arrow_circle_left arrow_circle_up arrow_circle_right
The Banter Page
help
If you're wanting to get something off your chest, make general comments about the server, or post lonely hearts ads, then this is the place for you.
arrow_circle_up
rabsnoozers
[st d] I can beat that. it's impossible. Anyone would think we had been building this coincident-rich verbal stunt for the past two weeks or so... And I'm seriously looking at the site now. Thank you :o)
rab bags
pen] all i can say is this. Buy one. You will never regret it. They are gorgeous.
rabby birthday
Quite appropriate really as it is rab we have to thank for mc5.
bob the dog
pay attention, lad!
P.
Don't want to get too self-indulgent but I really should thank:
  • Projoy - for the logo (and not suing me for ripping it off, or manipulating it at times like this).
  • Nik - for the hardware, and keeping the site live beyond the call of duty.
  • Everyone else - for playing, and for not cocking up the HTML (only two fixes required in a year's play).
Right, time to get pissed.
logolicious!
Like the logo, btw.. :-)
Duty, maybe, but decency and morality, no. Anyway, it's a good 5 months (to the day-of-month - how freaky?) until MC5's birthday at angrycake.com. Which box has just reached 43 days uptime, while I figured this post out.
Uptime
Oh, that uptime is so low only because <spoddy reason in the rollover>. Also, 43 days probably extends further back than the last time the DSL was down.
It's been a year...
Did the Earth move for you too?
MC5 -- the early days
oooh ... I've just looked back to the very first entries in this game and was pleased to see that I was there! :-)
Is anyone up for an Anniversary Chat [e-pilg MCiOS] in an hour or so [when you all return from Friday night fun]?
Spooky coincedences
Today is my birthday. However, I'm not 1.
"Mrs" Bob gave me a copy of a David Icke book that she found in an Oxfam in Bath. Apparently the Queen is a lizard. Just my sort of book :o)
S'Razhdyeistvom MC5
I thought you'd lik a nice russian greeting for this momentous occasion, so...
S'Raaaa-zhdyeistvom
S'Raaaa-zhdyeistvom
S'Razhdyeistvom MC5
S'Raaaa-zhdyeistvom! It sounds better after lots of vodka.
Completely nothing to do with anything
Are there any American players out there who are fans of Pyramid?
Oh yes, making it relevant
only if you ever want to see it again I'd write to the distributors before Tuesday because it's just been cancelled....
Pyramid
[ZK] I didn't think it went well with Donny Osmond as host. You can't beat Dick Clark at that show.
Pyramidness
I never did get to see it with Dick Clark. (too young and british) Still, if you know anyone who does like it...
black humour
One should expect it really ... the inevitable round of e-mails following a major news story, in this case, Harold Shipman's suicide. This morning I received the one relating to the plans for a film of his life [starring De Niro] called 'The Old Dear Hunter'. Tasteless, maybe, but I have to confess I chuckled. Do only we Brits have a propensity for laughter in the face of appalling events?
No, there are people with this quality born all over the planet; it just seems that in the UK the concentration is substantially higher and/or less secretive about it. Perhaps UK society is more at home with, or based around, this tendency. After all, it's not so long ago ('help! Help! I'm being oppressed!') that we had little else but each others' misery to find amusing. Oh, and that is a superb pun.
Today
Bit quiet today. And moist, I note.
E-pilg
I'm in right now -- and as I'm not at work today, I won't have to leave at 5 PM EST. :)
Downtime
There will be downtime. I don't know how much, or when. I'm having my ADSL regraded from engineer-installed to wires-only, because Nildram are currently doing so for free. I'm using the opportunity to upgrade to 1mbps (downstream only, unfortunately). Whee!
nuttin' at all...
No-one has chatted here today at all, so I thought I'd make an inconsequential start. I'm having a tricky day - three awkward letters to write to clients trying to ditch us (that's only three out of about 100, so all is not lost yet) but we can't have that. Anyway, I'm obviously doing as much as I can to put off actually having to write the letters, so already today I have reported the malfunctioning traffic lights outside the office (three and a half minutes cycles??? I ask you! I had to wait through two changes of lights this morning before getting though - that's nearly seven minutes) made coffee for everyone, stared at the screeen for ages, and posted to a few games. And soon it will be time for lunch.
clients
Surely it is nmore effective to go and see them or to call them up on the phone. Why are they trying to ditch you ?
ditchiness
Long story - to do with the perceived value of advertising v. news press, Head Offices streamlining procedures without informing branches, and the fast turnover of staff in the moto trade which means that no sooner have you got one contact briefed and primed than he changes jobs and you have to start all over again, etc etc. And We would have been to see them but for the fact that I have only recently gained the extra member of staff which has relieved me of the pressure of doing two people's jobs. There was no way I could have taken enough time out of the office to visit this lot in the last quarter of last year while I was qwriting news for the other 97 clients. They're all in the North of england and Scotland.
CrM
I agree with st d. Call them. :-)
like I said...
[CdM](I nearly swore at you there)... you don't have to sit at my desk trying just to get put through to the people I have to talk to. Let's not talk about it any more - I've had enough for today.
getting through to people
pen] you obviously aren't doing it very well if they aren't coming to the phone to talk to you. I mean ...(joke joke joke joke joke joke joke) ;o)
getting the 'joke'
I'm pleased you pointed out it was a joke, because I wouldn't have spotted it otherwise. :op
Anyway, who's for pizza?
e-pilg
I was certain that I put a move in here - and I can't find it anywhere else..have we lost anything?
Marbles?
Well that goes without saying..
anything else?
Very strange feeling - I'm meeting someone this evening and was told to be at Mornington Crescent at 8. I wanted to say something like - "Direct from Paddington? I'm not sure that's allowed under the Walsh-Hemerington Allowance of 1932, at least with an unstacked podume," but I didn't.
more warnings
Just in case anyone on Celebdaq has any shares in Arnie, the Board have issued a statement to suspend his shares from midday on Thursday, 22nd January 2004, so sell any shares in him now.

The other sensational news for D class celeb watchers is the return od I'm a Celebrity Get me Out of Here. The line up being
John Lydon
Neil Ruddock
Alex Best
Kerry McFadden
Jordan
Mike Read
Lord Brocket
Peter Andre
Jenny Bond
Diane Modahl
I will admit even at this early stage, that my shares will be on my adolescent hero from the Sex Pistols, to become King of the Jungle.

Bliss.
How ignorant I am. Of the list above I recognise only Lydon, Jordon, Read and Peter Andre (Although I haven't a clue what or who he is).
Whoops.
Hungover :) And it seems there are those who think this site is a search engine. Odd.
Ask Jeeves
What is a Fairy Hammock??
which Mike?
Which Mike Read? Is it:
*sings*
Mike Read, Mike Read
275 and 285
Mike Read, Mike Read
National Radio 1!
or is it Mike Read of 'Runaround............ NOW!
*Drags head out of Seventies TV and Medium Wave radio back to the noughties and the fact that she *still* can't get a digital TV signal*
junglers
So who's Lord Brocket?
And .. Jenny Bond? The 'royaller than the royals' lady?
Also ... notice that all the first names have either 4 or 5 letters in them [apart from Jordan who's a whole country anyway]
[pen] You should be able to get a radio signal - why not use the dosh to buy a DAB radio?
It's yet another indication of how woeful TV has become these days. Anything with the word "celebrity" in the title, you know will be dire; furthermore, you know that it will push the word "celebrity" so far that it will lose all meaning. I mean, George Best's wife? Someone who reports on the royal family? And those are the ones I have vaguely heard of. Remember "Celebrity Wife Swap" with the bloke who cheated on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Neither does anyone else. I was on Zig Zag when I was 10. I'd probably qualify as a "celebrity" for one of these programmes.
john Lydon
I think it is a very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very sad thing indeed that he is appearing on that show. Very sad. I mean, really, what's the point anymore ? Why go on ?
unless.....
unless of course he just tells everyone to faaark orffffff and refuses to do anything at all. That might be quite entertaining.
effing offers
[st d] I think that's the idea. And frankly I hope it happens.
BTW, I'm having a slightly better afternoon today - my boss has just stopped riding his electric scooter around the office to serve me a cup of Earl Grey and a gingernut.
damn DAB
[Chalks] I've thought about it - but Digital TV was supposed to be an economy, because you can get digital radio through the TV. It was £60 to receive Digital TV + Digital Radio through the digibox, OR £70-odd for just digital radio through a DAB set.
Run Around
[pen] Apropos of Run Around, it struck me that the Iowa caucusses which have just been held were reminiscent of Run Around.
cor cussing
One might think the plural of caucus would be 'cauca' [what a corker!] or even 'caucii'. My Chambers English Dic is non-committal by suggesting that the etymology is dubious and it might be derived from John Smith's Algonkian word Cawcawaassough, an adviser. I'm sure someone over can shed more light .... ?
surreal spam
I got some spam - normal get-rich-quick rubbish, but the following was on the end of the mail..
I have no difficulty in starting or holding my bowel movement. Applicant interrupted interview to phone her therapist for advice on how to answer specific interview questions. `With a torch.' `Very deep,' said Arthur, `you should send that in to the "Reader's Digest". They've got a page for people like you.'"
S'not fair snorgs - you always get the most exciting spam :-)
Corkers
[Chalky] That's more or less the etymology I've heard as well, from no less eminent a source than Bill Bryson (Made In America). "caucii" seems an unlikely plural since "caucus" isn't of Latin origin... All the same though, the one thing I do know is that the real trick with spelling the plural of "caucus" is knowing when to stop.
the Latin theory
[Duncussessesesess] After the Caucus Club of Boston (in the 1760s), possibly from Medieval Latin caucus, drinking vessel. [Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.]
Caucii
Simple - the plural of caucus is caucuses. That's from the lexicon I keep here in the shack - The New Penguin E.D. - etym. 'probably of Algonquian origin'. Algonquians being of east coast American peoples; ergo - N.Y slang! ... ;-)
Why is it?
At 0500 hours I get a craving for chips with lots of vinegar? I'm the wrong genda to be pregnant. Maybe if I get a sex change the cravings will be justified????
DAB radio vv TV
Pen] The value of the set-top box has to be off-set against TV licence (going up to £121 in April). So cost of TV (£70) divided by life of TV (£10 + 7 years x £121) = £875 for 7 years viewing. I personally feel that it is not worth it. I have no TV, watch DVDs on my PC and get all my news/current affairs/entertainment from The World Service, R4, R6 & R7 on my DAB radio (£70). OK, so I miss out the quality stuff like I'm a Celeb, Emmerdale, Kilroy and The Bill, but I'll live :o).
dubious maths, Bob.
I'm not convinced. You can't offset the cost of a digibox against the TV licence, you have to add them together! (I know that's a point against, but still...) And a Digibox will receive digital radio signals through the TV. Plus, I think you have to factor in the fact that I was going to blag half the money from my flatmate :o)
I also watch DVDs on my laptop, and listen to a lot of R4 but I do appreciate a bit of telly from time to time, especially some of the documentaries, history and natural history programmes, stuff like Grand Designs and some comedy. Last night, though, my TV wasn't switched on at all.
I think my main gripe is the fact that although they're advertising digital TV (in the BBC's case, 'pushing' - isn't that still advertising?) as much as they can, not everyone can get it and there's no schedule to let people know when they will be able to get it. When I asked, I was told to lobby my MP about it. I think that's the woolliest consumer advice I've ever received.
maths - never my strong point
Pen] Yer-right!
Cost of TV (average) = £70
Cost of Set-top box = £50 (£49 in Argos)
Life expectancy of both = 7 years
7 years of TV licence at £121 = £847
Total cost of TV+set-top for 7 years viewing = £967
£967 divided by two (you and flat-mate) = £483.50.
OK so I'm a pedantic bugger, but I'm also justifying my own decision not to have a TV to myself. I do not miss the natural history stuff as the best of it is available in my local library (I watch them on my pc with my 8 year-old daughter). I also miss some documentaries but I've been at the sharp-end of BBC misrepresentation so I am only too aware of how documentaries and news items are often sexed-up to present an 'angle' that will pull in the punters rather than tell the truth.
BBC misrepresentation
Does the culture of mis-representation not extend as far as the hallowed halls of Radio 4? Did anyone tell John Humphries yet? As an aside (I warn you, I think I'm pre-menstrual today - I've already had a go at Mastercard on the phone this morning) The Today programme really pisses me off - the last quarter of an hour today was five mintes of JH taking the piss out of a Pensioners' Cross-Party political party which was launched today, and the other ten minutes in 'serious' debate about Cricket. I ask you...
Being Pedantic
B. the D.] News and current affairs can't be that good on DAB because you appear not to have heard that "Killroy" has been pulled. Highly amusing article on page 5 of the new "Private Eye" on the subject of Mr K.-S. by the way.
hallowed halls of R4
pen] Right again, the mis-representation I was subject to started on R4 - a report by Trixie Rawlinson in fact. All (sensationalist) news reporting should be taken with a pinch of salt - and somehow I find it easier to be objective to news broadcast on the Radio where there are no emotive images.
Bigsmith] I shall be more attentive for vital news like this in future ;o)
Today
I really cannot stand The Today Programme. In my eyes it comprises largely onanistic playground squabbles masquerading as informed debate. The questions posed often fail to hit any substantive target and the guests frequently have the communication skills of a mop and bucket. Plus I simply cannot cope with that much talking first thing in the morning. R3's as much as I can cope with (prob. less than 10% chat, not to mention those long pauses they're famed for).
morons morons evrywhere
I have just gone over to watch a little video thing on a computer of a girl at work. It consisted of a "rifle man's view" (ie B/W with crosshairs) of some iraqis running for cover then being blown to pieces with US voice commentary on top. Now I am not commenting on the rightness or wrongness of the US soldiers doing the killing, but rather this MORON girl laughing withher nasal estuarine horse laughter at it. She seems to think it is funny ? I don't get it.
Oh god st d, I sympathise.
Beavis & Bush-head
[st dogma] Was she laughing "huh-uh-huh,huh-uh-huh-uh-huh-uh-huh-huh,huh-huh" ?
HTML Primer
[Dr Q] Bravo. Go on - don't be shy. Put the link in here aswell :-)
I'm sure rab will give it the signpost it deserves.
HTML Primer
Yes - I promised DrQ to put a link to it on the site somewhere... what I really want to do is create a 'help' page. I've got the nuts and bolts of it written, just need to construct the text. Maybe this'll get done at the weekend.
Did I forget to x-post?
Well, here it is, then. The MC Basic HTML Primer.
Q-text
We can expect some
  • Useful
  • Interesting
  • Informative
  • Exciting and
  • Bizarre
posts from now on then.
I DON'T BELIEVE IT
There are people here who are even more grumpy than me, which is nice. Bob the Dog has got the right idea. TV is nearly all crap. I look at the Radio Times and think "thank God for the radio - esp. R4". Jazz FM and R3 have their moments, too. But, except for the football, which is good, R5 is utterly dire. It's like a perpetual down-market You and Yours. Hasn't Susan Bookbinder got a horrible harsh voice, compared with the velvet tones of Charlotte Green and the luscious Corrie Corfield?
Funnily enough, I used to have a job which consisted of trying to think of new TV programmes (in the "light factual" category, and I think we all know what that means). It wasn't quite as soul-destroying as you might think, but let's just say it wasn't really me. I've never in my life listened to the radio apart from a few very rare occasions so I have no idea what the Today programme or any others are like...
Mumbles into half-drunk cold coffee...
Rosie] I'm not grumpy! Its Bob the dog by the way, never Bob the Dog.
:o) - I like this!
Best stop here...
puzzled
[Bob] Who's the face on the crab?
Chalky] Ah, the crab of ineffable wisdom! I think it is David Icke. I got him from here. The following is his nemesis..
very puzzled
As I can't see Bob's marquees on my browser, the foregoing makes very little sense indeed.
[Rosie] Why listen to R5 if you detest it so much? I formed the same impression of it when it started, and I haven't listened to it since.
Radio 5
I do listen to it - but mainly quite late at night, when it's better. I listen to it in the mornings too, but wish they didn't have Nicky Campbell on then - he really is terrible at interviews!
[rab] Use a different browser then! Btd's animations are great!
A Null Set If Ever I Heard Of One
Quality and TV? Ha!

It's a ridiculous cliché to say that British telly is the best in the world, but there's also some truth in it. Try watching US telly sometime - yes, there are good programmes on (after all, many of them are shown on British telly too) but the amount of utter irredeemable tripe is enormous and far outweighs the good stuff (at least on terrestrial). One very good reason that there is no licence fee in the States is that nothing being put out on the terrestrial networks is worth it.

We have a TV in order to watch Star Trek. That's about it.

HTML
To recap:
  1. I created this for no reason
  2. ...other than to see how it looks
  3. ...and I'm impressed!
This and that
(Raak) Your logic is impeccable, but possibly does not address the practicalities. The footy on R5 is good because they never pretend a poor match is good. I have even heard Michael Green say "this is dreadful". So you get the truth, more or less. So the radio gets left on R5 sometimes and I turn it on and get all this crap I mentioned. The same can happen in the car. (Bob the lower case dog) Dreadful sorry - will be more careful in the future. Like your crabs, but could Thrax and I please have some of those F****** LOBSTERS.
it's all rather good
I feel I must make a stand for Blode.
More Blode
Much more Blode and other stuff here. Some of it is quite rude. My favorites are Big Pants Treking and The Beatles.
Even more
Oh yeah, and We Like the Moon and Mark Larma, Gerbil Farmer. My all-time favorite flash animation is this one.
Hmm, try again
My all-time favorite flash animation is this one.
Nudge
*nudges Btd in the direction of the 'Preview' button*
... interruptin' Flashing Bob
[Bob] hauling you back ... I don't think that IS David Icke smiling on the crab. I thought he'd been swallowed by the 'globe of destruction' that is the bizarre workings of his mind, but it seems not. He's on the telly as I type.
...again
I'm working at home today. Well, I say that. I'm really trying to figure out a sign-writing [by hand not machine] job for my local pub, whilst keeping a close eye on the short-term weather forecast [snow on Monday]. OK - in reality I'm faffing around on here with the ITV1 in the background. It's ever so cosy :-) OMG - D Icke is completely barking ...
Icke it is in the real world
David Icke used to be a harmless nutter, but now seems to be spouting dangerous anti-semitic messages. He believes that we are governed by reptiles from space under the title of the 'Babylonian Brotherhood'. He believes that the death of Pricess Diana was a sacrifice to the gods (by the Windsors, Spencers and Al-Fayeds) and that presedent Bush (amongst others) attendeds ritual baby eating sacrifices. We'll he is possibly right there. (To any American air-port officials who may wish to arrest me, that was a J O K E ok?). He hates the Freemasons who have this to say about him.
sequal No 5
rab] following Nina posting over on Orange, would you be willing to host the film review forum and putting Anni-Verse-Ary Game to bed?
Etching
[Inkspot] I have etched my response into an Orange.

Mind you, the Verse game has not really caught on... so its replacement with, erm, something would probably be A Good Thing.

Replacements
[rab] We haven't had Mornington Dictionary for a while (that is, definitions for made up words rather than new definitions for existing words). Mind you, that's usually hosted at MCiOS...
Stupid Bugger
Of course, in offering that suggestion I was neglecting to notice that the 2002 Mornington Dictionary game is, er, still going on MCiOS.

Forget I mentioned that.

Hyakugojyuuichi!!
I, er, don't get it.
More white plastic bags
rab] strange that about the verse game not catching on perhaps people prefer to 'add-a-line' to make it more of a participation game, rather than the whole verse as set out. There we go live and learn.
I know story games have only a limited base of followers, but again see if it floats, Short Reverse Stories, each about 5-15 moves of approx 100ish words, if it sinks ... it gets killed off and gets replaced.

Meanwhile over at Daq Towers, the hamsters have been busy, I had been expecting x_sugarbabe_x, at the top, but keeping it in the family its Chalky as No1 over at Celebtity Mornington Crescent, and will DrQu+xum be ready to take over next week?

Just registering my annoyance - the Verse Game has been ditched after only a week! All this to make way for a load of film chat, eh? Which just happens to occur in MCiOS, eh? [and is a very fine game - believe me, I'm not knocking it] So - if commenting on some other person's 'work' takes precedence over our own poetic/literary endeavours then so be it. I'd obviously read it wrong.
Anniversary, Birthday, Cessation
I thought, Chalky, that it was only meant as a temporary tribute to the first birthday of the site. Maybe I misinterpreted something along the way. No, I have nothing against a verse game of some sort so please do not take that comment the wrong way.
Is there some way we could meet in the middle on a new verse game? I like the participatory nature - it's fun to watch something twist away - but maybe something where it isn't limited to one line, and also maybe not limited to one particular verse form. Whoever starts declares a form - either specifically (e.g., Petrarchan Sonnet) or by establishing a rhyme and metre scheme, and puts out as much as they feel like. That way, anyone feeling truly inspired can provide a complete chunk for us, and the dullards among us can trip over 5 feet of iambic pentameter.
Invite to everyone....
To visit my bands home page,sign the guest book and listen to the free tunes! http://www.papalazarus.com Have a funky day!
You're my wife now...
widey] Happy boppy stuff! Did the name come before or after the League of Gents?
... ooh
Sorry I came over all stroppy-like last night with my little rant. Of course, it IS possible to carry on playing the Any Verse Game 'below the line'. Simple solutions like that don't really register after a skinful :-).
Shape-changing reptiloids
[Bob the Dog] Interesting stuff about Icke, although as I understand it, the charge of anti-semitism seems to be unfair - I believe that what happened is that people heard him ranting about alien lizards running the world and thought it was his offensive way of referring to Jews, when in fact he really did mean alien lizards and wasn't talking about Jews at all. All the same, it seems very odd to me that everyone's response to David Icke is that he is a weird nutter who is beneath contempt, rather than that he is clearly mentally ill and needs help. This is what happens when you play sport, you know.
Correction
I meant, of course, "Bob the dog", with a firmly lower-case noun there.
Oi Stop thief...........Papalazarus
we nicked it from the LOG but it happens to be Duffers middle name!!!!
I wanna ride my Icke
Breadmaster] I think one of the things that fascinates me about DI is that he has been like this for so long. That is not to say that people with mental illnesses only have it for a short period, rather that he is being taken so seriously and that no-one has managed to get him any real help.
[Btd] Perhaps he's actually the front man for the real conspiracy, who maintain him in public view to spout lunatic theories as a camouflage and to draw likely recruits. Their agents go covertly to his meetings, get into conversation with other people there, and when they suss a likely prospect, tell him that of course Icke's crazy, how the world really works is such and such, and do they want in?
Gathering more net space to self
I'm sure I've seen most of the stuff listed above before (Moon song, crab whotsit etc), the total randomness of the Internet is so fantastic, it's unbelievable. Things like sqa.com really underline the total iognorance of some people (8-/). The Google directory has some truly laughable links. *sigh*
User names
For some time I have been pondering over the use of long names on MC sites and their attempt to dominate the screen, disrupt the eye and generally just be a bloody nuisance. Now I know. See here and scan down the list of the territory tyrants. ... :-)
Grrrr!
Link faulty: Try this one. ... ;-)
Oi, Googolplex
Much as I admire, revere, and love the name which nature or some other kindly creature has bestowed on you, is there any chance you could change it to a shortened version or acronym? What with it stretching the browser and all....
Name Controversy
Wow - this is the biggest naming controversy since The Two Jonathans! :)
It was I!
[Dujon] That Googolplex the Amazing Balancing Goat from Luxembourg and I are one and the same: I have e-mailed the M.E. in the past and managed to get both myself, and a friend (Elmon the King Slug of Bangladesh) portions of the world. Ask her, if you don't believe me. Oh, and have you seen the quotes page? [ZK] Thank you, you are a lovely grovvely indidvidual: are you related to Chalky? ;-) I loathe it when people type my name as an acronym. If you must shorten it, make me "Googolplex" as above.
My name is too long too
Welcome Googolplex, I like your full name. I have often wanted to shorten my own for the sake of easy typing, but is Btd funny?
We're on at the same time!!!!!!! What do I do?
[Bob the dog] I don't know whether you're being sarcy or complimentary! I'm the only other person I know who has that effect on people (although, not on the net). Now I'm so confused! Btd could be funny; it depends what you make of it.
The written word...
Googolplex the Amazing Balancing Goat from Luxembourg] - [sorry I got it wrong first time] Ah ha!
Help!
A help page has been added, and it contains a link to DrQ's reference. If anyone has any improvements to the text, let me have them. The same goes for the various buttons on these pages too.
[Bob the dog] No, yours isn't.
[GtABGfL] Particularly on this site, where the font is bigger than MCiOS, it's a teensy bit annoying. And no, I'm not related to Chalky or ZK or Dujon...
Info page
[rab] Much obliged for the link . . . and you forgot BPMCF ;)
Oh, noooo....
[Bob the dog] Stop with the mind games!!!!
Bob the dog
I've been meaning to ask - why don't you have dog as Dog? Is it some grand mystery of the universe? Or is there a simpler explanation?
Deepdarkmysterysofthemind
ZK] When I first started on !York I used my real name - a very odd and silly thing to do, especially as I have an memorable name and at that time was in a high profile job. So, after an announcement of my intentions, I changed my on-line identity. After a short trip as Roobiroo, I became Bob the dog, named after my brothers dog, Bob. My brother has a dog, not a Dog - and as I am really playing on his behalf, I am very careful not to abuse his very well-earned doggy title.
Googolplex the Amazing Balancing Goat from Luxembourg] I am not related to Chalky, ZK, Dujon or Toby either. If that helps.
high-profile job
[Btd] According to Google, you are the Head of the CIA's clandestine service and Deputy Director for Operations. Or is farming more in your line?
It's all relative
And there I was under the impression that I was related to all of you...now, I'm just confused!
Relations?
[ZK] You must be from West Virginia! ;)
name calling
[GtABGfL] That's the second [or maybe third] time you've accused me of grovelling. I was being polite when I kindly requested you shortened your name for the Doubles Game in MCiOS, simply because the truncated nature and content of the entries in that game makes for ease of reading. Scanning down the page, which is part of the fun, becomes impossible if diverted by the swivel-eye effect of your long name. As you have now decided to expand your activities into Orange MC and here, I shouldn't be surprised if you get further polite requests to 'wind yer neck in' ....
monicker inflation
Wind yer neck in, Goo-Boy. It's a visual irritant.
Nom de ploooooooome
Indeed. Recall that my handle is an abbreviation as well. It's short for DrQuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
uuuuuuuuuuuuuuu....

[to be continued]
Necks
[Chalky] Sorry if I offended you, i tend to get stuck on ideas from time to time, but it's a fair enough comment. In games like that, I may well relinquish my title and stick with my name: is that fair? [Rosie] Dearie, your sentence is so irritating, it should've arrived in a yellow bottle with "Harmful Irritant" on an orange background with a huge black cross on it. Don't call me "Goo-Boy" and I'll start making changes. *sob*
Goat-boy
Is that better? Stop being so obsessive, or I'll get the whip out!
Pin the tail on the donkey
Projoy] Ooo arr!
Aesthetics
In the interests of aesthetics, excessively long monikers are auto-truncated on the front page. [DrQ] grr... formatting...
Googolplex the amazing balancing goat from luxembourg
AT first I thought that our ruminant luxembourgeois friend's name was somewhat irritating in it's length. Now however I like it and would be most upset and sad if she (for I believe that the "goat-boy" is indeed a she - I remember these details) were to revert to a simple Googolplex (or Euro Goat or whatever). I do have a question though - are you in Luxembourg now ? Indeed are you even actually from luxembourg ?
Wonders why he bothers.
Effiminancy
[st dogmael of the house of Cunedda, the son of Ithel ab Ceredig ab Cunedda Wledig] *Ah bliss*. I'll come back to that. [snorgle] You are a darling, but that kind of aggressive flirting, isn't for me. [st dogmael of the house of Cunedda, the son of Ithel ab Ceredig ab Cunedda Wledig] Check Orange MC for a little evidence.
St Dogmael could of course shorten himself to Toel, the name by which he is known in some parts of Brittany.
I've been amazed by some of the gender revelations of recent weeks. !York used to have a "who's who" page, didn't it? We should reinstate such a thing.
yeah yeah, shoot me down now...
I too find that long names, when used constantly, are very annoying, and would like it if people could stop using them. Not that you will, as evidenced above. Games end up cluttered and difficult to scan, which puts me off playing them - it's too much effort to avoid the bandstanding (not that anyone would've noticed any absence, but so be it).

I thought Googolgoat was a good alterative moniker (as seen on MCiOS), which keeps the essence of the name while avoiding initials. Oh well, I'll shut up now.

And I apologise if I offended anyone, but I'm having a rotten couple of months. *shuts up properly, now*
...a continuation...
...uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu....

[flerdle] Keep talking, please!
goatiness or otherwise
re: goatboy - as I typed it I had a sneaking suspicion, but I figured what the hell! I bet she's not a real goat, either.. [st dogmael of the house of Cunedda, the son of Ithel ab Ceredig ab Cunedda Wledig]*cracks whip*
Grrr...
Let's put this in words of one syllable shall we: long strings of text with no spaces fuck up the formatting. Don't do it.
Who's got my mascara?
What evidence is there that suggests I'm a woman? [snorgle] You absolute beast you!
sex (either or)
I dunno. I blame dogmael. *thhppppptttt* So, are you a goat or not?
January blues
Cheer up flerdle! Do you want to hear about my bad day? My car knows that I have to be in Cumbria tomorrow. It also knows that I'm running low on ££ as I have not been paid since December. My car hates me. So over the weekend it decided to have a tantrum. I tried everything to fix it, but it was a big expensive alternator problem I couldn't do anything about. So, having wasted most of my weekend I got up extra early to drop my car at a garage and arranged with 'notMrs' the dog to borrow her car for the trip to Cumbria. We then discover that her car won't start either. What is worse, as she steered it back into our parking space, the open door jammed into a neighbours wing and badly dented it. The neighbours car is a brand new Audi and the neighbour has just been round to tell us that repairs will cost £500. Of course insurance will cover it but we loose our no claim bonus and have to pay the first £100 repair. Plus our premiums will go up. Add a two-year-old with a raging cold and an eight-year-old coping with loss of hamster, liberally sprinkle with my own grotty mood because I’m on a diet and you have a recipe for glumness. Plus the weather forcast for Cumbria is very scary. Flerdle, you are not alone!
Poised Goatliness
Thanks for compromise [ref. Doubles Game :-)] and for the record, I couldn't give a flying fart whether you're male/female/hermaphrodite/single cell amoebic/whatever - so long as your postings are witty/clever/funny/educational/thought-provoking/etc. thereby compelling me to read them when I sign in and see the name on the index pages. I'm a huge fan of some of the regular posters in this elite community - but I wouldn't dream of naming names .....

*sympathy hugs* for flerdle, rab and Bob [whose simulpost I've just seen]

insurance
No, your NEIGHBOUR has to pay the excess and then he claims it back through his insurance, from your insurance! Don't let him tell you otherwise! Unless you mean your own excess, of course - but I didn't get the impression that you damaged your car that badly..
Things that go bump
Nah - 'notMrs' the dogs car is fine. So the neighbour who so kindly came round to tell us it'd be £500 has to pay excess does he? Thanks snorgs.
The good news is
Yey! I've lost 5lbs!
The Incredible Lightness of dogs
[Bob] I say, well done! I went on a wine diet over the weekend and lost three days.
Going spare?
Has there been any recent discussion about what to do with the vacant plot? I'd love to see a revival of "Ye Crescent Morningtowne" from Orange a couple of years ago.
all sorts
re:Goatsex] I am sure that it was admitted by the goat at some time recently, when a link was posted to a site with manga cartoons or some such. Maybe that was just a strange dream ?
Bob] Sounds messy. Did the wee kiddo have a birthday ? Many happy returns from me and tell her I said to get over the hamster and move on. Tell her to buy a Giant Tortoise next as they live longer and she will in all likelihood lose interest in it long before it shuffles off it's mortal coil. ;o0
Actually, I'm a Great Crested Grebe
[Chalky] Hmmm, that list sort of limits my potential posts to the "etc" range. [son of Ithel ab Ceredig ab Cunedda] You pipped me to the post! And no, my gender is not revealed at Hunter's Glade.
Hunters Glade
GP] No - but I am sure I remember you mentioning your gender when you posted that link.....
memory not that good
though as I cant for the life of me remember WHERE you did post that, I can't go back and check....
e-pilg tonight?
I might be around after 9 pm ... any ideas for a theme?
theme?
Bread and Circuses!
hugs etc.
[rab] I noticed the auto-truncating on the front page, darling - thank you.
[Bob the dog] Well done, you. That's the kind of weekend that would put five pounds in beer calories on me....
[flerdle] sorry it's not getting better. *hugs* [pen] What does that mean?
No, my gender isn't there either. Where did I leave it?
[st dogmael] It was "Read any good books lately?"
Abbr.
[rab] The name doesn't abbreviate on the non-CSS page...not like that matters, really.
Bob the dog - done to excess
Hah! Your stupid neighbour thought he'd save money on his insurance by upping his excess, and now he's trying to get you to pay it! Trust me, ring your insurer and they'll confirm it. (so will your neighbour's insurance company). I used to get that all the time in my last job - people thought it was unfair(once they had a claim, not before when it was cheaper, oh no!)that they had to pay money when the accident wasn't their fault. But it is possible to get car insurance with nil excess, just more expensive. Your neighbour will have to cough up the dosh himself and wait till his insurance company can claim it back for him. Tough donuts to the cheapskate!
Abbr
[DrQ] Yeah, the ugliness is less extreme there.
Not Tu+xuj, though that's nice DrQ :)
Cor, you fall asleep for a week, and when the prince (well, I'd rather a princess, but I was asleep at the time) wakes you up your mile behind the times. Reading back three pages worth of conversation was great fun though!
[Btd] A blast of positive karma to you, or whatever equivalent you'd prefer. Maybe an Indian takeaway.
Juggles
Btw there's some acrobatics in the chat room just now.
jiggling
well there was, at any rate.
Bread and Circuses
[Chalky] Someone famous said it - it's the formula to keep the populace happy, I think. I'm sure Google can help.
As luck would have it...
Hoorah for my degree! (er, the one I'm presumably going to have in 3 years' time) That was Juvenal, in his satire #10...

"A body that used to confer commands, legions, rods and everything else, has now narrowed its scope, and is eager and anxious for two things only: bread and races."

Circenses being the latin that can refer to a race or a circus (because of the arena, which was a circuit). Of course.
Oh yeah...should you so wish
"nam qui dabat olim imperium, fasces, legiones, omnia, nunc se continet atque duas tantum res anxius optat, panem et circenses."
(GtAMGfL) I love "Dearie". If only you knew.
Bread and Circi
[pen, Chalky] It was Julius Caesar, wunnit?
bread and circi
*coughs loudly*
Its sunny down here...
Apologies for sharp exit on epilg last night, something went wrong with my connection. Off to snowy Cumbria soon. I may be some time..
circuts!
It wasn't just you, Bob. It fell over, but got back up later! Nice act, though.
Big topple
Perhaps my act was the show stopper. That’s the last time I do the canine cannonball!
Juvenile humour
I can't think of Juvenal without recalling the programme that was on TV about him a few years ago. It consisted primarily of Stephen Fry wandering the crowded streets of London in a toga, scowling at everything. Personally I think that anything that brings that about has to be a good thing.
insurance excess
snorg] I think you are being rather unfair on bob's neighbour. Most people (I imagine) envisage car insurance as covering them for accidents with people they do not know and for large amounts of money. Now Bob is in the unfortunate position of having just had his car cause damage to his next door neighbour's car in an incident that seems to be 100% the fault of !mrs. bob. Admittedly the "man from Audi" coming and knocking on their door does not endear me to the neighbour, but but but the fact remains that bob has to live next door to these people. We do not know what bob's relationship is with them(good/bad/nonexistent) or what kind of people they are. Certainly though I think it is unfair to criticise them for trying to save money on their car-insurance. I would advise bob to simply give them his insurance details and apologise profusely maybe even give them some wine etc. If they ask for any excess he should say that their insurance companies will deal with it - after all that is what they are there for. What I would envisage happening is that bob's insurance company will pay the claim, and that the excess will actually apply to bob - because the neighbour is actually not using his insurance - other than to deal with bob's insurance company. Hopefully this will all resolve very amicably as I am sure it will and the little two year old will get over her cold and the weather will clear up and flerdle will wake up full of hope joy and love and the eight-year old will go on to be elected RULER OF THE WORLD and a new regime of LOVE and KINDNESS will prevail and humanity will evolve to a new level of peace and understanding and this will all be looked back upon as a fond memory in a happy and distant past.
It's a "B" isn't it?
[Rosie] What is the "M" for?
the bright side of life
[st sunnydog] I'll have a glass of whatever you're drinking :-)
Googolsex (The Amazing Balletic Ghost)
GS] having had a look back you appear to have made no mention there at all. Perhaps I just looked at the quotes page and saw predominately female contributions - I think I assumed you to be Anne ? No matter. You shall remain as ambiguous as you desire. Personally I am actually not a Welsh Monk at all, but rather a Seahorse, with no particular amazing qualities (for a sea horse anyway), from Tasmania. I do have a very pretty tail though.
what I am drinking
chalky] right now, Boots® Effervescent Vitamin C, from my "HITACHI Scientific Instruments" Mug.
what I am drinking
I am drinking a Lovely Cup of Coffee (TM) made by our Administrator Christine (very strong with a lot of milk) and a plastic cup of water with which I am necking Tesco's own label ibuprofen due to having the raging monthlies, damn them. It's at this point in the month when being pregnant would seem to be an attractive alternative. Although the end product isn't...
what I am drinking
Water from a bottle, via Lidl, from Yorkshire. Great slimming drink.
Christine, strong w lots of milk.
pen] Has she just given birth ? Does she work out ?
PJ] From what I remember of you, you ain't got no need for slimmin' drinks me lad.
Stressed!
Take some fying lessons from this guy find a chair and have a cuppa.
beefy mutha
[st d] *snigger*
Drinking
I'm drinking nothing but water. I'm something of an obsessive water-drinker, and unable to do anything without a mug of water next to me. This can be inconvenient at times.
[penelope] I've always pointed out that pregnancy may get you out of the monthlies for nine months, but you don't really escape them as they are essentially all saved up to have in one big go at the end. This observation has helped greatly in my policy of never allowing my chromosomes to get anywhere near the next generation.
M
(Googolp) M stands for typo, as ever. :-)
Drinking
A substance almost but not quite entirely unlike coffee from the uni cafeteria.
Liquidity
I'm with the Loafmeister on this one - I drink about 3 litres of water a day, although I do like a little fizziness around lunchtime, just to break things up. I have one fruit tea in the morning (usually Pink Grapefruit), and then it's water all the way. In fact I'm off to refill now. The reason for this is tied up with the absence of caffeine from my diet - almost two years now - and the ready availability of water from the coolers. Also, I happen to like the tiling in the Gents, which I get to study several times a day...
glug glug glug
Sing hoorah for orange juice! :)
Yes, OJ. Water with vitamins.
Duck me
I've just received an email inviting me to give a talk at a specialised meeting in April... am slightly dumbfounded...
well you know what the medical profs say ... if your 'water' isn't clear then you're not drinking enough water ...

[rab] a 'specialised' meeting ??

mountain airing
Chalky] Have you read one of rab's papers on liquid something or other doing some weird scientific whatsit. It's more specialised than the 'The Furcation Game', it would need an Horizon mini-series.
Specialism
I would cite the title of the meeting, but then I would fear that google might rate this page higher than the official one, with my cover then blown.
Drink?
*checks mini-fridge under desk* Dr Pepper, Cherry Coke, Vanilla Coke, Mountain Dew, Code Red, Pepsi, Cherry Pepsi, Cherry 7UP, Schweppes Ginger Ale. ALL YOUR POP ARE BELONG TO US
dr q's pops
DR Q] You really do work in I.T don't you ?
Drenk!
Lemsips, cos of this cold. Grrr.
Fluid Dynamics
Too much coffee, but quite a lot of water too. Indeed, time to refill now. I hope I don't have to make a fresh pot...

Unfortunately when we moved offices we lost free pop privileges, and the coffee here is worse. Hmmph.

Dihydrogen Monoxide
I like lots of water too - good for the skin. Oh, and st d - wasn't that what I said? *is mildly confused now*
for a change...food
I'm currently eating some dairy-free ice cream, which is nice. Tastes a bit like frozen angel delight.
The campus is surprisingly lacking in vending machines, although there are plenty of overpriced shops for your trouble. No water coolers though - i may campaign to have one installed. Cos I don't drink caffeinated or fizzy stuff if I can help it I tend to get pretty thirsty during the day...sing hooray for Evian. however, water fountains are free....
Biscuits
[Rosie] So it does. :-P. My Mum's gone bake crazy: biscuits and cake everywhere!
Fluid intake
I'm amazed by the stuff I read here. Are you all diabetic, or something? I usually have a couple of pints of beer at some pub or other, but if I don't, then no problem, I just do less wee-wee, as one does, or doesn't. Bottled water, I think, is one of the biggest con tricks ever played. Why pay 70p a litre when a virtually identical product comes out of the tap at 44p a ton? It's WATER, for fuck's sake. I find it simultaneously hilarious and depressing how easy it is to relieve people of their money.
In all fairness, yes. But you should taste the tapwater where I live. Ugh.
Water water everywhere
Yup, I drink a fair bit of that stuff - normally take a litre or two to bed with me (no rude comments, please) and knock off about a litre each night. This, of course, is in the fond hope that it will swill out the liver/kidney/waterworks. ... :-(
H2O
A LITRE, Duj? That's nearly 2 pints. In bed?? I'd be up every 5 minutes, if you see what I mean, with that. (ZK) When I was working I used to occasionally take a swig of distilled water, just for the fun of it. It was bland and boring, not a patch on tap water, which in these parts is hard as nails and is basically a dilute chlorinated solution of calcium bicarbonate. Rather good stuff, and of course virtually free.
Water, Water Everywhere
[Rosie] I drink tap water, and lots of it. Fortunately, Portland has rather nice water. My reasons are that I just feel better if I drink lots of fluids, and in particular I run more comfortably.
Indeedy
[Rosie] Yes, I do (drink water). No I don't (get up every five minutes). I try my best to drink as much water as I do wine. Well I'm buggered if I'm going to drink the stuff with the wine. ;-)
weather check
OK - so I know it's very British to bang on about the weather BUT - after all the predictions of snow, arctic blasts, etc., it's blooming gorgeous today here in the mid-south.
chequered weather
Here in the outer London 'burbs (last road before the M25), we had enough snow and sunshine this morning to illuminate the undersides of seagulls and bring a brilliance and light to the landscape that we haven't seen since October. But as I write.... it's still freezing and SNOWING!!!!
Snow snow snow
chalky] London too is gloriously sunny with nice fluffy clouds. It snowed here (well Fulham and Clapham that I know of) last night though - though not for very long.
chalky] not really - or at least I didn't think so.
Arctic Blast
We had a good dump whilst sitting in the pub last night - nice to leave footprints in virgin snow on the way home. Now it's just degenerated into "wintry showers" so I think the slush stage is imminent.
Having a good dump
(rab) Do they put fast-acting laxatives in the beer in your local, then? :-)
precipitation
I walked to Uni in a blizzard today. Yay!!! :)
weather or not
It's been a lovely sunny day in Cardiff, too. A bit nippy, but no arctic blasts so far!
sorry about this
Html is fun!!
Snow is twee: and tweeness is EVIL!!!
Especially when someone you don't like is trying to telll you they fancy you.
I was amazed this evening to look out of the window and see a blizzard - with thunder and lightning! Never seen such a thing before. Of course, it is all melting now, already. There's nothing more depressing than melting snow.
How about
melting snow and a dead puppy?
Puppies are twee, and I hate dogs
cf above
Snow Joke
We've just had a teleconference with one of the presenters wittering on about how cold and snowy it is in New York. Of course, we were sitting there thinking "Woo. We had two weeks of snow and freezing temperatures in Portland and you didn't hear us complaining." Mind you, that could have been because a lot of us weren't in the office.

[Rosie] It was probably Tetleys he was drinking.

And they called it Puppy Love...
[snorgle] Thank you for making me laugh out loud - I needed that!
Snow? Ye' dun'no th' me'nin' of snow!
My driveway pile stands at 51/2 feet and growing.
[BM] We had that during The Blizzard of '93. Comedian Lewis Black once said of that phenomenon: "They don't even write about that in The Bible! And I'd imagine that if a prophet had seen it (after he wiped the poop out of his pants) he would've told us about it!"
Snow...
It's not much, I'm sure, but it means a lot to us. Building a smow-hamster on top of a car and slecging down the road was fun though!
whether the weather be fine, or whether the weather be not...
We were having a snowball fight and decided to venture out of our courtyard to find more people. There was a bunch of boys having a fight down the hill and we saw something they were obviously using as a sledge, so we asked them if we could have a go. They said, "Yeah, but be careful - it's the door off our fridge!"
I can't imagine how they ever planned on getting it back on...
exciting weather
[B'master] We had that here - in the very 10 minutes that I chose to walk from my house to the pub. Blizzard AND thunder & lightning - Oh, how we laughed!
[Googol] You're beginning to be a complete pain in the arse. If you don't like the chat, just don't join in.
Puzzled
[BM and Chalkywhip] That is quite amazing! I cannot recollect ever having heard of such an odd combination, although undoubtedly it happens (not that I'm all that well versed in meteorology.) It must have been a weird experience.
Water water water
We've had three tropical downpours and some light drizzle in the last few days. Some lovely rain, flooding, lighting, the works. Another due for this afternoon, wheee! The rest of the days have been bright, sunny, stinking hot and muggy.
Oh, and I'm still here for at least another week. Or two. Or more. This is getting ridiculous.
Queensland catches up with the rest of the world... ;-)
Hello, flerdle, still stuck? You must be going bananas. (sorry!) Good to see that the Sunshine State has finally matched the rest of the country and installed lighting - it's about time. ... just stirring!
I wonder whether or not you saw the map produced (I think) by the met. bureau showing the lightning strikes over a 24-hour period during that series of storms which ran over us both? For those who have not, it showed a time-line of strikes - they didn't expand, so I'm not sure if these are only the groundstrikes or cloud to cloud stuff as well. There was a number of 48,000 odd quoted! Regrettably my little patch of dirt received only a few millimetres of precipitation although we did have lots and lots of the light effects and noise.
Snow
(Breadmaster) Anything more depressing than melting snow? Yep. Non-melting snow. Couldn't get to where I wanted tonight because of it. Snow and thunder is rare - I've only seen it 3 times, Jan 1966, April some time in the 80's, and now. Trust me - I'm an ex-meteorologist, don't drink, don't smoke, make all my own frocks . . .
Strangely quiet
School, that is. Having fought my way here through the 5 mm of snow, I find I'm alone in the place... one other teacher, and not a sign of a snowball-throwing student... Good thing we don't have real snow here!
torrential snow
Last night was brilliant, except for driving down the M4 in a blizzard, with lightining. It snowed for no more than 20-30 minutes but that was enough for the boys. When I arrived home they were at the window, all three were excited broad grins on their faces. So in the dark is was snowball fights and snowman building, wonderful fun.
Pah
4 flippin' hours to get home (25 miles) in about an inch of snow last night. This may come across as somewhat curmugeonly, but:
If you know (because it's been trailed on the news for about a week) that there's snow on the way, put some petrol in your car.
If you don't like driving in the snow, don't do it. People will give you lifts, there are trains and buses and so on; don't hold the rest of us up by trundling around at 5mph.
If you're sliding, stop braking!
When you see a hill, don't stop. Don't speed up. Don't change gear, revving furiously all the while. If you can't get going again in 1st, stop making ice patches; try 2nd.
Honestly, we must be the most pathetic country in the world when it comes to dealing with a little bit of snow. (Of course, when I say 'we', I mean the southern English. Those of us who grew up in places where it snows quite regularly in the winter were the ones overtaking everyone else this morning - it was wet, not frozen, you... *spontaneously combusts*
And you try telling that to the kids of today...
I had to drive from Cumbria to Stratford-upon-Avon yesterday. Via Birmingham. Set off 4pm. Home at 11.00pm. I managed to avoid the B'ham gridlock, although I was delayed for a couple of hours on the M5. In the circumstances, I think I was lucky. But how I wish I'd seen the lighting storm!

And the poor chickens! They hate the snow and have remained tuck-tucked up in their hen-cot. I gave them extra portions of porridge this morning.
Ah, let's not get into the old "is snow a good thing or not?" debate, which as far as I can see generally splits neatly along the line that divides drivers from non-drivers. As a non-driving aesthetic type I naturally love snow and get very miserable when it goes. And I couldn't appreciate it last night for the 20 minutes that it existed because of a flatmate-related crisis (as usual). One day I shall live all alone in some kind of Arctic permafrost country. With a reliable Internet connection.
waaaaant
*sobs quietly at the thought*
36°C here today, and the storm blew out to sea before it could do anything interesting.
annoying flatmates
[BM]Are all your flatmates attention-seekers? You seem to have a lot of trouble with them.
I do, don't I? Ghastly stuff. They're not attention-seekers though, honest. This one suffers from depression and rather unwisely allowed herself to run out of medication last week, with predictably awful results. Add to this the remarkably unhelpful support for mental health in this country - I took her to A&E (she was really in a bad way) on, I think Friday night, but they were unable to give her anything and insisted that she see somebody on Monday. Quite what she was meant to do for the weekend, on a downer from lithium cold-turkey, was not made clear. In other news, my other flatmate is surviving at the moment, despite being in the throes of an increasingly nasty court case with a certain major organisation currently in the news for its arrogance and intransigence. My other flatmates are moving out and I have to find replacements for them. It's at times like this that I'm glad I work nights sometimes.
Let it snow
[Bread] Not guilty, m'lud. I like snow. I like to look at it. I like to go out in it (sometimes in my slippers); I've even once been out in it wearing less than my slippers. I like watching it fall, and I like driving in it - it's peaceful, and (if you're in a country where they know about driving in the snow) there's a general feeling of "We're all in this together, isn't it fun?" I just don't like driving in it in the Home Counties. I'm currently overhearing a conversation about last night, in which one of my colleagues, who clearly has an automatic car, is relaying how she kept phoning her husband every ten minutes because she was stuck in a snowdrift or halfway up a hill, and she didn't know what all those 'other gears' might do. *sigh*
Taking exception to disprove the rule
I, too, buck your trend, Bm, but from the other angle, being a snow-hating pedestrian. This makes just as much sense as hating it from behind the steering wheel, if not more: I went skating several times this morning quite unintentionally. But my views on the Englsih Winter are well-known from Dunx' Room 101 game, so I need add no more this year.
Ok, we'll let it slide.
I am willing to put up with snow, but having to walk over ice at 8:00 in the morning is a bit much.
slippery slope
I had to run! That was amusing, not!
I like ice!
Wheeeeeeeeeee!
Ice!
You slide across it for a metre or two into a neat crouching position ready to make the next snowball. Thus speaks the voice of experience.
Snow and all things white
I've just come back from 4 days in Prague (*quiet gloat*). The Czech people really know how to deal with snow and cold things in general, but they do have the advantage of not having so much ice. They just get on with it. Yes, its cold, Yes, snow is a pain in the arse but you can't help it so just get on with things (and drive a bit slower and more smoothly whilst you're at it). Sorry if I'm grumpy, think I've spent too much time with my mother!
grumpless Lib
You don't seem to be grumpy :-). I'd LOVE to go to Prague and I wouldn't mind going with my mother either. She provides possibly the most enriching and uplifting moments in my life. She is also very reliable. I am indeed fortunate.
*spare game slot removed due to lack of interest*
smiling Lib
(Chalky) Prague is wonderful. Please visit! I did have a lovely time there and normally things are great between us, just occasionally she gets on my nerves. But I've had a nap and now have things in perspective, I am a lucky littel cresenter to have had a holiday. However being away means I feel a little confused about the Hutton stuff.
*Rab: didn't see it there. If someone comes up with an idea do we get a second chance?*
monday night rocks!
IN a brief chat with Chalky just now, we discovered a new music genre ('Church Hall Rock' - obvious rhymes, twee love themes and heavy guitars) and a new word ('saccentuate', being over-saccharine). And in our Saturday morning flush of creativity, we also thought it would be nice to have some anarchy hit the chat room on Monday night. Just remembering how great rab looked in that long-haired wig from two or three pilgramges ago made me wonder if you lot might be up for a Heavy Metal Night? MC meets Spinal Tap...
[pen] Oh, yes, that wig, are there any pics?
Rock on
Pen] Yeah, yeah, yeah! Sounds good - but can I put in an early request for a Animated Cartoon themed epilg someday soon?
Wiggy
[Raak] I sent Dunx some a while ago, but they have yet to appear.

