Chat & Greetings 2005

Lady Arabella Mon Jan 05, 2015 7:43 pm

The following is an archive of material originally posted on the Harry Potter Lexicon Forum, hosted by World Crossing, which ceased operations on April 15th, 2011

Archivist's note: This is a continuation of the original Chat & Greeting Thread #5, picking up in January of 2005. The full year 2004 also consists of the original Chat & Greeting Threads . . . .

January Posts
February Posts
March Posts
April Posts
May Posts
June Posts
July Posts
August Posts
September Posts
October Posts
November Posts
December Posts

Lady Arabella Mon Jan 05, 2015 7:45 pm

The January posts pick up in the 5th Chat & Greeting Thread
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Elanor - Jan 1, 2005 1:44 am (#699 of 2956)

Happy New Year everybody! Bonne année!

May I borrow your words Mikie? They just express what I wanted to say: "I love the Lexicon and every single member out there" too!

Edit: First post of the HBP year on that thread! Cool! Time difference has its good points sometimes...

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Ydnam96 - Jan 1, 2005 2:12 am (#700 of 2956)

Happy New Year everyone. I hope that for all it is a wonderful, safe, blessed year!

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The giant squid - Jan 1, 2005 2:45 am (#701 of 2956)

Happy New Year, all!

Tomoe, I'm glad you took my "correction" well; after I posted I realized I could have come across as a bit of a jerk (or, in HP parlance, an insufferable know-it-all). I just happened to be "multigeeking"--engaging in two geek-worthy pursuits at the same time. When you mentioned Super35 I had literally just read about it on that other forum and kinda went nuts.

Marie: Egads! I remember that sweater. For some unknown reason I loved that thing, wore it until it absolutely would not fit anymore. My only excuse is that it was the 70's & I was too young to know better. I'm surprised neither of us mentioned our sister's unique spelling of her name when the Rebeccas were discussing that before. How's this sound: at the family reunion next summer, you hold her down & I'll read SS to her. I figure a couple hours of that would be enough to get her to read the rest on her own.

--Mike

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septentrion - Jan 1, 2005 3:36 am (#702 of 2956)

Happy New Year everyone ! Here are some Weasleys' creations for you !

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Julie Aronson - Jan 1, 2005 9:02 am (#703 of 2956)

Harry New Year everyone!!!

Julie

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Penny Lane. - Jan 1, 2005 9:13 am (#704 of 2956)

Happy New Year

I was wondering about something we were just discussing. I know that if I buy a DVD in France or from Amazon.com French edition, that I'll have to buy a new DVD play too - and probably a power adaptor. But what about CD players? If I purchased Harry Potter on French CD or cassette, would they work in my american player?

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Elanor - Jan 1, 2005 9:21 am (#705 of 2956)

Happy new year Penny!

I think the CD will work perfectly because I have bought some CDs when I travelled in the USA 4 years ago and they work well here in France, so the opposite has to be true (I think).

About DVDs, I don't think you would need a new DVD player, you can probably dezone yours and zone 2 DVDs should be read as well on your actual player. I don't know what DVD player you have but most of them are easy to dezone, you just have to enter a code with your remote control, though I know some are more difficult to dezone than others (especially older ones). I have a dezoned DVD player and I can read both zones 1 and 2 DVD just the same. I hope it will help you!

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septentrion - Jan 1, 2005 9:26 am (#706 of 2956)

Hi Penny ! Here is again a link to a French website which will explain you how to dezone your DVD player : dezone DVD. Just scroll down, click on the letter which is the first one of you DVD player brand ("P" for Philips for instance) and then look for your own model and follow the instructions. If you have troubles or don't understand something, mail me, I'll try and explain you. I'll soon know if their codes are right with the LoTR extended edition I ordered on amazon.comm which is due around Jan 10/20th.

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Prefect Marcus - Jan 1, 2005 9:30 am (#707 of 2956)

Happy New Year, one and all!

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TwinklingBlueEyes - Jan 1, 2005 9:56 am (#708 of 2956)

Happy New Year everyone!

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Marie E. - Jan 1, 2005 10:06 am (#709 of 2956)

Happy New Year everyone!!

Tomoe: The Santa was just a department store Santa. It must have been in St. Louis because it's the same same Santa from the last picture I had up.

Mike/squid: I think it's odd that she hasn't read the books yet. She always tells me that she never reads a book unless she's seen the movie and I know she's seen all the movies. Her husband actually owns the first three, for crying out loud! And the sweater...very Brady Bunch!

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Ticker - Jan 1, 2005 11:35 am (#710 of 2956)

Happy New Year!

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SarcasticGinny - Jan 1, 2005 12:27 pm (#711 of 2956)

Happy New Year to everyone here!

-Emily

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timrew - Jan 1, 2005 4:36 pm (#712 of 2956)

A Happy and Joyous New Year to each and every one of you. Be excellent to each other!

Tim

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hawkeyetkdchick - Jan 1, 2005 5:32 pm (#713 of 2956)

Happy New Year everyone!

Mary E: I'm still laughing over the "she-who-has-not-read-the-books" line-that was great!

My new year's resolution is to get back in shape and take 1st place at taekwondo nationals in April! It's something to keep me busy for most of the time until HBP comes out anyway.

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haymoni - Jan 1, 2005 5:56 pm (#714 of 2956)

Ah, Tim - nothing like a "Bill & Ted" reference to bring a smile to my face!

My New Year's resolution is to take the steps. I'm on the 7th floor at work. This was, of course, my resolution last year as well.

I did pretty well until the summer when I wore this really strappy pair of high-heeled sandals. They looked MAAAHVELOUS, but I knew I'd never make it through the day if I took those stairs.

It went downhill from there.

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Julia. - Jan 1, 2005 8:21 pm (#715 of 2956)

Woo-Hoo, first post of the new year! Hope everyone had a good evening yesterday, a good day today, and a nice kiss at midnight.

This morning in Synagogue the rabbi was out of town, so my dad gave the sermon. It was very nice, but he misquoted me. Typical of him. My friend's annual new years party this afternoon. To my great surprise, our gift of hot sauce was well recieved.

To answer Marie's question, I made new years resolutions three months ago on the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah. My resolution was to give to charity every week before lighting Shabbos candles, and I'll have you know I kept it!

Is it just me or is everyone on the east coast having insanely warm weather these days?

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I Am Used Vlad - Jan 1, 2005 9:13 pm (#716 of 2956)

It is not you, Julia. I saw people wearing shorts today. That's not normal for January in Pennsylvania.

I never make resolutions because I know I will break them.

Once again, Happy New Year to all forum members.

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The giant squid - Jan 1, 2005 11:46 pm (#717 of 2956)

Be excellent to each other!

Party on, dude!

C'mon, don't tell me that, haymoni, Tim & I are the only “Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure” fans...

Marie, how did I know you'd make a Brady Bunch reference? Folks, if you think she's a Potter freak, you should quiz her on Brady trivia. It's frightening!

--Mike

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From Venus - Jan 2, 2005 3:41 am (#718 of 2956)

I, too, wish all of you righteous dudes and dudettes a totally bogus-free and excellent new year.

And, the weather has gone warm here also, in southern Indiana, all my beautiful Christmas snow is gone already. It's rather depressing, really. (I like snow)

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Rod Beecham - Jan 2, 2005 3:58 am (#719 of 2956)

Happy New Year, everyone.

I love this Forum and am yet to discover a boring person on it.

Here in Melbourne, Australia, the weather is warm, but not especially so for the time of year. In 2004 a real-life Dolores Umbridge took over my son's school - I hope things will improve in 2005!

Where are Fred and George when you need them?

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Chemyst - Jan 2, 2005 6:46 am (#720 of 2956)

I love this Forum and am yet to discover a boring person on it. – Rod
Allow me to introduce myself...

Actually, I agree quite heartily with you. And even though some may find it boring to read through an excess of "I agree" posts, agreement works for this one. Happy New Year to all you non-boring & ecstatically engrossed Potter fans.

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Eponine - Jan 2, 2005 8:43 am (#721 of 2956)

San Dimas High School football rules!!!

Happy New Year everyone!

Julia, it was fairly warm here in NC the past few days. We even turned our air on for a few minutes. But that might be because my husband would prefer the house to be about 60 degrees. I don't let him get the house that cold.

Did anyone make any resolutions? I'm not very good at keeping mine, so I'm still trying to decide if I'm actually going to call them resolutions.

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Pinky - Jan 2, 2005 9:56 am (#722 of 2956)

I hereby resolve to eat more candy, enjoy life to the fullest (despite all the nasties that happen regularly), make people laugh, and duck my next evaluation at St. Mungo's.

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Julia. - Jan 2, 2005 11:30 am (#723 of 2956)

Good afternoon everyone. It's insanely warm here for January. My mum racked the leaves yesterday, since she didn't do it in the fall when they fell.

Eponie, I already said on this thread that I made my resolutions three months ago, and I've kept mine so far. I also kept the one I made last year, which was to go to synagogue every Shabbos.

Well, off to check the threads and watch the world figure skating championship.

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hawkeyetkdchick - Jan 2, 2005 1:53 pm (#724 of 2956)

I had an Umbridge for a teacher once... it was horrible. Thankfully it was only for one semester, and they were just a visiting professor, so no one else has to suffer through that person. Even the other faculty (the ones I've talked to anyway) seemed not to approve of this person(they didn't say anything bluntly, but you could tell with the tone of their voices and how they said certain things). I'll stop now, or I'll take up three whole posts complaining about this person.

It is unseasonably warm here in Iowa, too (although I think we're supposed to be getting freezing rain tonight).

Go Hawkeyes!

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Accio Sirius - Jan 2, 2005 4:33 pm (#725 of 2956)

Hi everyone! It's unseasonably warm here too...so much in fact that our wonderful Christmas tree that we got in the country gave birth to hundreds of little praying mantis. Apparently, the insects attach their pods to tree branches, and well, we got the lucky tree and kept the pods nice and incubated and tada...woke up to hundreds of little bugs all over the living room!!! They were kind of cute, and I am a big fan of the praying mantis (in the backyard taking care of other nasty bugs). However, there is a limit to my hospitality. I was hoping to a better start of the New Year, but I swear, it's like Accio Sirius' series of unfortunate events around here! Hope everyone else is off to a better start!

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Gina R Snape - Jan 2, 2005 6:51 pm (#726 of 2956)

Oh my, Accio. How dreadful!

Supposedly, praying manti are good luck. So, even if you had to get rid of them, perhaps it was a good omen for the coming year!

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From Venus - Jan 2, 2005 7:46 pm (#727 of 2956)

OH my goodness, Accio, I have to apologize to you because your post made me laugh so hard. I know things have been rough for you; I really feel for you after having read the article about your family. But praying mantises? From the Christmas tree?? That's just too much!!

Well, just think of it this way, the year can always get better!

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Julia. - Jan 2, 2005 8:51 pm (#728 of 2956)

Lol Accio. I know I shouldn't be laughing, but that does sound rather funny. I hope you get that sorted out soon.

I'm watching on the YES Network a review of all the no-hiters in Yankee history. They're talking about David Wells' now, which means that David Cone's is next. I'm all excited. I love David Cone. *squees with joy*

An Umbeidge teacher?! Hmmmm, Can't say I've ever had an Umbridge. I've had a Lockhart, several Lupins, and the living version of Binns though.

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Ydnam96 - Jan 2, 2005 9:02 pm (#729 of 2956)

OMG Accio, that would have freaked me out! I hate insects. Any kind of insect. Yuck.

I went and saw the Rose Parade floats today. We got through about half of them before it started raining. IT is sooo amazing what they can do with plants and all that. WOW. If you ever get a chance to come out to Pasadena California for New Years I would recommend going to see them. Smile

Tomorrow I go on a retreat with work, to Newport beach. Which should be fun, but it's supposed to pour down rain the entire time Sad

Oh well, it will be nice to just relax!

Hope everyone's 2005 is going well!

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hawkeyetkdchick - Jan 2, 2005 9:05 pm (#730 of 2956)

Julia- Several Lupins? How lucky! I have never had a Lupin... well, maybe one. So did you manage to stay awake during your "Binns" classes?

Accio- How horrible! Hopefully the manti (is that the plural of mantus?) will bring you good luck, as Gina suggested.

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Julia. - Jan 2, 2005 9:20 pm (#731 of 2956)

So how did you manage to stay awake during your "Binns" classes?—Hawkeye
I didn't. I was asleep with in ten minutes every day, except on the days when he gave quizzes. Those days you had to stay awake 20 minutes, because that was about how long it took for him to give the answers. You're right though, I had three Lupins. They were the most amazing people in the world! You can see why I want to be a teacher.

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kabloink! - Jan 2, 2005 10:22 pm (#732 of 2956)

Happy belated New Year everyone!!

My New Year's resolution is to lose about 25 lbs or so and 2 sizes...'course I also figure if I couldn't do it for my wedding, what will I do it for?

I have to say the praying mantis thing freaks me out. I hate bugs and for some reason, praying mantises have always freaked me out especially badly. Maybe it has something to do with BUffy and the Teacher's Pet episode...

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Elanor - Jan 2, 2005 11:27 pm (#733 of 2956)

Good morning/ night /afternoon wherever you are!

Here, it is already Monday morning and I am ready to go back to work. I was feeling a little down but to read the new posts before going this morning cheered me up, as usual!

I wish you all a great Monday and I hope it won't be too hard for you! I can't wait till this evening when I will come here again. This is a cheering thought for today!

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The giant squid - Jan 3, 2005 2:26 am (#734 of 2956)

As it is 1:30AM Pacific time, and thus 3:30AM Mountain time, allow me to be the first to wish Marie E. a happy birthday!

The things I'll do to keep from buying a birthday card...

--Mike

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Tomoé - Jan 3, 2005 3:26 am (#735 of 2956)

My resolution this year, to lose 20lds.

I wasn't upset at all Mike, you're far more knowledgeable than me on cinema, so I likely get the information from an unreliable website. And I'm as a nickpick as you when it comes to Middle Ages. ^_^

Thanks Marie, I thought the Santa was one of your uncle or something since it was the same guy on both picture, I guessed wrong.

Julia -> My resolution was to give to charity every week
Does that means there will be more premium members around? ^_~

Timrew -> Be excellent to each other!
It's been quite a while since I saw those two excellent movies, but I get the pun nonetheless. ^_^

I own at least two dozens of Japanese CDs and they work perfectly in any CD player (while my Japanese DVDs don't normally work in American DVD player). Thank for the info about how to "de-zone" a DVD player, Septentrion.

Edit:
Happy Birthday Marie!

It was warmer than usual here too, it rained on December 31st! rained the whole day for crying out loud! we lost half of the snow between Christmas and January 1st, it's look like spring outside.

I'm so sorry for you Accio Sirius, count me with the ones who deeply hate insects, I also hate summer for that reason.

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boop - Jan 3, 2005 4:57 am (#736 of 2956)

Happy Birthday Marie E., Have a wonderful day!!!

Accio Sirius, sorry to hear of your insect ordeal. I have to admit, I laughed also when I read it. How did you get rid of them all?

Happy Monday, Everyone have a great day!!

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septentrion - Jan 3, 2005 5:41 am (#737 of 2956)

Happy birthday Marie !

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Julie Aronson - Jan 3, 2005 5:41 am (#738 of 2956)

Happy birthday Marie E. !

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Mrs. Sirius - Jan 3, 2005 6:00 am (#739 of 2956)

The most wonderful time of the year! (the cherubs go back to school today). Happy birthday Marie.

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hawkeyetkdchick - Jan 3, 2005 6:25 am (#740 of 2956)

Happy Birthday Marie E!

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Leprechaun Jack! - Jan 3, 2005 6:35 am (#741 of 2956)

Happy Birthday Marie E!!

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Doris Crockford - Jan 3, 2005 6:56 am (#742 of 2956)

Happy Birthday, Marie E! Hope you have a great day!

Well, I'm off to school for the first day back. Hooray (note the sarcasm Chat & Greetings 2005 1242194059

). On the plus side, I finished my essay this morning. It was 17 pages long (including some pictures, a title page, table of contents, etc.), so I had to wrestle with the stapler for a while, but it's done and stapled, and I'm handing it in! Hopefully, I never have to see it again.

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Accio Sirius - Jan 3, 2005 7:32 am (#743 of 2956)

Happy Birthday Marie!

Don't worry about laughing guys! I had to laugh too, otherwise I would have freaked out entirely. I think we got rid of most of the bugs. I tried to capture as many as I could and release them outside. We put the tree outside so that some of them have a fighting chance. The rest were vacuumed up. I can't even talk about how many were in the curtains!! I'm going to chalk each and every one of the little suckers up as an omen of good luck and then go a take several long hot showers!!

Happy Monday to all!

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mike miller - Jan 3, 2005 7:34 am (#744 of 2956)

Happy Birthday Marie E!!

Accio - How did you get rid of your little house guests? I find the vacuum cleaner's hose attachment to be very effective on many types of small invaders.

Unseasonally warm again today, high around 60 degrees F. I'm technically on holiday today since my company gives us both New Years Eve and New Years Day and New Years Day was on a Saturday. I hope to spend most of the day doing a little PC gaming (very little work).

Everyone enjoy the first Monday of the new year!

EDIT: I cross posted with Accio, glad to hear you were able to release some of your little visitors.

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 3, 2005 7:37 am (#745 of 2956)

I'm very attached to my "obsolete" tv. Not for me these showy HDTV's. Mine, with its faux wood grain finish, has character. --- Lupin is Lupin

It sounds like soon a blank screen will be its main characteristic.

Razz

I hope everyone had a good New Year.

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VeronikaG - Jan 3, 2005 8:11 am (#746 of 2956)

Happy birthday Marie!

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Julia. - Jan 3, 2005 10:54 am (#747 of 2956)

Good morning everyone!

Accio, glad to hear that you finally got your praying mantis sitiuation sorted out. Now I can go back to laughing in peace.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARIE!!!!! Have a birthday butterbeer on me. *hands Marie butterbeer* Have a great day and an amazing year!!!

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John Bumbledore - Jan 3, 2005 11:34 am (#748 of 2956)

. . . praying mantis situation sorted out.

Must have sorted out to "Huff-N-Puff." Hagrid would be appalled by the vacuum usage.

<)B^D= (John) Bumbledore.

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I Am Used Vlad - Jan 3, 2005 11:58 am (#749 of 2956)

Happy bithday, Marie E.

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Eponine - Jan 3, 2005 1:21 pm (#750 of 2956)

Happy Birthday, Marie E! Have some chocolate and a butterbeer.

Lady Arabella Mon Jan 05, 2015 7:47 pm

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Elanor - Jan 3, 2005 1:24 pm (#751 of 2956)

Happy Birthday Marie E!

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 3, 2005 2:22 pm (#752 of 2956)

Hey, Loopy! I saw that!

I don't care what you say, I'm sticking with "old tried and true". After all, what's a blank screen to a girl who doesn't even have a microwave.

And to Chemyst: the "allow me to introduce myself" line was priceless. I had wanted to respond to that one myself but couldn't pull my wits together. You did an outstanding job.

Happy New Year to all!

*scans the horizon for Catherine*

Where's a pirate when you need one?

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Gina R Snape - Jan 3, 2005 3:02 pm (#753 of 2956)

Happy Birthday Marie E!!

Ooof, I gotta say. It's really hard getting back to work after being off for over a week.

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timrew - Jan 3, 2005 4:49 pm (#754 of 2956)

Best wishes for your birthday, Marie E!

It's 60 degrees F here too, Mike. 30 in the morning, and 30 in the afternoon! Why do I keep living in England?

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hawkeyetkdchick - Jan 3, 2005 5:16 pm (#755 of 2956)

Accio, I'm glad you got rid of your "guests." When you were talking about them being in the curtains I was reminded of the doxy scene in OotP! You didn't have to spray them with anything, did you?

Well, today we got freezing rain, so the weather is pretty crappy! Most of the schools around here were closed. I take the city bus to work, so I didn't have to drive, but trying to get across the parking lot of my apartment complex to get to the bus stop was interesting.... I also need to go buy a new cell phone (I put mine through the washing machine ), but I really don't want to scrape off the 1/2 inch of solid ice that is covering my car. I also think we're supposed to get more freezing rain tomorrow! Ick!

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TwinklingBlueEyes - Jan 3, 2005 7:50 pm (#756 of 2956)

Happy Birthday Marie E! Hope you had a rememborable day! Is that a word?

Any word from Catherine or about would be nice. She is sorely missed here!

*holding my crystal ball and cackling like a, hmm, well, as I am escorted back to St. Mungoes...seems my holiday pass expired*

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kabloink! - Jan 3, 2005 8:23 pm (#757 of 2956)

Wow lots of stuff to comment on, I missed some stuff in my last post.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Marie E!!

I saw Phantom last week-two nights in a row. It was FABULOUS, except for the phantom himself. That, however, appears to be only the opinion of my hubby and myself, as everyone else I have talked to about thought he was wonderful...

Finally, is anybody in Michigan planning on getting together for the midnight release of HBP? If so, I was wondering where, as I will otherwise reserve a copy at the Barnes and Noble that I work at.

Okay, I guess that wasn't all that much to comment on, but I feel like this is a rather long post for me. Hope everyone is having a good day!

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dizzy lizzy - Jan 3, 2005 11:33 pm (#758 of 2956)

Happy Birthday Marie E.!!

Accio, I was wondering how easy it was going to be to get rid of your guests. I am glad you got it all sorted out.

Lizzy

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Essidji - Jan 4, 2005 1:57 am (#759 of 2956)

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!

I have a strange feeling writing today, a little bit like shyness... I haven't posted for such a long time that, now, it's like I never have.

But I know all of you are so great, no need to worry.

I will have more time to post now, because I left my job. My boss was unbearable. I told my Grandma "we divorced", but she did not understand I was talking about my job, she thought I was saying I really divorced from my hubby. When I saw her face, I even added something like "well, that's life, Granny", and I suppose it worsened her idea. Poor Granny, she must have spent the most terrible Christmas Day in her last ten years! Eventually she decided to ask to my mum, who comforted her, saying "of course not, they won't divorce, she (only) lost her job! She is on the contrary very lucky to have her Seb (that's his name) at her side, in this situation".

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Rod Beecham - Jan 4, 2005 2:12 am (#760 of 2956)

Essidji, as a serial job-loser (well-known to the police) I send you my best wishes. For what it's worth, I think you did the right thing. Life is too short and too precious to be wasted on obnoxious superiors.

Marie E., I hope yesterday was a wonderful day for you.

Accio, I want you to come to Melbourne immediately to dispose of the ants and wasps that are infesting my house!

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dizzy lizzy - Jan 4, 2005 3:16 am (#761 of 2956)

Well said Rod. I am contemplating that course of action - chucking my job in. Life is too short not to have a go at being happy. And obnoxious bullies as bosses don't constitute a happy job. I've given myself until the end of January to try and find something else to tide me over.

The only problem is, all I'm interested in is HBP, everything else is irrelevant at this stage.

Lizzy

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septentrion - Jan 4, 2005 3:57 am (#762 of 2956)

Hi Essidji ! My mind is shared between the pleasure to see you more around here and to know you've at least got rid of your own dementor, and sadness because you're jobless again...Feel free to ask me for advice !

Everyone have a great day/night.

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Marè - Jan 4, 2005 4:07 am (#763 of 2956)

Hey Essidji! You should never feel shy about posting here. You know we love to hear from every-one. (We are quite the little gossip club, aren't we?)

I hope you find a new, dementorless job soon!

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boop - Jan 4, 2005 4:40 am (#764 of 2956)

Welcome Back Essidji, you were missed!!! Glad to hear you could make the choice to leave a very unhappy job. Good luck finding a new job.

Have a good day everyone !!!

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Detail Seeker - Jan 4, 2005 5:40 am (#765 of 2956)

Happy new year to everybody; to those, who had a birthday around double so !

I just came back from Edinburgh, where my girl friend convinced me was the best place to celebrate the change of years (and it lived up to those expectations), and learned, that Edinburgh is a place that can be ruled out as being Hogsmeade. I went to the "Hogs Head" there and no Aberforth Dumbledore was to be found. But it was much cleaner than the Hogsmeade version....

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Marè - Jan 4, 2005 6:24 am (#766 of 2956)

Oooh, that sounds so cool Detail Seeker! Edingburgh is still very high on my “to see” list, but I didn't even know they had a "Hogs Head" there. Was it very crammed with HP freaks?

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From Venus - Jan 4, 2005 8:31 am (#767 of 2956)

Marè, I love your new avatar!

Accio, I'm glad you got control of your "population explosion". I hope you don't get startled by any stragglers. Count me in as an insect detester. I also hate summer because that's when there are the most bugs. Some are very interesting to watch and learn about; so long as I don't have to touch them it's OK. But I hate them buzzing and crawling around me. Ugh! But, the worst of all; the ones that send me running and screaming; are SPIDERS. I am TERRIFIED of spiders! I almost moved back to Chicago because of the size and quantity of them down here in southern Indiana. They are the worst problem in the fall because they want to get inside when it gets cold. It completely ruins my second favorite season for me. And so, that's enough about that subject!!

Well, I know there was something else that I wanted to say, but my brain has gone completely buggy with that last item, so, I'm off to collect myself. Have a great Tuesday, everyone!

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Rod Beecham - Jan 4, 2005 12:54 pm (#768 of 2956)

Ah yes, spiders!

You have company, From Venus: I've always been irrationally frightened of spiders myself (it's a very common phobia, I believe).

They come inside here when it's wet, also. I've trained myself to catch them and put them outside again rather than to kill them - it's not their fault that I'm afraid of them, after all - but, while I've reached a sort of accommodation with spiders, I still don't like them!

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Eponine - Jan 4, 2005 1:09 pm (#769 of 2956)

I don't particularly care for spiders either, but I still have to kill them and other bugs as well because my husband HATES bugs. I worked at a camp one summer, and I had to get over my bug phobia, because if I didn't do something about the bugs, I would have 12 screaming 7 year old girls on my hands. That's not a lot of fun. I do have one bug that freaks me out more than anything...ladybugs. I know, they're supposed to be sweet and cute, but they give me the collywobbles.

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Accio Sirius - Jan 4, 2005 1:31 pm (#770 of 2956)

A friend of mine just told me it is illegal to kill a praying mantis. I'm going on the assumption that none of you will turn me in...right??

Rod, I always wanted to see Australia, although I'm horribly terrified of wasps. I'll phone in advice from the nearest pub!

hawkeyetkdchick: I didn't even think of the Doxies! Where's Molly Weasly when you need her!

Eponine, I just saw a woman on TV whose house was inexplicably overrun by ladybugs! Glad it wasn't you!

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Ladybug220 - Jan 4, 2005 2:48 pm (#771 of 2956)

Eponine - that is a problem considering there are lots of ladybugs in NC. Obviously, I like them and it is a good thing too as the house got invaded by some around Halloween.

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Detail Seeker - Jan 4, 2005 3:06 pm (#772 of 2956)

Maré, I am afraid, there were no open visible HP-fans in Edinburgh´s "Hog's Head" - but it was so crammed, that I did not look too intensively. If /when you go to Edinburgh: You will find it in "Rose Street", right in the town centre, a street full of little pubs.

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Eponine - Jan 4, 2005 3:16 pm (#773 of 2956)

I think the reason I have such a dislike for ladybugs is they invaded my room about 4 winters in a row. Nowhere else in the house, just my room, so I was constantly finding them in my bed, my drawers, my desk, etc. I'm fine with them as long as the actual bug is nowhere in my vicinity.

Detail Seeker, I'm quite jealous that you were able to visit the Hog's Head. One of these days I'm going to make it over there and go on a Harry Potter site seeing excursion.

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hawkeyetkdchick - Jan 4, 2005 4:17 pm (#774 of 2956)

Eponine- I had a similar thing with ladybugs happen to me for the last two years. They were no where else in the apartment but my room. My boyfriend usually gets most of the bugs that come into our apartment, but I am the one that ends up dealing with the ladybugs (I think they're actually Asian beetles around here-very similar to ladybugs), because my boyfriend is so afraid of them!

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Accio Sirius - Jan 4, 2005 4:56 pm (#775 of 2956)

Detail Seeker, That does sound fun. Maybe you saw Alberforth and just didn't know it. Isn't he banned from The Hogs Head and has to disguise himself, or was that Mundungus? I have never made it to England, yet. But I just watched King Arthur and have that Anglo envy all over again. I just love the accents!

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From Venus - Jan 4, 2005 8:02 pm (#776 of 2956)

We get invaded by ladybugs every autumn. Actually, they are called asian beetles, as Hawkeye said. They swarm all over the outside of the house and any tiny crack will have them filing in. They're kind of cute one at a time, but in swarms they are just plain creepy. And they STINK!! If you use a vacuum cleaner to clean them up, you have to empty the bag right away. Because if you use it again in another room, it makes the whole room stink.

My exterminator told me that it is against the law to kill them, but he also said that you can exterminate for other bugs and usually that will help with them, also. Anyways, the farmers around here use them to control aphids on soy beans, and then, when the soy beans are harvested, the pest control becomes the pest. Lovely.

Rod...I am SO afraid of spiders, that I can't get close enough to them to catch them. I can't even manage to swat them with a fly swatter or a broom. I've tried, but I just can't do it. I'm pretty much a mess of a person when there's a spider around. I usually jump up on a table or chair and scream and carry on like an idiot. It's a true phobia, it makes no sense, but still, there it is.

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Eponine - Jan 4, 2005 8:10 pm (#777 of 2956)

Why is it against the law to kill them? Are they an endangered bug? Is there such a thing as endangered bugs? Maybe it was asian beetles, and not ladybugs invading my room. Either way, ladybugs still make me all squickly.

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From Venus - Jan 4, 2005 8:13 pm (#778 of 2956)

Eponine, I think it's because they are used for pest control. Therefore they are considered a beneficial bug and are not supposed to be exterminated.

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mollis - Jan 4, 2005 8:21 pm (#779 of 2956)
Edited by Jan 4, 2005 7:23 pm

Yes, Eponine, there is such a thing as an endangered bug. You can find a complete list of federally listed endangered species here: http://ecos.fws.gov/tess_public/TESSWebpageVipListed?code=I&listings=0#I The praying mantis is not listed, though. Not sure why it would be illegal to kill them unless they were listed on a local endangered species list.

On a subject completely un-related to bugs - we are in the middle of one heck of a winter storm! We are supposed to get about an inch of ice and up to 6 inches of snow over the next 24 hours! I really hope that we don't lose our trees. This kind of ice is a gardeners worst nightmare! On the bright side, I'll be working from home tomorrow, so I can surf to my hearts content!

Edit: Cross-posted with From Venus. Could be a beneficial bug thing, especially if they are used in agriculture.

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Julia. - Jan 4, 2005 8:28 pm (#780 of 2956)

Are Eponine and I the only two people on this forum who are not creeped out by little bugs? My sister is very creeped out by them, and she's the only one in my family who doesn't like them, so it's up to the rest of us to kill them, lest she freak out.

EDIT: Cross posted with Mollis. Oh, snow storm! I also hope you don't lose your trees, and that the snow doesn't make traveling too difficult.

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mollis - Jan 4, 2005 8:33 pm (#781 of 2956)
Edited by Jan 4, 2005 7:35 pm

Nope. Bugs don't bother me at all when outside. When they are in my house I don't like them a whole lot. I am usually the one to squish the spiders for my hubby. (Better not let him know I told you that one! ) And for all of you spider lovers...

Edit: Hi Julia!

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From Venus - Jan 4, 2005 8:43 pm (#782 of 2956)

Gee, thanks Mollis.

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Pinky - Jan 4, 2005 9:01 pm (#783 of 2956)

I was the official bug/spider squisher in my family growing up. Even my brothers would holler for me to come get the spider for them.

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Eponine - Jan 4, 2005 9:04 pm (#784 of 2956)

Mollis, thanks for the info on endangered bugs. I never knew there was such a thing.

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mollis - Jan 4, 2005 9:07 pm (#785 of 2956)

I am happy to share Eponine! We "insufferable-know-it-all's" can never have too much information!

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 4, 2005 9:10 pm (#786 of 2956)

Has anyone seen Denise P. lately? People keep disappearing and it's starting to feel like an episode of The Twilight Zone.

*hopes Denise has gone in search of Catherine and that both will be back soon*

EDIT: By the way mollis, cute baby!

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Denise P. - Jan 4, 2005 9:12 pm (#787 of 2956)

I am here every day, I just don't always post Where is Catherine??

Wanna head up a search party?

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 4, 2005 9:23 pm (#788 of 2956)

Ahhh, there you are! Have you abandoned your MSN? You can't still be wrapping, can you?

As for a search party, I already sent one out.

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Julia. - Jan 4, 2005 10:01 pm (#789 of 2956)

Can I join the search party? I have nothing better do to for a while.

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hawkeyetkdchick - Jan 4, 2005 10:03 pm (#790 of 2956)

mollis- we've had freezing rain here, too, so we have about 1/2 inch of ice, and now it's snowing. We're scheduled for 8-14 inches of snow by thursday morning. I am actually planning on traveling to Kansas City this Friday. I hope the weather clears up (here and there) before then!

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Marie E. - Jan 4, 2005 10:24 pm (#791 of 2956)

Thank you everyone for the lovely birthday wishes. I was very disappointed yesterday to find that I didn't have any presents or even a cake from my family. My husband feels guilty enough to ask me where he can buy the Hogwarts Lego castle. Yay! Guilt works! I did get a cake from work, chocolate-yum!

I watched an Twilight Zone marathon this weekend. (Lupin is Lupin's post reminded me of that.) I was wisecracking along with the episodes and then realized I sounded like the robots on Mystery Science Theater 3000. Ah, I miss that show.

It is freezing here and we're supposed to be getting snow and freezing rain tonight. The kids are supposed to go back to school tomorrow and they better not cancel school or I'll picket! They are driving me crazy.

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dizzy lizzy - Jan 4, 2005 11:24 pm (#792 of 2956)

The bugs really got me laughing. I don't like spiders in general, but I will go out of my way to remove them from my shower - alive - before I get in it. My house is home to the tiny house spiders that eat bugs, mozzies, flies etc. I prefer to dispose of inside pests outside and let mother nature deal with them.

Marie, I hope all our birthday wishes more than made up for the lack of a birthday cake.

Lizzy

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Julia. - Jan 4, 2005 11:30 pm (#793 of 2956)

Oh yes Lizzy. Bugs in the shower are not good. That really creeps me out. I don't need little crawling things around while I'm trying to get all clean.

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The giant squid - Jan 4, 2005 11:39 pm (#794 of 2956)

Essidji: Let me add my support to your decision to remove yourself from an unhappy & unhealthy workplace. I've found that I'd rather work in a low-paying job that I like than something I can't stand but pays well. Luckily I've managed to confuse convince my bosses that I'm worth the extra expenditure and managed to get promoted twice in the last three years. So sometimes taking the "worse" job pays off in the long run!

Julia: I'm not so much a bug-hater, though I did live in a place that at its best can only be described in words unusable on this forum ... after a while they outgrow their welcome. Southern California has the most interesting insects.

Marie: Congrats on the guilt-trip. Good luck finding the castle (hey, that was almost a Princess Bride reference) though. Everywhere I've looked lately is completely sold out of the HP Legos. Well, except for "Draco's Encounter with Buckbeak"--the one I've already got, of course... :rolleyes:

--Mike
smilie check successful

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Marè - Jan 5, 2005 3:30 am (#795 of 2956)

From Venus, thanks I thought a triwizard mermaid was a nice way to switch from my usual watery avatars to some harry potter themed ones.

And Detail Seeker, I was so sure that you would have seen at least one person with a wizards hat! Too bad

Edit: this bug discussion is creeping me out, my worst creepy animals: maggots or little worms (we had a bit of an infested kitchen once... some-one moved out and left some food at an unfindable place...jegh!) and leeches! (Okay, so they are technically no bugs, but they are creepy nonetheless!)

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mollis - Jan 5, 2005 7:24 am (#796 of 2956)
Edited by Jan 5, 2005 6:27 am

Well, I'm iced in this morning! About 1/8" of ice on everything, so not too bad. But the snow is going to be starting soon. Could get up to 5 inches today/tonight. And its supposed to get down to 0 degrees (-18C)tonight. Brrrrrr!

By the way mollis, cute baby!

Thanks! I am a very proud Auntie. Especially since when we pulled out the baby books to compare his pics to my brothers - my nephew didn't look so much like my brother, but looked exactly like me!

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From Venus - Jan 5, 2005 7:42 am (#797 of 2956)

Good Wednesday morning everyone! The weather here is the worst...cold and raining. It's been raining for days, all the beautiful snow is all gone and has been replaced with puddles and mud. A lot of our roads are flooding, and so it takes longer to get to town now, because so many roads are closing. The lack of sun is getting everyone down, even the kids. We could use some cheering charms over here.

I agree with you, Marè, the bug discussion is definitly creepy. I groomed dogs and cats for years, and I saw all kinds of creepy stuff that I think I'll refrain from mentioning here; I'll just say that your mention of maggots put me in mind of it. One time, a fellow employee asked me why did the Lord create creatures like fleas, ticks, and flies and maggots, and I told her it was because He wants to remind us that this isn't Paradise. As if we need reminders.

Anyways, here's a happy sun for everyone out there who is stuck in the gloom........

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Accio Sirius - Jan 5, 2005 9:43 am (#798 of 2956)

Here's to a general weather charm to brighten everyone's day.

I got a nice bug-free surprise today. The video store gladly gave me the BIG POA movie display after I asked what they were going to do with it! The manager said they throw most things out, so I figure even if it just hangs out at my house for a while then goes in the trash, it's fun to have around. It's HUGE!! This takes away some of the envy I still carry for Mike's (aka Giant Squid) POA theater sign post! : )

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kabloink! - Jan 5, 2005 10:25 am (#799 of 2956)

Hi everyone! I am one of the many people expecting snow today. We got ice the night before last, a bit of snow last night, and starting late this afternoon, we are expecting 5-11inches by tomorrow morning. THank you Wisconsin! Actually, I don't mind it so much. Or, I wouldn't if they would actually learn to plow THROUGHOUT the snow here in Lansing. Grand Rapids has actually learned how to manage plowing during snowstorms. I think they are the only city in Michigan to do so, or at least in the lower penninsula.

I hate bugs in general. Ladybugs aren't too bad, but about 4 1/2 years ago, the asian beetles were introduce to Michigan to help deal with aphids and mosquitoes, I believe. Now they've destroyed the native population and have taken over. Apparantly the asian beetles bite, while regular ladybugs don't. I've never been bitten by one personally, but my friends claim that they have.

Spiders...shudder...I hate spiders. It is a true phobia with me, as well. Sometimes I can manage to kill them, but not usually. When we cleaned out our garage this fall, my husband had to do it. We had moved in in May and stashed a whole bunch of stuff out there, essentially not touching it again until September. THus we had a huge spider infestation. My husband used up a can and a half of raid that day... We live in a small town surrounded on three sides by farm land and trees, so we have some pretty big spiders that manage to make their way into town. Its gross. I hate them...

Okay enough of that for today. Just had to add to the bug discussion.

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Gina R Snape - Jan 5, 2005 10:44 am (#800 of 2956)

I must be the only one here, then, who doesn't hate spiders and ladybugs. Not that I want a swarm of them in my house... But I rather like them. Spiders and ladybugs are our natural allies against other insects. I never kill spiders when I see them. I usually try to coax them back outside if I can, and wonder if there is a reason why it was in my flat. And I have a tattoo on my right shoulderblade of a ladybug, winking, sitting on a leaf with a spiderweb on the leaf. (I had a spiderweb tattoo that I wanted to change, see, and now the ladybug is winking because she knows to avoid the spiderweb!).

Now big fat NYC flying roaches, on the other hand, I can do without. But thankfully I have Nymphadora around to catch the odd one that shows up.

Lady Arabella Mon Jan 05, 2015 7:48 pm

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scoop2172000 - Jan 5, 2005 11:10 am (#801 of 2956)

I don't mind spiders, and I rather like ladybugs, but stinging insects give me the creeps. Bees, hornets, yellow jackets -- yikes. My boggart would turn into a swarm of hornets.

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KWeldon - Jan 5, 2005 11:46 am (#802 of 2956)

If I may join this thread...

