap-s-- I-don't-know, knap-sack, I-don't-know, school-bag? Interviewer: Or packsack? Speaker: Packsack? Interviewer: Do you not call it a packsack? Speaker: No. Interviewer: Like almost everyone in Northern-Ontario calls it a packsack. Speaker: I don't call it a packsack.

Interviewer: Um just for example like, what would you call this object here? Speaker: That's a knap-sack. Interviewer: You call it a knap-sack? Speaker: Yeah, what you call it? Interviewer: Well most people in Northern-Ontario call it a pack-sack. Right? Speaker: Oh. Okay. Interviewer: Did you- did you call it a pack-sack (inc) or a knap-sack? Speaker: I think I call it a knap-sack.

Interviewer: Alright, for example, what would you call this object here? Speaker: Knapsack. Interviewer: Knapsack? Speaker: Yeah. Interviewer: Okay. Which would associate you more with an older generation then, 'cause most people in Northern-Ontario call it a packsack. Speaker: Yeah, j-- yeah. Interviewer: Whereas people in Southern-Ontario would call that backpack. Speaker: That's interesting.

Interviewer: Okay. So what about ah Northern-Ontario versus Southern Ontario? Speaker: Well, we got a course our own different languages we- you know, we t- we say- apparently we say knap-sack, they say packsack, type of thing I-don't-know. I've heard that before. You-know we- we have our own slang language here and I don't know how noticeable it is, but I remember my friends when I moved to Toronto, thought I talked weird.

Interviewer: ... put your books in, what did you call that? Speaker: I'm trying to think. Oh, actually this isn't probably what you're expecting me to say but it was a gym-bag. I had a gym-bag. Interviewer: Oh really? Speaker: Yeah, I didn't have a packsack or- or a knapsack or a- I had a gym-bag. So it was a gym-bag. Interviewer: But- but you would say that a lot of people growing up did call their schoolbags packsacks? Speaker: Oh yeah, for sure. Interviewer: Which I did as well. Speaker: Yeah. Interviewer: And packsack being a- a Northern-Ontario thing.

So that, and ah my brother getting mumps coming across the border and having, you-know- he's trying to be the- the nice guy. Ah my stepfather jumped out and warned the border agents. Said, "Hey, (inc) young lad that has mumps.

There was a baker who lived there. Not many of the- of the moms worked outside the neighbourhood, but at one time I did count a hundred and fifty four kids. And ah we were bound by two streets and laneway (laughs), or four streets and a laneway. And everybody had their own little neighbourhood. You didn't often venture onto another street to play with other kids, you- you had enough to- in your own neighbourhood.

And I'm like watching him and I'm like- at the time I'm drunk and also a bit baked so I'm like laughing my ass off.

I get up and I go talk to Matt. I'm like "Matt, what the fuck was that about? I was watching you, I was laughing my ass off." He's like "Yeah, I was putting that show on just for you."

Like ridiculously good price and- it's 'cause there it's not import, it's domestic, it's the U-K. Their import is Budweiser, which made me laugh my ass off 'cause I mean, you think import, you think good.

The nuns were the primary teachers there, they were, oh I'd say six maybe lay teachers.

... ah one time in particular I was in a public-speaking-contest. ... I think I was in grade four or five. I won for my class, then I won for the school, then I went to the regionals, and I did not place in the top three at the legion, but I remember the principal, Harry-Baumer, he came up to me and he gave me a scholastic-bar saying, in his mind, I came in fourth.