[All] I may well not be in the chatroom on Monday due to a visitation from my brother; on the other hand, it may not last alnight so I could make a late entry into the charts.

Oh, and...
[Tuj] Indeed you do.
Oh, I see!
[Bob the dog] Now I understand why I had no idea as to wether you were being sarcy in the "Lying Game": I thought it was some offshot of the "Advice" game on MCiOS. Sorry 'bout that.
Big fibs
Googolplex the Amazing Balancing Goat from Luxembourg] Hooray!
Toon Time
[Bog the dob] Take your pick. What would everyone else like to do? Can I be Musky from Deputy Dawg?
rassafrassarickarackets
I'd would come along as Klunk, from Stop the Pigeon, but my Viavoice seems to be having some trouble.

A return to the top for ffiish , thanks to this weeks special celebrity I'm Jordan Get Me on the Front Page

Cashed up
Well done, ffish. I have to admit that this last week I simply cashed in and sat. Not being in the U.K. it can be difficult at times - unless one wishes to spend inordinate amounts of time trawling news pages - so my apologies if I have let down the team.
Pick of the Week
Pen] I can see us getting into a "no, after you!" scenario. But I would like to be Touché Turtle. Or Boo-boo. Or...
cashing up
Dujon] I can understand your reasons, and there is no need to apologise, please play a while longer. If you need a rest buy into a couple of long term stocks that will be steady but will hit the headlines occasionally like the Queen or one or more of the Princes, perhaps J-Lo or a movie star like Russell Crowe. Maybe even a portfolio of three or four blue chips, even on a quiet week there will be a payout. Don't do what I foolishly did I bought a solid earner when they were too high, then their stock plummeted.
e-pilg
I'm all for a cartoon e-pilg tomorrow!
Crisis!
I've just woken up in the middle of my only lecture of the week to discover that while it is taking place in the confines of the institute at the campus, I have been 'happily' dozing back here at my flat. I am going to be in sooooooooooooooooooooooooo much trouble! How did this happen?!
Only lecture of the week? What nonsense is this? Actually, come to think of it, when I was a student I had no compulsory lectures at all, but I still went to them. I'm not sure why.
Gah, I only turned my back for four years and Mornington Crescent Not At York Anymore is gone! This just will not do...
ZK - lateness
Say you were ill. Ring up and apologise, and go in tomorrow (or this afternoon) and get what lecture notes you can. You'll be fine!
So, did anyone else notice the product placement in last night's Auf Wiedersehen Pet?
Yes, but I've forgotten it. There was something where I thought "they can't mention that on the BBC!" but, er, no, it's gone.
placing products
Nope, missed it. What did they show? (BTW, hello Jenny! Have you found MCiOS yet? In case you haven't, just click here to find it. Also tonight from about 8 or 9 pm there is an e-pilg so you can join in if you click on the "Real time chat server" link just under the clock on that page.)
Things
Among other things, Moxey was resplendent in an MC5 t-shirt.
product placement
Oh, no, that wasn't it.
MCiOS
I dimly remember Parslow actually. Blimey, it looks like Kevan is still around. I have a couple of OMD albums that once belonged to him...
neither a lender nor a borrower..
Oh, so you're one of those naughty people who don't return albums! (I'd have nagged you to death myself, but maybe Kevan went off OMD) So where have you been for 4 years?
[ZK] Were you supposed to be teaching it or attending it?
Now the truth can be told
[ZK -- how it happened] I'm not supposed to tell you this, but you ought to know. If you had attended that lecture, you would have met the love of your life and lived a happy life together. However, the son you would have had would eventually grow up to be an evil despot worse than any seen before in human history, responsible for the annihilation of 90% of the human race. Therefore, time travellers from that blighted future came back to last night and laced your drink with large quantities of tranquiliser, ensuring you overslept and missed the lecture, thus averting the creation of that timeline. You may be in trouble now, but think of the far greater calamity that has been relatively painlessly averted.
Seriously, hope you don't get in too much bother over it. (Assuming an "Attending" answer to Raak's Q:) Do they take a register or is it a small enough class that absences are noticeable? What are you studying that only has one lecture a week?
Kevan's albums
I deny it! I paid for those albums fair and square. I could have had his old Modern Romance 12"s as well, but passed.
albumming around
[Jenny]Oh, that's alright then. :) Do you still listen to them?
all my friends want to do my course
{Breadmaster, snorgle, Raak, Brendan] They take a register every week - I have lots to do but it only takes the form of a lecture once, the rest is done in classes (language etc.) I'm doing a Classics BA. As it was, I wasn't feeling well, and told my friend to apologise to my other tutor later today and get everything from that class for me. I caught up on some (apparently) much-needed rest until my flatmate decided that the whole of Birmingham wanted to hear Evanescence and Avril Lavigne at such a volume that you could almost tell what the record producers were eating on the other side of the booth when they were making the song. Yippee.
But I'm still not happy as my lecture is the only historical input they get every week, and one of our lecturers said that the lecture register is one of the first things that alerts them to the fact that you're having problems with your course...ie that you're a layabout. [Brendan] Thankyou, I needed that. :)
We are the Albumen
Not that often, but then the same goes for most of my collection really. I'll probably dig them out now.
[rab] Er... yes, you're right, aren't you? Note to self: pull finger out.
[ZK] My best excuse for not attending Uni lecturers was to claim I was boycotting them. This did not perturb my tutors in the least, acclimatised as they were to student politics. They didn't ask the reason.
And really, you know, it's about time they started using webcams to narrowcast the lectures anyway. I've attended several sessions at the University of Washington (where I'm not even a student) via this method.
Crashin'
Something went wrong with my connection to the epilg again last night. Was it a good-un?
Watersports
Not sure how it compares to others, but I enjoyed my brief visit. I'm a bit worried about some of the late night tv programmes that snorgle watches, shocked I am!
piercing
I was bored, ok? I don't do that everyday, oh no. Not at all. ;-)
last night, he said...
Sorry about my non-participation. I had a chat going on that required all my attention, but I think there *might* be a positive outcome :o)
pen
Oh good! It sounded like something was going on..
*Mimes well done penf - keep us up to 'date' ;o)*
too late
Didn't make it back from Birmingham in time to join you - maybe there's a transcript to read?
Last night
[penfold] Sorry I ran out the second you appeared, wasn't really s'posed to be there. [snorgle] I saw bits of that programme too - my housemate was pretending to be 'reading some academic research papers with the telly on in the background' when I came in from the pub. Incidentally, a present from DrQ has arrived, so could you drop me a line so we can organise duplication and distribution (rab at angrycake dot com).
Who's pink?
Bob the dog
Pink the panther
I never really got started before it went all pear-shaped.
Tannoy
[snorgle] Thanks for your mail - sadly I'm unable to reply as requested cos you neglected to put your desired return email address in. Any chance you could supply the same? Cheers.
pilg requests
Last night Lord of the Rings was mooted as a possible theme for a future week, though I think this was just snorgle wanting to dress up as an elf, in stockings and a tight leather jerkin.
national elf service
looks shockedhowever did you guess?!?
soooooo...
How does one get onto an e-pilg?
e-pilg
[R5] See here. Look just below the clock to see the link to the 'real time chat server'.
Fabulous. Ta!
oh-oh
[Dujon] are you sure you really wanted to tell a Righwraith where to find everyone?? :-)
gah. Ringwraith, it was
wraith of Bob
[Dujon]That was a bit unwise, you know. I'll have to draw him away from the ringbearer(whoever could THAT be?).
Wraith of who?
snorgle] Not guilty!
wraithful
They are all around..
Heresy
I didn't like 'The Return of the King'. Am I alone in this?
RoTK
[Bob] There has been extensive discourse on that very subject in Orange MC [Chat Game].
N E W G A M E ? ? ?
May I express an interest here? Any chance of an MC game? I rather like Kim's idea of a couple of weeks ago.
NG
[Chalky] Could you remind us what that suggestion was?
alone all alone
Bob] I doubt it. I haven't seen it, and have no plans to. I have an aversion to things that become so popular.
Of course, I went to their very first gig in the car park of a sewage farm
[st d] Just curious; what happens if something you like becomes popular after you started liking it? Do you go off it, or do you think "Yay, it became popular, people have occasional flashes of good taste after all"?
Harry Potter? Pah! I knew his parents...
I think std has a point. Once things become too popular, all of their imaginative juices are sucked out by hype and marketing.
tarry ye a while in knip
Chalky] If I may be so bold as to enquire of you fair maiden, whither this be the poste ye didst refer? whilst thou is here, try this Ye Game of ye Crescent Morningtown on Orange
MC
[rab, Inkspot] Yes 'twas the very thinge ... or Cockney Rhyming Slang MC ...
Newgame
Inkspot's right. My idea for a new game a couple of weeks ago was for a revival of "Ye Crescent Morningtowne" from a couple of years ago. Since then, I've had two other flashes of inspiration mundane ideas.
Idea 1: "Claim to Fame". First person posts a (possibly actual, possibly fictional) claim to fame (eg "My father once interviewed David Cassidy" (this is true)) and the next person tries to better it in some way. Needs refining.
Idea 2: Problem page: first person posts an unlikely-sounding "Dear Marge" problem and the next person provides some humourous advice.
Hey, I'm an ideas man; I leave it to the little people to work out the details!
popularity
Brendan] I suppose the example that springs to mind is The Italian Job which is a movie i vividlu recall watching when I was about ten years old, then when it came on TV again when I was about 17 I made sure to tape it. (this will be about 1988 ?) I always loved that movie - then recently (last 5 years) it became the epitome of Clerkenwell Cool, which I found irksome. What is annoying I think is that ten years ago I could have said to someone "watch this movie it is great". Now, it is no longer anything special, which is a shame
Funnily that reminds me that I watched Charade at the weekend - another film that I love that I had seen a long time ago - tjough one that has not gained the *cult* status of Italian Job. It wasn't quite as good as I remembered which was a little dissappointing - though still it is fabulous.
Bob] I am not sure if it is the hype and marketing. Maybe. Mayeb I am just a snob ? Its like holiday destinations. As soon as they become discovered my the MOB they lose their charm.
KIM] but can we ever do better than this :-PROBLEM PAGE - Ask a Navy Seal
LOTR
I enjoyed the film - although I can certainly see how a lot of people would find the first hour boring. I really feel that this is an excellent interpretation of the book(s) - the story is so extensive, it needed a huge film to do it justice. I don't get put off by something being popular - if I like, I don't care how popular it is, although its annoying when people assume you're jumping on a bandwagon because it happens to be fashionable.
Ye newe gayme
Crescente is certainly a possibility; personal problems were solved by Mrs Trellis a while ago on Orange. Meanwhile there's an idea going around at MCiOS at the moment that might be appropriate. Whatever, I'll open my slot. Please, someone, do fill it.
Second Thoughts MC
I'm sure I posted here about half an hour ago .. ah well. It was along the lines of .. why repeat games which have been played SO well [the Morningtowne link] and surely there's a limit to how much humour/wordplay you can squeeze out of a theme?
Has cockney slang been played recently?
Trappist games are fun.
[St d] Is Navy Seal a one trick pony?
oo-er missus!
[rab]fnarr fnarr!
Way-hey!
rabsnorgle] Gibber gibber!
Game for a ...
I want to play a game of Superghosts; I just don't think it would work.
I am Mr Chirpy-chops!
I was not put off by the popularity. I have never really liked that kind of fantasy stuff so I did not enjoy the books. Yes, I was conscripted to D&D clubs in my 6th form days - and I do enjoy some intelligent SF (Rendezvous with Rama, The Seventh Angel, Danny Darko), but hobbits never appealed. I enjoy some BIG Hollywood films as much as continental/independent/low-budget/arthouse ones – Central Station being a fave - so I was hoping for some rip-roaring SFX and a glorious ending. 'Fellowship' was OK, a bit laboured on the scenery and a half-hearted ending but enjoyable. 'Towers' was excellent. Full of humour and wonderful effects (although tree-beard was a bit 1970s Dr Who). Nah, the worst of the bunch was 'Return' - overacted, over produced and over here. The final scene was so laboured (filmed in perfume commercial-style soft-focus slo-mo) I was hard-pressed not to giggle. I was disappointed.
And another thing. I rented a film called Identity recently and enjoyed it. So can we have the "Seen any good movies?" game back?
Movies
Books = movies, as far as the 'recently' game at MCiOS is concerned.

If you see what I mean.

OK, I'll just stick a sock in it.

hoo hoo hee hee!
[rab]Ooh, dunno if that'll be enough to fill your slot, though!
50 ways to .... fill a slot
1] Put a sock in it. *chuckle*
I have unashamedly nicked Kevan's game idea [MCiOS chat] which rab referred to earlier. There seems to be some support for it.
*wonders how much inside knowledge snorgle has of my slot*

I take it these ways will be a bit ironical, like.

50 rhymes
... and we have to do the rhyming name bit aswell?
*mist clears*
[Chalky] Thanks, didn't get the reference you see!
[rab] I posted that last [above] as a suggestion and didn't realise you had already started the game off ... so Iwent ahead with the rhyme for No 2
Wot makes you think I'm a miserable basket?
And I was hoping for a Room 101 revival. Sundays! They should go into room 101, along with golf, the film 'Titanic', Paris, powerdressing, LotR, anything New-Age, fake leaded windows, wet cardboard, Bromsgrove, stew, BMWs, motorway service station gifts, nasal-hair, McDonalds, ties, self-assessment tax forms and diets. On the bright side, I have lost (nearly) 1 stone since I started.
Btd] If I was Paul Merton I'd give you all of those bar the first, fourth and sixth (though I might let "the excessive hype surrounding ..." in). But what's wrong with Sundays? Best day of the week, is Sunday (unless you're trying to travel by train, admittedly). Well done on your success with the diet.
golf
Golf is a great game. The problem with golf is the type of people who join golf clubs.
And on the seventh day...
Sundays. Epitomised by that huge expensive waste of time and money, Sunday papers. Like the day itself, they are full of nothing and go on forever. Retail therapy is out of the question as the only shops that open on Sundays (in my area) are the big chain-stores, and they, with no exceptions, are all contenders for room 101. Then there is that dull grey Sunday afternoon feeling when you desperately seek out something to take up your time that has nothing to do with the work you have to do for Monday morning.
In my childhood, Sundays were often spent at aunts houses, being fed over-rich cake and stewed tea from willow-pattern china to the dead-slow ticking of a Westminster chimes mantelpiece clock. Ah ha! Another contender for room 101, ceramic figurines. I remember having my hair brushed by my aunts. They did it so hard that great hand-fulls of hair would come out. They'd introduce my brother and I to their friends daughters in the hope of sparking childhood romances. When you are eight, that is scary.
When I was a student, Sundays were a little better. You can take a friend to bed for a whole day. But I'd usually do that on a Saturday and work or do my laundry or visit relatives on Sundays. In my first job I had to work on Sundays. As I did with my second and third. Now I'm self-employed and I should be working on Sundays. I (day of un) rest my case.
Well I think Sundays are sexy.
black sabbath
Sundays are cool so long as you've done all your work by then.
Sundays are the day for getting out in the weather, getting a lot of fresh air all in one go and having messy hair, because Sunday night is bath night! I tend to be scruffier on Sunday than a Saturday, which is a habit stretching back to when I was a kid, and used to cycle out to my grandparents in the country to spend the day helping my grandad with his horses. Am I the only kid who grew up in anoraks and wellies and never really lost the habit?
[Bob the dog] You mean, of course, the first day. Saturday's the seventh, which is why Saturday is the Sabbath.
pen] yes.
Sunday tactics
[Btd] The trick for dealing with Sundays is to get steaming drunk and stay up really late on Saturday night, and thus sleep through most of Sunday, and what you are conscious for, you'll be able to fill with pain, nausea and regret. And then running around washing clothes, pots, etc in preparation for the return to work on Monday.
Sundays are for doing all the work you didn't get to through the week.
No, Sundays are for sitting around feeling guilty that you're not doing all the work you didn't get to through the week.
Sundays are for feeling guilty that all the work you did do during the week merely goes to increasing human misery in the long run.
[Jenny] Are you an estate agent?
human misery
[penelope] Teacher, I bet Jenny's a teacher.
Allow me to act as medium for the following telepathic message...
Dear 'I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue' mailing list member, If you are free on the evening of Sunday 29th February, live in the London area and are keen not to miss the final recording of the next series of Barry and Graeme's 'Hamish & Dougal - You'll Have Had Your Tea', you can get free tickets to the show from the BBC Ticket Unit. See details below. All the best (and apologies if you live too far away to come) Jon Naismith & Janet Staplehurst. GET YOUR FREE TICKETS to witness for yourselves the further exploits of Hamish & Dougal in the final recording of the second series of their hilarious Radio 4 comedy “You’ll Have Had Your Tea” starring Barry Cryer and Graeme Garden with Alison Steadman as their housekeeper Mrs Naughtie & Jeremy Hardy as the local Laird. Fans of their many appearances in Radio 4’s “I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue”, will be thrilled to hear that Hamish and Dougal, those delightfully eccentric and frequently misunderstood Scotsmen, are to make a second series of their own radio vehicle. For a rollicking laughter-fest and more jokes than you can shake a stick at come to The Cochrane Theatre, Southampton Row, London WC1B 4AP (nearest tube: Holborn)on Sunday 29th February Doors open 7.15pm - Show starts 7.30pm To claim your free tickets – simply telephone the BBC Ticket Unit on 020 8576 1227 or email radio.ticket.unit@bbc.co.uk or apply online at www.bbc.co.uk/tickets
Woe! Whoa!
Not a teacher, I work in educational supplies. But I've rather lost faith in the education system recently.
A good dump
In my youth, having been a dumpee a few times, I speculated that it was much easier being on the dumping side, since you knew it was coming. When catapaulted into the opposite position, I realised that being dumped is, in fact, considerably simpler, since you didn't know it was coming.

Why do I mention this, you ask? Every so often I'm asked to review papers for academic journals, and until today I've never had cause to recommend a rejection... and for some reason I feel rather bad about doing so. But then, we can't be accused of falling standards now, can we?

rejection
[rab] It's what publishers have to do all the time, but still not pleasant to be in the judgement seat. Do you know, or are you likely to meet, this person?
It's not nice to be negative, but then you can't reward bad work, can you?
Or you could reject another - as two negatives make a positive!
Red-inked
[rab] You'll get over it. Consider it a necessary herd-thinning.
can we still be friends?
[rab] Count yourself lucky that the editors are sending you such good papers. In my field at least, rejection rates in the top journals run 90-95% or so. I certainly have to recommend rejection much more often than acceptance.
Nul points
[rab] It's positively a public service to see that rubbish doesn't reach print. In the past I've rejected several papers for triviality, several for technical slipshoddery, one for outright crackpottery, and one for unwittingly reproducing (but not as well) some of the results from a certain fundamental paper that hardly anyone has read but everyone cites (including the authors of the rejected paper). I assume your refereeing process is anonymous?
Too much empathy
Rab] It is not quite the same thing I know, but I dislike interviewing for the same reason. Up to ten people, probably five of which have high hopes for the job have put in a great deal of time and effort to make themselves presentable and revealed a great deal of personal information about themselves are then put on trial for one position. Nine have to be turned down or 'put on file'. I hate it.
Half empty or half full?
[Btd] Does it work to think instead of the benefit done to not only the successful candidate, but all the other employees of the company (university, etc.) by appointing the right one?
Personal Motivation
[Btd] My motivator was just that I would have to work with whoever was hired, and I didn't want to have to carry them. But then the last bit of intensive interviewing which I did was for a contractor position, so it was much less about the person and much more about the skills.
Stuffing
[CdM, Raak et al] I agree... The number of times I've read stuff that's been published thinking "How on earth did this get through?" means that, having been hit with something like that there is only one response. I would say more, but I fear any attempt at anonymity would go through the window.
Why?
I would be interested in the opinions of fellow posters - I have thought about this from time to time but I don't think that I have actually posted my opinion.  Why, when our User Names are posted in bold type do we insist on then using HTML tags to match the entry?  To me it really does make the entries rather hard to read.  This does not apply only to this site.  Why do we do this to ourselves?
Confused
[Dujon] I'm not quite sure that I understand your question - no, actually I am quite sure that I do no understand! What do you mean by "match"?

If you mean "Putting game moves in bold" then the answer is "to make an actual move stand out from any by play and commentary". That's about the only interpretation I can place on your query, but I'm still confused to be honest.

Ahhh (maybe -- maybe I've missed the point entirely)
[Dujon] Are you by chance referring to games like Advice, 10,000 Celerity CDs, the various poetry ones, etc. where practically the entire game is written in bold, as opposed to the MC games where having the moves picked out in bold is useful? Would you prefer to see more games take the style of, say, Auckland and 50 Ways, to take two recent examples?
Convention
[Dujon] I, too, am slightly unsure precisely what you are asking, but a bit of historical input might be called for. In the early days, there was basically no markup, but this caused a problem as if you simply made the comment "and I reckon we can reach Mornington Crescent in three from here" the game would end. So to prevent this problem, it was decided that the moves should be marked up so the server could work out the actual move made amongst the other text. This has the side-effect that moves are also more obvious to the observer. In non-MC games, early posters seem to set the convention for that game. There seems a general trend towards those games where commentry is inappropriate to be played unemphatically (e.g. Auckland). All this is self-organising however. As to displaying the player name in bold, well, I think it just looks better, and allows you to see more clearly where moves start and end - this is most useful in these chat games. I have a vague recollection that York (at least in its early days) didn't mark up the player name.
interviews
I know of someone who apparently used to just take about half the CVs received for consideration and chuck them in the bin, saying "I really don't want to give this job to an unlucky person". Harsh, but amusing.
markup
(cross posted from MCiOS, after spotting that you wanted us to reply here) [Dujon] There is quite often a legit reason for doing this. Sometimes you want to separate your move from your commentary about your move (as in MC games themselves), so you'd tend only to embolden your actual chosen move, and then refer to other stations which are relevant in italics. If you look at the York archives, you'll see this is a practice that grew up over time. The same thing happened with limericks, to enable the submitted line to be distinct from comments (and heaven knows that's always helpful with some of the scansion round 'ere). It's become useful in other context to the extent that it's now hard-wired in the system to a certain extent, with Dan's advice-o-matic looking for material only that's marked up with b tags. So there's a sort of logic at work there. I suppose we could use i tags instead, but I tend to find italic text just that little bit more fiddly to read on screen.
Yes
I was referring to the readability of various games. Particularly those where a bold user name is immediately followed by a bold post (which was what I meant - although poorly expressed - by 'matching'.) Given the explanations given by the site owners I now understand that there is a reason for this particular method of operation. I shall now shut up.
* Please ignore the second 'given' *
*ignores*
Hadn't even noticed it!
Well, my damning report is written... just ensuring the English is authentically bad so my tracks are covered.
Don't publish and be damnned
rab] You are not un-spellchecking the academic journal you have rejected are you? ;o)
Tnny
[Chalky] Ml rcvd, rpns snt. If it doesn't get through this time then perhaps my mail server doesn't like talking to yours.
just two things ....
[rab] Your mail server likes my inbox :-)

... and [Bob] Is the ISIHaC weekend in May still a runner?

Well..
Chalky] Well I hope so. MF sent me some fabulous scripts and there was a great deal of interest initially. I've never been on a pilg and I didn't realised until reading through the posts on Orange that they can be like mini ISIHACs but far less 'organised'. I began to feel like I was being too prescriptive about the whole thing.

The other problem was finding reasonable low-cost accommodation for those staying over. The hotel I first chose quoted £35 per night, but then told me that was per person without breakfast. A twin room with breakfast was priced at £75. Then I tried a pub called 'England’s Rose', 'cos it had real ale, was in a nice location and had lots of rooms and camping space. But when I visited it, it was a full on Princess Diana theme pub and every time I asked how many rooms and what the pricing was I got a different reply. So it was back to the drawing board and now I'm (fortunately) very busy. Fortunately because I've just gone self-employed. I have wondered about a youth hostel - very basic (bring your own sheets/sleeping bag) but very cheap and lots of fun. Any takers?
I'd be happy to stay in a youth hostel. If it's one of those where people share dormitories, though, I'm afraid I have to warn people in advance that I snore...
youth hostels
Keep in mind - they tend to have curfews - and from personal experience, other hostellers can get very grumpy if you're just 5 minutes late finishing off a shower and getting into bed after lights out.
Middle-aged hostels
Some hostels are party bookable. I'm looking into that. As for shared rooms, I've never been to one that had private rooms, but that can be part of the fun, snorin' and all. Otherwise - its ears to the ground trying to find a reasonable hotel. Has anyone had any experience of conference or group booking?
me
[Bob] So we're looking for an inn, preferably, with a large enough meeting/conference room and bed & breakfast at a reasonable price [say £30]. West Midlands? Which Saturday did you decide on? How many approx? I ask all this because ... I'm doing a freelance job at the mo which enables access to this very information; also at home I have 24 hour internet plus free UK phone calls. I can't promise anything, but I'll have a scout around.
Chalky the star
Chalky] WMids, cos it is central and we may have folks from Manchester and London - so Motorway access would be good. Saturday 29th May, Approx 15 (but good chance of more). Function room not essential if there is a decent pub nearby that has a spare room. Piano would be nice but not essential 'cos I may be able to borrow an electric one. If you do find something, I can visit to check it out, unless you live in the WMids too!
hurtle
Oh, a hotel every time for me. Getting too old for Youth Hostel larks. Still if there's a YH and hotel/B&B in reasonable proximity I guess there's no reason for people not to have a choice.
prescription charge
[Btd] I don't think you're being too prescriptive. I think it'd be nice to try something a bit more organised than usual, and the regular pilgs continue for those who prefer their fun more improvisatory.
Pro Joy
:o)
a splash of cold water
[Bob, PJ] I'm in South Wiltshire, not so far away and yes - I'm all for hotel accommodation, provided it's cheap and clean. However, it is already evident from certain inquiries I've made, that, being a Bank Holiday weekend, we may be more restricted in our choices. Also, for those that need to travel some distance ... it's a popular 'getting away from it all' weekend = traffic chaos. Just a thought.
It comes of having an electronic organiser rather than a paper diary...
Oh gershplatz, I hadn't realised it was a Bank Holiday. I think bank hol weekends are best avoided so rethink time. Check for dates June 5th, 12th and May 22nd then. Please.
dates
OK - June 5th is the last Saturday of school half term [although this varies from county to county] so that may affect things slightly. To start the ball rolling - I'm up for May 22nd.
directory enquiries
... sorry for multiposting - but can anyone recommend a decent directory enquiry number? I've a long list of possible venues but no telephone numbers and I feel it's better to ring up and establish a basis for negotiation, before checking them out.
Yes
Try the phone co-ops 118 114. It is cheap, quick and reliable.
Phone numbers
I preferred 118118, because I rather liked their ads and their chief executive, when interviewed on TV, seemed a lot more straightforward and fair than his opposite number at 118888. However, I've found 118888 to be far more reliable when it comes to actually finding numbers.
DQ
[Chalky] Can't you find these numbers free-of-charge on the web? Sometimes typing the name of the venue (quoted) into Google comes up trumps. Then there's the BT, Yellow Pages and Thomson Local Directories too...
PS
I've just watched a video of atoms bouncing up and down on videotape. I wanted to ask the Prof why he's stuck in the 1980's and doesn't use DVD instead :)
The MC un-convention
I was about to suggest the Hotel Portmeirion, but have just checked the prices and am still shaking and sweating.
transport of delight
Is there something to be said for having the affair somewhere within reach of public transport, as for those of us who don't drive, taxis can really add a bit of a premium. Possibly (and aptly) on a branch line someplace?
numbers and possibilities
Thanks all - and yes, rab, I did just that.
OK - already there's a possibility - Brownsover Hall, Rugby [where the M1 & M6 meet] which is a gothic mansion! Nice people. They can accommodate us on May 15 or May 29 [unfortunately they have a very large wedding on May 22] for a group rate of £35 per head which includes full English breakfast. Also a bonus - NO single room supplements for those that would rather snore privately. There's a choice of two private rooms we can use as well, both near the bar [Boddingtons, Flowers - dunno if they're crap beers or not]. There IS a smallish wedding on the 15th, so we shouldn't be too conspicuous by our jollity. No deposit needed - just a written confirmation from me.
Cor, sounds great. I'm in for any of those dates.
Non fat cat
Bread] I prefer the phone co-op because it is owned and controlled by its customers. I've had more problems with both 118118 and 188888 than 118 114, and it is cheaper than both.
directions and a pic
Hope I've got this right.
[PJ] It's 2 miles from the station - I'm sure someone will pick you up :-)
Location location location
[Chalky] Looks like a good venue, eminently walkable from the station (so Projoy won't have to splash out on taxis). Transport links look good to.
Brownsover
Chalky] That was my first choice! Are you good at price negotiation? They did not include breakfast when I asked. I agree, it is a great potential venue.
taxisplash
[rab] How dare you. I've never splashed out in a taxi! That's just a rumour!
[Btd] I thought the name sounded familiar, but couldn't put my finger on it.
smiling
Well I've got to disappear for a while. Can everyone who is interested confirm which of the two dates - 15th or Busy Bank Holiday 29th? .. and [Bob] you have a list of potential players, yes? Just need to know how many singles and how many doubles to book, if we eventually decide on the venue. Blimey - I've turned into a right bossy boots ...
I can do either date. So there! :)
Dateline
Me too, I think. [Thos] Look at you!
As far as I'm aware, either date is good for me as well. Hurrah! Where's MCiOS gone (*me goes to look on orange*)?
(Oh, it's back now. Odd)
Serendipity
I actually couldn't do the 22nd anyway - I'm off seeing Bill Bailey that night. Whee!
Interest
The list so far is:
Chalky (!)-
Lib* -
Boolbar* - (possibly - he has not yet responded to my email - his work is monitoring internet use)
Merlyn
Projoy* - One of the 'Humphs'
I’m not John* -
LotUS* -
Herr Bratche* -
Blamelewis* (Recording the event)–
Martha Farqua* (? - recommended as a 'Humph' has already written a wonderful script.)-
Unkle Korky* -
Nik -
JLE - (Piano)
Thos -
ZK (Possibly now the date has changed)
st dog* (Unlikely, but I think it would be good if he agreed to be one of the 'Humphs'.)
* I have their email address. If you are interested and not listed, mailme. ISP and Dunx have agreed to contibute towards scripts.
ever lengthening list
and rab? and you, Bob?
*slight panic* and more girls please? pen? and the snorg?
[Chalky] I'm a girl. I'll check out the dates.(Angus...not a word now) What exactly's involved at such a gathering? My wit is a much-deliberated thing, it's not quite as spontaneous among strangers...*example* ZK opens mouth: blather bleeble eep...fnar...
[ZK] Part of the point of this gathering is that the opportunities for wit are more deliberative, since players will have some idea of the games ahead of time.
super-plig
Unfortunatly as yet I can't commit either weekend. At the moment both are free, but I have my brother's fiancee's hen night to factor in (and work). Am trying to get a date decided for the hen night, but am between the rock and hard place till then.
Question also - what kind of age is everyone else? without wanting to be too personal about it all. you can answer within the 10-year bracket of course (20s, 50s....)
Yes - ZK, I knew you were a girl :-)
I'm also pretty dumbstruck when faced with new people and situations, but then I'm only 16.
Well I haven't had a holiday in years, and would love to come meet you all and have you laugh at my accent. It isn't hugely likely, but there's a possibility - more for the 29th than the 15th I think - although I do seem to recall Britain being even more expensive than most places.
[Chalky] Are you being sarcastic? I never can tell.
Wait!
They let 16 year-olds drink that much brandy?
[Toby] ... particularly with the exchange rate as it is. Can't say I'm looking forward to the phenomenal cost as and when I get back to Blighty. Not that I know when that might be, of course.
Numbers - format
Ooops, yes and rab and me. Lib - I do hope you can come! Pen wrote to me to say she will probably be at race meetings throughout May.

Going back to format (ZK + all) - ISIHAC in real life is semi-scripted. The game introductions are scripted and players are warned weeks beforehand of the games they are to play. So - if I there is to be a game of 'late arrivals at the proctologists ball' players are warned in advance and have time to put down some amusing answers to read out.
[chalky] Teachers are getting younger and younger, aren't they? Personally I'm about 65, at least on the inside.
Yes
I'm a yes.
why use one word when a hundred will do ...
[ZK] Sorry, sarcasm or irony doesn't really transfer onto the screen. Although I'm fairly confident with strangers in my areas of expertise [!], meeting in a social context is a different matter, so yes, I tend to blush and stammer. I've never quite grown out of it. Regarding age, I'm relatively new to the Crescent, so can only assume that most of the regulars here are between the ages of 23 and 45, with the hardcore 'originals' in their thirties. But having said that, I know that Rosie and Duj and possibly Software, are older. Conversely, quite a few undergraduates post in here. Perhaps someone who has been around for more than 5 years can correct me on that? As Breadmaster indicated, the wrapping is meaningless - it's what's inside that links us together.
ZK] You can be The Lovely Samantha. That does not require any wit, though if a player is late you may have to sit on his seat until he comes.
Ages
I'm 27, and have been playing MC over the net for about seven years now.
Humphing
[st d] You are the scriptwriter for Humphrey Lyttleton and I claim my £5.
[ZK] I'm in my late thirties, which excludes me from auditioning for the role of Samantha. :o(
Oldtimer
I discovered online MC shortly after I discovered the world wide wait web in 1995. At the time I got the impression that most people, like me, were students having (a) a lot of time on their hands and (b) unfettered access to the Internet (this was before yer average Joe had a modem, for example). The fact that the York usage stats dropped dramatically between June and September would bear this out. Nevertheless, I'm a mere 28! (Or is it 29, I've no idea).
No need to audition
I'm exactly the same age as Pen. Regarding Samantha, I have secured a guest appearance by the real Samantha, and the real Sven. Anyone who has been to a recording of ISIHAC will know just how exciting that is!
Either date should be fine with me as well. [ZK] I'm 23, having played on and off over the last 3-4 years. [BtD] Fantastic!
busying myself
[Bob] As you seem to have enough on your hands organising the artistic content of the event, are you happy for me pursue the venue booking, administration etc? Also, have we actually agreed on a date? Although the 15th May seems to be popular, I could make some enquiries about the 12th June?
The Lovely Samantha
But Bob, when i spoke to the real Samantha she told me that she was doing a charity bungee jump in Trafalgar Square that weekend. She apologised and said that she would think about us playing with ourselves whilst she was bouncing up and down on Nelson's column.
[st d] outrageous!
Age before beuaty
I'm 42, have been playing (mainly MCiOS) for 5-6 years, and listening to ISIHAC for 25! Hope to be there, family commitments permitting etc etc etc
Vital Statistics
I'm 34 at the end of the month, same day as Elizabeth Taylor and Brian Cant. They're both coming over.
Lovely indeed
st d] Ah, yes, but that was before the reprehensible outbreak of vandalism in the city that has led to Nelson being defaced. Samantha has kindly offered to help with restoration, including giving Nelson a bit of head. Sadly, despite her best efforts, Nelson will not be fully erect in time for her jump off, so she will be available to come to Rugby for a bit.
Samantha and Rugby
Having watched her perform, sheis truly a mistress of the hands-on approach, her ball play is awesome and she can catch a fly-half between her teeth like nobody's business. We could learn a lot from her.
PS
'That's Entertainment' has just started on BBC2. 140 Hollywood minutes of pure joy [I'll never get anything done now].
X-Post announcement
LAYDEEZUNGEMMUN - I refer you all to this page for details of a forthcoming concert - see the "Russian Giants" entry for details. We'll also be repeating the performance in the 29th in Shrewsbury Abbey. For ticket details see here. Thank you for your attention.
That IS entertainment!
Is that the thing hosted by Gene and Fred, or am I imagining it?
concerts
Well, that should be fairly easy for me to get to, I'm at the university. Where is this hall you speak of?
typical
would you believe that's the weekend of going-homeage?
Youth and experience
[Chalky] Either you're lying about your age (given your posting about Samantha), or teenage magazines are now to be found on the top shelf!
[HB] I was a child bride ;-]
re. BPO - you must be listed in the Current Players List - what instrument do you play?
Instrumentally
Bratsche (Ger.) = Viola (Eng.) I'm the one at the top of the list. Are you local?
I remember fondly the days when she used to invite me and Steve Irwin to her private estate in back-country Australia. How she used to enjoy having me deep in her bush as we both watched Steve playing with his snake.
Ooh my friend plays the viola!
translocation
[HB]You're principal viola then? Oh I say. I'm about a hundred miles south, but I occasionally work in Brum and have friends there.
violas
ZK] Maybe Herr Bratsche is your friend ? Had you considered that ? How spooky would that be ? I am a 94 year old woman.
[st d] Well, I had my suspicions...
ZK] that I was 94 ?
Yes.
Uninteresting tidbit
I have a very good friend who is a viola player. For years she did quite literally nothing else, but now she diversifies by also playing jazz double bass, which I consider to be a step in the right direction.
Did you hear about the gangster string quartet? They were charged with extracting money with violins.
[ZK] I think I'll be 27 by the time of the Pilg (based on a gnawing suspicion that I'm 26 at the moment).
Should Lib end up being unavailable (and public transport ends up being undesirable), I'd be happy enough to drive Northern types down. My car fits 4 passengers, in theory, and I have no reason to doubt it. As for playing a part, I think I'm best suited to propping up the bar and providing a laugh-track. And some vulgarity, if you're all unlucky.
[rab] The parser is getting HTML wrong, if I'm not mistaken - or is it deliberately replacing < with &lt;?
DeHTMLification
Aha! It's the preview, it seems.
celebdaq
[DrQu+xum]Who on earth do you own?? Here am I sitting raking in a veritable tabloid pittance....
Viola players
(Breadmaster) There is a cruel joke amongst muso's thus: "What do you call a viola player with Grade V1". "Gifted".
ah, viola jokes
What's the difference between a trampoline and a viola? You take off your shoes to jump on a trampoline.
there's more!
A conductor and a violist are standing in the middle of the road. which one do you run over first, and why?
The conductor. Business before pleasure.
Ha ha ha ha ha
[ZK] If you want the full set, see here. Also has links to jokes about other musicians.
DeHTMLification confusion
[Nik] Do I take your second post as a kind of "everything's ok" or is there some "feature" I should investigate?
Old and wise?
[Thos] 34 on the 29th february? So, that'll make you 136 in real terms! Well done old man for hiding your age so well!
[ZK] There's a few viola players hiding around the crescent. I one of the very ametuer ones.
Young and foolish
And at times I'm also very ametuer at spelling and English. *blushes and hides cos of stupidity*
Middle fiddles
[Lib] If you apply sufficient pressure to JLE's gonads he will also confess ...
Shrewsbury
[HB] I knew there was a few of us! We will take over the world. Can I ask why Shrewsbury for the second concert. Its a lovely place but doesn't often get good concerts. (Its my home town, and according to my driving lisence I still live there!). Personally I think St Mary's church is a better concert venue, but the Abbey is lovely too. I will encourage my mum to go and watch you.
Shrewsbury Abbey
[Lib] Why? Why not! As for the venue, many moons ago we used to do a concert anually in the Music Hall. However, audiences were never good, and the management became less and less helpful, so we stopped going, and were never there for aout 10 years. However, venues come and venues go, and we found ourselves with a gap in the schedule, so approached a number of places, and Shrewsbury Abbey was (a) the right sort of size, and (b) had a helpful attitude. We went there for the first time last year, and got a respectable crowd, so will try again this year.
viola jokes
[HB] Where did you think I got them from? :)
The 'daq
[ZK] I bought a ton of Jordan well before IACGMOOH2 (Can you say £10+/share dividends for three weeks straight?) and picked up a ton of Janet Jackson the moment her tit hit the screen.
master of the boobiverse
ah...clever plan. i think I just didn't own enough Jordan...although she did pick me up a nice little dividend this week.
Natal Days
[Lib] Actually, my birthday is 27th of Feb. However, I am 136 as you state.
Caesar salad, anyone?
[Lib] Thanks to misreading, I now have a wonderful image in my head of you hiding the cos of stupidity. Is this for when you have no lettuce after your name?
Limericks
I'm not one to complain usually, but frankly the scanning of the lines in the Limericks game has really dropped off recently. I know others have mentioned it there, but some people seem to be revelling in some truly poor versifying (and in one or two cases actually doing so deliberately, I rather think). I'm offering no solution but I must say when I see a bad line being posted, I don't want to play.
[Chalky] I originally misread your comment: 'That's Entertainment' has just started on BBC2. 140 Hollywood minutes of pure joy as "140 minutes of Projoy".
Just getting it off my chest
I hate auditions. I'm terrible at auditions. I've just been cast as a dancer in Much Ado About Nothing because they couldn't be bothered to find me a part. How am I meant to get any other parts on the merit of this performance? I can't dance! A day for rejection, obviously...hmph. Casting directors really get on my tits, and believe me, that's quite a complaint....thankyou for you time.
140 of Projoy
submit it to Channel 4! You'll make a fortune! :)
140 Minutes of Projoy?
[Thos] I don't think BBC2 and the bulk of the British populace is ready for that. ;)
Slimericks
[Thos] We could close the limericks game, I guess.
nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
I love limericks! can't we just ignore the bad lines and carry on? I think maybe we could impose a new rule that if you have more than one line you want to play you can, cos sometimes I have the perfect pair and can't use them. Please please please keep the limerick game! I'll be good!
DeHTMLification
[rab] The preview appears to translate < and > to &lt; and &gt;, therefore breaking HTML tags thereafter posted. Eg <br> becomes &lt;br&gt; in the preview, and hides completely in a posting after that. If that makes sense. Sorry, I've been in the pub since 1pm, since I was accredited by Microsoft in C# Windows development, and the situation isn't improving now I've reached home.
DeHTMLification
...except it's not doing it now. Bugger.
limerickety
It does appear to have been hijacked, rather.
Nothing simpler...
140 minutes of Projoy (as played by Peter Miles).
Arf
[PJ] That blows, Gabriel! Blows! [Rab] I would never advocate closing a limerick game, unless we opened another. But certainly it's a bit much at the moment...
And the third thing is..
Two things. First of all if a game is to close, how about Missive Trellis. Its been good but has slowed down considerably...

Secondly, Chalky - YES - I'll happily still co-ordinate the script writing and stuff if you can take on the organising of the hotel accommodation I'd be really grateful - email me (at the above link) and I'll send you the email contact details I have so that you can confirm numbers and make bookings. *Thanks*

Thirdly, I have to mention this. I've just watched a film on DVD called 'Belleville Rendezvous'. God it was wonderful. Please go out and rent it now - or better still buy it. st d if you are reading this - you'd love this film.
Bellvillious
Chalks, darling, it was on TV on Xmas Day, and was the best bit of TV over the whole holiday. Ruddy marvellous, eh?
if you have a few mins to spare or your bored!!
Have a listen to my solo effort at http://cornerband.com/html/bandPage/bandPage.asp?band_id=1035276 and have a very funky day................
Ein Test
[Nik] I can't reproduce what you describe so this must be a browser thing or perhaps some bizaree HTTP anomoly.

[Bob] Saw Belleville at the cinema, would have enjoyed it more had it not been missold. Maybe I should see it again sometime.

[All] Improve yer limericks, or the grim reaper will reap his rewards.

I've been drinking, does it show?

I'm currently planning on meeting the current celebration by going to Rockworld some time after I wake up today. Should anyone in the Manchester area fancy meeting up for a pint, my mobile number is 0776 26 141 70, or so my phone would have me believe.
[rab] I can't reproduce it either, but then I've no idea how I produced it in the first place. It will probably have to go down as One Of Those Things.
Rockworld
[Nik] I'll engage in a consultation exercise before I commit myself, but I'm definitely interested.
Shrewsbury in the Spring
[Lib and others] I must have been having a brainstorm - the BPO is playing Shrewsbury in April, not February, and our second performance of the "Leningrad" symphony is in Leominster Priory Church, Herefordshire. I've turned up to concerts without my DJ before, but I've never turned up to the wrong church ...
Gigs
(Herr Bratsche) BPO, eh? I'm impressed. No, seriously. But no need for DJ's when you play jazz - just the Big Band T-shirt and the right reading glasses (at my age anyway). My band, Force Ten, is at the Mick Jagger Centre in Dartford on Wed 10 March. A mixture and jazz and swing, some of it quite contemporary and funky. (rab) I'm with you on the limerick-improvement thing; some of them have been totally chaotic, but how do you propose to implement the death threat? :-)
... catching up
[Bob] I'll mail you sometime over the weekend :-)
[PJ] Joyous stuff indeed - was that the birth of your moniker?
[Thos (fellow Piscean) and limerick fans] Subtle and not-so-subtle hints regarding the metre seem to have little impact - pity, because the ideas are amusing and original. I, too, would hate to admit defeat by recommending closure.
[pen] That sure was Entertainment. MGM ruled. Have fun today ;-)
[rab] It didn't show. The drinking.

Thought for St Valentine's Day:
'If we let romance go,
We change a sky for a ceiling.'