How about scorpions, anyone? My daughter was stung by one in a towel she picked up, and the sight of it falling back down to the ground with its tail curled high above its body gives me chills to this day. Of course, I had told her to pick up the towel. They creeped me out before this happened, but now it's much worse.

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 5, 2005 12:46 pm (#803 of 2956)

CATHERINE UPDATE:

The search party's back and they bring news! Catherine sent me an email today and to make a long story short computer problems and the busyness of the holidays made trips to the Forum an impossibility. She hopes to be back soon and is sorry to have missed sharing all the excitement of the HBP release date.

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Julia. - Jan 5, 2005 12:46 pm (#804 of 2956)

Oh boy, snow. I woke up this afternoon to find that the lovely weather of the past few days has been replaced by snow. Oh boy.

I also don't hate spiders or lady bugs. A friend of mine had a resident lady bug in her dorm room, and I went over quite a few times to visit. Spiders don't bother me either. When I find one in my house I pick it up on a tissue and let it outside. The only bug I really kill is ants. I can't stand them crawling on me when I'm trying to do something.

I think I have the worst bug story though. I'm sure quite a few of you ahve heard tales of my high school. One of my favorites is that an animal of some sort crawled into the space between the second and third floors and died. It happened to pick a spot above my history teacher's classroom. After a few weeks of rotting, some of the maggots that were growing on it decided to fall through on the ceiling and on to some poor girl's head. Yeah, that was gross.

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 5, 2005 12:50 pm (#805 of 2956)

Julia--that's a beautifully revolting story. I wonder if anyone can beat it?

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 5, 2005 12:53 pm (#806 of 2956)

The search party's back and they bring news!—Natch

Hmmph! Well, she will certainly have some 'splaining to do as to why I was not cc'd on said e-mail. (Yes, yes, everything is about me which should be dead obvious to everyone by now.) Seriously, that's good news Kim, except about the computer problems of course.

I hope everyone's week is going well. This weekend, a friend is taking me to an NBA game (Wash. v. Minnesota). Good for me. (Jeez, that whole xmas spirit thing wears off pretty quickly.)

cya all

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Denise P. - Jan 5, 2005 1:57 pm (#807 of 2956)

Yay! At least we know Catherine will return to us once the bad computer vibes are spelled away.

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John Bumbledore - Jan 5, 2005 2:29 pm (#808 of 2956)

I don't mind most bugs, but even though I know spiders are a benefit they still make me jump.

I have found a few black-widows about and inside my house. Those I kill with extreme prejudice. I think I found and killed a Recluse on my car port.

Edit: story hidden to protect the squeamish. Archivist’s note: The story that was hidden failed to copy at the time of archiving this post. However some context can be gained by posts #811, #825, #828, and #828.

Natch, does a can of hot soup with rice from a vending machine count... if after eating about half the serving you spot legs on one of the grains of *brown* rice?

<)B^D= (John) Bumbledore.

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Pinky - Jan 5, 2005 4:01 pm (#809 of 2956)

Scorpions? Never seen one, and prefer to keep it that way!

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 5, 2005 4:26 pm (#810 of 2956)

Bumbledore--Yes that counts. It's a bit like this old chestnut: Q: "What's worse than finding a worm in your apple? A: "Half a worm."

Anyway, I don't envy you.

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TwinklingBlueEyes - Jan 5, 2005 4:51 pm (#811 of 2956)

Ah Bumbledore, that's just extra protein! :-) I am with you on the widow and recluse spiders. I kill 3-6 black widows here just about every year. The last one was in my mailbox!

Am so glad Catherine will rejoin us soon, she has been missed.

I am nursing a very sick ferret. Ya'll keep your fingers crossed that he'll soon be doing his "war dance" again. This one's gonna be close...

...toddles of for a break and a butterbeer...

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SarcasticGinny - Jan 5, 2005 5:11 pm (#812 of 2956)

Hey all. I've got some posts to catch up on, a few days with the flu will do that. Hope you all have fared better in the first few days of the new year than I have!

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KWeldon - Jan 5, 2005 6:43 pm (#813 of 2956)

Twinkling Blue Eyes,

I'll be thinking about your ferret! What's wrong with him/her?

My dog is pooping Snickers wrappers, but hopefully his GI tract won't get blocked.

KWeldon

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Acceber - Jan 5, 2005 6:50 pm (#814 of 2956)

I normally don't log on during the week, but the computer was right there and it looked so inviting. Plus I really don't want to start my English project .

Happy Belated Birthday Marie!

Bugs-At my camp in the Green Mountains in Vermont, one girl in my cabin was freaked out by anything resembling spiders or bugs. So, whenever she saw a bug, she'd scream, and call me over to where the bug was. I'd grab it by a leg (usually spiders frequented the cabin) and deposit it outside. So you might say I'm not too freaked out by creepy crawlers.

It snowed during the day here. The weather forecasters predict more for tonight, and a possible snow day tomorrow. Yay! (Note to Lupin Kim: You must have snow too, right? Not as pretty as the last snowfall we got, IMO.)

I think that's it. Of course, I'll remember something I forgot to mention a minute after the edit time is up. Ho hum.

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Chemyst - Jan 5, 2005 6:51 pm (#815 of 2956)

Bumbledore, if you'd just told the story straight, it would have been bad enough, but since I had to highlight it, it came across as funny– so now I feel guilty for enjoying the laughter!

TBE - dancing ferret fingers are crossed; is this the same critter you revived last fall?

Loopy - this is all about you: You should keep Christmas in your heart all year long.

K Weldon - Snickers wrappers? -- no comment.

It is ladybug season here. Every January we get them on the western windows, especially on sunny afternoons. A few usually meet death in the light fixtures but most go back to where ever they came from when the sun sets.

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The giant squid - Jan 5, 2005 6:51 pm (#816 of 2956)

This takes away some of the envy I still carry for Mike's (aka Giant Squid) POA theater sign post! : )--Accio Sirius

You're still going on about that?

Good to know that Catherine's still among the living. And yes, Loopy, we know it's all about you. But that's okay.

--Mike

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TwinklingBlueEyes - Jan 5, 2005 6:52 pm (#817 of 2956)

He has a very nasty bug called ECE (epizootic catarrhal enteritis). If interested you can find more info on at www.ferretcenteral.org. Thanks for thinking about him.

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KWeldon - Jan 5, 2005 7:01 pm (#818 of 2956)

epizootic catarrhal enteritis

I googled it instead. The "greenies"? I can only imagine how gross that mess is, but at least the mortality rate is low. Do you only have the one ferret? It sounds like it's highly contagious. At least there appears to be a definitive time for the symptoms, instead of dragging on for weeks...

Poor guy. Or girl. That's gotta feel like the pits.

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Catherine - Jan 5, 2005 7:06 pm (#819 of 2956)

Hello to the Forum,

It's a bit belated, but I wish you all the happiest of New Years.

Also, I have not checked in with the Forum, or even with my email for a while, (OK, 4 weeks) so I apologize for that, also.

Thanks to Kip, Denise, Chemyst, Padfoot, Loopy Lupin, and Lupin is Lupin for their emails to me. I don't deserve you, but I thank you. I wish I had Leglilmens right now to tell you how I am feeling.

I admit that I must catch up on the chat thread as well as every other thread. Thanks to Betty for remembering my 35th birthday; in my "real life" off of the Forum, not one person did aside from Mom, and I appreciate that you did remember. Thanks, Betty, and Cheers to you.

Hope that the holidays ended well for everyone, despite international disaster and other issues.

Best from me whilst I catch up,

Catherine

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TwinklingBlueEyes - Jan 5, 2005 7:07 pm (#820 of 2956)

Yes, the greenies. I have 7 ferrets now, at one time had 16. All rescues. I have sucessfully treated before, but in younger ferrets. Da Monsta is my first and oldest. He's passing alot of blood now, so I don't think it will be long.

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 5, 2005 7:35 pm (#821 of 2956)

(Note to Lupin Kim: You must have snow too, right? Not as pretty as the last snowfall we got, IMO.)---Acceber

No, no, Becca. It's prettier. The last snowfall, right after Christmas, was a dry snow and it didn't stick to the trees. But today's snow is wet and the trees are covered. It's perfect.

Methinks snow falls differently south of Reading.

Catherine. How wonderful to see your posts again! As for your birthday and the lack of remembrance---I hope you sent Mr. Catherine to the doghouse and locked the door. Seems to me someone's going to see his Commemorative Star Wars collection (a birthday gift, if I recall) tossed in the bin if serious knee-bending, floor-grovelling forgiveness isn't offered.

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Chemyst - Jan 5, 2005 7:59 pm (#822 of 2956)

Catherine, you had a birthday? Funny, your post didn't look any older...
Now I'm all in a dither I must have confused you with someone else. OK, who on this forum told us that they could never party effectively on their birthday while in college because it always fell during spring finals week– so they had tea parties instead?
(Oh, yeah, Welcome back, Catherine.)

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librarian314 - Jan 5, 2005 8:05 pm (#823 of 2956)

Hey all!

Sorry to hear about your ferret, TBE. :-( (sending gentle pats to the little critter)

Just had to let y'all know I got my order from Harry and the Potters, (http://www.eskimolabs.com/hp/) a really cool HP tribute band and it's AWESOME! I've only gotten to listen to their first CD and so far Save Ginny Weasley and Wizard Chess are my favorites.

Y'all take care!

*michelle the librarian**

edited to fix a typo

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KWeldon - Jan 5, 2005 8:39 pm (#824 of 2956)

Hey, I just wanted to warn the Midwesterners in the U.S. that there looks like there is going to be a "once-in-a-generation" serious storm the end of this week and over the weekend. Apparently three different weather systems are converging at once over most of the nation's midsection.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0105storms-coming05.html

Please be careful!!

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Julia. - Jan 5, 2005 8:39 pm (#825 of 2956)

CATHERINE!!!!! *runs up and bear-hugs Catherine* Glad to see you back on the forum! Good luck catching up on all the posts we've made since you've been gone.

TBE, I'm sorry to hear about your ferret. I hope he/she/it gets better soon!

Bumbledore, your bug story rivals mine, and it might actually beat it. Just out of curiosity, when you found the legs, was the body upside down in the food or, er, somewhere else?

Becca and Lupin Kim, I'm thrilled to hear that your snow stuck. Mine however, did not. It's been snowing here all day and it doesn't look like more than a few inches has stuck. Maybe it'll accumlate over night.

Tomorrow morning I'm heading down to Washington DC for my cousin's bat mitzvah. My mum decided that we have to take the 8:45 train, and I'm not looking forward to waking up around 8:00, especially when I'm used to waking up at noon. I'll be bringing my lap-top on the trip, so I won't completly loose touch with the forum.

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From Venus - Jan 5, 2005 9:02 pm (#826 of 2956)

I was just over on the JKR website thread and I thought I'd share...according to CNN news, the GoF movie is supposed to come out Nov. 18, 2005. Just thought I'd mention it over here.

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TwinklingBlueEyes - Jan 5, 2005 9:42 pm (#827 of 2956)

Thanks for all the well wishes for the original one of my "wee little people". He just crossed the Rainbow Bridge. I'll... see ya'll tomorrow. :sad:

I read about that a few hours ago KW. Looks like the system that is blessing us with an almost Indian summer in the middle of winter is going to feed misery to our neighbors. Take care.

Pam

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Marè - Jan 6, 2005 1:24 am (#828 of 2956)

I think I have the worst bug story though. I'm sure quite a few of you have heard tales of my high school. One of my favorites is that an animal of some sort crawled into the space between the second and third floors and died. It happened to pick a spot above my history teacher's classroom. After a few weeks of rotting, some of the maggots that were growing on it decided to fall through on the ceiling and on to some poor girl's head. Yeah, that was gross.

Well I was going to creep you out with stories of bugs raining down from the ceiling (didn't set a foot again in the kitchen for 2 weeks) and bugs (lots) on the pillow where I was supposed to sleep (dead mouse stuck between the walls, slept in my brothers room for a few days..)

But I think I can safely say that Bumbledore won. I mean seriously, I know they eat bugs in some part of the world, and some are apparantly very tasty when covered in chocolate... but in your soup! And then only to find out you already ate some of them...
O wait, I did that too with worm infested cherries one day, at least they were small!

It's 9:14 and I'm already grossed out again...

On to other business'es...

Catherine: belated Happy birthday and so good to have you back. Your wit has been missed!

And to TBE, sorry to hear that.

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dizzy lizzy - Jan 6, 2005 1:49 am (#829 of 2956)

Sorry to hear of your little critter TBE.

Lizzy

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Rod Beecham - Jan 6, 2005 5:11 am (#830 of 2956)

Dear TBE,

That's bad. I'm really sorry.

On the "bug" thing (we don't use the word "bug" in Australia outside the computing context, although I believe in that context the word derives from a six-legged creature getting caught up in the workings of an old valve processor . . . ), I just wanted to say that, although I am irrationally afraid of spiders, bees don't bother me at all (yes, yes, I know that bees are insects whereas spiders are arachnids).

Yet the figures show that in the twentieth century only eight people in Australia died from spider bites, whereas more than two hundred died from bee stings. The explanation? Most spiders - except the Sydney funnel-web (a close relative of the North American black widow) - are not aggressive towards humans and/or are insufficiently venomous to kill a human adult. The honey bee, of course, is not aggressive towards humans either (unlike the European wasp), but many people are allergic to bee stings, hence the much higher proportion of fatalities.

Fascinating, ain't it?

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KWeldon - Jan 6, 2005 6:09 am (#831 of 2956)

TBE,

I'm so sorry to hear about your pet. I hope your remaining ferrets can provide some comfort for you.

Today has to be a better day for you. I'll be thinking about you. Losing a pet can feel like losing part of the family, as I'm sure most of us can empathize.

KWeldon

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SarcasticGinny - Jan 6, 2005 6:33 am (#832 of 2956)

TBE, I'm sorry about your ferret!

Thanks from any well-wishers in regards to the storm. I'm smack dab in the middle of it, but on the bright side, school is cancelled today so I don't have to teach today!

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Ydnam96 - Jan 6, 2005 7:19 am (#833 of 2956)

TBE,

I too am so truly sorry about the loss of your Ferret. I know that must be hard, like losing a member of your family. You will be in my thoughts and prayers.

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Essidji - Jan 6, 2005 7:43 am (#834 of 2956)

Hi all.

I'm still a bit dreamy, because I've just been watching SHREK 2 on DVD (we purchased it yesterday)in English. That film is really great! Well, to my opinion anyway. And the non-translated version is very enjoying.

I have read a few of your posts above... someone mentioned a scorpion in a towel?! UGH! Fortunately in France, the biggest bugs we have must be 2 inches (big green grasshoppers), but they are getting rare. When I was a child, I remember it was quite usual to see three or four of them by the end of the summer. But now I think I haven't seen any for years.

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Marè - Jan 6, 2005 7:45 am (#835 of 2956)

grashoppers! Those were the ones you could eat, fried and or covered with chocolate!

Maybe thats where they went Essidji, you never know...

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Essidji - Jan 6, 2005 8:07 am (#836 of 2956)

Oh my! That must be it, Marè! LOL! I'm thinking about a barBQ with beautiful kebabs in green and pink : one grasshopper, one shrimp, one grasshoppper, one shrimp... Nice colors, uh?

When is summer, anyway? :-p

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From Venus - Jan 6, 2005 9:17 am (#837 of 2956)

EAT GRASSHOPPERS??? Ugh! Now I'm really grossed out. Please, no more talk about eating bugs, I can't even watch the part in Lion King where the characters are all eating bugs, and that's a CARTOON! When my grandkids watch that movie, they come and warn me when that part is coming so I won't accidentally walk in on it. I know. I'm pathetic. What can I say?

I'm so sorry about your ferret, Twinkling Blue Eyes. Their little lives are too short, but the joy they can produce in us lasts all our lifetime. Hold on to that joy.

The weather is wretched over here. It's still rainy, but the temperature has dropped to the low 30's and the cold dampness goes right through you. It's a good day to sit in front of the fire with a good book. (Hmmm, good time to start the HP series over again...)

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John Bumbledore - Jan 6, 2005 10:19 am (#838 of 2956)

Much Ado

TBE, you have my empathy with your recent loss. We just lost a cavy (guinea pig). We had just adopted Sweetie this fall, then we notice weight loss over a two day period. Her teeth had overgrown and she had not been able to eat or drink. We gave her vegitable puree and found an exotic pet vet. On new years eve, we picked her up from the vet and took her home for her recovery. She had troubles then passed in my daughters lap.

Julia, well, it was on my spoon and it was the person I was having lunch with that spotted it. I was quite impressed that I didn't succumb to... the acronym Hermione used to promote elf welfare.

But more along the lines of your story, I had a closer encounter with that button slogan. I was walking home from high-school one day when I notice there was a deer on the road-side that had been hit some long time previous. I will stop now before the winds change... oops. Edit to look up that smiley name.

Shall I stop now? . . . funny I never notice chirping crickets on my computer before. I'll take the silence as an affirmative response.

Happy belated birthdays to Marie and Cathrine. . . mine is approaching in about 49 days 2 hours and 22 minutes.

grashoppers! Those were the ones you could eat, fried and or covered with chocolate! Maybe thats where they went Essidji – Marè
Seems reasonable to me, if I guess correctly that Essidji is familiar with escargot?

And to those in our mid-west (USA), grab the blanket, hunker down, and stay warm and safe. Though it brings a warm memory to mind of the caring and concern of others, because of volunteers in snowmobile clubs in northwestern Pen-sa-vain-ya (as pronounce by us natives of the Quaker state.) May your power stay on and your houses stay warm.

Seth Borenstein
Knight Ridder Newspapers
Jan. 5, 2005 12:00 AM
o WASHINGTON - Moisture-laden storms from the north, west and south are likely to converge on much of America over the next several days in what could be a once-in-a-generation onslaught, meteorologists forecast Tuesday.
o But in its weekly "hazards assessment," the National Weather Service alerted meteorologists and disaster specialists on Tuesday that flooding and frigid weather could start as early as Friday and stretch into early next week, if not longer.

What was that recent TV movie (in USA)? Catagory 6? Sounds like it is starting earlier then the abouve article forcast.

<)B^D= (John) Bumbledore.

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hawkeyetkdchick - Jan 6, 2005 10:20 am (#839 of 2956)

TBE- Sorry to hear about your ferret.

I am also in the middle of the storm in the midwest. We had about 9 inches of snow last night at 10pm, and it continued to snow overnight. The malls around here even closed early (at about 5pm)!

I have some disgusting bug stories as well. I have quite a few actually, as I often went on camping trips with my dad and brother when I was younger, and used to live in an area by a lake and surrounded by trees (a good place for bugs and spiders, apparently). One time I ate about half of a donut before I looked at it and realized there were tiny ants all over it. Another time there was a huge spider in our house, and since my dad was away my brother killed it with a shoe. When he picked the shoe up, all these tiny baby spiders started running all over the place (I think it was a wolf spider, which carries its young on its back). After that, for about a month, I wouldn't go anywhere in our house without carrying a bottle of bug spray with me. (I am also very frightened of spiders)

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Mrs. Sirius - Jan 6, 2005 10:21 am (#840 of 2956)

Mare, you have now reminded me of one of a bug stories that I'll have to tell you.

Years ago when I was a flight attendant (not stewardess) I routinely flew a route to San Juan Puerto Rico. We stayed at the La Concha hotel which at that pointed was being renovated, for moisture and mold problems.

There was talk about some of us from the north being prima donas who complained about everything, I was determined not to be in that category. At some pointed I looked at the curtain in my room and noticed a little wiggly crawler on it. I wasn't going to be the prima dona and kvetch. So I called down to have someone do something. A maid came up with a can and shot some spray at the curtain and left. after I recomposed myself, I started to get into bed and there was a bunch more in my bed! I called down, quite upset, they changed me to the hotel that they owned which was next door and considered a luxury hotel and put me in a beautiful suite, which included breakfast the next morning.

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KWeldon - Jan 6, 2005 10:31 am (#841 of 2956)

I'll take spiders any day over roaches. Here in Houston, we have tree roaches that are 2-4 inches long and can fly! Right at you!!! I can't even stand to step on them because, unlike most smaller bugs, you actually feel the body under your foot. There's something about that pressure on the (hopefully dying) corpse that gives me the heebie jeebies.

Look what Accio Sirius did! From grasshoppers infesting his Christmas tree to gross-out stories about bugs. What a hopping (pun intended) way to start out the new year.

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 6, 2005 10:36 am (#842 of 2956)

Well, well, well. Catherine returns from the abyss! Smile

Hiya! You've been missed.

Here's a random question. Do any of you Northern Virginians/Marylanders/ Washingtonians do the Post crossword? Is it just me or has it gotten ridiculously easy since the New Year?

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John Bumbledore - Jan 6, 2005 12:13 pm (#843 of 2956)

Crosswords
Loopy, I love to do crosswords, but I do not receive the Post. Hmm, maybe I can rig a program to build an HTML crossword using vocabulary from Harry Potter! I bet a few people here may like puzzles on that topic. Though I have never really made a crossword puzzle before.

Wonders off, deep in thought. . .
<)B^D= (John) Bumbledore.

P. S. I'm off to other threads, I'll check back later.

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Penny Lane. - Jan 6, 2005 12:33 pm (#844 of 2956)

I have a snow day today. I'm slightly annoyed as I don't think we really have enough snow to warrent a snow day, and it's the 2nd day of classes. I don't have any homework to catch up on, and I'm really quite bored.

Crosswords: I used to do the NY Times puzzle, but I don't get the Times anymore. We also got the Washington Post delievered before they raised the prices. Same with the WSJ. I'm not quite sure why my parents felt the need to recieve 4 different papers, especially when we live in Michigan, but I always enjoyed the different news each covered.

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The giant squid - Jan 6, 2005 1:36 pm (#845 of 2956)

That storm in the midwest must be a doozy, as it's leaking over into the desert... It's been gray & gloomy all week, and they're predicting rain all weekend. We've had over two inches of rain in the last couple weeks--doesn't sound like much, but our annual average is only 2.8 or something like that. Still, I'll take this over 8 inches of snow (ah, the good old days...).

Welcome back, Catherine. Hopefully you'll be able to check in a little more often; I can't imagine how much you've missed hist on this thread alone!

TBE, my condolences for your loss. If anyone has the gall to say, "What's the big deal? It's just a pet," you have my permission to hit them with something big and heavy. Oh, not OotP heavy, something smaller--like a Volkswagon.

Loopy, I like to do crosswords as well. I used to do the NY imes one at an old job, but don't get it myself. In fact, since I don't get any newspapers (I figure if it's important enough news someone will call me) I've been reduced to the TV Guide crossword. It's not much, but it keeps me in practice.

--Mike

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Julia. - Jan 6, 2005 1:39 pm (#846 of 2956)

Good afternoon. I have safely arrived in Washington DC where the weather is not good, but at least it's not snowing like it is at home.

TBE, I'm so sorry to hear about your ferret.

Oh, Bumbledore, an HP crossword puzzle, what a great idea!

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Accio Sirius - Jan 6, 2005 2:11 pm (#847 of 2956)

Julia, you should have told us DC area forum members about your trip sooner--we could have done some sort of mini-reunion! Hope you enjoy your stay.

Loopy, the Post crossword is a shared task at our house and my father-law e-mails the New York times puzzles as well. The Times crossword gets more and more difficult as the week goes on. Maybe the Post does it backwards.

TBE and Bumbledore, I'm sorry to hear about the passing of your pets. These little creatures touch our lives so much in just their short time with us. My heart-felt condolences.

Catherine!!!!!!!!So happy to see you on the forum again. We've been missing you. Hope things are going better for you. Happy belated birthday!

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Catherine - Jan 6, 2005 2:48 pm (#848 of 2956)

Yay, I have an internet connection today! This has not been a consistent event lately, so I will take full advantage of it to say:

Loopy, dear, I did not mean to injure your feelings. I do indeed know that it is all about you! I sent you an email to do some 'splainin.'

Chemyst, I did say that I couldn't party on my 21st birthday, and we did go to tea, but it was in December. We did wear hats and gloves, though. What fun. Your post made me long for the delicious scones and banana muffins to be found at tea time at the restaurant. Sigh. I could never go on a low-carb diet.

TBE, my condolences to you. Pets are important family members and their loss hits hard.

As for the bug stories, they are all pretty gross. The maggot one was especially juicy, no pun intended. I can't top it, thank goodness, and I hope I never can.

BUT, our household is struggling with critters at the moment, though. Here in Eastern NC we have had temperatures in the mid 70s for the last week (with a snow and ice storm the week before that. Go figure.) The fleas have awoken from a winter slumber, and invaded everything. Daisy seems to be immune to the flea control we have always used, because Phoebe has no fleas and Daisy has them all. We even treated her again before the month was out to no effect. We have actually wished for a chill to help get rid of them. Ick. I just don't like the idea of using pesticides in the house and having a residue on the rugs and furniture, but we may have to resort to it soon if winter weather doesn't resume soon. Having cooties is no fun at all.

Thanks for the welcoming words. The world has definitely felt smaller, more mundane, and less hopeful without my friends at the Forum.

**waves to everyone**

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Denise P. - Jan 6, 2005 2:57 pm (#849 of 2956)

TBE and John, sorry to hear that your critters made the trek to the bridge. Even little rodents become part of the family, don't they? John, we have 6 cavies here, 4 females and 2 males. Petunia, Luna, Sirius and Regulus are our HP inspired bunch and then we also have Cinnamon and Spice. The Black Brothers are quite disgusted that they are never allowed to visit the girls

Catherine, good to see you back!

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Eponine - Jan 6, 2005 3:00 pm (#850 of 2956)

Welcome back, Catherine!

Speaking of temperatures, it's been unseasonably warm here too. We didn't have any snow or ice last week though. Anyone else in NC having very warm weather?

I had a job interview today. I'm supposed to hear something by next week, so we'll see how that goes. I don't like job hunting.

Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well. Now that Catherine's back, has anyone seen Shelter Girl lately?

Lady Arabella Mon Jan 05, 2015 7:50 pm

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Madam Pince - Jan 6, 2005 4:12 pm (#851 of 2956)

Greetings, everyone! Well, I have been “among the missing” at our Forum for nigh unto three months now, and it has been a long couple of days reading through the thousands of posts in the “Chat” thread and the “JKR Official Site” thread just to catch up on gossip. I think that for all the other threads I will have to just “SKIP to the end” (as Prince Humperdinck said) and go from there.

I have no excuse for being absent, either, except for being a member of Mike’s Procrastinator’s Club. A lot of things came up in October and suddenly I was way behind in reading posts, and I kept waiting for a huge uninterrupted block of time in which to catch up. We all know that never happens, does it? (A good example of this is the fact that somewhere in my closets is an unwatched videotape with the last two full seasons of “Dallas” on it – I had gotten behind and started taping episodes because I didn’t want to watch them until I watched the episodes that I’d missed….and there you are. And that was in the 1980’s!)

Anyway, let’s see if I can encapsulate three months quickly….. When Boston won the World Series, I was sure that the world was coming to an end, so I crawled under my bed and waited for Armageddon. (Actually, this is the real reason for my long absence – I really only climbed out in order to see if Santa brought me “POA” for Christmas….)

Halloween – I wore my “Survivor” tee-shirt and a leering tiki / totem mask and a necklace made of bone and feathers……I was the Immunity Idol. Only one person got the joke, though. Sigh. Stupid Muggles never notice nuffink. Baby Pince was dressed as a dragon which he assured me was named “Norbert.”

Thanksgiving and Christmas both went well – Mom and I cooked traditional dinner for Thanksgiving; Mr. Pince had a successful deer-hunting trip; visited lots of relatives, etc. Christmas Eve we had everyone over to our house but it was fairly easy as everyone brought a dish – we had a grand time with the English Christmas Crackers (I had to have a Harry Potter something in there.) Everyone had so much fun wearing the cheesy paper hats. I’ve spent almost every minute of my time in December helping some “sort-of” in-laws to pack up their belongings to move to California. It cut severely into my Christmas preparations, but I tend to do that – over-extend and let people take advantage of my time. Oh well. Speaking of time, Mr. Pince won four stars for getting me the Time-Turner necklace from thenoblecollection.com – it’s beautiful! I am sorry to report, however, that it is non-functioning. Perhaps I need batteries. I also was lucky enough to receive Hermione’s wand from the same source, and it is truly beautiful – looks and feels very realistic, and the box is exactly like Ollivanders. Most impressive.

OK, that should catch everyone up on us. Now, I took a few notes as I read over all that I missed over the last few months….

Yay! on the release date of HBP and the Chapter titles! Wasn’t it Daioma who had a dream that HBP would be released on July 19th? That’s just creepy – so close!

Catherine – I didn’t know where Terry Holland had gone after he left UVA; is he at Davidson? I know you’re bummed about the football thing, but for what it’s worth, I worked with Coach Holland for many many years and he is a very good and fair man. I’m sure he wouldn’t make a rash decision. Hope it all works out for the best.

Denise - so glad Mr. Denise is home safe and sound! Yay!

Three posters reminded me of my dear kitty Indy who passed away almost three years ago – Sarah, like your Scully, Indy was afraid of ceiling fans too. When you think about it, from their “ground-level” perspective, it probably looks like it’s getting ready to fall on their heads. And Gina, Indy loved to chew ribbons like Faberge. It was all I could do to wrap gifts sometimes. I usually had to lock him in the other room. And KWeldon, the Snickers wrappers were manifested in Indy as the long aluminum Christmas-tree tinsel strings (which I only used the one year because, well, really, it was kind of gross.) He ate them like little kids eat spaghetti. Made the litter box festive, though.

Book banning is a huge pet peeve that ranks right up there with the people who don’t return their shopping cart back over into the “cart corral.” It's just plain wrong.

Eponine – your aluminum Christmas tree might be worth hundreds of dollars on e-Bay or such. I’ve heard they are in great demand as a nostalgia item. Do you have the lighted color-wheel that goes with? Also, yuck on the Asian beetles – they are in Virginia as well as North Carolina and they can absolutely swarm and overtake your house. They bite and stink. Bleah.

Julia and Tomoe – I join you in eating ice cream when it’s cold! Anytime actually. Mr. Pince makes fun of me for sitting in front of my portable heater while eating ice cream. Hmph.

Kabloink! – our wedding anniversary is on Valentine’s Day too! It seemed like a good idea at the time, very romantic and all. However, anniversary celebrations are hampered by the fact that hotel and dinner reservations are very hard to come by on that date, and roses cost three times as much as they would any other time. Oh well.

Congratulations to the many people who are celebrating good things, and prayers to the many who need those, too. If I try to rely on memory and name people, I’m sure to mess up, so I won’t try. Anyway, Happy New Year to all! It’s good to be back! I will try not to go MIA again – it takes too long of a post to get back!

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Elanor - Jan 6, 2005 4:15 pm (#852 of 2956)

Hi everybody and welcome back Catherine and Madam Pince!

TBE, I am so sorry to hear about your pet. I hope you will find some comfort reading the posts here.

I have problems with my back/sciatica again (you can call me Moody for somes days because I limp as he does...) hence a hard day and I was so happy to forget that a little by logging in tonight!

The HP crosswords is a great idea Bumbledore! I hope you will succeed in making some!

About bugs, you guys really gave me goosepimples. I HATE bugs! Many of them fit far too well with Harry's definition of a beast (written on the FB pages): "big hairy thing with too many legs"... I love the Indiana Jones movies but still can't see the scene in "The temple of Doom" when everything is swarming with bugs. As I am single, I have to deal with an ugly beast from time to time because screaming won't help much but I really have to keep a grip on myself! You should have seen me the last time a hornet came in my flat and I had to kill it...

HAve a great day everybody and Eponine, I hope everything will be okay for your job!

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dizzy lizzy - Jan 6, 2005 5:01 pm (#853 of 2956)

I have been trying to make HP related crosswords on a freeware program I got in a bundle - it's not easy. It is a very logical and methodical process though, something I like doing.

I think it's easier to make up the grid in a spreadsheet though.

I love crosswords, not cryptics, and I really like the ones in the Sydney Morning Herald. I also like the cricklers and the egnigma machine puzzles as well.

Welcome back to all our forumers who've been missing.

Lizzy

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boop - Jan 6, 2005 5:03 pm (#854 of 2956)

Cathrine, Welcome back we really missed you. I try and remember and post birthdays that I know.

Pam and John sorry to hear of the loss of your family pets. Your are in my thoughts and prayers.

Eporine, I will keep my fingers and toes crossed for you.

Madam Pince, Welcome back!!! I have enjoyed reading your e-mails.

I am thinking about a summer gathering again. Not sure which month yet. I am either going to host it in June or July. I don't have any details other than that at this point.

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Julia. - Jan 6, 2005 7:25 pm (#855 of 2956)

John, I'm so sorry to hear about your pet. As always, anything I can do let me know.

Madam Pince!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Welcome back!!!! So glad to see you again, don't you dare let yourself get so backed up on posts again!

I have heard from Shelter Girl recently. She's both alive and well, and I'll tell her you're asking for her.

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SarcasticGinny - Jan 6, 2005 8:19 pm (#856 of 2956)

Hi there Madam Pince-Glad you had a nice holiday!

Even though I am my family's resident "spider catcher", these bug stories are giving me the willies! I don't have any bug stories of my own, not that I recall anyway. Nonetheless, I still have to admit myself a member of the "bug eaters club". When I was little, I ate a potato chip covered in ants, and my mother called posion control. The man on the line just laughed and said I had my protein for the day. I guess bugs are...nutritious, I guess! Luckily, this all occured before my recolection.

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Eponine - Jan 6, 2005 9:50 pm (#857 of 2956)

Okay, I need to know if I am being unreasonably annoyed about something. My husband and I went to see Movin' Out tonight. It's a musical comprised of Billy Joel songs. He's a huge Billy Joel fan. Anyway, the set up is one guy on the piano with a smallish back-up band who sings the songs, and then dancers act out the story on stage. It's not really a traditional musical because there's only one guy singing, but it's not really a concert because there's action that needs to be watched going on the whole time. So this person on our row sang along to almost every single song while waving their arms wildly about. They were several seats down from us, but still close enough to be a distraction. I was mostly able to ignore this, but it took some effort. So, is it wrong to be overly annoyed with such an obvious fan of the music?

We did enjoy the show, though, despite the arm waving.

I hope you are all having a great night.

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Gina R Snape - Jan 6, 2005 10:12 pm (#858 of 2956)

Well, Eponine. It wasn't a rock concert. It's a Broadway production. I think that behaviour goes beyond the genereally expected and acceptable bounds. I would have been annoyed.

Welcome back, Madam Pince!

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Eponine - Jan 6, 2005 10:38 pm (#859 of 2956)

Gina, that's how I felt. I wouldn't sing along at a musical or recite along at a play. Could you imagine being at a play and someone reciting along in the audience? That would be weird. I couldn't imagine anyone doing that, so why do they feel it's okay to sing along? I don't actually expect an answer, just a rhetorical question.

Oh, and welcome back, Madam Pince! Did Santa bring you PoA for Christmas?

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Prefect Marcus - Jan 6, 2005 11:08 pm (#860 of 2956)

Welcome back, Catherine.

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septentrion - Jan 7, 2005 3:23 am (#861 of 2956)

welcome back to our missing members !

It's nearly week-end, it's good to think about it...

Every one have a good day/night !

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 7, 2005 6:25 am (#862 of 2956)

They were several seats down from us, but still close enough to be a distraction.---Eponine

I guess it depends on one's perspective, Eponine. As far as I'm concerned, anything that distracts me from actually having to listen to Billy Joel's music would be considered a good thing.

Still, I'm amazed no one seated more closely to this person complained. Where were the ushers with their little flashlights to shed some self-awareness and embarrassment on this person?

On an unrelated note, I get the biggest kick out of your avatar. Your best friend bears an uncanny resemblance to one of my oldest and dearest friends.

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Doris Crockford - Jan 7, 2005 6:32 am (#863 of 2956)

I have a very recent bug story. It happened last night, actually. When I stepped into the shower, I saw there was a spider on the shower curtain. But then it disappeared, so I had to get my Mom to come help me find it (I found it, and flushed it down the toilet). But that was not as bad as the moth that flew out at me when I picked up my shampoo bottle sometime this summer. The bathroom and kitchen are the two rooms I can't stand bugs in (and guess where I found another spider this morning...). The only bug story I really have actually happened to my brother. We were at a restaurant we always went to when we visit my grandparents (it's closed now), and we always get milkshakes. So one day, my brother was about halfway done his milkshake, and all of a sudden a spider crawled out of it. My brother got a whole new milkshake, though.

TBE and Bumbledore, I'm sorry to hear about your pets. I remember how sad I was when my gerbils died, and I knew it was going to happen soon.

I'm probably going to disappear fairly soon, as my homework will start to pile up again soon. I only have 4 months of school left, and then exams. Then I'm done high school. Scary thought. I'm going to try to come here as much as possible, but don't worry if I don't get back until the end of May.

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Madam Pince - Jan 7, 2005 7:22 am (#864 of 2956)

Yes, Eponine, Santa did come through. We've watched it a few times in the last week. I wasn't too sure about how Baby Pince would feel about the dementors, so I had my finger hovering on the remote control the whole time in case we needed an emergency switch-off. He actually didn't seem to mind the dementors, and he'd fallen asleep by the time the werewolf came around, but he is not fond of the Monster Book of Monsters. Last night when we were getting ready for bed, I asked him if he'd like to read a book. He said in this tremulous little voice "But not the Monster Book? Does it have teeth, Mommy?" I gave him a great big hug and assured him that the Monster Book was just teasing Harry, it was really a nice book. I felt so bad!

Mr. Pince is a big Billy Joel fan, too -- I know he'd love to see that show. And yes, I think you were right to be annoyed by the guy down the row. I mean, it's great that he's enthusiastic and all, but still, one must consider others. Where's Miss Manners when you need her? (Him? Mike? or was it Lupin?)

Oh, I wondered -- in your avatar, which is you and which is your best friend? The person without the scarf reminds me of somebody I know, too, but I wasn't sure if that was you or your friend!

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 7, 2005 7:32 am (#865 of 2956)

Where's Miss Manners when you need her? (Him? Mike? or was it Lupin?)---Madam Pince

Well, I am the one with the Miss Manners reference section in my personal library but I'm not sure if that's what you meant.

By the way. Welcome back.

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 7, 2005 7:33 am (#866 of 2956)

Ahem. Miss Manners has actually addressed this very thing. Irrespective of the minor miracle Eponine was witnessing (i. e. that someone could actually be enthralled by Billy Joel to the point of rapture), there are no mosh pits on Broadway. It would not have been proper to confront the person yourself, lest you risk getting whacked on the nose with a program. The theatre, however, has a duty to ensure everyone's enjoyment of the show and a complaint would have been in order.

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Catherine - Jan 7, 2005 7:43 am (#867 of 2956)

Happy Friday!

Where's Miss Manners when you need her? (Him? Mike? or was it Lupin?) Madame Pince

Uh oh. **looks around for Loopy Lupin** It was definitely Loopy who can channel Miss Manners so well, and I'm sure he'd have a few choice words about Eponine's experience at the Billy Joel concert/musical. Kim makes a good point about the ushers with the penlight thingies. I never find them to be there when I need them. I attended a production of The Nutcracker during the Christmas holidays, and was suprised and dismayed to see how poorly behaved some alleged "grown-ups" were compared to the children. We had two women who chattered loudly and constantly during the second half of the show, and all of my glaring looks in their direction came to naught. Finally, Claire, my nine year-old, turned around and said to them, "Shh! You are really disturbing me." Ah, the honesty of youth.

I don't think Claire will ever be "Miss Manners," but she gets the job done.

EDIT: Ah, Loopy posted. Well said.

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Eponine - Jan 7, 2005 8:01 am (#868 of 2956)

Well, the ushers were nowhere to be seen. I think they seated everyone and then disappeared. We were way in the back because we had just gotten the tickets about 3 days ago, so maybe our nose-bleed section wasn't important enough for ushers to be around the whole time.

Catherine, that's priceless. Were the women quiet after that?

On an somewhat unrelated note, I once went to a concert where I sat in the next to the last row in the back of the balcony. A kid behind us actually got a nose bleed in the middle of the concert, so I can truly say I've sat in the nose bleed section.

