I'll be off line for a week.

[Phil] Isn't that odd? I was there to sing in a concert in The Sage. I don't suppose you were too...

[Knobbly] Alas, The Sage wasn't built when I was there. I left in 1977 :-(

[Phil] Ah... I got the wrong end of the thingummy.

[Knobbly] ...which I deliberately proffered to you. Apols for a cheap stunt :-)

(Phil) Cunning, too.

Impromptu mini-virtual pilg in the MCiOS chat room a little while ago was greatly enjoyed by flerdle, nfras, Néa, nat and, briefly, Phil. These last two days I seem to have been able to "stay alive" in there for hours at a time (not zombie-ify like it used to - losing the connection somehow), so why not drop in, hang around for a while and see who turns up?

nfras mentioned that monday and thursday evenings (our times - about 11am UK time in summer) are likely for him, and I can try that too. UK nights, late, might be a possibility in the winter. Doesn't have to be formal, or lots of people. Suggest-o-matic!

[flerdle] Was that a specific invitation to nights and me? :-)

[Uncle Korky] The more the merrier! :-)

[UK] First time I read "UK" in flerdle's post I thought of you rather than the country I'm in - the rampant effect of context I assume!

[Tuj] Similarly, I wondered what flerdle might want with me late, possibly in the winter. Moving swiftly along.

It seems MCiOS is down.

[Rosie] It was probably asleep like everyone else at that time of night ;o)

I went to MC⁵ today; it was shut.

It's up but I rarely go there anyway.

Is everyone on holiday? Everyone here in NL is on hols - there's no traffic on the motorways and I can leave home for work 20 minutes later than normal. But the weather here has been lovely (if a little hot at times) and the mosquito population is thriving in the dykes :o(

Factory holidays, love 'em. When I lived in Hilversum it was the same. I was required to take only 2 weeks during July/August which meant that trips to the coast were really easy on the weekends.

Well - I've been on holiday for 11 days, but nothing's changed. Can I go away again?

[INJ] If when you come back your desk is still there, then it's a result. Quit complaining.

[Softers] I was borrowing a desk when I went on holiday. I came back to find everyone else had moved to a different building, but my monitor and docking station hadn't been moved. I don't know if that's a result or not - given that something usually gets lost if you let 'facilities' move it for you.

(Softers) I always regard it as a result if on returning to my car after the pub I find it is still there. On only one occasion has this not been the case and it was recovered about 6 hours later with a seriously damaged steering lock.

[INJ] That little remark is a great example of life mimicking art - have you seen the film 'Office Space'? Just beware when your desk is moved to the basement.

Or the men's room.

...busy listening to the cricket.

Ah, it's finished now. I'm here then. Anyone else?

I am but I'm just about to go out for a summer evening walk. And maybe a beer on the way back.

Back now. What have I missed?

[Kim] Don't fall off any Alps.

I haven't been abroad for years and years. Which is green of me, I suppose, but dull.

Hi! RjdBkz

Just back from the North York Moors - staying in a cottage belonging to friends. End of a multiply-gated track a mile from the road, no phone, no TV, nearest pub or shops half an hour away. No choice but to relax.

This is just to say that, if anyone has any new game ideas, I am not averse to the closure of the Harvard game. A month has passed since any new elements were discovered there. Some clever person might come up with an element that incorporates the winning move.

"Late For The Ball"? I always enjoyed that on "I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue".

[ImNotJohn] Batteries went dead in the old PPS then?

Can I just say that the Tesco's 'Three Bean Salad' represents excellent value for money? The one I just ate contained more like two hundred beans in it rather than just three.

Whereas I just had Thousand Island dressing on my salad and there wasn't a single island in it as far as I could tell.

[SMs] Skim-reading I thought Sierra Mike had quadruple-posted! But you both made me smile.

Hello there. I'm occasionally finding that this site doesn't load - I get a 'cannot connect to the website' message (or 'connection refused'), despite the fact that as far as I know, the server is running properly at the remote end. This has happened to me from two different networks, so I'd be interested to know if anyone else is experiencing this before I investigate further. It's quite sporadic, so you may not notice anything amiss.

I'm seeing it. About 15% of the time, at a guess.

Me too.

Right - that points to some kind of server problem.

I've seen it as well, in the last week.

Me too, occasionally, recently.

Support tell me it should now be fixed. Let me know if it happens again.

No problem this morning. I'm here, aren't I?

I've got a bottle of Angostura bitters. With roughly four dashes used so far, which leaves about a millennium's supply remaining. Does anyone actually use this stuff?? If so, what for? And how often? I'm wondering if Mr Angostura and company have a real racket going here, or if they're actually doing themselves a disservice by selling their customers centuries worth of their product in a single hit. Perhaps their sales would be better if they sold it in the same size bottle as, say, Tabasco or something. Just idle speculation as the chat here seems otherwise quiet…