Joy unbounded
[Chalky] Projoy appears to be the author (under his real name), and is playing Gabriel!
Projoyful
[HB] He's a particularly talented fellow. [Chalky] I think we'll just have to wait for the dry spell to end! :)
Monica
[Chalky] Yes, indeed. I wrote the script first, then, on discovering YorkMC a few weeks later, redeployed the name. Too good a name to waste on just one outing, I thought. :)
Ace
Projoy] Why is Sylvester called 'the Professor'? Is it a non-BBC spin-off copyright branding issue?
Ah - forgive me, I didn't do my homework and read the rest of the site. Excellent interview Projoy, I agree about Barbie.
Package
[Bob] Did you get yer package?
Bugs the bunny
rab] Yes thank you! I've emailed to say thanks - but I'd also like to thank Dr Q. I have just reached into my grab-bag of superlatives and find I have run out. You are both extremely kind, and I hope to repay you some day.
What's Opera Doc?
Oh my giddy aunt! Tears of mirth!
Die Tüns
Don't you think What's Opera, Doc? should have won an Academy Award? The producer at the time (Eddie Selzer) didn't have it considered. That and Hare-Way To The Stars were considered two of the best cartoons ever (both Chuck Jones-Maurice Noble-Mike Maltese creations.)
Hare Wagner
I thought Opera did win an award - but perhaps not an Academy award.
Whaddya expect in an opera?
[Btd] It was #1 on the 50 Greatest Cartoons of All Time.
A happy ending?
Deservedly.
Greatest cartoons
Opera is wonderful and so is Rabbit of Seville... but for me, nothing will ever beat One Froggy Evening.
belleville
BtD] I saw the last 15 minutes of it at Xmas and loved the animation. Will catch teh whole thing one day I am sure. I like your "st d if you are reading this" it made me feel like a hostage or a missing person :o)
I have just spent the best few days. We had our annual awards on Thursday, presented by Jack Dee who was very funny indeed ("this is the first time in a long time that my audience has had more money than I do" - our main sponsor was BENTLEY - they had their new CONTINENTAL GT on show, and sold THREE !!!! (£120K) - anyway - that was a 6am night, then was in gay paris for a 30th on Saturday which turned out to be possibly the best party I have ever been to. Full of lovely people all wearing something pink. What a great idea - the whole party co-ordinated. Photo heaven. ;o)
There you go. Pretty dull stuff to read about I guess, but I am happy today and thougt I wold share it (its such a rare thing).
sequiturs
(i guess that segued nicely from the "froggy evening" post)
Cartoons
I see number 37 is Bimbo's Initiation.
Nouveau Nyder
Peter Miles, eh? Camp old devil! And what a syrup!
[UK] Are you talking about Peter Miles pretending to be Projoy or Projoy pretending to be Peter Miles? :)
The 'daq
Did the do divvies early this week? I came in this morning and saw I had £55,000 free....
cheque is in the post
DrQu+xum]You were No1 on the League last Friday, I just need to upload the full results tonight. Its a very unusual top three!
My God.
Am I still here?
Are you having an existential crisis of some kind?
More divis
And finally we have confrmation of DrQu+xum at No1 on the daq without even trying!!!!
rab's 'moment'
*instantly assuming Aunty Chalky mode*
rabby rabbykins - you are! still here! and jolly glad we are about that!
er ... is that better now?
The 'Daq
[Inkspot] *thwap* I've only got 1/5 of my portfolio in the Jorda^H^H^H^H^HKatie Price Dividend Machine; the rest gets shuffled constantly.
breaking news
OK, here's an update on the dating front (as all those in the chatroom on Monday seemed so interested). The Valentine's Date with the mystery Frenchman was great fun and very enjoyable, although a rip-off at £30 per head for a meal that should have been more like £17 or £18. Last night he came round to help me put together a flat-pack desk from IKEA (2 minutes 37 seconds) and we drank too much wine. A word of advice here; don't ever ask a Frenchman for a quick demonstration of what makes them so good at French kissing, even in jest.
Hereness
[Breadmaster, Chalky] It was more a reference to my being at work until nearly 9pm last night.... (which was mostly my fault). Of course, cos the posting times aren't displayed on the page (yet) you can't know this :)

[pen] Well done.

french kissing
It wasn't really in jest, though, was it? You say "Oh, so, what's so great about the way you French kiss?" really means "Snog me till I can't breathe, you french love god!" Go on, be honest!
Wily Frenchmen
[pen] But did he steal your kidney? It's a Weebl & Bob reference.
I said kiddley, diddle I?
[rab] I was pretty impressed too. Despite my surprise at how quickly it went up, it's was as solid as a rock!
[DrQ] Not that I'm aware of...
[snorgle] my lips are sealed!!
reluctant medium (and unwitting cross-poster)
I'm getting a message from the other side...Advance details of the recording dates in the Spring Series of the programme. Tickets can be obtained only by telephoning the relevant theatre's box office: Sunday 18th April - The Orchard Theatre, Dartford Ticket prices: £9.50, £7.50, £5.50 Box Office tel: 01322 220000. Doors open: 7pm Shows starts: 7.30pm Shows finish: Approx. 10.30pm (TICKETS NOW ON SALE)
Sunday 2nd May - The Grand Opera House, Belfast Ticket prices: £8.50, £7.50, £6.50, £5.00 and 20 box seats at £11 Box Office tel: 028 9024 1919 Doors open: 7pm Shows starts: 7.30pm Shows finish: Approx. 10.30pm (TICKETS NOW ON SALE)
Thursday 27th May - The Lowry Centre, Salford, Ticket prices: £8.50, £5.50 Box Office tel: 0161 876 2000 or 0870 111 2000. Doors open: 7pm Shows starts: 7.30pm Shows finish: Approx. 10.30pm (TICKETS WILL GO ON SALE FROM MONDAY 23 FEBRUARY)
N.B. These are the only recording dates - the next series will be Autumn 2004 and has yet to be arranged
Is this for...
ISIHAC?
mediocrity
[rab] oh, the ball couded over before I could see for sure, but there was an attractive blonde with an electronic score card, and a sharpei dog as chairman.
Hello you
[pen] Right. Well, I'll probably try and get some tickets for the Lowry show (if I remember to call on Monday). Anyone else interested? (In fact, won't that be around the time of the Bobpilg?)
ISIHAC real or otherwise
[rab] Subject to confirmation, ISIHACThemeNightRugby is happening on the 15th May. More news to follow :-)
15 May
(diaries it)
ISIHAC Theme Night
CROSS-POSTING
[rab, Projoy, Thos, JLE, Nik, Lib, Boolbar, Merlyn, I'm not John, LotUS, Herr Bratsche, blamelewis, Martha Farquar, Uncle Korky, ZK, st dogmael] plus all interested parties:
Just to confirm that I am assisting Bob the dog with accommodation arrangements for the ISIHACPilg. A provisional block booking for twin rooms has been made at Brownsover Hall, Rugby for Saturday 15 May at the rate of £35 per head to include full English breakfast. As Bob is close to the venue, he will be checking out the size of the private function room, after which we can firm up on numbers, etc. I have email addresses of all except JLE, Thos, ZK & Nik. I will use my hotmail address exclusively for co-ordinating these arrangements, so just begin with kedavenport@ if you wish to confirm, deny, join in, etc. Needless to say [but I'll say it anyway] Bob the dog will continue to co-ordinate the Artistic & Creative Content of the event.
Knees-up
Excellent news, Chalks. I'll pencil it in me diary immediately!
the Artistic & Creative Content
Ooooh Daahling! You make me feel so Artistic & Creative!
Err...
Mini Cheddars has been hijacked. I think someone's trying to spoil our fun - especially mine....
Bob the Amazing Artistic & Creative dog & Kim the gaylord
[Bobluvvie] Yeah - because I was cross-posting [whilst in a very non-cross mood] it seemed best to reassure the Establishmentors [who probably haven't the foggiest who I am] that as a relative newcomer, I wasn't attempting to influence that side of the event.

[Kim] I didn't believe a word of it .... :-)

Att'n flerdle
If you are still about, flerdle, what's the weather doing to you 'up there'?
It's just after midday here and sitting on 40°C (104°F to you plebs!) Dry as a bone - humidity around the 10 to 12% mark. I note that DrQ and Pittsburgh are enjoying around 8 to 10°C - perhaps all our Nth American friends can go outside and blow south westwards?
Weather
Latrobe reported 15 today. That'll change in a hurry -- it'll be back to a maximum 0 by Sunday. Snow returns, just as that f**king groundhog said. :)
toasty
Hey Dujon, am still in Bris. It's currently at least 40°C with about 40% humidity. According to a table I can't find the reference for, this feels similar to about 50°C at your humidity level. Add 8°C if you're in the sun. I'm not.
Fantastic!
Just happy to know that I'm not the only one, flerdle! My temp has reduced and the humidity increased ... another horrible night ahead I think. (sorry, nights.)
[Dr Q} Groundhog, groundhog... where do I remember that from?
*melts*
Yeah, if it doesn't cool off at night time, it's not much fun -- we've had 26-27°C minimum for most of the week.
*shivers*
flerdle/Dujon] We had frost last night. I'll email you some as an attachment.
mmmmm ice
[BtD] I'd like that; today was warmer.
Thermal excess
(flerdle) Don't know how you stand it. I record weather (accurately, I used to be in the Met Office, now an amateur) and highest I've had in 21 yrs (and probably a lot more) here on the southern edge of London is 35.9°C on 10th Aug last. The minima at the time were typically 18°C. That was quite enough, for I are rather a sweaty little bugger.
On heat
[flerdle, Rosie] After my big whinge the other day we finished up with a reasonable temperature by late afternoon, but the humidity (naturally) went up accordingly, so it was an uncomfortable night. Sunday was reasonable temperature wise and the humidity - it actually rained late afternoon and most of the night - therefore quite acceptable. I did however see reports on the news about the continuing heat in the Brisbane area so, flerdle, you have my sympathy. It really must have been quite severe as the report was mainly about the elderly and the young having problems and the incidence of ambulance/hospital attendances.
hotted up
Yes, I heard (unverified) that at least four people died - I think they would have all been elderly or sick. Reports are that the heat is over, and we'll be down under 30 soon.
But, by then I will hopefully be in another country. Unfortunately, it is even worse there. Sources say that it doesn't get much worse than this, there, except the few weeks in the middle of summer when it gets into the high 40s. With high humidity, of course.

Great.

[Rosie] For Australian weather, you might be interested in the Bureau's site: www.bom.gov.au. I've been following this handy page there; for data from the last three days click on the appropriate weather station. It samples approx 10 minutely, but maxima or minima are sometimes between those times, such as yesterday's 41.7°C at a bit before 2pm.

The other extreme.
Latrobe, Pennsylvania (at Arnold Palmer Airport) currently reports -5 with broken clouds.
MINUS FIVE !
jeeeez - that's colder than Antarctica.
[DrQ] Ah, but that's American. Are they using some weird temperature scale that only Americans understand?
[Bm] Are you suggesting that Gdansk was under American occupation during the 18th Century?
[Bm] It could be Fahrenheit, which seems to be ubiquitous in the USA apart from within scientific communities. IIRC, -5F is pretty damn cold, that is (does a quick calculation) -20.5 recurring. Brrrrrrr.
[st d] It's late summer in Antarctica.
rising temperature
Funny thing, this differing scales of temperature malarkey. Last night, in the quiz - one of the questions was "At what temperature do both Centigrade and Fahrenheit read the same?" Could I get my head around that? Could I b*ggery.

Gusset - I'm SO pleased you like my name for you. I'm equally gratified that you haven't transposed the two words :-)

Temper, temper.
I meant -5 C, but it did hit -4 F last month....now that was Too Damn Cold™.

[Chalky] -40.
E-pilg?
It's Monday night and the e-pilg transcriber's awake! :)
cold
I know I have mentioned this before on one of these sites, but I was in Finland just over a year ago, and the first ten minutes of the Finnish evening news was all about how cold it was. They were interviewing people from Siberia who were complaining about the cold. I remember calculating at the time that we were down in the range where it didn't make much difference whether we were talking F or C. (It was down to at least -31C.)
Imperialist swine
[rab] Indeed I am, sir! I wouldn't put anything past them!
double guset
Nice one in the 50 Ways, Guest Login! Should've been fiftieth, that one. Any ideas for the next lot?
Straw Poll
Ladies and gentlemen... just to conduct a straw poll, if the top-left-hand corner of this page doesn't look (roughly) like this:

Could you inform. Obliged.

poll
Well, mine looks like that little mc5 symbol in a white square on a grey background.
I came, I looked
rab]Running IE6 I see the logo is on white background.
MC5 - Whoops!
Not on my IE or Firbird browsers, rab. I confirm Inkspot's comment regarding the IE6 background.
Bum
There's so many people who aren't getting the full smoothness of this site...
Corrections
I must be going bonkers. The Firebird browser shows a smooth and 'highlighted' mc5 logo, whereas the IE shows the same image but with the white rectangular background; sorry for any confusion.
Yeah...
It's a (fairly) specific (range of) version(s) of IE that don't render transparencies in pngs. I don't like gifs and I don't know how to set the default background colour of a png. Yet.
I came, I looked too..
rab]Running IE6 I see the logo is on white background too. What was clever was your screen capture insert!
*chuckles*
[Chalky] I don't even want to think about doing that
More from the bollocks department
I discover a shiny new magazine in my pigeonhole tomorrow, in which the new university logo' (for some reason, it has a trailing apostrophe in the article) was unveiled. Sadly, I can't track down a website with it on, but it looks a bit like this MANCHESTER with the number "1824" under the gold lettering. Vertically upwards and below to the left we have (on two lines) "The University" and "of Manchester" in a sort of matt grey sans-serif. In case we needed any explanation, here it is:
It features a simple, but distinctive, typographical treatment of the word "Manchester" that acknowledges the key feature of our brand and the way in which colloquially people talk about universities. ... The positioning of the full university title alongside the word "Manchester" is also a crucial element of the overall logotype, achieving a contemporary and consistent look whilst reinfocing the University's official name.
Later, we learn that "more detailed information about the reputation-building project and how to use the visual identity will be explained in a special leaflet and website". I will of course let you know when this happens.
(apologies for the bizarre timeshifting in the first sentence)
Money for old rope
[rab] I wonder which firm of consultants trousered the (no doubt) six-or-seven-figure sum for coming up with that!
[rab] Ah, but are you in the same situation as Nottingham where it's compulsory to use the corporate identity (and to make sure you're using the latest up-to-date one -- we recently had a wavy line representing the Trent River removed) on any materials designed for outside consumption (eg talk slides)?
I presume people read about East Midlands airport which wanted to get a new name everyone could identify. It's now called Nottingham East Midlands, despite the fact it's not in Nottinghamshire and the nearest places are Derby, Loughborough and Leicester.
Airport '04?
[Twiki] Are they getting American flights in? Most of us over here think they're "Durbee", "Low-burrow", and "Lie-cester"....
PNG!
[rab] No IE (on Windows, anyway. Dunno if IE5/Mac works) supports transparent PNGs. [Dujon] There's something wrong with your Firebird if it doesn't support transparent PNGs - Firefox is the way forward, of course. There are actual usability and performance improvements post-0.8.
Amazing coincidence! Maybe
[Chalky] I just noticed your email thingy up above. I used to live opposite a girl called Karen Davenport, about whom I recall nothing except that her house had great pillars at the front. Was that you? Thought not.
Chalky!!!!!
Many happy returns of the day!
Firefox
[Nik] Surely you mean post-0.7 for the last Firebird release, since 0.8 is/was the first Firefox?
replying
[Breadmaster] I've lived in a few houses in my time and recall that at least three of them had great pillars at the front. Where was it? Oh yes - if you noticed my posting about the ISIHACThemeNightInRugby - perhaps you can give some thought as to whether you can join in? Eh? Eh? Eh?

[Tobes] thank you :-)

Yankee doodles
[Dr Q+] It constantly amazes me that Americans, most of whom speak English as their 1st language, have such trouble with English place names. Especially as so many of them are duplicated in the States. Why, do you think, this should be?
Actually Nottingham already has an airport! No scheduled flights, mainly freight and private planes, but it's there, nevertheless, and I've been there to see brother-in-law's plane (of which he owns one wing and the rear wheel, or something like that.)
[Twiki] The impression I got from the little local news I ever watch was that most people in Derby, Loughborough, Leicester, etc. (or at least the ones they bothered to interview), were generally quite p-ed off by the existence of the airport and "if Nottingham want it, they can have it" (apparently believing that the renaming would somehow magically move it somewhere where they wouldn't be under the flight path).
Woooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!
I've got tickets to the concert I've been waiting for! Yes! Sorry, just needed to share that with someone. :D :D :D
lucky you
At least someone has tickets. *sigh*
Damn Yankees (and I mean the baseball team :)
[HB] You usually find the more English place names in New England (esp. around Boston.) Another problem is that many names are Americanised so that some consonants are de-silenced and others are eliminated; e.g. around here, North Versailles is pronounced "North Ver-sales"; Baden is "Bay-den"; Cheswick is "Chez-wick"; East Liberty is "E-Slibberdee"; White Oak is "Whairda-helzat". Strange that Duquesne is still "Doo-kane", but there we are.
Other local towns here.
There is one more town here that's worth mentioning. It's called "SNPJ" -- I swear I am not making that up -- it stands for "Slovenska Narodna Podporna Jednota".
Place-name pronunciation
(Herr Bratsche) I think you're a bit hard on the Yanks. If there's anything that shows up the vagaries of language it's local pronunciation. For instance, in south London there's Streatham (pr. Strettum) and in Berkshire there's Streatley (pr. Streetly). And why are Ardingly and Hellingly (Sussex) pronounced as if they have a final "e"? Who knows? (Dr Q) Near Mrs Trellis' house is the 58-letter name we all know, but the locals all call it Llanfair PG. (All) Anyone here from Shrewsbury? I call it Shrooze-brie. How say you?
Shrewsbury
(Rosie)Us Bristolians call it Shrowz-brie. And why is Berkshire "Barkshire"?
and another thing
(Dr Q) In one of the jazz pubs I go to is a vast mural with a map of the lower Mississippi and New Orleans and there is a place on the river called D'Lo (presumably at one time De l'eau). We don't take anglicisation quite that far because we've got places such as Grosmont (N. Yorks) and Grosvenor (London) in which the "s" is silent, even though the names are several hundred years old. (Bigsmith) Yes, why, particuarly as Berkhampstead is BURK, but not Berkeley Square. Re Shrewsbury - two locals I have known call it Shrooze, for what it's worth.
Towns again
Towns in America often have names reflecting the language its settlers spoke, or occasionally that of the natives who previously occupied the area. Mind you, these don't quite explain some towns just East of Lancaster, PA....
Fertility
What a great name. I also like Zook's Corner ! In Tassie there is a Paradise and a Penguin, which I kind of liked.
le parking pour le big yellow taxi
In Saltfleet, Linconshire, there is a Paradise Car Park, with a sign reading Paradise Car Park, No Caravans or Camping. It's unpaved, but it's a parking lot all the same.
Damn French
[Rosie] Yes, we can blame the French for dropped "w", silent "s" and all kind of manglings. I say "Shroozebury", btw, but then I also say "Sisister" for "Cirencester", and I may well be wrong about that. I also insist on "Alster" for "Alcester", despite the tendency of south Brummies towards voicing every letter in the name of the main road that I live just off. Bah!
More Damn French
[Dr Q] How about "Day Moyn" for Des Moines, but "Noo Orleenz" for New Orleans (refer to Orleans, Normandy for original).
Shrewsbury
I thought it was pronounced Shrooze-brie, but it seems to be more variable than that. Near me is Caerphilly, pronouced Ku-philly, but then all the Welsh names starting Caer seem to be pronounced like that, eg Caerleon. It took me ages to get them right, and it's probably different in North Wales. I also remember a sea-side village in Fife, on the Forth, called Ainstruther, pronounced Ainster. It's really a plot to make fun of tourists!
Starter for ten
Have a go at 'Mousehole' and 'Widemouth' if you would.
Oh, and...
while we're at it 'Woolfardisworthy'.
I seem to recall...
renting a car in Dover from a place in the Maison Dieu Road, pronounced "Mason Doo" by the young woman working there. It's not just Americans...
Sense of Place
Cornish towns are fun, more for the sheer improbability of the names than for the improbability of their pronunciation. "Perranarworthal", for example, is pronounced as it is written, which is in itself surprising.

Something I read recently in one of Bill Bryson's books (Made In America) was that the spelling placenames was regularised by a geographical names board. One of their more Philistinic acts was to say that all place names pronounced with the suffix "-burg" or "-boro" should be spelt that wayh exactly, and none of this confusing "-burgh" or "-borough" nonsense ("Pittsburgh" was given an explicit exemption).

Yay!
Posting from IE on WinXP now, and I note my little fiddle has fixed the PNG problem. More in 'Notes'...
(IE users should request a full reload of this page to get things looking - hopefully - right)
Yep, seems to work from here.
Da 'Burgh!
[Dunx] The Scottish Pittsburghers of the late 19th Century (notably Andrew Carnegie) decided to "Scottify" the city by adding the trailing "h". It looks nicer to me, and it differentiates us from Pittsburg, Kansas.
Cornish towns
I had a bit of a laugh the first time I saw the town "Feock". ;)
Logo
Yup!
Last person to know because I'm in such a hurry...
Many Happy Returns, Chalky. *tips hat*
logo
Yep, its all grey now! Not that I really noticed before..
pronunciation
And then of course there's Loogabarooga! Bruce. Ah, bringing us to the ever-irritating River Nene. We in the valley always said "Nenn", but then I heard Stephen Fry calling it "Neen" so now I don't know what to think!
Cornish names, etc
(rab) Mousehole rhymes with tousle, as in hair, but I don't know about the other two you mention. I do know that Fowey is Foy, more or less. But I'm fascinated by Probus. Sounds disgusting. (ZK) If you called it Nenn, then that's it, despite the estimable Mr Fry. Another variation on the burg, burgh, borough ending is of course Middlesbrough.
g'day
Did I say Loogabarooga? I meant Loughborough. There's fun.
Changing the subject: Would other posters be interested in having some sort of link to either their own sites or to a central site of some sort? This of course would depend on rab's willingness to provide such a link.
I am only thinking of something basic. For instance, I am building a small (free site) where I can post my details and, eventually, a few pictures of the area in which I live. At this point in time it is very, very ordinary (and may stay the same!) see here. It's amazing how many people I meet on the Internet - usually from places far and wide - who are genuinely interested to see what it looks like where I live. I too have that interest (e.g. I'd love to see Chalky's view of "The Spire", Dr Q's surroundings in Pittsburgh and suchlike.)
Without wishing to rake over dead coals, there was such a link on the now defunct 'Pants' site and, whilst many did not choose to contribute, it was still quite interesting.
Silly or just stupid?
sounds like a plan! :) rab?
catching up ....
[Googol] Cheers!
[Dujon] Not silly at all. I'm interminably curious about others' home environments :-).
[ZK] As you expressed an interest, have you made a decision on the Rugbypilg yet? Sounds as though you're not that far away. So far there are 3 girlies who hope to be there - Lib (wahay), pen (wahay) and me. My email address is further up this page, probably now in the 'expose more' bit.
Aaaw
I've just been back-reading. I was rather fond of my white square. It was geometrically sound and neat and artistically separate. Was it never meant to look that way?
pilg
[Chalky] I'm probably free on the date, but I've just splashed out a tad on some concert tickets so I'm not sure I can afford to go. Can I answer that question a few days into March (when I get money)? Plus, what is required of said pilg? I'm not quite sure I'm up to spontaneous wit (is that tautology?) when surrounded by my elders.
spontaneous wit
The real ISIHAC is not really spontaneous wit!
I had originally planned for there to be teams that will play - but I now think it would best to make it open to contributions from all although there will still be at least 1 compare (a Humph) to move thing along and hopefully a JLE on piano. The evening is going to be one of daft parlour games that all who wish to can prepare for. I'll be letting everyone know what all the games are before the event - if you want to take part in a particular game - great, if not just enjoy other peoples contributions. For example, one of the games I have in mind is "New Definitions for Old Words". If you come up with any ideas, write them down and bring them to the event. A full list of games will be published soon.
Parsons Knows
*wonders if JLE's brushing up on his rendition of the Minute Waltz.*
Logi Beard
[ZK] No, the logo was never meant to be that way... also the Expose buttons looked rather silly enclosed in a white square.

Um... linkages. Yes, in principle, a great idea. I've been wanting to construct a sort of 'profiles' section that is self-maintaining, which means a fair bit of programming at the outset (consults diary, balks at fact I'm in a show next week which is going to be very tiring) but hopefully thereafter will require no effort from me whatsoever...

PS Widemouth = "Wid-mooth', Woolfardisworthy = 'Woolsery'.
Show man
rab] Prey what is your show?
Prey? Pray?
[Btd] rab's entered the Cheshire's biggest marrow competition owing to a shortage of marrows.
Marrow entry
[Projoy] Better than the other way round...

[Bob] Part of the band for Princess Ida, being done by this motley crew. It's very tiddly-pom-pom type stuff.

Hamish and Dougal
Did anyone catch "You'll Have Had Your Tea?" last night? Best bit was Mrs Naughtie's "cup of tea.....a merangue?"....
just my cup of tea
[B'smith] Darn - missed it. That was the first of the new series, but it's been scheduled rather late in the evening [11.15 pm?]. We've been in the audience for the recordings of this series so far. In fact I've got 3 tickets for Sunday evening's recording which will be the last 2 of the series. Don't know if I'll be able to make it, though, so if someone in the London area has a burning desire to go [the Cochrane Theatre, Holborn] do shout now.
.
Bugger! I haven't haed me tea.

[Dujon] My website is mustela.phyast.pitt.edu.
tiddly-pom-pom
Projoy] And I thought he was just pleased to see me.
rab] I didn't know Gilbert and Sulivan orchestrated the Kazoo.
both] ;o)
The voice of Pittsburgh
(Dr Q) Just tuned in to your blog and looked at the piccies. That river looks a bit lively - do you get floods? Over here even a 15-mile piddle like the Darent can stray where it didn' oughta, but in 1996 it dried up almost completely. Your voice doesn't sound quite as American as I had imagined, and very laid back. Is that normal for Pennsylvania? Don't be modest.
"Come and meet, those dancing feet, on the avenue I'm taking you to: Forty Second Street!"
The matinee was a tad disastrous, but today is our first complete performance, with a proper audience and (hopefully) propr sound and lighting. (Save me!) Wish me luck! Or don't, I suppose: I just needed to tell someone!
Floods? Indeed!
[Rosie] That's the Youghiogheny (pr. "Yock-o-gain-ee", or just "Yock"). That one floods from time to time, and it has flooded twice this winter due to ice jams and/or rapidly melting snow. Same goes for the three rivers in Pittsburgh; The Ohio, The Allegheny, and The Monongahela ("Mun-on-ga-hay-la", or just "Mon"). If you want a look at them, go to one of our local TV station's webcams from high atop Mount Washington. Looking at the fountain at the Point (which is obviously off), the Allegheny is on the left, the Mon on the right, and they combine into the Ohio at the bottom.
To answer your next question -- the fountain has only been flooded once that I can remember (1996, I think).
musical theatricals
[Googol] Break a leg! What part are you playing? Or are you an amazing balancing tap dancer? Interesting how many MCers are involved in productions one way or the other. Our society does two a year, the Spring one usually a more traditional or light opera production, hence HMS Pinafore in May. At Christmas we're doing 'Annie'.
Pat Denning "Hello kid."
[Chalky] Oooh, funky: my mother's mother is trying to get me to join a society. Is it good fun? What parts have you played?
snowy weather..
Just to make all you antipodeans jealous, it's been snowing all afternoon in Cardiff, and anyone who lives north of Pontypridd was sent home at about 3pm because of weather warnings. BRRRR! The forecast is for -6 on Monday, sextuple BRRR!
"THe weather outside is frightful..."
Try again
[Snorgs] Same here over the bridge in christmas card South Glos, though the bastards' won't let us go home.
bright and beautiful
Stratford - (20 miles south of B'ham, midlands, UK) 17.45. Bright and clear. Not even a breeze. Chickens happy.
winter wonderland
Salisbury GMT 1803 - has been snowing for an hour or so - it's settling.
Tuh!
[rab] Why is it the University I came to has to be possibly the only one in the country without a Gilberty & Sullivan society? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Sites
[Dr Q] Great photographs! Thanks for that. I like your sound blog too. :-) It looks as though you live in a nice green area, lots of trees and houses with yards!

[rab] Your comments are noted. I was only thinking of a simple link page to which posters might submit their sites through either yourself or a trusted soul (to avoid the obvious).

Cardiff
[Snorgle] What's your forecast for Sunday? Whilst I cannot make it I've about 30,000 like minded souls heading your way and hope like mad that the weather isn't going to spoil the day!
pissed off
I dunno - a mere six inches of snow that freezes and it's bleedin chaos here. Most of the roads into Salisbury were blocked last night due to some accident or the other. It took Mr C four hours to return from Bath [usually 40 mins]. This morning? All the schools are closed because 'the conditions are too dangerous for the children'. So all the parents have to completely re-schedule their working day and what are the dear little things doing? Playing out in the .. erm .. dangerous conditions. I was planning to do my party shopping this afternoon so I fully expect all the supermarkets to have run out of food.* mutter mutter *
snow, what snow?
Chalky]In north Wiltshire there is nothing not a flake, you could always move to Swindon, very good access to Bath.
Shows
On the subject of shows I last night had a dream in which there was a Newsnight piece on Michael Howard accompanied by a tune from Projoy and Thos's Dracula show... Nurse!
talking of Thos .....
HAPPY BIRTHDAY *hugs*
weather thos
Happy Birthday!

Weather for Sunday is sunny, max 8 degrees celsius, but northerly winds so it'll probably feel colder. The nights are clear and much colder - several degrees below zero. The snow in Cardiff melted, mostly by last evening, although it usually does. Cold but lovely and sunny today!

Thanks, snorgle! Great news.
the undead
rab] That was no dream...
more plain text
Whilst I carry on with the cut and paste and player commentary, this weeks Celebrity MC as text only. It is always sad news when a player pulls out, but this week we lost two, as both Blob and boolbar left for that great red carpet on platform one.
Missed cues, ruined the dance, lost my voice: thank goodness there's just one more night to go...
So tired...so embarressed: HIDE ME!
Whoops!
[Inkspot] What's celebrity MC?
[Googol] Handy eh? This internet malarkey when you've lost yer voice. Hope all goes well for your last night. As for Celebrity MC - just follow the link and work it out :-)
Rugby Ball
Today I got to look over Brownsover Hall, the venue for the ISIHAC pilg. And I'm pleased. It is lovely! We have the use of the study (as long as Colnel Mustard doesn't get there first).
'Colonel'
Obviously
more shares
Googolplex]Celebrity MC is a league of fellow MC players who have invested on the BBC celebrity stock exchange 'Celebdaq'. Once a portfolio has been created, the ID is posted here and is added as soon as possible, the rest is upto the hamsters at daq towers. It is for fun but can be frustrating to keep going each week. Each player develops their own strategy, for my part I have two accounts one day trading the other in long term blue chip of David Beckham. My part is just to gather the results from the Friday payout, cut and paste over the weekend and add a bit of commentary, usually posting here on Monday night before I hop over to MCiOS e-pilg. If you wish to have a join, it will be a pleasure to welcome you aboard. (I have a feeling that I'm going to be kneecapped on Monday again)
Bransabre Ball
I wanno go!!!!!
Public Service Announcement
Any ladies in the GMT timezone should be aware they have only one hour remaining to propose. Go on - you know you want to!
[Chalky and Snorgle] Thank you very much! [Rab] Which tune?
daffodils
*Waves warm and happy St. David's Day greeting to all*
Bolton Wanderers
Commiserations to Dujon on Sunday's result. It was however a very good game.
Bolton Wanderers
As a Wanderers fan I was considerably annoyed at the constant references to Bolton "not having won anything since 1958". Does the Sherpa Van Trophy count for nothing!??! Didn't see the game 'cos I have no Sky dish and surprisingly it was NOT live on Italian telly. Was consequently glued to the PC listening to the 5 Live stream - my girlfriend was concerned at my frequent yelling and table-bashing. We'd have beaten United, Liverpool, or the Arse. We have a tendency to let the lesser clubs get the better of us. Sam is God (but shouldn't really be criticising the referee - it's not nice to mock the afflicted). The Wanderers will return!
ring zone
[rab] So did you get your proposal? Is that what your prompt was for? I ask only because I can't believe you would believe that there's only one day in every four years when a woman is permitted to propose to a man...
A pocket full of posers
[pen] That's what I've been told :) Though in my book, a woman can propose any time she likes.
dead ringer
[right] Coming right up... mwahahahaah!
Switch brain to 'on'
That should have been addressed to [rab]... doh!
I accept!
Dang!
Too late! It's March 1st and now you have to marry a daffodil instead!
Alive, but too tired to tell anyone...
[Chalky] Thanks, the second two performances went markedly better than the first: we needed more dress rehearsals really. Luckily, the event was recorded on video, so we'll be able to see what went wrong and where. *cringe*
Yackydah
So wots the epilg dress code tonight? Welsh?
tonight in the chatroom
[Btd] Yep, it's Welsh alright. See you in there.
Aendydd it is!
I Say, Porter
Can't talk here, I'll be howled down. Drop in and have a chat sometime.
Bigsmith
Thanks. :-(
(Dr Q) Nid oes dim o "x" yng Ngymraeg. There is no "x" in Welsh.
[Dr Q] Whilst Rosie is correct, there is a consonant which substitues for 'x' but which is reserved for the Elders (and is oft referred to as a 'gift from the faeries'); they clack their false teeth! .... Sorry, just feeling frivolous.
Bloody keyboard!
s/substitues/substitutes
Cymraeg
Also no "J", "K", "Q", "V" or "Z". BUT - "CH", "DD", "FF", "LL", "NG", "RH", "TH" and one other digraph (can't remember which) all count, so Welsh has a 28-letter alphabet.
chocolate cake
Somehow my confused computer managed to submit that without me noticing. It really has a mind of its own.
mmmm...chocolate
Maybe you did it telekinetically? Are you thinking of chocolate cake now?
mmmmm
[snorgle] Now you come to mention it, yes
Cymraeg eto
(Herr Bratsche) It's "PH" you're after. It only occurs as a mutation, i.e. a changed beginning to a word, which would otherwise start with "P". In my last post I left out an "h" in Nghymraeg, another mutation, as you can see. Many North Walians cannot pronounce the "zh" sound in words like "decision". It comes out as "sh".
Dressed for success
Had our dress rehearsal last night (hence absence from epilg). We're hoping that the age-old adage of "Crap dress rehearsal, good first night" holds true. For some reason, the only bit that got practiced twice was the bows. Something which I find to even practice once a little offensive... *grumble - bloody thesps - mutter*
sniped !
Well I suppose it was fair enough because the bid was higher than mine, but it was at £205 with 10 minutes to go, and I had down £275 as my max bid and it ended at £277 - bid placed 15 seconds before the end. Auction was for THIS, with normal and w/a lens I wanted it. With all my being. Oh yes. :o(
Bob le chien will be happy to know that I am considering coming along to the w/e pilghotel thing and am considering bringing a camera to take a photograph of us all.
So that's where you were....
[rab] with a nod to St David there was a Welsh flavour about the pilg last night ... and I was SO looking forward to your presence as a WelshRabbit ...

[std] We'll all be happy to know that you may be coming to the ISIHACThemeNightInRugby :-) You wish to reserve a single room?

fun and frolics in Rugby
[Chalky] Unfortunately I've taken the executive decision not to come as I think I need to sort my life out a tad. But I'd love to hear about it!
[ZK] OK :-)
Run rabbit
[Chalky] I'm sure I would have driven you hopping mad.
[rab] you'd never do that :-) ... I am much more likely to feel uneasy when nattering alongside *mystery* people who aren't particularly inclined to reveal who they are, Morniverse-wise. It probably doesn't bother anyone else :-(
std] *Happy*
Chalky] Me too, but only slightly. The fun is in the guessing. But who was that mysterious Bob the Dolgellau?
Rugby
Ha, so perhaps I might.
bobshappiness
BtD] Its only a thinking about it. I couldn;'t possibly commit that far ahead ;o0. I don't even know when it is ! ZK] Do you not think a weekend surrounded by people all talking nonsense could possibly help inspire you to sorting out your life ?
ISIHAC Theme Night In Rugby
[st d] Saturday 15 May - just the one night. In my role as Bob the dog's assistant - I booked the venue and reserved a block of rooms. Hopefully a final call on numbers won't be necessary for some time [to date we have about 12 definites and 10 possibles]
std] Ooh you tease!
Bool] :o)
Chalky] I'm not at home at the moment, and I don't have your email address, can you make sure that 'The Study' is booked in our name too? And how did the birthday party go?
ISIHaCluedo
[Bob] 'The Study' is now booked - along with the candlestick, the dagger and the lead piping [I'll bring the rope]. We should have access to the Library [via the secret passage] and the Lounge, Dining Room and Conservatory. I hope to be travelling with Miss Scarlett.
It's got me thinking ... the gothic mansion, the study ... there just has to be a game in this. I shall work on it :-)
Miss Scarlet
..in the bedroom, with the lights on.
North Walians
[Rosie] Er. Most North Walians I know/have met while living and visiting there for more than 10 years can say 'decisions' with a zh. (I know, because I asked them. All of them)
On the other hand, most North Walians I've known/met can't speak Welsh (fluently), so eh.
North Walians
(Nik) That's the reason then, isn't it? I only said "many" North Walians, not all of them, and by implication it would be the Welsh speakers, obviously.
Scarletting
[st dog] !
pen
oops ! sorry. Didn't realise Miss Scarlet was actually a PERSON, i thought she was just a platonic ideal.
Didn't sound particularly Platonic to me...
All I put was an exclamation mark...
Ida thought so.
Feeling really knackered now, and we've only done two show nights (three more, plus a matinee to go). Am becoming possessed by offensively catchy G&S tunes *do doooo di -- [camp pause] -- plonk -- [another marquee of a pause] -- ya-da-da-da-da, di-ya-da-da-da-da-da-da, di-ya-da-da-da-da-di-ya-di-da -- di - plong plong -- di - plong plong -- ya-di-da-di-daaaaa, continues for 2½hours*. I manage to flush this out before going to sleep by putting on a CD of something... else, but then wake up at 5am with *di-plong-i-plong-i-plonk, di-plong-i-plong-i-plonk* rattling in my head. Arrrrgh!!!

Anyway, quality update... the first night was a little chaotic. Last night we had a good audience, and having managed to get through the ouverture without a cock-up, the orchestra had a great night. Slight signs of fatigue showing in some of the leads but hopefully they'll have had a good night's sleep and we'll have a top show tonight. I hope so, since it's the night that some of my friends are going...

Scardy-cat
Have I scared everyone off?
do doooo di -- [camp pause] -- plonk -- [another marquee of a pause] -- ya-da-da-da-da, di-ya-da-da-da-da-da-da, di-ya-da-da-da-da-di-ya-di-da -- di - plong plong -- di - plong plong -- ya-di-da-di-daaaaa, continues for 2½hours
Which G&S is that? Years ago dad did the sound for a G&S production. He had to time a piece of recorded cello so that it matched the actress playing a dummy cello. It went da-da-da-da-da da daaaaa [camp pause] dar dar da-da-daaaa [another marquee of a pause] da [pause] da [pause] da [pause] da-de-dadada-da-da-da-daaaaaaah. I wonder if it was the same show?
Just a thought...
Is there a game in this?
Name this classic TV sit-com theme tune...
Rink-dink-eedinkydink, Rink-dink-eedinkydinky dink dink der, (Boo-ba-boo-berr)...?
[camp pause]
[BtD] Well, you're thinking of Patience. I'm guessing rab's talking about Princess Ida. Bob, is that Steptoe and Son or have I had too much Lucozade? Actually, I can hear the tune in my head but I don't know what show it belongs to.
Oooh! The pineapple and courgette might be working . . . .
pinafore's ahoy
[rab] Scared everybody off?? Ya must be joking.
I've just got back from a Pinafore rehearsal ... Da-da-DAH-dada-da-dah-dah, da-da-DAH-dada-dah-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-DA-da-da-da-da - [Never Mind the Why & Wherefore] and I can't get it out of my head. Not much in the way of camp pauses and marqueeses but an awful lot of mannered repetitiony bits ... "for that gallant captain's daughter ... for that gallant captain's daughter....and a Lord who rules the water ... and a Lord who rules the water ... "
Pineapple and courgette pudding
ZK] Yes, you win the star prize! Too easy really...
Another easy one:
Yinky plinky plink-plink plonk. (pause) Plinky plink plonk, donk donk dinky dink donk...
Ooh
Did I get the G&S right or the TV choon?
[Boolbar] Around the last couple of times I've posted you've piped up with something cryptic. Is it all coincidence and am I imagining it or are you being cryptic for reasons we're meant to understand?
As Bob the dog seems to have done, in fact (understood).
I wish you could see me at my computer going "Yinky plinky plink-plink plonk. (pause) Plinky plink plonk, donk donk dinky dink donk.." over and over again :)
yinkyplinky plonking out loud
[ZK] same here :-)
[Bob] Dad's Army?
getting it wrong
[Bob] nah ... can't be Dad's Army ...'cause that goes Whoo-doo-doo-dooh-dooh-doodoo-doodoo-Hitler!
plinky
[Chalky] The key's obviously somewhere in the "dinky dink donk," but it's not coming to me.
And it's not Eastenders cos there aren't enough pauses...
Ooh (again)
You know, I've just noticed something. The top 10 shortlist for best british sitcom are the ones that traditionally use(d) incidental music rather than pop songs. *makes a mental note and goes on to write a smash hit*
Whoo-doo-doo-dooh-dooh-doodoo-doodoo-Hitler!
Chalky] That had me spluttering into my fizzy water!
ZK] Boolbar is referring to a conversation I was having with him by email. He has a doglet that has a tendency to (SENSITIVE PEOPLE PLEASE AVERT YOUR EYES) eat its own poo. Apparently, if you feed the dog pineapple and courgette it stops doing this.
Re the tune - it is Eastenders - not from a sitcom(?!). Probably one of the most easily recognisable and yet irritating pieces of TV intro music ever. Apart from The Bill. Anyone fancy having a go at Doobeedooing that one?
Can I have the bill please
The Bill:
Nick! [pause] Nick nicky nick nicky ner-ner-ner nick [breath] ner-ner nick nicky nick...
Here is another police one. Ner-ner-ner, ner-ner ner ner-ner, ner-ner-ner, ner-ner ner ner...
I got Steptoe, but I've never heard a single episode of The Bill or Eastenders. So here's one that no-one else is likely to have heard, except for gil, if he's reading here. A long-running series in its day.

Dee dee dee, di-dee, di-dee dee dee,
Dee dee dee, di-dee dee deeee,
Dee dee dee, di-dee, di-dee dee dee dee,
Dee dee dee, di-dee dee deeee.

And yes, how about creating a new game for this?

Oops
That should be:

Dee dee dee, di-dee, di-dee dee,
Dee dee dee, di-dee dee deeee,
Dee dee dee, di-dee, di-dee dee dee dee,
Dee dee dee, di-dee dee deeee.

Bob's ner ner de ner ner
[Bob] That's Z Cars yes?
[Raak] I need to have a little dee-di-dee to myself before I can hazard a guess at yours. Am intrigued to know why only gil might know that [meaning I'm really fishing for a clue]
New game? Name That Tune? Can we kill Mrs Trellis?
Raak's dee dee
ooops - hit the enter too early
erm ... Is that Z Cars aswell?
Z
Z cars indeed for me and I think for Raak too. New game on the wayhey!
Beefy
The cpu fan in the server has been sounding increasingly self-destructive over the last couple of weeks. [waffle] The machine will be taken down for a bit, when I get the new one or it pre-emptively keels over.
Ida thought so again.
[ZK] Congrats on Ida, though I did leave at least one or two big clues... Meanwhile I'm slightly surprised, but pleased, to see what this show has spawned. *oof headache* Last night's show was not top notch, and given that we all went on the piss afterwards (including the traditional boat race - oh yes, I really did need to down that pint) tonight could be very interesting. We're going to try a gauche orchestra arrangement tonight, so that the cello "section" won't have its back to the stage... what this means in real terms is I get to feast my eyes on lots of eighteen year olds in tights and short skirts. Yay!
Z-Cars
[Btd, Chalky] Yes, didn't notice Btd had done it. I didn't think there were that many of us here old enough to remember Z-cars, unless there's been a rerun or revival in recent years.
classics
[Raak] I remember it well, probably because as a child I lived in Germany with no TV so when we came home 'on leave, I hungrily absorbed any British TV programme whatever its quality. It's all sort of crystallised in my consciousness. Although, having said that, there's loads of stuff I missed. My other half, who is a few years younger than I, can remember EVERY kids TV programme AND its theme tune. He is much in demand for music quizzes and suchlike.
Old!?!
Raak] I'm only (very) late thirties. I remember Pogles Wood in black and white, Patrick Troughton as Dr Who, The Wooden-Tops, Robinson Crusoe every summer holiday, the Singing Ringing Tree...
[Chalky, Btd] Late 40's here. I always think of Z-Cars as being 60s, although it must have gone well into the 70's, but I more or less stopped watching TV about then, except for stuff I actually wanted to see.
Telly
[Bob the dog] I'm right on your wavelength, and wouldd add Tales From the Riverbank with Hammy the Hamster, and NEW episodes of Dads Army!
".....I get to feast my eyes on lots of eighteen year olds in tights and short skirts. Yay! "
[Rab] ..and that's just the blokes!!
18
rab] you are a lucky lucky man.
[Chalky, Btd, Raak] Mid-thirties, so I'm very jealous of anyone who can remember watching Pat Troughton in Doctor Who on original transmission. Other childhood memories include Rentaghost, Ivor the Engine, Mary Mungo and Midge, Hector's House, Noggin the Nog, The Sweeney, Blake's Seven and Swap Shop. I am also proud/sad (delete as applicable) to be able to recite the preambles to Hong Kong Phooey and Camberwick Green, and the closing words to Bagpuss.
42 ...
... is the answer. Old enough to remember 2nd Doctor clearly, 1st Doctor vaguely. Miss "Magic Roundabout" very much indeed.
[UK] We appear to share a brain, or at least that part of it relating to childhood reminiscences.
Everything goes shimmery
I was born the year before the Beatles released Revolver. I remember an article on the radio about them splitting although it didn't make much sense at the time. We had a hippy lodger who used to play me Ummagumma by Pink Floyd when he was babysitting and I couldn't sleep. I used to get tuppence ha'penny pocket money when I was 5 - enough for a bag of Walkers Crisps.
household appliances
....moving on from telly to other things sold by Curry's. Does anyone have any opinions as to what makes a *good* gas oven? Or does anyone have a particularly favourite fridge? I need to buy this type of thing and haven't a clue where to start!
more Dujon
Musically I was born in the year Duane Eddy released Peter Gunn, not that I remember it except a couple of years ago someone gave me a copy of the 45.

Breaking News!!! Dujon is No1!! a great result not seen since august last year, *throws several tubs of confetti into the air.*

something broke?
rab]There should be two links in the last post but the on for 15 august does not appear.
White goods
Lib] Go for the most expensive brand you can afford - Bosch is my favourite - you get far better customer support if things go wrong. Never buy because of add-on features you'll never use. Go for the lowest energy rating possible (A is the best). Never take subscribe to add on insurance - most appliances are covered for two years regardless. Shop around - and don't be scared to ask for a best price. Happy shopping!
Dixons Group plc
[Lib] You can probably get a fridge better than you'd expect, for less than you'd expect, by hunting around the sole-proprietors and small chains. I much prefer not shovelling my cash at the known retail brands these days - same or less money, same or better service. And fighting the power, man. Admittedly, it's not so time-consuming to hunt through the small local types when the town and outlyings of Northwich aren't much bigger than <pick a sub-area of a sub-region of Manchester>. The theory that because Dixons Group is huge you get better post-sales service is invalid - Dixons has one of the worst reputations, and it's major competitors (ie Comet and Argos) aren't a great deal better. Sorry if I'm repeating common knowledge - it's always worth repeating.
Daq & missing link
Thanks all for letting me climb to the top once more - I thought it would never happen. ... ;-)
[Inkspot] you typed 'hef' instead of 'href' in the missing link.
Children's TV and other things
I was already nearly 16 (1958) before we had a telly, a thing the size of a wardrobe with a screen of several square inches, so I never watched kids' TV; just never been part of my life. (Dujon) Congrats on being top of the whatever-it-is; I don't do that one. I see from my weather browsing that eastern Oz is now very sweaty indeed, but not for long, probably. Take it easy, mate, you're not as young as you used to be, now, are you, goo' boy? (All) If you've absolutely nothing to do next Wednesday evening and are within a gnat's crotchet of Dartford, come along to the Mick Jagger Centre. Our band (Force Ten) are playing, starting 8 pm. A mixture of jazz, swing, funk, Glenn Miller-type stuff plus a very good female singer. Cost you £8, some of which will land up in my back pocket, I hope. Some tickets left, so I'm told. Hmm!
[BtD and Nik] Thanks for your words of wisdom. House purchase is delayed (grrr) so I won't be buying for a while (I've already got a sofa being delivered, which is kinda problematic as I've got nowhere to put it). Why is housebuying so infuriating?!?
Don't I know it - buying the place that now contains angrycake.com took almost *six months* after having my offer accepted. I'd had a cooker, fridge/freezer and bed bought and sat in warehouses for most of that time, having somewhat foolishly thought it'd only take the few weeks I was told it would take.
For Chalky, 'cos I now she'll know what I mean.
I just missed (well most of) 'That's Entertainment' on the local television. Unfortuanately it was on in opposition to the local F1 race in Melbourne - another one of my weaknesses (that's the cars, not Melbourne). Why can't the TV stations advertise that sort of stuff instead of some 'Z' grade movie in prime-time? I AM UPSET. I know, my fault; but if I'd realised I would have recorded the damn thing, as I don't have a copy filed away. *sobs - goes misty eyed after seeing the last 30 minutes and leaves with the full intent of getting rotten.*
The 'k' key on my keyboard, or perhaps my fingers, is/are in trouble.
All right - it's the misty eyes. ;-(
seeing red
Dujon]The race was repeated here this afternoon, I had high hopes fo Mark Webber, but only to be dashed again by reliability of the Jaguar. I would like to see him replace Montoya in the Williams. Would he beat his prospective team mate the petulant Ralf Schumacher? yes! without a doubt.
Green with envy
[Inkspot] To be honest (re Webber) I don't know. The media here tends to be so biased towards anyone with an Australian connection that it's hard to pick the facts from the hyperbole. No doubt he's a good driver, otherwise Jaguar would not be using him (apart from the money which he may have brought with him!), but it's an interesting thought.
The 'daq
Yay! I've been millionaired again!
[Dujon/Inkspot] Webber is indeed a top talent, with a great ability for doing good things with less than the best equipment. Our post race pub discussion on Sunday lunchtime centred around the (not totally unlikely) possibility of a Williams dream team in 2005 with Webber and our own Jenson Button on board.
Plinkaplonka
Managed to wake up without Princess Ida in my head this morning, so my sanity may shortly be restored (well, whatever sanity I had to begin with, anyway). The last night was fun, what with the substitution of a packet of cigars for some handcuffs, some banter betwixt lead and orchestra, and a plan to give the MD a brown-trousers moment in the last number which came off beautifully...

Oof! Back to work...

A wandering minstrel I
I'm not going to be available to come to the e-pilg tonight - but how about a Gilbert and Sulivan theme..?
Minstrel in the gallery.
Me Cryptic? No. But the pelican has no tomatoes.
Chocs away!
Bool] I think our cryptic postings have scared everyone off. Good job I didn't mention the bonfire that our neighbours are having in their swimming pool (no joke). The smoke is making the chickens sneeze!
Hello everyone, it seems I can get into MC5 at last. Whether this is just temporary or not I don't know!
**waves at darren**
Hooray! Can you email me another traceroute output please?
Well, I'm still here but paradoxically "tracert" now says "Destination net unreachable" after the first entry!
it's quiet..
Slow week in the morniverse. **whistles eerily**
*coughs*
*munches crisps noisily*
Did anyone watch the programme last night about the crisp industry?
*Thinks* I've got no telly and I'm on a diet and I was working last night.
Wish I had. Was it good?
crispology
[Btd] Well if you were working, why would you need a telly? It was OK. Just surprising how much I knew about crisps. I eat more than I should, but then I don't eat other stuff... much.
A Cross-Post By Any Other Name Would Still Be As Annoying
Cross-posted from Orange, but... a small announcement - White Rose MC is, at last, online. This is a version of the York/!York archive, rejigged to use the same technology as Orange MC (hence my desire to give it a different name).

Enjoy!

Server maintenance.
...and, again, reeeeee-lax. The new fan is much less painful to listen to.
Coo
[Dunx] Wow. I'll ungrey the York link Sometime Real Soon Now (i.e. when I can work out how out-of-synch the live version is with the dev version, and whether applying all updates would break anything. Yes I do use CVS, no I don't understand it and hence use is propery).
While of mean
Any chance of a similar stunt being pulled for the Pants archives?
White Rose
Dunx] You are a hero!
Dead Pants
[rab] Not by me, no - I don't believe there was any backup of the Pants archives.
Pants archive
Pardon me for dropping in here: but, Dunx: if you were so inclined, you could find the archive.org record of Pants MC (it's surprisingly extensive) and manually pinch everything they've got there. I've already got the Lock Cup matches and a few others of interest: I'm slowly building up to getting the lot before archive.org crashes or gets taken down by an army of ravening copyright solicitors, but it is an option. If we really really really really really badly want the archive to be taken and re-hosted, that is.
Workflow
[Angus] I feel that Dunx might already have enough on his plate... but if you do have all the games in a reasonable format there could be scope for archiving it appropriately.
Am I alone in believing that NOT all games need be archived? Only those which are *of particular distinction*, whether in quality, style or genre.
more tacky daq docs
Aplologies to all at Celebrity Monington Crescent, somehow moreteaplease regained No1 without trying. Last Friday after I had sold all my shares I reinvested them in Prince Charles, if was he in the news I don't remember seeing him anywhere? and he paid out a handsome 5.57 a share! So I'll let them ride for another week and see what happens.
Super duper new tunes!!
My halfwit band have some new tunes for you to listen to. So when you have five mins, toddle along to http://www.papalazarus.com and have a listen. Why not leave some nutty inane message on the guest book while your there? Ok cheap plug well n truly over......ftangftang......wibble
Archival Questions
[JLE] Well... possibly. The problems are that (1) someone has to go through all the games to make a judgement on which are or are not worthy; and (2) you're relying on just that person's judgement. Even if there were a panel of judges, you would be requiring that their judgement be accurate for all time.