Oh, the brunette is me, and the blonde in the scarf is my best friend. She lives in Alaska, and I really hope she's going to come here for the release of HBP. We went to Barnes and Noble in Chattanooga at midnight for OotP, and we really want to get book 6 together too. She teaches at a rather conservative school up in Anchorage and has heard people say how evil HP is. She's had students ask her about it, but she tells them they're great books and they should give them a chance before they condemn them. Some of her students have actually started reading them now.

Have a great weekend everyone!

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 7, 2005 8:08 am (#869 of 2956)

You're the brunette? Well, Eponine, you're the one who bears the uncanny resemblance to my friend. You don't have any long lost relatives in Massachusetts do you? Or are you of Irish descent? As said friend would say, "Small island".

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From Venus - Jan 7, 2005 8:25 am (#870 of 2956)

One of my pet peeves is people who talk or sing or hum or eat or rattle candy wrappers or page through programs during a concert or other performance. I see a few operas every year in Chicago with my sister, we pay a pretty penny for our seats, and if you have someone making noise in your ear during the whole performance, it is just plain rude. It makes you wonder how they would react if someone were doing it to them...

Madam Pince, LOL! Your story of the "festive litter box" cracked me up. Good one! I have a similar story. Years ago, when I lived in Chicago, my neighbor and friend gave all the kids on the block some poppers to play with. I don't think they were the British crackers with the hats in them; these were small and shaped like a bottle, and when you pull the string, they pop and lots of thin, spaghetti-like streamers fly out. About a week later, my freind came over and said, "come and walk with me a little, I want to show you something." We walked a little way down the block, and then I saw what she wanted to show me; all the little birds' nests in the trees were as festive as could be. There were colorful streamers woven into every one. Some were carefully woven into the nests. Others were hanging like fringe from the bottoms and sides of the nests. None of them were very cammoflaged! It looked like the birds were having a festival!

Well, TTFN (ta ta for now), I have to go find my daughter-in-law’s house key (I know I have it here somewhere), go back to town, get my grandson's backpack that he left in the house by accident when I picked him up for school this morning, and bring it over to school so he can hand in his math paper and not get an F. He was so upset about it, he wanted me to break down the door to get it! How do you explain to a 3rd grader that the homework is not worth a broken door?

I'm getting too old for this.

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kabloink! - Jan 7, 2005 8:26 am (#871 of 2956)

My husband and I are both HUGE Billy Joel fans, which many people find to be odd, as we are only 22 and 26, and the people that are expected to be Billy Joel fans are typically more the age of our parents. I am dying to see that musical, but you can bet that if I couldn't sing along (which my hubby would kill me for) neither can a guy several seats down from me. My parents took us to see Billy Joel and Elton John when they came to Detroit a few years back, it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Except, of course for me wedding... Actually, when we went to see Phantom at the movies, it was all my husband and I could do to not sing along. Apparently it was especially difficult for Kevin, as he could easily sing the part of the Phantom much better than the actor did...

Anywho, I'm sick, AGAIN. Darn Michigan weather-constantly changing. I tried to work yesterday, but it was torture. I finally got to leave 45 minutes early though. That was slightly helpful.

Eponine-both you and your friend remind me of people from my home town. You remind me a great deal of a girl that I went to junior high and high school with, and your friend reminds me of a girl that I took dance classes with for the better part of 8 years. Its ironic, isn't it?

Penny-Eastern gave you a snow day for THIS!? U of M didn't even close down when we got 3 feet of snow in one night back in 2000. I know in Lansing we barely got a foot. High schools closed, but I highly doubt State would have(our semester starts next week). I doubt my high school would have even closed for this flurry. Oh well. One more day of rest and relaxation, right?

Okay, I have to hurry my husband along for work now. I'll talk to everyone later.

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 7, 2005 8:56 am (#872 of 2956)

Billy Joel and Elton John. Loopy, I hope you're paying attention.

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 7, 2005 8:58 am (#873 of 2956)

We had two women who chattered loudly and constantly during the second half of the show, and all of my glaring looks in their direction came to naught.—Catherine

Obviously, you need to work on your "glower power."

I am paying attention Kim. I remember that concert, but for my money there was just one too many piano players in the house.

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Catherine - Jan 7, 2005 9:05 am (#874 of 2956)

Ok, Kim, I will admit it. I don't mind Billy Joel. I can't see myself paying money to see him, but I don't dislike him.

I do like Elton John.

That said, I happen to have a particular loathing for Billy Joel's "Piano Man." Back in the college days, I lived next door to two young ladies who, when they imbibed too much Firewhiskey, which was quite frequent, alas earwax, they would play this song at full volume over and over and over again. Nothing could induce them to stop this wretched practice, so on such evenings I was reduced to a quivering mass misfired neurons. Pure Crucio.

Even now, the opening bars of that song makes my eye twitch.

Even writing about it seems to have this effect, so I'll just go and get some work done finally.

Cheers.

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Marè - Jan 7, 2005 9:18 am (#875 of 2956)

Catherine I know of a few occassions where I would love to have your daughter with me. Very good of her!

And about people singing along with plays or movies: don't they know they have special shows for that. Like the "Sound of Music" Sing along version, where everybody is allowed to wave and sing and shout together.
I'm not going near that...

What is also irritant is when people sit behind you in movies like LOtR and HP, which are very bookbased, and they keep asking (very loudly!) the person next to them, who is that? what is that? where are they going?
Annoying as that is, it gets worse when the person responds... wrongly!
I had to keep myself from turning around and explaining the finer details of the HP universe in PoA...

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kabloink! - Jan 7, 2005 9:34 am (#876 of 2956)

Nice, Mare, very nice.

Actually, Catherine, I am not overly fond of that song, myself. Though, it was phenomenal to see done live, I typically wil skip it on the CD-it is simply too over played. My husband does that with "Captain Jack" apparently he and one of his friends would listen to that while imbibing Firewhisky...I don't ask. I am actually a dedicated follower of his older, "B" tracks. Songs that never were released as singles (and thus aren't horribly overplayed), but were put on his albums. You can tell that many of them were written for him, not to sell records, and they are wonderful songs. Not that his hits aren't, but I can hear them on the radio anytime...

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Accio Sirius - Jan 7, 2005 11:12 am (#877 of 2956)
Edited by Jan 7, 2005 10:12 am

It's Scenes from an Italian Restaurant that sends shivers down my spine--and not in a good way. Although I don't want to bash--to each his own. A friend of mine took me to see Mamma Mia, the ABBA musical at the National Theater in DC and singing and dancing in the isles was pretty much expected. My most hated song is House of the Rising Sun. Mostly because I had planned a very self-indulgent day for my 16th birthday (oh so many years ago). My family and I were at the beach and as my birthday dawned, the man in the house next to us decided to sit outside on his patio in the buff and sing the entire song twice, quite badly I might ad. He didn't ruin the birthday, but he did make me start it much earlier than planned! I still remember it well unfortunately.

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VeronikaG - Jan 7, 2005 11:30 am (#878 of 2956)

In the buff? Does that mean pieces of clothing are missing?

My sympathies to TBE and Bumbledore for the loss of their pets. Critters are people too, and they deserve the same amount of love as a child.

My good friend Monica, the crazy girl, is terrible at the movies. She'll sit and whisper her opinions on the characters actions to me and the others all the time. And she whispers pretty loudly at times.

About artists you like or not... I used to like Ricky Martin's music pretty well, until I saw this interview with him that was done while he was in Norway for a concert. He talked for nearly an hour about what a great person he was, more or less, while constantly throwing his head back to get his horrible haircut out of his eyes. He just basically came off as an airhead.

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Penny Lane. - Jan 7, 2005 1:42 pm (#879 of 2956)

Yes Kim, they called a snow day. There was hardly any snow, and they closed most of dining services too. The public elemantary & High Schools weren't even closed. *rolls eyes* I mean, I pay to go here, shouldn't they teach? This is teh same school that has removed all the pay phones because "everyone has a cell phone" (I don't - I don't really like them much) and removed all the clocks from the class rooms from the same reason.

To update on me: I'm slightly peeved right now, because my cordless phone dosen't work, and then my computer died. Today is the day my father goes into surgery and I have no clue how it's going or if it's going, and no way to contact ... well anyone. I'm in the computer lab right now, but I really don't like it here. It's rather dull and quiet.

Oh and to everyone losing their pets: It's a really hard thing to go through - I lost my kitty last June and it was horrible. SOme people dont' seem to understand the bond that pets can hold.

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Gina R Snape - Jan 7, 2005 2:21 pm (#880 of 2956)

Oh Penny. You must have looooved my cellphone. Well, if you got the day off school, at least you can catch up on sleep. I hope your father comes through ok.

VeronikaG "In the buff? Does that mean pieces of clothing are missing?"

Actually, that means ALL of the pieces of clothing are missing.

And now for my good news! I got an A in both of my classes for the Fall semester. Woohoo! One step closer to being Dr. Gina R Snape.

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KWeldon - Jan 7, 2005 2:47 pm (#881 of 2956)

Penny, I hope your father is doing well. Please let us know, okay?

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dizzy lizzy - Jan 7, 2005 2:56 pm (#882 of 2956)

Congrats Gina and I hope all is well with your Dad, Penny.

Lizzy

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timrew - Jan 7, 2005 3:00 pm (#883 of 2956)

Good Luck to your Dad, Penny. And congratulations on your two 'A's Gina, or should I say Dr. Snape?

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Acceber - Jan 7, 2005 3:08 pm (#884 of 2956)

Congrats Gina! Are you going to change your user name to Dr. Gina R Snape?

Welcome back Madame Pince!

I'm crossing my fingers for your dad Penny.

I have another bug story I forgot when posting before: When my grandmother and her sister (my great-aunt) were kids, their mom baked often. She would always give her daughters spoons with the leftover chocolate on them to have as a treat. My grandmother would always lick quickly, while my great-aunt took her time. Once, my grandmother was done and my great-aunt was taking exceptionally long. When they further investigated, they found out she had been sucking on a cockroach. *listens for "Ewwwwww!"*

We had a snowday yesterday, which was the perfect opportunity to read the Forum and be so incredibly bored, which I love doing. My friend came over, and we spent about three hours playing online games. Great fun.

Happy Friday everyone. Enjoy your weekends.

EDIT: Crossword puzzles! I try and do the Boston Globe's every weekday, but it's more like every other weekday. I have not (as of today) completed the entire puzzle. My best is half completely filled in, with other words elsewhere. I am trying to be as good as my mom, who regularly completes the NY Times Magazine's, which I find half impossible.

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kabloink! - Jan 7, 2005 3:30 pm (#885 of 2956)

Penny, best wishes to your dad.

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Penny Lane. - Jan 7, 2005 3:58 pm (#886 of 2956)

Congrats Gina!

Your cell phone didn't bug me - much ;-) I really just think that they have become excessive and that most people around here don't get that there is a time and a place for them. One of the places that is NOT good for cell phones is in the middle of lecture. Every day people's phones ring, and about once a week someone answers them and carrys on a conversation - WHILE the teacher is still lecturing. It's so rude and apparently instuctors aren't allowed to throw students out for having them. Also, I know not all of the peopel with them are doctors or journalists or judges. It's just so unfair.

I personally don't have one because I think it makes it too easy for people to fall into this trap of "oh, she's not answering her phone - she must hate me". Also, while dating, I like it when people work a little bit to contact me: i.e. calling my house, leaving a message or coming over. When people have cell phones it becomes WAY to easy to fall into the trap of "hey, meet me at (location) in an hour" also, sometimes while on a date guys answer their phone, and that just irks me to NO end.

Well that was WAY more than any of you needed to know.

Oh and thanks for all the well wishes guys. it really does mean a lot to me.

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Elanor - Jan 7, 2005 4:04 pm (#887 of 2956)

Penny, I really hope your father is doing well. I'm thinking a lot to you.

Congratulations Gina! Dr Snape sounds great, in the meantime should we call you "Nearly Doctor Snape"? Maybe you should try and say that : "I'm Nearly Doctor Snape", just to see if someone thinks to ask you "How can you be nearly doctor?"...

Have a great weekend everybody!

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Catherine - Jan 7, 2005 4:12 pm (#888 of 2956)

It's so rude and apparently instructors aren't allowed to throw students out for having them. Also, I know not all of the peopel with them are doctors or journalists or judges. It's just so unfair. Penny L.

Hmm. Well, Mr. Catherine (aka Dr. Allen) is a college chemistry professor who reminds students at the first lecture that cell phones go to "pleasure mode" or totally turned off while in his class. His rule is that if it rings during class, he gets to chat with the caller.

He only has to make good on this threat once per semester, and now that word has gotten around, it happens even less. The students know that he will carry through with his promise, and the other students usually get such a laugh at the whole thing that he never catches any flak for doing this.

I think that students who object to rudeness during class need to make their voice heard, both to the professor/instructor in question, and to the students who are interfering with their education. You all are paying (and the taxpayers, if it is a public school, and the donors to both the public and private schools) for your time there, and these bozos (clowns, to non-native English speakers) are interfering in your right to learn.

BTW, Mr. Catherine did this even before he got the all-important tenure, and he has the highest student evaluations in his department. So I have to believe that the majority of students appreciates that he takes a hard line about talking in class and ringing cell phones and cheating--which is a whole different story, and I will share it at another time if you all are interested.

Nighty-night to the Forum. It's great to be back. Sleep tight, and don't let the, erm, bed bugs bite. **waves to Lupin is Lupin and Loopy Lupin**

EDIT: LOL to Elanor about "Nearly Dr. Snape." Hopefully, Gina doesn't pull her head to one side only to have Snape's head pop up.

Penny, best wishes to you right now. **crossing fingers**

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 7, 2005 4:22 pm (#889 of 2956)

Gina's not a doctor yet? Quick, somebody call the cops, 'cause I'm pretty sure she's been practicing on Severus without a license.

sometimes while on a date guys answer their phone, and that just irks me to NO end.---Penny Lane

*chants under my breath "so glad I'm married, so glad I'm married, so glad I'm married"*

Hope your father is doing well, Penny.

So I have to believe that the majority of students appreciate that he takes a hard line about talking in class and ringing cell phones...---Catherine

Something tells me Mr. Catherine picked up this hard line stance from his wife who, rumor has it, is quite a tough little cookie herself.

Catherine, might I suggest mosquito net pajamas?

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Pinky - Jan 7, 2005 4:27 pm (#890 of 2956)

Acceber, you left yourself wiiiide open for this! You said: "... which was the perfect opportunity to read the Forum and be so incredibly bored..." !!!! Heehee!

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Gina R Snape - Jan 7, 2005 5:36 pm (#891 of 2956)

Heeee. Well, as much as I like to, er, embrace my inner child and 'play doctor'. . . I will not be changing my user name. I don't want to jinx myself!

I really like this idea of threatening to speak with callers during classtime. I teach a class in the Masters program where I now go to school. Ringing cellphones aren't a chronic problem. But that is a funny and creative solution nonetheless! And, I might add, a little bit Snapey.

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timrew - Jan 7, 2005 6:30 pm (#892 of 2956)

Oh, Gina! I'm looking forward to you teaching your first class when you say, "Ah, Mr. (whatever)! Our new celebrity!"

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I Am Used Vlad - Jan 7, 2005 6:32 pm (#893 of 2956)

Congrats to the future Dr. Snape.

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Gina R Snape - Jan 7, 2005 6:38 pm (#894 of 2956)

Aaaaah, Mr. Student. Our first ringing cellphone. YESSS!!!! Now *I* can't wait!

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Accio Sirius - Jan 7, 2005 7:25 pm (#895 of 2956)

Gina, I hope at some point you can strut into the room in a flowing cloak growling, "Turn to page Threeeee hundred and ninetttty four."

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Gina R Snape - Jan 7, 2005 9:13 pm (#896 of 2956)

LOL. Unfortunately, the textbook I'm using only goes to page 370. But I do have a friend who teaches the fifth grade. And one day really soon after the PoA trailer came out, she used her 'Snape voice' and told the children to turn to page 396 and all the kids cracked up laughing. It was a proud moment for her!

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Prefect Marcus - Jan 7, 2005 9:26 pm (#897 of 2956)

I read a number of reviews for the PoA movie. The one that has stuck with me was the reviewer who stated (to the best of my memory), "Alan Rickman is the only actor I know of that who can say ,'Turn to page 396', and make it sound like a death threat."

:-D

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The giant squid - Jan 7, 2005 11:34 pm (#898 of 2956)

Okay, before Marie comes along & spills the beans, I have to admit that at one time I spent an inordinate amount of time listening to Billy Joel's Greatest Hits tape (yes, back in the old days there were these things called "tapes"...). I blame it on growing up in North Dakota--to those folks, Billy Joel is "edgy". Most of his stuff makes my skin crawl now; only fitting, since the stuff I listen to now makes my folks' ears bleed

Marcus, that's a fabulous quote. So true, too.

Well, it's official: hell has frozen over. Or at least the annex of it known as Las Vegas. Today's top news story was that it snowed here in town--some parts of town got a couple of inches. The southern part of town (where I live) naturally just got cold rain... The weather guys described local patterns as "drought-busting rains", so maybe this next year I'll be able to get through a summer without having to endure thousands of "conserve your water" commercials.

--Mike

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Caput Draconis - Jan 8, 2005 1:27 am (#899 of 2956)

I have those commercials! Ha. Or versions of them anyway.

Now Mike, my sources tell me that the premiere of Elektra is being held in Vegas, tomorrow (Sat) I think...that's not anywhere near you, by chance? I really disliked Daredevil (I blame Ben), but the happy casting of my hero Sydney Bristow killing grrrrrrr Jason Isaacs will lure me in. So on the off chance Jason actually goes I want you to go and wave to him and Jen for me. Thanks.

Does Alias 4 start tonight in the US? I'll have to content myself with watching the DVD sets (best Chrissie present ever ) for a while, but I'm still excited for everyone who gets to see S4. Yay.

Hi Madam Pince!

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Elanor - Jan 8, 2005 1:28 am (#900 of 2956)

Marcus I just love that scene. As a teacher, it really made be dream! There is nothing that can get on my nerves as to have to say "turn to page..." once, twice, thrice... to kids that don't pay attention. If only I had a wand sometimes! But the low and dangerously calm voice does work most of the time and it always makes me smile inside because I think to our dear potion master then.

I hope everyone that suffers from the bad weather will still have a great weekend! here, the weather is kind of crazy too but it is because it is milder than it should be for the season: we have sun and about 14°C in the afternoon (57 °F), the weather that we should have in March! Go figure... We'd better enjoy it before cold comes back!

Have a great weekend wherever you are!

Lady Arabella Mon Jan 05, 2015 7:51 pm

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Accio Sirius - Jan 8, 2005 7:03 am (#901 of 2956)

Okay. Clearly I have to watch the movie again. In my head it was 394!

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Catherine - Jan 8, 2005 7:14 am (#902 of 2956)

Saturday, yay!

In my head it was 394! --Accio Sirius

I'm pretty sure that it is 394, also.

And Gina, glad you like my hubby's solution for ringing cell phones. It is a bit "Snapey," but then, he is "Potions Master" after all! Maybe it goes with the territory.

Kim, that is an interesting solution, the mosquito-net pajamas. I'm sure that it will breathe even better than Egyptian cotton.

Enjoy your day, everyone.

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haymoni - Jan 8, 2005 7:17 am (#903 of 2956)

I believe you are correct, Accio Sirius - but that excuse is as good as any!

Nothing much going on here today. A bit of snow - nothing much.

Ungrateful Son has a basketball game at 3:00 which means I have to take a nap-less Daughter out in public.

We finally put the Christmas decorations away. I have an artificial tree, so why do I have "needles" all over the place?

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

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Denise P. - Jan 8, 2005 8:36 am (#904 of 2956)

Alias S4 started on Wednesday here, with a 2 hour ep. I am NOT a happy camper about a few things that were revealed.

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From Venus - Jan 8, 2005 8:55 am (#905 of 2956)

Good Saturday Morning everyone! I've got to say, you were all in top form since my last Forum reading; I have been laughing in my coffee for the last 20 minutes...

Some people don't seem to understand the bond that pets can hold. - Penny Lane

My husband is one of those people. For 30+ years I have had to grieve alone and in silence whenever one of my pets passed on. But now, he has a horse that he is very fond of, a first for him, and so now we will see......

Penny, you and your father and family are in my prayers. Please let us know how the surgery went.

To Acceber...Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

By the way, Acceber, do you really find us that boring?? Chat & Greetings 2005 464751818

Ungrateful Son has a basketball game at 3:00 which means I have to take a nap-less Daughter out in public.-Haymoni

Oh, you poor woman! Well I guess you probably won't get to see much of the game.

The weather is STILL rainy and gloomy here. If I'm remembering correctly, it's been about 2 weeks since we've seen the sun. (Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here....*now that song will be stuck in my head all day*) We may need to start educating people for what to expect when it finally returns, or there may be widespread panic! Anyways, have a great weekend, everyone! Bye for now!

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Gina R Snape - Jan 8, 2005 10:51 am (#906 of 2956)

Sorry if I created any confusion. It IS page 394 in the film. My friend just so happened to have the kids turn to page 396, which was close enough to make the reference for her class. . .

Here in NYC it's terribly gloomy and rainy. Just as well, I've woken up with a terrible cold. So today will be a good day to stay indoors, make some oatmeal, and cuddle with the kitties. Hope everyone else has a good day.

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Sirius Lee - Jan 8, 2005 12:56 pm (#907 of 2956)

Hi all! I just got around to posting on the Intro thread, and figured I should head here next. As I said there, my new job leaves me with about 7 1/2 hours to catch up on the Lex, and I'll probably be hanging around the chat thread a lot.

Gina, I hope you feel better, but I'm a little jealous you got to stay in today. It's still gross out here in NYC and I'll have to swim home through it soon

P.S. Sorry to ask this here, but I've done a search and didn't find what I was looking for. I'm DYING to know know the basis of the DD/Giant Squid thing, but I can only find references to the argument. Did the thread get mulched ? Help!

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Pinky - Jan 8, 2005 1:48 pm (#908 of 2956)

Sirius Lee, scroll down, down, down, until you can see the bottom of the forum. There will be a thread titled "Slytherin Prefect, I want evidence that Dumbledore is the Giant Squid (adapted)". It is in the archived section, which means all the posts were condensed into one long post. That is the original thread where the theory was first presented and hashed out, and it is absolutely original to this forum.

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Sirius Lee - Jan 8, 2005 1:52 pm (#909 of 2956)

Whoo-hoo! Finally. Silly me just thought that was more reactions to the theory rather than the theory itself. Thank you so much Pinky, that will certainly give me something to look forward to doing at work Monday!

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kabloink! - Jan 8, 2005 5:00 pm (#910 of 2956)

It Snowed in VEGAS!? Okay, this winter just has me constantly thinking of the movie "THe Day After Tomorrow," What with all of the odd weather and natural disasters...I always figured it was abnormal for it to snow in Vegas-is it as abnormal as I understand? In any case, my husband and I will be there with my parents next week, as my parents are taking us out there for our anniversary. We're so geeked! Its my thrid trip out there, but my first as a LEGAL, DRINKING ADULT! Yay! It is my husband's first trip out there. Oooh all excited, so much so that my mom and I have decided that we both want to lose ten pounds before then. I gotta get working out, though, as it is less than a month away now.

I, too, understand the pain of losing a pet. My parents had a dog named Precious since a year before I was born, and when we had to put her down when I was in 6th grade, it was heartbreaking. I still have some great pictures of her, though. Our (mine and Mr. kabloink!'s) cat, Austin, ran away a little over 3 months ago. We were so sad. We still have another kitty, named Arwen, and she has made it easier to deal with losing him, but it is still hard. What makes it even worse is realizing what probably happened to him once we discovered our friend the basement-dwelling raccoon...

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Penny Lane. - Jan 8, 2005 5:14 pm (#911 of 2956)

Oh Kim! That sounds horrible. Mean Bad Raccoon!

Today was another stressful day here at EMU (my lovely university). Last night I finally got ahold of my mother who told me that she had been trying to reach me all day. After I explained about my computer and phone problems she told me that my father came out of his surgery okay and that he has tubes in his chest and a ventalater helping him breathe. She used to be a respritory therapist though, so I believed her when she said it should be coming out soon and not to worry.

She told me to hurry up and get a cord for my phone so she could call me today to let me know whats going on, so after I woke up and cleaned for a couple of hours I embarked on that mission. 4 hours later, no cord or phone. I went to a store on campus and saw that phones (with caller id!) weren't that expensive, so I thought I would jsu\\ust buy a new phone. I handed the clerk a $50 bill and she told me that she couldn't except it, it was store policy. I asked why and she just said store policy. So I left and bullied a friend of mine to drive me to the closest off campus store - which is miles away. It turned out to be a Walmart. Now, even though I said I would never shop in a Walmart again I figured this qualified as an emergency. I picked out a phone and took it to the front where they told me the same thing - they didn't take bills larger than $20.

anyway, so I don't have a phone yet, and I'm still stressed out- but you guys here at the forum made me feel so much better with all your well wishes, and the fact that you care so much. It really is touching.

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Catherine - Jan 8, 2005 5:22 pm (#912 of 2956)

Mean bad store policy, Penny!

That is so ridiculous. A $50 bill is legal tender, for Merlin's sake. I could understand if they couldn't make change for a hundred dollar bill at midnight or six a.m., but to refuse to take a $50 bill seems idiotic in the extreme. I can't imagine how this added to your stress.

Don't let the bank give you any of those bills larger than $20s in the future.

I am sending both of those stores some of Fred and George's Fever Fudge and I hope they get huge, pus-filled boils.

Did the manager of the store refuse, or just the clerks?

My sympathies for all of your troubles. Good luck tomorrow.

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Penny Lane. - Jan 8, 2005 5:31 pm (#913 of 2956)

Aww thanks Catherine.

I feel like I'm over reacting, but at the same time I just don't understand why a store that serves to the public can even say that it's store policy not to take legal tender. It's one thing if there isn't change, but they didn't even check. The clerks, yes i just talked to the clerks - didn't want to make a big scene - just said store policy. I mean is that even legal?

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timrew - Jan 8, 2005 5:38 pm (#914 of 2956)

Bad news to impart. My son and all of the staff at the place he works at, Jongleurs Comedy Club in Manchester, were collecting for the Tsunami appeal.

There were three buckets on the bar containing some £3-500; and all were stolen. My son and the staff were devastated. Some scumbags (they have decided it was an inside job) have been robbing the dead.

There were three buckets on the bar to collect the money, and all have gone missing. No matter, the appeal will start again, just as the scumbags disappear under the rocks they came from.....

At least there seem to be more generous people in the world than these low-lifes. We'll start again, and not be so trusting this time. The money won't be left on public view.

Such is life......

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Gina R Snape - Jan 8, 2005 6:40 pm (#915 of 2956)

Sirius Lee, you are in NYC? You should come to one of our HP Meetups some time! Lemme know if you are interested.

On a side note...

<-------- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! (See current avatar)

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Pinky - Jan 8, 2005 7:41 pm (#916 of 2956)

Penny, that's ridiculous. I think you could request to see the store's policy for that one. Particularly at a Wal-Mart. Unless there's been a rash of counterfeit $50 bills, I can't see why they would refuse it, and even then, they have those nifty pen things that they mark the bills with to see if they're genuine.

Tim, scumbag is a kind thing to call them. I hope this is something the police will be able to pursue with a vengeance.

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Gina R Snape - Jan 8, 2005 7:44 pm (#917 of 2956)

Penny, I'm not sure it's even legal for them to refuse to accept a $50 bill. You might want to lodge a complaint with the manager.

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 8, 2005 8:33 pm (#918 of 2956)

<-------- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! (See current avatar)---Gina R Snape

Well, I'm shocked. I never would have pegged Snape for a Capricorn. My money was on Scorpio. Hey Gina, hope he's compatible with whatever sign you are.

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Sirius Lee - Jan 8, 2005 8:40 pm (#919 of 2956)

Oh my goodness, timrew! That's horrible. What kind of disgusting person would do such a thing. However, during times like this, you can't help but admire the goodness and generosity that it brings out in people. So many are willing to open their hearts and their wallets to help people in such need. Your son and the rest at the club should be proud for doing what they could and raising a great amount. Besides, someday that thief will likely get what they deserve. I'm thinking a stretch in Azkaban should teach him.

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Acceber - Jan 8, 2005 8:42 pm (#920 of 2956)

Now you all think I hate you, don't you? No, of course I don't. I just wasn't thinking and tend to use too many run on sentences, no thanks to all the classics I've been reading recently. I LOVE reading the Forum and it always makes my day. Reading the chat thread in particular cheers me up.

I'm going to go read some more threads and curse at Wal Mart and people who think they're more important than the tsunami.

PS Happy Birthday Sev!

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Julia. - Jan 8, 2005 9:10 pm (#921 of 2956)

Mazel tov on your As Gina! I can't wait to call you 'Dr. Snape' when you get your degree. Oh, and Kindly wish Severus a happy birthday for me. I'm sure that you two will celebrate appropriately.

Catherine, please tell Mr. Catherine 'w00t!' for me on coming up with such a brilliant way to get his students to turn off their cell phones.

Tim, that's terrible. The notion that people would steal from the tsunami victims makes me quite sick. I really hope they catch whoever is responsible.

Penny, those people are ridiculous. I can understand not being able to change a hundred, but a fifty? That's insane, you should definitely complain.

My cousin's bat mitzvah this morning was ok. The service was Reform, which is definitely not my style, but, it could have been a lot worse. The party was fun as well. We're driving back to CT tomorrow afternoon.

Well, off to check the threads. TTFN!

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The giant squid - Jan 9, 2005 12:06 am (#922 of 2956)

Penny Lane: You must have gotten some real winners (read: losers) at that Wal-Mart. Yes, many convenience stores and fast-food places have a "nothing bigger than a $20 bill" policy, but Wal-Mart--a store where many purchases come to well over $50-- does not. At least, it didn't when I worked there. (I seem to use that disclaimer a lot; I really hope the company hasn't degraded that much in my absence.)

I also find it horribly amusing that your school's initials are the name of a large flightless bird. but that's probably just me...

Caput draconis: Yes, the Elektra premiere was here in Vegas. It was at the Brendan Theater at the Palms--our competitor (boo! hiss!). The owner of that chain is quite willing to spend inordinate amounts of money for fluff like that; meanwhile his employees get paid less than peanuts. Shows you where his priorities lie, eh? Last I heard, Jennifer Garner wasn't going to be able to show up, though. Is it wrong that I get a little perverse pleasure from that?

kabloink!: Snow in Vegas is indeed unusual—more so that it happened last year as well. Of course it was all gone by noon. :rolleyes:

--Mike

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Caput Draconis - Jan 9, 2005 12:50 am (#923 of 2956)

Ack Mike, I didn't realise, darn evil competitors. If I'm ever in Vegas I'll boycott them.

Denise, you've got me worried about Season 4...

*hugs to all*

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Amilia Smith - Jan 9, 2005 1:13 am (#924 of 2956)

As I do a good bit more lurking than posting, I know you all don't know me well. But I just wanted to let you all know how much I have enjoyed this thread the past few months. (I tried to read it back in the summer, but it was getting close to 100 posts a day, and there was no way I could keep up. But I came back this fall and now this is my favorite thread.) It really makes the world feel smaller and more friendly to read weather reports and gross bug stories from all over the world. Thank you for sharing bits of your lives with me.

I would also like to add a special thank you to all those of you to whom English is not your native tongue. It is very gracious of you to be willing to share your ideas and thoughts with those of us who are bound by English. As someone who has tried to learn a second language, and not gotten very far in seven years, I can appreciate the effort it takes. May I also add that you all speak (write?) amazing English. I would never have guessed any of you were non-native English speakers if I didn't click on your avatars.

Mills.

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septentrion - Jan 9, 2005 3:11 am (#925 of 2956)

Penny, I'm glad your father is OK. Let us know how things go with him.

Gina, you deserve congrats for two thing : being nearly doctor, and knowing your **cough, cough** husband's birthday at last.

Tim, I too can't even imagine how people can steal money collected for victims of a catastrophe.

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Accio Sirius - Jan 9, 2005 7:50 am (#926 of 2956)
Edited by Jan 9, 2005 6:51 am

Tim, that is just awful. I do believe however that karma has a way of working things out. At least that's what I tell myself. My daughter's Brownie troop has started selling Girl Scout cookies this week and now people who don't want to eat them can buy the cookies and the Girl Scouts will donate them to Tsunami victims. I'm sure cookies aren't on the top of the list of needed things, but it is something nevertheless. The Girl Scouts have also earmarked a portion of the proceeds from the sales to go to them as well, so it's a pretty guilt-free purchase this year--unless your like my husband and eat the entire box of Tag-alongs by yourself! ; )

Gina, I am so jealous. I've been dying to know when Sirius' birthday is! What does his sign say about him? Any surprises?

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Catherine - Jan 9, 2005 8:05 am (#927 of 2956)

I agree with you, Accio Sirius, about Karma. Sure hope the thief/thieves get a huge Karmic kick in the pants (and I wouldn't mind some purple pimples that say THIEF to pop up on their faces).

Mmmm....Girl Scout Cookies.....Carmel Delites....Thin Mints....mmmmm.

Hope you enjoy the birthday celebration, Gina!

Happy Sunday to all.

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ShelterGirl - Jan 9, 2005 9:20 am (#928 of 2956)

Hello all. I noticed I've been asked after... Smile

Just wanted to let you all know that I haven't forgotten about you. Life is crazy, but also pretty wonderful. Man-Unit and I got engaged the day after Christmas, and we'll be getting hitched on October 22nd. Moving has been a bear, and I'll be thrilled when it's totally over. I now have 6 cats (yes, six), due to the fact that this last group of fosters stole DF's heart, and he couldn't let them go. Soooo...no more fostering. I can't handle more than 6.

Work has been bizarre, and a bit hectic, and I'm glad the holidays are over.

I've missed all of you very much, and the last thing I have to say for this post is:

BRING ON JULY 16TH!!!!!!!!!

Julie

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Catherine - Jan 9, 2005 10:59 am (#929 of 2956)

Julie!

It's great to hear from you, and I wish you and the Future Mr. Julie the very best.

Is Ginny going to be a flower-dog?

Again, I hope you all have a good time planning your wedding **eye roll and snicker** and that your bridesmaids, if any, do not have to wear a dress with a big bow on the rear end!

It's great to read such interesting and happy news--yay!

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septentrion - Jan 9, 2005 11:55 am (#930 of 2956)

Congrats Julie !

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Eponine - Jan 9, 2005 1:01 pm (#931 of 2956)

It's good to see you back, Julie. Congratulations on your engagement!

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timrew - Jan 9, 2005 3:12 pm (#932 of 2956)

Thank you all for your kind words. The collection will begin again, and the money will be better taken care of this time.

I suppose my son and his colleagues failed to realise that the world is not just made up of a lot of caring individuals, but also a small percentage of scumbag low-lifes.

But, hey! They've set the wave in motion, and it's coming their way........

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boop - Jan 9, 2005 5:52 pm (#933 of 2956)

Penny, Wal-Mart won't take $50 dollar bills. Thats a first for me to hear that about them. You’re not having much luck with Wal-Mart. If you decide to visit this store again, I would surely ask to talk with a manager. As much money as they make can't see why they don't take anything bigger than 20's.

Tim, I am sorry to hear what happened to your son's comedy club. The world is made up with all kinds of people. Just to bad these scumbags made the choice to visit your son's club. One thing that is good these scumbags are a very small part of the world.

Julie, Welcome back, and Congratulations on becoming engaged.

Edit: gldnsnidget, Sirius Lee, Winky Woo, Jordan Utsman, and Bonnie DeMoss welcome to the forum. Enjoy yourself and don't be afraid to add your thoughts as well.

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Julia. - Jan 9, 2005 8:51 pm (#934 of 2956)

Welcome back Julie!!! Mazel tov on your engagement!!

I'm back safely from DC, and catching up on all the fun posts I missed while I spend 6 hours in the car.

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kabloink! - Jan 9, 2005 8:56 pm (#935 of 2956)

Tim- It really it awful what happened to all that money for the victims. I will have to make extra sure to buy Girl Scout cookies to help out. Of course, I can't live without my year's supply of THin Mints or Peanut Butter Patties...yummm.

What is it with all the different names for the cookies? When I sold GS cookies back in the early 90's there weren't any Tag Alongs or the new name for the Caramel Delights-or is that what the tag along is? I don't know. I'm confused.

Does anyone know if Bronchitis is characterized by a fever? I know the whole coughing thing, which I have, but I don't have a fever. Two people at my work, however, have Bronchitis, and my niece, who I played with last week, has pneumonia. Knowing that as a young child I had pneumonia at least once a winter, I am rather concerned about this nasty cough that I've had all week. I don't like going to the doctor if I can avoid it though, as I JUST got my health insurance(for the first time EVER), and I'm not quite sure how it works. THe last thing I can afford at the moment is an unexpected doctor's bill.

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KWeldon - Jan 9, 2005 9:01 pm (#936 of 2956)

kabloink,

This is what I found on bronchitis for its symptoms.

Cough that produces mucus (sputum); if yellow-green in color, you are more likely to have a bacterial infection; occasionally, the sputum is blood streaked, which must be evaluated by a doctor Shortness of breath worsened by exertion or mild activity Wheezing Fatigue Fever -- usually low-grade Chest discomfort

However, just because you don't have a fever doesn't mean it's not bronchitis. If you are concerned about the bill, I'd call the doctor's office, give them your insurance information, and ask them what you are covered for.

Take care of yourself! This might be one trip worth going for.

KWeldon

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Denise P. - Jan 9, 2005 9:09 pm (#937 of 2956)

Carmel Delights are also more commonly known as Samoas. This is the 30th year Samoas have been offered by Girl Scouts.

Tagalongs -covered in chocolate and has a peanut butter filling (not to be confused with the Do Si Do, which is a peanut butter oatmeal cookie)

Thin Mint - speaks for itself, best served frozen

All Abouts - a shortbread with a chocolate bottom

Trefoil - a plain shortbread cookie

Lemon Cooler - a low fat lemon cookie dusted with powdered sugar (this could be regional)

Double Dutch Chocolate - a hard as rock chocolate chocolate chip cookie, that is supposed to be softer this year, it is marginally less hard. (this could also be regional)

Hey, how many here can tell I am the Troop Cookie Mom??!! LOL

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kabloink! - Jan 9, 2005 9:18 pm (#938 of 2956)

Hmmm Here's what I remember:

Carmel Delights

Tagalongs are Peanut Butter Patties

Peanut BUtter Sandwiches

THIn Mints

SHortbreads just plain shortbreads

a Lemon Sandwich

THats all I can remember for now

KWeldon, thank you for the advice. I don't actually have all of the symptoms, but I'll keep an eye on it for awhile.

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Gina R Snape - Jan 9, 2005 9:32 pm (#939 of 2956)

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, thin mints. . .

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haymoni - Jan 9, 2005 9:35 pm (#940 of 2956)

kabloink - I have been in Human Resources for about 15 years, most of it in Benefits. I am assuming you are paying for your health insurance, so you might as well get some use out of it and January is a great time to start. I would guess that you have received some sort of identification card that will have a Customer Service number on it. Call it on Monday to verify your benefits. You may have a deductible (just like your car insurance - you pay it and then your insurance starts paying) which can be anywhere from $100 on up. Or you may have a co-pay which is a fixed dollar amount, usually $10 or $20 dollars, that you pay each time you go to the doctor. (I tell my employees that it is like the cover charge you pay to get into a bar.) You may have to see certain doctors (a network) or you might have had to select a Primary Care Physician (one doctor that directs all of your care). Whatever your case, it is best to know your benefits BEFORE you go to the doctor. You may have to remind your doctor what coverage you have, because you may need a referral to see a specialist or you may have a drug formulary (a list of brand name drugs) that you must follow. Unfortunately, some companies do not have the HR staff necessary to go over benefits the way they should. It falls into the employee's lap to learn what the insurance covers. And since you are the one ultimately responsible for your bills, you should try to learn as much as possible.

Please see a doctor, though. I had bronchitis after coming back from Florida in November and I am still coughing every once in a while. Nasty stuff!!

You poor thing, Denise! Cookie Mom - not a job for us Slacker Moms. I remember one girl in our troop had a younger brother who broke into one of the cases and ate the peanut butter middle out of all the sandwich cookies. He replaced the cookies and closed up the boxes. Imagine paying $$$ (what is it now?) and finding someone has already eaten the best part!!!

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Ydnam96 - Jan 9, 2005 9:39 pm (#941 of 2956)

Yes, frozen Thin Mints. The best!

It has been raining in Southern California forever! Okay, well at least most of the last week. I think I'm gonna float away.

I had to take my cat to the vet today. I found a growth in his mouth! The Dr. said it's most likely just an infection, like an abscesed tooth...and put him on Prednezone and some other anti-biotics. He said if it doesn't go away I'll have to go back. I was so afraid when I saw it that it was gonna be cancer. I am so thankful it isn't!

I was gone most of last week on two different trips for work. I'm not sure I'll be able to catch up on all the posts both here and at the Chamber of Secrets. Pesky job!

I hope all others in Southern Cali are in safe from the rain.

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Marie E. - Jan 9, 2005 10:24 pm (#942 of 2956)

Another self-described Slacker Mom has foolishly volunteered to be Cookie Mom. I mean myself, of course. I had my cookie meeting with the parents today. I cheated a little and printed out a sheet with all the important stuff from the parent handbook because I know none of them will read it anyway.

I didn't get the Lego castle after all. I was offered the choice of the castle or the Knight Bus and the Hogwarts Express. Why get one present when you can get two? My mom and my auntie both sent me gift cards to book stores, which are burning holes in my wallet.

Aww, Mike, I was about to tell the story about how you used to play the song "Pressure" over and over again. Whenever I hear "Billy Joel" now all I can think of is the sketch they did on Mad TV right after one of his drunken driving incidents.

Cool, now Catherine and I are the same age. Halfway to 70, yeah!!

I saw Unfortunate Events last Friday night. I've only read the books once so I was fairly pleased with the movie. Jim Carrey overacted as usual, but that was to be expected. We have finally found the formula to get Lexie to sit still at a movie (one that doesn't have singing animated animals). We took her to Chick-Fil-A and stuffed her full, let her bounce around the play area, then took her to a movie an hour before her bedtime. She was so quiet I had to keep checking to see if she was awake.

Bugs...*shudder*...I can't even relate a story except to say we had a cat in Georgia that kept getting fleas and giving them to Samantha who is terribly allergic to them. Samantha would chew off all her hair around the bites and end up looking like a leper. We were constantly having to flea bomb the apartment, so I have total empathy with Catherine's plight.

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The giant squid - Jan 10, 2005 1:28 am (#943 of 2956)

Does anyone know if Bronchitis is characterized by a fever?

I'm amazed that Marie didn't offer any advice...she only gets bronchitis two or three times a year...

You have a Chik-Fil-A in Colorado Springs? Argh! That's the one thing I well and truly miss about leaving Georgia. Naturally they're in all the southwest states except Nevada...

Caput, thanks for the boycott offer. While you're at it, boycott AMC, Carmike, and Century. If we can get enough people to do that, I might get a raise.

Denise P., I am constantly amazed by how much stuff you do. I get exhausted just listening to your daily routine, and now you add "cookie mom" on top of it? Oy.

And a big hug for Betty, just because.

--Mike

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Tomoé - Jan 10, 2005 2:02 am (#944 of 2956)

I finally catch up! I got a tonsillitis last week, I'm very glad I don't have kabloink's problem with insurances (it would kill me, I'm always covering something ^_~). I slept a lot and get behind once again.

Like Accio Sirius I'm horribly terrified of waps and any other stinging insects give me the creeps like scoop.

I'm very sorry for your ferret TBE.

I'm glad your father seems all right Penny.

Congratulation for your good marks Gina!

Acceber, aren't there dictionaries for crosswords?

I'll be glad to go in Pennsilvania this summer again. Do you want to do it before HbP, for a final brain storming about the coming book, or after, to chat a bit about the new stuff?

Denise, you are really an outstanding mom, do your kids knows how lucky they are?

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Marè - Jan 10, 2005 2:16 am (#945 of 2956)

Weeew, back from the weekend and it rains! (and not a little bit too!) I even got wet socks from walking from the buss till the building...

Amilia: Hi! It's good to see more members checking the chat thread, it's one of my favourites as well! Have any stories to share...? The current theme seems to be gross bug stories (Acceber: EEEEWWW!) But if you want to change the subject I'm sure nobody will mind. (Tweedledee tweedledum...)

And will you all stop it with the cookie talk! I'm still resolved to keep some new years resolutions and I allready had to eat way to much gallette (sort of a pie) for Harry Potter goodness sake...

Again, I hope you all have a good time planning your wedding **eye roll and snicker** and that your bridesmaids, if any, do not have to wear a dress with a big bow on the rear end!

A little group of five friends whom I have known for a long time, have once (as kiddies) decided we would be each others bridesmaids (aaawww, how barbielike...) And now, years later, that promiss still stands. The one most likely to marry first has only one thing to say on our dresses, no matter if the colour matches the decoration, the theme or anything at all, the only thing that matters is that we are going to have a big bow at our rear ends...
You can see that we look very forward to that wedding and that she has an odd sense of humour... Chat & Greetings 2005 1242194059

And Tim, stealing charity money, that people actually worked hard for to collect, is just so wrong! What kind of a person would even think about that. I hope the next amount that is raised is thrice as much!

And to end this post I send some good wishes to Penny's father for his health and to Penny, that maybe one day she will find a store that actual knows the meaning of the word service!

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septentrion - Jan 10, 2005 3:04 am (#946 of 2956)

Nice avatar Marè ! BTW have you finished with Brest or are you back in Brittany ?

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Marè - Jan 10, 2005 3:14 am (#947 of 2956)

Back in Brittany for a week now. Took me over 14 hours to get here... And off course I had to drag way too many books with me Smile

Trying to find my courage and do more things in the surrounding area's, but that means depending on the busses. And they haven't been working too well for me.... Sad

BTW Sep, do you know of any chains that would sell english books?

Edit; and thanks for the avie 5 more to go in this series, than I have to think of something new...

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septentrion - Jan 10, 2005 3:25 am (#948 of 2956)

try the FNAC 65 rue Jean Jaurès in Brest. It's one of the biggest bookstores chains in France. I also found some adresses on the : pages jaunes. Next to "activité", you write "librairie" and next to "localité", you write "brest", then you click on "rechercher". You'll get a list, when you're at the end of the list, click on "suite" to get more adresses.You just want to be careful because they list all the bookstores and some are specialised.

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Catherine - Jan 10, 2005 5:33 am (#949 of 2956)

Haymoni, you may be a self-professed Slacker Mom, but you are the Queen of Human Resources in my book. I'm sure many folks found that information helpful. **salutes**

I must confess that I have never been "Cookie Mom." This stems from my own childhood when my mother was the Cookie Mom, and we had Slacker Scouts and their parents who would wait forever to come pick up their cookies. Meanwhile, we had mountains of Thin Mints taking up every last inch of space in our rec room. My father was really not to be trusted around such tempting fare; I think he must have been the original Cookie Monster. **bows to all of the Cookie Moms**

As to the bronchitis question, I am recovering from bronchitis myself, and I did have a fever and all of the lovely symptoms KWeldon described, unfortunately. But, Kabloink, if you have really persistent coughing without a fever, you may have allergies or asthma. Some people who normally have not been diagnosed with asthma can get viral-induced asthma, or be coughing in response to an irritant. I also learned the last time that Hayley was wheezing and coughing that such symptoms can also be induced by reflux (stomach acid shooting up). So, it is worth investigating.

Hope everyone has a good start to their week.

I wish I had some Girl Scout Cookies to eat for breakfast.......

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mollis - Jan 10, 2005 6:57 am (#950 of 2956)

Mmmmmmm...frozen thin mints dunked in coffee for breakfast...

And all I have is a yogurt....

Lady Arabella Mon Jan 05, 2015 7:52 pm

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Thora - Jan 10, 2005 7:08 am (#951 of 2956)

Mare,

LOVE the new advatar! It looks great with your signature blue typing! Thora

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Gina R Snape - Jan 10, 2005 7:54 am (#952 of 2956)

Nice Avatar, Mare!

Well, there was so much celebration yesterday, that I've lost my voice! Well, either that or I caught whatever has been going around my office for the past 2 weeks. And to think, I'm supposed to teach tonight! First class of the semester and I have no voice.

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Fawkes Forever - Jan 10, 2005 8:05 am (#953 of 2956)

Hello hello... anyone here? *runs to hug Betty* aww thanks for missing me Betty. Hey everyone... it's nice to 'see' you all again.

Well I haven't been here in a bit & I missed this place. Unfortunately the dementors kept me working right up to the last minute before christmas... so I wasn't able to logon or post beyond dec 21st & so wasn't able to wish anyone a Happy Christmas.

I did book a long holiday this year, from christmas eve until today, (which was lovely except for the lack of internet connection) so it's my first day back at work ... grumble grumble! Unfortunately the minute I got in the door one of the dementors was straight over to my desk with a whole heap of things to do, so I'm dead busy... but I'm sneaking a look in here now whilst they're at a meeting

Anyways... just sped read the last 500 posts on this thread... boy you've all been extremely chatty. Happy holidays to you all & a happy new year to everyone. Due to my workload, I won't be posting much this next week, (one girl in my team quit, another team mate is on parental leave & one has just had a death in the family), so I'm pretty much the entire team this week... hmmm, fun. Oh well!

Tim, sorry to hear about those louses who stole the charity money, but I may have a story to help cheer you up. Just when you lost faith in human nature... something comes along to surprise you. Indeed the dementors in my company have completely surprised me. The entire company is doing a huge fund raising effort for the Asian Tsunami Disaster, where we the workers will donate a discretionary amount from our wages, however the dementors have promised to match whatever amount we raise globally dollar for dollar. Perhaps they do have a heart after all!

I'm also an aunty for the third time... & first time godmother (scarey thought) My little niece Katherine Lily was born last week. I have yet to see her, but hoping to visit her tonight... can't wait!

Anyways.. nice to be back.. hope to get posting properly soon & get round to reading the other threads! Oh & I'm applying for a new credit card, so fingers crossed my new one will work for buying membership for World Crossing

EDIT : sorry to hear about your voice Gina... try some black tea & honey.. it may not bring your voice back, but it should soothe your throat

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Essidji - Jan 10, 2005 8:15 am (#954 of 2956)

So good luck with your credit card, Fawkes! Nice to see you back in the Griffyndor Common Room : it's been a while!

I love your avatar, Marè. BTW thanks for the email you sent to us europeans. I would LOVE to come at this meeting, but I'm afraid I'll be far, far away from England at that time... :-(]

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Marè - Jan 10, 2005 8:23 am (#955 of 2956)

And I was all ready to send out the search hounds, but decided to give you another week! good to have you back Fawkes! Nice to hear the dementors either have a heart or decided to work on their image...

And Katherine Lily what a lovely name. I'm sure you'll be a great godmother, just spoil her rotten and you'll be fine... (And make sure she becomes a Potty, off course)

First class of the semester and I have no voice

Erm, maybe a Sonorus charm might help? Else try to make it look on purpose, much like Snape. Try to look like you would rather eat all your students than teach them and talk soft on purpose so they have to be very quite to hear you...
No? hmmm, Than I guess good luck is all I have left to offer...

LOVE the new advatar! It looks great with your signature blue typing!
Ooooh thanks every-one, now you have me blush...

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septentrion - Jan 10, 2005 8:31 am (#956 of 2956)

Nice to see you back Fawkes !

Gina, I hope your voice will soon be back, it's one of the worst things that can happen to a teacher !

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Sirius Lee - Jan 10, 2005 8:50 am (#957 of 2956)

Marie E. - I saw Unfortunate Events last Friday night. I've only read the books once so I was fairly pleased with the movie. Jim Carrey overacted as usual, but that was to be expected.

I'm not a big Jim Carrey fan for that exact reason, but I must say I thought this was the first time I didn't think it was overacting. That's just how Count Olaf is! The character is so over-the-top that I actually got excited when Jim Carrey signed on because I thought he was the only person out there to play such an outrageous villan. He portrayed it exactly as I've imagined while reading.

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Julia. - Jan 10, 2005 10:17 am (#958 of 2956)

*giggles* Hehehehe, I love this. Every time someone signs on to AIM my computer says 'I solumly swear that I'm up to no good.' And when someone signs off it says 'Mischief managed.'

Fawkes!!!!! *runs up and bear hugs Fawkes* Welcome back!! Sorry to hear about those dementors. Sounds to me like you'll have to learn to produce a patronus or keep lots of chocolate around.

Well, off to check the threads. TTFN!

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Elanor - Jan 10, 2005 10:36 am (#959 of 2956)

Hello everybody! I hope Monday was/is not too hard for you! Mine was rather hard because I still have problems with my ankle and my back and tonight, after a work day on my feet amongst 7 years old kids, my ankle just can't blend anymore. Too bad, I won't be able to do something else than sitting in front of my computer, he, he, he...

Gina, I truly sympathize, it is not funny at all when your voice is gone and you have to teach! When it happens, I am glad if I have some test prepared, it helps. Take heart!

Fawkes, that is great to hear from you again! I am so sorry about the dementors. Take heart as well! (what about the 16th of July as a happy feeling for your patronus, it should be spectacular!)

Julia, what you did to your computer sounds really great! I would love mine to do that but, as I am hopeless with computers, it is maybe better if I don't try for fear of it being haunted by Peeves for years to come...

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Sirius Lee - Jan 10, 2005 11:37 am (#960 of 2956)

Julia, that's awesome! Where'd you get those sound bites? I'd love mine to do the same thing.

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Julia. - Jan 10, 2005 11:53 am (#961 of 2956)

I got them from gryffindor_phan's Live Journal. Scroll down about 4 posts until you see the one titled 'This Sounds Loffly.' If you need help, feel free to email or IM me. Screen names are in my profile.

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Flame Alligator - Jan 10, 2005 12:23 pm (#962 of 2956)

Welcome Back Fawkes!!

Julia, Your sound bite sounds fun.

Just checking in to say Hi to everyone.

Have a great day.

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Fawkes Forever - Jan 10, 2005 1:18 pm (#963 of 2956)

Thanks for the warm welcome back guys... *big huggles all round*

Still at work... & it's 8.15 here... oh well, I'm just back from my yoga class so I'm semi relaxed .... just a 'few' more things to do before I go home...

see ya all tomorrow... *munching chocolate & muttering expecto patronum to myself whilst waggling a pencil aimlessly around my desk ... oh well a girl can dream

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timrew - Jan 10, 2005 4:05 pm (#964 of 2956)

Thanks for the story, Fawkes. Like I said, there are more good people in the world, and we still outnumber the scumbags by at least ten to one!

Your company 'dementors' are doing a great job....

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Marie E. - Jan 10, 2005 7:28 pm (#965 of 2956)

We had nice warm weather here today, so naturally it's supposed to snow on Wednesday. It was 65 yesterday and about 55 today. It's hard to even enjoy the nice weather when you know nasty stuff is on it's way.

I haven't had bronchitis yet this year, but I do think I've had it without the fever. In fact, I rarely run a fever with respiratory infections.

I also thought that Jim Carrey was a good choice for the role of Count Olaf. There was a few scenes that I just didn't think he was creepy enough. Count Olaf, the way I read him, is never silly like in the movie when he was entertaining his "acting troupe". My girls aren't sure they want to read anymore of the books after seeing what happens to the Beaudelaire's guardians. (I hope I'm not spoiling much for anyone. If so, please tell me and I'll shut up! )

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KWeldon - Jan 10, 2005 8:11 pm (#966 of 2956)

Hi Marie! I had read the books for the Lemony Snicket movie, and I thought that they did as good a job as they could have done with the material (obviously I didn't scrutinize it as much as if it were an HP movie!). Having said that, I agree that the acting troupe entertaining seemed out of place. I thought the movie was perfectly cast, though.

SPOILERS.... . . . . . . . . . . . . .

What was up with the spyglasses? They weren't in the books, right? That's a heckuva added plotline to add to the movies, it seems.

KWeldon

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Gina R Snape - Jan 10, 2005 8:14 pm (#967 of 2956)

Well, I managed to get my voice back at the end of the day and so I gave a full lecture to my class. I just wanted to share what I told them about the cellphones. I said that I've decided on a new rule, which is that I reserve the right to take and answer any phone call received in class, and that I would do my best Professor Snape impersonation when doing so, so that they would never again forget to turn off their phones before class. One woman laughed a little louder than the rest. I have to wonder if she's a fan...

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Amilia Smith - Jan 10, 2005 8:20 pm (#968 of 2956)

Way to go!

All this talk about cell phones in class surprised me somewhat. At my little backwater college, we were told in no uncertain terms that cell phones were not permitted in class, and if they went off, we would be handed a drop slip. But I like your way better. :-)

Mills.

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Sirius Lee - Jan 10, 2005 8:46 pm (#969 of 2956)

KWeldon, regarding the objects mentioned in your spoiler, Daniel Handler (the author) has a HUGE say in everything from the script to the promotional materials. JKR's say in PS/SS is NOTHING compared to Handler's. He even wrote mini Bauldelaire stories for SunnyD and PapaJohns. I would have had a big problem with them had I not known that the author had complete approval, if he didn't add it himself.

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dizzy lizzy - Jan 10, 2005 8:55 pm (#970 of 2956)

Mills,

I've no idea what a drop slip is. Can you enlighten me?

Thanks to haymoni regarding health insurance. As an Aussie who's health system is completely different, it illuminates aspects of your system that journalists and academics compare ours to (And don't give the details).

Also Mills I never learnt to speed read deliberately, it just happened. I suspect its because of my deafness, my mother wanted me to have a good grasp of an avenue of communication that didn't rely on sound. I was encouraged to read from about age 4 onwards and encouraged to ask about words I didn't know how to pronounce.

Over time I found it easier to read than listen to the teacher, especially in high school, where my classes were always noisy.

The only time I ever got into trouble at school was for reading in class when I wasn't supposed to!

As of tomorrow morning (Thurs 12th) Sydney time, I will be away for a week. I am travelling down to the Snowy Mountains via Canberra for a wedding. So have a wonderful week everyone and I look forward to lots of posts to read when I get back on the 21st Jan.

Lizzy

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KWeldon - Jan 10, 2005 9:08 pm (#971 of 2956)

Sirius Lee,

Now that you mention it, I remembered reading about it. Didn't they give him several chances to write the script himself?

I suppose the spyglasses come up in the books, but I'm only on Book 5 now. Have you read them all?

KWeldon

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Amilia Smith - Jan 10, 2005 9:11 pm (#972 of 2956)

Lizzy: A drop slip is a paper signed by the teacher that you take to the Registar's office, where they drop that class. In other words, if your phone goes off, you are kicked out of that class permanently. Very effective.

So, no tips on speed reading? Shoot! Thanks anyway. :-)

I got in trouble for reading in class too! But I did have a wonderful science teacher in Junior High who pretended not to notice I was reading under my desk because I could also keep track of what was going on around me, and always knew the answers when asked. He did tell my parents at Parent/Teacher conferences though.

Mills.

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From Venus - Jan 10, 2005 9:13 pm (#973 of 2956)

It's been only a couple of days since I visited and I had 60 posts to read! I love all you guys! All of your stories touch me so, I feel I'm getting to know some of you very well.

Yesterday was the first time we've seen the sun here in southern Indiana since a day or two after Christmas! It was wonderful!! But today is back to gray gloom, and no break in sight. The forecast is the same all week. **Sigh**

This morning, I told some of the 'gross bug stories' to my grandkids while I was driving them to school. Of course, they LOVED them. Especially Accio Sirius' one about the Christmas praying mantises. And the one that grossed them out the most? The one where the wolf spider was squished with a shoe and then hundreds of tiny baby spiders scattered everywhere. That one was pretty much the winner with me, too. Truly too, too horrible to imagine.

The story of the Tsunami releif money being stolen was truly disgusting. Right up there with the 'gross bug stories'. I hope the perpetrators need that money more than the disaster victims do. (That would be hard.) The news about the Girl Scouts offering to give people the option to send their cookies to the victims is great! I so love/hate the girl scout cookies. They almost always manage to come during Lent, and I usually give up that stuff for it, so, here I figure is a good way to support the Girl Scouts and do something else good with the money also, and still not break my fast. But THEN someone had to go and mention that the thin mints are good frozen. AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGG!!!!

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Essidji - Jan 11, 2005 6:03 am (#974 of 2956)

Could someone tell me if the series of books from Lemony Snicket (sounds a bit like a password to Dumbledore'soffice to me)is worth reading? I haven't seen the movie yet, but this universe seems interesting. Also, I would like to know about the length of the books and the level of language, as a non native English speaker.

I tried two years ago to read LOtR Tolkien's books, and found it was really too hard for my level in English.

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septentrion - Jan 11, 2005 6:09 am (#975 of 2956)

Well, the loTR in English should be a lot easier to read if you read it along with the French version. That's what I did with the Hobbit (didn't read LoTR in English yet) and I enjoyed it much like that.

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Pinky - Jan 11, 2005 6:29 am (#976 of 2956)

Essidji, I recall discussing the Lemony Snicket books from quite a while ago, and there was a sharp line between people that liked them, and people that didn't. They are written for children, so their language should be ok for a non native English speaker. One feature of the books is when they use a word that may be hard for a child to understand, the narrative pauses to give a definition of that word. The books are quite short, so you should be able to read the first one and decide if you like them enough to continue or not.

The Lord of the Rings books by Tolkien are written in much more advanced English. You could maybe try the Hobbit - it is written a little more simply than the trilogy.

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 11, 2005 6:33 am (#977 of 2956)

Happy Tuesday to all.

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Catherine - Jan 11, 2005 6:55 am (#978 of 2956)

Shoot. Loopy Lupin beat me. **waves to Loopy**

Well, Happy Tuesday, anyway!

Today should be fun-filled. Hopefully, my microwave will be fixed today. It broke three days before Christmas, and I have really missed it. It is SUCH a pain to reheat leftovers without a microwave. One drawback to living in a small town is that there is only one appliance store, and they give a new meaning to the word "Slacker." The new magnetron tube was supposed to have been ordered December 23, and as of yesterday, the store was still twiddling its idle thumbs waiting for it. I growled at them, and they had one drop-shipped overnight "directly from the manufacturer." **loves quoting Harry Potter novels** It would have been so nice if they had actually done this in the first place.

Also, I found out that Mr. Catherine spent his Christmas gift certificates to the online fish store, and that fish should be coming today, but I don't know when. I made him promise me that nothing was going to jump out of the baggie at me. Ick. I wonder if the fish can survive the 8 hours until Mr. Catherine gets home from work?

Also, I heard a very unsubstantiated rumor that ECU's new athletic director, Terry Holland, bought the house four doors down from us. I can't believe that this is really true. While our neighborhood has the distinction of being the oldest neighborhood in Greenville, and is within walking distance of the University, it isn't upscale and posh in the least. But the neighbors are whispering this rumor, so I'm waiting to see if it's true. We're in for some disappointed neighbors when this proves false.

Well, I'm off to wait for Slacker repairman and Icky fish. Have a great day!

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Denise P. - Jan 11, 2005 7:05 am (#979 of 2956)

Count me in with those who found the Lemony Snicket books repetitive and annoying. I think I gave them a fair shot, I read the first four books even though I didn't really want to finish the first one. I know they are written for children but I still found them dull. My almost 11 year old doesn't like them either. His brother, almost 12, would not touch the books but did like the movie.

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Essidji - Jan 11, 2005 8:22 am (#980 of 2956)

Thanks everyone for the advices.

So I think I'll try the first book and see if I would like to go further...

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kabloink! - Jan 11, 2005 9:04 am (#981 of 2956)

A note on the lotr books-I am a fifth year senior in college. A history major with english and political science minors, and I find the LOTR books difficult. I actually have not read them yet. I keep trying to start reading them, but they take so long to get into, by the time I finally get into the language, I have to go back to reading boring school books. I think reading them will be my graduation present to myself in May. THe Hobbit, on the other hand, I have read, and I loved it. So, I figure I just have to give the rest of the books more of a fair shot than I've been able to in the past. My hubby, on the other hand, has read The Hobbit, the LOTR books AND the SIlmarillion...I am very impressed by this, as The Silmarillion is said to be very, VERY difficult reading.

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Chemyst - Jan 11, 2005 9:14 am (#982 of 2956)

What is the past tense of "speed read?" Sped read? (both self-rhyming?) Anyway, I read-really-fast the first half of the first Lemony Snicket book the first week they came out while I stood in an aisle of the bookstore. At that point I was agreeing with Denise, "I didn't really want to finish the first one." However, they do seem to fill a quirky niche.

Catherine, your neighbor's anticipation reminded me of a time of my own life– When I was in high school, we moved to a college town. Our house was directly across the street from the head football coach. He'd invite the team over for yard parties and show off by walking around on his hands. Of course, he'd have to take his shirt off so it wouldn't fall down around his head and blind him. And he'd hire a couple of the guys to do his yard work, and their shirts also would come off when they got hot & sweaty. My mother would frequently turn up her nose and make some comment about "nature boy," but it never bothered me that much.

Kabloink, I found The Silmarillion tricky, not because of the language or vocabulary, but because I needed a chart to keep all the characters straight. I think that would remain a problem in any translation as well.

Hi Fawkes! Congratulations on your A's Gina.

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KWeldon - Jan 11, 2005 9:24 am (#983 of 2956)

I have had The Silmarillion on my shelf for a couple of years now and have not mustered the courage to tackle it. Kudos to anyone who mastered it.

I enjoy the Lemony Snicket books, only because they allow me to "mind dump." That is, I don't have to think hard while reading them, and sometimes they even make me laugh out loud. I just find them amusing, and I'm very curious to see how the series will end.

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Sirius Lee - Jan 11, 2005 9:35 am (#984 of 2956)

I've read the first nine Lemony Snicket's books and must admit I do like them. I will warn that when I'm about 2/3 through, I always seem to hit a wall. But once I get past that brief moment, I rush through the end and can't wait to grab the next one (#10's been out of the library forever, grr). They're quirky and weird and a real fast read. They're certainly no HP, and I won't read them again, but I'll certainly finish the whole series. And I LOVED the movie!

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From Venus - Jan 11, 2005 9:54 am (#985 of 2956)

I haven't read any of the Lemony Snickets books. Someone told me that they all had awful endings, so, I've stayed away from them.

Happy Tuesday everyone. Enjoy your day!

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mollis - Jan 11, 2005 9:55 am (#986 of 2956)

Snicket - I picked the first one up at the bookstore one day and started reading it. I read about half of it while sitting there, got bored with it and skipped to the end to see what happened. It came across very childish to me (with the defining words thing, especially). I will not be spending money on them. If someone gave me a set to borrow, I'd probably read them if I had nothing else waiting to be read.

Silmarillion - I did read it. It was kind of painful. I found myself skipping over parts that were too obscure and focusing on parts of the story that I was familiar with or that involved characters mentioned in the trilogy. As for reading the trilogy - I love it! If its your first time through and you are struggling through some of the longer descriptions of things past or places that we don't actually visit in the story, skip them. Once you actually get into the flow of the story, it is much easier to follow Tolkein's style. But it can be rough getting started. Then on the second read you can more easily appreciate the details and backstory that is provided.

Those are just my opinions of course. Some may be rather shocked that I would suggest skipping part of a book, which I would normally be strictly against, but if it allows you to be able to read one of the most popular books of all time, what can it hurt?!? Just make sure that you then read it a second time and read it all the way through.

Have a great day!

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Catherine - Jan 11, 2005 9:59 am (#987 of 2956)

What is the past tense of "speed read?" Sped read? (both self-rhyming?) –Chemyst

Hmm. I dunno what that would be. But I have had the that similar experience of reading about the first third of the first Lemony Snicket book during story time at Barnes and Noble, and I did not feel compelled to continue.

I laughed about your football coach story. I can see why you perhaps never minded "Nature Boy." Alas, earwax, we don't live within eyesight of that house, even assuming that Mr. Holland moves in (highly unlikely that our humble neighborhood would attract such a high profile individual) and that he has athletic youngsters hanging out in his front yard (too bad!) I guess that's good, because I would hate to seem like nosey Aunt Petunia spying on the neighbors. **cranes neck to see what's happening down the street**

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Marè - Jan 11, 2005 9:59 am (#988 of 2956)

Oh I read the hobbit, LoTR and the Silmarillion in english. I like it much, much better than my translated version. The translated version is very oldfashioned, making it a hard read. (not the hobbit so much though)
It's the same with Jane Austen novels, any words that are so old that they aren't really used anymore I wouldn't know anyway. I can decipher their meaning from the rest of the text, but I have no meaning about them. So I just sort of read over it.

But I didn't finish LoTR either the first time I read it. It starts sooo slow... After the movies, it's easier because you have this whole world and all these faces in your head. I never had that before the movies with these books, Tolkien’s writing style didn't do that for me.

The Silmarillion on itself was still a very hard book. The stories don't interest me much, I have to agree with Chemyst, way too many names and characters, and you never really get to know them. So you don't feel like you care for them.
But I'm still very happy that I read the silmarillion, because I understood Tolkiens world a lot better.
I remember being frustrated during LoTR because everything had five different names in 17 different languages and nothing got explained. I spend a lot of time looking for Numenor on the map, trying to understand what it exactly was...
Now I understand it all a lot better...

So I even went so far as to tackle unfinished Tales... I started in the back, so I had all the stories with the familiair and much loved characters first. I worked my way through parts 3 and 2 and now I still got the first age left. Some story about Huor, Turin or Tuor... (couldn't he have just given them numbers if their names were going to sound the same anyway?)
I'm sure I read about it in the Silmarillion, not even three months ago, but I don't remember exactly who it was... that's how much I care for those persona.

So I'm going to cheat and tackle "retribution" first. (Nothing Tolkienish in that one...)

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Sirius Lee - Jan 11, 2005 10:03 am (#989 of 2956)

Even as a mild fan, I would never spend money on Lemony Snicket's. I checked a few out of the public library. And I would strongly suggest anyone considering reading them to do the same thing. They are a bit childish (I sometimes get irritated at the defining words), but they're fun excapism.

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librarian314 - Jan 11, 2005 10:06 am (#990 of 2956)

Hey all!

As a long time Sci-fi/fantasy geekette, I actually take some pride in being one of the few people who haven't read LOTR or the Hobbitt. ;-)The language puts me to sleep. I did a little better when my husband read to me but not much.

He on the other hand is a total Tolkien nut having read the Simarillion and Unfinished Tales. He even wrote a linguistics paper in college on the naming practices in Middle Earth. :-P

We got the first Lemony Snickett book on tape as a present and I found it tedious after a while. Too many horribly ridiculous things happened. (Mind you my favorite books as a child were the Little House series by L.I. Wilder, so dark in childhood stories doesn't really do much for me.) The best thing about it was that Tim Curry was the one reading it.

I am interested in the movie, if only for the artistic aspects of cinematography, art direction, and costumes. The trailers I saw this summer made me think it would be very interesting visually. Is it worth going to see just for this?

*michelle the librarian**

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Elanor - Jan 11, 2005 10:47 am (#991 of 2956)

Hello everybody! I hope your Tuesday is great!

I have read LoTR in English, in fact they were the first books I ever read in English because, after reading them twice in French, I realized that I was certainly losing a lot of things by reading it through the eye of the translator.

I have to say that "The Fellowship" was a hard work, especially because I wasn't used to the "rhythm" of the language yet, but at the end of the book I got it and the rest was far easier. It is something very curious that when you read in French (for example), your eyes pause at certain moments of the sentence, so that your brain actually anticipates what comes next and allows a fluid reading. But when you read in English, your eyes will have to pause in another way and you have to get used to it for having a fluid reading and hence enjoying it. This is what I call the "rhythm" of the language (I don't know the real name of it!).

Actually, now that I teach young children how to read, I find this experience really useful because, in a way, I learnt how to read again when I started to read in English and I know that if you don't pause at the right place, the sentence will be difficult to understand.

Some vocabulary is not very common in the LoTR, but you get used to it rather fast. What I found the most interesting in it was to read all the "songs" in English. I had always found them a little boring translated, but in English they have a musicality that worth it.

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Eponine - Jan 11, 2005 11:43 am (#992 of 2956)

Lemony Snickett - I've read the first book. I had gone to Memphis to visit my best friend, and when I got there she was tutoring at the library, so I sat there until she finished. I read it in about 45 minutes, and I don't really remember that much about it. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I do intend to.

LotR - I read the Hobbit in about a week, and I started on Fellowship. It took me almost the entire year to force my way through that book. Right at the time was when The Two Towers was coming out. My husband (then fiance) had said he didn't think I could finish it before the movie. Well, I wasn't standing for that, so I quickly finished Fellowship and started on The Two Towers. I was much more into that one, and I finished Return of the King in about 3 days because I wanted to know what happened. If I ever decide to re-read, I will probably skim through a lot of Fellowship.

As far as speed reading goes, I don't know how I do it. I guess it just runs in my family. My sister and I both finished OotP in less than 8 hours. My brother and both my parents read really fast too. My husband, however, reads excruciatingly slow, but he is dyslexic and has ADD.

I hope everyone is having a great day!

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KWeldon - Jan 11, 2005 11:58 am (#993 of 2956)

The trailers I saw this summer made me think it would be very interesting visually. Is it worth going to see just for this?

My opinion is a wholehearted "Yes!" Very visually appealing.

I kind of like the definitions in the Snicket books, as sometimes he puts a humorous twist to it. I can't get my kids to get interested in reading them, but then again I can't get them interested in reading HP either. Freaks. I blame their jock dad. My youngest one likes Yu-Gi-Oh, though, so there's still hope for him.

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Catherine - Jan 11, 2005 2:49 pm (#994 of 2956)

Well, the results are mixed for the day.

No microwave fixing. I am so irate. They "forgot" to call to say that they weren't coming. Grrrr.

The new fish are in the tank, and everyone is schooling nicely. It all went off so much better than last time, as there were no jumpers included. One teensy hitch involved a tiny little fish that got left in the bag for a little while with no water. I realized that that the fish count was off, got ready to call the customer service number to complain that they shorted us a fish, peeked into the bag , and saw said fish gasping for air. OOPS. I dumped him in, and he was a little dazed for a while, but he's swimming around now, so maybe no harm done!

Good thing Mr. Catherine doesn't read the Forum's chat thread. We'll keep that little incident to ourselves, shall we?

Have a good evening. I'm taking the girls out to dinner tonight, as I am in mourning for my long-lost microwave. **waves to everyone**

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Julia. - Jan 11, 2005 2:56 pm (#995 of 2956)

*Crucio microwave people!!!* Have fun at dinner tonight Catherine, I hope it will help take your mind off the microwave. And don't worry, I'll try my hardest not to tell Mr. Catherine about the poor water-deprived fishie.

I have absolutely nothing to add to the Lemony Snicket discussion, being that I had no idea what a Lemony Snicket was until I saw an ad for the movie. Thus, I shall say nothing and go off to check the other threads.

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Ydnam96 - Jan 11, 2005 5:28 pm (#996 of 2956)

I also started making charts to keep track of all the characters in the Silmarillion! Haha. I get so mixed up with the different families of Elves. But once you've read it a few times and can visualize the family trees (there is a great website called the Encyclopedia of Arda that has tons of great stuff)it is a wonderful book. I never have really liked the Hobbit but I love LOTR triology, although I do find it a little hard in the very first bit and the part of two towers where it's just Sam and Frodo (I find it kinda boring).

I'm not a fan of the Lemony Snicket books, but for a stupid reason. I don't like Jim Carrey.

It finally stopped raining here in Southern California and we saw the sun today!

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timrew - Jan 11, 2005 5:34 pm (#997 of 2956)

LOTR. It is a book (trilogy) I have read several times. The whole Battle Of The Pellenor Fields & Eowyn/Eomer saga, Tolkien uses a whole different language. This is where most people lose it.

The language becomes archaic and overblown. Persevere. By The Scouring Of The Shire, JRRT is back to normal.

I have to admit, The Silmarillion is lost on me. It reads like a history book, and it's fiction. To my mind, if it's fiction, then you tell it like fiction. You don't make it dry and dusty.

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Elanor - Jan 11, 2005 11:45 pm (#998 of 2956)

Hello! I've just posted this on the question for the hosts thread but thought I could post it here as well since some of you may help her :

Solitaire just emailed me that she has a huge problem: she can't post anymore. She is a premium member and checked she is logged in as Solitaire, she tried to log off and log in again but she still has no "reply" button anymore and no little area to type some message anymore. What can she do for fixing the problem?

Thanks for your help!

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Solitaire - Jan 12, 2005 12:52 am (#999 of 2956)

Thank you, Elanor, for helping me out! Things seem to be working fine now, but I must say, I was very frustrated for several hours! I went into Lexicon Forum Withdrawal ... not a pretty sight. Now I just have to remember all of those terribly witty and charming things I wanted to post ... and where I wanted to post them! LOL I'll talk to you tomorrow!

Solitaire

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The giant squid - Jan 12, 2005 12:54 am (#1000 of 2956)

Well, that was weird...

I swing by to add my usual useless info to the forum, and notice the same problem Elanor just mentioned. I sent an e-mail to shepherdess (who mentioned on the Questions For The Hosts thread she was checking into Soli's problem), and literally moments later, opened a thread & could post again. She's good...

Anyway...I tried reading Snickets, but couldn't get past the first few pages. When the first line is "There is no happy ending" (or something like that), I generally decide to pass.

I have read the Silmarillion, but like the others here have said, it was tough. The early part about the creation of the world, etc. is interesting, but once you get into the ages of the elves it drags...mostly because you're covering thousands of years with the same characters. Immortality, apparently, is dead boring.

--Mike

Lady Arabella Mon Jan 05, 2015 7:59 pm

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Elanor - Jan 12, 2005 12:55 am (#1001 of 2956)

That's great Solitaire! I'm very happy for you!

Have a good night!

Edit: I'm happy everything is okay for you too Mike! Did you see you were the 1000th post on the thread? Just a nice come back wink, isn't it?

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Kip Carter - Jan 12, 2005 1:19 am (#1002 of 2956)

For those who had their status changed, see my latest post on the -- Questions for the Host(s) thread.

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The giant squid - Jan 12, 2005 1:32 am (#1003 of 2956)

Did you see you were the 1000th post on the thread?

Egad! I completely missed that! Thanks for pointing it out to me Elanor. It figures, in the back of your mind you're always hoping to get one of those posts and the one time my number comes up (literally) I zip right by. Alas, earwax.

Kip, I don't really care what caused it as long as it's fixed. Thanks for straightening things out for us, especially at this time of night!

--Mike

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septentrion - Jan 12, 2005 1:57 am (#1004 of 2956)

LoTR...I've loved them from A to Z ! I still need to read them in English. I also loved the Silmarillion and the unfinished tales. Of course, I needed a chart to keep track of who is who but perhaps due to the fact I'm a history major, I just loved all those stories. BTW I received my LoTR extended editions yesterday (along with my american paperback copy of OP) and I now have a lot of watching to do. I want to say that although my TV doesn't bear the NTSC standart, my DVD player nicely convert the NTSC signal in PAL signal so that I can watch the movies. Only one regret : the bonuses of the Fellowship aren't subtitled, which is bad enough for me and worse for deaf people.

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Julie Aronson - Jan 12, 2005 5:54 am (#1005 of 2956)

I tried to read The Silmarillion years ago when I was SERIOUSLY into Tolkein's world. I failed miserably. That thing was so excruciating that I very nearly threw it out! Any more, the Potterverse is much easier for me to immerse myself in--it doesn't hurt my brain so much...

Julie

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Pinky - Jan 12, 2005 6:18 am (#1006 of 2956)

I've been reading the thread for the European members who are attending Accio, and if I start swimming now, I might make it in time to attend! Argh! All you fun, cool members of the Forum getting together and I don't get to see you! This is the second time this has happened. I'm putting all my hopes on Salem, MA this fall.

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 12, 2005 6:46 am (#1007 of 2956)

I realized that that the fish count was off, got ready to call the customer service number to complain that they shorted us a fish, peeked into the bag , and saw said fish gasping for air—Catherine

You don't really think it was air the poor critter was gasping for, do you?