From an archaeological point of view, a lot of the most interesting artifacts and documents are the ones that people thought weren't worth keeping at the time. If all that is kept is the exceptional, then the context for those exceptions is lost.

So, possibly, but in my judgement, no.

archivism
[Dunx, JLE] I'm with Dunx on this one. Many's the time I've searched through the archives loking for a particular post of mine or someone else's. I'm afraid I have a habit of using these sites as a sort of highly social blog, and they're one of the few ways I can remind myself of what I was thinking about and preoccupied with at particular times, and when certain events happened. Players' reactions to Sep 11th are particularly interesting to look back on from this distance, particularly in locations other than the chat game, where life proceeded as normal within less than hours. Future historians might look at the pages and say "What were these people thinking? Joking and limericking away before the dust had even settled on such a huge historical event!".
gallows humour
[Projoy] I didn't realise these boards went back that far - where's all that then? curiosity declared
[Projoy] Well, I haven't seen a single comment throughout any of the Morniverse about the Spain bombings, so I don't see why there should have been so many about the ones in America either. I think our sense of importance is greatly warped by our peculiar belief that what happens in America is more important than what happens elsewhere.
Now, the verdict on Betsygate - that's what I call important!
Betsygate?
You mean you haven't been following it with bated breath?
Madrid
I think everyone is horrified. And also very aware that the target could so easily have been here.
[Breadmaster] Oh, Betsygate, I do beg your pardon!
[BM] We don't really know the significance of the Madrid attacks yet, which makes them at present equivalent to the earthquake in Bam. But the significance and symbolism of the 11 Sept attacks were immediately obvious and pretty much unignorable. And arguably what happens in America (at least in some contexts) is more important in terms of international repercussions than what happens here, so the perception is not entirely arbitrary. [ZK] If you're interested in the reaction to Sep 11th, you can see it breaking here. CdM and I were midway through a debate on insurance when Néa was the first person to react, ahead of PaulWay hearing the news. What's really interesting in retrospect is how Drewsxpa provides future MC historians with an aside on the event for context - but of course, the date and the event is now burned on everyone's memory, and we need no such thing.
What you might need context for, on the other hand, is the "yipee" comment on 13 September by "Iain Duncan-Hague". You may recall that a man with a similar name was elected Conservative leader on that date. You don't? Oh, well, hard to blame you.
Archives
There's a fair few archives we may never see again: Beer Powered Mornington Crescent Frenzy is gone for good, I believe, as is Huxley's rather stylish, but short-lived server. Delphi remains in limbo, too.
[Projoy] Thankyou. I haven't quite read all of it, but will do so at my leisure. As to the more recent attacks (in Spain, obviously) I suspect no-one has said a lot because, callous as it sounds, we've sadly seen this all before, with my sincerest apologies to whoever that statement offends (including me). I was, however, visibly appalled when I was following the news on TV on Friday (I didn't quite grasp the scale via the internet on Thursday), so it's not as though I'm not affected. I am. But what is there left to say? Aside from that, watching those parades yesterday, I was overwhlemed by one particular thought - how proud I would be to be Spanish right now.
Madrid
I was horribly shocked - but it still isn't certain who actually perpetrated the attacks. So we've been sidetracked into thinking it may have been ETA, rather than Al-Quaeda. There was also the way that passenger planes were hijacked and crashed into the towers, which seemed to make it even worse, somehow.
Spain and the world
I sometimes wonder if there is a difference between honest belief and being brainwashed. That statement applies to myself as much as to anyone else. Whilst I have been raised within a society that, basically at least, follows the principle of 'do unto others ...' I often ask myself why someone would act in the manner which many do. I have also come to the conclusion that no-one can overcome extremists should such decide to launch plans to disrupt a country's activities by targeting its citizens. What those people or groups would hope to achieve by such activities also eludes me; surely such operations would merely strengthen the resolve of those targeted. It would appear that capitalism does have its weaknesses, particulary when it comes to the indiscriminate use of wealth to obtain a goal without due concern about those who might be affected by the process and its consequences. In that sense perhaps it is time that governments - honest ones, if that's not some form of anti-logic - took a wee bit more control over the activities of companies (multi-national or otherwise). However, I digress. I applaud the reaction of the Spanish people to these latest attempts to undermine the fabric of their country - even those in the Basque areas.
That should read "even more those in the Basque areas".
celebdaq
Does anyone have any idea why Ralf Little's shares keep going up?
The motivation of terrorists
The tape claiming Al Qaeda responsibility says it all, really: "You desire life; we desire death."
Um...
Have the gremlins crept into my computer, or am I simply imagining all this minimalism?
Oz syndrome
ooh, that was confusing. did I imagine it?
I see
No, I didn't. How very strange. Approving of new fontage, however.
I don't
New fontage? Everything looks the same to me.
[Raak] I suspect the gremlins have got at my computer. Everything switches intermittently to Times New Roman and similar sparsity.
New stuff
I did just notice the new favicon -- very nice.
Where next.
The world is so small today, that news can be transmitted around the world seconds after it has happened, with instant assumptions of responsibility.
What has frightened me, is that as further details emerge is that this could happen anywhere, that Al-Quaeda have a long term goal and as a result they chose the place, time and method. They have the upper hand. The next act of terror will be unlike any that we have seen by them.

Once the west has bled the middle east dry of oil what kind of societies will be left? Looking at the news pictures of post-Iraq its hospitals, schools and housing were no bettter than that of a debt ridden third world country. I have yet to see evidence that everyone in Saudi has the same standard of living as you or I. With parts of America have already run dry of oil and its consumption shows no sign of slowing down, the exploitation of the middle east by the west only fuels the fire of Al-Quaeda fanaticism.

frontage
I momentarily experienced what looked like a plain text version of this page too, under IE6. Have reloaded and now it looks normal again.
Inky for President!
errmmm
Is there an e-pilg type thingy tonight? If there is, I could pop in for a little while, fairly early-like.
Update
I did update the site last night, so it might be your caches getting confused. Hit Reload if things look strange, and it should be ok.
Madrid
I'm observing a 3-minute silence. Does posting this count as 'not silence'?
As it happened - I didn't press 'enter' until the silence had finished so I'm OK.
[Inkspot] The West is paying the Middle Eastern states for the oil, and, I recall, was previously being criticised for not allowing Saddam to sell it. If they have the standard of living of third world countries, that is entirely the fault of their rulers. Saudi Arabia, in particular, is run as the private property of its despotic royal family, who indeed do not have the standard of living of you and I. Bill Gates would be a better comparison.
[3 minute silence] There is gesture inflation going on. If 2 minutes is enough for the dead of two world wars...
silence
What's wrong with 1 minute? It's just a gesture, after all. No amount of silence can bring back the dead. If a person wants to spend longer in silence, that's up to them - they can spend 10 minutes praying, etc.
oh yes ...
[flerdle] great to see you and yes, I hope so ... what is early-like for you?
Rich Rulers
[Raak] cf also Emir of Kuwait, rulers of Bahrain, Qatar, Oman etc. Not to mention the Sultan of Brunei. Now, how many of these countries have real, working parliaments with teeth?
Royals
I should perhaps point out that I recognize the immense wealth of HM the Q of UK&NI - however, she does not (indeed cannot) act in a despotic way except within her own four walls. Bill Gates can be said to have earned his pile, whatever reservations one has about the business methods of Micro$oft.
[HB] None, yes?
likely earls
[Chalky] Probably about 8:30pm or so for an hour.
measuring sticks
[HB, back one post] I will keep investigating .om and get back to you. What I've seen so far is pretty good, however. It's probably because it has just enough (oil) wealth to get the country developing, but not so much that he (SQ) can take it for granted. It will not last forever, and he knows it.
banter banter banter
sooo....read any good books lately? Seriously though, I'm a little confused - was does SQ stand for?
detective work, SQ
Have a look around here, which leads to here for the (rather long) official blurb. Perhaps I should have said HM S QbS.
Oman
[flerdle] Hmmm, a relatively benign dictator if you believe the somewhat hagiographic blurb - however, I remember, prior to a school trip to Romania in 1975, reading the official government literature on what a wonderful fellow that Nicolae Ceausescu was and how all Romanians were privileged to be ruled by such a caring, sharing fellow. It just makes one wary, that's all.
I know, and I'm wary myself :-). But I'm living here now, so will be able to see a few things "up close", as it were...
[flerdle] There are some things in that hagiography that one could, were one so despicably inclined, read in a rather different way than was presumably intended.

"Sultan Qaboos resorted to military force in order to eliminate a group of renegades based in the south who repeatedly declined the opportunities extended to the Omani population."

Yes :-D I know that too. There is a fair bit it doesn't say.
Top o' the marnin ta ya!
Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!
feck off!
What is all this St Patrick's day nonsense? Until we see the same kind of fervour for England and St George, I'll have none of it! And another thought that struck me. Earlier this week, legislation to curb binge drinking was proposed, and yet... It's a load of feckin' hypocrisy! bah!
St. Paddy
[pen]Boo! Hiss! Anyway, what's stopping you celebrating St. George(if he ever existed and visited England) and prancing about wearing English things, and dancing round a maypole, or something? I do that EVERY DAY! Ha!
[penelope] Too right! I will celebrate St Patrick's day the day I celebrate Thanksgiving. This is just another example of the horrible rape of our culture by vile Americanism. The notion of celebrating St Patrick's day is entirely American and therefore to be resisted.
[Zooological Keeper] Not that I wish to rebuff rudely your cheery greeting, naturally.
St.Paddy
American? *wonders why it's a bank holiday in Ireland today*
Scary thing is that we've been invited to a St Patrick's Day party tonight.

No, not by locals.

party!
Hmm, will there be much illegal drink? Or will you be sipping soda water?
Merry Christmas!
Well, because my free Guinness hat looks like an Australian one I'm going to get very confused about my accent for the day. I agree it's all horribly commercialised but hey, it's a reason to celebrate - we don't get that many of those any more, unless you count the eejits who seem to think that Bonfire Night lasts 3 and a half months. [Snorgle] Oh that's you, is it? [Breadmaster] Thankyou. You couldn't deter me anyway, I'm in too good a mood. *does a little nationally unspecific jig*
[snorgle] The celebration is a big deal over in the americas although mostly among the Irish population, oddly enough :)
[snorgle] If you're a foreigner, and not Muslim, you can get a permit for a certain value per month. We will be sipping water, most likely; it's not the sort of "scene" one really wants to get into.
[flerdle] Drink orange juice, it's more interesting! :)
drinking and stuff
[flerdle]Or tomato juice. Put some Worcestershire sauce into it, and there you go! [ZK]I grew up in Canada and it's popular there too - especially amongst those who may possibly have had an Irish ancestor at some point, or knew someone who once drank a Guinness. The green beer and popcorn the loony lady across the street used to offer everyone, however, still gives me shivers.
[Breadmaster] Please cease from making your "vile Americanisation" comments. This is not the appropriate forum for them.
[snorgle] Lol. I suspect it really is just such a big deal over here because people want to drink a lot, and Guinness want them to. It's win-win apart from the poor sods who run the police stations and hospitals.
[rab] No offence intended - it's only the Americanism I deplore, of course, not Americans.
Housebuying saga
Well, until half past three yesterday afternoon I was going to become a homewoner on friday. Everything was set up, including my sofa being delivered to my boyfriends house (but it wouldn't fit through the dining room door, so is currently blocking the hall and being a huge health and safety risk) and a van and things booked. I'd chosen the white goods I wanted (with a little help from my firnds in the crescent!) And my solicitor has all my money. It was looking hopeful, but then, at approximatly 3.19pm GMT I received a call from the estate agent.
There was a SIX WEEK delay!
Some silly people up the chain (and as there's only three people involved I would call it more of a link that a chain, but anyway) are emigrating to NZ and have found out that they need to stay resident in the same property for 40 days, or something silly like that. So I can't move, and there's no point me pulling out as I want that house and I'd loose a lot of money having come this far. So I've just got to wait. And sulk.
And my state of mind wasn't helped yesterday by my mum telling me that I look awful in my bridesmaid dress for my brother's forthcoming wedding.
Hopefully seeing friends tonight and drinking to celebrate St Patrick's Day will help.
Gah!
[Lib]Sorry to hear it Lib! Is your mother usually so forthright? It's not going to turn into a soap opera, I hope. My father's family wedding always ended up in drunken brawls and being barred from the hotel they were staying in. [ZK]I won't be getting THAT drunk tonight(I hope!).
The maligned English saint
[pen] Quite. Standard conversation fair:
<Everyone>: So Nik, when's your birthday?
Nik: St. George's Day.
<Everyone>: Err. Sorry?
Nik: Mwuahahaha!
Or conversation fare, if you're not in the carnival mood.
St Paddy's
I had some Bailey's & Guinness myself, and kept it quiet.
St Patrick's Day
Breadmaster is right; St Patrick's day, as celebrated these days, is largely an American invention. Americans would do well to realise that on this side of the pond we merely like the Irish, but don't worship them.
Saintly festivals
Just to shove my oar in for a moment... British food and drink outlets seem to go loopy every St Patrick's Day, and I must concur with Rosie and Breadmaster's opinion that it's the US influence that fuels this. On the other side of the coin, I went into my local Tesco outlet (and it's the major one for the area) at the end of February to see what I could get to celebrate St David's Day (what with having Welsh ancestry). I was laughed at by staff. When I suggested that, surely, the massive efforts poured into their St Patrick's Day marketing might indicate a degree of 'racial bias' (I stopped short of institutional racism!), I was told "Well, you can buy a daffodil or a leek." I would have replied, but the manager had lost interest and walked away.
Dewi Sant
[UK] Wot, no lava bread or Welsh cakes? No Welsh whisky? No bottles of Brains, Felinfoel or Tomos Watkins? Disgrace!
St David
Well, there is always plenty of stuff available in Wales to celebrate it, but then Welsh cakes, although nice, aren't as exciting as Guiness, for most people. I think although it's definitely commercial - no-one really minds an excuse to drink and eat, just like at Christmas and Easter.
I'm going to make millions!
Right. My ambition now is to plan the mass-marketing off the back of St. David's Day. St. George's Day needs no help, in Clinton's at least, and I suspect is fuelled quite nicely by the football industry.
Pfft. I'm sure half of that wasn't in comprehensible english, but you get the right idea.
Guinness USA certainly capitalises on St Patrick's Day over here -- they've shown quite a few ads on TV here equating St Patrick's to Christmas, with everyone getting cases and kegs of Guinness and Harp....

[Nik] If St George had been asked what his birthday was, would he reply, "Nik's birthday"? (NB Nik's email address removed by request -- rab)

[ZK] I'd help you with the American marketing of St David's Day, but most Americans wouldn't know a Welshman if he came up and shoved a leek up their collective arses. ;) See also Church, Charlotte, meeting George W. Bush
[HB] Nowt Welsh at all, I'm sorry to say. Although I have tried and dislike laver bread, I would have bought any (or all) of the other items that you mentioned. I would also like to mention that difficulty my Irish father-in-law suffers in trying to find me a St David's Day card, on the back of my always sending him a St Patrick's Day card. Sceptics, note - he managed it once, so such cards do exist!
Welshmass
[DrQu+xum] I meant in the UK, where Welsh people are far more prevalent, although if it's successful I might try to crack the Big Market later on. :)
Wales, Mass.
[ZK] You need to get in touch with this fine body of people. Who will no doubt explain that it was, of course, the Welsh who discovered America in the first place, a fact disputed by Native Americans who unaccountably reckon that they got there first!
Party on!
With patrons like Catherine Zeta Jones and Siân Phillips its a must for my membership, The Social Welsh and Sexy Society.
Celebrations
[BM] I think you need to write to these people and explain to them the error of their ways. I've lived in Ireland and the U.S., and while I agree that abominations like green beer are a U.S. invention, it's simply not true that Patrick's Day is not celebrated in Ireland.
Saint's Days
(Dr Q) Isn't it true that there are probably a greater proportion of Welsh descent in Pennsylvania than in any other American state, though that proportion wouldn't be very large. Well, obviously, from what you say. It seems to me these Saint's days are used as yet another means of relieving people of their money, like Mother's Day (formerly Mothering Sunday) and Father's Day. I've got no kids, but I have two nieces, so what about Uncle's Day, or Eldest Son's Day. Come on! Oh, it's all bollocks, isn't it? :-)
[Rosie] I agree that much of it is commercial tripe. I was all for supporting Mothering Sunday and Father's Day in their original forms, but when "Grandparents Day" turned up in the shops, I lost all hope for my country. There's a line in Hocus Pocus - "Everyone knows Hallowe'en was invented by the candy companies!" which has, to a very great extent, influenced my more cynical side.
Katy Z. Jones-the-actress
My Dad, being a bit of a writer, would have had fun with a name like that. Get a Greek letter and a Welsh surname - mix 'n' match, alliteratively. In his memory I offer Catherine Pi Parry, Catherine Beta Bowen, Catherine Gamma Griffiths, Catherine Epsilon Evans and Catherine Delta Davies. Nos da i chi gyd (Night, night, all).
Anniversaries
[Rosie] I could not agree with you more (the Mum and Dad days, not the Welsh) commercialism has taken over the world! Over the years I have attempted to instill into my children that Fathers' Day is purely that (well, I can't comment on Mothers' Day - not my field!) and, finally, they have come to their senses. I have also attempted to impress upon them that a birthday is simply a date on the calendar. As you know, and I am now broadcasting it to the world, I turned sixty years of age a week or so ago BUT my son (I have two children, one of each gender) made me so happy when he popped in to say "Happy Birthday" and brought with him just a greeting card. My daughter on the other hand brought a bottle of rather nice port .... I am now re-thinking my stern attitude.        ;-)
Plymouth sham-rock
[BM] Have just noticed this: "I will celebrate St Patrick's day the day I celebrate Thanksgiving." :-)
[CdM] Of course it is celebrated in Ireland, but I understand that the notion of celebrating it originated in America.
[Projoy] Well, you get the idea!
rip-offs
I have noticed that the St Patrick's Day cards my mum receives seem to have changed from a religious theme, to more of a "Happy Green Irish Day!" with fluffy animals - and these are the ones from Ireland! I do get my mum things on Mother's Day (even though she says not to worry about it) but she does like getting presents. This year I've decided to go for something useful - she wants a new mobile phone, so I'll get her that, rather than chocolates or flowers. And I think I'll make or download a card, unless I see one I really like. She's doesn't mind that - she's very sensible, really.
[snorgle] Religion? What's that? Irish Day (as they are changing the name to next year) celebrates the birth of the first Leprechaun, Christmas celebrates the birth of Santa Claus, and Easter celebrates the birth of a rabbit from a large chocolate-coloured egg. Everybody knows there's nothing religious about any of these holidays! Or so my friends at Clinton's tell me.
days off
I think we should randomly celebrate any holiday so we get extra days off. After all, it's the 21st century, aren't we supposed to be living on the moon, working 3 hours a week and having our every need met by robots?
lunar-tic
[snorgle] Well, I was disappointed in 1999 that we weren't all flying around in Eagle Transporters, and that the moon wasn't blown out of Earth's orbit by an explosion of nuclear waste on its surface...
Look you in Pennsylvania
[Rosie] You're probably right -- many Welsh, including some of my mother's ancestors, came to both Western & Eastern Pennsylvania for the coal mining jobs from 1850-1920; some, like the Quakers, settled in the Delaware Valley much earlier (1640s-1700s). You can find a ton of Welsh town names in suburban Philadelphia -- Bryn Mawr, Berwyn, Radnor, even North Wales (maybe one could instigate a name-change to Trellistown? :)
Unlike Britain, though, the mining is still going strong. East-Central Pennsylvania has the largest deposit of anthracite coal in the world, and I'll bet a-dollar-to-a-daffodil that no less than half of its miners are of at-least-part Welsh descent.
This & that
(Dr Q) Thanks. But I bet there isn't a suburb called Llanerchymedd. :-) (snorgle)Technological advances certainly make life easier in many ways but their effect in the long run is that they simply enable more work to be done, with no increase in leisure. We work longer hours now (at least in Britain) than say 40 yrs ago.
working hard
The more technology there is, the more companies want to lay people off! That's one way to increase leisure time..
Mattriculations
I see Matt has just put his head round the door of one of the games. So, to celebrate - may I say "Hello Matt"?
Welsh
The area in and around Ipswich (West of Brisbane) was settled by Welsh people (and Germans, and Scots, and people from north-east England) in the 1800s; there's a suburb called Ebbw Vale that springs to mind straight away. It was a fairly large coalmining area too. Should be able to remember some of the other places around there, but can't right now.
[DrQ] Hm. Isn't it a bit rude to go slapping peoples' email addresses on public web pages without asking first, or any attempt at obfuscation? [rab] Can you sort that our for me, please?
[DrQ] And let me make my sentiments on this clear - I consider it bloody rude, and you've made me really quite angry.
Yes
It took me longer than a few minutes to sort out, for various technical reasons, especially at a time when I'm really snowed under with work and can't really spare more than the odd minute or two to post to these sites. So add me to the annoyed list, and also bear in mind that I do occasionally charge for my time at lawyer's rates.
My sincerest apologies
[Nik] I do apologise for my utter stupidity. [rab] If you can kill -9 that post, please do.
Thank you
[rab & Nik] Thanks for quickly eradicating my proof of idiocy. I'll go away for a bit in the hopes that things can cool off. Again, I apologise to both of you, and to the rest of you who had to witness that.
Re. Dr. Q.
Hi, folks. I missed the fireworks, but DrQu+xum has offered to resign from our Lock Cup championship game at the Lockisseum (he is the reigning champion) as a sign of remorse for whatever it is that just happened here. Personally, I would like our game to continue, but I'd like to know how people are feeling here. Thanks!
[Nik] My birthday is St. George's Day, by the way.
[Dr's Q and Lock] Oh, I doubt there's any need for that. An apology was all the compensation necessary, and it was paid in full. I wouldn't try and stop people coming here, even though MC5 does run on my equipment. The community doesn't need an evil overlord. [Dr Lock] Do you find it seems to land on weekends far less than your friends as well? Still, Friday's about as ideal as it gets.
All that was necessary for me, I mean. I wouldn't want to seem like I'm speaking for rab.
random celebration
What ho. It's St. Joseph's Day today, apparently. I think I celebrated by booking a holdiay. Which was nice.
Me too
I quite agree. DrQ's suggestion seems like taking things way too far.
The Lock Cup
Thanks, everyone. Guess I'll just have to remove Q from the Cup the old-fashioned way. Feel free to drop in and catcall from the cheap seats, by the way.
pfffft
I was late for work this morning - you know why? A friend rang me to tell me she was getting married on my birthday! How mean is that? Just 'cos it falls on a Saturday in July this year, does every cupid-struck couple have to go and pinch it for their own gooey nuptuals? Lay off my birthday, I say!
commandeering birthdays
ooooh pen - think yourself fortunate. No less than THREE, yes three ... members of my or partner's close family have chosen to die on my birthday. Since then, every year has been a "it may well be your birthday, K, but, it's exactly 2/3/7 years since ...... passed away, you know .." I'm made to feel really selfish because I want to enjoy my birthday [it falls at that time when everyone has just got over the aftermath of Christmas credit and is just about ready for fun, what with spring just round the corner] but ALAS no. *sigh* Compassion is the name of the game. Just call me Martyr :-)
squib
[Chalky] When's your birthday? We'll all send you presents this year! :)
Hello, Martyr, welcome to the board!
I don't suppose, perchance, that you are related to the Farqhars?
the morning after
[ZK] It was at the end of Feb on a Tuesday so, in determined fashion, I had a birthday party on the following Saturday so's not to clash with the 'death dates'.
[Duj] Not that I know of ... and Happy Birthday for last week to you, yourself, sir!
[Chalky] I remember reading Wuthering Heights and being struck by the fact that young Catherine doesn't celebrate her birthday because it's also the anniversary of her mother's death. This must have happened a lot in the days when childbirth was far more dangerous to the mother than it is today. Makes you think, doesn't it... Of course, Origen said that no Christian would ever celebrate their birthday, but then he had no private parts so we can ignore that.
(Cross-posting)
Wahey! New Doctor Who is Christopher Ecclestone!
what?
[BM]What? [UK]Yay!
Dr Who?
[UK] :) I'd read that earlier too! I've always thought CE was hideously underrated and I'm pretty fond of Dr Who...so I was much the joyous one today!
Okay, I'm better now. There was just a hell of a lot of bad things happening last Friday that just got me way down. Thanks to Nik & rab for accepting my apologies and I promise not to be as much of a w@nker from now on.
DrQ
Well, good! I was worried you were going off to hide in cyberspace and we might never see you again! ***big hugs**
[snorgle] *accepts and returns hugs* Thanks. Actually, upon further review, I notice that rab never said he accepted my apology....sorry for presuming as such.
Groan
I have ants in my kitchen. I suppose it was the Spring Equinox yesterday ... *grumble grumble grumble* (my fault really, I went away for the weekend and didn't clean up well enough before going)
ants
[Brendan] Put a wipe of neat lemon juice in several places across their route. It destroys the formic acid scent trail they've left for themselves and they won't find their way in to your pantry any more.
Ogre
[DrQ] I seem to have assumed ogre status. My comment entitled "me too" was supposed to have acted as an apology acceptance measure. Apologies for the lack of clarity on my part, and possibly for being slightly more grumpy than I needed to be... Group hug?
[penelope] But what about the ones that are in the kitchen when he does that? They won't be able to find their way back! They'll be lost! Do you want that on your conscience?
ants in pants
[pen]They may decide to build their own state - in the kitchen cupboard (or the underwear drawer) - the horror!

***hugs everyone***
I'm not usually this demonstrative, you know, but as we're online.. ;)

Giant ants are walking the earth
[Breadmaster] They're already dead. Very dead. And yet my concscience is clear. [pen] Cheers for the advice; unfortunately I didn't manage to work out where they were getting in (I did wait to kill them until I'd watched them running around for a while, but there wasn't an obvious entrance/exit, and then my insecticidal urges overtook me and I bludgeoned them all to death), but wiping the kitchen down with lemon juice doesn't seem as extreme as putting powder down everywhere.
more ants
[Bm]I'd rather have ants on my wipe-clean conscience than in my pants or my biscuit tin :o)
Thos were the days, my friend
Can I just say a very belated "Hello Thos" as well? Ta.
of nothing
hello. I have been in Chamonix Mont Blanc and it was loverley. Drove back to geneva airport on an uncrowded 2 lane autoroute yesterday am at 160kmh and it was a pleasure to pay the tolls (5 euros in total). The most pleasurable drive of my life - or high up there. Mont Blanc and it's sister's and brothers lit up by alpinr sun certainly beat anything the M4 has to offer. ***deeply contented sigh***
sister's
ahem. ha ha.
envious
[st d] Wow - autorouting in and around mountains ... lucky you.
Tonite
Just to let you know I won't be gracing the Chat Room tonight but only for the reason that I shall be out with my colleagues. I'm sure this announcement won't stop people assuming anyone who arrives in costume is me :)
oh yeah?
[rab] you DO tell porkies sometimes
europe
I'm off to Bella Roma on Wednesday! Yippee!!!!!
*fume*
*seethe* [zk] Lucky you. I neeeeeeed a holiday.
hunting
I had to search high and low for my post today.
Trappings
Bit quiet the mo.
Yah.
On the bright side, I just chatted with me mum in Aus. And the webcam works. woo.
hogging the space
So, not quite as hideous a day as was first thought. Still not the best.
Settling in
[flerdle] Great to see you posting from your new domicile ... that didn't take long! ... ;-) I trust all is well and Mr f is as organised as yourself.
Knackerd
1 hour to go then I bugger off home and forget all about the NHS for 13 hours.............
[widey] I hear you. After spending all night in a three-person team doing the work of a five-person team, I am about to put myself in the bed and remain there, if possible, for the next ten hours. Nasty working conditions do have an up-side, even if it's only when they end.
Greetings!
Allow me to break up the routine with a message from Rome!(Its not that boring here its just weve only just found the internet)If its any comfort to you, pen, the weather here is pretty rubbish anyway...
The rain in Rome
[ZK-o] S'ok... I have plans for a trip to Reykjavik next month (current temp: 0 degrees). I know it's getting close because I've started throwing socks into a backpack and enquiring about buying foreign currency. :o)
not *exactly*
[Dujon] Not quite in the new flat yet, so will probably still be a bit intermittent since we have no idea how long it will take to get a phone there. Until then, I'm making good use of what I have access to :-)
holidays
well, i am hoping my bruises will go down and am currently thinking of a long weekend maybe in Les 2 Alpes in late April for a bit of a glacier ski, then an unlikely but very tempting week or two in Chile in the summer for some S Hemisphere skiing and then a race camp in Austria in October. :o) All unlikely but fun to imagine....
noffink
No-one has said anything today. So I thought I might as well mention that the BIG DIET starts on Monday, and there should be a difference in me by the time we get to the Rugby pilg in May. :o)
[pen] Difference? You're not having the sex-change operation are you?
vive la difference
[pen] Woo. I hope you'll feed back your technique to me.
die(t)ing
I have a great diet! Just eat less. (Please ignore the mars bar in my mouth.)
nil by mouth
[Projoy] 'Feeding' is a word that is henceforth banished from my vocabulary. I will be existing on a series of meal replacements, (courtesy of that nice man at herbalife), caffeine tablets and cigarettes in a desperate attempt to prevent myself looking like a fat, shelf-bound spinster older sister at my younger sister's wedding in October, to be able to find something to wear for aforementioned wedding that doesn't have to come from the 'plus sizes' department, and hopefully to be able to fit into the £170-worth of linen trousers I have bought for the summer. (That's three pairs, by the way - I'm not into the huge-spending league just yet). I don't care that it relies on caffeine and soya. I just want to be smaller.
hello
[pen and all reducers] I've just finished a 60-hour week [I know it's not a lot by some standards but it was very intensive sort of work] so it's great to have time to catch up with the Morniverse. It's also quite exciting to see a reference to Rugbypilging in May. I'm going to cut out butter for the next six weeks in an attempt to rid myself of this blubbery lump around my middle. Oh yes - I'm also aiming to drink a couple of litres of water a day.
As it happens, I'm also on a diet, and so far I've lost a little over a stone.
die
Although I am drinking a remarkable amount of water, I am not on a diet, and you really do NOT want to know how much oil there is in a biryani, as taught to me by a nice Iraqi woman. Further investigations of regional cuisine will be undertaken soon.
Dieting
Here's a cheering thought: when the Allied forces liberated the concentration camps, they found no fat people. Therefore, it is possible.
You know when...
As symptoms of too much online MC go, I think starting a page of notes with the title "Slap this jammy factor" must count as one of them.
Concentrate...
[Raak] Yes, I guess it's all a matter of concentration. Where do you find a Japanese or Nazi prison guard when you need one? (And if I might say so, you speak like the enviably skinny person you are... :op)
diggings
I just found The Encyclopaedia Morningtonia here: http://www.satiche.org.uk/satiche/sat-0207.htm. Have I not been following the chat, or did anyone know?
[pen] It was mentioned in the Morniverse a while ago. It seems to have added an acknowledgement of its source since then, but the URL of course doesn't work.
unmarried ladies
I was looking at an old marriage certificate (circa 1942) at work today, and noticed that the the bride (aged 18) was described as a "spinster"! I never realised that applied to any unmarried woman (unless she was thought old to be unmarried at 18).
the spin
All first time brides were known as 'spinsters' [and possibly may still be so - but I haven't got married for a while so I don't know] and their age had nowt to do with it. It's interesting how the word now [to those aged 30 and younger]conjures up an image of a a lady past her prime.
... whereas batchelor, the gender opposite, conjures up an image of the footloose and fancy-free young blade. Life's a b*gger really, for us girlies.
Shelves
Surely not! A spinster, just like a bachleor, is someone of marriagable age (definition liberal) who isn't? I have never thought of it as otherwise.
Spinsters etc
(Chalky) You don't need to be under 30 to think of a spinster as unmarried and no chicken. The word was a bit old-fashioned even in my childhood (40's - 50's), and mildly derogatory. Its original meaning was "female spinner" (of yarn). This was presumably thought a proper way for unmarried ladies of a certain age to occupy their time, in the absence of vibrators, though who knows.
Yippppppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...........
Home in 55 minutes and 5 nights off......Will the NHS survive without me, probably. Do I care if it doesn't, no!!!!!
As Rosie says, a spinster is just an unmarried woman, but it has acquired unofficial overtones of left-on-the-shelfness. If you have banns read in church before your marriage, the woman is always described as "spinster of this (or another) parish".
Spinsters
It's all part of the gender bias inherent in the English language. Get a thesaurus and look up 'manly' and 'womanly'.
bias schmias
Hmmph. It works both ways... Being left on the shelf means you sometimes get mixed up with the rejects and the returns, which sometimes ain't so bad. This weekend is an interesting one, for complicated (and unexpected) reasons. I just hope I've got enough lipstick to last me until tomorrow. BTW (and to start another subject) I bought a petrol-engined lawn mower on the web last night. It's going to be delivered to my office on a day when I'm out at meetings all day. Am I completely nuts? (On second thoughts, don't answer that)
*doesn't answer, but...*
*sends in the white-coated squirrels*

mmmm, machinery. Is that just for your patch of lawn, or are you thinking of going into business? And has the back corner managed to reassert itself, or is the forest properly under control now?
Mind you, I can't talk, I'm still slightly in love with my new fridge. It purrs...

Manly vs womanly
[Tuj] Womanly means to exude femininity or lady-like qualities, whereas Manly is a suburb of Sydney, Australia. ;)

I don't believe I've heard the term "spinster" used in America for...well...ever.
digital camera
Yay! I finally got one, that can be used to take short videos and act as a webcam, for the princely sum of £17.95, including postage! I can now use the internet for its true purpose - putting up pictures of my cats (once I get some webspace sorted - I get some free from NTL). I'm looking forward to selling shiny objects on E-bay, as well. ;)
digital knobs and dials
[Snorgle] Don't be ridiculous. The internet's true purpose is so men can chat you up by sending you pics of their tattoos and knobs and you can pretend to be impressed. (And £17.95??? Did you get the decimal point in the wrong place?)
Clocking off
Just to let you know I'm stepping into the Slovak Republic for a few days, so if you don't hear from me, that's why. Oh, and not impressed with myself at booking an 8.15am flight on the morning the clocks go forward...
[pen] For a fine selection of knobs you could do worse than look here.
knobbing it large
[rab] Thanks, sweetie. It even gave me the option of 'knobs - small, medium, large' :oD
wrong places
Nope, it was that cheap. I really didn't want anything fancy, just something to try out. It was discounted too. I actually got some nice photos today! Here it is.
go pen, GO!
[pen] Good luck on your mission to shrink. Sounds tough, but I'm sure you'll cope. I'm on a exercise mission to minimise my waistline to fit better into my bridesmaid corset and skirt, will be going to the gym later for multiple sit-ups. But only when i can prise myself out of my pyjamas!
[widey] Which bit of the evil NHS do you suffer in? I'm quite content at the moment as its my third weekend off in a row! But next week I'll be back to miserable, downtrodden Lib!
The value of the penny
pen] I'm on my 10th week of weight loss - so far I've managed about 1.5 stone. I’ve found that if I substitute my normal meals with low-fat options, I just crave the high-fat version. Low-cal stuff is often (not always) crap - so I've taken to eating really high quality stuff so that when I do eat, I've really got something to look forward to. Plus I've discovered Lebanese cooking - fabulous couscous and fresh onion salads, houmus, pitta bread, fresh mint leaf tea...
[Btd] Sounds delicious... I'll have to find a book. I'm still waiting for the diet stuff to arrive, but now I have a lurgy which isn't going to make it much fun...
the dreaded!
Oh, that ruined my last diet! I got a cold and just felt too miserable to cut down - I was drinking loads of hot chocolate, etc..
lurgy survival
pen, snorgs] Chicken soup is good for lurgy and diets. If you can wait for it, go for this one.
bob boc boc
I'm a veggie - so I'd better not.. :)
chikensoupicillin
[Btd] I make a chicken soup so substantial that it becomes a meal in itself - I ate it three nights in a row last week. Wish I'd frozen some of it now :o(
Orthographic pedantry
It's Lurgi. Think Italian. Trust me; I heard it first time round. :-)
lurgi
[Rosie] I'm snotterini too. *Atciao!*
[penelope] (back one post) Wouldn't that have been a chicken lollipop?
Quiet night in outer space?
No e-pilg tonight?
e-pilg
Sorry, DrQ, busy tonight! My brother is coming over from Canada on Wednesday, and I'm still getting his room ready..
Indeed a quiet night.
[snorgle] Yes, I see he took the cold with him. ;)
Lurgi
Has anyone heard this pantomime sequence? (don't know which pantomime) - 1st witch: Where's the fairy princess? 2nd witch: She's in bed with the dreaded lurgi. 1st witch: Oo-er! 2nd witch: Oh, I dunno, I quite fancy Italian men meself.
Sniffles
Lurgi has now struck here too...
Lurgi
Well, *I* still can't get rid of this damned bronchitis that's been bugging me since the beginning of the month. It's mostly died down but it won't go away...
*atchoo*
Was out with Mother last night, after dropping off older sister at the airport for her return to the US. I'll be there next week :o) The lurgi is steadily taking a grip... :o(
not so cute
My two and a half year old, Thomas, picked up the lurgi over the week end. Unfortunately being so little he does not quite understand the concept of blowing his nose into a tissue, with the consequent torrent of stickyness streaming from his nose. As I leave you with the wonderful picture in your mind of this shimmering gunge glistening in the soft light of spring. Ponder a few seconds further on semi transparent bubbles on the end of his nose each time he sneezes.
[pen] I don't suppose a side-trip to Da'Burgh is in your plans? :(
oops
[DrQ] Bleeeaaaauuuurgh. I meant I'll be in the chatroom next week, not I'll be in the US. I realised once I posted it how rong (that's right, R-O-N-G, rong) it looked, but was too busy sneezing to put it right.
*hangs yellow flag outside door*
I'm not coming back here until everyone is recovered!
*hands round tissues, paracetamol, cups of tea and some sympathy to all those suffering from lurgi*
I'd send some warm weather, but having a summer cold is foul.
Guarantees
[Btd] That would guarantee you a pat down search... depends what floats your boat, I suppose.
ISIHAC Pilg In Rugby In May
If anyone is interested, I've just posted here.
Get Well Soons
....and * a comforting pat * to all you poorly people. Awww.
change of subject
Sorry to change the subject and anticipating that I am about to whine --- Two and a half weeks ago I was in a car crash. A lady who reports for a local tv station zoomed through a red light and creamed me. I was lucky in that she did not hit the driver's side door. But I still hurt and I still find in idle times that I relive the event. Worst thing I've been through, although I'm sure many have been through worse. My car, meanwhile, is a total loss. So finding transportation after the rental car is done is also a concern. Just wanted to vent.
Awww!
[Tina] Sorry to hear that. *a comforting pat for you aswell *. I hope they throw the book at her.
Bumps and lumps
[Tina] Bad luck, that sort of event is never pleasant. If my experience is anything to go by those sudden memories will slowly reduce in frequency - a bit like the bruises, I suppose. I had a few bingles when I was younger (not all my fault, by the way) but maturity (?) brings sanity, adherence to speed limits and a much more alert attitude. I too had a lady fly through a red light and hit the area of the driver side rear wheel; it's a little disconcerting when one thinks about the timing! The worst thing I found is the incredible inconvenience of not having your own transport following the incident. I was fortunate enough to have a good friend who loaned me his FWD for the duration (I used to arrive at work at 5 am in those days, at which time there was no train which would allow that). Fortunately the lady involved admitted her error - I hate to think what might have happened should she have disputed my version.
Tina and sympathy
[Tina] *offers more sympathy* It's trite, but it helps to remember that it could have been worse. My most recent experience of something similar was when my collarbone was shattered about six months ago by an idiot out-of-control a****** (or, for our British readers, a*******) in a soccer match. I'm still recovering, dealing with tendonitis in my upper arm and very odd clicks in my shoulder; and even with insurance, it cost me several hundred dollars. So it still pisses me off that I bear the consequences of someone else's irresponsibility and stupidity. BUT -- and the BUT is very important... 1. I didn't land on my head and suffer a spinal injury, which I easily could have. 2. In the emergency room that evening I remember passing a legless guy in a wheelchair. That has helped me keep the incident in perspective ever since.

Truth is, life throws us some nasty experiences from time to time. If they end up being no worse than mine or yours, we are lucky. As I said, it's trite. And true.
[Tina] Ooh, ouch. I'm sure as Dujon says you'll feel better in time, but that doesn't necessarily help when you're in the middle of it, so *sympathy*.
Anyone who breaks the law whilst driving should be banned forever. No exceptions.
[Bm] Well, that takes at least 90% of drivers off the road immediately.
ty
Thanks all for the kind words. They do help.
accidents
Tina] Surely your insurance will cover you for a new car until her insurance pays out ? Are the police pressing charges (or are you?) - My advice would also be to see a Personal Injury Lawyer about it. Apparently any claim for injury/worry caused are automatically accepted by insurers if they are not over a certain limit (a few grand) when they start to check up.....I know it is not greatly helpful at the moment but I am sure that when a cheque finally arrives from her insurers it will make you feel better. I'm against stupid litigation generally, but in car accidents like this they are rarely stupid and you should also be vigilant for any signs of injury that may not be yet manifesting themselves - neck, back especially.
BM] That is an ***utterly*** ridiculous thing to say.
Cars
[st d, raak, bm] We probably don't want a repeat of the 'speeding as crime'/'stupid speed limits' argument.
[Tina] Sorry to hear about that. I've never been in a serious road accident so don't know how it feels, but I do know my sister suffered for quite some time after a car drove into the passenger side of the car she was a passenger in. Time seems to be healing her, as I'm sure it will you,
I was about to post about the fantastic day I've had belting my car around Oulton Park, but I won't, now.
'otfooting round Oulton
[Nik] At least you let all yours out on the track where it's legitimate rather than playing in real traffic. Good for you. And [Tina] *sympathy* too. What a bummer.
[Tina; following on from st d] If you do end up suing (and when something similar happened to my other half she didn't seem to get much choice in the matter, the insurance company just decided they were going to [no prosecution, though -- the police are holding the threat of same over the culprit's head to make him take some sort of How Not To Be A Complete Idiot Of A Driver course]) don't forget to mention those nasty flashbacks you've been having ... Our legal system seems significantly keener on compensating emotional distress than physical injury.
the horn, it goes "beep, beep"
All this talk of motor vehicles... I've been having the slightly surreal experience of learning to drive on the wrong side of the road. Granted, the roads here are in +superb+ condition, but everyone drives like they have some lower limb condition that prevents them from taking the weight off the right pedal. There's not so much of the crazy weaving and cutting in and tailgating (not as much as, apparently, in the UAE), it's just that they drive really, really fast. And then some. I have been doing very well (manual car, too), mainly because I'm reasonably ambidextrous, and I'm a spatial thinker, so turning things back to front in my mind (or contorting them in some other way) as required is pretty easy. The only thing I've noticed is an unconscious drifting to the right within the lane, which I find rather puzzling.

And for bizarre traffic, just one word: India

continental drift
[flerdle] The drift to the right is to be expected. You are used to driving a right-hand drive car, which means you are used to most of the car being to the left of you (equivalently, you, as an individual, are used to being on the right side of the traffic lane). Now most of the car is to your right, which means if you place yourself (your body) in the position in the lane that you are used to, the car will be too far to the right. As someone whose driven pretty extensively on both sides of the road, I actually find this is the biggest problem of adjustment -- more than actually making the mistake of turning onto the wrong side.

But you should take care in the next week or so: the dangerous time for accidentally driving on the wrong side is typically after a few days, when you stop thinking so consciously about which side of the road you should be on.

[nik] er, I think Bm was _kidding_; and I think (hope) that Raak and st d knew that.
[Breadmaster] There is a small country in which that is actually the case. I am pretty sure it's Kiribati. I remember reading they brought in a zero tolerance policy around 2000, and have since banned about half their drivers, without much effect on the economy, so I gather.
There's no reason to think it would have a major impact on the economy. In most economies the transportation sector is a pretty small fraction of GDP, and other forms of transportation typically operate as effective substitutes for private vehicles. Plus the revenue that would have gone to the transportation sector ends up being spent elsewhere, so on net the effects are going to be minimal. In fact, the impact could be positive, in that there may be stronger multiplier effects in the tradeable sectors of the economy (which is where at least some of the spending will go), and the policy would also eliminate some of the uncompensated costs, such as pollution and congestion ("externalities" in economists' lingo), from cars. Thus I might actually expect to see improvements in the balance of trade, little impact on tax revenues (and hence on the government budget deficit), and a positive (though probably negligible) effect on growth rates. Of course, this analysis presumes that the monetary authority pursues an apprpriate interest rate policy to ensure that the impact on the financial sector is minimized.
[Projoy] As Kiribati consists of groups of archipelagos spread over about half the Pacific Ocean, and none of the islands are very big, this means that (a) you can't drive any particularly useful distance in the first place, and (b) air and sea travel is much much more important.
Banning half the drivers in Britain may seem like a good idea to some (e.g. Richard Brunstrom, chief constable of Mrs Trellis' neck of the woods (N Wales)), but taking (say) half the HGVs off the roads would place an intolerable strain on the rail infrastructure, which, in any case, leaves far too many places unserved. OR you double the number of aircraft plying our domestic skies - and you'll know how much stick air travel comes in for for its alleged impact on pollution levels.
Well, maybe I was kidding a little bit. Perhaps it would be more realistic to say that anyone who breaks the traffic laws has to retest before they can drive again, with possible relaxations of the law for those to whom driving is intrinsically part of their jobs. That's as un-draconian as I'm prepared to go, though.
[Breadmaster] I'd go the other way -- if people are going to be driving a great deal, they should be subject to more stringent testing, not less. I think the only real way to make your system work would be if there was a decent public transport alternative so that people (particularly in rural areas) couldn't plead that they simply have to be able to drive. Which inevitably means subsidising it, but you get a heap of environmental/congestion/etc. benefits too ... I'll get off my hobbyhorse now.
[Projoy] It may not have affected their economy, but 75% of the car factories in Rawaki have gone out of business since the policy was introduced ...
of nothing in particular
Would anybody like to see my potograph of a little horsey who looks like MOOMIN ? Well if you do, HERE it is. :o) Moomins. I wonder what he is doing now ?
[Brendan] I think you're right. A tricky one. But as someone said, we don't want to get into this argument again.
[StD] You're right! He does look like a Moomin. Very cute.
arguments
do you like the way I am trying to divert the topic from cars to horses ?
[StD] You're doing a fine job. I think we can all agree to like horses, especially ones that look like Moomins. Even though a horse bit me once, and it darnedly hurt, I can tell you.
I think that anyone who rides a horse carelessly should be retested and banned for life. Particularly if it looks like a Moomin.
horses
PJ] Do you not think that some of the responsibility should lie at the hooves of the horse ?
Indeed...
..it surely behooves us to at least lay some responsibility at his hooves. (Now I bet you will never hear that sentence again)
[st d] I am not sure. I have never been behooved myself. Perhaps I will form a stronger opinion if I am.
[Projoy] Maybe we could resort to satyr?
Ticket
Hello. I'm back. Glad to see nothing untoward is happening, apart from Tina's accident of course for which I offer my condolences.
Hmmm
That killed the conversation...
conversation killers...
Talking of which, the new diet makes my wee green. It's worth the hideous expense and pain of meal replacements for the entertainment value. [Lib] Any explanation?
wee green
reminds me of the 14th at the Royal & Ancient. Tiny tiny tiny and surrounded by bunkers.
green pee!
[pen] I've never heard of green wee before...... Perhaps you're turning into an alien! I've come across bright red (not good), maroon (not bad) and orange (also not bad), plus the usual normal variations. The other day I saw wee akin to cottage cheese! YUM!
Lime Green Wee
Pills with chlorophyll colour my wee lime green - it looks like it could glow in the dark. BTW, when is Rugby? Have I missed it?
Rugby Ball
Bool] Rugby is on May 15th, so you've not missed it. However, I am reluctantly attending a school reunion tomorrow (03.04.04) to which I feel urged to remind you, you qualify to attend. Your company would be most welcome, especially if I get to find out why you have to take chlorophyll greenwee tablets.
chlorowee
[Boolbar] That'll be it. Chlorophyll is one of the ingredients in the formulae. I'll be photosynthesising nicely then. Dark reactions, light reactions... *forgets most plant biology*
Vroom! Vroom!
Can't hold it in any longer: Car pr0n! 15mpg....
naaaaaaaaaaah!
[Nik] You don't wanna be driving one of those! You wanna be driving one of these!. This is part of what I do... VIP passes available for my very close friends or see your local press for competition tickets closer to the date! :o)
[Nik] Golly - I do wish I lived near a circuit like that so I could give my TT a good thrash sometime.
you dont wanna drive one of those
Not Bernie...
[Btd] You didn't know? Good grief, man - get out from under that stone! But, yes, I agree!
more red carpet
After last weeks Celebdaq success of x_sugarbabe_x in reaching the top of Celebrity Mornington Crescent for the first time, it is now the turn of ffiish (aka Graham III) no stranger to the red carpet, the last time, was only in January.
Lol...I keep thinking Ronni Ancona/Lorraine Kelly stylee..."You need a pair of these!"
[pen] always glad to solve life's little mysteries. [btd] 03.03.04? But that's today! and it's 7pm! and I've nothing to wear!
daquiri
Ooh. Why thank you. Not really been paying too much attention, but it seems that Sven was a good investment. I'm in Europe at the moment (and for the next few weeks) so going to slip rapidly I think. Anyone in the Paris area, Munich area, Prague area? Would love to meet an English speaker! mail:at:graam:dot:me:dot:uk
Bollox n stuff
Offline for 7 days!!!! I have withdrawl symptoms!!!
Weather.
April 4th. Latrobe, PA: 1 C, snow flurries.