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Marè- Jan 12, 2005 6:52 am (#1008 of 2956)

Think that helps?

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Catherine - Jan 12, 2005 7:40 am (#1009 of 2956)

You don't really think it was air the poor critter was gasping for, do you? –Loopy

*Sigh.* Good thing I like know-it-alls. **waves to all of the know-it-alls on the Forum!** Ok, the fish was desperate for oxygen, which it obtains from water. Better?

Today should be another "wait for the repairman day." Last night, our downstairs heat/air suddenly quit working. Fortunately, the girls sleep upstairs and that has a separate system. Also, we are expecting 70 degree weather until Friday, so there is time to get it fixed.

I wonder if this was a Karmic payback for making the wee fishie suffer yesterday?

Have a good Wednesday, everyone.

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 12, 2005 7:43 am (#1010 of 2956)

70 degrees! Grrr. Chat & Greetings 2005 3181402168

It's cold here and supposed to get colder. Brrr.

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Julia. - Jan 12, 2005 10:16 am (#1011 of 2956)

No fair Catherine!!! It's 34 degrees outiside right now. Good luck with the repair guy comming.

Last evening I was looking around for cool stuff to put on a T-Shirt. How do you guys think these will look as shirts?

DA (taken from much-ado.net)
DIGS (taken from sherbet-lemon.net)

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Gina R Snape - Jan 12, 2005 10:35 am (#1012 of 2956)

Hurray! The binding spell has been taken off my keyboard and I can post again. Thanks for your attention to this glitch, Kip!

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Ladybug220 - Jan 12, 2005 10:35 am (#1013 of 2956)

I think those look great Julia.

I have to say that the 70 degree weather is nice (I'm in the same state as Catherine) but it does make me worried as to how the summer is going to be since the mosquitos and other bugs won't be sufficiently killed off.

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Catherine - Jan 12, 2005 10:49 am (#1014 of 2956)

Well, Ladybug **waves **,

Who says the mosquitos are killed off? We had to go on flea patrol at our house. We got complacent at frost, and didn't continue the dogs' flea treatments. My dogs are almost never outside, and poor Daisy got really infested. We were all scratching for a day or two; it was really unpleasant. I've swatted more than one mosquito this week. Ick.

I hate to break this to you, but the South just seems to grow big bugs, and grow 'em for more months of the year. It seems to be the price we pay for having balmy 70 degree days occasionally in winter. **waves to Loopy Lupin who was cold today**

Julia, I really like the DA design a lot.

I'm feeling happy at the moment because my furnace is in the process of being fixed. They actually have the part at the warehouse, and will have it fixed in just a bit. Yippee! **crosses fingers for the microwave**

See you all around.

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Ladybug220 - Jan 10, 2005 8:46 pm (#1015 of 2956)
Edited by Jan 12, 2005 9:58 am

Catherine - I moved from Alabama and there were definitely plenty of the big nasty bugs - including the flying roaches **shudder** but the cold weather does help at least kill some off. I have noticed the flea problem as well since the cats now spend the day in the garage (not my idea but one that I had to go along with). Oh well, at least I am wearing short-sleeves to work.

I hope your microwave gets fixed too! I would be lost without mine.

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scoop2172000 - Jan 12, 2005 11:02 am (#1016 of 2956)

I'm a serious fan of Tolkein's work, and I'm a very advanced reader, but I have to agree that the Silmarillion is a challenge to read. It's very scholary.

I've even read the series of Tolkein works -- earlier drafts of Silmarillion stories and LotR -- that his son and literary executor, Christopher Tolkein, published starting in the 1980s. Now those were REALLY challenging -- for serious students only.

Unfinished Tales is a delight though, and far easier to read than Silmarillion.

On another subject, I too am eagerly awaiting Witching Hour in Salem, Mass. I live in Boston, so it'll be an easy commute for me. I'm planning to take vacation from work in order to attend the entire conference.

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Madame Librarian - Jan 12, 2005 11:58 am (#1017 of 2956)

Fish do breathe air! It's just the O part of H2O and it's trapped in the water.

How do you give artificial resusitation to a goldfish? Well, based on my experience with Duke, our beloved pet fish of 8 or 9 years, when he was in desperate straits after his plastic bowl shattered, dumping him onto my son's gold shag rug (do you know how difficult it is to find a goldfish on a gold shag rug?), you dump him into the closest water you can find (wait--not the toilet bowl for heaven's sake!!) and if he's floating upside down, gently grab the tail and swish him back and forth to force water through the gills. Keep it up a little and if the Fates and gods of fishes are smiling upon you, the little guy will start swimming on his own.

Duke survived his ordeal I'm pleased to say, and might have had some brain damage (he always seemed to swim in circles after the accident), but, hey, it's really hard to tell when a fish is brain damaged.

My son, at school for the day, never knew the whole thing occurred at all till 4 or 5 years later when I felt able to tell him. Duke lived to the ripe old age of 11, and died of natural causes...we think.

Ciao. Barb

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Fawkes Forever - Jan 12, 2005 12:12 pm (#1018 of 2956)

Hey guys, busy busy busy at work unfortunatly It's 7.10 pm here & I'm still at work... BOOOOO. But I needed a quick visit to my fave place!

Jealous of all those with nice weather... we had terrible storms yesterday, up to 100mph winds... and we lost our 'ekletricity' last night as well.... Was quite scarey as it was a complete blackout. Street lights & everything went out & I couldn't see a thing... One minute I was standing in the kitchen, the next I was plunged into a dark void. So crazy I couldn't see anything... The burglar alarm keypad was bleeping & I was triping around in the pitch dark, rumaging about in drawers & cuboards looking for matches & a torch. Perhaps the alarm box was bleeping to cover any profanities I uttered whilst stubbing my toes & falling over random pieces of furniture on my quest.

Thankfully I found a box of matches... was able to light a few candles & shut the alarm box off..... however, it was too dark to even read... I just went to my bed in the end!

About the Lemony Snicket books... I've read the first two... & was starting the third last night... They are different... quite a dark humour... and a little bit repetitive... and don't get me started on the 'explaining a word or phrase' thing. I found myself getting annoyed at how Mr Poe / Uncle Monty never listened to the kids, when a man with a wooden head would have copped unto fact that 'Stephano' was more than a little bit dodgy. In saying that, they are written for children & they are a quick read, and they are different... which makes them an interesting read. Not a patch on Harry or LOTRs however

Righty Oh, must go home now.... so tired & hungry... hope I have 'ekeltricty' tonight (fingers crossed)

TTFN

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shepherdess - Jan 12, 2005 12:40 pm (#1019 of 2956)

To Solitaire and The giant squid: I cannot take credit for Kips work. All I did was refer the problem to him. He's the one who put the time into solving the problem for you (and many others). But I was happy to do what little I did.

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Madam Pince - Jan 12, 2005 12:59 pm (#1020 of 2956)

Hi all! Thanks for all the "welcome backs...."

Timrew, my Dad was fond of the following quote whenever someone had done something bad: "What goes around, comes around." Those petty thieves have something very bad coming around, methinks.

Congratulations on the grades, Nearly Dr. Snape! Woo Hoo!

Catherine, I wouldn't be surprised if the rumor about Coach Holland is true. His house in Charlottesville was not at all posh or pretentious, and it was in the closest possible residential neighborhood to U-Hall (UVA's basketball arena, for non-Hoos.) He is a big fan of running/jogging, and so I'd bet he'd opt for a place where he can run to work. Anyway, he and his wife will be good neighbors! They're very down-to-earth, and although he can fool you by seeming so serious and somewhat intimidating, he has a wicked sense of humor! Very nice people.

Penny, hope your Dad is doing well and that things run smoother for you soon. That $50 Wal-Mart story is so ridiculous! I can't believe that they would turn away cash. You really should see a manager.

Marè, I have a favor. (Can't believe it's taken me this long to think of my Forum Friends as a solution to this....) My Mom and I have been wondering for years about a translation for a little ditty that my Grandmother used to use when bouncing little children on her knee. She got it from her grandmother, and so on, and so on, back to what we believe to be Dutch ancestry. So anyways, this weekend my Mom was lamenting again about not knowing what it means, and all of a sudden the light bulb went off over my head and I jumped up and said "Oooh! Oooh! I know somebody who can translate Dutch!" (I hope anyway.) And if anyone else out there knows, please feel free to chime in....

Keeping in mind that the Grandma in question is wearing a long dress of the time period, she would bounce the child on her knee and recite (this is phonetic as to how it sounds in English -- I'm sure it's not spelled properly):

Lidy, Lidy, Ivvah-da-glahvah // Footsie, neitzey, mootsie, shavah // Nopsie, schneitzy, DROONAH!

(and on the last "droonah" you separate your knees and "drop" the child down into the resultant "hammock" formed by the long skirt.)

Any ideas? or is it just gobbledy-gook nonsense words intended to sound amusing to a child? We would appreciate any help!

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Penny Lane. - Jan 12, 2005 1:25 pm (#1021 of 2956)

Hi everyone! I have a lot of posts to catch up on, I'm not handling this lack of computer very well.

Thanks to everyone who offered me words of comfort during my recent freakout session. I found a friend to drive me to a supermarket tonight, so I hope to buy a phone. I'm a little dissapointed that this school is cheating me out of more money from my refund, but I should have enough to cover my books, so I'll be okay. A little tight on funds, but i should be able to manage. I would love to be able to get a job, but I don't think it will be possible this semester.

I started my other new classes - finally, I know! It turns out that I have the same instructor for my American Legal System as my Constitutional Law class and they are back to back. He gave the EXACT same lecture, complete with the same corny jokes yesterday. The classes sound very interesting, and he's a good teacher, but I'm very nervous about the work that it is going to entail. Also, I still am taking french, but apparently we made it to the part where we dont' speak english anymore. I really should go find a tutor.

Oh, Giant Squid - I also found it amusing my school's initials are a large, flightless bird. I wish someone would turn our mascot into an emu too, because right now we're the eagles, and it just doesn't seem right.

I liked the Snicket books, but I don't think I'll see the movie. I actually liked books 4-current better, as they get more "complex". They are still comical and/or creepy, but... OH, I think I just want to know what happens next. I hate starting a series before all of them are written, it's annoying. (THis is also why I don't watch soaps anymore.)

Have a Happy Wednesday everyone!

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Elanor - Jan 12, 2005 1:29 pm (#1022 of 2956)

Madam Pince, I am not Dutch (and I know only 2 Dutch words-phoneticaly- "moy" for beautiful and "smakelek" for "good appetit"), but it really reminds me of a kind of nursery rhyme that my own grandmother sang and played with me when I was a very little kid. It is a very famous one that every child under 2 years old must have experienced here.

It is a silly song actually, called "A dada sur mon bidet". The most extraordinary thing is that my French-English dictionary translates "à dada" which is children's language! It says "horsey" or "gee-gee". The song is about a ride on the horsey, which trots and has hm **wind problems**, and it trots at several speeds, first slowly and then faster and faster and the kid is like on a horsey on the adult's knees, till this one says "ouh" and drop the child as you said.

I don't know if the words are exactly the same but the meaning of the game seems very close. Does it help? Is it the same in Dutch Marè?

Edit: Hello Penny! I wish you good luck for your studies. Take care!

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Catherine - Jan 12, 2005 2:00 pm (#1023 of 2956)

Catherine, I wouldn't be surprised if the rumor about Coach Holland is true.--Madam Pince

Well, I am surprised, because it appears to be true! I think it's great to have more University folks in the neighborhood. Normally, the bigwig coaching people live in the very posh, exclusive neighbhorhoods, not in our little neck of the woods. Literally, in the woods. One thing our neighborhood can offer is the only truly wooded, "hilly" (our hills would be quite hilarious to anyone outside of Eastern NC!) place in a oasis of treeless, flat fields.

I'm going to have to hold back from telling my father about this. He is such an ACC basketball nut that he would probably drive down here to beg the poor man for tickets, and I could never go outdoors again.

So...good prediction, Madam Pince. There isn't any Seer blood in your family, is it?

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John Bumbledore - Jan 12, 2005 2:00 pm (#1024 of 2956)

Oops, back tracking on the topic.

Hello all!
J. R. R. Tolkien
I also have read the Hobbit, the LOTR, and the Silmarillion. I also found Silmarillion was better read with a character chart (which I needed for only about the first half of that particular section).

Timrew, Of course, the Silmarillion is a history book! And a lineage or genealogy study. And many other things. It is a collection of works as contrasted with LOTR, a single story told in three volumes (six book divisions as I remember). And yes the Rhoarim do speak a different (old English) language from the common language of Middle-Earth. You see, Tolkien intended it to fully appear as a translation into English from another source language. The differences you noted in language styles were intended to signal a different source language for different people / cultures.

I expect that the translation of LOTR into French, for the reason I just mentioned, would be difficult to accomplish while maintaining the dialects.

As I was working out what I thought the pronunciation from the phonetic spelling you gave, I though it was sounding German. But since I am an ignorant American, how should I know? But it did get me to thinking of a people in my home state called Pennsylvania-Dutch; this is generally used to refer to Amish and I believe they are of German ancestry (and language). But I am probably, like Fawkes was, stumbling about in the darkness. Although it is all in my mind, quite unlike Fawkes... hmmm.

Ladybug, I believe we are near neighbors (at work) as I am currently at the IBM main Campus in RTP. Small world! Cathrine, by the sounds of things, you must have marsh-wiggles near you in eastern NC.

I must be off, it is time for me to leave work.

<)B^D= (John) Bumbledore.

P. S. Oh! my post is number 1000000000b or h#020000 or 2^10 decimal.

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Ladybug220 - Jan 12, 2005 2:31 pm (#1025 of 2956)

John, we are very close as I work in Durham and am contracted to a company in RTP (a large pharmaceutical company).

Any of the NC residents put in their order for HBP yet? Are we going to get together the night it comes out?

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Eponine - Jan 12, 2005 2:38 pm (#1026 of 2956)

I've pre-ordered mine at the Barnes and Noble at Southpoint Mall in Durham. I know they will be doing a midnight release. Plus, if you pre-order, you'll get 40% off, but you don't have to pay until you get the book. I'm all for everyone getting together. It would be great fun! I'm thinking about making a shirt for it as I don't really want to wear a costume.

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Ladybug220 - Jan 12, 2005 3:04 pm (#1027 of 2956)
Edited by Jan 12, 2005 2:04 pm

I have pre-ordered at the B&N at New Hope Commons but I can change it. I don't usually go to the one at that mall but since the mall itself will be closed, it should be fine. I won't be in costume either but I will enjoy seeing all those who dress up for it.

John, Catherine or any other NC forum member interested in coming?

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Eponine - Jan 12, 2005 3:16 pm (#1028 of 2956)

I can change to New Hope Commons if that's more convienent, but I thought that Southpoint might be a more central location if anyone else wanted to come too. Plus, I love the fact that it's a two story B&N. I'm quite the nerd when it comes to bookstores.

I'm going to the UNC basketball game tonight, not quite by choice, but I'm sure it will still be enjoyable.

I hope everyone else is having a great day!

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Catherine - Jan 12, 2005 3:35 pm (#1029 of 2956)

Eponine, you lucky duck! I share my father's passion for ACC basketball, and Mr. Catherine wants to kindly remind you that Carolina is # 3 right now, and he would take those tickets in a heartbeat! As would I, but I can't deprive a fellow Pottie of such a fun time. I know you will enjoy it.

Gosh, I'd truly love to meet y'all for the release, but I think I'm taking the kids to the release at the Barnes and Noble here in town. For OoP, Claire loved the picture-taking, face-painting, fortune-telling, etc, and I had time to take her home before the line-up began to buy the book at midnight. This time, I expect Hayley to join us. Mr. Catherine sort of opts out on these obsessive activities!

**waving to Bumbledore, a fellow NC Pottie**

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Ladybug220 - Jan 12, 2005 3:36 pm (#1030 of 2956)
Edited by Jan 12, 2005 2:38 pm

Too late to edit the other post.

Actually, once I move to Durham, Southpoint will be closer to me. Also, let's wait to see who else wants to join us and we can decide on a central location.

Enjoy the basketball game!

Edit: Darn Catherine! I was hoping you could join us. Oh well, you shouldn't drive that far with the kids anyway since it will be a late night for everyone.

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librarian314 - Jan 12, 2005 4:29 pm (#1031 of 2956)

Hey all!

Has anyone in the metro DC area ordered HBP yet? I've been waiting until I know which book store is going to be open at midnight :-). Has anyone here abouts heard anything yet?

And as the truly obsessed HP fan/costumer I am, I am indeed planning an outfit. At present, I'm leaning towards Hestia Jones (one of the Aurors that rescued Harry from Privet Dr. in OotP). I'm even going to get my local wood turner to make me a wand! (Yes, I'm obsessed! When I embrace a fandom, I got way 'round the bend ;-) )

**michelle the librarian**

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Madam Pince - Jan 12, 2005 4:34 pm (#1032 of 2956)

Eponine, I hope you have fun at the game tonight, but I must tell you that my two favorite teams are Virginia, and whomever is playing North Carolina. Goes back a loooooongggg way..... UVA once soundly defeated UNC while the Tarheels were ranked #1 in the country (admittedly, something that doesn't happen too often!) and my friend put the following on her phone answering machine (sung to the appropriate tune):

Nothin' could be finer than to beat North Carolina in U-Haaaaaaaalll. Nothin' could be sweeter than to be the first defeater of the Taaaaaarheeeeeels....

Bumbledore, you might be right about that ditty being German in origin. I think there are some German ancestors in my family tree as well. I just truly was not sure where it came from. Mom was the one who thought it sounded Dutch. I'm pretty hopeless when it comes to languages, the only one I even sort-of speak besides English is Spanish. Once, I participated in one of those murder-mystery dinner parties, and I was supposed to be a sultry and mysterious German spy. Well, the costume was easy and fun, but all night long people kept asking me "What nationality did you say you were supposed to be????" I think my accent left something to be desired.

Michelle, I am sort-of metro DC area -- I have not ordered HBP yet. I pre-ordered OOtP from a Waldenbooks last time, but was not able to go to the midnight deal because Baby Pince was too little at the time. I did go early the next day, and the whole scene was kind of lame -- just a very few younger kids dressed up, and the bookstore employees rather desperately trying to appear enthusiastic about what was essentially nothing. And there was a HUGE stack of book copies, so it was nothing like I had feared that perhaps they would (gasp!) run out of copies or something. But I might be up for some sort of get-together, if we're sure there will be one! Also, didn't Betty say something about maybe another East-Coast get-together in June or July? Betty, were you thinking about book release time, or what? I hate for you to shoulder any kind of burden of planning another party -- you did such an excellent job last time, but I know it was a LOT of work for you. Maybe someone else can plan something similar? We can all think it over awhile and see what we come up with....

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Prefect Marcus - Jan 12, 2005 5:53 pm (#1033 of 2956)

New Avatar.

My favorite character in that movie.

Marcus

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From Venus - Jan 12, 2005 7:18 pm (#1034 of 2956)

Hi everyone. I was one of those people that couldn't post yesterday. What a terrible feeling! I thought I may have done or said something wrong that made them take my privileges away! I am so glad the problem has been fixed. Thank you Kip!

I read the LOR books back when I was in high school. (Let's see, I think that was about 200 years ago.) My sister started them right after I finished the first book because we were sharing the set. Both of us read them all straight through. I remember one evening around midnight, she came down to my room to see if I had finished with the one I was reading yet because she had just finished hers and, though she tried, she couldn't fall asleep; she just HAD to start the next one. As it happens, I had just finished, so I handed it to her, and she read all night long. When the first of the three movies came out, I read them all again, to refresh my memory before I saw the movie. It took me about a week and a half. I know some people have a hard time getting into them, but it was never a problem for me. I just ate them up!

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Catherine - Jan 12, 2005 7:51 pm (#1035 of 2956)

Marcus, we might have something in common.

Edna was by far my favorite character in The Incredibles movie. She's brilliant, stubborn, difficult to argue with, and has supreme self-confidence. That's a tough one to beat.

Darn you. Now I'm going to laugh at Edna when I should be arguing with you. Grrr.

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Eponine - Jan 12, 2005 8:09 pm (#1036 of 2956)

Well, it was a fun game. I wasn't going to go because my father-in-law got back in town in time for the game, but then my, um... uncle-in-law couldn't go, so I took his ticket. My father-in-law cracks me up at events like these because he is such a dork. We went out to the concession stand so he could buy me ice cream, and he mistook a guy with long hair for a girl (oops) and kept referring to him as 'she'. I was trying to whisper 'he', but when he finally heard me, he continued to loudly talk about how all he saw was the hair. Oh, dear. He's a lot of fun though. UNC did win, so I suppose that was nice.

I have to confess (but don't tell Mr. Eponine) that it wouldn't particularly bother me if they lost.

Anyway, I hope all is well with everyone.

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Prefect Marcus - Jan 12, 2005 8:25 pm (#1037 of 2956)

Catherine,

The DVD comes out March 15. I will be in line that day to get it. I didn't even do that for any of the Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings movies!

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KWeldon - Jan 12, 2005 8:56 pm (#1038 of 2956)

Marcus,

I love Bob's line where he says, "They keep finding new ways to celebrate mediocrity." One line worth the price of admission, because it's so true.

We took my daughter and 7 friends to this movie on her birthday, and I think my husband and I liked it more than they did. When Jack-Jack at the end revealed his true self, I nearly fell out of my chair laughing.

KWeldon

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Julia. - Jan 12, 2005 10:16 pm (#1039 of 2956)

Oh my mother. When I was in high school there were a few teachers who were amazing teachers, and very worthy of any thing anyone wanted to give them. So, for their birthdays I always made them brownies. It's now about 12:15 in the morning. About an hour ago I realized that I'm going in to visit tomorrow, and one of my former teachers' birthday is next week! I won't see her since, I'll be at school. So at 11:00 at night I made brownies. I think I might have gone a little overboard on the mixing on the first batch, but I think they'll still come out well. At any rate, they make the first floor smell very yummy.

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septentrion - Jan 13, 2005 1:19 am (#1040 of 2956)

Julia, I love the DIGS picture for a tee-shirt.

Fawkes, I've heard about the horrible storms which struck North Europe these days. Nasty things they were. I hope you won't have another one. We're just muggles who terribly depend on "ekeltrikity" to live.

Elanor, LOL ! My father used to say "hue, hue, à dada ! Sur les genoux de son papa !". The meaning is the same that the bit Elanor explained plus "on her father's knees" ! It used to make my little sister dying with laughter.

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septentrion - Jan 13, 2005 3:53 am (#1041 of 2956)

Hello everyone ! I need some help : I'm translating the Lexicon in French and someone used the expression "legal redress". Although I've used online dictionaries, google etc I still don't know/understand what it is. Anyone could explain me ? thanks a lot.

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Susanne - Jan 13, 2005 5:45 am (#1042 of 2956)

Hi Septentrion,

Redress means to put right a wrong or make amends by means of compensation. In legal terms I suppose it could be applied to someone who had been wrongly convicted of a crime and sent to prison, receiving compensation after being aquitted.

Hope this helps, Susanne

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Marè- Jan 13, 2005 6:00 am (#1043 of 2956)

Dear madam Pince, when I read your post I thought "off course I'll translate"... But when I read the text I was completely baffled.
If it ever was Dutch, it isn't anymore...

I tried to read it to myself aloud (getting me quite some strange stares from people passing my room... )

Lidy, Lidy, Ivvah-da-glahvah // Footsie, neitzey, mootsie, shavah // Nopsie, schneitzy, DROONAH!

The only word that I could maybe recognise is "footsie". The dutch word "foetsie" means "suddenly gone". (As in "Oh no! The candy went foetsie! How could that be?")
It is often used in context with or to children and their games.

from Elanor, post 1022: Madam Pince, I am not Dutch (and I know only 2 Dutch words-phoneticaly- "moy" for beautiful (mooi)and "smakelek" (smakelijk , hey very good!)for "good appetit"), but it really reminds me of a kind of nursery rhyme that my own grandmother sang and played with me when I was a very little kid. It is a very famous one that every child under 2 years old must have experienced here.

It is a silly song actually, called "A dada sur mon bidet". The most extraordinary thing is that my French-English dictionary translates "à dada" which is children's language! It says "horsey" or "gee-gee". The song is about a ride on the horsey, which trots and has . . . .hmmmm . . . . **wind problems**, and it trots at several speeds, first slowly and then faster and faster and the kid is like on a horsey on the adult's knees, till this one says "ouh" and drop the child as you said.

I don't know if the words are exactly the same but the meaning of the game seems very close. Does it help? Is it the same in Dutch Marè?

Well I think you come closer to translating it than I did, because I can't make anything from it... I'll write it down though, so I can ask my grandmother, maybe she knows...

As I was working out what I thought the pronunciation from the phonetic spelling you gave, I though it was sounding German. But since I am an ignorant American, how should I know?

Aaaw. Just to let you know, I think every none Dutch (or non-German) speaking person thinks we speak German until we tell them otherwise. The languages sound very much alike if you don't know the difference. (Why do you think english speaking people call it dutch when our country is called the Netherlands? Some-one mistook it for "Deutsch" a long time ago... Hrmmpff )

So no, I'm sorry I can't help much right now... Sad

PS Julia I love the DADA t'shirt design!

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Catherine - Jan 13, 2005 6:02 am (#1044 of 2956)

The meaning of "legal redress?" Where's Loopy Lupin when you need him?

Happy Thursday! I'm starting off my day with both working heat and microwave oven; a real high point for the day. It would be great to get the through the week without anything else breaking.

Marcus, thanks for the heads up about The Incredibles DVD. My kids keep asking to go back to see it for a third time, and it left our theater ages ago. Claire pretends to be Violet, and Hayley pretends to be Syndrome. This is very funny to watch; Hayley will attempt to do over-the-top "monologuing" in her best criminal style, but she's only four, and doesn't know half of what she's saying.

Off to celebrate the return of the beloved microwave....Have a great day everyone.

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 13, 2005 6:29 am (#1045 of 2956)

Eponine, you lucky duck! I share my father's passion for ACC basketball, and Mr. Catherine wants to kindly remind you that Carolina is # 3 right now, and he would take those tickets in a heartbeat!—Catherine

How have I been talking to you this long and not known this? Was I not paying attention? Anyway, Go 'Hoos and ABC. (ABC= Anybody but Carolina, Razz

)

"Legal redress" is a fancy way of saying one is going to Court over some matter or another. For example:

"Dear Sir or Madam: You continue to refuse to pay me in spite of our agreement and in spite of the fact that I performed a service (i. e. dog grooming) for you. If you have not paid my invoice in full within 10 days, you leave me no choice but to seek legal redress."

Or in a response:

"Dear Sir or Madam: I have continued to refuse to pay you because you did not "groom" my dog. On the contrary, you shaved my dog bald which is not what I asked you to do. I welcome your threatened court action as I will seek legal redress of my own in the form of countersuit."

I hope that helps with your translation needs. ***waves to Catherine***

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Pinky - Jan 13, 2005 6:31 am (#1046 of 2956)

Just a quick "so you know" kind of comment. Due to a glitch in WX, some of our members experienced the extreme inconvenience of being bumped to a read-only status. Some of you wondered what awful, evil thing you had done to have your status demoted. Just so you know, whenever your status is changed on the Lexicon Forum, you will always be e-mailed about it with the reason. So, if you sign on and you suddenly cannot post, check your e-mail. If there is nothing there explaining why, then it is most likely a bug in the WX software. E-mail one of the hosts (probably Kip) and let us know what has happened.

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Chemyst - Jan 13, 2005 6:50 am (#1047 of 2956)

Oh Madame Librarian Barb, What a truly heroic story! How did you know to swish the fish?

And Madam Pince, I'll still keep my fingers crossed that you find a translation for your nursery rhyme. In the meantime, I can share one that came down through our family in English–

Gitty-up horsie. Trot, trot, trot. We must be on our way.
For the boys and girls in our town, must have their milk today.
Gitty-up. Trot, trot. Gitty-up. Trot, _____.

The motions that go with it are similar to the ones you described. The baby sits on your knees, you're facing each other and holding each other's hands like reins, then after the last "trot"comes the drop. That one has been in my family since the days when the milkman really did use a horse and make deliveries.

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Catherine - Jan 13, 2005 7:34 am (#1048 of 2956)

Oh, dear. SPEW alert. **mops screen and shirt** Loopy and Chemyst, thanks for the laughs!

For more recent readers of the Chat thread, Loopy refers to an incident which took place in late July of this year, in which my Shih-tzu Daisy was shaved bald. The Forum rallied to our cause, the groomer was sent many a curse by our loyal members, and many members shared their own worst haircut stories. We also had a member who donated her long hair to Locks of Love as a result of the hair stories, so something good did come out of the whole thing.

Chemyst, you are on a roll. "Swish the fish" and "Sped Read." I can't wait to see what's next. On that note, kudos to Barb for her fish swish. I'm not sure I would have thought to do that.

Oh, and Loopy, yep, I really like ACC basketball. Truthfully, I'm not such a Carolina fan as Mr. Catherine is, especially since Dean Smith is no longer there. I can relate to the ABC thing as I remember that painful day when UVA lost the tournament to Carolina. My father was in a gloomy state for days.

Eponine, your secret is safe with me. You keep mum about that fish incident, and I won't mention anything about your basketball loyalties.

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septentrion - Jan 13, 2005 7:39 am (#1049 of 2956)

Thanks SJY and Loopy !

Chemyst, I love your nursery rhyme !

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 13, 2005 7:55 am (#1050 of 2956)

You are all very playful today. Our "house" nursery rhyme goes as follows (you locals, ie. Bostonians, will probably recognize this):

Trot, trot to Boston

Trot, trot to Lynn

You better watch out

Or you might fall IN!

With the "IN", you open your knees and send small, defenseless child tumbling into the now cavernous space. (Hint: Hold on to their little hands, will ya, otherwise they won't be laughing long.)

My friend, who’s of French descent, has a knee-riding rhyme as well.

*goes off to wonder what Catherine's cooking is like if she can't function without a microwave*

Lady Arabella Mon Jan 05, 2015 8:02 pm

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Sirius Lee - Jan 13, 2005 9:21 am (#1051 of 2956)

Lupin is Lupin, I feel like I've missed out! I grew up right in Boston proper, my mother grew up in the same house, my grandmothers grew up in the same neighborhood, yet I've NEVER heard that rhyme! Must call Mother tonight and complain about my lack of falling into voids as a child.

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Elanor - Jan 13, 2005 10:05 am (#1052 of 2956)

How funny it is to see that the same kind of knee-riding rhyme makes children laugh for centuries all over the world!

Marè: I know only 2 Dutch words-phoneticaly- "moy" for beautiful (mooi)and "smakelek" (smakelijk , hey very good!)for "good appetit"

Thank you for the right spelling of those words, I had no clue how to write them! They are a souvenir I brought from a trip to Turkey I made with friends years ago. During this trip, we had befriended two Dutch ladies who had tried to teach us some Dutch but those words are the only ones I remember now. "mooi" because it was what we were saying ten times a day when visiting and "smakelijk" was very handy to know as well!

Oh, I forgot! I know another one: Robbedoes, I nearly learnt how to read in Spirou / Robbedoes magazine and the comics they publish are still great. Do you know it?

Have a great day everyone!

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KWeldon - Jan 13, 2005 10:55 am (#1053 of 2956)

The knee-riding rhyme we say around here goes:

Riding on a horsie, going downtown.

All of a sudden, WHOOPS! (here's where you drop the kid)

Fell down.

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Prefect Marcus - Jan 13, 2005 11:11 am (#1054 of 2956)

Well, since we are on poems for children, my father taught me the following:

Ooey Gooey was a worm,
A little worm was he.
He sat upon a railroad track,
The train he did not see.

Ooey Gooey! Chat & Greetings 2005 793915934

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Denise P. - Jan 13, 2005 11:41 am (#1055 of 2956)

KWeldon, I deleted your post. I know you are not attempting to start anything and looking for an honest opinion, but this Forum, not even on the Chat thread, is the place for that discussion. Thanks for being understanding

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Julia. - Jan 13, 2005 1:55 pm (#1056 of 2956)

YES!!! Finally something I don't feel left out about! My mum is from Boston, so I too grew up with Kim's "Trot trot to Boston" rhyme. Thankfully, my mum did remember to hang on to my hands, lest I fall and bump my head.

Loopy, that was a major SPEW moment. Thank you so much for such an excellent laugh. By the way Catherine, how is Daisy doing these days?

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Amilia Smith - Jan 13, 2005 3:48 pm (#1057 of 2956)

Kip, I'd like to add my voice to the thank-yous. It really did worry me that I had done something awful to warrant Read Only status. Thanks also to Pinky for explaining that I needn't have worried.

Sentenrion's advice to Essidji to read LotR in French alongside the English made me think of my mother. She lived in France for a couple years as a young woman. Before she returned to America, she went to a book shop and asked the clerk what book he would recommend she read in the original French. He recommended Les Miserables. She must have thought it beyond her French capacity, though, as all three volumes sat on our book shelf for years gathering dust. It wasn't until I was in high school that she finally got up the courage to attempt it. She had me bring home an English translation from the library, and she read it a page at a time, in French, then English to make sure she understood. It is now one of her favorite books. She was very upset that the Broadway musical cut out all of the back story about the good Bishop. :-)

In our family we had a whole series of "trots." One was in Danish, which I won't try to reproduce here. :-) We also had a slew of English ones, the final one of which was a variation of Kim's:” Trot trot to Boston/ To buy a loaf of bread./ Trot trot home again,/ The old trot's dead! “ On “dead,” you let your legs collapse and go limp under the child. When they say, "Again! Again!" you can say, "No, I'm sorry, the trot's dead."

I wanted to tell you all about my exciting day yesterday, but I have to go teach a dance class right now. So . . . you have been warned. I shall return.

Mills.

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boop - Jan 13, 2005 4:49 pm (#1058 of 2956)

Welcome to the Forum: Accio HBP, GryffEndora, The Williow Tree, Dean Thomas, E Thomas, pursiane. Enjoy yourselves and make sure you add your thought, we love reading new theories!

I am planning the Gathering and looking at July 23rd weekend. Thought about the 16th, but not sure it would be a good weekend. I would gladly take any ideas or thoughts on the gathering.

Madam Pince, I have waited to see if someone else would plan one, but nobody has said anything. I like to get started early on planning so it works out nice for everyone who comes.

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Catherine - Jan 13, 2005 6:52 pm (#1059 of 2956)

Julia, thanks for asking about Daisy.

She is as attention-seeking and spoiled as ever, and, despite what Lupin is Lupin (Kim) says about adult Shih-tuzs, she's pretty cute these days! Our older "Tzu" has had some tumor and thyroid issues of late, so her coat is unfortunately sparse, and cannot be blamed upon "She Who Is The Evil Groomer" a.k.a. "She Who Must Be Crucioed."

When she was finally, professionally groomed again after her ordeal, Daisy got some comments. The woman said, "She used to just lay down and let me do her, but now, well, she's a real firecracker, and you can't do nothing with her." I explained what happened, and the groomer has decided that Daisy has paid her dues, and that with a little tip, she will not dwell on Daisy being a "firecracker" in the future.

Too much info about dogs, huh? Sorry to the readers of the chat thread.

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KWeldon - Jan 13, 2005 6:53 pm (#1060 of 2956)

I know you are not attempting to start anything and looking for an honest opinion but this Forum, not even on the Chat thread, is the place for that discussion.

Denise, No, certainly not trying to start anything and did not intend to propose an in appropriate topic.

Thanks for the gentle warning, KWeldon

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Tomoé - Jan 13, 2005 8:09 pm (#1061 of 2956)

That make me dead curious, would you bother to mail me what you were talking about, KWeldon?

Well, I can host it if you all prefer, Quebec is not central at all, but it's quite welcoming on his own. Sure, Harry Potter will be the thing that most not be talked about all the way before Christmas ...

On the other hand, if we do go to Pennsilvania this time too, and if there something I can do to help, just ask.

On another topic, I read LotR once, I can't say it's one of the most enjoyable book I ever read, it was pretty long to begin and pretty long to end, I couldn't care much for the Gandalf/Aragorn/Gimli/Legolas/Merry/Pippin crew in book 5, I was much too worried of Frodo and Sam. And it was a never ending book with its 8 chapter long epilogue. So I guess it's a book that become better when re-reading. Maybe I read it to close to my car accident and my brain wasn't ready for LotR yet.

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Catherine - Jan 13, 2005 8:26 pm (#1062 of 2956)

Well, I'm going to have big confession time on the Forum.

The first confession is that I almost flunked 7th grade because I refused to read The Hobbit. I just didn't think that book was worth six weeks of our time, taught by "Wanda" whose-last-name-shall-be-unknown-to-the-Forum. Now that I've actually read the book, I know that poor Wanda was woefully mis-informed about the book, and I highly doubt she read it either. She had a question about "what is Gollum's Precious?" and counted the ring as a wrong answer.

The second confession is...I don't love Tolkien. I really don't. I've read his books, and it's proved more workmanlike than pure love of the game. I enjoy some aspects of the series, but in the end, I would rather be reading something else. Like, "How to Weed a Garden Really Slowly" and "Debugging Your Computer One Bit at a Time."

Consider this: I had, (15 years ago) and still have, a huge crush on my Medieval Literature Professor. He taught a very exclusive Tolkien class, and I even was personally invited to take it, and I refused. I started to itch just thinking about it. **waves to the lovely Professor Craun**

Anyway, the point of the confessions is...we all don't have to like the same things. I am really hoping that other LOTR-neutral folks pop up. If not, those of you who are not fans know who I am.

Cheers!

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MickeyCee3948 - Jan 13, 2005 8:40 pm (#1063 of 2956)

I'm with you Catherine. Read Tolkien but it is really not my favorite. Guess we better start ducking dungbombs, yet.

Mikie

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Denise P. - Jan 13, 2005 8:42 pm (#1064 of 2956)

Count me in on those who read Tolkien, liked it well enough but not enough to go out of my way to read it again. In high school I really liked it, now I find him really wordy and dry.

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I Am Used Vlad - Jan 13, 2005 8:44 pm (#1065 of 2956)

I am not a big Tolkien fan, either. Fear not, Catherine, you are not alone.

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Amilia Smith - Jan 13, 2005 9:02 pm (#1066 of 2956)

I must admit to not being much of a Tolkein fan either, much to the dissapointment of my Tolkein crazy brothers and sister. I enjoyed The Hobbit, but not enough to reread. I have yet to make it past the Council of Elrond in LotR, and yes, I have tried several times. Very pleased with how the movie cut that scene down.

Now, as promised, you get to listen to my Fun Day at Work yesterday. :-) To start with, we had a movie crew filming in our store! In my department! Very exciting at first, but also slightly annoying. It took two hours to film about thirty seconds worth of screen time. We were told to just work around the movie crew and still serve customers, but that was easier said than done. For one thing, I didn't dare fry food for fear the buzzers would go off at the wrong moment. For another, I think the movie people scared off all of the customers; we didn't have anyone come up to the counter. So we all just huddled in a corner and watched.

Then, after the movie crew had cleared out and just as we were getting everything caught up and back to normal, I got called up to the office. Immediately, my stomach started clenching and twisting. You know how you always think it is about something horrible you have unknowingly done? Sort of like getting switched to Read Only status. :-) But it turned out to be nothing of the sort. I was informed that my manager was quitting. Another manager from another department would be taking over, but as he will still be running his department, I get to be assistant manager! So far from being bad news, I got a promotion and a raise! Although my stomach is still clenching and twisting. To tell you the truth, I am scared to death.

So, all in all, yesterday was quite the red letter day.

Mills.

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Eponine - Jan 13, 2005 9:14 pm (#1067 of 2956)

Ooh, Amilia, a movie crew? That's interesting.

I've read LotR once, and I doubt I will reread. Perhaps in about 20 years or so, I might pick it up again, but I doubt it. I read them because of the movies. I don't like to watch movies based on classics without having read them. I don't mind if they're recent books, but not classics. It's one of my weird quirks.

So, I'm trying to make a decision about something. I've been offered the opportunity of filling in for my cousin-in-law's maternity leave. She's a high school English teacher. I have an English Education degree, but I had such an awful student teaching experience that I fear it scarred me for life. The principal is practically salivating over the prospect of a sub with an English Education degree and has promised that she will find me something to do until the end of the school year. I sat in on her classes Wednesday, and her students were much better behaved than the cretins I had to teach. I know I need to give teaching a second chance, I guess I'm just a little terrified by the prospect of it. On the plus side, Rachel (my cousin) has written plans so thoroughly complete that a trained monkey could follow them. I was never any good at writing lesson plans. I think I'm probably going to end up doing it, but I'm still dragging my feet.

Anyway, I hope all is well!

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Denise P. - Jan 13, 2005 9:17 pm (#1068 of 2956)

I like your avatar, Clue is one of my favorite movies

Are you trying to make me look stupid in front of the other guests?

You don't need any help from me, sir! Chat & Greetings 2005 1003735042

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Eponine - Jan 13, 2005 9:21 pm (#1069 of 2956)

That's right!

Oh, I could quote the movie all day long!

Why is the car stopped?

It's frightened!

What are you afraid of, a fate worse than death?

No, just death. Isn't that enough?

Sorry, I'll stop now. It's one of my favorites too.

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Denise P. - Jan 13, 2005 9:22 pm (#1070 of 2956)

Husband and I quote that to each other all the times. When I can't explain something, my standard reply is to put my hands to my temple and say "Flames, burning flames..." hee hee hee

And monkey brains, while popular in Cantonese cuisine...

Is that what we ate? Excuse me :shut:

Okay, I will stop too!

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Eponine - Jan 13, 2005 9:30 pm (#1071 of 2956)

You know, that movie was one of my 'signs' for my husband. We had just met through mutual friends and were watching movies at his apartment with some other people, and we both quoted along with Clue the entire night. I knew that if he could appreciate that film he was worth keeping.

Just checking...

Everything all right?

Yep, two corpses everything's fine.

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Marie E. - Jan 13, 2005 9:34 pm (#1072 of 2956)

Ack! You're gone for just a couple of days and there's 100 posts waiting for you. I had no idea that I would start a Snicket frenzy. Heehee. My take on the books, briefly: I read the first three about two years ago and wasn't interested in reading anymore. A few weeks ago a child at the daycare had the tenth book and I picked it up. I was surprisingly impressed by it and now want to read the rest.

Simarillion: I confess to skimming through all the Elvish songs. Which is a fourth of the book.

Today Mr. E. and I had a meeting with our seven year old's teacher and the school social worker. Shayla has been experiencing some behavior issues at school, most recently this Tuesday, resulting me getting a call from the principal. She is also having trouble getting her work done in class. The social worker observed her last Friday and kept track of when she was "on task" and when she was "off task". It turns out that during the observastion period she was only on task a third of the time. That means that two-thirds of the time she was in La-La Land. We are going to talk with her pediatrician to see what she wants to do, but it's sounding like she is probably ADD. I know it's definitely not ADHD, she's not a hyper kid, thank goodness. So that's been my day, whew!

Edit: While I was typing this, someone called doing a movie survey. I like movies so I stayed on the line rather than hanging up. She was asking what movies I've seen lately and what I'd be most interested in seeing this year. I had to chuckle when she asked how likely I'd be to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Too bad "Bloody likely" wasn't an option! Then she had to ask whether I'd read the books (Ha!) and had heard of the new one, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I said that I thought I'd heard of it somewhere. Tee hee!

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Julia. - Jan 13, 2005 9:36 pm (#1073 of 2956)

UUch. The topics are up for the next writing challenge over on the FFF. Song fics. Yuck.

Eponine, you should totally fill in for your cousin-in-law!! It's the perfect chance for you to give teaching a second try! It's a limited time, and you'll have very detailed lesson plans to follow, and your cousin-in-law to run things by, and much better students than your last time. Go for it girlie!

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kabloink! - Jan 13, 2005 9:41 pm (#1074 of 2956)

Wow. Everyone has been awfully chatty lately. Well, in truth, I think I will end up finding (when I finally manage to take the time to read LoTR) that I LOVE the world that Tolkien has created, but not so much his writing style. I can't be sure, though, I'm a huge fan of Shakespeare and other dead British poets, so who knows? My hubby says that reading LoTR always reminds him of how beautiful the English language can be. Note: he is a restaurant manager for an inner-city McDonald's here in Lansing...proper American English is not exactly properly observed by his employees or many of his customers, for that matter. I'm no orator myself, but sheesh.

Anyway, classes have started for me again. This semester is going to be TOUGH. All deep, information-filled classes. US War and Revolution from WWII to present, Legal and Constitutional HST of Britain from 1399-present (am I a dork for being totally geeked about this class?), Western European Political Theories (mostly present, from what I can tell), a senior seminar on South Africa (taught by an Aussie prof-I LOVE his accent, even if his lectures wander a bit), and an astronomy lab. I think I'll be back in St Mungos by February! At least some of the topics of the classes will overlap, or at least contribute to each other. That always helps. Its even nicer when you get one book assigned for two classes, but that hasn't happened in this, my LAST SEMESTER!!! That's right-I applied for graduation two days ago, and started applying for jobs today.

Okay, I've rambled enough. Talk to you guys later. *goes off to pout, as kabloink has also missed out on the horsie nursery rhyme*

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Mrs. Sirius - Jan 13, 2005 10:01 pm (#1075 of 2956)

Wow, I have fallen back into my "mostly lurker" mode but I have been following the LOTR discussion happily. I read the Hobbit ages ago. It didn't fascinate me enough to follow-up with the trilogy.

While waiting for OoTP, I read them. I did not really like them. I recognize Tolkiens amazing breadth and depth of language knowledge but felt that it got in the way of the story. It was like watching an actor on stage commenting on his work as he went along. And in snide way, I did often comment to the book "yes that was an impressive use of a term or adjectives".

I may re-read the trilogy because I may have been unfair to the work because I was so desperate for OoTP. No one I'd ever chatted with, seemed to share my view on LOTR so your opinions here have been reassuring.

Happy Birthday!! and Congratulations!! to everyone who has accomplished and achieved, especially to Gina so close to being Dr. Snape.

Edit: Oh Marie, how well I know about that child who is in la-la-land. My 8 year old son lives there. He is smart enough but we can get him on task for more than a few minutes at a time. His 20 minutes of homework are 3-4 hour ordeals. Tonight I just told him he'll have to do it tomorrow at recess. What happened to all the perfect children that we were? Chat & Greetings 2005 2752390508

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Ydnam96 - Jan 13, 2005 11:05 pm (#1076 of 2956)

I re-read Tolkien as much as I re-read HP...but reading really is a matter of personal taste. I really like history books, and I feel that Tolkien is more history-ish than story-ish so I totally understand that loads of people may not like it. No hard feelings. No dung-bombs.

It's finally stopped raining in Southern California. I'm so glad because it has been so depressing to watch the news and see nothing but mudslides and such. Ten people died! It's so sad. I'm glad it stopped because my best friend flew out for a few days and I didn't want her to see beautiful California all wet and yucky.

Are there any Forumers in the LA area that would be interested in going to the book release in July somewhere? I don't have any friends here yet that will want to stay up that night to get the book.

About the fun little nursery rhyme, I never heard anything like it in my youth. I feel so deprived.

Anyway, happy almost weekend!

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Essidji - Jan 14, 2005 2:01 am (#1077 of 2956)

Happy Friday everyone!

Wow, dear, I wasn't prepared to having triggered such a long chat about Tolkien! To say the truth, I actually have read the books in French and English alongside ( I bought the books in French because I had to refer to my dictionnary too often). This is why I keep thinking they were too hard for my level in English. When you do this, you focus on the language rather than on the stoy itself. And I agree with the ones who said the story of Frodo an Sam was the one they cared about. So the part with Aragorn Legolas and the others seems terribly long. It's a very good thing they did in the movies to put the stories in parallel.

Amilia, congratulations for your promotion. And don't worry, things will be fine, as you've been chosen because you deserved it.

Septentrion raised a question about the storm in Fawkes' region... I also hope nothing wrong happened as she didn't post lately. Hope it's "just" because she has too much work. Good vibes to you, Fawkes!

Marè, you were absolutely right about the silly song you described (A dada sur mon bidet). I believe everybody knows that rhyme here. I myself remember having enjoyed it as a child and now it's the turn of my daughters to laugh when we play "à dada".

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Marè- Jan 14, 2005 3:01 am (#1078 of 2956)

Good morning everybody. Lesson #...? In French customs... French people love their gallettes! (Or at least the people I work with do)Almost everyday some-one finds a reason to bring one to go with the tea and coffee... Today it was a birthday... O well, I'm not complaining

And I agree with the ones who said the story of Frodo and Sam was the one they cared about. So the part with Aragorn, Legolas and the others seems terribly long. It's a very good thing they did in the movies to put the stories in parallel.
I have exactly the opossite. I found the stories of Merry and Pippin the most interesting, than that of the three hunters, and Sam and Frodo come last, I'm afraid. They just have rocks, orks and depression... And I was all on Sam’s side with frustration: can't you just kick Gollum out?

Marè, you were absolutely right about the silly song you described
Well I didn't describe that much, I think you mean Elanor.

On another note: it's almost weekend and off course the weather is rainy and gloomy... I want sun!

Edit: Fawkes checked in after the storm I think. But where is Veronika?

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Fawkes Forever - Jan 14, 2005 5:19 am (#1079 of 2956)

Yoohoo *waving madly*, yeap I'm still here... didn't get blown away thankfully! Thanks for the concern Karine & Steffie .. I'm quite touched (I'm also touched in the head, but that’s quite a different matter *eyes her standard issue 'white jacket' from St Mungos* )

I have been extremely busy this week at work, *insert grumpy face* & working far too many hours.... but mustn't grumble eh! It's friday & I have my work Christmas Party tonight!

Yes you did read that correctly... Christmas Party on the 14th of January... not an uncommon occurance for my office. Aparently it's better value.. they say it's because the quality of food & service is much better! But I know they're doing it 'cus it's cheaper. They're also combining about three other work events into this night... must be the dementors way of minimising on our fun. However I'm looking forward to a nice meal & a glass of wine (on the company may I add), at one of Dublins fancier hotels (perhaps thats why they waited until january). Also post christmas, there won't be any decorations in the function room of the hotel... so theres no danger of getting caught under the mistletoe with one of the dementors

I think Veronika might be studying or sitting exams at the moment? If so, good luck Ronnie!

EDIT : About the 'birthday tradition', in our office, it's traditional for us to bring in cakes or sweet foods on our birthday to share with our colleagues. Our department was first started up in the Netherlands... so we were told that it was a Dutch tradition that was continued when they relocated the department to Ireland...

Is this a Dutch tradition Marè? Or perhaps this is their sneaky way to get us to buy cakes

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septentrion - Jan 14, 2005 5:29 am (#1080 of 2956)

Congrats Amilia for your promotion !

Eponine, I'd advise you too to give a try to teaching again.

About LoTR, I prefered Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas's story than Sam and Frodo too.

Marè, in fact, any occasion is good to eat something sweet (gallette, chocolate, pie etc) and to drink something. That's one of our best customs !

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Catherine - Jan 14, 2005 5:31 am (#1081 of 2956)

Happy Friday!

Congratulations on the promotions and job offers I read about.

Denise and Eponine, I'm glad to see that other people use movies to quote and communicate. It makes me feel less quirky. At our house, we tend to use Jerry Maguire. If we find a statement to be unanswerable, we say, "The human head weighs eight pounds," what little Ray says to Jerry. There's a whole host of others, but I'll leave it at that. Except for, "These fish have manners." We use that when a rude situation pops up.

I think you should give the teaching a second try, Eponine. You're probably never going to have an easier entry, and your cousin has prepared the lesson plans for you. Just go and do your best. Don't let an icky student-teaching experience keep you from trying. One of my good friends from college loathed her student teaching so much that she went to graduate school in something else to avoid teaching. Guess what? She's now teaching again, and loving it. Just remember that you can always be nice later, but make sure that you get their attention and respect first thing. You can always ease up, but it's really hard to be too "nice" initially and then have to crack down.

Hope everyone has a good weekend. I'm off to do my Humane Society Board training all day tomorrow, and officially become one of the board.

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Marè- Jan 14, 2005 6:06 am (#1082 of 2956)

About the 'birthday tradition', in our office, it's traditional for us to bring in cakes or sweet foods on our birthday to share with our colleagues. Our department was first started up in the Netherlands... so we were told that it was a Dutch tradition that was continued when they relocated the department to Ireland...

Is this a Dutch tradition Marè? Or perhaps this is their sneaky way to get us to buy cakes.

I didn't know that was a Dutch tradition. I just thought that was a common habit all around the world. But yep, when it's your birthday you provide pie or cake, whether it's for colleagues, teammates, studygroups... If you see them somewhere on or around your birthday... You're "het haasje" (<-rabbit like creature with longer ears and paws...) and have to bring the sweet stuff. But then again, next time it's some-one elses turn, so it's all good!

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 14, 2005 6:44 am (#1083 of 2956)

Denise and Eponine, I'm glad to see that other people use movies to quote and communicate. It makes me feel less quirky. At our house, we tend to use Jerry Maguire.—Catherine

"The Simpsons" are made for that sort of thing, at least among my crowd of Simpson-goobers. If I don't hear your comment or if you make no sense, I will respond with "You shot who in the what now?" And, although I don't personally harbor any resentments toward France, mention of the country usually gets a resounding chorus of "Bonjourrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, Ya cheese eatin' surrender monkeys!" ***waves to Kim***

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 14, 2005 6:48 am (#1084 of 2956)

*waves back at Loopy* That is a good one!

and, despite what Lupin is Lupin (Kim) says about adult Shih-tuzs, she's pretty cute these days---Catherine

That's simply not possible with a Shih-tzu! (By the way, you misspelled it Catherine. I thought you cared. 

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The giant squid - Jan 14, 2005 7:18 am (#1085 of 2956)

I'm glad to see that other people use movies to quote and communicate.

You're joking, right? My wife often has to hit me to make me stop quoting. It's even worse at work (a movie theater)--then you get my boss & two of my co-workers into the mix. We've actually sent fellow managers out of the room in tears. My usual culprits are Star Wars, Ferris Beuller's Day Off and Ghostbusters ("That's a big Twinkie."). In honor of Eponine's avatar, though, I offer the following:

"Who are you?"
"The butler, sir."
"What do you do?"
"I buttle, sir."

Marie, it's looking more and more like your eldest is a cross between me and She-who-has-not-read-the-books. Intelligent, but a little too flighty. I can't really offer any help for this school year, but if you want to be really mean, tell her she has to concentrate & be good in class or she can't read HBP.

--Mike

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Mrs. Sirius - Jan 14, 2005 7:31 am (#1086 of 2956)

Back in the good old days when I worked in an office (instead-of-dusk-to-dawn-in-the-home) we started the tradition of cake or some sort of sweet to celebrate birthdays. However, in our office, the birthday boy or girl had to bring in the sweet. That way they got just what they wanted and no one felt imposed on if they did not eat the goodies or didn't want to celebrate her/his own birthday.

By the way the weather here is just so New England lately. Right now we are having monsoon down pours. Yesterday the ground was covered in snow and we had fog so thick that driving was scary, at points you couldn't see more than a few feet in front of you. This morning all the snow is gone and the temperature is in the around 50 F.

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From Venus - Jan 14, 2005 8:43 am (#1087 of 2956)

I am a movie quoter also, along with the rest of my family. Ghostbusters is a good one, I agree. (Nice shootin', Tex). Stripes is another one. (It's like going to Wisconsin). My sons have been quoting from The Big Labowski for a few weeks now; it has become a new favorite. Oh, and we can't forget O Brother, Where Art Thou. That movie has some of the best lines ever! (You're dumber than a sack of rocks...and...This place is a geographical oddity; two weeks from everywhere!)

On ADD & ADHD...my oldest son has ADHD; he is 28 years old now. School was very trying, I can really identify with the 3 hour homework sessions. All of his teachers, from Kindergarten on, would try to push Ritalin use. I fought against it. We managed to get him through his school years without it. I don't know if that was the right thing to do or not; it just didn't seem right to me to give mind altering drugs to my child just to make him fit in with the rest of the children. I usually ended up convincing most teachers that if they would just put him in the back of the classroom so that his moving around and figiting wouldn't bother the other kids, he would do fine. Because he was smart, he absorbed the material even if it didn't look like he was paying attention. Actually, he did better when he was allowed freedom of movement, than when he was forced to sit still and "pay attention". It took all of his attention to sit still, and so there was none left for the lesson. Now HIS son has been diagnosed with the same thing. They have been trying to go the all-natural vitamin supplement route with him. They're hoping that they will be able to help him without drugs. I hope they can. He's a smart kid, but his grades don't show it. That is VERY frustrating for him; I feel sorry for the little guy.

Sorry this post is so long. I can go on and on about ADD Syndrome. I believe it is something that could be handled both by the educational and medical communities alot better than it is.

Anyways, it's a beautiful sunny day, although it's very cold (the temperature dropped over 40 degrees from yesterday!). So I'm going to enjoy the sunshine, and all of you have a great Friday!

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Catherine - Jan 14, 2005 9:05 am (#1088 of 2956)

It is difficult to watch your child struggle in school, for whatever reason, whether it is because he/she is a "square peg," or has ADHD, or learning disabilities, or extreme shyness.

My teaching experience showed me that many kids seemed to be medicated for the wrong reason. That said, there are definitely children whose brains are wired differently, and medication can really help them. It can help their social interaction with other children, raise their self-esteem, and focus their ability to learn. On the other hand, it can slow their growth, inhibit appetite, increase nervousness and anxiety, and bring out tics.

Mr. Catherine told me earlier this week that there has been something like 200 times the number of children on stimulant medication than there was back in 1990. **hope I remembered that number correctly; if not, it's my error alone** He also said that in the coming years, it is estimated that fully 8-10 percent of American boys will, at some point in their lives be on stimulants for attention problems. That's a huge number, and I really don't know what I think about it.

We made the decision, after resisting for years, to give our child stimulants. For her, my one regret is that we did not do it sooner. My sympathies to parents who struggle, or have struggled with ADHD, and wrestled with the medication dilemma. Parents and teachers, though, we just have to do the best we can and hope we make good decisions for the children in our care.

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Ydnam96 - Jan 14, 2005 9:08 am (#1089 of 2956)

Mare, what is a gallettes? I've seen you talk about them before but I'm not sure what they are. My guess is some sort of sweet?

I'm also one of those people who found the Frodo/Sam stuff more boring than the Aragorn/Legolas/Gimli stuff (Aragorn is probably my favorite character though) so I guess I'm more in the minority there.

Hey! It's Friday, that means it is the weekend right? Happy Weekend everyone!

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Marè- Jan 14, 2005 9:26 am (#1090 of 2956)

Galette is a french sort of pie. I heard it called "kings pie" today. They put little thingies in them and if it turns up in your piece, you get to wear the crown.
Most of them seem filled with almond filling, sort of a marsipan like substance. (franzipane galette) or at least that's what I've been eating a lot...

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Elanor - Jan 14, 2005 9:52 am (#1091 of 2956)

Happy weekend everyone!

Yes, about "galette" that's exactly that Marè! The "thingy" is called a "bean" because, a long time ago, a real dry bean was put into it and the one who found it was the king! I saw that a supermarket was selling galettes with HP little figures inside, I wonder if Snape would appreciate to be a "bean" in a galette... Chat & Greetings 2005 1003735042

The fun is that every baker sells galettes which have very different tastes though the ingredients are the same, another good reason for trying several of them (as if we needed one!). BTW, another tradition is that the "king" buys the next galette!

About LoTR, the more I read it, the more I enjoy the chapters that I used to find boring because they were slowler and I wanted to know what happened next (and I love the parts with Aragorn as well). But, as someone said, Tolkien writes more like an historian sometimes and history is my field, so maybe that's why I appreciate it (and there are history books far more boring that those ones, I can tell you that! If you suffer from insomnia, there are some books about the Merovingians that would cure you in less than 2 chapters...).

With my friends and family, we quote movies all the time as well. With my brother, we speak "Star Wars" ("Impressive, very impressive...") and with other friends we often quote some famous French movies (Les Bronzés, Le Père Noël est une ordure).

BTW, I have heard that a French movie was released today in the USA, it is called "The chorus" (Les choristes, in French). It is a great movie, really, and if you love music, you will like it. It was a real success in France last year.

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Sirius Lee - Jan 14, 2005 9:53 am (#1092 of 2956)

I too am notorious for quoting movies and TV shows. My best friends fiance and I have carried on entire conversations using nothing but Friends lines! My best friend usually has no idea what we're talking about, but occasionally manages to slip one in, much to our excitement. We're both known to slip in Harry Potter lines a lot (always going over my friends head). "My wand, look at my wand" is standard whenever someone breaks a glass or something, as is "Why is it always me" when asked to do something.

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KWeldon - Jan 14, 2005 10:22 am (#1093 of 2956)

It's the Simpsons at our house, too.

Some of our favorites:

1) Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. (when Bart keeps trying for the electrocuting cupcake. We usually say this when we've done something stupid for the second time)

2) Bed goes up, bed goes down, bed goes up, bed goes down...(when we are amused by something trivial, obviously)

And, my kids' favorites:

3) "All work and no play makes Homer something something." "You mean crazy?" "Don't mind if I do."

4) Sung to the tune of the Flintstones' theme song:

Simpson, Homer Simpson, he's the greatest man in history.
Simpson, Homer Simpson, he's about to hit a chestnut tree.

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 14, 2005 10:56 am (#1094 of 2956)

Oh, and we can't forget O Brother, Where Art Thou. That movie has some of the best lines ever! (You're dumber than a sack of rocks...and...This place is a geographical oddity; two weeks from everywhere!)-- From Venus

Yes, yes!! "O Brother, Where Art Thou" is great. Whenever a particular lawyer friend of mine and I talk about opposing counsel, we say "Oh mercy yes, gotta beat that competition." Raising Arizona is good too when discussing various child expenses: "Won't knock a thing off University."

KWeldon, all those are great Simpson quotes. Of course, I also have a bunch of engineer friends who often go off on various electronic crap to which I say "Oh, for the love of glavin."

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Chemyst - Jan 14, 2005 12:52 pm (#1095 of 2956)

It took all of his attention to sit still, and so there was none left for the lesson. - From Venus, on ADD

Yes, I know where that sentence came from! Some children have very unique wiring. When our son was tested (nearly ten years ago now,) they came up with an all-sorts-of-doom-and-gloom diagnosis. Happily, he has overcome nearly all of it; (his spelling still needs work.) He could never have thrived in a standard classroom. I know our solution, home schooling, is not practical for most families; but it has worked well for him. It sheltered his self-esteem in the early years and he can more than hold his own socially now. (In fact, among his peers, he is quite good at movie quotations!)

Phoenix Song is another home schooler here, and I haven't seen her post in about a week. I wonder if her Dad took a turn for the worse... at one point he wasn't expected to live until Christmas. Barbie, if you are out there, we wish you well and send strengthening charms.

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Marie E. - Jan 14, 2005 2:05 pm (#1096 of 2956)

Loopy, I've been known to quote Raising Arizona myself. Taking pictures? "Turn the left! Turn to the Right!" There are others that I can't remember. Pride and Prejudice is good, too. "I am most seriously vexed!" "I am all astonishment."

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Steve Newton Jan 14, 2005 2:25 pm (#1097 of 2956)

I just read the news that the French lexicon has started up. I hope that that doesn't mean that we will be losing our French members here.

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Acceber - Jan 14, 2005 2:31 pm (#1098 of 2956)

I'm putting all my hopes on Salem, MA this fall.-Pinky. ...I too am eagerly awaiting Witching Hour in Salem, Mass.-scoop2172000. I'll see you both there!

We also had a member who donated her long hair to Locks of Love...-Catherine. Ooh, that's me, I think. But you've gotten some facts wrong: I haven't donated yet, my hair is still long, and I was going to donate to Locks of Love before Daisy's shaving came up on this thread. Thanks for the compliment, though .

Lupin Kim: I have fond memories of being bounced on my mum's lap to the tune of that rhyme. We had another that she'd sing. I hope I'm getting the words right:

(bounce young child softly on lap)
This is the way the ladies ride
Te-ree, te-ree, te-ree, te-ree
This is the way the ladies ride
Te-ree te-ree te-ree AND . . .

(bounce young child slightly harder on lap)
This is the way the gentlemen ride
Ta-gallop-a-trot, ta-gallop-a-trot
This is the way the gentlemen ride
Ta-gallop-a-gallop-a-trot AND . . .

(bounce young child hard on lap)
This is the way the farmers ride
Ca-hobboly-hoy, ca-hobboly-hoy
This is the way the farmers ride
Ca-hobboly-hobboly-hoy-oy-oy-oy

At the oy-oy-oy point, you open your legs and let the young child fall down while tickling them. (How did I remember all that??)

I own the first nine Lemony Snicket books and have read all of the series except The Grim Grotto. I own so many because my aunt, a librarian, gave me them as gifts for a few years running until I had them all. I liked them a lot, but that's because I'm barely out of childhood.

I've only read a few chapters of The Hobbit and I found it boring. I haven't even started LotR and I don't plan to.

My sister's often in la-la-land. I say it's because her name is Ilana.

Movie quotes are not my specialty, probably because I can never remember them. I do quote Harry often.

I think that's it. Happy Weekend Everybody!

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John Bumbledore - Jan 14, 2005 2:47 pm (#1099 of 2956)

TGGIF!

Happy Friday everyone! Wow, I need a speed reading course to keep up on the few (truly only two or three) threads I read. Well I have read and posted to more than that but-- Eh? Oh, yes TGGIF is I believe an American acronym, for Thank GG it's Friday. -- Oh, the GG? Well, bowing to the Harry Potter world, I adapted it. If you follow my sword play, I believe you will sort out who I meant. (perhaps you already have. )

Let me see *LOTR, silly songs, office parties, ADD attention deficit disorder, yeah that last one.

AD/HD - Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder is the current label/grouping of three subtypes of disorders: Inattentiveness, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. I have found http://www.chadd.org to be a good resource for me. ADD is the subtype of AD/HD for inattentiveness.

Marie E. and Mrs. Sirius. I too am familiar with, um, distractions. I find this a terrible misnomer, as the trouble I have is not inattentiveness but over attentiveness. As in, "I notice everything going on about me and have trouble filtering out the unimportant stuff." What I have learned (the hard way) is that this tends to run in the family (so, is it from the Misters or the Misses? ) and there are coping methods that work for some. Others may need medication to provide equalization.

My wife is a special education teacher and had been trying to modify my daughter's "inattentiveness" for more than a year (I believe the Pediatrician wanted to wait at least 3 months to try behavior modifications before prescribing medication) as she is all too aware of it being overly diagnosed and medicated. Medication, with a proper conducted diagnosis and if coping methods aren't enough, can be very effective with a minimum of side effects. My daughter has always been sharp, but her grades were less than we expected. She was reading before first grade and had finished all the Harry Potter books before third grade. They now have much better medication than Ritalin. Adderall XR has been a great benefit for my daughter. It was effective quickly and at low dosage. No more three hours for homework, she gets it done in 30 minutes (as long as it is done before 8:00 PM, seems that is when the mediation wear off, and yes it is much like the flipping of a light switch.)

As far as it seeming to be more prevalent now than when we were in school, at least one expert believes it is television that has induced this increase (John Rosemond, [? on spelling and title] a syndicated newspaper columnists on child psychology). I know I watched a lot of Sesame St. as a child and my children have TV, VHS, DVD, and numerous video games; so he may have a point there.

Catherine, I believe you and Loopy had an exchange about Insufferable-know-it-alls. Well I believe I have another member for the list (if were keeping a list, and yes I mean besides myself! ). I asked a simple question on the "JK Rowling Official Site" thread and Julia gave the Hermione style answer. Though I think it was only one tenth of the characters in HP, so please be sure to add Julia to the Insufferable-know-it-all list

<)B^D= (John) Bumbledore

P. S. Well, I typed most of this before getting fully caught up on the chat thread. *of course*

P. P. S. Yeah, Catherine, chalk me up as one of the 'brain wired differently' group. Oh, I see! This is the Harry Potter Lexicon Forum! So I'm not that different when I'm here with you all!

P. P. P. S. Elenor, I second Steve's sentiment and am glad to read your following post. Hope to keep seeing all of you around here.

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Elanor - Jan 14, 2005 2:52 pm (#1100 of 2956)

Steve: I just read the news that the French lexicon has started up. I hope that that doesn't mean that we will be losing our French members here.

That is so sweet of you Steve! For my part, there is no way that you guys get rid of me that easy...

I was thinking today that there will be exactly 6 months tomorrow that I started posting here and this forum has become the place where I feel the best on the internet and I feel like I have found another family here. Though our languages are different we do understand each other because our common language is passion. I just hope you're not tired of my alchemy/symbolism rambling and of my English mistakes!

I come here every day, and every day the forum gives me some fun, joy and the best brainstorming I could have ever dreamed of. You guys are just brilliant and I love you all!

Lady Arabella Mon Jan 05, 2015 8:04 pm

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Sirius Lee - Jan 14, 2005 3:00 pm (#1101 of 2956)

Marie E. - Pride and Prejudice is a popular one in my family, as is Sense and Sensibility. My cousin can't go a week with out saying "Frailty, thy name is Brandon!" (for no reason at all, just when things are too quiet or she's bored with the conversation).

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Catherine - Jan 14, 2005 3:02 pm (#1102 of 2956)
Edited Jan 14, 2005 3:44 pm

Bumbledore,

I do think that Rosemond (sp.?) has a point about the effects of TV upon learning. I've read many articles and books by educators who cite children's increasing dependence upon visual media. There's no doubt that this generation of school kids is much more visually savvy than they were 30 years ago. It will be interesting to see how brains, and learning, change with our technology.

Mr. Catherine has actually conducted informal experiments in his Chemistry lectures to test this. He will do a presentation like a "chalk talk" (well, really a white board and pen) and do the same presentation as a slide show or movie upon his computer and play it on the big screen in the lecture hall. Quizzes afterward have always shown the group who watched it "on TV" via computer got higher scores than the traditional lecture method. He comments that it is uncanny to see how focused they are upon the screen.

I remember that one of the biggest laughs I ever got as a teacher is when I told my students, "I am not MTV."

Anyway, as for the Forum, I wouldn't be surprised if many of us here are strongly visual learners. At least we are interacting with the written word. As for brains wired differently, yep, count me in on that one, too.

EDIT: As for Pride and Prejudice, we like the quote, "Happy thought indeed" if someone points out something really obvious or silly.

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Ladybug220 - Jan 14, 2005 3:11 pm (#1103 of 2956)
Edited by Jan 14, 2005 2:13 pm

“For a single man of good fortune must be in want of a wife”

I just love Lizzie's lines in P&P. That is why I named one of my cats after that her.

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John Bumbledore - Jan 14, 2005 3:13 pm (#1104 of 2956)
Edited by Denise P. Jan 14, 2005 4:12 pm

I tend to quote all things Star Trek, and also various Disney movies. Lion King, Tarzan, etc. as these are what the children watch most.

About a month after getting a new movie on VHS or DVD, we all have the *funny* lines memorized. My daughter and I both do a very good impersonation of Stitch of Lilo and Stitch (that is my wife's opinion, I think I'm better at it than my daughter). "Also cute and fluffy!" What else can I say, "this is my family, it is small, and broken but still good. Yes, still good." Too bad there isn't an audio attachment to this forum. lol

<)B^D= (me) Bumbledore (just too lazy to do the HTML code).

P. S. well I must leave work for home now.

Edit: Even in jest, netspeak is frowned upon on the Forum. Denise P.

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librarian314 - Jan 14, 2005 4:47 pm (#1105 of 2956)

Hey all!

Boop! - if you need help planning the summer do, count me in. I've got friends in Bellefont, PA and will be up there earlier in July. So just let me know what I can do!

Here in the **librarian** household we quote the Simpsons quite a lot. Monty Burns', "Excellent" is a favorite, as are Homer's: "Dooooonuts", "D'oh!", and assorted slobbery noises.

We also quote Spinal Tap regularly. "It goes to 11"; "Stonehenge"; "The little people of Stonehenge."; and then the various ways drummers die and foil wrapped cucumbers ;-P.

Early in the school year, my daughter's kindergarten teacher tried to tell us she thought our kid might have been ADD/ADHD because she had trouble sitting still and paying attention. It turns out the poor dear is just bored; most of what she's doing is at second grade level, not kindergarten. Since her teacher has figured that out and gives her more appropriate work it's been better. We also gave her some coping strategies like, "Do your work as quickly as you can and then turn the paper over and draw on it until everyone else finishes."

It's rough when your kindergartner is already bored in school. I remember being bored regularly but that was after I was about 10 or so and knew what to do (carry a book to read everywhere ;-) ) to keep occupied. We're hoping to get her into the local Gifted and Talented magnet school.

I tend to be a very visual person myself. I much prefer being given a diagram of how something is supposed to be done or watching someone do it than listening to a description. My brain sort of turns off and the talking starts to sound like, "blah, blah, blah."

Y'all take care and hang in there! Looking forward to seeing some of you this summer and in the fall at the Witching Hour!

**michelle the librarian**

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kabloink! - Jan 14, 2005 5:19 pm (#1106 of 2956)

Elanor-could you send the title of some of those books on the Merovingians my way? Not for the sake of insomnia, but simple love of the period! I don't know a great deal about that particular 'dynasty' of European royalty and have always wanted to learn more.

We had some of that crazy fog/snow/warm weather here on Wednesday, now we're looking at an overnight low of 2 F-gotta love Michigan right? Actually on Wednesday, thanks to the fog and arrogant Michigan drivers, there was a 200 car pile-up just outside of my city on I 96. THe state police close the highway for at least 7 miles, both eastbound and westbound. Only 2 people died however, with 37 more injured, only 5 of them were critical, I believe. I don't want to get up too high on a soapbox or anything, but how much sense does it take to not go 80 mph when you can't see 10 feet in front of you?

On ADD and ADHD. I don't know much about the syndrome, except that in the 90's I think it was seriously overdiagnosed. Whenever my friends had any problem in school, the miracle was Ritalin. While I believe there are people who do truly have a problem (at times I wonder about myself...) I had a hard time believing that there was anything wrong with some of these friends, aside from simple lack of caring. THis sounds kind of odd, but I have heard that caffeine, in limited doses can help someone with ADHD to settle down. I once dated someone with it, and he swore by it. Apparantly, the chemical reaction is different for people with these disorders than those without. You never know.

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Amilia Smith - Jan 14, 2005 5:37 pm (#1107 of 2956)

Well, I don't know about ADHD as I have never been diagnosed with this, but caffeine does knock me out. In collage, they passed out care packages at the bookstore which contained Vivrin pills. I tried them during finals week, when I was frantically trying to catch up on studying, and I was out like a light. Everyone else complained that when they took the pills, they were buzzing for days afterwards.

Mills.

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Madame Librarian - Jan 14, 2005 5:51 pm (#1108 of 2956)

OK, those who are German or German heritage, what's this kiddie rhyme mean? My mother-in-law would put my son Jordan on her lap facing her and bounce him while saying:

"Huppa, huppa reider,
Da-dah, da-dah so weider (not sure of words or spelling)...."

It went on for a few more lines then (drum roll...) the big finalé, with the kid going down through the knees then up, up, up. Imagine peels of giggles every time. You'd think that I'd have figured it out since she did this all the time with him, but I never got a clear answer from her on meaning. She'd just mutter something about a horse rider on the road having a fall. Anybody?

Re: quoting movies. It's a near miracle that my husband even considered a second date with me when we first met. At that time my roommate, Maddy, and I had seen the "Producers" about 5 times already and had a minor cult going on the old Bela Lugosi "Dracula" which she had an audio tape captured off a college showing of (this was wa-a-a-y before it was common for people to own movies, let alone the sound only version). So, our conversations with each other were peppered with these inane quotes followed by uncontrollable laughing fits.

If we heard a noise like the wind blowing, "Leesten to zem. Ze cheeldren of ze night, how beautiful zey are..." (wolves howling).

The Count to Renquist: "Aah, I don't drink...wine."

Renquist (after his big change): "Flies? Why would I want flies when I can have big, juicy spiders?"

And, on a lighter note:

"M-a-a-x, he's wearing a dress."

"Oh, god, I fell on my keys."

"I'm hysterical, I'm hysterical!! I'm still hysterical and now I'm wet and hysterical!!!"

"I ain't the madam, I'm the con-see-urge."

"Oh, him. He's up on the roof with his boids. Doity, stinkin' boids."

Sorry...got take a break for laughing.

Ciao. Barb

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Helen Potterfan - Jan 14, 2005 5:56 pm (#1109 of 2956)

Boop and all, Thanks for the welcome. I've actually been reading and posting for a while, but just listed my info recently. I love the forum, and spend much too much time reading and posting! My favorite thread is the thread for JKR's web site, but I also participate in quite a few others. Is anyone else reading this thread from NYC? Accio HBP, otherwise known as Helen

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Penny Lane. - Jan 14, 2005 6:39 pm (#1110 of 2956)

Kim - I saw that crash and subsequent back-up on the news - I really wasnt' all that shocked though. Sorry to say, but it tends to happen every year. I think I'm prefering the weather over here on the east side of the state though - less lake effect snow. All that said and done - Wow, we've been having the strangest weather. Yesterday at 2 it was warm enough to go with out a coat. But by 5 it was snowing hard. Today its down around 11 degrees. It's biting cold.

Today was a great day for me. I finally got a telephone for my room, my mother called and said my dad was out of the hospital, my meal plan FINALLY changed (after a hearing for "Special circumstances" which weren't all that special) and I finally got my refund so I can buy financial aid. Now all I need is for my laptop to work again so I don't have to hike to the libarary in this cold.

I also tend to quote movies and TV. I'm really bad with the Buffy quotes, most of the time I don't even realize I'm doing it until someone points it out. There are so many movies I quote from I couldn't even begin to list them. So I won't bore you all with details.

Happy Weekend to all!

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boop - Jan 14, 2005 7:07 pm (#1111 of 2956)

Tomoe and Michelle, thank you for wanting to help with the planning. I will take all the help I can get. If you have any idea's please feel free to e-mail me with them at boop196078@hotmail.com.

Accio HBP, you are very welcome. I use to welcome the new people all the time, then I kind of got away from it. Glad you are having a great time here. This forum is like my second family. I don't post on the other threads very often, but I read some of them all the time.

Everyone have a great weekend!! I know tomorrow at 4:30pm I will be in front of my tv. I will be watching my STEELER'S win their game. Go Steeler's!!!!!!!

hugs always

Boop

edit: Penny glad to hear your dad is doing good. Also glad to hear your luck is turning around as well.

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Tomoé - Jan 14, 2005 8:18 pm (#1112 of 2956)

Congratulation for promotion Amelia, and don't worry too much. My father use to say problems are like ninjas, as long as you take them one by one, everything will be all right.

Do we have any news of Ridikulus?

Frodo/Sam was more boring until the very end of book 4 and came back to boring mode not long after book 6 begin. The only time I cared what was going on with them was around the spider/ork fortress bit and in middle of action JRRT decided "no, the rest of the story is for later, now back to Aragorn ...". I was really frustrated as a reader and the never ending end frustrated me as well (but since I never left a book unfinish ...). I'd say, like Victor Hugo, JRRT was a better storyteller than writer.

I'm also a movie quoter, mainly The Simpsons. One of my favorites whenever someone do something weird but difficult to do I say: "It's an ... Outstanding ... Achievement ... in the Field ... of Excellence". And of course there's a couple of Disney movie, Starwars, Princess Bride and so on. There's one movie I quote a lot, Erik the Viking (I not sure anyone else knows that title). I like "Darkness and ignorance" (said with a patient but disappointed voice, hanging the head down) whenever someone says Harry Potter is kid stuff. ^_~

I'll come back on ADHD later, I can't think strait for the moment, time to get sleep.