GAAAH!
Today's date is 04.04.04 and you know what? My big sis is 40 today... how's that for planning?
JUST LAUGH TO BURST
I ONCE SAW A PRODUCER OF CONDOM AT ENERHEN ROAD IN WARRI CARRYING TWO KIDS ON HIS HEAD WHEN I ASK WHY THIS ACTION? HE REPLIED MY CUSTOMERS ARE COMPLAINING OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MY CONDOMS AND THESE ARE THE PRODUCTS OF THEIR COMPLAIN. SO.....LOL......HAHAHAHAHAH. DO U THINK CONDOMS PREVENTION OF HIV/AIDS CAN MEET THE CUT OFF MARK.IF YES CONTINUE TO USE THE CONDOM,IF NO PLEASE TRY ABSTENANCE.
Fabulous.
ahhhhhhhhhhh
The British weather it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. I have 2 days off and the forecast is rain........oh joy and delight abound NOT
wetwang
[widey] Why not look at it positively? These two days are the only two days you can go out and enjoy the rain with impunity. Get your wet weather gear on, have plenty of hot water waiting at home for a long hot soak, and go out in it. Admire it for what it is - just another kind of weather, no less beautiful than sunshine or fog, but admittedly inconvenient if you're dressed for sometjing else. As they say, there's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing. Sorry. I'm on a restricted diet, you know
Mmmm. Bath.
more royal bust up
Mrs Becks shares are starting to twitch!!
daqing
I'm hanging onto Prince William due to his hopefully high divvies..
pj] Exeter.
Mmmm. Weston-Super-Mare.
Royal knockout
I'm on the Queen. She's getting loads of coverage here in Paris cos of the 100th anniversary of the entente cordiale, but I don't know whether that's being covered in the broadsheets. Half of Paris is closed today. For one doddery old woman. Makes you think. Not for very long, but it does, doesn't it?
Knocking Out Royals
I'm currently working in the 24th storey of a building overlooking Buckingham Palace, so I see HM coming and going by helicopter from the back lawn frequently. I wonder how long I'd last if I were to point a long tube towards her???
It must be one of the best views in London.
Get your Royal Kock Out!
[Projoy, st d, Chalky] You're all wrong. Chew Magna.

[GIII] You're on the Queen. I think there's a few tabloid editors who might be interested in that...

Eurostar
[GIII] That sounds like someone keen to keep on top of the Celebdaq, yours could be a wise choice as the queen will have lots of coverage and possibly even front page of the broadsheets. And tomorrow she will meet President whats-his-face of France - even more pics and column inches.
[snorgle] your a big softie.
I'm on the Queen....
sounds like something you'd overhear someone saying on their mobile phone. Or rather something you probably wouldn't.
That sounds like a cue for my Moscow story, but then again, it probably isn't.
pravda
ZK] go on tell us anyway. But keep it brief and witty.
Queenie
It's looking a decent choice, but the Beckhams' divis will be pretty high as well. Watch a space...

[rab] £50,000, exclusive. Cheap at the price...
I don't know about witty..
I was on a school trip to Moscow and I was the only russian student there, so everyone was used to me translating everything...we were walking down the Arbat and a man went past three of us, speaking loudly into his mobile phone. I quipped, "Hello! I'm on the train!" And Karoline turned round and said "Really?" ...Wrong for so many reasons....
Has the orange gone rotten?
I've been trying now and then for the last three or four hours. Has the site gone down, or is it just me?
rotten oranges
I'll check...
do not readjust your set
seems alright to me.
Orangey
[Dujon] Up as far as I know, and no reports of any downishness.
Hums
Hums (again, it seems)
It must be me. The site flatly refused to talk to my browser (I normally go straight into the site using the MCIOS skin) BUT when I attacked the site in a normal hacking manner (I am a smoker) all worked well; buzzed off to the MCIOS skin and it worked. Now I can access through my old 'bookmark'. Urrghhhhhh.

I may not be on for the next few weeks as my fourteen pounder, sitting quietly in the shed at the moment, may be called upon to do its duty.
cryptics
[Duj] Your fourteen pounder? New baby? Marrow?
Throwing weight around
Sounds like a man planning an Eddie Shoestring reboot.
Heavy metal
[Chalky] INJ is correct. It's a hammer; a bloomin' big hammer. :-o
cracking a nut with a ....
So it's a hammer. AND?
Action
Well, Chalky my dear, I'm about to find out about the 'AND' bit. Stand by.

Testing, testing

Tes(%╕Ñ▓ü▒êª╝╜┐

I felt that!
More celebdaq stats
Sometimes I think about the Celebdaq (probably more often than is good for me) and I've been wandering around and came to the stange decision that I needed more of 'it'. So now I've opened another account (Cleddau) and joined the waiting list of Celebdaq Discworld Guild Minileagues, which has 14 leagues of 30 players!! relegation and promotion !!!
There's an msn group called The Celebdaq Basements which has links to two very good tools. The one exampled is the Potential and Previous Dividends
Name Price
(Fri 00:00)		 Price
(Wed 06:00)		 Price
(latest)		 Last Div Total Gain
Last Week		 Total Gain
since Wed 06:00 		Potential Div Pot Yield
for Week 		Price Gain Pot
Total Gain
Victoria Beckham 3.43 3.89 4.15 3.28 86.91 6.68 14.23 414.87 20.99 435.86
Prince William 3.84 4.88 5.20 6.39 232.14 6.56 7.93 206.51 35.42 241.93
The Queen 4.11 4.80 5.13 5.76 178.03 6.88 8.75 212.90 24.82 237.71
David Beckham 6.63 7.40 7.89 2.97 25.65 6.62 13.65 205.88 19.00 224.89

Graham III could well have chosen right in going for the Queen instead of David Beckham tomorrow will tell. I'm almost excited ...time for a custard cream or two to settle the nerves :o)
Oh well...
Looks like Viccy B was the way forward. I'm miles off.
More vinyl
Today has been one of those rare occasions when I can dig out my albums, (some of which I have not listened to for several years) the Inkspecks have gone to stay overnight with the grandparents leaving me to decorate the living room. There's buried memories in them bits of black vinyl. Back then the music was part of what I did. Today listening to the intro of 'The Great Om Rift' by Steve Hillage made the hairs on the back of my neck rise just as it did when I first heard it,(I can still picture him on the stage of the Crdiff Uni). Tonight my task is to find some old tapes I made of the singles I bought at the time, as stopping every three minutes to 'spin the next disc' may lose its appeal very quickly.

Meanwhile over at Celebdaq and Celebrity Mornington Crescent its congrats and celebrations for Chalky who rises to No1 only question is, with which Royal family?
For the first time i've tried out the advanced trading tool which gives a very easy to read at a glance read out of which shares are moving and by how much over the last hour, three hours and since midnight, taking away much the guess work. I could work it out by the percentages.
I had bought Goldenballs some months ago knowing sooner or later he would hit the headlines. The account has been bumping along the bottom of the league for sometime, but patience has finally paid off.

html reprise
Its the second time I've made this mistake now, the "r" was missing from "href" so please insert this into the above posting ..... celebrations for Chalky who rises to No1....
chattin'
[Inkyspot] Thanks. I put all my shares on Vicky Becks even before the twitch. Also, it's only fair to admit that I'm also playing x_sugarbabe_x because the daughter lost interest in the Daq after a few weeks. In my sugary role I placed all my money on Mister Becks [the cheating b*stard]. Now I'm hedging my bets on both accounts between both royal families, but have spotted Arnie is on the rise. Wass 'e done NOW?
*note to self: must read the newspapers*.
Glad to hear you had some space to yourself for vinyl stroking.
Ommm .....
[Inkspot] Blimey, someone else who owns "Green". One great record, if you can get used to the vocals! I never saw him live, but I do have "Live Herald", one of the best live albums by anyone, ever.
Vinyl: it's the new black
Chalky] Be careful of Arnie, he picks up every Friday but his libido only lasts till Sunday, so if you need something for the weekend slip him into your top pocket. He has a rugged saw tooth profile as people throw their divi's at him on Friday morning only to cash in on Monday to transfer over to the news story of the week, so his value drops again.
So there you have it Arnie the quickie one-night-stand of the Celebdaq.
The 'vinyl stroking' went well today and has eased my pent up frustrations.

HB] I was lucky enough to see him twice during that era, the second time was when he was promoting 'Green' at a concert at Cardiff's Top Rank, they were selling the album along with all the other memorabilia. Anyway the album is a prized possesion, he autographed the record label and signed it with the om symbol. I agree Live Herald is a great album but I cheated at tea time and put the on the Live in Concert at the BBC CD.

I had my first ever, ever, ever virus today on the pc. After downloading the latest update, as usual, I ran the full scan, it discovered and removed a trojan called downloader.nex.B, I had picked it up somewhere when surfing. Although I'm up to date now, I could stumble across its like again tomorrow or the next day but unless I run my virus scan everyday I'll never know. Is this something I should seriously consider or am I becoming paranoid after one incident?

's a bit quiet in 'ere, innit?

[weather report] Another greyish day here, but no hope of rain, of course. Keeps the temperature down, though - about 31 or so most of the time here, down to 22ish at night. Am wondering when it'll start heating up properly. And planning to escape it :-)

Irritating diseases
[Inkspot] Do you have anything set up to scan everything you download automatically? I have found both Norton 2003 and McAfee (latest one) pretty good at that. You can also get utilities that sit there looking for unusual horsing around, which you can get in packages. There are, iirc, one or two free trojan horse finders which run through a lot quicker than a full system scan.
[flerdle] Might be with being Easter weekend and all.
[Dunx] Yeah. I only remembered part way through Friday. Thankfully I've avoided most of the Easter commercial hype (what a relief); sort of to be expected here :-)
locked out
I can't get into the chatroom and there's an eplig going on. *sob*
pests
Graham III] Thanks for your note on the virus and trojan scans, I have AVG and Zone Alarm running in the background the whole time which pickup things like;
The firewall has blocked Internet access to your computer (TCP Port 715) from 142.163.205.65 (TCP Port 3683)
The firewall has blocked Internet access to your computer (TCP Port 901) from 68.86.243.159 (TCP Port 2772)
which are two from tonight 68.... is a frequent caller perhaps 142 is worth a look over at Whois. The email is scanned by AVG and touch wood my Inbox has been junk free with only my expected mail from NASA, ESA and Loonies, everything else gets routed to Hotmail. However for the last three years I've been running a peer-to-peer program on cancer researh from United Devices/Grid.org. One of the sites identified this type of regular data transfer as a possible way in for the unscrupulous!
awwww
[Lib] therethere *patpatpat* next week...
googlewacking
this site is a googlewack
waspish carping
[Ich] Not any more, it ain't.
carpish wasping
Maybe we should keep track of the number of times people pop up and say that? I'm sure it happened at least once before here..
celebrity sos
Tommorrow (wednesday) we're off down to Broad Haven for a couple of days till the end of half term to stay in a caravan. With no access to the 'net could I ask please if someone from Celebrity MC could send me the page, gareth underscore penn athotmaildotcom so that I can do the usual.
I'm too excited...
Here I am, all packed, too excited to go to bed yet... will try and post somewhere into the Morniverse from Reykjavik later this week :o)
Liddle Gyser
Pen] Ah - wonderful Iceland.* envyenvyenvy *. Business or pleasure? Either way, be sure to take a bus inland to see the waterfalls. Under no circumstances miss a dip in the blue lagoon.
Half term?
Surely the Easter holidays haven't finished yet!?
Eggsellent
Easter? Oh, so that's why I had an extra day off.
Rugby ball update
Chalky has reminded me that there are only 31 more days until ISIHAC 2. Several folks have been contacting Chalky with contributions - please send them to me @nettlesoup, that is a .co.uk address and my name is bobthedog
Shattering the silence...
*trumpet fanfare* I'm very excited to announce to you all that I've bought a house! We've exchanged contracts today to move later in the month. I didn't believe that it was going to happen as its been a rough ride, but it is! Yay! I've got some piccies which I'll post if enough of you are interested.....
*cheers*
ooh, yes please.
not much convincing needed!
Click here.
House!
[Lib] Congratulations! I particularly like the matching buggies in the back...
Ah....
I notice the title of that page is out-of-date... *tweaks various knobs* Not any more!
Castles
Terrific, Lib. I hope all goes smoothly with the move and that the house and area turn out to be what you expected. Exciting times indeed - good luck!
[Lib] I remember the pain of buying a house... well done! My house is scarily similar to that in format. If I had a digitally-inclined camera, I'd be tempted to replicate the shots. On the other hand, the car pr0n seems to be killing my bandwidth, so more pictures would be a bad idea, I think.
I have a horrible case of the shakes at the moment. I can barely type. This is odd, because I've only had 2 pints of weak lemonlager, and a mere 3 cans of Diet Coke, today. Not much caffeine yesterday, either. Bizarre.
Lib's abode
It looks great Lib. [Lovely pic of you in the bedroom] An interior design tip .. in the kitchen - lose the tiles, keep the wine.
er ..
[Lib] I am assuming that IS you in the bedroom. Apologies if I've been a bit presumptuous.
I Often.....
Lose my tiles in the kitchen after drinking wine.......It should be a compulsory house purchasing sport! And on a completely different note I've just finished building a new Koi pond from recycled house bricks and it look fabulosoe...............chin chin everyone.......
Thanks or all your nice words. [Dunx] I too like the buggies in the garden, but the vendors won't let me keep them! [Chalks] That's my Mum, I was behind the camera! You'll have to wait till the superpilg to see my face!
fault lines
[Lib] Having just returned from Iceland (and having been educated in all things seismic) I think you were sensible not to buy the blurry houses on either side. Looks like they might be laying along a tectonic fault and are suffering frequent tremors. Congratulations! :o)
Boyce
I would have thought the caption might have tipped the wink as to the identity of the lady in question...
[rab] Read? Are you quite insane, sir?
[Pilg] Er, being my typical parnoid self, I'm beginning to worry about the upcoming pilg. I have vague, distant memories about confirming my desire to attend to someone (Chalky?), but what am I supposed to be doing (if anything) about accommodation? Am I giving a lift to Manchester-based peoples, or are we going by train? Yes, yes, there's almost a full calendar month left, but still.
Lib
I too assumed it were Lib, and that maybe she had a wee baby. Certainly the picture is in much shadow, but Lib's Mum looks very much like a friend of mine who is about 28, which would make Lib about 15 at the very most assuming Momma fell pregnant so early, and would still be very young to actually be buying a house....
Lib's mum and Nik's room
[rab] the words 'proud parent' could mean proud owner of new home? eh eh ...? oh alright ...perhaps not
[Nik] Yes - you're booked into hotel. Single room. JLE, rab & Lib might be in the epilg in MCiOS tonight - I know there was some talk about travel from M'chester last week. I'll be there mesself at about 9.30 pm for Q's about the hotel and timings.
Thanks for that. I will try to be in the chat room tonight, but usually forget about these things.
Spleen
I wonder if it's time for a spring clean? Mind you, from the position of not currently being very active in the games I may not be the best person to judge.
I haven't a clue. Sorry.
How did the epilg go? Any remaining questions?
Menu
[Btd] Any questions? I have thousands! What's in the line-up? Who's been really clever? How much swotting are people doing? What do we need to prepare? And what should I wear? :o)
dress code
A few pics of the venue if anyone wants to adopt a personal style in accordance with the interior ambience .. http://www.corushotels.com/hotel.asp?hotelID=54
I'm opting for a burgundy/aubergine crushed velvet gown, black lipstick, untamed long dark hair and wild, swivelly eyes.
Er .. what's all this preparing/swotting for ... do we actually have to do something when we're there?
Bansheen
[Chalky] You are Siouxsie Sioux and I claim my £5.
PENELOPE !!!
STOP HANGING AROUND IN INTERNET CAFES AT ONCE AND GET OUT THERE AND GO CLIMB A VOLCANO OR SOMETHING !! jeeez - the kids these days ?
great minds
[Chalky] Darn! Now I'll have to find something else to wear.
BTW, Is the Rugby venue a non-smoking venue? Mrs B wants to know.
fag
It wasn't smoking last time I saw it boom-boom. Seriously, the restaurant is non-smoking but it is ok to smoke in other places. My vote is that we politly ask smokers to refrain from doing so for the duration of the games.
smokers
bob] can we politely tell you to go stick your head in a bucket ?
;o)
PEN] apologies - I thought you were still in Iceland.
Spleening
[rab] Whoo-doodoo-Hitler seems to be due for retirement. A-V-M-A as well?
Concur
I certainly concur with the first, fun though it was. Not played AVMA for a while, but it may well be a good idea to lay it to rest for a while. It can always be resurrected in the fullness of time if so be required.
culling
Whoodoodoo for sure. AVMA seems to have a fanbase but I'm sure they'll speak out. But surely there are other games that have seen their best? Tell you what - let's end them ALL! [except Banter,and Long Game]
I'm still at work :-(
Alacrity
Why not?! I feel things have stagnated a little here...
Oh
The Furcation Game is unwinnable, but I can change that if need be.
Furcs etc
rab] I see no need... I may be alone on that one though!
Culling could be the way, but not a total one. Let's freshen up and stride onward, blah-blah.
mouldy old dough
It may have been mentioned here or at another of the boards after Dunx posted the "White Rose" archive that games do tend to go on beyond their sellby date, due a collective unwillingness to end games and feel the ire of players still posting. To the extent that generally I have come to only killing off games that I have created on Orange, which reminds me one of them has almost ground to a halt, time to get the sythe out again.
Although I still enjoy guessing in AVMA, it feels at times that there are only the same few of us playing and so making the winning move is a bit like musical chairs. I'll miss it when it goes but then again I also miss my mum's rice pudding with the skin on the top.
Rice pud.
Blimey, Inkspot, that doesn't half bring back memories. Loved rice pudding, whether 'runny' or 'firm'. Haven't had one since I married. I must have a go one day and see how I fare. With my culinary abilities (which run to meat and three veg.) I'll probably burn the bowl! Still, a couple of vinos before starting in order to settle the nerves and bolster the confidence should do wonders. Incidentally, to those of you who proferred information on dumplings some months ago, I never did get around to them. The main obstacle was the suet - not readilly available I'm afraid. My local butcher said he could organise some for me, but it'd take a week or so. The unusual burst of enthusiasm then waned rather rapidly.
Suet
(Duj) Suet is only flour and fat (or oil). You can make it in no time but don't overdo the oil. It's available here anyway, at least it is in Hamsey Green Co-op. Ideally, dumplings should be very slightly burnt.
Really?
I always thought suet was the scrapings from the inside of a haggis! Only kid'neyr. Burned dumplings sound like some of the nouveau riche who idolise Bondi Beach - poor misguided souls. I'm white and I'm proud of it! (To be honest it's the pain that puts me off).
suets you, sir
[Boobar] have mailed you using an address from last year - hope it reaches you
[Rosie & Duj] Sorry 'bout the interruption - suet - yes - the real thing is that solid fatty stuff that accumulates around the kidneys and omentum of the ox, sheep. etc. I believe one can no longer buy it readily because of the restrictions due to BSE, but I may be mistaken.
Suetessimal
[dumpling eaters] nope - it's still available. It's also available as a vegetable suet - it's just a solidified vegetable fat. I don't know about suet fresh from butchers... I guess it does take a couple of weeks if it's not something they produce regularly - you have to wait for the next beast to come through the slaughterhouse, I presume they throw it away otherwise as it's pretty untrendy right now. But both beef suet and vegetable suet are available in packets from UK supermarkets - I made dumplings the other day, in fact, for a beefy stew. Delicious. Look in the bakery aisle, near the flour and Yorkshire pudding mixes... (for those that know not how to mix together three ingredients... pffft!)
Haggis
DEEELLLIIICCCCCCCIIIIIIIIOOOOOOUUUUUUUSSSSSSS. Nothing else to say.
Haggis
Seconded. As indeed are fagots in gravey. Yumma.
Ahem
Faggots in gravy.
[Btd] I thought that was just serious food...
Faggots
"Fagotto" is Italian for bassoon. Can't see how this helps but it's true nevertheless.
I fagot
[Rosie]... coming from the french word for 'bundle of sticks' (fagot). Can't see how this helps either, but I always thought it was interesting.
haggis
I ate a vegetarian haggis before - it was delicious! No idea if it tasted like REAL haggis though..
faggots
does it not all come from the latin "fasces" ?
speaking of food, a colleague of mine went to THE FAT DUCK in Bray for her wedding anniversary a couple of weeks ago, and is still reeling.
Anyone fancy a bad tempered game ?
new game
st d] Yes. Get on with it.
the noo
snorgle] I am a big fan of the veggie haggis. The spices are the same as the meaty variety, so the flavour is very similar. What make the (McSween) veggie haggis so good is that it is full of real ingredients (nuts and veg) and none of that soya meat substitute nonsense.
bad tempered
if we do it, can we have RUDE swearing ;o) ?
rudity
[st d] you mean, like .. why don't you get get your effing act together and sodding well get on with it?
[st d] Well, after my Irvine Welsh effort at Orange, too much 'king swearing might stuff up people's content filters. So shove that in your cock and smoke it.
here comes a chopper ...
Apart from AVMA and Who-doodoo, which seem to have reactivated since the threat of closure was mooted, what's the favourite for the chop? I don't play many of the others ..
kill kill kill
well to be honest I think the INTRODUCING games and the LOST CONS games have been VERY SLOW recently. Also the AVMA and WHOODOODOO games seem to be trying to end naturally (one is in swan song mode.) I was tempted to just shut the feckers down but again, dont really play in them much so didnt feel I had the right. Maybe I should just go in and shut one down anyway and you can argue about it with me in the new game. If you think you are hard enough.
Now I am Bad Tempered
Okay Okay great joke ! I killed a game and now HOW DO I START A NEW ONE ?
hardness
[st d] I hate INTRODUCING - kill that one. Go on.
KILLING TIME
shall I kill that as well ? i have BLOODLUST now. I was going to but someone started a new one. It has been pretty weak recently after a strong start (just like HEDGEHUNTER in teh grand national. £20 I had on him. Bastar*)
Gutted
Finally get the chance to start a new ball in late arrivals, and find it killed stone dead less than six hours later!
bad tempered mode
{Uncle K] Tough sh*t :-)
Guts
UK] blame it all on Chalky. Vent your spleen on her in the new game.
Just tried to start a bad tempered game, wrote some wonderful blurb (it was called 'A Game to Rival PMT for Bad Feeling' - poetic, doncha think? and it had a load of stuff rubbishing StD in the intro. When I pressed the button, the sodding site wouldn't let me do it. Pffft.
Stop yer whingeing
rubbishing st d
whyever would yo uwant to rubbish me in the intro to a game is quite quite beyond me. By the way Chalky, you might want to go have a look at the !Yorkives to see GAME 736 which was the first (&last) outing of this game. It got rather carried away and I can only say far exceeded my expectations at the time. It still has me laugh out loud if I read through a lot of it. As for content filters, well......
Wahay!
[st d] Haha - just looked and how ROOD were you all? Extreme blasphemy from someone called Jacob and someone else called GRKWYK or some such fancy-arsed acronymically-challenged tosspot moniker ...
New gameage
[pen] Was that cos st d's game was started in the time it took you fill out the create game form? Did it say something like 'Don't think you can sneak a new game past me?' or similar... I think that's what's supposed to happen, but we've never had that race situation before.

[std] Ya fuckwit, didn't you spot the 'Create a New Game' button on the front page?

Oh
On the other hand, I have have surreptitiously dropped the game limit...
fuckwittedness
[rab] Actually ['though it chokes me to say this] in st d's defence - the New Game Slot didn't appear after he'd killed off GNBN. It only popped up when I murdered the Ball's Game.
Yeah
Yeah, that's what my previous posting was trying to explain. Read? It's that thing you do when you scan you eyes from left to right past some letters. Helps if the eye-brain connection is working of course.

Whoops, wrong game! I moot we restore civility on this particular forum...

civil engineering
What a fine evening it's turning out to be. Here I am, happily ensconced at my desk, playing online games with some awfully nice people. I shall be picked up at around 6.15 and taken to an excellent pub to join some chums. I intend to nibble on a packet of mixed fruit & nuts [haven't had any tea, see] and swig a glass or three of house plonk.
Bollocks.
ah - so the dog's bollocks is stirring ..
suggestion
Does anyone fancy a game of Cress?
I know I won't get any response 'til daylight 'cause this place, like, dies at this time of night, but I just thought I'd ask ...
nighty nite
[Chalky]Cress sounds good, go on its a form that's not played very often.
dreamy fillings
Mmmmmh, egg and cress sandwiches with mayo . . . .
Celebdaq
Woohoo! I'm number 1! (Again). (At last!). Were we supposed to take a screen print for someone? I want to save this for posterity..
Happy _______ day!
Happy St. George's Day.
Happy Nik's Birthday. (at the risk of offending him again)
Happy Dr. Lock's Birthday.
Happy My Birthday next week.
Happy Merlyn's Birthday next week in case I'm too pissed to say it then.
Today or not today, that is the question
Yesterday was NotmrsBobthedogs birthday. Today is Shakespeare’s birthday and tomorrow 1stchildofBobthedog is going to be a flower-girl in the Shakespeare parade.
Today...
...is spacebarofBobtheDog's holiday... :-)
Re: Cress] As good as any... we appear to have run out of suggestions (though not insults).
[DrQ] Does Dr Lock actually exist?
Oh yes, happy returns to all current birthday celebrators
Celebdaq
Congratulations on a fine effort, snorgle.

For Inkspot, whom I think wanted the chart saved; just in case no-one else did I have captured the table as a straight jpg image. It's not small (a bit over 200Kb) but if needed, it's here. I have not attempted to pretty up the page so the table is crammed in between a couple of advertisements.

Or was that last week?
Whatever. I shall clear it off the site in a week or so - or when I remember. :-(
and todays excitement is...
I *almost* got to go in an ambulance with a blue flashy light all the way to Liverpool today!
baddy pirthhay
Can I wish everyone a very happy notyourbirthday (and if it is your birthday, wait 'til tomorrow) as I am so bad at remembering peoples birthdays (including my own) that I am more likely to succeed in remembering to wish everyone a notyourbithday greeting.
[Lib] What, you mean you where clinging to the outside?
more Brazilian nuts
Late congratulations snorgle on being ay No1 . [Dujon]Thank you for the screen shot, yes it was for last week, how good are you at maths? The thing is, knowing the £ worth this week and the % gain, is it possible to calculate backwards to last weeks worth and gain . The table I have posted is from Saturday so the results are slightly wrong. If any passing mathematician is passing could they post a simple equation, I tried to do various transpositions but failed dismally.

...and another thing Dujon who do Bolton Wanderers think they are doing signing the Brazilian Rivaldo!

Mathematics etc.
You leave my lads alone, Inkspot. :-) You should know by now that we buy has-beens and rejuvinate their careers - then they nick off for more money! At the risk of incurring the wrath of everyone else - we're tenth on the table, who'd a'thought it.
I've never followed the percentage calculations on the 'Daq. They certainly don't look right at times. I've noticed that sometimes after kneecapping (when it's easy to do a quick mental calc.) the numbers don't always compute. Then again, it could be the wine. ;-)
'rejuvenate', perhaps.
...or 'prolong' ;-)
The "Start a new game" button
Is it there for a limited time only? I'd been thinking of porposing a game of Boardo, but then one sprung up over at MCiOS. Any suggestions?
new game
I made one a coupla days ago .. Inky agreed ... no-one else said anything
Rugby game
I've been considering using a game as a venue for ISIHAC pilg chat and news. Any takers?
Liverpool and Rugby
[Boolbar] Thankfully not, I had to stay at work as I was deemed to junior by Liverpool hosptial to be a medical escort. So I stayed at Macclesfield hospital and had promotion while my senior was out on the ambulance.
[BtD]Yes, yes, yes, yes!
Bob's idea
*thinks* hmmm .. I would hate to marginalise those who aren't going to be involved. I think most interested parties now go to the Pilg Game in Orange. There are of course, some people who are coming to Rugby who don't post in here, so whether they would start *looking* in here is anyone's guess. Then again, if we do do it it would only be for a month or so. [How about that? consecutive double 'do's' and 'it's'. Grammatically sound?]
not even going, but...
Valid idea, BtD, but splitting discussions and arrangements in two, in my experience, is inevitably a Bad Arrangement. So I would recommend everyone just look in The Pilgrim Game on Orange for Rugbypilg arrangments regularly, and someone involved keep posting the link to it here, or bookmark it yourself if you don't usually visit Orange.
As recommended above
Apologies for the cross posting, but details of the ISIHAC2 party in Rugby have now been posted on the Orange Pilg board. Jon Naismith, eat your heart out.
which level
junior once took his cat to skool and was asked by the teacher; teacher:junior why did u bring your cat to skool? junior:uncle,coz i heard my elders sister's boyfriend telling her that i will eat up ur pussy......hahahaahaahhh.o boy no be lie.
warri wan kill me oooooooooooo
o boy na 4 sizzlers o warri se wan woman carry small dog.after d dog don run entre nain d woman ask d security,have u seen enough?meanwhile she wear small microscopic skirt.nain security se we never see enouggh oo ur small dog?guy d babi bend down well well so tey every con dey show.nain she ask ve u seen enough?nain security answer yes we have seen more than enough........o boy no be lie.
Nice.
what the..?
What the hell is that about?
o boy no be lie
snorgs] e be de babi story bendi down for to look at me dog man yo no unnerstan? yo be crezi momma. o boy no be lie.
jokes
I got the sense of it, but I'm stuck on the word "nain".
nain
PJ] it means DWARF in french. See the poular song:-
Je voudrais etre un nain,
Pour avoir une grosse bîte,
Mais je ne suis qu'un géant,
Et la mienne est petite.
Just realised that attendance at the RugbyPilg will mean missing my mate's annual Eurovision party!
One song to the tune of the same song
UK] And your mates will be missing the Rugbypilg. Unless you invite them :o)
One song to the tune of last year's...
Btd] After swift negotiations, managed to book myself in 'round my mate's for Saturday 22nd, where we can watch the qualifiers and the contest itself (which he'll be taping), and pretend it's all happening live.

I really am a sad case...
Bollocks!
DIdn't realise the RugbyPilg clashed with Eurovision... What shall we do?
Euro-Trellis
We could perhaps have a Eurovision Break? The results of the voting are always really late - perhaps the scheduled entertainment will have finished by then, so those that need to will be clear to watch it. And I reckon we should have a sweepstake organised for the Eurovision result too... so there'll be a cash prize!!
You have to ask?
I'm sure you'll get over it, rab!
eurovision
oh dear oh dear oh dear oh dear
rugbyvision
I'll make sure there's a TV in The Study, eh?
Bad news
I'm afraid that e-pilg transcriber was in a horrible browser crash last night. He sadly has no recollection of the goings-on last night.
transcrash
what a relief :-)
Buttered muffin
Loobyloo] Darn shame I'd say ;o)
Dr Q] Nice to see you back, we missed you. Would you like to contribute long-distance to the Pilg? I'd like to have a "and this one was sent in by... "section for Mcers who can not attend. Cast your beady eye over the Orange pilg game and email me with contributions.
moomintroll
I read a rather funny news story about a man dressed as a moomin being run over by a truck in Norway and I was going to post it, but I can't find it anywhere!
ignorant rude w****rs
The tetchy game seems to be going quite well, I thought.
can anyone say "oven"?
Ok, ok, the "cool" weather (22 to 32°C or thereabouts) is officially OVER, here. Just in the last three days, it's all changed. Yesterday was a stinker of a humid day. Today, it was measured at 44°C (but very very dry) at 4pm.
I wanna icecream.
On the non-avoidance of ice-creams...
flerdle] I had two today, feeling rather gluttonous!
Weather
Did anyone else catch the incredible rainstorm in London yesterday? I did - indeed, I was caught by it. I don't think I've ever been out in such heavy rain - I didn't even know it was possible. Thoroughly enjoyable stuff all round.
Whoee!
When you've had enough, post the left overs to me would you, please? What was it like? It must have been some drop to elicit comment.
Saying 'bye-bye' for a few days ... speak soon
:'(
It never rains
[BM, Dujon] I was sheltering under the portico of St Martin in the Fields at the time and it was of tropical intensity – streets and pavements were a continuous flow of water. The worst bit lasted about 15 minutes, but my guess would be that it amounted to 1-2cms in that time. I was the slightly embarrassed-looking person in the business suit carrying his wife’s yellow umbrella with the duck’s head handle!
BTW I went to SMITF to see 'ZUM' a band that plays an eclectic mixture of E. European gypsy music, jazz and Argentinian tango. Very enjoyable.
more rain
The rain continues to rain here in the north of Wiltshire, I only hope it is dry in Youlbury, Oxfordshire as Little O' is going camping with the Cubs over the weekend.
ahhhhh the sound of rain
I live in Manchester and even when its dry its raining, now figure that one out!!!
huh?
[widey] fancy that, where I am it's the exact opposite, at least so far. Two "showers", not enough to actually wet the ground.
[INJ] Ah, those tropical downpours - several every summer in Bris. Be thankful there was no hail? *pines*
Manx Cats
[widey] I didn't realise we had another Nor'westerner in our midst! I agree with you about the moistness, though.
Mancunian rainfall
Manchester isn't all that wet. The average rainfall at Manchester Airport (1971-2000) is 807 mm per year. That's less than I get here in the sunny south (Surrey), with 828 mm. (1983-2003). Cardiff gets 1112 mm and Swansea over 1200 mm, the wettest large city in Britain. The driest would seem to be Cambridge, average 554 mm. Cherrapunji (Assam) has about 11,000 mm, the total for July alone being about 1800 mm. 60 mm a day - every day. Over most of lowland Britain (i.e. where we all live) you get that amount about once every 25 years.
panda leaves
There have been one or two comments about my punctuation, but I know what I mean and it ends up legible (more or less). Today I have picked up a copy of Eats, Shoots and Leaves from the library, hopefully some of the pedants round here will see some slight improvement in the next three weeks.
As a designer and Planning Supervisor, I wade through documents from the HSE on the Building Industry, anyway today I've been reading mostly Peer review of analysis of specialist group reports on causes of construction accidents Research Report 218.
I should not make light of other peoples misfortunes but on page 98 the Description of the Incident:-
A building was being refurbished and in the course of this staircase balustrade and handrails had been removed and plastic warning tape placed around the stair well. Upholsters were working on the upper floor in the neighbourhood of the stairs and one fell down the stair. well.

Rather than falling badly?
[Rosie] Ah yes, but in Manchester it does it all the time - a constant drizzle, rather than a few huge downpours. And even when it's not raining, it feels like it's raining. The rare clear, sunny day sees industry and traffic (well, moreso than usual, for the latter) grind to a halt, with crowds of people stumbling around, faces uplifted, blinking in slightly worried confusion at the big yellow ball in the sky. Hence, it's grim oop norf.
Persistent Mancunian precipitation
(Nik) A good point. Figures for rainfall duration are remarkably hard to come by but I strongly suspect Manchester has more hours of rain per year than my back garden, despite the lower rainfall total. Sunshine figures give some clue - Manchester has 1395 hrs annually (same as Sheffield, incidentally) compared to typically 1500-1600 hrs for inland southern England and the Midlands. Eastbourne gets 1848 hrs, making the retired gentlefolk even more prune-like than ever. Places like Oldham and Burnley are a lot wetter than M/C, and have even less sun. Manchester is not uniquely awful, weatherwise, not by a long chalk.
Raining in my heart
And to continue with that thought...
[flerdle] There was some hail in the rainstorm, amazingly. I know because it was hitting me. The whole thing was like running through a lake with a few bubbles in it.
Please send it over
My location has had this rain since the start of 2004:
January - 61.5mm
February - 108mm - 80mm of which arrived on one day.
March - 44.25mm
April - 31mm

My wife's lovely garden may be about to get the chop. There seems to be no doubt that existing water restrictions (use thereof) are about to be tightened. Urk!

Oz rain
(Dujon) That's 245 mm, against my 281 mm. Seems quite a lot to me, though your higher temperatures make it less "useful" hydrologically. But laying water out to dry is a bit of an indulgence in Australia, isn't it?
I'm writing this from my lovely back yard, powered by my clever new phone. [dr q] I got to keep one of the buggies featured on my house website, yay! If only i was small enough to fit in it!
wot rain?
[BM] It's not really hail till it's the size of giant golfballs ;-)
[Dujon] Urk, indeed. What has she been growing? I think lawn can be a bit of an extravagance, but a lot of other things can be made pretty water-sparing, but that depends on what they are. My own experiments in gardening had to be stopped a couple of years ago when I could no longer get the lucerne hay I needed, because of drought (no-dig style, lucerne hay topped with spent mushroom compost. Amazingly productive). I only ever grew veges, though.

I think I mentioned before, average rainfall here is around 100mm annually. This is a slightly old (1995) but still informative report on agricultural resources. Ironically, the largest crop here, other than dates? Alfalfa (lucerne).

Four inches
[flerdle] That's a bit on the dry side! Where does water come from (and don't say the sky) - dams, next door's river? [Rosie] It does sound odd does it not. That's supposed to be our wet season though. Winter - at least where my castle is situated - tends to be the dryest time of year. We shall see. Sydney's main dam (Warragamba, about five miles from me as the crow flies) is said to be down just under the 50% capacity level which does not auger well.
I'm not going to drill for water; let's try augur.
well, actually... let's go UndergrounD
[Dujon] Next door is at least as bad, if not worse - they have to resort to desalination of sea water. Along the Batinah coastal plain there are aquifers. The water itself is very high in calcium/lime but very safe, however because of the taste and the effect on kettles etc most drinking water is bottled springwater. There is a large mountain range about 30km inland, parallel to the coast, which gets the same to three times the rain that the plain does. There is continuous replenishment of the aquifers by seepage from the mountains, and from the flash floods that race down the wadis (dry gullies) when it does manage to rain. The rain, when it happens, is in the winter. The other main source of water close to the mountains are the Aflaj (sing: falaj), which are ancient and very reliable.
MCiOS problems
Anyone else having trouble accessing MCiOS? Another website I use was down yesterday, apparently due to Mayday hacker attacks on their server. I wonder if the same thing has happened to Parslow?
[snorgle] I can't see it either.
hyperlink
Well, as it's down, I'll put this link here, because otherwise I'll forget. Just a cute ferret story, although I recently saw a cat living in a garden centre, I just assumed it belonged to the shop, maybe it was a stray.
Nip!
Has Dr Q been visiting Mrs Trellis? [flerdle] Thanks for the info.
*snore*
Was in mediocre-smelling but still decent-looking New Wilmington, Pennsylvania this weekend eating Schweinflesch and getting heavily pissed. Kinda obvious considering the event is called "Hog & Grog". ;)
New Wilmington, PA
(Dr Q) Where's that, then? Couldn't find it on my atlas. Hope you enjoyed your Pork and Paralysis. :-)
more spears
Latest news in from the daq; in Celebrity MC moreteaplease has taken back the top from snorgle, but what is this!!!! blamelewis at No2?! a stunning performance after being kneeecaped just pipping ffiish.
Oink
It's hailing cows and chickens out there...
Hail, Mary
[rab] Sure is here too in Brum. Where's you?
Weee
[HB] Moist Manchester. Chorlton-on-Medlock, to be more precise.
Likewise here in Manchester's *other* Chorlton, Chorlton-cum-Hardy...
Silly names
No hail in Woodstock today. Sunny and bright here in Clopton.
New Wilmington, PA
[Rosie] It's a tiny town between Sharon & New Castle, right on the Lawrence/Mercer county border. You may be able to find it by the artificial lake in the shape of Alabama.

And yes I did. ;)

Slightly drizzly here in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh.
I'm back in Woodstock and it is p***ing down.
now you see them...
A torrential rain and hail storm half an hour ago washed away the newly-painted car park markings. Oh, how we laughed...
Penelope's storm seems to be on its way here. The last piece of blue sky is fleeing in a north-easterly direction while black clouds arrive with faint thunder.
Places in PA and other things
(Dr Q) Found Sharon and New Castle, but no New Wilmington, or Alabammy-like lake. Must be nearly in Ohio, it looks to me. (Bob the dog) Silly names? Near me is Fickleshole, consisting of a road junction, a pub and two farms. (All) Measured nearly an inch of rain Weds morning (25.1 mm) and quite a bit more today with a bit of feeble thunder. Good reason not to cut the grass or continue with my outdoor painting job. (Warlingham, NE Surrey).
[Rosie] Golly, I am glad I;m not in Surrey!

Well, bit of a given that one, really...

Weather
It's pissing down here in Turin and has been for over a week. Apartment block-residents (self included) who do not have autonomous heating (i.e. whether the heating is on or off depends on the calendar not on whether you need heating - April 15, all central heating off!) have been freezing their nipples off for the last fortnight, as it is colder than a witch's tit.
Rain
(Dunx) What I measured was the rainfall for the past 24 hrs, which I do every morning. So, not as bad as it sounds. :-)
sigh
Come to sunny Manchester where the sun shines even when its raining, which it does 365 days a year.................(rain I mean)
sigh
I know there are places that have more rain fall than here, but we do have a naturally damp climate, hence the boom of the cotton industry back in the 19-20 Centuries. Damp air is great for spinning cotton as the fibers are less prone to break and are easier to work. The same applies to wool. Are you all asleep now?
cotton and wool
Not quite. The Lancashire cotton industry had more to do with availability of labour and the proximity of a large port (Liverpool) than any climatic factors. Besides, the woollen industry was concentrated in Yorkshire, where the air is marginally drier, but frankly it makes bugger all difference anyway. Anywhere in Britain would be quite satisfactory.
Spinning around.
I used to walk past a cotton mill on the odd occasion on which I walked between the homes of a couple of my relations. One thing that struck me at the time - and I've never solved the conundrum - was that the building was large and had a huge number of windows, albeit those little six inch panes set into a larger frame. Presumably this was to allow natural light to access the interior; but the windows were never cleaned - or at least did not appear to be so. Still, I'm talking of a town called Leigh which also had two or three active coal mines and hundreds of coal burning fireplaces so maybe it was just 'natural' deposits. The air that came out of those windows - many were hopper type, hinged at the bottom - was hot. I sympathise with anyone who had to work in that environment.
why
coz
Raak
Isn't that more of an aak or an uhk?
Raak
OK, you win. My mouth explodes with delight.
Terrible implosions of unconnectedness!
[Raak] Shades of night is a friend of RavenBlack (the Advice contributor). Not massively interesting, no, but this sort of thing always jars my brain, especially on a slightly tender saturday morning.
Rrraak!
[Raak] It sounds like the "baby" in Eraserhead.
more soap
Meanwhile....over at Celebrity Mornington Crescent ; blamelewis climbs to the top, many congratulations (what or where is The Fly Floor).
sounds; one resource I plunder everynow and then for a new mail notification noise etc is http://www.findsounds.com/ click on "Need Examples?".
Actually Rosie your wrong!!!! oo errrrr did I say that!!! It does make a difference to spinning cotton if the air is dry and not moist. I admit the close proximity of an atlantic (via the irish sea) port (Liverpool) holds some merit but its not the main reason, if it were, Bristol would have been a good choice!! As for the "labour pool" most were agricultural workers who came into the developing areas to look for work in the "new factories". The populace of Manchester pre 1750 was much the same as the rest of the country.........
Lanky cotton
(Widey) Like anyone else I can talk bollocks from time to time, and do so, but I don't think I'm that far out about the climatic factors, though you've certainly got a point about the availability of labour. You're certainly right, of course, that high humidity is helpful, but what it boils down to in actual numbers is the difference in average relative humidity between Lancashire and the rest of the country and in all honesty I don't think it is really all that much. I don't want to sound too much of a pompous old fart but I am a trained meteorologist, albeit er . . . some time ago. (1966, actually). :-)
another question?
Cool........pun not intended.......I'm only going off what has been published in my local history books so I guess there is a lot of room for error on my part, I find it fascinating though the link between climate and manufacturing. I guess the other major factor is the multitude of fast flowing streams and rivers in the local, great for the early waterpowerd mills and shops...... I would be interested to know your thoughts on the present weather situation, is it my imagination or are we having more rainfall in the uk? Also it seems to be a lot warmer earlier in the year than it ever was in the past!......
boo hoo sob
I miss missiv trellis can't we av it back, g'uvnor?
missing missive
[widey] Some of the games are very slow and would probably welcome a euthanastic shove [not The Furc Game - that's sacrosanct] If no-one objects over the next day or so ... go for it
The weather
(Widey) The average UK rainfall has gone up, but not a lot, in the last 40 yrs. For instance, my own records, made with a standard raingauge, show an average of about 830 mm annually over the last 21 years, whereas from old data and charts I would estimate a figure of 790 mm for 1931-1960 for my place (NE Surrey). The rain has become more seasonal with autumn and winter wetter and summer drier. July is now the driest month of the year over a large area of the UK whereas 50 yrs ago it was about 4th or 5th wettest, certainly in the eastern half of the country and the Midlands. Summers are better! Winters are definitely milder than the 60's and 70's. This is only slightly due to global warming but mainly because we get a lot less easterly and northerly winds than in the past. The change in the circulation may in itself be due to global warming, but this kind of shift has happened in the past so it may equally well not be. I could write pages on this but I'd better not. :-)
Droughts and Floods
[widey] There is a number of factors which directly affect our planet and its atmospheric behaviour, quite apart from our own efforts to do the same. This is an interesting article if you are that way inclined.
[widey] Yes, I'd like to see Missive Trellis back too. I missed a lot of it last time because of my access troubles.
Kill them All!
Go on, go on, go on!
Sacrosancy
*wonders if we should perform the Furcation Game on Saturday*
*very quickly realises that's a rubbish idea*
Furcating
*has thought of an interesting variation*
Dentistry
(Softers) Couldn't think of a limerick line so here's the toothypeg news. There was a hole the size of the Arizona Crater in it, with the nerve almost bare. No wonder it bloody hurt. The dentist declared it a write-off and pulled it. All is now well. :-)
Tuesday 25/05/04, Radio 4, 11.30am
Just been advised of the following by my mate at the Beeb:
No Fixed Abode, Cricklewood
Phill Jupitus talks to Graeme Garden, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Bill Oddie about their early days as comedy writers and performers, and about their 1970s cult series The Goodies (1/2).
Here's a game we could play on Saturday - the Bad HTML game.
rab?
Chalky?
Just thought I'd break the silence :-)
Ah.
[Chalky] You know you're going to have to pay for that silence, don't you?
We could talk about the weather...
Same old... dull and overcast, cool, but dry.
[pen] Perfect running weather, then.
The weather
What will tomorrow bring?
rainbow skies
Tomorrow could bring the end of AVMA, and with it a new game. Any takers for "Spot Ruttborough's Ostrich"?
Yay!
Now where could that ostrich BE-E-E-E-E-E-E-E?
Frisky fish!!!
Today my Koi have been in a most frisky mood and have engaged in a mass spawning, must be the slight rise in the water temperature. I look forward to seeing their many offspring (and making a couple of quid when they mature!).
Entrepreneurs
[widey] That made me laugh! As a sprog I used to breed white mice and flog 'em. I never asked where they were going as some people feed them to their pet snakes. Nevertheless, the temperature didn't seem to make a difference at all to the production rate. ... :-)
So you were the white mouse supplier!
My Royal(Ball)Python, Oscar, used to love white mice. I used to feel a bit guilty feeding them to him, but then what the f**k they would eat us if they could!!!
What's in a name?
'Oscar' as a name for a snake?  Sounds a bit fishy to me.
FIRE!
Just ordered out of bed by an incessant beeping and the vague smell of burnt popcorn and told by the fireman standing outside our neighbouring flat to get out of the flat, whence we stood around on the lawn. Interesting start to the day, especially for the poor sods from that flat who have exams this morning and have to look forward to coming home to a water-logged, sooty kitchen, smoke-damaged flat and melted toaster.
yikes
[ZK] Lovely way to start the day.
[weather] It has slowly crept up to usually about 25-35°C here; some degree of aircon is a must now. No rain, of course. I think I'm becoming nocturnal.
ZK] Escape the smoke and examination pressure this weekend. Come to Brownsover Hall for the ISIHAC2 Pilg. You'd be most welcome! I'm sure Lib, Pen and Chalky would love to meet you too.
Indeed
excited
Blimey, that's the day after tomorrow. I now have 1 Jurassic "Radio Tymes". Most get more. Panic? Me?
excuse any incoherence; I'm only lately being introduced to Carling....
ah, sadly this weekend is much-needed time with my family; re-bonding over eurovision, Wogan-esque sarcasm and the traditional Spag Bol (ah, real food at last!!!!!). Have missed EV for inexcusable reasons these last two years, so shall be rather looking forward to catching up on the previously annual cheesefest. Otherwise, naturally, I would love to join you all. Have a good time on me. *tip of the day* beer is much nicer when accompanied by Polo mints.
Meantime, of course, the poor girls whose flat got burnt out have to live elsewhere for the remainder of the examination period, which I didn't realise.
Eurovision has nothing on what we have planned (and anyway TV can be recorded). Not so sure we can match the Spag Bol tho.. ;o)
I had the dubious pleasure of watching a semi-final of the EVC last evening. If you enjoy a few mid-teen check out chicks trying to make a quid and a heap of blokes singing falsetto (or have an injury; or aren't blokes?) this is for you.
Mind you, I wouldn't miss it for quids - it's got to be the funniest show on television each year.
Rugby Pilg
You're probably all on your way if not there already - but have fun! And make sure you get too drunk. That's important.
Seconding snorgle's sentiments
Yeh...
Hey, I loved it! The Netherlands should have won, in my opinion, but I won't complain about Ukraine...
Schwoing
[snorgle, Tuj] I certainly had quite a hangover this morning, though I understand others were more restrained. I think I good time was had by all, though I shouldn't necessarily speak on their behalf. Much kudos and fanx attack to Bob the dog (note small d).
thanx R Us
. . . . and Chalky!
Whoops, of course, and to everyone else who made the thing such a success.
Carrot
umm, Carrot?
Carrot (was it just one, or were they plural?)
And if I'm not mistaken there was a bottom too! Thank you everyone for such an excellent super-pilg. Same time next year?....
Vote 1 - Yes.
Vote 2 - YES [and I hereby volunteer to do the hotely thing]
and Bob - the Biscuit Game print is a work of art and is being framed to take pride of place alongside 'The Great Bear'. We didn't do it justice. Can we play it online pleeeez?
Vote 3 (from the Rickmansworth jury) YES.
More prepared alternative lyrics next time please. Merlyn's Bohemian Rhapsody has me in hurty squeaking stitches, as you all probably noticed (and no, I didn't have a Tenalady moment). I vaguely remember discussing American Pie with some sort of MC alternative lyric but I'm sure I wasn't volunteering. Perhaps it should be stored in the Sonnets game on Orange to see what incubates.
Vote 4 - YES. What a fantastic event, and a great location too. And what a wonderful bunch of people, who all got on tremendously well. At this stage in the proceedings, I'd also like to say carrot.
Vote 5 - YES. And is there any chance it could include a live game of "The Great Bear"?
Put me down as a YES as well. Nice venue, great company and I hardly felt any embarassment at my lack of preparation (although I will have to learn how to play a kazoo).
Oops that's embarrassment of course.
Old-fashioned MC, just like mother used to make
Chalky] The gauntlet's down - see the Lockisseum's Proving Ground.
carrot
[INJ] I think you were actually right the first time.
Great Bear
JLE] If so, I can bring my wall print of said map with me for team reference purposes.
grapefruit
[IncleKorks] Wahay - I'm there :-)
Wobbly
Just to let you know I'll be off piste for the next couple of days, as I'm travelling up to Edinburgh tomorrow for an interview. Feeling a little wobbly already... I also shan't be in the chatroom tonight for various logistical reasons.
"So, why do you want this job...?"
Good luck, rab!
Oooohhh.....
I see that there are suddenly two spare game spaces... Now, having worked out the etiquette of these things, I'm announcing my ideas for the replacements. I had a chat with Bob the dog after ISIHAC2, and we both like the idea of:
1] Playing Last Lines - inappropriate sentences that sound the death knell for a television programme (for example: The Money Programme - Has anyone got 50p for the meter? or Upstairs Downstairs - Rose! We're moving into a bungalow!").
2] Writing sales pitches for hard to sell items. The item must be described, and then the sale pitched in Estateagentese.
Well, folks - the ball's in your court. Anyone interested?
New Game
Lemon Puff
So was this uber-pilg recorded as you said it would be? Or do we have to make do with transcripts?
Recording medium
ZK] Half was recorded on to mini-disc (the second half)+ the end of games cabaret (which really was wonderful). We lost the first half due to a technical hitch :o( But I am preparing transcripts :o)
empty rooms...
9.50pm BST - is anyone going in the chatroom tonight?
Changing rooms
Sorry pen. I've been playing Lawerence Llewyellen-Bowen. 60 percent of wallpaper removed from bedroom. And thankfully all the plaster is where it should be! Fun.
[ZK] Unfortunately, the singing games and sound charades were in the first half! Still, that's all the more reason to attend next year's one!
chatroomier
[Lib] Never mind - I think we're probably all pilged out anyway. Stripping walllpaper? Wheeee! [Btd] Sorry I missed you.
Back from Richmond, VA
I'm back just in time to miss the e-pilg. Feh. Photos are here.
Rugby Photos
Darren has been kind - there are photos. Marvel at the thespery!
Or here?
Common-ents
[flerdle, PaulWay] They nicked our little badges!
Plate 40: I'm a wee bit concerned about that UFO about to alight upon LotUS' right shoulder.
Top hole, Dunx, thanks for posting them.
Did try epilg last night but it was quiet. Assume everyone sleeping off the weekends excesses.
picture this
Great pictures of everyone enjoying themselves....jealous? me? pah!
snap snap snap
Darren] Great pics - you can really see the detail on hiz nob. Dunx] Cheers for posting 'em!
Got home last night, and, as it was so hot, I decided I'd use the opportunity to run the Flymo over the lawn. I tell you - there's nothing like the smell of pureed cat poo pervading the warm air to keep you on task.
catmo
[UK] Ahh, the flymo/catpoo incident rears its ugly head. I've commented on this before, and recently remonstrated with a neighbour who doesn't believe his cat would poo anywhere but the litter tray provided. I tell you, you'd be amazed at the amount of shit one cat can produce. Starving them would seem to be the most obvious course of action.
Aaahhhhh..... NOT Bisto...
Pen] Sadly, they're my cats. As far as I'm aware, cats don't tend to toilet on their own territory, but ours never developed that quirk. At our previous house, our next door neighbour had fourteen cats, all of which used our garden, and I suppose they just worked out that the nearest patch of grass smelled right for business.
pushycats
Well, my cats nearly ALWAYS use my garden - although to be fair, one is so old she can't jump up on the wall anymore, and the other is so fat, he has some difficulty jumping up on the wall, and is quite funny to watch when he tries. So I'm always having to clear the garden, as we have a dog, too. We used to have a dogloo but it couldn't take the pressure, so now I just chuck it out with the rubbish. Lovely topic of conversation here today! :)
*dithering*
Do I take it that because there's been no comment on my games proposals (above), other than Chalks (who, I believe, would like a go at The Biscuit Game), there'd be no objection to my starting one or both...?
[UK] Go ferret, I'd say. I would suggest one tweak to the sales pitches one, which is that it might work a bit better if each person proposes the item which the person coming after them has to sell ... (a la things like Jeopardy). Then again, I suppose your structure would work more like The Book Blender on Orange, with people contributing when they thought of a cool idea. Don't know which would be better suited, tbh.
Love the pics...
[rab] a bit late, but... good luck.
[Dujon] Ooooh, they did too, the naughty beggars.
[pen, Btd] Phone line is dead, couldn't be there.
Hmmm this is interesting
Are there people living in here?
uninhabited
[Paulgeaf] We visit here from time to time - usually several times a day in my case. Have you found the other Mornington Crescent sites? They're similarly un-inhabited but there's a chat room on MCiOS, and we often camp in there on a Monday evening (BST or GMT). Have fun!
I've taken the plunge
Corporation dustcart is up and running. Winning move is a programme that I would definitely notlike to see scrapped (should be enough of a clue for anyone who knows me). If that isn't enough of a clue, it's one that Michael Grade has had a go at before.
Brendan] I'm giving some more thought to the sales pitch game, and I hope to post it in the next day or so, as long as the slot's still vacant.
nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!
There was Flanders & Swann and I missed it!
On The Slow Train...
ZK] And it was very good indeed! I have the whole F&S session recorded on my camcorder, but I have no idea how to transfer it to anything else...
[Dujon] Thanks for posting the corrected link. Safari's addition of line break characters can be pretty annoying.
life on mc server
[penelope] tanks for that. I must look around and work this place out.. I thought i was too old to find a 'new' area of communication online cheers :)
Uncle Korky's F&S Footage
[Uncle Korky] I can probably help you there - I've mailed you about it.
[Dunx] My pleasure.
[Darren] Thanks for providing the pics. I thought I'd put that in on my previous post!
exams
Woooo! One down, three to go. Then, only two more academic years before I can join the rat race and become even more bitter, twisted and cynical than I am now :)
testing times
Good luck ZK in the exams, is your time now your own? way back when, after our exams, we still had course work to do. The peer group crits took place on the last two days of term; older, bitter, twisted and cynical.
sees the light
[ZK, Inks] So that's why I'm not bitter, twisted and cynical! There's a lot to be said [which I may do, another time] for 'dropping out' of Uni, which I did for various raisins.
currantly speaking
Chalky] I hope you didn't eat them all at once;)
ZK] So come on then, which uni and what subject? (Good luck with the rest -- how well-spaced are they?)
peering
[Inkspot] What's a peer group crit? I'm imagining a ritual out of Maoist China in which each student in turn has to stand up in front of the rest and have their ideological errors stridently condemned, before making abject confession of their sins.
oh no! 'fessing time!
Classics at Birmingham. I applied to Cambridge but the bastards wouldn't have me! Shame really - I would've quite liked to be punting this time of year, but then some of my friends got into Oxford, so I'd have been forced to hate them :) I applied for Pembroke College as well, which would have been v cool cos 2 of the Goodies went there, as well as Peter Cook, I believe. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that as motivation in one of my interviews, or I might've got in :)
Back to exams, I still have Latin language to go, which is on Saturday morning, Greek language, which is next Tuesday, and my lecture exam, the following Wednesday (cram cram cram!). Luckily with the one I just took (Latin books) and Greek, we had take-home exercises which made up 40% of the grade and I did quite well. You only need 40% for the overall programme to pass for the second year, I think, which is ludicrous. [Inkspot] I hope my time is now my own, as I want to go home! :) I suspect it's all over from here, as my lease runs out on the 25th of June, and the property's managed by the university. My friend from school (same uni) seems to have finished for now, as her MSN name has read "sunbathing till September" for about the last week and a half. Jammy swine. :)