About the French version of the Lexicon, well, I'm a "original version" freak, so I'll stick here. ^_^ (there's plenty of French Harry Potter forums anyway, I could have defected anytime, but you're all so fantastic ^_^. So as long as you don't kick me out for my bad English, I'll stay Razz

)

Penny, Glad to hear your dad is all right. ^_^

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I Am Used Vlad - Jan 14, 2005 8:45 pm (#1113 of 2956)

One of my co-workers and I speak almost exclusively with movie quotes. At every meeting, we pretend to scratch the chalkboard with our fingernails and say, "You all know me, and know how I make a living." (from Jaws) We also regularly quote Jack Nicholson from A Few Good Men. We are weird.

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Mrs. Sirius - Jan 14, 2005 10:13 pm (#1114 of 2956)

On the ADD, my son has mostly the inattention component, not hyperactivity. And yes these things do run in families. I'm old enough that elementary school through high school, no diagnosis ever came up (or perhaps they just didn't do that in the NYC school system, I can never decided which it was). It wasn't until I got to college, that I first heard of ADD/ADHD.

But I always had that reaction to caffeine and other stimulants. If I became too wound up, and that was often when I was in school, I'd drink some coffee and then I could get to sleep. The doctor on campus gave me something to take for my allergies and warned me it might make me sleepy. Wheww, it just made me screech and fly and run through the rafters (I was in a theatre). That scared me so that I'm very leery of all medication.

We are trying a natural path with my son rather than going right to stimulant drugs. Fish oil seemed to help but it was too yucky, we'll keep trying.

This discussion on quotes is really funny. I was nearly eight when I came to the USA. I learned to speak English largely by listening to pop music and TV commercials. My husband still teases me, because, he claims I still use quotes, or worse, just cite from old jingles and songs.

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 14, 2005 10:15 pm (#1115 of 2956)

Loopy, I've been known to quote Raising Arizona myself. Taking pictures? "Turn the left! Turn to the Right!"-- Marie E.

"Don't forget his fingerprints Ed!" Whenever there might be some unruly kids around, running amok, I also like to use "Now you take that diaper off your head and you put it back on your sister!"

My nephew has Asperger's Syndrome along with ADHD and a Ritalin prescription to go along with it. I am rather undecided on its effectiveness. Yes, there is quite a difference in him when is on his meds and when he is not. Admittedly, however, sometimes there is not much of a difference, but that's Asperger's and "teenagerdom" for you. (He's 13.) I'm not sure if doctors are over-diagnosing or over-prescribing meds for what should be simple disciplinary problems or not. However, there are plenty of kids with undeniable medical conditions for which Ritalin seems to have some positive effects.

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Elanor - Jan 15, 2005 1:27 am (#1116 of 2956)

Hello everybody!

As a teacher that works in a elementary school, I often see kids with problems of attention or ADHD and how to help them is a big problem. Some of them are medicated but only very few of them. Most of those kids work with child psychiatrists instead and it works for a lot of them.

Here also, it seems that more and more kids have attention problems and television and video games are often blamed for that because specialists say that their minds are used to zap from a channel to the next and not to finish something they began. So their minds have trouble to remain focused on the same thing for a long time.

What I have noticed is that every kid has his own way and time for learning, especially learning how to read, and his time does not coincide with the school time all the time. Some kids are advanced for their age, some are immature when they attend elementary school. That does not mean they won't succeed in their studies later but that school has to adapt to them, and not them that have to adapt to school as it is the case today most of the time. There is a lot of work to do there!

Kabloink, I have searched for my references about the Merovingian dynasty, but I am afraid they are all in French, here they are:
- Jacques Heers Précis d'histoire du Moyen-Age - PUF - 1992 (the easiest to read)
- Jacques LeGoff La civilisation de l'Occident Médiéval - Arthaud - 1984 (more diffucult to read, but very specialized)
- G. Fournier Les Mérovingiens - Que sais-je? n°1238 - 1966 (the "que sais-je" books are small but they have they summarize a question very well).
- D.Whitelock The beginnings of English society 1966 and F.M. Stenton Anglo-saxon England are the ones I have found in English (they are mentioned as reference books about this subject in the first book I've mentioned but I have not read them actually).

I hope it helps! I have not a very good souvenir of that period because, during my first year studying history at the university, we had to learn the Merovangian genealogy by heart and it was awful. Not only those kings had names that were nearly the same (Charibert, Childebert, Childéric, Chilberic... with numerous numbers) but also they had the regrettable tendency to share their lands beetween their kids after their death and, of course, those new kingdoms were different each time and we had to know them all as well. I have fortunately forgotten a lot of it!

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Catherine - Jan 15, 2005 6:00 am (#1117 of 2956)

Ooh, that's me, I think. But you've gotten some facts wrong: I haven't donated yet, my hair is still long, and I was going to donate to Locks of Love before Daisy's shaving came up on this thread. Thanks for the compliment, though . –Acceber

Actually, you do deserve all the credit for bringing up the subject of Locks of Love. But I was alluding to Flame, who donated her long queue after our discussion; perhaps I am not remembering correctly!

Kim, I will just say that shih-tzus, especially mine, are indeed cute. People exclaim over them constantly when we are out walking, or when they ride in the car. You might be in the minority opinion here.

Loopy does bring up a good point about the whole ADD/ADHD dilemma. No medicine replaces sensible discipline, and I certainly taught some teenagers who had never had any real structure, or had ever learned the word, "No."

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 15, 2005 7:02 am (#1118 of 2956)

You might be in the minority opinion here.---Catherine

Me? Never! :pcbc:

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librarian314 - Jan 15, 2005 7:34 am (#1119 of 2956)

Hey Kabloink! et al.

An interesting work of fiction about the Merovingian period is "Pope Joan" by Donna Woolfolk Cross. It's basically about a woman who pretends to be a man to gain an education and ends up being elected pope. Overall, I found it to have been well-researched; there were few if any (I read it about two years ago, so it's not all that fresh in my memory.) silly mistakes, like pumpkins growing in the gardens :-) (Pumpkins are a New World food, not known in Europe until they were brought back by the explorers in the 15th/16th/17th centuries.)

**michelle the librarian**

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Denise P. - Jan 15, 2005 8:30 am (#1120 of 2956)

Kaitlyn, who will be 8 next month, has never had a hair cut. She can currently sit on her hair. We know the day will come when she will want to get it cut and so it is already marked for Locks of Love. Since she adores her long hair, I don't think it will be any time soon. Unless....she doesn't keep her bangs out of her face! She wants to grow them out and they are in the horrible stage where she looks like a sheepdog since they are not long enough to put back but certainly long enough to hang in her face. Woof!

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septentrion - Jan 15, 2005 8:46 am (#1121 of 2956)

Steve, I don't think the french members of this forum will leave for the french version. As for me, I do not intend to do so, even if I'm one of the french translators of the Lexicon.

I also love quoting movies, or books, but I have the strange habit to watch English-speaking movies in English, so my quotes have no effect on my environment I particularly like Star Wars quotes like "sorry sweetheart" or "laugh it at, fuzzball" (or something like that). I like to call people I can't stand "nerf-herder", at least I suffer no retaliation

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boop - Jan 15, 2005 9:23 am (#1122 of 2956)

~Waves to Denise~ wow Kaitlyn's hair is long. Does her hair grow fast? How is the rest of your family? I miss talking to you in the chat room. Do you know if Viola Intonada (Michelle) is around here yet? I haven't talked to her for a while either. I am going to start going into the chat room more.

As for the LOTR movies and books, I have the extended version of the movies. I could watch them over and over again. As for the books I am almost done with the Two Towers. Some parts are slow to read, but I have made up my mind to read them at least once.

Everyone have a great weekend!!!

Hugs Always

boop

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septentrion - Jan 15, 2005 11:08 am (#1123 of 2956)

Just wanted to post a link to the site of the European spatial agency where you can hear sounds from Titan, that moon of Saturn, and see photos of it. It took seven years for the probe to get here and the scientists are indeed excited with the success of the mission : ESA.

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VeronikaG - Jan 15, 2005 11:18 am (#1124 of 2956)

I was reported missing a few posts back. How nice to be missed, Steffie! I have not been taken by the storm, and have not been sitting exams (thanx for the good luck-wishes Fawkes. I'll let them apply to our current projects instead), but school has started again and I've been too busy to do much except lurking. I too am in my last semester/term, and now is the time to prove to the world that we actually learned something during these three years. We have a project work where we are going to use every shred of knowledge we have acquired.

I have never been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, but seriously, I have concentration problems in class. If it gets boring I just can't stay focused for the 45 minutes class lasts. I still manage to get decent grades, so it has never been examined. I guess I'm just undisciplined.

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Tomoé - Jan 15, 2005 12:36 pm (#1125 of 2956)

Thanks for the link Septentrion!

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mike miller - Jan 15, 2005 12:54 pm (#1126 of 2956)

Well, one week of not stopping by the forum will leave you with over 160 posts to read on this thread alone. Apologies to all, I only skimmed to catch up.

Betty - I'm 2 hours away so I'm not sure how much help I can be in planning; but, count me in and I can bring lots of food and other goodies. Let me know how I can help!

On the Tolkein topic, they are a tough read. I love them just the same. I first read them in college (years ago). When the first movie came out I purchase a set from Amazon.com with illustrations by Alan Lee who worked on the films. It was great to read them again.

Works been tough lately which is what has kept me from the forum. New systems and new processes along with the biggest project we've launched in 4 years has made for many "fire drills". I seem to spend 12 hours each day putting out fires and not making much real headway. Enough about that, off to catch up some of the other threads.

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Catherine - Jan 15, 2005 2:35 pm (#1127 of 2956)

Happy Saturday to everyone!

It's official: I'm on the Humane Society Board of Directors. I also got an office, which means that I'll be on the Executive Committee as well.

It's always interesting to find out how much you don't know about something, so today proved quite interesting indeed. I learned a lot, and have even more to take in and digest.

I'm also responsible for a fundraiser right away, so I opted to chair the Book Sale. At least I'll get to see what books I want before the public has a chance to buy them. I can also unload my unneeded books, and I can bug all my reader friends to donate. I may use the picture I posted a while back of Daisy and Phoebe lying down with the Harry Potter books on a flyer to advertise the sale. I can then combine my obsessions with Harry Potter, Shih-tzus (who ARE cute, Kim!), the Forum, and the Humane Society into one neat package. How nifty.

Today I learned more than I probably wanted to know about human cruelty to animals, but I also saw how tirelessly some people in our community have worked to build and maintain this shelter. I was really impressed.

If anyone has a good fundraising idea, feel free to email me. I have a lot to learn and can use advice and creativity from my Forum friends. Also, if someone has advice about book sales, I can use that, too!

Cheers!

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Detail Seeker - Jan 15, 2005 2:44 pm (#1128 of 2956)

Madame Librarian, on your question on the nursery rhyme:

As far as I remember it, it runs as follows

Hoppe, hoppe, Reiter // wenn er fällt, dann schreit er, // fällt er in den Graben, dann fressen ihn die Raben, // fällt er in den Sumpf, dann macht der Reiter "Plumps".

Translation: Hop, hop, rider // when he falls, he will cry // if he falls in a ditch, he will be eaten by the ravens // if he falls into a swamp, then the sound will be Plumps".

Handling as you remembered - seems to be common practice with many nurssery rhymes. I hope that helped.

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Prefect Marcus - Jan 15, 2005 2:51 pm (#1129 of 2956)

I love Tolkien. I've read The Lord of the Rings at least fifteen times.

Well, Catherine, it looks like we finally disagree on something.

Marcus

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Eponine - Jan 15, 2005 3:36 pm (#1130 of 2956)

Well, I've decided to fill in for my cousin in law. I told her today before I chickened out. So we'll see how that goes.

My husband has ADD, and he's also dyslexic which makes for an interesting combination. He has a hard time focusing on things for long periods of time. He was on medication in college, but he says it completely changes his personality. If he ever goes back to school, he'll probably have to go back on medication in order to do the work.

I hope everyone is having a great day!

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Catherine - Jan 15, 2005 4:15 pm (#1131 of 2956)
Edited Jan 15, 2005 6:06 pm

Well, Catherine, it looks like we finally disagree on something. –Marcus

Oh, well, we couldn't agree on everything, could we?

I will use this opportunity to mention that I might have a new foster dog soon, much to Mr. Catherine's dismay. He's a terrier mix, and supposed to be a real sweetie. Mr. Catherine seems to be prejudiced against male dogs, as the last foster boy we had decided that I was his best friend, and that Mr. Catherine was an annoying intruder who invaded the house every day at 5:45 p.m., and needed to lunged at, growled at, and kept away from me. Oh, well...love. I'll take it, in all its forms....

Have a great weekend. Mine is finally starting, it seems. Enjoy your evening.

EDIT: Eponine, good for you! And, I've been there. If you need an ear, email me about anything you want to talk about, and I will support you. Best of luck to you, and congratulations for trying.

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Marie E. - Jan 15, 2005 5:12 pm (#1132 of 2956)
Edited Jan 15, 2005 7:16 pm

Today I went to a home show and saw Jai Rodriguez from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. He was hilarious! My friend and I got there an hour early and sat in the front row.

My daughter Shayla is also trying to grow her bangs out and it's a nightmare right now. I can't wait until it's just a little bit longer.

Tonight my friend's daughter is spending the night with us. Her mom is the host of our local HP meetup so daughter is also a big HP fan. Right now they are playing Potions class and later we will watch PoA. Who am I to complain?

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Flame Alligator - Jan 15, 2005 5:28 pm (#1133 of 2956)

Hi everyone!

Catherine, Yes, that was indeed me who donated a little over 2 feet of my queue.

*back to lurking*

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Amilia Smith - Jan 15, 2005 6:19 pm (#1134 of 2956)

Thanks all for your good wishes on my promotion. I am starting to feel a little less panicky as my manager is very organized and is printing up itemized lists of all the things I will need to know when she leaves in a week.

Congrats Catherine on being made official!

Mills.

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Catherine - Jan 15, 2005 6:51 pm (#1135 of 2956)

Flame, Thank you!

I was beginning to wonder if I had dreamed the whole episode. Congrats to you for your generosity with your long hair.

Also, great to know that you are lurking!

--Catherine

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Gina R Snape - Jan 15, 2005 7:31 pm (#1136 of 2956)

Just popping in after missing this thread for TWO DAYS and the messages PILED up!!!!!

I'm still feeling slightly under the weather. Dreaded cold is lingering despite several doses of Pepper Up Potion (I suspect I was slipped a muggle remedy).

Oh, Accio HBP, I am in NYC.

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haymoni -Jan 15, 2005 8:41 pm (#1137 of 2956)

Happy Saturday Night all!

Another basketball game, but this time my dad and his wife came. Daughter got hit in the face with an errant basketball - she's fine. I feel guilty.

I cannot believe how lucky the Steelers are. Amazing, absolutely amazing! Now I have to listen to my co-worker drone on and on about wonderful they are. Someday, Browns fans...Someday!

I've got Monday off so this will be a lovely weekend. Might actually get to color my hair and catch up on housework. (Right! Chat & Greetings 2005 1242194059

)

We use a lot of James Bond quotes around our house. "No, Mr. Bond! I expect you to die!"

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Julia. - Jan 15, 2005 10:14 pm (#1138 of 2956)

Oy vey, where to begin...

How about with movie quoting? Everyone in my family does this at a ridiculous rate. The Producers is a favorite ("go to work!" My parents have a sign in the entrance hall to their offic building that says "Bialyshtock and Bloom Theatrical Producers, Second Floor. Apparantly the sign maker fell out of his chair when he saw the order) Austin Powers and Harry Potter are also favorites.

To those with daughters growing out bangs, I've been there. I have thin bangs, but they used to be really thick. I had to grow out most of them. Hair clips and head bands are your friend. They don't look terrible and they keep the hair out of your face.

Daddy and Sarah (that's my sister) left for Seattle this morning. They went out for the opera and they're comming back Monday night. Sarah's birthday was Wednesday, so this way she gets to say "Daddy took me to Seattle for my birthday!"

I'm moving back into my dorm on Monday. This evening my roommate called me to tell me that she's transfered out of UConn, and, as a result, has moved out of our room. She couldn't have told me this last week? Ah well, this means that I'll either have a new roommate, or no roommate. Residential Life hasn't told me anything about a new roommate, so I'm assuming I won't have one. I'm trying not go get too excited about this, because there's a chance I'll have one, but it's very hard...

Well, off to check the treads! If I'm not back in three hours, send a search party.

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Julia. - Jan 15, 2005 11:44 pm (#1139 of 2956)

It's nearly 2:00 am now, and I'm back from my adventures onto the threads. No need for the search party.

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Phoenix song - Jan 16, 2005 1:38 am (#1140 of 2956)

Hello everyone! I haven't been able to check in very often, life has been too tedious to report upon. It's good to see that so many of us have returned once more!

Has anybody else ever seen MTV's Celebrity Death Match? I was channel surfing today (being a total couch tater) and heard the name of our favorite author and decided to watch to see what it was all about. Apparently it's this claymation fake wrestling match between famous people. One of the "matches" pitted our own JK Rowling against Steven King. It was...um...well...sorta lame, but it was neat to see Harry Potter (through JKR) portrayed in the "popular" media. Jo's claymation figure even called upon the "forces" of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in an effort to win the match, but alas "lost" to King's bionic leg. (Don't ask...)

Hope that you all have a great day!
Barbie

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Catherine - Jan 16, 2005 6:16 am (#1141 of 2956)

Good to see you, Barbie. Check in when you can. I got a laugh imagining the claymation match. Talk about differently-wired brains to think of such things!

Happy Sunday to everyone.

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boop - Jan 16, 2005 7:26 am (#1142 of 2956)

haymoni, *waves to Monica* Glad to hear your daughter is doing fine. That had to be hard to watch it happen. LOL if I worked with you I would be one of those co-workers talking about the Steeler's. I agree this was not the Steeler's best game, and yes they did get lucky. YAY the Steeler's won!!!

Barbie, good to see you back! Sounds like a fun show to watch. J.k Rowlings needed to ask for Harry or Dumbledore for help!!!

Have a great Sunday everyone!!!

Hugs Always

Boop

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Phoenix song - Jan 16, 2005 11:46 am (#1143 of 2956)

Catherine and Boop: Yes, it was sort of interesting to watch in an "I can't believe I'm seeing this" sort of way. I agree that JKR should have called upon Dumbledore to finish off Steven King. Alas, the clay version of her chose instead to use a "curse" that would cause him to become a human welding torch instead. Needless to say, it "backfired" on her. It really does take different mental wiring to think of these things.

Have a great day everybody!
Barbie

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Penny Lane. - Jan 16, 2005 11:56 am (#1144 of 2956)

OMG they still have "Celebrity Deathmatch?" I remember when it was popular, way back when I was in high school. They even had a spot in the Super Bowl Halftime show. I think this was in 98? 99? It was a while ago, but I remember it used to be really popular. I thought it was cancelled, as the novelty of the entire thing wore off. There was also some controversy as it was "too graphic" and "too violent", but it was claymation, so apparently people thought it was okay for their children. I think it was pre-South Park days, so maybe that had something to do with it.

As for growing out bangs... I grew mine out in the early 90's, so I wore a lot of headbands. And they weren't the semi-okay headbands of today, they were those horribly dated hard puffy, giant ones. or they were those big, wide pieces of spandex type fabric that wrapped around one's head. I've been trying to track down all the pictures and destroy them, but I'm afraid some might have slipped through. Chat & Greetings 2005 1003735042

Congrats catherine on the new position at the Humane Society! I love animals, and I think I would really enjoy a job like that - except I would tend to get too wrapped up in each animal, and soon my already zoo like home would be similiar to the apartment on "Ace Ventura". (The first one) .

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Gina R Snape - Jan 16, 2005 3:06 pm (#1145 of 2956)

Hello everyone. I'm here with Kasse and Julia. Julia is all excited because she's got a DA shirt now. She'll tell you all about it later. Anyway, got to run. Severus will be here soon for Sunday night supper.

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Helen Potterfan - Jan 16, 2005 3:43 pm (#1146 of 2956)

Gina: That means we're both Doctoral students in NYC! I'm only teaching in the summer at the moment while finishing up a Fellowship, but I'll probably be resuming teaching in the fall as I continue working on my dissertation. What's your area of specialization? I wonder if there's a NYC version of Diagon Alley?

I don't think I've watched Celebrity Death Match since high school, but that sounds like a fun episode!

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librarian314 - Jan 16, 2005 3:59 pm (#1147 of 2956)

Hey everyone!

Are there any forumers in Philadelphia? My family and I going to be up there next weekend visiting friends and was wondering if anyone wanted to do breakfast Sat. morning?

Y'all take care!

**michelle the librarian**

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Gina R Snape - Jan 16, 2005 5:19 pm (#1148 of 2956)

Accio HBP, I emailed you privately.

Well, Julia and Kasse have gone home. All bow to Julia, who won the PS/SS trivial pursuit game.

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Steve Newton Jan 16, 2005 5:32 pm (#1149 of 2956)

314, I live about an hour from Philly but I think that I don't think that I can do it. My son has a school thing on that day.

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Madame Librarian - Jan 16, 2005 6:14 pm (#1150 of 2956)

Detail Seeker, thanks for the info on that kiddie rhyme and the translation.

Gosh, all those grown-ups who are so worried about children hearing or reading stories that are scary or gruesome should realize that they (the grown-ups) are the very ones who instill this thrill of the terrifying in kids. How many of the bouncy rhymes involved poor riders falling, getting dumped in ditches, breaking their necks? Just about all of them. And, don't forget the Rock-a-Bye Baby lullaby--singing your baby to sleep with a horrible tale about a cradle stuck up in a tree and it falling ("...down will come baby, cradle and all"). Then there's that dynamic duo of Jack and Jill--they can't seem to get up a little hill without doing bodily harm to themselves.

And so it begins.

Ciao. Barb

Lady Arabella Mon Jan 05, 2015 8:07 pm

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Catherine - Jan 16, 2005 6:56 pm (#1151 of 2956)

Gee, Barb, that was cheerful! Chat & Greetings 2005 464751818

While we're on the topic, let's not forget about Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater's Wife. He put her in a pumpkin shell, and there he kept her very well. Sounds like false imprisonment, absence of support, and possible domestic violence.

Oh, well....on to a new topic.

My meeting yesterday led me to do my homework today, and I am not happy about what I found.

From writing the Spay/Neuter plea letter, I already knew that my state had the second highest euthanasia rate of healthy, adoptable animals. I also knew that my county, in particular, euthanizes animals at a ghastly rate. I also learned things yesterday that made me cry myself to sleep last night because I did not feel like anything I could do in the next few days would help one little bit.

What I didn't know before yesterday is how outdated our laws and ordinances really are, and how resistant our local Board of Commissioners has been to even minor changes, like a leash law, penalties for failure to vaccinate for Rabies, or even changing animal fighting from a misdemeanor to a felony. Keep in mind that we have documented rabies cases in wild animals, and many animals have been routinely euthanized because they had no vaccinations and possibly came in contact with the rabid raccoons and skunks. Many of our laws were enacted in 1880, and I daresay they need a makeover.

Thanks for letting me vent, and thanks to all the people who do the right thing by their pets!

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Mrs. Sirius - Jan 16, 2005 6:59 pm (#1152 of 2956)

Gina! Julia! I'm jealous!!!! Where were you? New York? Connecticut?

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Gina R Snape - Jan 16, 2005 7:55 pm (#1153 of 2956)

New York! My house!

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Julia. - Jan 16, 2005 8:10 pm (#1154 of 2956)

Yes, all bow to me, for I am the PS/SS trivial pursuit goddess!!!

Sorry about that Mar. I took the train into New York this morning, met Kasse at Grand Central and Gina at Union Square. Funtimes all around. Severus came by around dinner. He's really a very charming man. If only he wasn't married...

Betty, lovely talking to you this evening! You can bet your bum that I'll be there on July 23.

Well, I'm off to check the threads and then do laundry. I'm moving back into my dorm tomorrow and I need my cloths to be clean. Actually, I just want to wash them at home, where it doesn't cost me $1.25 per load.

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Ydnam96 - Jan 16, 2005 9:28 pm (#1155 of 2956)

Gina, what is your new avatar a picture of? I've been trying to figure out for a little while now, and to be honest it's a little scary! I miss the Snape Hug one! Smile

My best friend was visiting me for the last few days. We went out to Palm Springs yesterday. It was so much fun. If any of you get a chance to go out there take the Tramway up to the top of the mountian. It's breathtaking. But I've gone into HP withdrawl. I'm off to check the threads.

Happy three-day weekend for all of you who get to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

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From Venus - Jan 16, 2005 10:14 pm (#1156 of 2956)

Wow, I just love you guys! I've been busy this weekend, and catching up on posts was thoroughly enjoyable. But, it is late and I am tired, and I now find I should have taken notes, because I can't remember everything I want to say. Oh well, a stab at it...

I do want to thank everyone who added to the conversation on ADD/ADHD. Things are certainly not as they should be concerning the handling and helping of these children, but they are definitely better than they were 25 years ago. I am hoping that there will be good help for my grandson and all other children that suffer from this affliction.

I have to add two more knuts to the movie/TV quotes discussion; Star Trek is probably my most quoted show, now that I think about it. I'm talking about the original series, with Kirk and Spock and the rest. "Beam me up, Scottie"..."Fascinating"..."Gentlemen, I suggest you beam me up"..."Live long and prosper"..."'Father, why did you marry her?' 'It seemed the logical thing to do at the time.'"..."But, Captain, she's gonna blow!"..."I'm just an old country doctor, Jim."...

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Gina R Snape - Jan 16, 2005 11:39 pm (#1157 of 2956)

Ydnam96, see the quote below my name for info on my avatar... I saw it at the MoMA and felt COMPELLED to take a picture as best I could. Immediately reminded me of Morsmorde. I guess that might go under 'You Know You're a Harry Potter Fan When...you start seeing Harry Potter themes in modern art from 70 years ago.'

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Mrs. Sirius - Jan 16, 2005 11:40 pm (#1158 of 2956)

Venus, my favorite Star Trek quotes, which I quote ad-nauseum are

"I a doctor Jim, not a ____" and "he's dead,-Jim".

My husband being named, Jim, can get quite fatigued with these.

Gina, Julia, did you get pictures? will you post them?

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Gina R Snape - Jan 16, 2005 11:42 pm (#1159 of 2956)

Julia snapped a few photos. I can't vouch for them, though! I was not looking my best today...

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Julia. - Jan 17, 2005 12:20 am (#1160 of 2956)

Don't be silly Gina, you looked pretty as usual! I'll post the pics as soon as mum gets them off the camera, which should be tomorrow.

It's 2:15 in the morning and you have no idea how much I want to go to sleep, but alas, earwax. I'm moving back into my dorm tomorrow and I still have to pack. Yuck.

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Gina R Snape - Jan 17, 2005 12:49 am (#1161 of 2956)

Yeah, I was meant to be in bed two hours ago! Oh well. At least I managed to edit and upload my ficlet to the FFF. Good luck with the move!

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Essidji - Jan 17, 2005 2:45 am (#1162 of 2956)

Gina (or anyone), can you tell me what the MoMA is?

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The giant squid - Jan 17, 2005 2:53 am (#1163 of 2956)

MoMA: Museum of Modern Art

Egads...I was having some sort of problem with my browser the last couple days & couldn't get onto the Forum. Torture! I've decided not to share any more "favorite" quotes, or I'd be here for days!

Betty & Catherine, I've seen a book called "Politically Correct Fairy Tales" before that pretty much comes up with what y'all did. Also, it refers to "The Three Little Pigs" as "The Three Orcines of Reduced Stature" or something equally as silly. Purely tongue-in-cheek and quite fun to read.

I don't have any conclusive statements about ADD/ADHD, but I'm pretty sure that if it had been around when I was in elementary school, I'd have been on Ritalin for sure. They said I was hyperactive, but it turns out I was just bored.

Okay, I have to drop one more quote, usually aimed at someone who has just done something they think was impressive: "I wanna be just like you. I figure all I need's a lobotomy and some tights."

--Mike

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Marè- Jan 17, 2005 4:00 am (#1164 of 2956)

“lobotomy, Enlighten me, I know what it is, I really do, just not right now...” (Sorry)

Veronika! good to see you back! Glad to hear all is well.

There were so many new posts, that I'm not even going to try to respond to them all.
I'm just going to say that I had a nice weekend, lots of procrastination... It was sunny, I went to the beach and brought back so many shells that my entire room smells like seaweed and shellfish.. Jum... (I need a raised eyebrow smilie...)

Gina, your avie is indeed disturbing, Morsmordre indeed. Allthough if you would give him red eyes, it could also be He-who-must-not-be-named himself!

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Julie Aronson - Jan 17, 2005 6:16 am (#1165 of 2956)

My favorite movies to quote are "Animal House," "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," and "Monty Python's Meaning of Life." My favorite quote overall is "A tiger...in Africa?" when something is painfully obvious and whoever I'm with completely misses the point.

Julie

Steve Newton Jan 17, 2005 7:14 am (#1166 of 2956)

People seem to be forgetting the best source of TV quotations--Get Smart! 'Sorry about that chief" "Missed it by that much" "Don't tell me..."

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 17, 2005 7:15 am (#1167 of 2956)

I've seen a book called "Politically Correct Fairy Tales"---the giant squid

I have this one. It's quite humorous. Before this one came out however, there was another, less popularized book of feminist fairy tales. It was called "Don't Bet on the Prince." Edited by Jack Zipes. The first half is a collection of new or reworked fairy tells for the younger set (but still amusing for grown-ups) and the second half was new or reworked tales for older readers. Fairytales have come a long way. For anyone interested, there's a great collection of modern fairytales by the editing team of Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling. There are six books in all with names like "Snow White, Blood Red" and "Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears". I know the fairytale talk wasn't going quite in this direction, but I couldn't help myself.

As for movie quotes, I'm amazed at everyone's capacity for remembering these things. I never quote and the only ones I can recognize are the ones my husband (who has an endless capacity for memorizing these things) says on a regular basis. Then again, I don't register song lyrics either. I can sing a song word for word but couldn't tell you what the song was about. Said husband will often like or dislike a song I've just sung along with on the radio because of what it has to say. I'll look at him blankly (mind you, I know every word) and say, "Oh, it's about so-and-so? I had no idea." Obviously, something's a little fuzzy in the wiring.

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Acceber - Jan 17, 2005 9:28 am (#1168 of 2956)

I hope Julia, Gina, and Sam had a great time at Gina's and I'm dreadfully sorry I wasn't there, because it would have only been a 3 1/2 hour commute from Boston to NYC...

I had a fun day yesterday. The second semester at my Hebrew high school started, which wasn't so fun because I had to find all my new classrooms, which takes ages for those directionally challenged. In the afternoon, my mum and I drove into Boston and met my aunt, who's in town because she's on the Newbury Award committee this year. That means she read all the children's books published this year and got to vote on which she thought was the best. She's giving me the winner for my birthday in two weeks. We went to the Maparium, a huge globe that you can stand inside, frozen in time in the year 1934. This means that there weren't as many countries in Africa and the Soviet Union still existed. After, we got drinks and chatted until my aunt had to be at her dinner. On the way home, we got a flat tire and had to wait in the cold for about 45 minutes. Ho hum.

Happy Martin Luther King Day to all, and a huge thank you to the school committee for a day off from school!

EDIT: Thanks Gina! Maybe we can, someday. I'm going to NYC early in September, I'll email you privately.

EDIT again: Vlad, that's a reference to the TV show Full House. In one of the episodes, one of the main characters wants to skip school because she and her friend weren't placed in the same class. She says she was with the "smart kids," whom she first called eggheads, but then changed to omeletteheads. Now you know .

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Ydnam96 - Jan 17, 2005 9:35 am (#1169 of 2956)

Gina, it does look like the dark mark. Are you supposed to take pictures in the museum? Wink

I used to quote movies a lot more than I do now. I think my favorite was Monty Pyton/Holy Grail. "I'm not dead!" "I'm being oppressed" "Your mother smelled of eldeberries"

Well, today is my "day off" but I have so much cleaning to do, both in my house and at work, I won't get much time off. Happy Monday

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Gina R Snape - Jan 17, 2005 9:35 am (#1170 of 2956)

Aaawwww, Acceber. It would have been nice to meet you too.

Happy MLK Day to everyone (in the States at least)! I'm glad to have the day off work, considering how late I was up last night!!!

EDIT: I don't recall there being any signs forbidding the taking of pictures. I admit, I was wary until I saw others doing the same with their phone cameras. I might go back with a real digital camera and see if I can get a better shot. You can only just make out some of the shadows here, but there is a crowd of people at the bottom and their shadows in the sky.

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Sirius Lee - Jan 17, 2005 9:41 am (#1171 of 2956)

I'm very jealous of my fellow Americans who have the day off today. My company is running on skeletal staff, and apparently I'm one of the few who have to work. Granted, I get an extra vacation day for it, but it's snowing out here in NYC and I just want to be home in bed!

To all those off today, have some fun for me

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I Am Used Vlad - Jan 17, 2005 9:49 am (#1172 of 2956)

Happy Martin Luther King Day, Americans. I am one of the lucky ones who have the day off.

Acceber, I'm curious. What are the Omeletteheads?

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Mrs. Sirius - Jan 17, 2005 9:49 am (#1173 of 2956)

I'm not Gina but the MoMA in the heart of the city on Fifth Avenue in the 50's. Easy subway and bus access.

Julia, packing for school at 2 a.m.! The Weasley's would be proud.

I'm surprised that it is snowing in NYC. They predicted snow for us here in Connecticut but we had a light snow over night and now are enjoying bright sunshine. I'm about to take the kids sledding at the junior high school. Enjoy your holiday.

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Gina R Snape - Jan 17, 2005 10:13 am (#1174 of 2956)

It's snowing out in NYC?

*walks away from computer and looks out window*

Well, not YET by me. But good to know as I'll be leaving to go out soon.

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Sirius Lee - Jan 17, 2005 10:16 am (#1175 of 2956)

Well, it was snowing in NYC. Hopefully it's stopped by now! Wear good shoes, cause the ground was gross on my way to work.

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 17, 2005 11:42 am (#1176 of 2956)

Hey Becca! I've wanted to go to the Mapparium ever since I heard about it yet somehow I still haven't managed to get there. I should pretend to be a tourist some day and go see it. While I'm at it I could hit the Duck Boats and the Freedom Trail.

It's supposed to be very, very chilly tonight. Good thing I got myself those nifty fleece pajamas. All Hail the Mighty Fleece!

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Catherine - Jan 17, 2005 12:25 pm (#1177 of 2956)

It's cold, here, too. It's below 40 degrees during the day. **ducks the dungbombs from people who live in truly frigid weather**

We're having a lazy MLK day. We took the kids to the new Fuddrucker's that opened recently, and now I am so full I just want to take a nap. So much for finishing my new book.

Hey, Kim. I have fleas pajamas, too! Oops, I mean fleece. **looks sheepish**

See you all around.

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SarcasticGinny - Jan 17, 2005 1:12 pm (#1178 of 2956)

Epione, I have to say how much I love love LOVE your avatar!

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 17, 2005 1:41 pm (#1179 of 2956)

Hey, Kim. I have fleas pajamas, too!---Catherine

I bet you do.

By the way, did anyone catch the Eukanuba Championships on Animal Planet/Discovery Channel? And when I say "anyone" I really mean 'Catherine'. Best in Show went to the Bloodhound. Can you believe it?! I, for one, was very happy. And my son, who tells me he'll be getting one when he's 16 (hmmmm, wonder if he's planning on moving out then too), was very happy.

Tonight's Mystery Monday on BBC America. And when you say 'Mystery Monday' you've got to say it in that lovely, thick, Scottish accent of John Hannah's. I've developed quite a crush on James Nesbitt of Murphy's Law. All those Irish and Scottish accents in one night--I'm quite beside myself.

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Flame Alligator - Jan 17, 2005 2:13 pm (#1180 of 2956)

Hi Everyone!

Tsk! Tsk! Catherine......... below 40 degrees?!! Come on! I am freezing out here in Nebraska with -10 F windchill. I don't really like this windchill thing. It's -10 F.... look Jack Frost right in the eye. hee hee. Now what is windchill?....... the way it feels when the wind blows on you?

See the cold has me.... giddy and weird.

*patting nice pile of fleece nightgowns, pajamas and day wear*

On bangs growing out: Whenever my bangs were absolutely perfect, meaning brushing my eyelashes, my mother would cut them. She always cut them far too short. "So, people can see your lovely slanted, almond eyes." grrrrr Does anyone know why they are called "bangs"?

Julia, Hope you get to "stay roommate free".

Have a lovely afternoon everybody. I, on the other hand, will be walking very fast to work in my lovely arctic, "snow bunny" attire.

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Helen Potterfan - Jan 17, 2005 2:15 pm (#1181 of 2956)

Alas, our forecast 1-3" of snow for NYC is probably less than an inch in Queens. I postponed plans to go to the Met for nothing.

As to the discussion of fairy tales, there are two poems by Anne Sexton that I like to teach in my college writing classes. They are "Cinderella" and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" . I've linked you to the poems online in case you're interested. They are retellings (in many ways counter-fairy tales). I'll postpone the analysis unless someone is interested.

EDIT: The Met is the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There's a China exhibit there until the 23rd that I want to see.

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Catherine - Jan 17, 2005 3:50 pm (#1182 of 2956)

D'oh! **smacks head**

I hate that I missed the AKC Eukanuba Championship. The closest I got was feeding my dogs their Eukanuba food. Saturday I was pretty dog-tired after a full day of Humane Society Board orientation, so it just wasn't meant to be. I looked up the Bloodhound, "Knotty," who won, and he won both Best in Show AND Viewers' Choice, which is wonderful for him. **waves to Kim**

Flame, I realize that my years in the South have thinned my blood to mere water! It's sad when you think that 50 degrees is chilly, I know. **ducks more dungbombs**

Also, your question about bangs intrigued me, and I found an answer. Here's the link: http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19990112

Now I know!

EDIT: Julia, thanks for sharing the pictures, and the T-shirts look great.

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Gina R Snape - Jan 17, 2005 3:54 pm (#1183 of 2956)

Those were great, Accio HBP!

As it turned out, there must have been a light dusting in the morning but nothing else today. It was very c-c-c-cooooold in NYC though. Pity I was not able to conjure a warming spell for the inside of my coat.

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Julia. - Jan 17, 2005 3:56 pm (#1184 of 2956)

Greetings all, and a happy MLK day to all the Americans.

I moved into the dorm today, and to my great happyness, there is no roommate to speak of! Very exciting, I finally got to put up my Beatles posters. There's a nice John Lennon poster right across from me. I'm also exceedingly happy to have my high speed internet back.

Since I know you all want to see these...

Me and Sam
Gina and Sam
Gina and me

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Madame Librarian - Jan 17, 2005 3:57 pm (#1185 of 2956)

About those re-told fairy tales, try these two books:

Good Bones and Simple Murders by Margaret Atwood. It's a collection of essays including the Snow White story from the Queen/Witch's point of view (it seems Snow White was a really chirpy cheerful Pollyanna type who just drove everybody nuts). And, a hilarious memoir from one of the ugly stepsisters. Very droll.

And, Funny Sauce by Nora Ephron. Again, essays, these about the sometimes amusing issues that come up when children describe their experience of divorced parents, as in "Mommy, daddie's new wife doesn't make macaroni and cheese like you do. She fixes pasta with funny sauce and says it's just a grown-up version" (paraphrasing there). Anyway, there's one chapter called "Famous Divorces" and it is a very sardonic take on what happened to Cinderella and Prince Charming after about 10 years or so (something about his personal hygiene habits, I think), and the real story on Dick and Jane. Her version of happily ever after with Snow White and those seven dwarves...well, not a story for the little 'uns. A few more couples are featured. Very (snort)laugh-while-reading-in-bed funny.

Regarding bangs (and, BTW, almost every woman I know has a growing-out story that involves that awful betwixt and between stage) I'm not British but I do know that in the UK they're fringe. What a perfect name, especially for the too-short stage where that's exactly what they look like--some stupid, decorative gimgrack-y edging that you've stuck on your forehead (doesn't Hermione have a fringe issue in one of the books?). Where in heaven's name does the American "bangs" come from?

Well, I looked it up and found this from a site called word-detective.com

Bang bang

Dear Evan: Why do they call hair cut straight across the forehead "bangs"? Does it have anything to do with "bang," the sound a gun makes, or is it from some other source entirely? -- Kathy Mercurio, Baltimore, OH.