Now why couldn't I have written that much in my exam?
Question
Hello lovely people. I don't want to ask this question in MCIOS playground as the big boys are fighting. Anyway, may I just ask what people's understanding of the term "seafood" is? I've had a bit of a disagreement over it today in the jolly old office, and I'd value your opinions. Your normal service is now resumed.....
to me, anyway...
Anyfing dat comes out of da sea. Fish. Shellfish. yukky things like eels. Was it in the context of someone being allergic to it? Then it's often just shellfish.
Well, it depends what the meaning of "understanding the term" is ...
[Thos] Anything from the animal kingdom that came out of the sea. Fish, shellfish, squids, whatever ... I am far too ignorant to know what fishies live where, so in practice my definition includes freshwater beasties too. Not plant things like seaweed or little planktony things, though, even if they do come from the briny depths. The Blob-style mental image that arises for me is that of a large prawn, FWIW.
[ZK] Don't worry, you're not the only Cambridge reject in the world. ;) You'll find that 40% thing is pretty universal throughout this nation's fine universities, and indeed 40% over the whole degree will bag you an honours degree at most places ("only" a Third, but still ...)
fishyness
Hello dear Thos. We have a 'seafood' restaurant here and they serve anything that's considered aquatic, including molluscs and crustaceans. Did you know there's an edible sea urchin?
Simulposted with Brendan -but what the hell - I'll press 'submit' anyway .....
pin up time
Raak] You don't know how close that guess is. As part of the Architecture course we were given design projects which could take anything from a week to a whole term. The end of the process was 'the crit', in front of tutors and a group of students, it was inquisitorial and confrontational, others sailed through the process; me, absolutely terrified and nervous dreaded every single one. A tough crit of hard questioning gave no indication of how well, or how you had done everyone was grilled to the 9th degree.
It sounds bad, but the end result (which almost justified the means) was that you made sure the design process was robust. So, if ever you meet a building designer who seems a little (over)protective of their work....

Thos]Seafood; anything from the salt water sea? but Trout and Salmon could be served in a seafood retaurant, they may be considered fresh water river fish and therefore strictly not 'seafood'.

Unshellfishness
I've heard the term "seafood" used to refer only to shellfish and the like, and not to fishfish. I have also heard it used pretty broadly to include all fish, including those which have never been near an ocean. I think you can find precedent for whatever you want to argue
Salmon
[Inkspot] Surely the freshwaterness of salmon depends on where it has been caught? It is a fish that lives in both sea and reiver at different times in its life.

Then again, do they fish for salmon in the sea?

[CdM] This has a disturbing parallel in the number of piscivores and chicken eaters that call themselves vegetarian...

I sea food, I eat it...
Seafood, for me, is crustacean. Other stuff what comes out of the sea is 'fish'. Being descended from a fishing family (my great-grandfather and his sons were fish merchants in Aberdeen; it's probably where I get my habit of getting up too early from), I'd like to think this was some kind of official position, but it's just my usage. To me there's a clear distinction between 'seafood pie' and 'fish pie'; if the former included cod or whitebait or some such, I'd be most upset.
You shall have a fishy . . .
[Dunx] As a piscivore myself, I often describe myself as vegetarian to avoid confusion - if a restaurant/hotel can cope with veggies, then they can cope with me. Plus telling people that you are a piscivore means they lock up their alcohol.
Greetings
Hello. Nice to see about five new games have started across the servers since I went away - was that deliberate? Now I need to work on my space-time-continuum distortion device in order to find enough time to be able to play them!
Welcome back rab. I trust all went well :-) Re. your STCD device - you may need to factor in a couple of hours to catch up on the lively discussion in MCiOS - an eye opener if ever there was!

[all] Perhaps we shall find out which stance Thos adopted in the jolly old office disagreement. I was born in February - does that make me a Piscivore?

oops
I think that when I mentioned shellfish I meant things like prawns and lobsters and stuff too. My excuse is I grew up far from the sea, so I have never really gotten into fish and other watery edibles, cos they were always either muddy and disgusting from the local creek, or several days old and liable to be a bit dodgy...
Wells
[Chalky] I haven't heard the outcome yet (they're a postal organisation, and that combined with University mail systems means I have a bit of a wait on my hands, grrr) but I did enjoy myself in the interview room, even if I totally fluffed my way very badly through what might have been the killer question of "Is it new and is it useful?". Hate waiting.
Oh, and my odds are just under 30%, I understand.
All the best rab - hope they hurry up. And say yes.
[Seafood] Thanks for your answers and your discussion which almost entirely reflected the debate in my office. I personally hold seafood to be shellfish but it seems that whilst many others agree, a sizeable group also includes fish (both sea fish and fresh water fish interestingly). [Rab] Good luck
Carted
I appear to have accidentally stumbled on the winning move for Corporation Dustcart. Can it be reinstated?
Get Carted
Honestly... There I go, my first game as well, and I take the trouble to advise of the winning move further up this page too... Tut tut tut... I don't know... *mutter mutter*
endings
Raak]Is there anyway you could stumlbe across the finishing touch to Bad Tempered, Critical & Tetchy Game? or rab, could you advise what the winning move is please.
I'll reinstate the Dustcart shortly; meanwhile surely you can work out what the winning bloody move in BTC&TG is!
*phew*
Well done, rab!
And thank you rab for the clue, hehehe. What will we do with our new game slot? Missive Trellis?
Daq
I wonder if the BBC's data base has gone awry. I'm listed as sixth in the world. This cannot be correct.
I'd be proud. who do you own?
Mini cheddars
Congratulations to Darren on making me laugh at this hour - the game is usually sublime, but that move was rather fabulous :)
Puffing chest
[ZK] Calum Best. I had to go and have a look! I've no idea as to who he is and have been 'sitting' on him due to the day trading being reasonable. Mind you, not being celebrity minded and being totally ignorant of most people listed within the various categories, this is not surprising. *scratches head and disappears into the sunset*
Woo!
I got mentioned on Radio 2 embarrassing Sybil Ruscoe. Genius!
What's he been up to?
Belated comment
[Dr Q+] Thanks for the pics. Great stuff! Mind you - and I've probably said it before - the thrill of whizzing around continual left or right hand bends holds very little interest for me. Bloody frightening when one watches some of the drivers, quite apart from some of them greeting a wall with a hearty handshake :-(
That was not meant to be funny - far too many steerers have finished their careers in that manner.
more of the best
Dujon] Sixth is a great achievement (I'm envious), I think it was penelope, getting herself into a similar position in the players chart that prompted the whole Celebrity Mornington Crescent thing.

Unfortunately the daq will be skewed for the next month; Big Brother takes to the air waves yet again from next Friday (28th).

big sis
[Dujon] Yup, it was me. I got to No. 4 in the world, although I have no idea how. And now? How things have changed... I got an email from the Celebdaq people yesterday warning me that my account has been inactive for 30 days and I have only another 30 in which to re-activate it otherwise it will be lost and gone forever. :o( and yet... I still can't be bothered!
Slimming down
I feel the front page is looking very slender just now. As God intended, of course.
rab] Where I come from, we call that tempting fate ;)
...as long as the next game's nowt to do with Big Brothel...
Big Brothel
[Tuj] Perhaps a game of breathing new life into tired old TV shows or film franchises?
hellooo
I've decided to start posting on forums other than lock and orange again, so a big hi. and ZK, I'm in the throes of exams at the moment also so good luck and remember pro plus and the answer is generally option C...
[nights] How I wish I still had multiple choice questions! :) I have a bit of a thing against Pro Plus but I'll certainly remember that as an emergency option! What exams are you throeing? :)
Multiple choice exams are ok, except for the ones we had for mid-term Physiology. There, anywhere between one and all five of the options could be correct. If you missed any, or added extras, you were deemed incorrect. They were written in the most excruciatingly sneaky manner as well. It is possible that wrong answers were marked negatively ie right +1, no answer +0, wrong -1. I wouldn't have put it past him to do so.
exam excitement
well, 4500 words of essays (by after the bank holiday), two hours of french, two hours of russian, two hours of european studies, and about 20 minutes of russian oral... uuurgh. I seem to remember from combined sciences gcse that most of the multiple choice answers are C... wish I had that option now. what about yourself?
Have so far sat through two Latin exams (one 2 hours, one 3 hours) and have yet to sit my Greek exam (three hours, taking it well into "No Fixed Abode, Cricklewood") and my exam for Introduction to Greece and Rome, a further three hours. I handed in my Greek and Latin assessments in January - 40% for each of those subjects, I believe, which I thankfully already know I've passed.
On the upside, I never have to do a Latin language exam again. The downside is I have to do more literature....
Poo
I failed to stun the judges last week, but am the next on the list if someone declines an offer (which I doubt will happen). Ho hum...
...
...though it's not all doom and gloom as I've just been offered a job in Saarbrücken...
[rab] Your experiences are uncannily matching those of one of my officemates ... (first reserve after fellowship interview, [I'm assuming that's what your thing was?] ended up with a job in Germany). Good luck with whatever happens.
chuckling
oh the utter silliness of the Monday night e-pilg. Fair sets me up for the week, it does :-)
You are Number Two
[rab,Brendan] Do they say that to all the unselected candidates?
Who is Number One?
[Raak] Well, if they do, it's particularly cruel -- my colleague seemed very much under the impression that he was in with a chance (albeit slight) and was well advised not to commit to anything else until he heard back from them. I'm sure you've had sufficient experience with funding bodies to decide whether malicious cruelty is part of their makeup.
In my case I was told over the phone that if a place were declined, it would be offered to me. I can't see any reason why the lady I spoke to wouldn't tell the truth. In any case, I seem to have a contingency plan in place, so whilst I would like a Fellowship rather than an ordinary postdoc (better support, apart from anything else), I'd be happy with what I've been offered so far.
Herr Rab
There are many worse places than Saarbrücken, but you'll have to take your thermals.
monday pilg
well, I stuck my head around the door, then went and worked for an hour, and when i came back you'd all gone - kuh...
Pilg
I hope it wasn't too whiffy.
Two things...
1. Anyone else catch part 1 of the Goodies retrospective on Radio 4 this morning?
2. If any Doctor Who fans in here haven't heard, Billie Piper's been cast as the new assistant.
It raises the horrible suspicion that Chris Evans was, at some point, under consideration for the Doctor's role.
She can't possibly be as bad as
Bonnie Langford, can she?
Casting Who
How about Chris Morris for Doctor Who?
second in line -
I have a very goo dfriend who applied for a Fulbright Scholarship a couple of years ago, to study in the US from Oz. They narrow it down to 12, and she was informed that unfortunately she made it to number 13 and they were very sorry. ANYWAY, she was inLondon at the time, then heard a few weeks later that someone had dropped out and so she was in teh cut again (theyonly award one it seems) and could she get back to Sydney for an interview..... needless to say flights were booked that very day and YOU GUESSED IT, she is now at UCalifornia Davis doing a Veterinary PhD as a Fulbright Scholar......
Carrot
Absolutely pukingly drunk (flatmates far more sympathetic than anticipated!) Jesus revelations. Anyone want to share?
bedtime snifter
ZK]I'll join you with a small dram, treadmill again tomorrow. Sympathetic? bad exams?
[ZK] Film soc social night... italian then vodka revolution... martinis! sophisticated! yay! (and sick on someone's shoes, apparently)
Oh dear. I did snigger though.
exams
ZK] is this uni finals ? (you mention last exam....)
the mother of all hangovers
Unbelievably, I had three glasses of wine, about three apple sourz and one WKD blue. We'd got to the pub after my exam finished around 2, but I hadn't eaten since about twenty to nine. We thought I was a little tipsy (I'm good at being well-behaved) until I collapsed outside my friend's flat. I think the message above was written approximately 4 hours later, when I found myself inexplicably able to move around for a short period of time. I've spent most of today trying to piece together yesterday! [st d] Strangely enough, I haven't even finished my exams yet - I was merely with Annabel and Brad to celebrate the fact that they just had. Lol my flatmates are sooooo fond of me now!
[Btd] Virginia Bottomley? ;)
hangover cure
[ZK] two paracetamol, a litre of water and another hour's sleep - trust me, this had me up and about and rigging a set after a night in Moles...
Plus ça change
Good to see that student piss-artistry is still an activity pursued with some vigour. But don't think you're breaking new ground, in the broad sense. I was doing it in 1963. In those days puking it up provoked ridicule and humiliation, equivalent to "touching cloth" in a farting competiton. Does a similar culture prevail today?
If it does, I don't remember!
That being, I don't recall enough of the day to know :)
The solution
[ZK] Well, there's your problem. The trick is not to eat for at least 18 hours before you go on a binge. It won't make you less sick, but it's a lot cheaper.    ;-)
"oops, I forgot my purse"
And the joys of getting every single drink free... :)
[ZK] how'd you manage that? our cocktails-themed social cleaned me out...
Well, because it was during the day, and I'd come straight from my exam, they invited me out to the pub but I protested that I hadn't brought my purse with me. Annabel (whose last exam it was) said that was ok because she'd buy me a drink....hey presto and about 7 drinks later...oddly enough, simply by not packing cash, I managed to pull the same trick last night - I paid for a round with my card and then got free drinks all night (this time by sticking to J20) although in fairness, the guy buying them rather likes me.
But do you like him back, ZK?
Very nice lad. Not quite my type. Next time we go out, I'll be getting the drinks in...it's the way of the world :) I only accepted them all because I was skint and very, very warm.
[nights] Any more exams today?
no, just baffling exec handover. not sure why I went. it's more essays than exams at the moment, although they're on their way like so much bad news... (sighs and finishes eating pizza)
nostalgia
Crikey, I've just been looking back through the archives and realised how many games finished in my absence!
We should have one of those fabulous "cost-cutting" games...
[ZK] ?
eg "Lady Chatterly's Loofah" "Wuthering Hillocks" etc
hillocks to you, sir
I only have 2 ideas so far, but it's always seemed like a fun game :)
ho hum
No-one, looking through this place, would *imagine* that i have been hanging around on the net for waaaaaaaay too long...
[ZK] Je comprends. sp? is there meant to be an 's' on the end of the first person singular?
I think it's "comprends", although it's over a year since I stopped studying French and the net's not much help.
[ZK] I am reassured all the same. I shall spare you the knowledge of how long it is since I stopped doing French...
conjuger le verbe 'comprendre'
yes, the first singular present has an S on the end... the net is rubbish for french unless you already have a half decent knowledge of it. which lets me out...
Bonjour me sewer
My French evening class ended last night (entry level), needless to say I can confidently say I am no help to you with this at all, but if you want to say your name or go shopping I can help you pay. ("Je voudrais one of those and one of those s'il vous plait)
Le singe est dans l'arbre.
cost-cutters
3 Monkeys type of thing ? Sounds good. I might just go and start it.....
I've spent the day watching 90s french pseudo-noir film. I can swear a blue streak in french now, but I have no idea how to write my essay... [Ink] some of us still shop that way in France - "Avez vous this dans un large?"
le chat et sous de la chaise...
[st d] Changed for technical reasons to Le singe est sur la branche, because apparently otherwise one has a monkey enclosed within a tree (boo! hiss!)
[nights] It was great - I got to the airport in Rome and suddenly realised I'd completely forgotten that I'd need to learn another language. The week consisted of pointing at things and hoping they spoke English. Shocking. :)
Big bore?
All 12 housemates have arrived, strongly opinionated in the interview process I hope they still will be. The house looks wonderful, it is smaller, cramped and set up for confrontation. And tomorrow any housemate that loses the task does not get their suitcase! My expectations are high after the cosy-cosy niceness disaster of last year.
Gay people, extroverts, a posh girl, a homophobe, a man in a thong and a transsexual (did I understand that right?), most of whom seem to be students or activists of some kind, or office workers. Personally I think that Stuart, the posh blonde girl and the straight little adorable scousish lass will all get eaten alive within the first week. But I don't know if I can bear to watch to find out...
Big Punch-Up
I think there's going to be fisticuffs by the end of the bank holiday. if not on screen, then definitely between my housemates - they were a bit excitable...
Dee Wun in the Big Brooter Hoose
Indeed. I had some friends over for the launch and there was a lot of OMGing. In previous years, particularly last, I thought the producers didn't go for the obvious conflicts, going for more subtle personality clashes. This year, they seem to have though "oh feck it, let's just go hell for leather". I too predict violence this year. And that bedroom's going to be well stinky. We admired Shell's (?) nous in selecting the top bunk of a bed, rather than going straight for a double before realising there's not enough to go round. I do like the idea of the alarm ensuring everyone has to get up. The outside baths are also ominous - one wonders if they'll be shutting off the bathroom at some point...
ISIHAC back
Crossposted everywhere: ISIHAC is back on Radio 4 this Monday, 6:30pm.
Excellent.
girls on top
With only a couple of days passed, first impressions for me, I'd would like to see Kitten win with either Stuart or Vanessa to go first.
If Kitten got evicted, surely she'd refuse to leave?
Kitten annoys the hell out of me - I'm not being anti-anything (some of my best friends are lesbians) but she does seem only in it to piss everyone else off. What happened last night anyway, I was a having a four hour dinner with my housemates. From first impressions, Shell to win, Stuart to go first, the stuck up idiot. I live with a guy like him and he does my nut. OK, done ranting.
Harry Potter
Sooooooooooooooooooooooo much better than the first two movies. Go see go see!
HP
Well, POA is my fave HP book, and I think David Thewlis is a great actor (not to mention Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, &tc), so I am greatly looking forward to seeing it! I want to choose a quiet time with not too many kids, so I decided to pass on the premier weekend. Perhaps later this week, as I hope to have Friday off..(must check it's not half-term in Cardiff though).
Go see! *still jumping up and down*
Plagiarism
ANy one in possession of the current "Radio Times" (Bill Oddie cover)? There's an article in there on opera music used in adverts which shamelesly rips off "Who-do-doo-doo-doo-doo-do-do-do-do-Hitler", page 28 I think.
HP Source
I saw HP3 last night... will compose a review for Books@MCiOS later.
The eighth plague
[Bigsmith] Not seen that... on the other hand proving that it was our idea may not be so straightforward.
Potty
[ZK] Yes, I got dragged along and quite enjoyed it - better than the first two, I thought, and very atmospheric.
Yay! :)
[snorgle] if it's any help, it's DEFINITELY half term in bath. takes twice as long to get anywhere or do anything. grr.
[snorgle, nights] Half-term here too, in commuter land. It takes only half as long to do anything or go anywhere. :o)
[pen] It is indeed much easier to get to work. Now if only we could get rid of those OAPs that have to get to the shops by 9am. I can only assume that they drive so slowly, that'll take the rest of the day to get back home.
It was easier to drive in today, almost a pleasure coming to work! but why, when they all the time in the day world does Waynetta insist on dragging her brats round town at lunchtime. They are not half as cute as (For those at work with speakers on their pc BEWARE!!) Boobah, the current favoutite with our toddler; now the Bobinogs have finished.
Boobah
The mind boggles!
Separated at birth?
Inkspot] Has anyone else noticed the uncanny resemblance between two erstwhile players of MC and Children’s TV programmes? Boobah and Bob the dog are extremely similar to Boolbar and Bobinog. Are they perhaps related? I think we should be told.
Children's Hour
[Btd]Very spooky! You wouldn't have had any mix up like that in my day. Way, back in the early sixties I don't think there was much if any pre-school tv; unlike now with CeeBeebies. It is more likely back then sat around the radio to Listen With Mother.
[ZK]Time to come out of the closet, which did you have 'My Little Pony' or 'The Care Bears'?
Watching
[Inkspot] Surely "Watch With Mother" was on even in the early 60s? I can't speak from personal memory of course, but I thought programmes like Muffin the Mule were of that vintage.

OK, fifteen minutes a day hardly counts as extensive programming, but...

Watching with Mother
[Inkspot, Dunx] The Woodentops? Rag Tag and Bobtail? The Flowerpot Men? (the real ones!) Andy Pandy? Surely all that stuff was on by then? Or did it only exist on my childhood video that we watched ad nauseam? (I remember going to a fancy dress party as Looby Lou - both myself and my sister, in fact)

[Inkspot] I think I missed the Care Bear craze by a couple of years - by the time I came along we only had the magazines (which were jumble sale buys) and the movie (terrifying). We do, still, however, have all our My Little Ponies in a box in the toy cupboard, which my younger sisters still play with (and now I fancy a go cos you've reminded me! :)) We also have the video, even though I can't think for the life of me where it's gone. I'm *sure* one of my earliest memories is one of the boys in the village turning up with that as a birthday present for my older sister. Angie - are you about? Anything to say on the subject? I suspect those videos were actually made in Sweden (they had american voices)...I haven't seen it in ages but that would explain the lipsynching.

....Sorry. Went off on a nostalgic tangent there....
Rain
At the risk of raising someone's ire. [Rosie] How are we going? We had 16mm of rain during May (15.5mm of that on the 26th)
TV
[ZK] Andy Pandy and the Flower Pot Men were definitely televised in the early 1950s - regrettably I can remember them (B&W of course). ... :-(
Ah. I have no concept of time, you see. Andy Pandy ran for ages though didn't it? I liked them anyway, although maybe I just loved them so much because I got to see them over and over and over....
Rain
(Dujon) I've just read that Sydney and surrounding areas are having a something of a drought, but I don't know what your average should be, so I can't really evaluate your one-day downpour. My guess is that it's not that unusual. Here, I got 72 mm in May (normal is 61 mm) but there was a 10-day dry spell in the middle. Year's total is 351 mm, 7% above normal, so nothing dramatic.
One Fat Lady
Do you remember the job I didn't get? Well, cos I didn't get it I subsequently got a job I hadn't applied for. Well, that's now been blown out of the water because I got the job I didn't get... Are you keeping up at the back?
Counter number one
[rab]Does that mean you are going to bite there arm off; or mull it over for a day or two?
[ZK]My Little Ponies was a lucky wild guess but please say you never had a Cabbage Patch Doll surely one of the ugliest toys ever sold. Andy Pandy is still going and has been given a fresh lease of life to a young generation along with Noddy. (The things I have to watch in the name of 'bonding' and good parenting ;))
[Inkspot] Well, it beats watching EvoStik. Depends on the kind of bonding, I suppose.
[rab] What a confusing, if ironically successful, life you lead. Congratulations.
catching up ...
[rab] Is this Mccongratulations?
[Duj] Whose ire do you risk raising with your weather-talk? :-)
[Inkspot] I think I had a tiny plastic one from a jumble sale, but not a real live (so to speak) big squishy one. I think that was before my time as well. I well know about Andy Pandy's new lease of life, and Bill & Ben's (not a fan of the new looks) - I'm quite fond of the new Noddy though.

However, for student viewing it's Balamory all the way! :)
[rab] Congratulations?
Whee
[Inkspot, Dunx, Chalky, Nik] Thanks! It's a better job, so I have indeed accepted it. Which means I'll be returning to Edinburgh for three years starting November. Wow.
Edinburgh? Wow! Congrats, and Carrots!, rab.
. . . at the back
[rab] Now I understand. Horrahs and congrats!
oooooooooooh!!
congrats rab! :) what is it you'll be doing now?
On the news this morning...
I note with interest that Bob the dog has quit his post at the CIA...
Open door
With 50 ways trundled off, any suggestions for new and original games for when LbLR is completed.
golly, I go away for a couple of days
crazy how things move on here. I go back to the midlands for a family funeral, and you've all moved on. As far as children's crazes go, I'm not sure I had a childhood. I might have blocked it out though. and congrats rab on the job - well done you!

[ZK] don't tell anyone but me and my housemates are fans of Balamory also. shhhh...

Right, off to my french exam, then to brave bath city centre as I have no food again. ha ha ha ha ha.
childhood
nights] sorry to hear you wee at a funeral.
Childhood was the bit when you couldn't tie your own shoelaces - ring any bells ?
lost consonants
(that was a genuine typo, though possibly a good entry in Lost Consonants - my apologies)
[rab] Congratulations!
childhood
I couldn't tie my shoelaces last week, st d, does that count?
not if it's through alcohol, no.
How about a game involving..........
International land marks, either natural or man made.........
Widey's Arbitrary Selection
How's about a game where we all arbitrarily suggest something to be involved in a game, and that could in some way link to the next move, such as by naming the finishing move (structure a la Corporation D)...
can we have one based on car colours? I had to try and say 'cheyenne red' at work today while keeping a straight face.
completely off-topic
I seem to be unable to remember the Arabic word for "fork" (the eating implement). I have been trying all day, and now know knife, spoon, table, airplane, tree, apartment and letter, all fine.

I'm not sure why this disturbs me.

Apologies to all concerned, but I've gone and ranted all over the Limerick game. Perhaps I shouldn't have done so, but IMHO the fact is, if you allow just anything, and if you have to twist it too many times to get it even close to fitting, then what you have is no longer a limerick but freeform non-poetry and therefore not acceptable in a specifically Limerick game. Even if the ISIHAC team come up with bad (read: unfunny or the wrong kind of nonsensical) limericks sometimes, at least they *are* recognisable as limericks as far as rhyming and scansion goes...
Limerpricks
[JLE] No need for apology - you've had plenty of support and quite right too.
[JLE] When you criticse, you tend to do it strongly, which perhaps makes people who don't know you less receptive to your message. But I agreed with the message.
[JLE] I, too, agree with the point you were making. Now, of course, I'm sure someone could come up with many examples of poor scansion on my part, but I do try, and it is very frustrating to see a line show up with clearly falls short of the mark. Still, as I said in the game, if the quality dropped I'd rather go elsewhere than join in a scansion war.
Clouded in, as usual
I'm attempting to watch the transit of Venus - as usual the clouds have interfered! Urk! Currently trying through the Worth Hill (UK) site (the local CSIRO requires a program for which one needs a credit card to access ... bastards!) No success at this stage ... surely the sun rises before 05:25 GMT at this time of the year? Ah well, back to cyber viewing.
Yeah!
I've now got sunlight and a site (here)
Swing low sweet chariot
Unfortuately the sun is so low that attempting to project its image is a waste of time. The tree leaves look good, mind you ... which reminds me ...
Brilliant sunshine here
Just shot most of a reel of film through a 1000mm lens, with umpteen different exposure times. Should have results in a few days. Of course, they'll all look like a white disc with a black dot on it...
And yes, there was a sheet of aluminised mylar over the objective.
*seriously jealous*

[Dujon] Due to lack of clouds and location location location, I saw the lot, projected through binoculars. Have dodgy photos.

Venus
(Dujon) Don't worry, there'll be another one along in 8 years. June 5/6 2012 and you should be able to see all of it. Starts 2216 GMT, ends 0429 GMT. We might just see the end of it (sun rises here about 3.45 GMT). Then there are a couple in December, which would be much more favourable for you, but not until 2117 and 2125, which would not. I saw the transit here by projection, having assembled a telescope from the various lenses and eyepieces I've got lying around, plus a cardboard tube. Even so, there's a limit to the fascination of a black dot. Good weather; sunny, but with lots of cirrus, southerly breeze, temperature 28°C. Sweaty night coming up.
Sweltering in the heat.
Hello, chums and pals. How are we all? Raak, nice photo of the lense thingamy. Not an officianado of teh gadgets myself, but "stargazing" of "Venus spotting" can be interesting. I'm often given to ponder the wonder of the "up the there and yonder".

So, how are we all, people? I note with apprehension the talk of scansion problems in the Limerick game. Hope it doesn't get out of hand. It's funny, but just last night I was reading through the old "Ballykissangels" game from Mr. Wild Pants's old site, and recalling with a tear of nostalgia the uproar and chicanery the night Kezar and myself were accused of impersonating the good Dr. Q in an effort to rectify a poem that had floundered due to apparent scansion difficulties. We were both quite innocent of the charges brought against us, you understand. Though we still bear the terrible bite marks from Rosie's Lobster-torture.

Ah, the memories.

Anyway, I hope no one recoils in horror at thew thought of Evil Dr. Thrax crashing in here once again after a sort of "Black Sabbatical". I'd like to extend a warm greeting to you all - in especial, Rosie whose punishments keep me in order, Chalky whose correspondance has always been kind, and was often a source of encouragement when I felt very deeply depressed, Dujon whose appreciation of my insanity has not been forgotten, Dr. Q, if he's around, whose love of American Football I share, Korky who used to amuse with tales of uncomfortable bowel movements at work, ZK, if he is perhaps the artist(piss-artist perhaps?) formerly known as Zakalwe(I'm just guessing), and who conspired with me to turn a Pants Game into a horror story long ago, Darren who was most forgiving of bad behaviour, and JLE whose skill at MC far outstretches my own and often has me spellbound.

Greetings to you all, and to those I don't really know...I should look forward to getting to know you all better.

Well, as the Hand of Time picks the Nose of Eternity, and the Snot of Knowledge is wiped on the Trouser Leg of Fate, I realise that I've rambled on a fair bit, and feel compelled to give way to a fellow speaker.
*proffers hankie with a stern look*
Hello Thrax :o)
Blushing.
Thank you, good lady.
back for more
[Thrax] Good to see you back. Bad news by the way that not only is that chap ZK, Zoological Keeper but also a female and a student.
sparing
Where on Earth (or otherwise) have you been, Thrax?
Doh!!
Inkspot, thank you for the welcome, and for putting me straight on the identity of ZK.

Ms. Keeper, my heartfelt and humble apologies. *blushes with embarassment*

snorgle, hello there. Good to see you. Yes, on Earth I have remained. In Swindon to be precise. What joy to live in a town whose entry is "Where the f**k?" in my Atlas. How are you, Sir or Madam? (I can't remember your gender I'm afraid, and am taking no chances).
*astonished*
Welcome back, Thrax! Nice to know you're still around!
Grinning.
And good to know you're here, Sir. Tell me, are you still on The Force? I seem to recall you were one of the Boys in Blue. Still doing that to earn yer crust?
"Evening, all"
No, never been in the constabulary. I'm still sweating it out as a housing officer for a lesser London Borough, although my recent elevation to Void Management Officer means I've gone up two payscales and I no longer have to deal with the public. Whoopee!
Trying to dust cobwebs from ailing memory.
Hmmm, I seem to recall one of the Pants regulars was a copper. Thought it was you, Sir, but must've got me wires crossed. Perhaps it wasn't you who regailed us all with the "Digestion story" then either. Doh! Hey ho. So, a promotion, eh? Onward and upward. Sounds grand. Congratulations.
I was intrigued by your opening post, when you mentioned reading through the Ballykissangels game from Pants. Do you have some kind of arcane and eldritch way of accessing this sadly deceased site, or did you copy loads of text off the web?
Lamenting it.
Alas no, Korky, my friend. I saved the page out as an HTML file long ago before Pants MC closed down. Kept it for old times' sake. Had I known in advance that the site would expire, I'd have saved out many more, as some contained real gems of hilarity from many many fine MCers. Alas. A moment's silence is called for i think.
Io Thrax.
[Thrax] Quality lying, sir.
miss
I'm female, Thrax - and reasonably well (if intensely bored at my job - AGAIN!) I SO need to get a job which isn't always on the phones..
Freakout
Howdy, Doc. Pleasure to see you again, my good Sir. Life treating you well? Been enjoying the current season of ISIHaC via the net? I'm often given to wonder what your chums in Pennsylvania make of it if ever they happen to be present and hear it when you're tuned into the show. I bet they'd think we're all lunatics on this side of The Pond, what?

And greetings, Dunx. How'd you do? "Quality lying" though? Not sure I follow you. I don't believe I've told any whoppers here today, or are you referring to my moves in the "Swear to God" game?

And Snorgle, a lady, eh? *Doffs hat in gentlemanly fashion as redolent of some Oscar Wilde drama for no obvious reason other than it seems in-keeping with my character* Delighted to make your aquaintance. I recall we always had a severe shortage of female company chez-Pants. Chalky of course remained until the biter end, and your name rings a bell, but ladies were, it must be said, not merely few and far between, but also most sorely missed. Still, count yourself lucky that you never fell under the lascivious(sp? no idea), roving eye of that chimeric lothario Kezar. A fortunate escape for you there. *Ahem* Anyway, I'm sorry to learn that your job is most unsatisfactory. *Sigh* They do say work is a rotten way to earn a living, do they not?
Hi Thrax
Hi Thrax, it has been a long time!!!!
Freakout
Why, Darren, 'tis good to see you too, Sir. How are you, me old China?
[Thrax] You divine my intent correctly, sir. Apologies for any misapprehension; entirely my own fault for being insufficiently clear in my sincere wish to convey my compliments. I am very well, thank you for asking, although rather fatigued from a foolishly early start and a surfeit of exercise these last two days. But such is the burden of the long distance runner, or at any rate one who aspires to such a qualification.
Oh, and work's a bugger at the mo, but that is an entirely separate conversation to have away from these hallowed halls.
Freakout
Ah, that's all well. No apology necessary, Sir. I took no offence. So, a long-distance runner eh? Sounds exhausting but rewarding. Groovy.
ISIHAC in Pittsburgh
I have made a few converts...one of which has taken to MC like a duck to Nick Knight. ;)
[Dunx] You've given up the bike?
Hm. I seem to recall that the PantsMC regular who was a policeman was the person who went by the name of "Corkington" AFAIK.
Bike vs Feet
[Dr Q] No, but not cycling as much right now since I am in training for a marathon in the autumn (Portland, OR on the first Sunday in October - Portland, ME iss the same day as it happens). This is the same race I was training for last year but had to abandon due to injury.

The more I run the more convinced I become that I will return to cycling, but I feel vastly better than I did three months ago and I am sure that I'll get more out of whatever exercise I continue with as a consequence.

Hello, Thrax, old bean! It's nice to see that you haven't totally forgotten how to access the weird and whacky world of the Morniverse.
I'm going to have to start believing in telepathy, which to hard-nosed rationalist like myself would be a Damascene conversion, because about 24 hrs ago, before any of this appeared, I said to myself "I wonder if old (young) Thrax is OK?", and here he is, FFS. Neither Kezar or those FUCKING LOBSTERS have done for you, then, mate? Excellent. No more to say, really.
[Thrax] I'm doing OK, thanks. It's a pity you missed the uberpilg in Rugby.
[Thrax] Not a problem, rather something to amuse me after my brief absence, although similar mistakes have been made before :)
ZK] only online I hope ?
Freakout
That's great news, Doc. Does this converted duck perchance have internet access? Might he/she at some point brave the hallowed turf of this most jolly arena?

Ah! yes, once again, Jonathan, you've come up trumps with the info. I seem to recollect that Corkington was here and there occasioned the familiar soubriquet of "Corkers" - I think Chalky was initially responsible for that one - and perhaps therein lay the genesis of my little misinference. How are you, anyway?

And hello to you, Duj, my friend - or do they really use the term "cobber" down under? - I trust you are well? 'Tis indeed a glorious feeling to be back among the Morniverse, as you refreshingly term it.

Heh, you know, Rosie there are those who subscribe to the scientific principle that the human mind does generate enough brainwave energy to transmit like a radio broadcast at times, and that telepathy is indeed possible. I'm uncertain as to whether or not it can emit across the divide between Swindon and, er, Surrey wasn't it? I'm Surrey I Haven't a Clue. In any case, I tried discussing this with the FUCKING LOBSTERS, but found them to be most unco-operative. Difficult to establish telepathic communication with a creature that bears a thick exoskeleton and seems forever intent upon shooting up yer arsehole every time your back's turned. *Shudder*

I'm glad to hear you're well, Darren, my friend. Alas I knew nothing of any "uberpilg". Sounds either charmingly continental and noble, or wickedly decadent and filthy. Either way, I'm most aggreived to have missed it.

And thank you, ZK, for your most willful clemency upon my faux-pas. I am relieved. *Bows*
Uber-pilg
Thrax] Well, a large number of us all buggered off to a swish hotel in Rugby to record our own ISIHAC, and a fine time was had by all. Details are on Orange's To Be A Pilgrim game, and Merlyn has actually created a fine website with transcript and photo's. We're planning to do another one in May next year, so keep your diary clear.
Freakout
Huuuhh?! Oh I wish I'd known. I'd love to have attended and met up with you guys! I'd give anything to be able to get outside these four walls and meet people. It gets so lonely being stuck in here 24/7 on my own for months on end. Tell me, Korky, this place you speak of - do they have facilities for disabled people? If so I'd give anything to meet with you all next May. Anything!
facilities
Depends on the disability, I guess. If you're talking imparied mobility/wheelchair access then I didn't notice any bedrooms downstairs (except in the outbuildings) or lift within the main building, but perhaps others can recall better. I guess a quick phonecall to Brownsover Hall about the issue wouldn't hurt.
And, nice as it was, if Brownsover weren't accessible, I'm sure we'd all be happy to look at alternatives.
Freakout
Well, Projoy, I am indeed a user of a wheelchair, and thus a ground floor room or lift would be necessary(I live on the first floor as it happens), otherwise it's a "Fireman's Lift" situation. Regrettably there's more obstacle to be overcome though. Rugby's a fair distance from where I live, in Swindon, and I can neither drive nor load/unload the chair myself. Furthermore, all my family and friends live more than 2 hours from my abode, and I very much doubt any one of them(since they're not MCers themselves) would be willing to drive for two hours to pick me up, drop me off, make their way off home again, then come back two days later(would I be correct to infer that this is a weekend break?) and drive me back frm Rugby to Swindon then go home again.

See, there's no way I can use a train either. Not without a friend to accompany me.

I'm not really sure how it could be done, unless one of you fine fellows lives in the West Country and would be willing to give me a lift from Swindon.
OK. Not being a driver, I'm afraid I couldn't help on the lifts thing, but conceivably this could influence our choice of location. There might be places that Swindon is on the way to that are just as nice as Brownsover. Here's a list of wheelchair accessible hotels in the UK. Anyway, not for me to decide on behalf of the participants, of course, but maybe worth a bit of research.
[st d] Er...well, that mistake hasn't been made since I was about eleven or so, face to face. I was not happy, as you would probably gather, and have cultivated somewhat of an obsession with the colour pink ever since....
Shameless interruption
Morning all! [Thrax] It's nice to see you back. I must admit having only caught some of your antics during my brief tenure on Pants but it's good to see people return from beyond the Reality Point.

[Bob the dog] Thank you very much for the bottle of cider you bought me - I shall be enjoying it this evening with dinner!

wheelchair access
Thrax] would it be okay to just get you really really drunk so you could just fall asleep in your wheelchair ?
ZK] I am truly intrigued now. How come this mistake was never made before you were 11 ?
Didn't she say it was only until she was 11? Personally I was always mistaken for a girl and my sister was generally thought to be a boy. That pretty much sums up the power politics in my family.
aha !
BM] of course. I was thinking that was a bit strange. I remember people saying "what a beautiful little girl" when I was 4 or 5 and being really pissed off by it. Darn pink tutu my Mother used to make me wear.....oh well, I'm still intrigued but instead am now imagining ZooKeeper to be heartstoppingly beautiful.
cute children
My three brothers were all very blond and pretty when ickle. We're all fairly close in age and relatives/friends would cast their eye over the boys exclaiming how bonny they were and save the piteous glances for me [the brown-haired freckly girl]. It was at that stage that I decided I needed to develop a personality.
oh yes ... [Thrax] good to see you in here :-)
what a drag.
The last time I was mistaken for a girl was at the age of 23, but it was from behind and my hair was half-way down my back. The only other time I guess the lipstick and frock had something to do with it . . . .
Mistaken Identity
When I was a little chap - up to the age of 7 or 8, I was often mistaken for a girl, much to my fury at the time. If you saw me now you'd realise why the same mistake has not been made for quite a while. Even in drag I think I would be about as convincing as the late great Les Dawson - or for that matter Roy Barraclough.
PS
I suppose I ought to terminate that posting with a quick
Knickers, knackers, knockers !!!
[St D]
Somehow I imagine not just ZK but all the female Crescenteers, none of whom I have met, to be heart-stoppingly beautiful. Call me a charming old romantic, a dreamer, a visionary, or a typical male internet nerdy type whose sole female interaction comes from Tomb Raider. It's up to you. Personally I'm going for the visionary option.
Hear! Hear!
Having met 4 of the female Crescenteers (lib, penelope, Chalky & Norma), I can at least confirm some of that vision. And I'm sure that they are shining examples of the rest of Crescentdom. We can only hope that they look upon us in a similar light - despite having actually met the likes of myself :-)
changing the subject entirely, I found a version of 'Boardo' when clearing out my room in halls prior to moving out next week (sniff). Anyone mind if we play it here?
[st d, Breadmaster] Of course I'm heartstoppingly beautiful. Only today, three men looked at me and dropped down dead. :)

[st d] As to being 'mistaken', I've never quite been able to forget when I was in the balcony at the swimming pool in Wellingborough, and half a class of boys decided to try tp ask me out. Their opening gambit was "are you a girl?". Needless to say, this particular Zooological Keeper was not best pleased....and I didn't say yes...The mistake probably wasn't made before because I used to wear skirts all the time. Post 10 or 11 I was rarely out of jeans.

[nights] I'm game!
turn on your speakers
http://www.potterpuppetpals.com/sexy.swf
If you've got a minute....
Well it's fairly obvious (to anybody who has ever met me) that I could never be mistaken for a girl in real life, but my speaking voice is naturally high-pitched enough to have been mistaken for a low-pitched female voice over the phone (when I said "hello", the reply was "erm, are you Mrs Ellis? We only have a record of a *Mr* Ellis at this address"). In fact I know several women, all of them contralto singers from music college, who very definitely have lower speaking voices than I do...
The gender divide
One can feel one has truly come of age when, when you answer the telephone, people mistake you for you father rather than your mother (speaking as a male). Not sure what that'd do as a female ;)
...and on a totally different subject
Oh, and now I've won a game (hehehe) is there some sort of scoreboard? Having noticed the very old-looking one over at MCiOS, and considering that there isn't (yet) too much of an archive to wade through, could there be something of that sort for this beatifully conceived server?
potterpuppetpals
I love that site! The last time I checked, there were just 2 shows, so I assume that's a new one. Unfortunately, it's also very popular, so I'll have to wait to see it!
dreams
[Breadmaster, LotUS] Well, you haven't met me yet, but I'm sorry that your dream will be shattered if you do - either that or you will drop dead for real. :-)

[Tuj] I'm moving backwards, then. I've been mistaken for a teenage boy on the phone by telemarketers, and not just once. Perhaps it's the slightly surly business-like way I answer when I've been interrupted as well as lowish voice pitch. As I assume they're not allowed to sell to minors, I really love answering their question "Is Mum or Dad there?" with (100% truthfully cross my heart and all) "Nup. Bye."

Voice on the phone
I'm told my voice when I'm on the phone is much lower than when I'm speaking face-to-face. Not that I answer the phone with "Menswear" or anything. ;)
Rugby
Thrax] Don't recall Brownsover Hall looking particularly wheelchair-friendly. IIRC, there are steps to the front, and the rear access is over shingle/gravel. However, I'm sure that were the same location used next year, all MCers would be only to happy to assist in any area that you needed. Obviously, the staff should be able to make arrangements if they knew in advance that you were coming. Obviously, getting from Swindon could be more of a problem. I know Chalky came up from the west country, but she didn't drive. However, if we all put our heads together, I'm sure we can come up with a way.
Access All Areas
[Brownsover Hall] Mr. Brain reminds me that there was a disabled loo next to the mens and a ramp up to it. Also a side entrance (opposite the stables, near the carpark) had the words "disabled access" on a sign. I must also say that Mr. Brain is frequently unrealiable, especially after a few pints and The Biscuit Game.
Access more than you remember
[brownsover hall] IIRC, the route between the stables bedrooms and the rear of the hotel was paved and reasonably level - the outside tables were sitting on gravel, but that was only a short stretch. There was also a paved route from near the front door steps around to the rear door which is wheelchair accessible, I'm pretty sure. As UK said, I'm sure there's a way, and plenty of assistance if needed.
Back again.
Well, Penelope, UK, Boolbar et al, that actually sounds reasonable. Essentially any ground floor accommodation would be suitable, and it's only for a weekend(?), so I'm sure it shouldn't be difficult. At risk of asking for too much, I could do with a wee smidgen of assistance during the stay if anyone is willing to volunteer a hand - perhaps a workload shared between two or three? When I say "workload" incidently, I'm referring to little more than pushing me across that gravel, cutting up some of whatever meals we order and helping to slip on/remove socks and shoes. Are their any kind souls here who might be willing to chip in a bit? I'd be most grateful.

Oh, and st d, falling asleep drunk in my wheelchair is - ahem - not unprecedented.

Jonathan, They mistake you for Mrs Ellis, eh? Interesting, but when you get your regular correspondence from Mrs Trellis of North Wales(as we all do of course), for whom does she mistake you? She addresses me as "Ms. Fernandez" - the wheelchair user who was in Eldorado and The Office.

ZK - hearstoppingly beautiful, eh? Raaaowwwr. Stop it with your wicked alluring imagery or I think I'll start to experience 'Charlotte Greene' syndrome. Rosie and I both fancied her for years with no idea what she looked like. Ha!

And last but not least, Hey, there, Chalky. I've really missed you a great deal. I do hope you're well. I didn't forget you BTW. You got a personalised greeting in my opening post, but I think it may have slipped orf the page by the time you got here t'other day. How are you, anyway? Long time no hear.

And with that, I shall depart for the moment, and no doubt be back shortly. Addidas!

*Sneaks out of page singing "Voodoo Lady" By Creme Brullée*
[Thrax] Willing to offer any of that kind of help, if I'm there, which I'm fully expecting to be.
*Echoes Projoy*
Freakout
That's very kind of you folks. Perhaps a little nearer the time, we'll chat a wee bit about things just for clarity. You can email me at anthraxhirl@freakout.freeserve.co.uk Indeed I'm happy for anyone here to email me for badinage as you see fit, upon whatever subject you like. Except "Reality TV". *Shudder*
intrigue
Now that my intrigue as to the extent of ZK's beauty has been satisfied (does one satisfy an intrigue ? in fact is that even th eright word ? mmm. Anyway. Now I am intrigued as to exactly why mr Thrax is in a wheelchair, and also why he needs someone to cut up everybody's meals. Is that just a personal OCD you have ?
Freakout
LOL! Yes, st d, I have a very rare medical condition that means I can't stand the sight of everybody's meals not cut up before we all dine together. Ha. It's a rare psychological disorder, but I can't cope with anyone tucking in before everybody's orders have been not merely brought to table, but properly disected and divided up into segregated components(sometimes even quantified and noted down on a clipboard for archiving). I got so frustrated by this once, that I endeavoured to take matters in hand one evening at a dinner party, and lunged towards a butler, with a knife and fork, as he emerged from the kitchen with two plates of Duck A L'Orange. Thinking himself in great danger, the man dropped the two dishes, pulled a gun and shot me in the abdomen. Ever since, I've been confined to a wheelchair and someone has to "cut up everybody's meals", as you acutely observed, on my behalf.

I trust I've satisfied your intrigue on that matter too. *winks
Good lord, the girl in the wheelchair in The Office was the one from Eldorado? I remember seeing her on an Esther Rantzen programme a while ago (that I happened to flick into in the middle of, honest, really yeronna) in a piece about critics. She was talking about how the critics were unfair to Eldorado. The funny thing is that they had the art critic Brian Sewell on too, and she hated him. I have never seen anything like it. He was asked something like, "So what do you think of artists personally?" and he replied in his typical manner, "Oh, I just want to stamp on them like cockroaches." And she went completely nuclear - "How can you say that about human beings! How can you say that!" He just sat there twiddling his glasses with a taken-aback expression. It was lucky she was in a wheelchair really or she might have gone and decked him. Two people who simply didn't gel, I felt. But nice to see that Nessa's rages weren't entirely simulated...
Freakout
Actually, I was at school with the girl in question. I used to have lunch with her everyday, believe it or not. Hmmm, I'm not sure who should be more ashamed though, BM - Julie for being this Nessa to whom you referred in a God-awful soap about British Ex-Pats living in Costa Del Tawdry, or you for admitting to watching Esther Rantzen. Heh. I guess we'll call it a nil-nil draw, shall we, my friend? LOL!
Freakout
Oooh, I've just had a thought. Anyone up for a game of Go Johnny Go Go Go Go? I'm itching to try it out here on this server. What do you think? I take it you've all seen the famous LoG sketch?
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...............................
We often play said game here in the hospital..........LoG, gods amongst men!!
Spare Games
[Thrax] I'm not familiar with the game myself, but there are a number of game openings at Orange MC since today is the annual Orange Festival of Crescent.

[rab] Apologies for unwarranted trumpet blowing.

Freakout
Nice one, widey. Glad to hear I'm not alone around here in my appreciation of the League. Er, for the benefit of those of you who aren't familiar with the game - such as your good self, Dunx - Go Johnny Go Go Go Go is a card game that three of the characters play one evening in the Royston Vasey hosipital, St. Mary of Bethlehem. Essentially, it seems that two of the fellas have made it up on the spot - "it's a cross between Hoover and Eight Men Down" - with over-complex and nonsensical rules. They then explain them at breakneck speed to the third character, impressing upon him, "you'll pick up the rest as we play."

In essence, the game is not that dissimilar to MC, and could therefore be played on a website such as this. Instead of our moves being train stations, they could be cards, like "Seven of Clubs", "King of Diamonds", "Ace in the Hole" etc. with appropriate comments about 'scoring' and 'tactics' etc. just like how we play MC. The winning move, instead of "Mornington Crescent", could be "Go Johnny Go Go Go Go".

I could set up such a game, with a heading containing the explanation of rules(to be largely ignored, though not contradicted. Anyone up for it?

As a final thought, if you haven't seen the sketch, I strongly recomend checking out The League of Gentlemen. It's one of the best programmes I've seen in a LOOOONG time. The card game features in Season 2, and also in the DVD Live at Drury Lane, where they, like Python before them, perform some of their sketches before an audience.

So, anyone care to join me for a hand of Go Johnny Go Go Go Go? You'll pick it up as we play...
Transit pic

I don't know if that's a sunspot just above 3 o'clock, or just a speck on the film. I have about twenty more pictures, but they all look like this one. :-)

Transit pic
(Raak) Excellent pic. Not sure about the "sunspot". I don't remember seeing any when I projected the image with a small telescope. I used to be a keen observational amateur astronomer myself but not these days, but I'm one the few amateurs to know something about celestial dynamics (orbits, perturbations, 3-body problems etc). It's a guaranteed conversation-stopper.
League of their own
LoG great series, this site has many wav files including That's a Go Johnny Go Go Go Go
oooooh
Nice one, Raak. *still jealous*
Ani Miles Away
[flerdle] Griz (he's a bit sleepy at this time of the year) asked me to pass on his best regards to wallaby and also the hope that wallaby's transition is not some sort of permanent state.
??
wallaby was fine last time I checked, and sends his good wishes to Griz. She says that Griz probably needs some glasses, or a nice long snooze.
[Thrax] I am in the presence of celebrity, albeit at second remove! I offer according respect. If you ever see her again, tell her that I am not ashamed to say that I thoroughly enjoyed Eldorado. Well, not very ashamed.
[Raak] I'm sure you know that sunspots generally appear only around the solar equator and tend to come in groups, like a line of bubbles... which is pretty much what they are.
[BM/Thrax] I quite like Eldorado too, if truth be told. I detest all other soaps, however. I still play the Eldorado theme to myself sometimes, when I am alone with keyboard or guitar.
Freakout
Nice pic, Raak. Very grrovy.

Yes, well, I did find her on Friends Reunited a couple of years ago, Breadmaster, and wrote to her, but I can't recall whether or not I got a reply. Hey ho.

I never watched it myself, Darren, except for a few minutes here and there, which were enough to put me right off, I'm afraid.

So, who here watcheds the Football? Sacré Bleu!! A defeat snatched from the jaws of victory if ever I saw one.
Well what *do* you expect from a manager who substitutes our best player (Rooney) with the proven international failure Emile Heskey? Whose inept challenge gave away the free kick from which the equaliser was scored...
Zooks !
[ZK] Are you really a Zoo Keeper ? If so, what type of animal keepeth thou ? Little fluffy ones ? Scaly slippery ones ? Big bold smelly ones ? Please do tell. And at which zoo ?
On the other hand, if you aren't really a Zoo Keeper, then I'd guess with a moniker like that you must be a teacher !
Zooks!
[Blob] Student. :) The name itself derives from an episode of The Goon Show I have on tape.
Greenslade: "A flannelled fool approaches the penguin pool."
Neddy: "Aaah, good morning, zooological keeper!"

[Thrax, JLE] I'm just so gutted because we were actually playing decent football for once - every other match I've ever watched, I've been sitting cringing at our defence. And who'd really take it out on James? You could if you were feeling bitter but I'm more inclined to point the finger at Heskey and Gerrard (and then, possibly, James) Whoever was brought on for Owen though, fair enough - I thought he was particularly unspectacular. Of course, if Beckham hadn't missed the penalty, the French mightn't have suddenly summoned up the confidence to win, but, hey, there you go. *thinks* Next match, I'm getting the Doritos in. Then we'll win...I knew ordinary crisps wouldn't do the trick...
Re Becks
[ZK] Thanks for clarifying that - so, a student zoo keeper then.
[Re England/France] I think it's a little unfair to say "if Beckham hadn't missed the penalty" - he didn't miss exactly; his attempt was saved. To me a miss is when the goaly doesn't have to bother coz. the ball's gone over the net/round the side/backwards/vertically either up or down, or deflated on the penalty-takers toecap.
... panalty taker's toecap.
(Third time lucky)
... penalty taker's toecap.
Re Harmison
Hey! We won the 3rd Test [against NZ]. That makes me very happy :-)
En-ger-land
And we came second in the Le Mans 24 Hours race at the weekend - a bit more of a success than coming second in the footie (or the rugby....).
Cricket
I was elated by the cricket, shame the footie took the edge off it... Still, in some ways they were similar, very close with England just holding the edge, just one stayed with us and one spectacularly went pear-shaped.
Credit to both teams for doing well against decent / very good opposition, and to the cricketers for not only getting the whitewash but for an excellently entertaining series. Oh, and the chance to hear Blowers cut off halfway through relaying the match situation to talk about buses.
[Blob] Indeed. I retract my insensitive interpretation of the English language.
As my old mucker Mozza once wrote and sang!
I was happy in a drunken haze, but heaven knows I'm Miserable now!!
oops
Changed the words slightly, but you get the gist of what I'm getting at!!!
Widey old chap...........
I think it was something like this I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour, but heaven knows I'm miserable now and being as how I had to watch the game in france I bloody well am!!!!!
Blowers & Aggers
[Tuj] It was a great test series, capped off by the Mark Richardson v Ashley Giles epic sprint. I like the home series because BBC Radio 4 LW webcasts the match -- I can listen to all of the pigeons and Weapons of Cake Consumption while I'm at work. ;)
A slow-medium aircraft crossing the field of play...
[DrQ] There's such an English charm to it. And yes, I saw that sprint to, superb. What was Richardson wearing!?
Mark Richardson's unique attire
[Tuj] Looks like a mid-70s speed-skating suit.
And all in that lovely colour scheme. Excellent!
"I like speed and I like the thrill of it."
-- George Bush the Elder, 41th President of the United States, after skydiving on his 80th birthday
the timezone change never ceases to amaze me, it is still tonight where i am but for you guys it is already tomorow morning. where can i pick up a copy of the rule book? is it legal to play the biscut game if i have never had a true cup of tea(just that american stuff)?
cookies
[Snagandorf] Play away old thing! But just remember you won't be able to dunk.
i did once buy fifty packets of earl grey for a dollar, i put one directly in my mouth and sucked on it for half an hour, does this count as tea or did i stain my teeth for nothing? it may take an extra turn but i can still envoke the mighty coffie dunk of java. i just turned twenty one, i have only began to confront those wh call me kid, i refuse to be called old thing!
I'm not 19 till August and I love being called old thing! :) Makes one feel silly (in the dash good way), what.
Felicitous ageism
A common facetious greeting in the pub among men of my age (61) is "Good evening, young man". More, I say, more.
hahahaha(cough)
[Rosie]Nights out with you must be a scream! ;)
I remember reading in Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd that Gabriel Oak was (quote from memory warning) "of that age when people begin to stop prefixing 'man' with 'young'" - and he's then revealed to be 29. Ever since, I have thought of 29 as the age when one stops being young. That means I have nine months of youth left.
Auld
[BM] People will still call you "young man" but they'll do it to humour you.
Senility
(Boolbar) You're right; that's why we oldies do it, to take the piss out of each other.
Age
For some reason, I think of 50 as the boundary. I can see it in the distance, like a barricade across the road, rapidly getting closer.
young man is fine,but i work as a cart pusher at walmart(a job usualy reserved for those under age 18), and i get called "hey kid". when i tell my coworkers how old i am they are supprised(apparently i look quite young for my age).
has anyone tried to play chess by mornington crescent rules?
that way madness lies
[Snagandorf]Yes, and you can still hear their pitiful screams on dark winter nights..
Ageing
(All) The one difference you will all notice is that between the ages of 50 and 55 (or thereabouts) you will lose the ability to change the focus of your eyes. Regarding your eye as a camera, you could say that the lens is still quite clear and forms sharp images, the film is more-or-less as good as it was, but the focussing mechanism will seize up and there is nothing whatsoever you can do about it except get reading glasses.
presbyopia is da word for it
[Rosie] You're lucky if you noticed it that late... most people do in their 40s, though it depends on what they do, and how long their arms are :-)
roasting
It's at least 43°C, dusty outside and dry as a bone... I think I'm starting to look forward to my holiday...
Presbyopic adaptation
(flerdle) My knuckles graze the floor. This of course is why I play the trombone. Where are you, for it to be 43°C? Not Oz, at this time of the year, surely? A pleasant 18°C here. Sun in and out. Light breeze. Very British.
ook
Oman.
*sighs*
Moved out of my first-year flat today. That means I'm not a Fresher any more....time to start intimidating smaller people. At last! My time has come!
Fresh faces
I thought one was only a Fresher for about the first two weeks of first year... But I must say, I think Freshers' Week is wasted on the Freshers - much better in subsequent years.
age
You're old if you're old compared to your friends, and young if not, I think. (My friends range from 11 to 60+, and I'm nearly 29, so I get to feel young and old - and I spend my time either enviously wishing I was older in terms of experience and knowledge or younger in body).
[ZK] Make the most of it. Before you know it you'll be a miserable embittered Finalist, and then that's it. However, if you survive as a Finalist, you may have the option to become a Postgrad, which is best of all because you have less pressure, less work, more spare time and a real superiority complex. That's my experience anyway...
Wisdom
[Projoy] Having recently discussed with three of my closest mates (all of us are 40ish to 50ish) what we would do differently if we had our time over again, the answer was unanimous, unambiguous and immediate : shag more girls while we had the chance - by being (a) bolder, (b) unconcerned about rejection and (c) less fussy. (Substitute as necessary for your gender and sexual orientation) - That's the best advice our collective 200-odd years can come up with.
small comfort
[Blob] Would you and your friends please broadcast that at every opportunity? Especially the bit about being less fussy? Many thanks.
shy
[Blob] Not being bold, concerned about rejection and being fussy. I remember my 20s well. Can't say much will have changed since though.
[pen] Unfortunately the word was girls, not women...
Freakout
As someone who's never ever ever been a hit with the ladies, there's probably no one on this planet less fussy than me. However, if anyone here breathes the words, "beggars can't be choosers," they'll get a slap for preaching to the choir. Sadly. 'Tis a lonely life I lead.
[JLE] I would hazard a guess that Blob's advice also applies to those over 30 who haven't got lucky yet. Besides... there's nothing wrong with a younger man.
Freakout
You should tell that to the ladies I've had a liking for on occasion, penelope. Speaking for myself, I've been quite keen on ladies a couple of years older than myself, but tended to be rebuffed because I was too young, and they were without exception always partial to older men.
Well, I'm still trying to find someone, but I've come to the conclusion I'm going about this all wrong. It's so much easier for fish. So, from now on, I'll only date women who live underwater.
... much later
I must have done something right for a change. Yesterday I received payment for some work I have been undertaking for the last few months. No, not a lot of money, but enough to splurge on a meal out for my ever forgiving wife (and save me doing the washing up!) So we headed down to the local club and spent a few moments moaning and groaning over the extortionate prices being levied for the meals and eventually plumped for the special of the day - meaning, of course, the cheapest. On joining the queue for service and having finally managed to get within a couple of yards of the ordering station my good wife (bless her little cotton socks) noticed a sign twirling in the airconditioner's breeze. It proclaimed 'Two for the Price of One', or similar. Needless to say we had a rather rapid conflab and finished up with a wonderful chicken dish (her) and a rather good rump steak (me) both with all the trimmings. So an hour or so later we had eaten, drunk (she a lemon squash, me a schooner - that's 15 fl oz - of lager) and returned home sated. The moral, of course, is get yourself a wife/husband and, who knows, in thirty three years time you too may experience such fortune.
[Dujon] If it's late by the time I get home from work then it is always a pleasure to find that between my pockets and my wife's purse we can scrape enough pound coins together to raid the local chippy. [age and fancies] I've always found the most attractive women are around the same age as me, so in thirty years time I'll be gazing whistfully at OAPs.
. . . Oh, and I might have learnt to spell by then. Have a free 'h' on me!
musings
[Duj & Bool] 'Tis remarkable that food - whether it be the eating of, the cooking of, the shopping together for, or the spontaneous 'grab a takeaway because we can't be arsed to cook' type, just has to be one of the most joyously satisfactory elements of being in a meaningful relationship.
As for age differences ... my late husband was a couple of years older than me; my erstwhile partner was 18 years older ; my current partner is 8 years younger. No discernible pattern. Apart from the fact that they were/are all Librans and of Celtic persuasion.
[Blob] wisdom - so it's true what they say then? We only ever regret the things that we DON'T do. Hmm ... glad I got stuck in then ... :-)
mused
BTW my little pearl of wisdom above was mostly a wistful glance back to our youth. I'm happily married and two out of the other three in the aforementioned quartet are in long-term relationships. So the advice is really directed at the Young1 Free2 & Single3 amongst you.

1 Young at heart.
2 Or any price really.
3 Or as your conscience allows !

bold advice
Thank you Blob for that pearl of wisdom. I shall bow to my elders and betters on this occasion and head to Battersea tonight to watch Germany Vs Czech with my colleague Miguel from Portugal, who has revealed to me that his strategy for watching EURO 2004 matches is find a punb where there will be as many of the nationality actually playing. So tonight I am hoping for lots of German or Czech girls. I don't seem to have had much luck recently, and this I put down to a couple of factors
a. I seem to predominatly go out to the pub next to work, so hang out with work colleagues, many of whom are female, which lessens the chances of being in a position to chat someone up/be chatted up.
b. weekends I have been going home to see my mum (and until recently, dad). Again....
c. Most of my friends seem to be either married or in relationships or FREEZE up around girls.
d. No-one seems to help out really. By this I mean that if I have a single male friend and a single female friend that meet I will stir it a bit to see if anything happens - sometimes it does. No-one seems to do this back.
e. I am fat, ugly, loud, irritating and have lousy personal hygiene.
Lonely bleedin' hearts
Oh dear - there DO seem to be far too many singletons in the Morniverse ... *dons cupid wings*
Bah, humbug!
Consolations of the single life:
  • The TV remote is where you put it.
  • If you have not finished the marmalade, there is still some marmalade left.
  • You go to films because you want to see them.
  • If you burn a meal, you just get a takeaway instead.
Toast
[Raak] Point 4 works for couples as well, unless the words "Can you just keep an eye on . . ." were uttered prior to the burning.
marmalade
[Raak] And Point 3 applies only as a benefit if the marmalade is still in good condition. If it is old and clinging to the sides of the jar as only the last desperate dregs of marmalade can, and you are reluictant to buy fresh, new marmalade until the old one is finished, then having someone finish the marmalade for you is a good excuse to go out and buy a new one. Does anyone want to come over and finish off my marmalade?
[pen] You only go and see films when your marmalade is in good condition?

Oh, I'm back from a wee break in Wales, btw, off to Cornwall on Friday...

[pen] Ah, what a romantic come-on...
Freakout
I second that. A woman who invites you round for marmalade is clearly far more kinky than a woman who invites you round for coffee. I never get invited round for any marmalade. Either nobody finds me appealing, or I've never met a woman with a toaster. Either way, it's a crap life really, and I feel certain that I shall spent it lonely, unloved, and cursed with a rumbling stomach.

In addition I personally don't believe any of this twaddle about advantages to being single. If there were any, people wouldn't go on the pull and get paired off. There are of course advantages to not sticking your head in a blender, which is why very few people go and try the alternative, but not having a partner/spouse? I find it impossible to believe there are advantages to such a cursed life...with one notable exception. As a single man with no woman in my life, I can proudly say that NO ONE within the four walls of my flat has ever uttered the words "Leonardo" and "Di Caprio" in the same sentence. It is for this reason that I can also proudly say that within the four walls of my flat No ONE has ever been murdered and had her body dumped the rubbish tip less than a mile from these premises. How many married men can say that? Not many.
cat burglar
***breaks into Thrax's flat.***

Have you seen any of Leonardo DiCaprio's films? He's fugly, but I still intend to get Total Eclipse just to see him shagging David Thewlis as Rimbaud.

Thew listen
[snorg] Bit dangerous ! He'll turn into a werewolf !
oops
just realised I posted to MCiOS a follow up to a conversation goi g on in here. Very confusing.
Freakout
The three of you are clearly bonkers.

St d, any chance of a "copy-and-past" so we may learn of your wisdom here?

snorgs, help yerself on the breaking in front, I'm always welcome of a bit o' company, especially the feline variety. I used to have a cat named Dudley. He could talk you know... but he got run over. I miss him greatly.

Blob, heh, not so much a werewolf, but at university my friends often said I reminded tham of Dracula. To this day I refuse to allow garlic in my presence.
Horriday
I'm off on holiday again tomorrow. Whee.
oooh... I have to wait two weeks. Hmph.
leaving
Joining in the holiday rush. I have the day off tomorrow to go to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The two hour journey has put me off before, but with free tickets from the Sunday Times, I'm looking forward to it like a big kid.
Goodiewoodie
I'll be there on Saturday, free tickets courtesy of work. My digital camera will be on official duties, but I won't. :o)
digital camera
Cany anyone suggest a decent digital camera for about £100 - £130? My eye has been caught by the DV5000 as a fun gadget. Any opinions?
Football
Bollocks. And that's all I have to say on the subject. Unless
a) my opinion is required or
b) my opinion is not required, but I get fed up with moaning to the rest of my friends and give it anyway.

So, age. Interesting thing. I don't always see it as a barrier, but I don't think I have a pattern...obviously when I was twelve I loved 26-year-olds because they were better looking than twelve-year-olds and had less scary voices and fewer spots. I have been known to have a penchant for an older man since but currently the objects of my affection range from 4 years younger to 28 years older (can you say worrying? Unless you're Jonathan Ross or Catherine Zeta-Jones, I imagine you can) so I reckon age doesn't enter into it. Of course this all means nothing, as I'm not part of a couple either, although because of that I can watch Euro 2004 in the comfort of my own home as opposed to in the pub (and I can bring my own snacks. Hooray! :) )
Did any of that make sense to anyone else? If not, ignore it, and normal service will be resumed shortly.
DV5000
[snorgle] I started thinking "wow!", but on reading the spec, it's a 3.1MP stills camera (I don't know where they get 4.1MP from when the spec further down says 3.1) plus a crap videocam, in the same size package as my 3.2MP stills camera plus crap videocam (a Sony Cybershot DSC-P32). Mine was just under £200 a bit more than a year ago, so £130 for the same spec now is probably about right. The only difference is that mine's built to look like a camera, which it is, and the DV5000 is built to look like a videocam, which it isn't. A real videocam would have a video output socket and give at least television quality images. The spec mentions an AV cable, but only talks of recording video to the memory card, not streaming it out to a computer or DV recorder.
football
ZK] I would like to read your opinion. What a great match though. Fantastic stuff......Also I reckon I fit nicely into your -4 to +28 group, somewheer in the middle, and have reverted to my imagining of you as a stunningly attractive girl. Ain't life grand ?
I am currently discovering that another advantage of being single is that holidays cost half as much. If, by contrast, your other half is in teaching and you are therefore able to go away only in August, they cost about 500 times as much.

Regular readers of my posts, and surely there can't be many, will be astounded to learn that last night, because there was nothing better to watch, I actually turned the football on whilst having dinner and quite enjoyed it. This may be because working in news means I am familiar with the names of almost all the players in at least one of the teams playing in that match. Plus, of course, one of them has the same psychiatric disorder as me, so I approve of him. Still, as I watched, I found a strange desire coming over me to drink large amounts of alcohol, sit with my legs very wide apart, look at pictures of young ladies without much on and perform noxious evacuations in the company of others with an expression of pride. Testosterone - too much testorerone!
Breadmaster
*cue eerie lighting effect and modulated voice*
Ahhhh... he's one of us, now...
Psychiatric Problem
BM] Are you too afflicted by Canttakeapenaltytosavemylifeitis? Re holidays though, have you not been confronted with the "single supplement" yet then ? Also you are factoring in teh idea that you have to pay for two peopl, rather than having two people pay for it....
x4
Holidays ! Wait till you have kids ! Forced to go during School Holidays (they even bump up the prices for Half Term, the bastards) - me, wifey, two kids = 4 flights. Plus the small people want a constant supply of things. And you have to go to family-friendly restaurants (o.k. this is getting better as they get older). So yes, don't complain about your "single supplement" make the most of it while you're single - or find a friend to go with you.
singlesuppleness
Ah, the single supplement thing... blind fury at being charged around 30 per cent extra for having the audacity to not be part of a couple is what forced me to try National Trust working holidays, which was one of the best decisions I ever made. Luckily I have a flatmate prepared to travel with me now, but when everyone is already coupled up and with an allergy to 'organised tours', I was left without a lot of options. So I holidayed, but I didn't travel much, which I still regret.
Hmm, not to sure how my holidays compare to other peoples. I tend to just hope work will send me to somewhere nice, and I try to blag some extra days on account of crippling jet lag, severe cramp, dehydration, headaches, and mental stress from the fact I'm terrified of flying.
holidays
All of the above
Just call me Ms T-shirt
[st d] Reverted? Was there ever any doubt? :) [Blob] Feel for my dad, he has 4....and works for the NHS.
little blessings
[Blob] Just the two litle acessories to take on hols! try three at (13, 9 and 3), mind you I am one of five, two boys and three girls. Holidays were fun; mostly.

Goody for Goodwood, wonderful, excellent; I enjoyed the whole day, like a kid in sweet shop, cars, cars, cars and ....even more cars.

[Blob] Did you say 'flights'? Presumably you don't go to Blackpool, Brighton or Margate then!
Whilst on the subject of holidays, are there still such things as camping coaches? I think that's what they were called. They're the railway carriages converted to accommodation and parked (permanently, I assume) in various areas. It's just that I have fond memories of staying in such as a child - although my parents might not agree with that evaluation - in places such as Arthog and Sandsend.
[Inkspot] Goodwood, cars - I envy you, sir.
Clarification
If I remember correctly the carriages were actually on railway lines with a full connection to the rail network but the rails surely did not look as though they had been used of late - hence my term 'permanently'.
hello all, a quick post from st petersburg, [ZK] the football was shocking, we watched on TV at one in the morning here and it was mightily depressing - as all the russians in the bar were cheering for england. bless. will post again soon. nights.
[has broken the furcation game]
all hail
[MF] So that's what you've been up to all this time!
Bravo, good sir, and extra kudos for managing to slip in a touch of nipple creep :-)
The full move can be viewed in its correctly-formatted glory here (also including the Hypearthquakes move and a lengthy Rice/Lloyd Webber/Elton John pastiche which probably did for the game)
goodiewoodiepostmortem
Yeah - it was OK - I took lots of pictures of funny faces and situations in the crowds, slightly fewer of the cars - there were just so many of them. I'm probably not the world's most fanatical car-spotter. However, I did have my picture taken with Renault's F1 driver Franck Montagny, who had his arm around me LIKE HE MEANT IT, as part of the digital-camera-loan deal with my young French trainee who was chaperoning him for the afternoon, Mwahahaah! :o)
oh, and it rained a bit, but not enough to spoil things, just enough to wet the Hill Climb course ;o)
Furcations
Well Martha, you've really Farquared that one up haven't you? Shame, it was a good move!
[MF] I go on holiday and this is what happens. I'll take my Acme HTML deodorizer to it later...
Deodorized
[Re Furcation Game] It turns out Martha's gigantic move was too big for the STEAM-powered technologies driving this site; hence I'm afraid I've taken the liberty of splitting the move up into two parts. I had to tidy up some of the HTML - the game moves should be unaffected, but do let me know if anything went awry in the rehashing.
*grin of satisfaction*
Thanks rab! Strange I got it through the HTML checker first, though (and muchos kudos for that groovy little dingus, too, without which it'd still be lounging unloved and unread in a... oh, hang on...)
goodwood
[Pen and Ink] Looks like we could have had a mini pilg as I was @ Goodwood too with my 16 year old and my 3 year old!
Grimace
[MF] If you are interested, which you probably aren't, the database that sits behind this truncates posts when they hit some, at the time it was designed, apparantly unreasonable length. I guess you exceeded that :) I should find out what the limit is and put in a warning. Glad you like the HTML debugging tool...
off to Scotland!
*boogies* I just got cast in the Edinburgh Fringe for August! This is a serious coup d'état for me! *boogies more* Finally - an audition passed (not merely given) and exciting prospects! All I need to do is learn to be an eight-year-old within a month (which may involve disguising a couple of things!)...which I'm sure I can do with study. After all, I was only eight ten years ago.....
Go me! :)
more casting couch
[ZK]Good luck in Edinburgh. I may be able to help you out with the mind set of 8 year old boys, basically; girls are yeuch!!! ;)

[plump] I'm sure penelope could arrange for some wonderful reasonably priced dicounted hospitality.

Congratulations to DrQuuxum for reaching No1 on Celebrity Mronington Crescent, sadly down to 13 following the departure of evil_edna. JJ's dividends and returns have become a very useful tool in taking the guessing out of who to invest in next. Even if Mr. Rooney was a teensy weensy bit obvious last week.

evil_edna
[INkspot] I've resurrected edna's account and will post the reference number here soon to be re-included in the league, if that's OK with all of you lot. I've been well into Tim Henman stocks for a couple of weeks now :o)
[ZK] Well done - I have several friends who have "done Edinburgh" and it sounds a pretty intense experience. Watch out with your references to "a couple of things" though - you'll have St Dogmael getting hot under the collar again...
hot collars
BM] I don't get hot under the collar. I just occasionally will raise an interested eyebrow. Oh what a joy to be a red-blooded male in his prime ! ;o)
He can get plenty hot under the collar, just so long as I don't mention what play I'm actually in (pretty easy as I don't know!) I should be fine! :) *boogies* ah, 'tis a good week, so it would seem!
Hey - good on yer ZK! Hope everything goes really well for you, Edinburgh-wise x
Oh yes, and ta to all for the congrats! :)
Congratters
To my dear friend, and as of yesterday, my maid of honour - ZK, I owe you one!
ooooh...
[AP] I know! Sadly I also owe you and yours about 45 quid, so I guess we're even...unless of course you can do me a similar favour! :)
Fringe benefits
[Zooky] Excellent - what will you be in ? Do you know the venue ?
[Blob] I have no idea! :) I'm still waiting for the script to turn up in the post, which has all the other info in it! I should imagine it's somewhere relatively small, as last time I checked I'm not sure they had very much money. But I don't know. Hoping for something nice! I'll post the details when they turn up :)
[ZK] If it's a côup d'état, does that mean you'll be taking the city by storm? :)
[Projoy] That's the plan! :)
being typically British
The weather here is bloody awful ...*$!*&
Embra
I do have a tendancy to drop in on Edinburgh during August, so maybe I could track the Keeper down :) If not this year, then one of the next three years for sure, as I'll then be living there. But first, I have to go to India. See you next week!
*waves goodbye to rab* again
Inja
[rab] Bring us back an elephant.
*waves to rab as he zooms past*
india
rab] Bring us back a couple of cricket bats and some wicket-keeping gloves...
And Hrithik Roshan!
Hrithik
[Zoological Keeper] Ooh, I'd second that if I were that way inclined. Have you read "Bollywood Boy" by Justine Hardy? Very amusing stuff... I went on a private tour of Film City in Bombay once (VIP that I am, or something) and it really is like that...
[Breadmaster] I haven't, but I will now!
Indiana
[Blob et al] I'll try :) Anyway, must go to bed now, the taxi's calling at 4.30am. Ouch.
Orange peeled
Is anyone else having trouble accessing Orange? I get message 403 Forbidden.
aha!
[Inks] me too - also the Lockisseum [which is on Dunx's server].
retracting
seems to be OK now :-)
Greetings!
Hello, can't say much cos I'm in a busy conference email room and this is perhaps a little frivolous... Anyway, I got here ok (as you can see) and am having an ok time, 75 minute rikshaw journey notwithstanding. I'll look out for an elephant for you.
[rab] Only 75 minutes? You were lucky.
Apropos of nothing...
Just over a week ago, I happened to be driving through Salisbury, and a passed a pub which had a sign proclaiming "A Goldfinch Free House". Are there many infestations of goldfinches in Salisbury?
A moment's pause, please, to remember Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, who is memorable for a number of reasons, most particularly the following:

(1) He had the silliest name of any blues singer, which is saying something. Except maybe Fird "Snooks" Eaglin.

(2) He learned to play by attaching a single string to a guitar, mastering it, adding a second, and so on until he could play all six at once.

(3) He actually wrote "That's All Right Mama".

Yes, despite Sky News' claim today that it is 50 years since that song was first recorded, old Arthur recorded it in 1946. And when Elvis stole it eight years later, Arthur didn't get a penny in royalties. In fact, he never did. Many years later, his record company finally arranged for him to be paid the unimaginably vast royalties that he was owed for this and a number of other songs that Elvis ripped off. But at the last moment, they pulled out - claiming that they would lose less money if Crudup sued them over it. So he died unrewarded, and I think today is a fitting day to remember the fact!
taking a moment's pause
[BM] such a sad story :-(
That's how you got treated by the American music industry in those days if you were black... Crudup rerecorded "That's All Right" some time later, and he had to suffer the ultimate indignity of putting a composer credit on the label to "Presley"! It doesn't get much worse than that. To be fair, Elvis' version was a lot better than Arthur's, who wrote fantastic songs but was a bit rubbish, really, at least in my opinion. But that's not really the point.
ooh ooh! I got my script! My part's really obnoxious, it's fantastic! :D I play an 8-year-old girl and am called upon to cry, scream, vomit, get drunk, bite etc. If this doesn't stretch me I don't know what will! :) i haven't finished the script yet so I'm still trying to figure out what on earth it's all about, but it's looking good! I only have a month to learn my lines, though...
drunken children
[ZK] Is it Anne of Green Gables?
lynches and finches
hmmm, I dunno - Anne was a ... nice girl, even when squiffy on 'raspberry cordial'. But if we're talking about children who deserve to be garroted at birth ... how about Violet Elizabeth Bott?
[UK] sorry - didn't see your earlier post about the Salisbury GoldFinch Plague. Dreadful stuff. Really scary. Just like the Hitchcock film [I still have the remains of one wrapped around my rear water butt]. Luckily we managed to keep it out of the news, but I fear our lives will never be the same again here in sleepy South Wiltshire ...
[Projoy] Not to the best of my knowledge, unless it's the bizarrest of bizarre adaptations. I finished the script a few minutes ago and it makes very little sense to me! It's "Archer's Goon" - you may have heard of it...My character is called Awful, which I think is absolutely superb.
This one?
[ZK] Here? Sounds rather weird and wonderful if it is!
[ZK] I think that sounds fantastic fun. Any play that contains a character called "Awful" must be pretty good to start with. Sounds to me like it shouldn't take you a month to learn the lines, though - what with all that crying, screaming, vomiting, biting etc. there can't be all that much actual dialogue too...
[Dujon] Yes, that's the book it's from - I've ordered that from Amazon..hoping for some insight I guess :) [Breadmaster] There's a fair lot of lines! Learning starts tomorrow....eep! :)
Lost!
I'm lost- i'm at norwich station and i want to get to MC Help!
Getting to MC
[NH] Try a counter strile at Thetford, then you'll need to use WAGN and six blue podumes via Peterborough I reckon. If the snoods are blonked you may have to side-straddle to Cambridge however.
[Zooky,Chalky] V.E.Bott was who sprang to my mind too. [Zooks] Sounds fun to me.
Ely wheely
[NH] As Blob says, but be wary of hitting the return loop at Ely or else you could end up being shunted to King's Lynn. Also the 'bus replacement rule' could be brought into operation making the Peterborough route costly in terms of LV. Do not stop at Manea, it is a trap.
I have to point everyone to the Hyperlink game over at MCiOS, where we are having enormous fun with a link to a Spartacus gladiators game. Buckle up your greaves and ready your trident - or do you fear the mighty Magister Panus?
New Game
Oo! Game slot!

May I suggest "Conversation Stoppers", as I described elsewhere?

To Rosie
4.5 mm of precipitation since the beginning of June. Sunny - and extraordinarily warm - days continue. Today is cooler (14.5°C as I type at 14:10 local time) although overnight temps have been down to 3° or 4° no frosts have been in evidence here as yet.
[Dunx] Yes!
No 9 bus
Conversation Stoppers, oh yes please.

[Breadmaster]I tried the site but, recieved the message;The page cannot be displayed
There are too many people accessing the Web site at this time.

Graham III as ffiish continues to break and create new records over at Celebdaq Celebrity Mornington Crescent, much kudos to you sire.

I'm glad that bitter and twisted manipulator, Seal Boy has been evicted from the BB House.
Stu is a mummbling self obsessd idiot , (the most intelligent person on BB ever - B***ocks!).
Michelle should leave Stu alone, and be herself she has more to offer as a personality without him, a mismatch for Stu if ever there was one.
Shell you can streak round my garden anytime ;)

And then Aunt Mary broke wind
[Dunx, Raak et al re conversation stoppers] That gets my vote, but it seems the slot has become blocked, sadly.

Oh, hello, by the way. Surviving, just. Have had four days of conference thus far; had a wee excrusion yesterday, saw a couple of temples. I said 108 Hare Krisnas before being 'selected' as one of the lucky people to donate 150 Rupees to the cause. I received a copy of 'The Science of Self-Realisation' in return, which I expect to give me many hours of pleasure amusement.

One more day to go (getting bored with statistical physics now), before a day trip to Mysore and some more Bollywood movies on the way home. Still no elephants, but there are a number of cows wandering around I could try and slip into my luggage instead...

Hare Rama, Hara Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare...

Archer's Goon
There was a TV version of that when I was a kid, starring Roger Lloyd Pack.
[Darren] So I discovered, on research. The last in-house production for CBBC after the bank-breaking Chronicles of Narnia (loved them!) That makes you rather young though, doesn't it?
Having just set up that COnversation Stoppers (sorry for the dodgy ƒ)
Maybe some time we should play Morgenburg Halbmond?
[ZK] Well, I'm 26, if that makes me rather young.
Rather young; by my chronology I'd placed you a few years younger with Archer's Goon. *goes imdb trolling* You were 14 when they made that then. Groovy. I'd have been 7, probably why I don't remember it. I may have even seen it, I don't remember most things I saw fewer times than twice though...
Shell out again...
Inkspot] Were you watching last night?
gloating
[Inky / Celebdaqers] Had a little chuckle when I checked the league just now in view of your comments the other day ...
Quote "Graham III as ffish continues to break and create new records over at Celebdaq Celebrity Mornington Crescent, much kudos to you sire..." Unquote.
Poor ffish has dropped from No 1 to second to last [teehee]. Is this also a record?
[snorgs] Well done. Number one again!
fiendish plan
Congrats to both snorgs, and to you Chalky. I presume it is your own modesty that prevents you saying how you occupy second and third places. I should have followed JJ's Dividends and bought Becki and not gone out on a limb with the Queen.
daqing
Oh, thanks! It was Wayne Rooney wot done it..
My 3rd persona's about to be millionaired! Yippee!
more league tpye stuff
[UK] Are you playing away from home? Is which league is this other persona?
I've been baby sitting an account for someone in the Ratcatchers Guild over at Discworld Minileagues. In all she has the same account in 24 separate Celebdaq Leagues. (Cleddau has been marooned in the Embalmers Guild for the past couple of weeks)
Multiple personalities
[Ink] I've got four accounts in all, which compete in my me-only league called Advanced Schizophrenia Ltd.
daqing along
Hmm. Got my dividend banker wrong. I would have thought that the fact that Serena Williams was mentioned in every broadsheet front page article about that Russian girl would be enough..., but even so [Inkspot] Thanks :)
Oh, and...
and I went from position 1 to position 30 in Lancre Embassy (division 15). Hope I don't get relagated - would have thought I should have been promoted last week.
Serveritude
Rather sudden I know, but I've bought, have built and am currently installing Linux on a server to replace entirely the two machines currently responsible for running angrycake.com. It's very cute, I have to say - a smaller footprint than the laptop I'm tapping this entry into. MC5 will, at some point, be temporarily going away. This will not be immediate; indeed, expect things to remain the way they are for at least another week, and probably a while longer. I'm trying to do things 'right' this time. Which is why I'm installing crucial software on it whilst drunk, obviously.
Drinkies
It's the best time in my opinion, Nik - I find that lateral thinking ability increases in direct proportion to the Alcohol per hour intake.
Dunno why I gave alcohol a capital A! Good luck with the switch by the way.
I can think of a reason, Duj. :-)
Exciting, even to us technoserfs who think that Linux is a Peanuts character. I'm sure you'll warn us of the dates of absence of MC5 when they're known (assuming they are, of course).
Woo! Off to my concert today! *goes to have fun*
Bachus
Hello. I'm back from my travels. I did see two elephants in the end, but a big sign proclaiming "Elephants can be unfriendly to strangers" suggested it wouldn't have been a good idea to bring one back. Sorry. Mind you, given how much notice people took of the "Obey traffic laws" signs posted at intersections, I might have got away with it...
Archer, Dillian, Torquil, Shine, Hathaway, Erskine, Venturus
[ZK] (sorry I missed this discussion before) Archer's Goon is possibly my favourite kids' book of all time. It's superbly crafted and unfolds delightfully. You have a great part, although I'll be interested to see how the adaptors have made it stageable (the task is a bit like creating a stage adaptation of Terry Pratchett). Where will it be on? Details, please, details...
Errrrrr the only details I have are "Edinburgh, Zoo venue 1" (strangely enough :)) It means nothing to me but I'm hoping they'll tell me when I get to Kent! :) Indeed the script is a bugger to learn and I can't make the blasted child sound annoying without whining all the time. At the moment she merely comes off as irritating, and I seem to have lost the ability to scream. I was at a concert last night (in the audience) and was made painfully aware of how quiet I really am. Any good vibes sent my way would be graciously appreciated! :)
Come to think of it, I don't even know who anyone else is playing...
[ZK] Kent ? Edinburgh's not in Kent - in fact it's a long way from Kent. I suggest you head North !!!
Not actually at the Zoo, then...
A moment's trawling finds this. Sadly, I shall be in Scotland in the last week of July. Ah, well.
Reminiscing
One of the games that I miss playing (thinking back to Pants MC) is Liff. We've got a spare game slot - anyone fancy a go?
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwll Llantysiliogogogoch - the sound made before the first fag of the day
[Uncle Korky] Is this what you mean? The Even Deeper Meaning of Liff new definitions using place names. Which way is it played, do you provide your own names and definitions or do players respond to the previous posting?
Liff
Ah...happy memories of the old "Ais Ghyll". Liff was played by providing a definition of the place name set by the previous player, then setting a further place name for the next player to define.
Liff
I'd love a go at Liff again in fact I'm feeling a little chelmsford at the very idea.
Liff
(plump) At least you aren't at Loggerheads (Staffs.) I like the idea of a new game of Liff. You could say I have some Wantage in that respect. (Bigsmith) The spelling is "Ais Gill" though your version may well be the original. Looks plausible. There's nothing there, of course, except an old railway signalbox at the top of a long gradient up from Appleby, and some good mountain scenery. (End anorak display).
Ais Gill
(Rosie) Perfectly right old chap, the old memory is failing me again (plus the fact I have spent some time recently around the Old Dungeon Ghyll in the Lake District!).
Delighted
Lif? 'tis done!
*waves*
For no particular reason.
New Systems
[Nik] Oo, that sounds fun! What kind of box is it?
I've been blogging the process.
Tidy. Need to think about something along those lines myself, since my nominated server machine is (1) relatively old, (2) occasionally failing to boot, and (3) loud (much quieter with a better fan, but still quite noticeable). But that's for some time in the future.
Bye
Well, maybe. The good wife has just left on her second five day break in order enjoy the campus of Kurri-Kurri. I shall now have to do all those things which I hate; like cooking my own meals, feeding the cats, grooming the cats, watering (well!) all her seedlings, doing the washing, vacuuming the carpet, cleaning the windows, making the bed, doing the washing, remembering to do things (and when) ... some women! How inconsiderate can one be?
Ooh!
[Nik] Newer version of MySQL sounds good, means I can hopefully remove some of the workarounds I currently have in place and make a more efficient/robust system.
[Dujon] I'd be tempted to say that you only need to do some of those activities once, just before she comes back. But then I'm a slob ...
Time for a change
On browsers that show link titles, you can now find the time/date of postings by creeping your nipple over the poster's name. Needless to say this is harder to do on Internet Explorer than it is on anything else...
dating
[rab]What is the problem with IE? is it something special you have to do with the script? I had no problem with IE6, the little hand showed the time and date (10.59pm Thu-15-Jul 2004). Perhaps its just the way I grease mt nipples...
[Blob] Rehearsals for a week in Kent. [Watty] Ooh! Thanks for that! Brill.
[Inkspot] Mt Nipples? Where is Mount Nipples? And why does it need greasing?
Ta!
[Brendan] Thank you, sir. I suppose I'd better feed the cats and myself and water the seedlings othewise my inattention might become obvious. The rest has been taken on board - why on Earth I didn't think of that I will never know.   ;-)
Ooh nooh
[Inkspot] Nah, it's just I found with IE on the Mac I had to be much more fastidious with my nipple than on other browsers. Perhaps the PC version is more forgiving.
registering delight
Can I just say how delightful it is to play Codebreakers Crescent? Ay-thang-you
Shonagh Daly
And why not.
registering something
Following my remark last Friday [two up & thanx ZK] may I just say how delightfully chatty it is in here.
Usually.
chat
Well, I've got bugger all to say, really, at the moment.
What's better than the weather? ... boring, sorry.
Still, after our 4.5mm of rain in June, we've had around 14mm this month. Spread over three days. None of this could have found its way into catchment areas, the ground is just too dry. Cool but not cold, overnight temps seemed to have been constantly around the 5°C to 7°C mark, so no frosts on my little castle. Today it's a bit warmer, 14°C as I type; the last three days managed a max of 12°C, which is 'proper' winter weather. What really bothers one is the fact that the coastal areas received significant amounts of precipitation, in the form of rain, but we - and hence the dams - did not.
out of my window
Dujon]The weather here just south of the M4 in Wiltshire, its been changeable, mostly overcast, occassional showers with sunny intervals. So for Tom's third bithday party on Friday, it started cloudy threatening rain, cleared up during the party only to have heavy showers late afternoon.
One of the things Mrs Inkspot does very well for the parties is the cakes, either shaped like a number or in this case on Friday, a chocolate covered train with three candles and cotton wool smoke coming out of the funnel. The cake caused great excitement at the table when after one the candles went out, in relighting it, the cotton wool caught fire ... the children laughed and enjoyed it.
Meanwhile looking out over the metropolis, the sky has turned blue, the sun is out; today is the last day of the summer school term.
out of MY window
I have been watching a seagull's nest for a few weeks, and the chicks growing up. Suddenly, this morning, a flock of seagulls came over and made loads of noise, so when I looked out one chick was being dragged around by his neck! He managed to escape but was dragging his wing. A little later, someone else found it on the ground where it had fallen and put it into a box. We've called the RSPCA but they're taking ages to get here. In any case, I suppose they'll probably just put it down, even though it doesn't seem too badly injured. Oh, and the weather has been lovely and sunny and warm.
Gulls
Seagulls are the most evil creatures I have ever encountered and any form of natural selection that reduces the numbers of these buggers is A Very Good Thing in my opinion.
gulled
It's people's fault for leaving all their rubbish around - I still felt sorry for it being pecked to death. It would probably just be used to feed other baby gulls..
blog
Still at least I don't live next to them - like this guy..
out of my winder
I usually have the blind semi-shut, but out of my window (and a little to the side) is the Grand Union Canal with overhanging trees, flowing greenery under the water and 'peeping' moorhen chicks which have been sounding like a creaking gate for weeks now. I guess they'll soon grow out of it. The water throws that lovely rippling reflection under the eaves of the building. In the midst of this benevolent calm, I'm grappling with organisng photos of a Motor Technician skills competition that they forgot to tell me about until it was almost too late...
Where I'm from there are millions of Herring Gulls and everyone without exception loathes them. Apart from me - I like them. They're big and white and always appear spotlessly clean, as if they've just been through a whites wash on 90C, even if they've actually just been rooting through your rubbish. And they look so nice flying about. I miss them living here in London - just boring little Black-Headed Gulls, which don't even have black heads.
Nope
[snorgle] I sympathise with that chap. We had a nesting pair on our roof once which, apart from other things, made going into the garden a total no-no.
One word
Airgun.
Another word
Alkaseltzer.
one word - euthanasia
RSPCA blokey turned up (very handsome aussie surfer type!) and it's wing was indeed broken. He advised that he'd take it to the vet, but it would be put down, because it's just too expensive to keep all the gull chicks they get in. He did say if it had been older and just sprained it's wing they would have kept it until it healed, but broken wings are just too complicated. It was very cute and fluffy up close!
Hummmmmmm
We get hummingbirds in our garden. We have a feeder hanging off the deck, and these bizarre little birdies buzz up to it, flapping their wings like crazy, and suck all the lovely sugar water up. They just don't look real - they're the closest thing to a CGI bird that I can imagine, because they move so suddenly that they seem to travel from place to place by teleportation. And they make this ultrasonic chirping noise.

Weird things.

Apart from that, the only wildlife I usually see close up is dead squirrels on the road. Very colourful, especially if freshly flattened, but hardly pleasant to run past.

Worse than gulls
I REALLY hate pigeons. They are just parasitic, and fat, and nasty. Apologies to any posters here who happen to be pigeons.
Pigeons
In France, so I'm told, pigeon is regarded as a delicacy, particularly amongst foodies, i.e. most of the French, and not to do so is regarded as almost blasphemous. Hence the following Limérique:

Il y avait un jeune homme de Dijon

qui n'avait que peu de religion

Il dit, "quant à moi,

je deteste tous les trois,

Le Père, Le Fils et le pigeon".

Kazoo-ing
[Dunx] Aren't they fantastic! I don't think we have humming birds in this neck of the woods but we do have honeyeaters. They appear to have similar characteristics. Heaven only knows how fast those little wings beat, but they are nearly invisible such is the rapidity. Their spatial control is unbelievable - as you say - one moment they are there and next moment they are gone and probing their long, thin, curved beaks into a flower a foot or so away. Quite magnificent little beasties.
[penelope} That sounds rather idyllic.
[seagulls] I've always liked the little scavengers; I love the sound of them wheeling around the coast. Then again, I've never had to live with them as I've never had the pleasure of living that close to the sea.
[pigeons] The most rapid method of making a new sculpture look old.
Outbreaks of excessive whiteness.
Can you go blind from watching the BBC1 weather forecast at 10:30pm? I almost did last night. The weather lady was wearing a jacket that wasn't just white, it was whiter than white. So white it made me go "argh!" and throw my hands in front of my eyes. Pearing through my fingers I swear that it was so white it was casting shadows. Surely we should be warned prior to the start of the broadcast that sunglasses should be donned before watching the following weather bulletin. BTW, I've no idea what the weather is going to do today, but it doesn't look too bright.
pigeons
Must be an acquired taste. I tried some, but it was much too strong for my palate. The meat's almost chocolate coloured. Give me some nice crispy duck any day! Speaking of which, staying on a boat on the Broads this year, and woke up at 6am to see a duck staring in through the window!
Broads Minded
[Angus] Last time I was on the Broads, it was surprising if a duck wasn't staring through the window!

On a previous visit, I remember the swans were particularly importunate - they'd see people moving around on the boat, and then come and peck on the hull!

Swans
Well that's another matter! I swear one followed us from Norwich down as far as Beccles - and back again! He knew I was a soft touch unfortunately - I'm a sucker for a pretty face...
The Furcation Game
That slow-moving behemothis about to consume my life again... Before I devote all free time to it, is there anyone out there already concocting a move? Speak now or forever hold your peace.
Guessing
[Tuj] Be my guest...
Sacha
I was saddened to hear this morning that Sacha Distel passed away yesterday. To be honest I hadn't realised that he was 71 nor that he had been ill. Whilst not a fan of his (although some of his 'crooning' was enjoyable) I did appreciate some of his guitar work.
celeb-gloat
woohoo - No. 1 in League! And so easily achieved by leaving my paltry sum on BB5's Ahmed, so he ended up serving some purpose after all.
young whipper snapper
congtrats to x_sugarbabe_x and to Chalky in third place. This follows on from Dujon last week; I'll have to crank up moreteaplease (but about to be kneecapped). Monday will be too late to buy into for James Hewitt who according to JJ's Dividends has a potential of £10 per share!! and at only £2.60.
Shell the manipulative tart has schemed on the wedding night and now Victor has left the House, it should have been Jason out tonight *must remember its just a game*
Blushes
Thanks for the recognition, Inkspot. Congrats to those who, after me sitting in No 1 all week, grabbed a big dividend and pushed me down (way, way down) on the table of achievement. Watch out this week, children!     ;-)
*breaks three-day silence in the chat game with a loud fart*
*sprays air freshener*.
Just popped in to say I've been a bit poorly but now I'm better :-)
Oh! are you alright chicken?
Cooped up
[Michelle] I have just pandered to one of my inner demons, by ringing telephone number 09011 21 44 07 and voting for you to be evicted; a peace of mind for 25p. Its time you were released from the Big Brother House.
Indeed
Yip. She has to go.
last day at work..
Yay! I'm going to try to do NO work at all today, if possible.
shoulder to the wheel
[snorgle] Are you going on hols, or off to greener pastures?
Hummingbirds
I had a dream I was a hummingbird once. Most wonderful dream. I must say though that the expression "flapping their wings like crazy" doesn't really sum up the sight and feel of a hummingbird. It implies effort and although I have only seen them once (in carib..) they looked effortless. Beautiful - and I see what you mean about the CGI....
job
I'm starting a new job on Monday, and I'm on strike for the next couple of days. In fact, this morning a member of staff asked if my friend (who sits by me,and is a smoker) had a lighter, and a blokie said he needed it to set fire to the computer room. We laughed, and she gave him a lighter. 15 mins later and the phones went down. Apparently he was an engineer who needed to do something to the wires. I'm not even logged in now, so I don't really care! Yay!
Apologies for cross-posting: I'm off on my hols, so have fun, and I'll catch up with everyone when I get back on 10/08.
Hey UK - have a great time! I'm off in a couple of weeks. Camping. If it rains we'll be playing a lot of 'Carrot'.
campanology
[Btd] Another good one is 'Beers A-to-Z' although I don't expect the girls will be quite up to speed on that. 'Vegetable A-to-Z' might be a good alternative.
Amusing oneself in the rain
I've always found "Rude Bodypart Euphemism A-to-Z" quite entertaining. All together now - "Arse, Boobs, Crack etc. etc."
Re: Hummingbirds
Hummingbird barney, this morning - one hummer was feeding and buzzing the breakfast table, then another one came along and drove the first one away! High pitched squeaky noises aplenty. Then a few minutes later the first one came back. They look to be male and female of the same species, so we're wondering if driving each other away is hummingbird for "Get your coat love, you've pulled."
kacaknet
hoþgeldiniz
kacaknet@mynet.com
hoþgeldiniz
Astonishment
I am astonished that this play has gone unchallenged for so long...
[kacak] SPONG!!!
aha!
I raise you that SPONG!!! and counter with a vehement and thrusting FNOOOOOOOOONGA!!!
Wabam!
poo
KICKING!
more again
Whilst it is a bit quiet in here this Sunday, break out a tinny and bottoms up to Dujon forhanging onto the top of Celebrity Mornington Crescent for a second consecutive week and keeping blamelewis and DrQ at bay.
A novel way to save the NHS...
Whilst meandering around work today i found this memo, and it made me giggle for hours.... ' Dear Colleagues, As you are aware from the letter recently sent to you from xxxx xxxx Director of Nursing, we propose to discharge all patients to Nursing Homes between 10am and 11am each morning.'..... Discharging all patients is certain to solve every bed crisis!
Is that to be the foundation upon which Labour build up to the new ellection?
Followed by the proposal of regular drenchings to aid the fire service, shooting children to bypass education failures, and then arresting everybody in case they commit crime?
Wishes
[Inkspot] Much as I would like to claim consecutive terms of leadership I think you will find that x-sugarbabe-x gave me the proverbial hiding last week. I'm about to be kneecapped so have done sweet nothing. *sinks to the wooden spoon position*
Correction
This week is 'this week' last week was 'last week'. So, yes (gloats), creamed you lot 'last week' but x-sugarbabe-x (aka Chalky) still gave us all a lesson the previous term.
Sorry I spoke.
Hogging the game
I just heard one of the funniest things that I have heard in my many years as a radio amateur. A gentleman (south of Canada and north of Mexico) whose country of origin shall remain secret was just talking to a local Australian 'ham' and was trying to work out the time difference; he was quite sure that Australia was twenty seven hours ahead of his own time zone.
Shhh
[Dujon] Everyone's asleep.
[Dujon] Excellent stuff! I'm off to a country in the region indicated tomorrow so I hope to return with many amusing tales of foolishness. Almost certainly mine, but there you go.
[Breadmaster] Have a safe trip, sir. I wasn't having a go at American citizens, I talk to many such. As it was latish night at his place at the time I suspect he'd had a hard day and was simply tired - or something. It was still funny though.
chicken licken boiled
[Dujon] You are right, about x-sugarbabe-x. I was slghtly behind with my compiling and jumped a week.

Big Brother; Stu evicted !!! like whoaa, dude! ...that's like .... seriously amaaaazing.

Badgers - out of their misery
It may just be the summer season, but I was surprised that never really got going. I would start a nasty game of Acre Street, as I read that archive recently and oddly felt compelled... But we've got The Furcation Game already, and that needs a good jump start too. As soon as I get a bit of time on my hands why is this the sort of thing I want to waste it on?
And yes
...that was a non sequitur 'cause I'm not a Big Brother fan and I'm too lazy to go Celebdaqing more than half-heartedly!
No Pruning Shears Here
[Tuj] Re: choice of time wasting - because it's fun? I know that's why I keep coming back.
Has there been a game of MC played entirely in Haiku form?
[Boolbar] Not entirely sure, although I once did have a Lock Cup qualifying match against Catherine where all *comments* were to be made in Haiku form, but the move was not included in this (as according to the standard format of separating move from comment, as practiced on PantsMC).
Psycho Haiku
During my last move for The Furcation Move, Furcation O was a new haiku variation. The initial letters of the haiku formed the first line of a new haiku, so "The old writings read / In there ev'ry ancient hai / And its ku under", as well as being a (slightly odd) haiku, forms the first line "To write a haiku" with it's first letters. I can't remember quite why I came up with it, though it does remind of some very difficult limerick game we had once at !York...
Fractal Haiku
It would be very impressive if the new haiku so formed also had the property that its first letters formed the first line of another haiku. And so on.

But shall we play the
game of Mornington Crescent
in haiku form first?

waves goodbye*
See yas all in September :-)
come n sign my guest book pretty please........
Weird commnets will get extra kudos in the next sphere of life or a free cup of tea on Edgware Rd!!! http://www.papalazarus.com/page4.html
cheerios
[Chalky] Have a good hols, this could be the chance I need to get back on top of Celebrity MC *looks down at diary and curses, holiday to France imminent*. Would anyone be able to send me the Friday league web pages for 20 and 27 August? A link will follow tomorrow, but in the meantime congrats to gil (sigmundfreud).
more me again
Barging in with the link as promised, and now back to Kingdom Hospital.
three in a bed
I would normally avoid Haiku. If I break the rules of the format, tap me on the shoulder.
[Inkspot] Surely you mean...

I avoid Haikus.
If I break the format's rules,
tap on my shoulder.

And there you have the same sentiment but in the right number of lines and syllables (5-7-5)...

one or two
It is the syllables I have the problem with. Normally with each player contributing a single line, errors can jar. But by doing all three lines this will be good practice. When I wrote the second line I agonised over Amer-sham and Am-er-sham, coming down on the former, influneced by the move earlier by Dunx where to me I sounded 8 but was accepted as 7
With(1) West(2) Ruis(-?)lip(3/4); puts(4/5) me(5/6) in(6/7) spoon(7/8)
I have invited critisism of my play as my da-dee-da-dee-da seems to be a bit la la at times, but I do intend to nail this format; hopefully before the game ends ;)
As some of you know I enjoy football. This little gem appeared on the official web site of the club I follow:

"In excess of 19,000 season tickets have been sold as ******** gear up for their fourth consecutive season in the top flight, which is more than at the same stage last season."

Is this stating the bleeding obvious or am I misreading it?

Sneaking back in...
Just back from a very enjoyable week in North Wales. I'll have to go tidy up my badgers that are still roaming the tunnels...
[Inkspot] Ruislip is TWO syllables, Amersham is THREE. Unless you're going by some definition of "syllable" of which the rest of us are unaware.
19,000 season tickets
Dujon] I read that about four times, but now I get it! The clause beginning 'which' is a bit ambiguous, I suppose.
Celebdaq
[Inkspot] Looking at the 'daq today, it seems that I now have the facility to add members to Celebrity MC. Would you (or anyone else, for that matter) have any objections if I add in my other two personas?
whiching...
[Dujon, Tuj] I read it first time as I think it was intended... but I reckon the problem is that the 'which' is too far removed from the subject to which it refers... so it looks like it refers to the fourth season, but in fact it refers to the 19,000 season tickets.
more!
[Uncle Korky]Please add them to the League, we need to do something about the recent run of good luck by Dujon, you could even be onto a winner with Doris this week. According to JJ's Projected Dividends it will be close between Nadia and Sven on the divi's payout.
En route
[Inkspot] Stand by for appearances by Mavic_Chen and Johnny_McDozenlegs!
Syllabarial Variations
[Inkspot] It might be a pronunciation thing: "Ruislip" is pronounced "rye slip" rather than "roo-ey slip"; "Amersham" is always "Am-er-sham".
seven eighths
So the line does have eight syllable thingys With(1) West(2) Rui(3)slip(4); puts(5) me(6) in(7) spoon(8) and yes fair cop on Amersham, from such a low base, I can only but improve....moving swiftly along; [Uncle Korky]I love the names Mavic_Chen and Johnny_McDozenlegs ;P
They should be with us tomorrow.
Apology
[Inkspot] You're quite right. Sorry.

[Haikuen] Apparently I can't count syllables at all.

Orangeless
As I write this, Orange MC is unavailable while its host server reboots. This would normally be a quick thing, but the host server has been up for a long time prior to this and so it went into an fsck cycle. Should be back soon.
Bouncer on the door
[Uncle Korky] The accounts are yet to appear, if they need some extra persuasion either leave the details here or here: gareth underscore penn athotmaildotcom.
I know the bouncer!
[Inkspot] The particular bouncer is my corporate firewall, which won't let me access Celebdaq between 8.30am and 12.00 midday, and then between 2.00pm and 5.30pm. So, the first chance I'll have to insert 'em is lunchtime today.
recording! ding! ding! ding!
Dear I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue emailing list member, This is to let you know of the first recording date in the Autumn series of 'I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue'.
The recording will take place at the Anvil Theatre in Basingstoke on the evening of Sunday 19th September. The doors open at 7pm and the recording starts at 7.30pm Ticket prices are £12.50, £10, £8.50, £7 and £5. The number for the Anvil Theatre's box office is 01256 844244.
You will need to book early as these shows seem to get more popular with every passing year. However, if you are unlucky or Basingstoke is too far for you to travel, we do have two other recording dates, one in mid October in the North of England and the other in the South in early December. The venues have not yet been confirmed - we hope to be able to send you details of these in the next couple of weeks.
Me name's not down...
[Inkspot] I tried to add 'em in, but I'm not sure it worked. In case it hasn't, Mavic_Chen is 3402569 and Johnny_McDozenlegs is 3411069. Glad you like the names!
Red carpet
[Uncle Korky] Mavic_Chen and Johnny_McDozenlegs have entered at numbers 10 and 12, respectively. Good luck!
!
Cornwall and campsite here I come!!! See ya all in 2 weeks!
dieng of a trojan
I look up a randomn seach on trojan horse Nex.b virus and this site came up because someone had been talking about it. How did yu get rid of it
Gifts from Greece
[Malkie] That was me from a posting I made in April this year. AVG a free anti virus software found it and deleted it. As a matter of course, the system is automatically updated every two weeks. A full scan is carried every couple of days (which for 12Gb takes about 20 minutes).
Celebdaq
Oof!
[Bob] If the weather's anything like it is in Manchester at the moment you're going to have a soggy time! I'm sure the kids will love it.
Notlob
[Dujon] Congratulations, another fine win.
I see the Premiership starts tomorrow. My fingers are crossed that you have a better start to the season this year against Charlton than last years 4-0 drubbing by Man Utd.
We're in!
[Inkspot] Cheers!
Arrivaderci
Inkspot] Pah, Some of us started last week, in the "Coca-Cola Championship". Playing Derby tomorrow, the glamour...
In other news, I'm orf to Italy for a fortnight. Take care all, have fun.
[Inkspot] 1) Ta! 2) So do I. :-(
[Tuj] Good luck, safe travel. I hope the weather's good to you.
1 - 4
I must be a glutton for punishment. I have just signed up to Sportsdaq. Very similar to our old friend Celebdaq but this time it is sports pages only. First portfolio has to be Micheal Owen amd Micheal Schumacher.
news from the Fringe
Ahh, the joys of internet cafés in Edinburgh! My poor friend/stage manager drove us all the way up to Edinburgh on Friday/yesterday, starting from Kent and overnighting in Birmingham (waking up at 6 when you went to bed at five....fun!) And try parking in Edinburgh during the Fringe Festival! Let's not go into that. Show starts tomorrow (Archer's Goon...wearing my lovely t-shirt as I speak) and hopefully it should be good, cos on the last rehearsal day (Friday...arrived in Kent previous Friday for a week of intensive rehearsal...and I mean intensive....it was my birthday last Thursday [thanks for my greetings Angus! :)] and the celebrations went out of the window because we were working all day until we finished our run through at about 1 in the morning) our director said....right....we run over by about an hour and a half...and slashed all the bits out of the play they felt were unnecessary and got it down to about an hour and 30 from 2 hours 45! I now affectionately refer to it as Archer's Goon on acid. It's still really good though. If you can come and see it, please do! Money running out...bip...bip....bip...
Archer
[Zk] Wish I could be there to cheer you on, and I would definitely have enjoyed the show, but sadly, too many hundreds of miles away. Break lots of legs (well, as many as are available)! And let me know if you tour it in the SE.
[Inkspot] Whilst I expect to do poorly I've signed up on Sportsdaq. If you are going to run a league feel free to add me; details are as for Celebdaq.
daqing
I've gotten quite bored with the daq - mind you, I'm much busier in my new job - just starting my 3rd week! The only reason I'm here now is because my line manager and several other team members are off today, and I don't really have anything to do until a meeting at 1pm.
Embra
[ZK] Good luck, and good job I didn't try hunting your show down when I was in Edinburgh last weekend (officially the first proper day of the Fringe). I should be in situ for the whole three weeks next year, but I guess that's not much help. Oh, and someone walks past you very quickly with hands in pockets, do not, under any circumstances even attempt to give them a flyer. They're probably a local who's realised they're at the wrong end of the Royal Mile...
... IF someone ...
On me 'ead!
[Inkspot / Dujon] I've succumbed too... if there's no mini-league yet, I'd be happy to start one (although I'm not sure how to produce those snazzy weekly speadsheets, etc...).
C in C
[UK] Fine by me. I'd volunteer but I already spend too much time on this infernal machine; I run my own (basic) football site and co-manage a couple of others related to installation and maintenance a particular type of 'forum' site software.
Golden gongs for Aussies
[Dujon/Uncle Korky] Although I have created a mini-league I am going to see how things pan out, to see how well it keeps my interest (the id numbers are different to Celebdaq, for Sportsdaq it is 358). Celebdaq can be hard enough to sustain, with the constant round of kneecapping. But I did have a £5,000 bonus today for backing the winner of the Grand Prix which gave a little sparkle to the game, but had not a clue as to where to reinvest the money. I have my fingers crossed that the comprhensive coverage in the broadsheets will counter the football (ie the big four) obsession of the tabloids. Even if Britain were to win gold tomorrow it would be overshadowed by the ManU/Chesea rumour mill.
I gave a small cheer fo Austrailia this evening after Ian Thorpe beat Pieter van den Hoogenband claim gold in the 200m freestyle final. This is because I have been fed up with Sue Barker et al beating the drum for the American Michael Phelps and his attempt at 8 golds, and ignoring Thorpe. How will they square the circle now?
Also some of the mens gymnastics, I find it incredible what those guys do on the rings, parallel bars and other parts of the rotation.
This will be the last League for two weeks (would you be able to send the the Friday results on to me "Tools - Mail and News - Send Page")

[snorgle]Although the new job is busier, good luck, does this mean you are no longer a public servant?

Strylan limpians
Ruddy 'eck, Inkspot. You reckon Sue Barker's a bit one-eyed! You should see (though best you don't) the press down here. If you thought David Beckham's foot got too much coverage you ought to see what's been happening here regarding Jana Pittman's (sp?) knee! Fair dinkum. A young lass in the Aussie gymnastic team had to come home because of a calf tear and the only coverage I saw was a short mention that she was back in Oz! I suppose they - the press - had to find a replacement for Cathy Freeman. *sighs* As you have undoubtedly noticed Australia is extremely weak in what is termed 'Track and Field'. In fact they are hopeless - at least in the greater scheme of things.

How would you like the Celebdaq chart captured? I can easily just save the whole kit and caboodle via the 'view source' or any part of it I suppose. An image is a bit big. Let me know and it shall be done. The only other question is when? I am usually around the computer just as the dividends are distributed - is that what you're after?
Hrmph!
Right, I've just read your posting. Now I only need the timing and where to send it. I'm assuming it's gareth_penn (insert an at symbol) supanet dot charlie oscar mike.
what sports?
[Inkspot] I appear to have watched the same series of events you did, albeit commentated in French, which was both odd and a relief (see Dujon's comment). The vaulting 'horse' appears to have mutated since a couple of years ago. Weird shape.
Merkin Commentary
[Phelpsness] Golly, if you think Sue Barker's bad, try watching NBC! Ghastly. It's like there are no other athletes except Americans in the races. And watching the gymnastics last night, the only team that got decent coverage was the US. Fair enough up to a point given that the Americans were in with a shout, but they showed hardly any of the winning Japanese until the last bit where the Japanese actually secured their victory.

Is the BBC any better? Well no, not as far as mindless jingoism goes, but at least they aren't filling half their broadcast time with adverts so there is more space to show other competitors.

Question: is the BBC showing any fencing? I was hoping to see some of it, but it's only on cable here which we do not have, and there is no streaming video to speak of here either.

serving the public
[Inkspot] I'm still a civil(ish) servant - now working in the WAG - Welsh Assembly Government. I'm in a Programme Management Office - and am also managing risk. ***shrugs***
[snorgle] Don't let my father here you say you work for the Welsh Assembly, I will occassionally when we visit; it's light the blue touch paper and watch the fireworks. Last weekend I did it with hospital waiting lists and the new debating chamber.
[Dunx] They only showed the fencing during the morning update, but very much blink and you miss it. They did include an interview with the coach and the unfortunate woman who lost in the sabre.
Today they have shown the rowing and cross country horse riding. This evening being given over to the womens gymnastics; I managed to catch up on the ironing while watching CSI and CSI:Miami. Has the beach volleyball been on yet?
[Dujon] Yes that's me, please send them anytime on Friday after the div's have been paid. I will do the tables whe I return. Much appreciated.
[Inkspot] It shall be done.
WAG
(snorgle) My niece works for the Wales Rural Observatory Project, whose data apparently lands up in the WAG. She showed me her Master's and PhD theses; I couldn't understand a word, mainly because of the jargon. I couldn't say anything of course, because she's fond of her Uncle T, as I am of her. :-)
WROP
What an intriguing name. Do they sit on top of Mt.Snowdon watching Mrs.Trellis through a telescope?
WROP - CAMREC
I wonder if there are any links between the two? Could she have stumbled upon an insidious plot to subvert this doyenne of MC through devolutionary subterfuge? Or are these just the ramblings of a demented conspiracy theorist?
Surveillance
[Dujon] No sign of Mrs Trellis from the summit of Snowdon, as my photo's from Monday 02/08 testify...
61 going on 16
I'm in a state of shock! Last night my Mum revealed that she's going speed dating tonight! At first I thought she was trying to come out to me (and that would have been even more of a shock) but then it became apparant that she's going to meet lots of men! I didn't realise that speed dating had reached sleepy Shropshire, and nor did I know that there were special night for the over 50s. Anyone out there been speed dating?......
skimpy Speedos
[Lib[ I'd be interested to know how she gets on... I'm considering it myself!
[Lib] Yes - my brother!
WROP
(Dujon, LotUS, Uncle K) It's a sociological and economic survey. As for Mrs Trellis, I would have thought she lived in somewhere like Llandudno or Colwyn Bay, rather than out in the country.
Pete Strange
Humph's trombonist and arranger, Pete Strange, has died aged 65. I knew him a little. He was a tubby aimiable boozy little fellow and a very good player. There's a big obituary in today's Grauniad.
It's a bit moist out.
Trellis
[Rosie] As I mentioned on Orange when I got back from holiday, I did observe Trellis in the village of Corris.
Fenced
[Inkspot] Yes, there was a very brief bit of fencing on last night, which I assume they showed because an American won gold in it. It was nice to see, actually, although I would have liked to have the whole bout rather than the edited highlights (I mean, each point only takes a few seconds - could they not have spared a couple of minutes more?) if only because then I could have figured out the science fiction costumes a bit better. But, slight point of pride here: the winner comes from Beaverton, OR just down the road from where we live.

There's been beach volleyball on, although curiously only the women.

Mrs Trellis
(Uncle K) Surely actually seeing Mrs Trellis is the equivalent of unearthing the MC Rulebook.
Strange Pete
rosie] I hope you have played a few slow new orleans funereal bars in his honour ?
Pete
I was amazed recently to learn that Humph is generally credited with the first ever British blues record (Bad Penny Blues) - although as I type this it suddenly occurs to me that I'm sure I know of a British cover of My Man Of War from the early 1940s, so perhaps it's not an entirely accurate credit. But it was great. I suspect that Pete would have been too young to have played on it, though.
Pete's age
Yup, if he died this week aged 65, then in the 40s he was only just old enough to smoke ;o)
Not so fast
[pen] The speed dating has stalled, postponed till next week. [rab] So, how did your brother get on?
Strange Pete
(st d) He had a female friend, a singer, (not a girlfriend) who gave him a lift to the pub where he played in Carshalton every now and then. She always called him Strange Pete but it was friendly. He didn't play New Orleans style, more of a mainstream player. He was always very friendly and slightly tipsy, enough so after one gig to let me have a little tootle on his brand new horn, of which he was very proud. With an instrument like that I could be quite good. Mm . . maybe. I'll miss his cheerful face, to say nothing of his playing.
boom-tish.
Rosie] are you telling me you blew his horn ?!? (oblig.)
ow.
[st d]Thank you for that disturbing mental image. thpppppppttt!!!
fenced in
[Dunx] there was a lot of fencing shown here on French TV earlier in the week (sorry, have been too busy to say till now). The French were doing well in a couple of events at the time, funnily enough.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...
Hmm, quiet in here, innit? Has anyone else read A Gathering Light? I just started it as I'm supposed to be going to a book club on Wed. I actually have found it somewhat annoying so far, but I've only read a couple of chapters. Hopefully it gets better.
Why is it I have a cold any time I come back from anywhere interesting? Foreign germs I guess...or maybe because it rained in Rome and Edinburgh only when I chose to step outside the door....well, either way it sucks! :( Reviews for our show were initially shocking! But then, they went on the first night, and going by the standards of the first night I personally think they were being very kind. (No tech & no dress rehearsals in-venue, the in-house techies buggered up all the lighting & sound, which is sort of integral really, and everyone else forgot their lines. We had to cut bits as we went along because we were so behind time - I'm not surprised they didn't like or follow it cos I couldn't either and I was on stage!) But as of Tuesday we were on fire and the people sensible enough to come after that liked us - we had 30 people in on Wednesday, which was our best night by far! Hooray! I think they said we had 120 or something during the week, which by Fringe standards isn't bad, and Fest magazine (http://www.festonline.co.uk/review.php?id=303) gave us 3 stars, which is more than they gave Ed Byrne, and recognised the genius that is my friend Brad. So, as the director's dad said when he was taking all our cast photos...."bugger The Scotsman!" :)
Although, in hindsight, we were in Scotland at the time so I hope not too many people heard us! :)
bravo
sounds like you had a good time all in all ZK. So do you have the festival bug then ?
I can't seem to play any of the games in here at the moment. *whimper*
Festen
Ah, good old Fest. The deputy editor's a friend of mine, so thank your lucky stars ZK you weren't rude about it!

[svitc] Because they're too hard, or technical problems with posting.

D'oh.

I just don't have any inspiration/wit/wisdom, nothing technical.
[small] Fear ye not, I haven't played any of the games for about 2 months. No-one seems to have noticed! :)
[ZK] Do not think yourself ignored - you said where you going, so notice would have been redundant.

Glad you're back though.

How can anything be redundant when it wasn't dundant in the first place?
I must object. I have, on occasion, been dundant. [Dunx] Thankyou, although I just meant that the only game I'd been on in ages was this one, as my humble brain has burn-out and can't cope with the other ones :)
[ZK] Well, not at all a bad notice from Fest, who even note your youth, although whether that's good or bad is perhaps moot. Very good to see you back though.
Wish we were there
Had a postcard from Bob the Dog and family yesterday (who if you remember have gone to Cornwall for a holiday). The postcard had the simple message, "WET!".
"Carrot!"
Clearly monolexemia runs in the family.
[Projoy] When do you want that Dracula vid back btw?
Drac
I have some DVDs in now, so you could swap it for one of those if you like.
Slottage
On the grounds that a new game slot has been left open for days, I've dropped the game limit to 10, which is any case is a nicer number than 11.
10/11
That's a pretty sweeping statement rab. Would you care to back that up or are you just going to go around willy-nilly declaring some numbers to be more nice than others ? I think we should be told. It's a slippery slope you know. First its "oh 10 is nicer than 11" next thing you know its 4am and the police have smashed in your front door and you are in teh back of a lorry with a sack over your head being shouted at in Welsh.......
Re: shouted at in Welsh - I think I just was :)

That said, the number 11 sends shivers down my spin on account of its being the typical size of a group of butch ladies brandishing hard sticks.

rab] and what is wrong with dutch ladies ?
11 game slots? It's ridiculous. It's not even funny.
Numerologically, 11 is a much better number than 10.
... and 11 is the number of TimTams in a packet...
No, 11 may have a certain richness compared to ten, but is horrible as it is nearly 12 but not quite, and 12 is the best number. It is also the number of Apostles left after Judas quit (despite 1 Cor 15:5). And it's a prime number, which is bad. Ten is more satisfying all around.
Yes, but asserting the supremacy of 10 is to glorify the Western decimal system of counting over other, equally valid, numerical systems from other cultures, which have been marginalised by the patriarchal hegemony of the Western attitudes to number, particular the oppressive and unholistic notion of the integer. You might as well stage a Nazi revolution, frankly, as say 10 is good. I favour the number bleen, which in Afro-Sino-Mesoamerican cultures, represents, of course, the number that is blue.
I vote that we
all change to hexadecimal. I like letters.
Why Stop At Sixteen?
Let's use base 36! It would use the entire Latin alphabet, and would have many opf the advantages of base 12 (ie lots of easy to use fractions). And numbers would be shorter to write down, so we would save on ink and paper.
The real reason...
The best bit about base 36 is that I would be 11 again... although, being 25 in hex sounds quite promising too.
Base 60
For superhumans, Heinlein ("Gulf") suggested that base 60 would be suitable. With the 60 digits also doing duty to represent the 60 phonemes of a new language, there would be 216,000 words of just three letters, most of them monosyllabic. With the speed of speech and thought this would make available, effective lifespan would be extended by many times.
All your base..
That sounds exciting - it would certainly make life easier for rappers and poets..
TenTams
[Flerdle] 11 TimTams to a packet? The only packet I ever see has a hole in the cellophane and only 10 in it. BTW, The National TimTam vault is now replenished. They're back in the country.
[Raak] Are there 60 phonemes which the human voice can produce? I thought there were far fewer. (And I wrote a speech synth once, if that gives me any credibility, which I doubt!)
[Darren] Many more than that, if you add up the inventories of all human languages. Of course, you might have to be a superhuman to reliably distinguish them all. English has between 34 and 50, depending on how you count them.
Back to earth
[Raak] ...or in what base... ;)
I just came back from Tuscany today, a land where I was rained upon for about 45 minutes out of 2 weeks... to a land where it's been the wettest August since 1912, I heard. Ah, good old Blighty.
On another note, I see there are less games available now - is this an EU law, or a gesture against empathy?
grrrr....
[Tuj] I don't know that they are less, but there are certainly fewer of them :-)
Less fewers
Watty] I am a pedant myself, and it doesn't really bother me about less or fewer. Now I look at it, it's slightly ugly... but what makes me reach for the chainsaw is comma splicing (nnng!).
On a lighter note, why are there fewer? If people come up with more games, or ones with prizes / cash incentives, can there be more (or manyer?;) again?
Oh, and no I don't actually have a chainsaw.
[Tuj] How about a hedge trimmer?

What it comes down to is that "less" applies to continuous quantities, where "fewer" applies to discrete quantities. So you have less water but fewer glasses. "More" applies to both, just because English is such a wonderfully rich and evocative language (which is more agreeable than saying it is an inconsistent mongrel of a language).

Less bollocks - fewer bollocks
(Dunx) Dead right; you tell 'em. (the second phrase should be delivered in an aggressive N. Ireland accent). There are other pairs of words that have this distinction, eg "so much" and "so many". So much bollocks (speech by Blair), or so many bollocks (field full of bulls).
*sniggers and tries to imagine what Tuj would look like in motorbike leathers weilding a chainsaw, chased by a herd of curious and galloping bullocks. Struggles to picture Tuj at all, but the galloping bullocks are particularly vivid.*
*Enters arena wearing wet suit and bent tent pole chased by herd of curious and galloping Piskys*

Back from hols and I'm moist. "You'll love camping" I said to NotmrsBobthedog. "The weather is always good in Cornwall this time of year". As we dismantled the tent in a gale with rain heavier than I've ever ever seen it I reconsidered my enthusiasm for fresh air and natural elements.

Post script
Two days after we returned home I asked Notmrs if she'd like to go camping again next year. She said yes. We are planning to go to Scotland. I wonder if she is seeking revenge?
Sunken Kernow
Btd] You weren't near Boscastle at all, were you...?
Bosrubble
I was about 70 miles from Boscastle (near Lands End) on the day of the flood. Oddly enough that day we had very bright sunshine (the best we had for the whole fortnight). We spent the day on a beach. We have a friend in Sennen Cove who told us that during the day 30 cars and two houses had been washed away in Boscastle - but we didn't know whether to believe him due to the as the Cornish habit of telling tall stories - especially to gullible emmets like us. It was after that day that the weather got worse. It was not all bad but we has the tail end of three hurricanes and at least one gale. We didn't get much sleep.
Free Cornish pasty to whoever spots the superfluous "as the" in the above. Pasty may be slightly damp - no refunds or cash equivalent.
does anyone know " which band claims one of their dads was a pirate?" any help would be greatfully recieved
Bob the dog] Between "the" and "Cornish", in line 4. Do you want to give it to me in person or by post? ;)
pen] Ah yes, for I am a mysterious shady figure... (oh, and I don't have any motorbike leathers actually... there is a hedge trimmer in the shed somewhere though...)
grunt] Nope.
Bullocks] Aaaargh!
grunt
That'll be Frankie Poullain, bass player in The Darkness IIRC. A West Indian pirate, I believe
Can I just pop in briefly to say that comma splicing should be a crime punishable by death? Thank you.
thicko alert
[BM] What is 'comma splicing'? Perhaps I know it as something else. I probably do it all the time but need to know in case I'm about to be punished in a terminal sort of way.
Agreeing with Breadmaster
Comma splicing is the ULTIMATE SIN, whereby two sentences are mashed brutally together using a comma rather than a conjunction. It makes you look illiterate. It really gets on my nerves. For instance, if I'd replaced the full stop between 'illiterate' and 'it' with a comma, that'd be an example. One of the worst cases is the use of 'however' mid-sentence, which is nearly always wrong.
- however -
I do not enjoy the over use of acronyms, capital letters, smileys and most of all - jargon.
Tuj] I tried to write your address on the damp pasty but the pen sank into the waterlogged pastry. Fancy a damp steak and Bic doughy object instead?
Jargon is necessary to keep the riff-raff out. One thing that really gets my goat is getting the subjunctive wrong (eg. "if I was" instead of "if I were"). Midge Ure was particularly annoying in this respect.
[Darren] Midge Ure was just annoying, fullstop. Mawkish lyrics, play-by-numbers melodies and the most god-awful moustache that was ever grown.
[Btd] Sorry if my use of smileys is too familiar for your liking :o).
[Tuj] My business is sentence-mashing, however, I think I'm quite artful at it, I've been doing it for ten years. :oP
[penelope] Well, now you have yet another reason to dislike him.
8@()
Pen] Overuse of smileys ;o). I like the occasional :o) but too many leaves me :o(. In particular I dislike those gif file ones that are commonly used on chat sites. Yuk.
Darren] With your permission I will keep your quote "Jargon is necessary to keep the riff-raff out" in my little book of worldly advice to pass on to my offspring. It'll also come in handy at work - especially when addressing farmers.
Laffing with the Riff-raff :-)
[Darren] Your words did rather leap off the screen. I laughed and assumed you were in jocular mode. However, I must confess to being more intrigued by your pet goat, especially one that tell its subjunctive from its elbow. DO tell us more ...
The All-New Educated Riff-Raff
Btd] You have my address? I think I'll go hide somewhere before I decide whether to take up your offer...
pen] Aaargh! That's it! People do that and it's HORRIBLE!
back track
Midge Ure is annoying, period! As am I! Riff Raff makes a great alternative to Tinsle at Christmas.
MCiOS
Anyone know why MCiOS is unavailable?
No, since it's perfectly available right now from where I'm sitting.
[BtD] Permission granted. [Chalky] Yes, I was joking. My goat is got by many things.
is going on his, summer holidays
I'm off to Cyprus for a fortnight. Hopefully things won't go too pear-shaped while I'm away. Have fun, everybody.
I leave for a week....
*decides not to untangle the backlog and goes to bed*
Oh, I can't handle the backlog after just a couple of days. My computer has just dropped dead again, right in the middle of a long and exceptionally complicated operation involving emailing large numbers of people around the world and begging them to contribute to my book. Now I don't have access to the files where I was so carefully logging whom I had asked to do what. The net result will be, no doubt, that I will have 50 contributors all writing the same article. It could get messy. If you hear of theology gang warfare breaking out in the next couple of months, it's all the fault of my computer.
Get a life!
I must stop playing Kingdom of Loathing. I must stop playing Kingdom of Loathing. I must stop playing Kingdom of Loathing. . . . . .
[Boolbar] Was that another subtle advertisement for the game? It's nearly as addictive as Mornington Crescent, isn't it... ;-)
Boolbar, JLE] It is rather good, isn't it?!
backlog
ZooKeeper] I tend to find that if you have been away you might as well give up on reading what everyone has been writing, just scan up a few posts and join in. If anything strikes you as really interesting you can go back and trace it, however this has never happened yet. :¬]
It knids you in the podume. You lose 15LV.
[JLE, UK] Yes it is rather good. Trouble is as the game opens up, the amount of time you can spend on it increases. Now if only someone could write a combination of MC and KOL . . . .
They call it C-SPAN.
Oooooooooooooh
Thanks, rab, Nik, whoever. *sob* I've missed y'all.
It's back - hoorah!
*Lets off fireworks to celebrate reopening*
Well if this doesn't deserve a fresh cup of tea and a choc biscuit or two I don't know what does. Winning the Ryder Cup? Yeah!! make that choccie four biscuits.
yay!
That's better - all games have now been visited.
[Inks] Understatement of the year re: Ryder Cup "I think it's finally been recognised that the Europeans are no longer the underdogs" You gotta laugh :-)
celerations
*throws confetti and smashed champagne all over Mc5*. Anyone for an e-plig tonight? I want to celebrate my free broadband connection!! (but won't be home till about 21.30BST but will defiantly be there after that).
and...
If indeed we needed any additional cause for celebration - Hitch-Hikers 2 is on soon...
Bloing
*posts only to find out what time it is back at home*
Phew!
It's back, I can relax now.
[Bob the Dog] Have you dried off yet?
Boolbar] Yes - just enough to realise that I've missed your Birthday. Many Happy Returns of the day! *Wonders what are "returns of the day"?*
[BtD] I think it means "I hope the day of your birth returns happily year after year after year after yea ...." You get the picture?
[Boobah] *belated birthday hug*
[Chalky] Surely there's a bit of "hope you'll be there to see how said day returns year after year after ye...", too?
The return, people's birthdays, and joie de vivre
*does celebratory dance*
yay!
It's back, from Outer Space..
[Néa] That's it!
Not old
[BtD] Luckily I missed it too.
Not only is it back, but for some weird reason I no longer have to jump through hoops to get into the site. Is this permanent I ask myself?!
askance
Darren, why not ask us? We don't mind, really..
dialogue
.. and you never know - we might reply!
askanology
we might give the wrong answer - but that's the chance you take :o)
Dialogance
Darren] Do you literally mean 'jump through hoops', I ask myself... ;]
self help
[Tuj] Why not ask us? We can probably answer that one.
Is this "Females have all the answers day" ?
[Boolbar] Yes.
dialoganology
And lets face it; today is no different to any other
Fitzgerald
Do you have a right to sing the blues ?
mentary
Yes
OK, is it permanent? It's still working though. [Tuj] No, not literally. But having to use a different browser (in other words, the dreaded IE) to get to MC5 was annoying.
[Darren] Cor, lighten up... at least say yes! Or maybe you have jump over a desk or something...
[Tuj] You've clearly never seen my house. The prerequisite of jumping over furniture goes as read with anything I say.
sofa straddling
[Darren] ... and you never know where it might lead you ...
Chaise Longue Jump
*rofl*
Next thing you'll be telling me that bobsled champions start out by sliding down the stairs in an old sleeping-bag. Like I used to do.
[Darren] No, they use tea-trays.
[Darren] Ah, ya wuss ;) I used to do it without anything! Although I have to say sleeping bags do make it faster.
Er, tobogganning down the stairs, that is.
more chicks

*slight interuption*
As MC5 returns so does a little something else Celebrity Mornington Crescent with this Fridays results, the congratulations go to the girls on top Chalky at Nos1 and 2 assisted by snorgle at 3. Is this a conspiracy?
This week the long shot is Rebecca Loos. Listed on the daq she will be taking part in the Channel 5 celeb reality show The Farm. She will be joined by Paul Daniels, Debbie McGee, Vanilla Ice and several others to make nine contestants. Safe money would be on Elton John after his 'pig' outburst, but will his shares flatline when they reach £4.12.
*end ineruption*

innocent
I just bought some royal or other..
collude? who ... us?
Both of Me bought some royal or other .. and furthermore - we bought some more with our divis.
Feeling sorry for myself
I've lost my purse. I feel a fool. That'll teach me to leave the house when I'm hungover.... *wimper*
Curses
You'll feel even more so when you get around to the rigmarole of replacing licences, cards and the like, Lib. Bad luck, I sympathise.
Clever clogs
My good wife purchased some shoes - sandal style - some year or so ago. They were a bit tight so she wore them around the house for a day and put them away. Today she decided to become adventurous and wore them for a trip to one of the local shopping centres which involved walking around for about one (1) hour. These are the shoes. If you didn't laugh you would cry.
ah yes.
Apparently polyurethane soles have a habit of disintegrating if not worn, especially if they're stored in warm or somewhat moist conditions (eg most of Australia is one or the other). I'm not sure if it's just outer p-u or if it's the foamy matrix that's often within the sole for cushioning. My Dad used to get new shoes through work each year but often didn't wear the new pair for a while, and after a year or two of storage they would self-destruct exactly like that. Cold comfort, I know.
More disasters
Thanks for the sympathy. I've lost my wallet before so I try not to carry much stuff. Have found out that someone tried to use my credit card but failed just after the time I must have lost it. Humph.
And today's disaster is that my heating and hot water aren't working. Woke up to a cold shower. What a good start to the week. Am trying not to dwell on that fact that disasters normally come in threes.....
I have no electricity today for some unexplained reason. However, I've given up carrying a wallet since the last time I lost it, so there's still hope.
[Lib] you poor thing. Here, have an aspririn.
And a propos nuffink, just spotted this on the message board of the website of the local paper I used to work on... it drew such a vivid picture for me and I just had to share:
"on sat 12 july in skegness at the beach nite club met stunningly attractive female from louth but u had to go to get back on a minibus. i was the man shooting u with water pistol. we kissed then u left please get in touch". Awwww
Threeness
On return from the US I discovered that my CD player has developed rheumatism, the broadband router had died and the office desktop PC had lost its will to talk to the network. So it seems indeed that these things come in threes.

Nothing too serious though - the CD player seems to be healing itself, the router sprang back into life when I plugged it into a different socket (though the fact that the original socket has proven itself since fully functioning is somewhat mysterious) and the IT support had some stern words with my desktop until it started behaving itself.

I blame heavy electricity; or, if wet, GM crops.

[Lib] eeeek! [pen] That is SO cute.
electric socks game
I went to the Tate on Sunday and there was a painting by Peter Blake called "Self-Portrait With Badges". My mum turned to me and said "I knew I should have worn my glasses; I have just been looking at that and thinking 'I can't see any badgers'."
hahaha!
[std] That's much better than your other joke.. :)
Thanks again for being so nice. Have cash from trip to bank. Have attempted to fix central heating (nice plumber told me how) but its not playing. Oh well, cold showers are good for the soul, so I'm told.
[pen] That's quite desperate of the bloke/boy. She must of made quite an impression. Maybe it was the wet tee-shirt!
the things mums say
I thought I would share with you something my mum said that had us all in stitches. She went with my dad who is now 72 to get him some new glasses. He had the tests and all that and mom chose some new frames for him. He nearly had a fit at the price but mum told him not to be such an old miser and things are expensive these days. Dad moaned a bit, but capitulated and bought them. My mum relayed this story to my sister and told her the price. Even my sister was taken aback at the expense and said to mum "Mum, are you sure they are not designer frames or something?" Mum looked puzzled and replied "No they weren't designer frames, they were called Arniemarni or something" She is priceless.
Beware Greeks
(With apologies for the cross-post and rather late announcement)

I have 3 spare tickets (stalls) for the matinee performance of Berlioz's "The Trojans" by the English National Opera tomorrow (Wed 29th Sep @ 5pm). I was wondering if anyone was able to join me for this - one of only 5 performances of a show which has apparently won the 2004 Olivier award for Best New Operatic Performance. Details of the show can be found at www.eno.org

If anyone is interested please contact me on oneiros_sama[at]hotmail[dot]com. First come, first served.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled chat game.

breaking the silence
Well... quiet in here, innit?
Yes it is!
I'm hoping to get hot water tonight. The plumber is coming! Headlight also went on car (completing my triplet of disaster) but the very dishy student doctor fixed it for me. Bless!
Gosh, Lib, it's an absolute litany of disaster (I wonder, incidentally, why "litany" always has negative connotations these days - a litany of disaster, a litany of crimes, etc). I have a colleague whose bathroom fell into the flat beneath some time ago and for months she had to come to work early to have a shower there. So it could be worse...
wet and warm
*dances around crescent naked having just got out of shower*. I like hot water!
warm and erm..
Towel?
Gerrof!
I'm enjoying this.
fully clothed today
*waves at the boys*
Spoilsport
*sulks*
Brollies Inc
It's raining! Today is Friday. On Wednesday we had 12mm of rain. Thursday we had about the same and today we've had 25mm or a bit more since this morning (it's about 1420K as I type. Lovely steady rain as opposed to torrential downpours. Ya-friggin'-hoo.
P'raps you could this ) back for me if you'd be so kind. . . Ta.
sunny
with some cloud. but still nice! except I have a cold. bleah.
Boring grey weather. Bring back the rain! It was nice and melancholy the other day. Very atmospheric.
Many different shades of grey type weather with optional wet bits. Lovely.
Weather
(BM) Atmospheric weather, eh? You're getting there. Sorry to jump on you like this. :-)
Boring
Sorry about the hurrah over the weather, but it's been a bit dry here.
I suspect that I may have an ally here in Breadmaster as in my part of the world today is the BIG day as far as a sport called rugby league is concerned. Heaven only knows how many trees have been sacrificed in the lead up to this world event and yet, as if that were not enough, a number of radio stations and at least one television broadcaster are commencing their so-called coverage of this pivotal point of history at noon. The game itself starts at 19 o'clock.
Does this sort of thing happen in the U.K. or the U.S.of A. or, for that matter, Canada?
sports coverage
I remember when I was a child, they used to run incessant football (american) coverage around Christmas and New Year's! I think it was the Rose Bowl - horribly boring.
Bori...zzzzzz
[Dujon] Hard to say, since one would have to experience both to compare. However, I think I'm right in saying that inter-club tournaments can easily be avoided in the UK (in a way that international ones cannot). That is, you can't get away from the football World Cup, but it's easy never to hear anything of the Premiership. I knew nothing of it before working at Sky and was, moreover, compeletely unaware of the existence of similar leagues and suchlike in rugby (or in cricket, come to that). Whereas I don't think I ever saw a newspaper in New Zealand, local or national, that didn't have rugby on the front page.
backstage gossip
(Apologies for cross posting) In case you didn't receive the last email we sent out, we'd like to let you know that there are still 289 tickets left for sale for the recording of "I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue" at the New Theatre in Hull on Saturday 23rd October.
If these tickets have not sold by next Wednesday (6th October) we will advertise them formally.
So, if you'd like to buy tickets for this show, then try to do so by next Wednesday. The ticket prices are £10, £8.50 and £6.50. The show starts at 7.30pm (Doors open 7pm). The box office is open from Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm. The box office number is 01482 226655.
Also, in a previous email, we advertised Linda Smith's one-woman show at the Playhouse Theatre in Weston-Super-Mare on Thursday 7th October. Due to illness, Linda has regretfully had to cancel the performance. If you bought tickets, we suggest to telephone the box office on 01934 645544.
Have the Converƒation ƒtoppers ƒinally ƒtopped?
Conversation ftoppers
(Raak) No great loss if it has. Ye kindeft thing you can say about that game was that it didn't show certain people at ye beft.
"Criminal damage, I tell you!"
In the course of my work this morning, I went to inspect an empty Council property, to which we had attached metal screens over the doors and windows for security. As I was about to unlock the screen over the front door, I looked up and saw, scrawled in black permanent marker:

MC
CHALKY
04

Any explanations, Ms Davenport...?
KD was here
Eeek! I've been rumbled.
*rofl*
Two Wheelers
*Cross-Posting Alert*
ATTENTION MOTORBIKE/SCOOTER RIDERS
We, the research consultancy I work for, are looking for new bikers [commuters or enthusiasts] to participate in focus groups around the UK. We have sorted Birmingham, but still have a few vacancies for London Groups [12/13 Oct], Newcastle [19/20 Oct], Bristol [28/29 Oct] and Manchester [2/3 November]. All evenings. Fee of £30 paid for about an hour and a half. If you or any of your mates are interested please email me kedavenport at the hotmail address, but need to warn you that I'm on holiday for a week beginning 11th Oct.
arrow_circle_down
Want to play? Online Crescenteering lives on at Discord