"Bangs," the hair style, does indeed come from the same roots as "bang," the sound of a gun, a slamming door, or countless other abrupt noises. The word "bang" first appeared in written English in the 16th century, but is thought to have been known in the dialects of Northern England long before that date. "Bang" comes from an Old Norse word "banga" meaning "to hammer," and is a linguistic relic of the Viking invasions of England beginning in the eighth century. "Bang" at first meant "to strike violently," but gradually the word came to be used for any sudden or violent movement, especially one which caused a loud noise. One of the earliest written examples of this expanded sense of "bang" refers to slamming a door, an apparently universal human action which may yet prove to be as great an instrument of self- expression as the typewriter. Aside from doors, nearly anything could go "bang," from guns to pianos, and "bang" also came to mean fight or beat up.

"Bang" continued to evolve, and by the 19th century was used to convey suddenness or finality, which brings us at last from Old Norse hammers to modern haircuts. "Bangs" are so-called because they are created by cutting the hair "bang- off," abruptly and straight across the forehead. And finally, at the risk of offending our bang-coiffed readers, I must tell you that "bangs" as a young lady's hairstyle almost certainly originated with the practice of cutting horses' tails straight across, a style known to this day as a "bang-tail."

Sorry, if this is way too much info on bangs, but it is a curious word, no?

Ciao. Barb

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Gina R Snape - Jan 17, 2005 4:05 pm (#1186 of 2956)

*cringes* See, I knew those pictures of me would turn out awful. Bad hair, no make-up. *cringe*

Anyway, if you look to the upper righthand corner of the pic with Julia and Sam, you will see a drawing a friend of mine did. It is Harry on the floor and Snape standing over him, from the occlumency lessons in OoTP.

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Helen Potterfan - Jan 17, 2005 4:21 pm (#1187 of 2956)

Gina, if you figure out that warming spell, let me know. Tomorrow's high is 18 with wind chills in the single digits, and more snow forecast for Wednesday (light) and Sunday (maybe heavy)!

I had a horrible time growing my bangs out. I've been thinking about reclaiming my bangs, but after working so hard to get rid of them and knowing how hard it would be to grow them out again, I don't know if I can do it. Now that I have the image of a horse's cropped tail in my head it doesn't sound very appealing. Maybe I'll go with "layers" and have a shorter "layer" in front!

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Prefect Marcus - Jan 17, 2005 4:21 pm (#1188 of 2956)

Speaking of favorite quotes, I always enjoy movies where somebody cries, "Fire at will!"

I invariably respond, "Poor Will".

:-D

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 17, 2005 4:36 pm (#1189 of 2956)

I like that one Marcus.

Sorry that you missed the dog show Catherine. I was just a passing viewer, but I was glad to see the Bloodhound win. In fact, I'd take just about anything over the Toy Poodle. [Apologies to all the Toy Poodle lovers in the audience.]

I'm passing along the Cinderella poem from one of the books I mentioned earlier. I should probably post this on my daughter's bedroom wall just so she'll know the other side of the story.

I really didn't notice that he had a funny nose.

And he certainly looked better all dressed up in fancy clothes.

He's not nearly as attractive as he seemed the other night.

So I think I'll just pretend that this glass slipper feels too tight.

Helen Potterfan - Jan 17, 2005 4:50 pm (#1190 of 2956)

That's good Lupin. At least it's as focused on the Prince's appearance as Cinderella's!

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Eponine - Jan 17, 2005 5:02 pm (#1191 of 2956)

I love watching those dog shows on TV. For some reason, they just suck me in, and I have to watch. I did see a clip on TV from a dog show of a poodle doing backflips. That was interesting.

Bangs...I haven't had bangs since I was about 13 when I decided to cut them myself. That was not a good idea. They were too short, and I was mortified. Once they grew out, I decided I liked having no bangs.

Today, my car got backed into. It's not too bad, but it might not even be worth fixing because my car isn't worth that much.

Well, I hope all is well with everyone. Have a great day!

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Flame Alligator - Jan 17, 2005 5:33 pm (#1192 of 2956)

Barb, Thanks for the information on "bangs". And no, it wasn't too much information. I liked it.

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Chemyst - Jan 17, 2005 5:39 pm (#1193 of 2956)

Ah, Catherine, it sounds like it's time to schmooze with the BOC. (Board of Commissioners)

And hats off to both you and Madame Librarian for the bangs answers. Both your answers are better than what I found. But I did find tips for growing them out:
Start parting your hair on the side and sweeping the bangs over.
Use a little extra gel or mousse at the root area of the bangs and dry them first, paying special attention to blowing them to the side.
Use hairspray. Even if you don't use it on the rest of your hair - use it on your bangs.
As your bangs grow, trim them at a slight angle to help them flow into the rest of the hair. This trim won't lengthen the growing-out time by much and will save your sanity.
Use headbands and clips when appropriate and attractive.

Giant Squid wrote: "Politically Correct Fairy Tales".... Purely tongue-in-cheek and quite fun to read. I've never read that one, but we have Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, Politically Correct Holiday Stories, and Once Upon a More Enlightened Time. They do start off being fun to read. But they are easy to overdose on and leave one bewailing, "Someone got paid to write this stuff??? How can I get a job like that?!"

Mapparium. It sounded cool enough to Google.

Our dog doesn't do aerial backflips like the one Eponine saw, but she does put on a show of strange contortions when the weather gets this cold. She sleeps on the sun porch (well protected from wind and rain, but not heated) and spins a cocoon from her blankets. When we go to take her out in the morning, we're met by what looks like a drunken ball of old laundry weaving its way toward the door.

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Catherine - Jan 17, 2005 5:54 pm (#1194 of 2956)

Chemyst,

Thanks for the beauty tips. I will attempt to pay attention next time I blow dry. **I have psychotic hair. If I blow dry--smooth and straight. If not, wavy and huge and unruly.** ACK.

When we go to take her out in the morning, we're met by what looks like a drunken ball of old laundry weaving its way toward the door. –Chemyst

This would be a good image of Winky after a long night of butterbeer.

The Board of Commissioners is on my big list. They have refused to listen before, but, then, they don't even know me yet! I don't mind bugging them, so we will see.....what we will see...

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Flame Alligator - Jan 17, 2005 6:41 pm (#1195 of 2956)

Catherine, I forgot.... thanks for your link on "bangs". *embarrassed I forgot to thank Catherine*

On Catherine vs. Board of Commissioners......... go get 'em girl!

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Catherine - Jan 17, 2005 7:03 pm (#1196 of 2956)

Flame, thank you.

I have a plan. The Board of Commssioners hasn't reckoned on someone who is, technically, umemployed. There is no one to threaten, no one to bribe, and I frankly find them boring and full of nonsense, to boot.

What is clear to me is that they DO NOT read the Editorial page of our newspaper. Or, if they do, then they know for what I stand.

I realize that our Humane Society has a big job ahead, if we want some basic ordinances passed, and if we would like someone in our county to actually investigate animal cruelty. (By that I mean to prevent pit bull dog fighting; prevent rooster fighting; prevent dogs on short chains in the cold with no shelter; prevent domestic animal roaming on private land; prevent animals with no Rabies shots; prevent feral cats from procreating).

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Julie Aronson - Jan 17, 2005 7:21 pm (#1197 of 2956)

Going back a few posts...I also like to quote from "The Princess Bride."

“Have fun storming the castle!”

Julie

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Prefect Marcus - Jan 17, 2005 7:25 pm (#1198 of 2956)
Edited by Jan 17, 2005 6:25 pm

Julie,

That might not be the best quote. If memory serves, the next two lines are as follows:

“Hilda: Do you think it'll work?

Miracle Max: It'll take a miracle”.

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boop - Jan 17, 2005 7:31 pm (#1199 of 2956)

Regan of Gong, Connie 1983, and Marander Moony welcome to this forum. Have lots of fun and please don't be afraid to post your theories. We enjoy reading new ideas.

Thanks to everyone and their bang information. It has been very helpful to me.

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Catherine - Jan 17, 2005 7:43 pm (#1200 of 2956)

“Catherine, I told you I would punish myself for going off topic. St. Mungo's was very upset with me for overdoing my punishment.” Archivist’s note: refers to deleted post. See #1202 below.

Umm, Mikie, you don't have any House-Elf blood, do you?

Like I said before, I forbid you to hurt yourself, and that's an order.

Sheesh. Everyone needs to relax and watch their favorite movie, so that we can have good quotes. I am NOT in the mood to bandage self-punishing wounds at the moment. I have a hairless dog, two kids with fevers, and a sick husband who is threatening to NOT go to work tomorrow! And some real work to get started on, which is a whole different story.

**EEK**

'Nuff said?

EDIT: Yay! 1200th post! Not a W00t situation, but still, divided by 12.

Lady Arabella Mon Jan 05, 2015 8:09 pm

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Madame Librarian - Jan 17, 2005 7:49 pm (#1201 of 2956)

Can you imagine--if Madame Author ever checks out this Chat thread, what must she think of this group here at the Lex Forum....

"Hey, Neil, just guess, luv, what they're talkin' about now. It's an amazing conversation that bounces between fringe and how to tame it, and what it's called outside England, back-flipping poodles, and people who communicate with each other almost completely through movie quotes! [long pause] "I say, this is interesting. Have you ever heard of a bang-tail horse?" Hey, Neil, are you listening?"

Well, I hope we offer Jo a bit of amusement now and then along with our loopy ideas on Harry Potter.

Ciao. Barb

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MickeyCee3948 - Jan 17, 2005 7:53 pm (#1202 of 2956)

Sorry Catherine, I deleted my post after you said not to punish myself. Hope your family ends up feeling better. Husbands staying home sick can be worst than any kid.

Mikie

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KWeldon - Jan 17, 2005 8:21 pm (#1203 of 2956)

Hey, all, I am seeking your advice, if you don't mind!

How do you teach a child not to be afraid of catching a baseball? That is, how do you get him to keep from turning his head while the ball is coming at him, thereby actually getting hit with the ball instead of possibly catching it?

Will he grow out of it, or is this a lifelong thing? His older sister never had this problem.

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Catherine - Jan 17, 2005 8:40 pm (#1204 of 2956)

Hmm, KWeldon. That is a dilemma. I know that what MY dad did would probably (Sorry, Daddy) be considered child abuse now. He basically pelted me with balls until I no longer feared them; had endured pain from them and gotten over it; and learned that I could catch them before they hurt me.

"Good" (meaning only half-psycho) advice that he did give me during these sessions was, "Even if you can't catch it--stick out your (fill in the blank---hand, glove, racquet) and punch it at me. Make it hurt ME instead of you!"

We also practiced with softer versions of balls until I got adept. So until I got fairly good at catching a ball in a mitt, Dad threw tennis balls, which sting a bare hand if thrown really hard, but don't break teeth or knock you out if they hit you in the head.

So, start with big, soft, even silly balls, if there is fear. Build on skills, make it fun, and encourage real effort. Dad, to make sure that I was keeping my eye on the ball, used to use tennis balls with different designs and writing, and ask me what was on it while it was being thrown. I was enough of a reader/geek to watch and try to answer.

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Phoenix song - Jan 17, 2005 8:45 pm (#1205 of 2956)

KWeldon: Have you tried to start off with a Nerf type ball that won't hurt and showing him that he's "safe"? It could be that he needs a "safety" net to begin learning and then progress up to the real deal. Could it be that he is the type that needs to be in "control"? I don't mean that in an awful way, I just mean that there are some people who are NOT okay with trusting other people when it comes to their personal safety. I, for one, do not like to have people throwing things at me and never have been comfortable with it...even if it is a "game". I'm still much the same way and even have trouble being a passenger in other people's car. If this is the case with your son then I'd suggest letting him throw the ball primarily until he is comfortable with the handling of it. Maybe then he'll become more at ease.

Catherine, they say that you can't fight city hall...but then again, they haven't met YOU before. Give 'em heck for us all. I have the greatest confidence in you.

I've been trying to grow my hair out for the past several months in order to get it long enough for the standard, overworked-mom-style ponytail. (I thought it'd be easier.) It's been murder putting up with it and it's almost there, and just tonight my mom tells me that I really DO need to get a decent hair cut. I'm like "Gee, thanks Mom." Chat & Greetings 2005 1242194059

It's a shame when you're almost 35 and your mom still criticizes your hair.

Mickey Cee: I see that Mickey Mouse the House-elf has recently sustained some serious injuries. Has he sought worker's compensation?

Have a good night everyone!
Barbie

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KWeldon - Jan 17, 2005 8:52 pm (#1206 of 2956)

Catherine and Barbie,

Your suggestions of using softer balls is well-noted! We are using size 8 tee-balls, which are fairly soft, but perhaps not as soft as a tennis ball or foam. My husband even wants to use a helmet with a mask on until he loses his fear, but it seems to me that would just put us back at square one once we do it without the mask.

I've also begun bribing him. For every ball he catches, he gets a new Yu-Gi-Oh card. Lazy parenting, I know...

KWeldon

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Catherine - Jan 17, 2005 9:12 pm (#1207 of 2956)

KWeldon,

I will say that I think there is nothing wrong with a dose of healthy fear about being hit in the face with a hard object. ICK! I've had it happen a number of times, and it was never very fun. More recently, Hayley hit me with a frisbee in the nose this past fall, and boy oh boy, did it EVER smart!

In the end, I enjoyed sports where I was in control of the ball versus sports where I wasn't. While my dad wasn't the most...erm...nurturing coaches around, he did teach me to be in control of the ball.

I think that is an important lesson, and I'm glad that your question made me think of it. Thanks.

Maybe that's the secret.

I think Barbie was onto something there, so I'm incorporating it. Thanks, Barbie.

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Helen Potterfan - Jan 17, 2005 9:33 pm (#1208 of 2956)

Catherine has a point. Maybe having him "pitch" the ball to you or his big sister for a while will help him get used to the ball. I'd definitely try the foam balls and work up to t-ball.

Speaking of quotes, there's a line in the movie Independence Day (aliens coming to blow up the world, Will Smith saves the day) that cracks me up every time I hear it: "The LAPD would like to ask Los Angelenos not to fire at the alien spacecraft. You may inadvertently trigger an interstellar war." I don't know why it amuses me so much, but it does; probably because I could imagine just such an announcement if aliens ever did visit (those muggles and their guns!). So, on that note, have a good night and try not to inadvertently trigger any interstellar wars.

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KWeldon - Jan 17, 2005 9:39 pm (#1209 of 2956)

Thanks again, Catherine.

Accio HBP, I love that movie. Being from Houston, it's particularly amusing when in the movie they test nukes out on the ships by detonating a bomb at the ship over Houston. And then, of course, the nuclear explosion didn't harm the ship whatsoever. That's gotta hurt.

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Ydnam96 - Jan 17, 2005 10:27 pm (#1210 of 2956)

OH Independence Day! I love that movie. In fact after I watched it the first time I made a list of my favorite quotes from it: "Oh no, you did not shoot that green stuff at me!" (one word changed for content) "I have got to get me one of these!" "What the heck is that smell? I could have been at a BBQ"(one word changed for content)

Excellent movie!

As for the fear of balls, I'd say the others are right on. Show him it's safe by using baby steps (to quote What About Bob?) throwing soft balls, catching soft balls, positive reienforcement with the trading cards is a great idea as well!

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Julie Aronson - Jan 17, 2005 11:13 pm (#1211 of 2956)

Prefect Marcus:

Not to worry--"have fun storming the castle" is always delivered with the appropriate blend of irony and futility!

Julie

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The giant squid - Jan 18, 2005 12:31 am (#1212 of 2956)

Mandy, et al, another good quote from Independance Day (as well as Jurassic Park, actually) is "Must go faster...must go faster..." It's getting so that anytime I see Jeff Goldblum on screen I expect to hear that phrase. It's the same with Will Smith and, "Oh, H--- no!" (edited for content)

Speaking of favorite quotes, I always enjoy movies where somebody cries, "Fire at will!"
I invariably respond, "Poor Will"--Prefect Marcus

I always do that too, Marcus, especially when watching Star Trek: The Next Generation, because Will Riker's almost always standing next to Picard when he says it.

Despite how it may seem, it's tough for me to share a lot of my favorite quotes. That's because most of them would be inappropriate for this forum--either originally or by taking them out of context. I love everything done by Kevin Smith, but he's not very repeatable in a PG setting...

Mare, no one else offered it up, so I'll help you with "lobotomy": (from dictionary.com) "Surgical incision into the frontal lobe of the brain to sever one or more nerve tracts, a technique formerly used to treat certain mental disorders but now rarely performed." As one might guess, the recipient of a lobotomy generally ended up...deficient in most cognitive areas. (In other words, they become vegetables.)

KWeldon, is he only flinching when it's thrown at/to him, or just afraid in general? If it's the former, try tossing it lightly from close in, then gradually increasing the speed & distance. Eventually he'll figure out that you get hurt less when you catch it than when you try to duck & get hit in the shoulder...

--Mike

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Marè- Jan 18, 2005 1:44 am (#1213 of 2956)

How do you teach a child not to be afraid of catching a baseball? That is, how do you get him to keep from turning his head while the ball is coming at him, thereby actually getting hit with the ball instead of possibly catching it?

Eventually he'll figure out that you get hurt less when you catch it than when you try to duck & get hit in the shoulder...
Well I don't know, but ducking always worked for me... <- I had to use this awsome smilie!

But I think all the "soft ball" comments might be of more use!

And thanks for the explanation about lobotomy Mike! It somehow reminds me of a museum I visited once. They had surgical (sp?) instruments. One was a tool from the early gun period. (You know the ones where you had to stuff powder in and one bullet at a time...)
It was a tool made for extracting the bullet from a person’s head. The procedure was very simple: just stick the tool in through the hole and move it around till you get it. Needless to say that any-one who managed to stay alive until that point wasn't anymore after the "operation"...

And just for our "all around the world weather forecast": It's stormy here.

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Catherine - Jan 18, 2005 5:58 am (#1214 of 2956)

Brrr. I got a karmic kick for complaining about chilly weather. We have a wind chill of single digits this morning, which feels impossibly cold. I can't believe it was 81 degrees outside last Thursday. Where's Loopy Lupin when you need a weather shift?

Keep warm, everyone. Have a good Tuesday.

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kabloink! - Jan 18, 2005 6:40 am (#1215 of 2956)

OK, I guess I'll start with a weather update. When I got up at the crack of dawn this morning (actually before the crack of dawn-the sun is just rising here, and I've been up for awhile now) it was -1 F, and our high for today is 18 F, I am very much NOT happy to be a college student and walking around on campus today.

As far as balls go, I truly have no advice, but I do have an interesting story, or stories, actually. My sophomore year in high school we were playing softball in gym class. Being the baseball lover that I was, I was having a good time and playing a position that resembled short stop-25 girls in the field makes for sloppy positions. Anyway, I went to field a grounder, and it hit a rock on its way to me-directing it straight at my nose. Blood everywhere, blackeyes, broken nose-the works. And I got made fun of because I flinched when the ball came towards me after that.

Four years later, my sophomore year of college, I was playing an intramural game of softball for my dorm-first time I've actually played since gym class. Playing catcher without equipment (I was not aware that it was available), and being the ditz that I am, I was watching the runner from third come home, not where the ball was. I turned just as it was coming towards me, and it hit me square in my left cheek bone. THree nondisplaced fractures later (one in my sinus wall), and I avoid actually playing softball like the plague. I can finally handle the batting cages, so maybe I'll get out there again, just for fun, but I have to endure constant ribbing from my hubby for flinching whenever a ball come at me...my sinuses STILL aren't the same-and that was over 3 years ago now.

Well that's my story on balls coming at me-though I'll tell ya, the batting helmets at the batting cages with face masks did help me to deal with it. Now I can do what everyone else does and go in without anything. THese stories also put me in mind of the first Mighty Ducks movie, where Goldman, the goalie, is afraid to stop the puck until he finally gets real equipment instead of magazines strapped to his shins.

Okay off to class for the Kimmi. Have a good day everyone-try to stay warm!

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Chemyst - Jan 18, 2005 6:59 am (#1216 of 2956)

KWeldon- How do you teach a child not to be afraid of catching a baseball?
...Erm, I was never afraid of catching it, I was afraid of it catching me! I'd second the advice about practicing with tennis balls and working your way up; but I'd also add getting his vision checked, and not just the ordinary is-the-chart-in-focus exam, but one that measures how well the eyes work together. If the problem is depth perception, no amount of practice alone will cure that.

Speaking of cures - Kimmi, you have paid your dues, so tell hubby that if he doesn't stop ribbing you about flinching, your forum buddies have some appropriate curses to cure him of that.

Loopy Lupin - Jan 18, 2005 6:59 am (#1217 of 2956)

Sorry Catherine, but any weather spells will be directed to D.C. first. It is currently 12 degrees at 9:01 a.m. Brrrrrr. Non-American forumers should note that in the good old U.S. of A., we haven't embraced Celsius and our degrees are in Fahrenheit (sp?). What is 12 degrees F in Celsius? About 2 or 3?

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Marè- Jan 18, 2005 7:01 am (#1218 of 2956)

THese stories also put me in mind of the first Mighty Ducks movie, where Goldman, the goalie, is afraid to stop the puck until he finally gets real equipment instead of magazines strapped to his shins.

Yes and untill they strap him to the goal and shoot everything they can find at him...

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Chemyst - Jan 18, 2005 7:10 am (#1219 of 2956)

No, Loopy, it is closer to -11.

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 18, 2005 7:27 am (#1220 of 2956)

Oops. Yes, 12 degrees is below freezing on the old F scale, isn't it? See! Celsius is just too complicated. Very Happy

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Steve Newton Jan 18, 2005 7:35 am (#1221 of 2956)

"Let's spread out, we can do more damage that way."

"Important safety tip."

Ghostbusters

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Marè- Jan 18, 2005 7:38 am (#1222 of 2956)

See! Celsius is just too complicated

How can a scale that has the so obviously notable freezing point nicely at zero be complicated? :blinks: I mean seriously, what logic is there in Fahrenheit anyway?

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Steve Newton Jan 18, 2005 7:43 am (#1223 of 2956)

"It's cold out there!"

Groundhog Day

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Denise P. - Jan 18, 2005 7:45 am (#1224 of 2956)

Brrr! We are seriously cold out this morning! We hit a low of 9°F (-12°C..almost -13°C) overnight, it was only 12°F when the kids went out to the bus stop. Last week, we were up near 70°F! We have tulips and daffodils up, getting ready to bloom as well as our Bradford Pear tree trying to bud out. Crazy weather!! My font color this morning is in honor of blue, the color I felt after standing at the bus stop this morning.

Julia. - Jan 18, 2005 8:08 am (#1225 of 2956)

BRRRRRRRR! It's 7 F outside right now, but with the windchill it's more like -11 F. I think I'm going to have to rock the 2 pairs of pants today.

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mollis - Jan 18, 2005 8:28 am (#1226 of 2956)

I would just like to give a heartfelt thankyou to all of you who were so kind as to finally take this stinking cold weather away from me for awhile! It will finally give me a chance to thaw out. It has been below freezing for about a week and we are finally supposed to break into the 40's (that's 4C for you metric folks) today!

To back the discussion up a bit, I had bangs my entire life and finally grew them out this past summer. It really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I do second the recommendation to still get regular trims. These minor shapings will really help blend the bangs into the rest of your hair. Layering the rest of your hair will also help out, if that is an option.

Okay, back to lurking so the dementors don't catch me!!!

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Gina R Snape - Jan 18, 2005 8:28 am (#1227 of 2956)

It's 12F outside here in NYC, but the wind chill factor makes it feel much worse!!! BBBBRRRRRRRR

I found this conversion chart if anyone is interested in seeing a side-by-side comparison of temperatures.

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kabloink! - Jan 18, 2005 8:35 am (#1228 of 2956)

Hmmmm now, at 10:33am, with the sun well up, it is 5F, with a windchill of -6F here in East Lansing, Michigan. Have I ever mentioned the MSU's campus, square footage/acreage/mileage wise is the largest in the country? I hate college...

EDIT: Huh, tomorrow the high is 31F...I wish Michigan weather would just make up its mind. I'm happy that it is warming up, as my old house is very drafty, but really now.

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From Venus - Jan 18, 2005 9:01 am (#1229 of 2956)

It's very cold here, too. The thermometer says 8°F. right now, it was 2° this morning when I went to pick up the grandkids. BRRRRRRRRRRR

I agree that celsius is confusing. But I guess it's all in what you're used to. I find inches and feet easier to understand than cetimeters, too, even though the metric system seems like it should be easier. This old dog has a hard time learning new tricks.

Still more movie quotes..."What we have here is... failure to communicate." Cool Hand Luke..."Are they magic grits?...Does the law of physics cease to apply in your kitchen?"..."Oh, yeah, like you blend." My Cousin Vinny..."Something tells me we're not in Kansas anymore."..."Run, Toto, run!" The Wizard of Oz

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Kerrie-Louise - Jan 18, 2005 9:29 am (#1230 of 2956)

Ok well for Cambridge at 4.28pm its dark and cold and whilst the rest of my lovely country seems to be enjoying freezing snow we just have sleet which is boring and wet! Don't know what the actual temperature is but likely not as cold as yours.

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Madame Librarian - Jan 18, 2005 9:33 am (#1231 of 2956)

I second the suggestion to get your son's vision tested. I've got just slight astigmatism (bumpy surface of the eyeball, I think) and it messes up your depth perception a little bit. It's subtle and might not be picked up by a teacher or the like since it doesn't affect reading things on the blackboard or in a book. Also, nerfs are fun!! Having been a little like that myself, I was always OK with soft balls and low, underhand pitches. They tend not to go up toward the head. Rewards (delight and praise) are never a bad idea.

It's 3 degrees Fahrenheit here in Chicagoland with a windchill of -13 or so. Do we have any one from Fargo or vicinity? They really get whomped with the cold.

Another "Wizard of Oz" movie quote I love (it's not in the book) is "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!" When I say something stupid and realize it a second too late, I'll use that as a sort of apology. Usually only in situations where it's my husband I'm speaking to.

Stay warm, everybody (unless you're Down Under--then, stay cool).

Ciao. Barb

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Elanor - Jan 18, 2005 9:52 am (#1232 of 2956)

Hi everybody! As for the weather, here in France it is very cold too. Yesterday morning, it was -8°C (17.6F) and my windscreen was frosting while I was driving to school, but the day was sunny. This morning, it was milder, about 4°C (39°F) but the wind was strong and very cold and there were icy showers. This afternoon, the weather became colder and snow felt in big flakes for some times.

The kids at school were weird all day long and went berserk when they saw the snow... But at least we understood why! Here, it is a common saying that kids can feel snow coming and become very excited before snow appears. I would bet my broom that it is the same all over the world, is it?

Another quote I love: "I have a bad feeling about this" (Star Wars).

Stay warm everybody!

EDIT: I almost forgot: thanks for the link Gina, I have always trouble with the Farenheit degrees and I will say as Marè did: if water freezes at 0°C, and boils at 100°C, that is some logic!

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Helen Potterfan - Jan 18, 2005 9:56 am (#1233 of 2956)

Well, in Queens right now it's 9 degrees F, with a wind chill of -11. According to Gina's reference page, that's -12.7 degrees C with a wind chill of -23.9. (It's just before 12 here)

Julia, I love your new avatar. Forgive me if everyone else on the thread already knows this, but are you the artist? I always love the pictures.

I've been working on a new avatar. I managed to capture and isolate the picture of JKR from her biography page. I have the images lined up and looped to make her blink, but I still need to get the file size small enough for the forum. Hopefully you'll see it soon! (slaps own hand for working on avatar instead of working on dissertation)

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Phoenix song - Jan 18, 2005 11:08 am (#1234 of 2956)

Does anybody know if the audio CD version of HBP will be released at the same time as the book? I had never bought the audio CD's before recently, but will be interested in purchasing them this time. My husband drives cross country and will want to "hear" the story ASAP. I'm hoping that somebody knows the general workings on the audio books and can help me out.

Have a good day everyone!
Barbie

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Ladybug220 - Jan 18, 2005 11:19 am (#1235 of 2956)

Barbie,

For OOP, the audio versions were released on the same day.

In Durham, NC, it is a balmy 27 F or -3 C, rather cooler than the heatwave of 70 F or 21.1 C that we had last week.

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Flame Alligator - Jan 18, 2005 11:59 am (#1236 of 2956)

Hi y'all! *my southern accent flaring up today*

Giant Squid Mike, I use the Will Smith quote ALL the time. hee hee

Catherine, Even though I have not adopted another cat..... still grieving. I do ask anyone with a dog or cat if they spay/neuter. If they say no, I start in with all the information. I just wish there was a national program. I am so grateful that you and others like you are on the front line. *big hug*

Phoenix Song, How about a head band or hair clamp (as I call them) to keep that hair under control till you get ponytail length? Just a thought.

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 18, 2005 12:26 pm (#1237 of 2956)

Um, I was not serious when I said Celsius is confusing. There is inherent logic to a system divisible by 10.

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Catherine - Jan 18, 2005 12:36 pm (#1238 of 2956)

Yeah, but the back and forth between the two systems catches me off guard at times. Lucky for me Mr. Catherine is a scientist, and he keeps me from being too "lost in translation" when I'm trying to convert between them.

I always have to show guests how to set the shower in the guest bathroom at our house. We have a thermostatic valve there that sets the precise temperature of your shower. Only problem is, that valve is done in Celsius, so I always have to remind them and give them a range to try so that they don't accidentally freeze or scald themselves.

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Prefect Marcus - Jan 18, 2005 12:56 pm (#1239 of 2956)

Catherine,

I have difficulty believing that such a wonderful device like your shower thermostat doesn't have a Fahrenheit mode, especially if it was meant to be sold in the U.S.A.. Perhaps a reading of the directions is in order?

Of course, if you like the Celsius mode, then there is no reason to change.

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Phoenix song - Jan 18, 2005 1:27 pm (#1240 of 2956)

Thanks for the information LadyBug. With any luck the HBP audios will be released the same day as well!

Barbie

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 18, 2005 1:52 pm (#1241 of 2956)

Perhaps a reading of the directions is in order?—Marcus

Now why in the world would anyone read the directions of any of their contraptions? That would defeat half the purpose. Chat & Greetings 2005 1003735042

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Steve Newton Jan 18, 2005 1:54 pm (#1242 of 2956)

Good answer Loopy.

Anybody can do it if they read the directions. It takes a special person to do it free style.

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Catherine - Jan 18, 2005 2:19 pm (#1243 of 2956)

Marcus,

I understand your skepticism, but it really doesn't have a Fahrenheit setting. Our other valves, made by a different company in the USA, are all Fahrenheit. The one in our guest shower happened to be made in Europe (long story, part of the renovation nightmare, and it was the best we could do to correct a backorder/shipping nightmare.) We were very surprised when this item came in, as when it was substituted, we were not told that the temperature display would be in Celsius. Live and learn.

Your advice to read the directions is a good one. I've been known to, erm, skip that once in a while. But at least I've learned Celsius body temperature so that I don't have to hear anguished shrieks from my guests!

EDIT: Cross-posted with Loopy! **waves** Looks like the English majors might skip the directions every once in a while!

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Penny Lane. - Jan 18, 2005 3:13 pm (#1244 of 2956)

Do people really need a thermostat on their shower? I tend to change the temperature in the shower anyway. There is no perfect setting for me - I tend to get in, slowly turn it up until I'm nice and toasty.. and when it starts to get chilly, it goes up some more - then at the end, I turn it to ice cold on just my hair so it makes it nice and shiny.

I've only recently been able to not read the directions every time I buy a new applience. I think it's my inner Hermione or something, but I tend to read the instruction booklet 3-4 times before I use anything. When I recieved my toaster oven for christmas, I skipped the instructions, and i still don't feel right about it. Also, this christmas is the first time I've been able to throw away the instruction booklets. I think the fact that if I DO need them, I'll be able to find them online is part of me giving up my filing system for instruction books.

Oh, a funny thing happened to me today. I was sitting in my American Legal System class waiting for the instructor, when a student sitting next to me asked about the reading. I told him it was on the syllabus and he said he couldn't find his, so I passed mine over. He then proceeded to make rude comments about me taking an "organizational class", based on the fact that my syllabus was easily accessible, and encased in a plastic sheet protector so it would fit nicely in my binder. I never thought that was unusual before. Anyway, so this rude person who thinks it isn't cool to be prepared for class was called on to recite a brief, and the only way he got through it was because I whispered it to him out of the corner of my mouth. Now who's laughing about organization and doing homework on time? :-)

Weather wise - it's freezing here in Ypsilanti/Ann arbor Michigan. Last night i think it was 11 degrees F, with a windchill of -3 Faranheit. I dont' know what that is in C, because I don't feel like doing math right now. Anyway, it's cold, and it's making me cranky. I normally don't mind the cold when it's right around the freezing margin, but once it hits those teen numbers? Arrrgh!

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Julia. - Jan 18, 2005 3:18 pm (#1245 of 2956)

Woo-Hoo, heat wave!!! The temperature went from 7F to 8F (somewhere around -15C) and with the wind chill it's gone up from -11 to -6 (somewhere below -17.8 C). Yeah, I'm too lazy to actually do the math.

Accio HBP, I'm glad you like the new Avatar. It's by the same artist as my last one, which is not me. It's by the Brilliant and extreemly talented Lisa Rourke

Cross posted with Penny. Evil other person Penny!! He was in absolutly no position to critizice your orginizational skills. Although I'm wondering why you whispered the brief out of the corner of your mouth.

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Doris Crockford - Jan 18, 2005 3:48 pm (#1246 of 2956)

Catherine: It's cold, here, too. It's below 40 degrees during the day. **ducks the dungbombs from people who live in truly frigid weather**

Sorry to jump back awhile in the posts, but I thought that you said 40 degrees below (meaning Celcius), but then realized what you meant. I had to laugh because today, it was about 40 degrees below zero Celcius where I live, with the windchill.

Penny, that was really rude of the guy sitting next to you. I'm very organized too, but no one's ever said anything to me. I agree with Julia- you shouldn't have told him what to say- he should have just gotten into trouble for being unprepared.

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Prefect Marcus - Jan 18, 2005 4:54 pm (#1247 of 2956)

Actually -40C = -40F. It is the only temperature that they agree upon.

(Geek Attack!)

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Ydnam96 - Jan 18, 2005 5:14 pm (#1248 of 2956)

I'm much more a fan of the Celcius way of doing things. It does seem to make much more sense to me. But, since I live in the States I don't get much of a choice.

Today in LA it's a beautiful, albeit, smoggy 75ish degrees. I'm wearing flipflops. Yay. I hate wearing shoes.

For those of you with cats: is it normal for a cat to have a small section of his gum sort of protrude (like a small flat lump) on the bottom jaw just below the long teeth that hang from the top jaw? At first I thought my cat had a small growth (like cancerous), but I've noticed that it's on both sides. I've tried looking it up online, but can't find anything. I've not noticed them before and they sort of scare me.

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Ladybug220 - Jan 18, 2005 6:41 pm (#1249 of 2956)
Edited by Jan 18, 2005 5:41 pm

Ydnam - yes it is normal or at least I think it is as one of my cats has a similar protrudence (is that a word?). one of my friend's cats has it too.

Well, the countdown is on - 13 days until I move into my apartment! Woohoo!

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Eponine - Jan 18, 2005 8:21 pm (#1250 of 2956)

So, my cousin who I said I would sub for? She's due February 14, but guess what...she's having the baby NOW! Well, not right this minute, but the doctors say it's coming within a day or two. It's quite lovely for her, but I'm not ready!! AAAHHHH!!!!! Sorry, I try not to use so many exclamation points, but I really need to scream right now. I've been trying to send telepathic messages to the baby to STAY IN!! I wasn't planning on teaching for at least a couple of weeks. Her very very detailed plans don't start until then.

American Idol started tonight. It's the only reality show that I watch, plus there was a rumor that a guy from my high school was making it to Hollywood. I saw him on the clip of people running out and screaming because they made it, so apparently the rumor is true.

Anyway, I'm off to curl up and rock back and forth hoping this is false labor. I hope everyone else is having a better day than I am.

Oh, but good news, Mr. Eponine got a job today. Yay!

Lady Arabella Mon Jan 05, 2015 8:11 pm

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Ladybug220 - Jan 18, 2005 8:34 pm (#1251 of 2956)

Congrats for your hubby Eponine! And for your sake, I hope that baby decides to wait at least a week.

Oh, I also changed my book reservation to the Southpoint Mall for the HBP. One of my friends will be there too.

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Julia. - Jan 18, 2005 9:24 pm (#1252 of 2956)

Congrats on Hubby's new job Eponine! Good luck with your subbing for your cousin, I know it's a bit of short notice, but I'm sure you'll do just fine!

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Ydnam96 - Jan 18, 2005 9:59 pm (#1253 of 2956)

Thanks Ladybug! That makes me feel a little bit better. I get so worried about him sometimes!

Congrats Mr. Eponine on the job! I know how tense it can be waiting to find one.

Off to watch American Idol, these are my favorite episodes.

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Mrs. Sirius - Jan 18, 2005 10:55 pm (#1254 of 2956)

Julia, thanks for the pictures. Nice apartment Gina. There is just something so special about New York City apartments!

Congratulations to Mr. Ep, new jobs are such great opportunities to meet new people. And on that baby, I send the vibes from my son. He was 11 days late when he fnally decided to make his appearance. He he has been late to everything ever since too!

Penny, I kind of suspected you might the neat orderly type. Me, I'm a regular hurricane.

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The giant squid - Jan 19, 2005 3:03 am (#1255 of 2956)

Ydnam96, thanks for speaking up for those of us in warmer climes...I was beginning to think I was all alone out here. Mind you, it's only in the mid-60's (Fahrenheit) here, but that still beats the living heck out of -40! Been there, done that, got the parka.

Penny Lane, I'm with you on reading instruction manuals, though in my case it's more of a defense tactic. At some point the thing (whatever it may be) will stop working correctly and the wife will turn to me and say, "Fix it." For the sake of domestic bliss, I read the manual. Well, that and I'm a hopeless technogeek wannabe, but that's totally beside the point.

Eponine, congrats on your hubby's new gig. Don't worry about the teaching job--as long as everyone's aware that she just wasn't supposed to have the baby *now*, you should be able to slide by...

--Mike

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Fawkes Forever - Jan 19, 2005 4:08 am (#1256 of 2956)

Hey Guys,
Eponine Congrats to your hubby & good luck subbing for your cousin!

Penny... 'fraid I fall into the Slytherin camp here on the ... 'I wouldn't have told that guy the answer either', but you're obviously a better person than I

As for having your schedule/syllabus in a plastic cover in your folder... I used to do that as well so I wouldn't lose it. I was also know to redraw my school timetable & colour code it according to lesson, after which I sellotaped it to the inside of the front cover of my lever-arch file (folder). I also did the same for my exam timetables (even at university where I stuck it to the wall of my bedroom). Now how's that for a Hermione moment! I'm not all that organised honest, infact my desk at work is what I like to call organised chaos, but I guess I'm just a geek at heart (apologies in advance if I've scared any of you with this information *insert cheeky grin here*)

All this talk of Fahrenheit versus Celsius, reminds me of something that is happening here in Ireland at the moment... Miles Per Hour versus Kilometers per Hour. A few years back, we changed our road signs to display distance in kilometers, however all our speed signs remainded in MPH.

To bring Ireland into line with the majority of Europe, as of tomorrow all our speed signs change to KmPH. As you can understand.. this has caused a bit of a panic here, as not only are they going to display the speed limits in KmPH but they are also redefining the actual speed limits... e.g. changing 40mph zones to 50Kmph (which is less than 40mph) so people are concerned about being pulled over by the police for speeding, & nobody wants any points on their licence.

Most cars have dual speedometers... however, most are like mine, where the MPH is the dominant display & KmPH is tiny tiny writing... (which is very difficult to read whilst driving) & that goes up in muliples of 20, so for example I have 40, then 60, so I have to guess where the 50kmph is on the dial! I've just been converting the new speed zone to their equivalent in mph, so I can keep an eye on my speed. To add to the confusion, Northern Ireland still displays distance & speed in miles... & I'm a frequent visiter... so I'm going to be one confused bunny for a few weeks / months. However, I'm sure we'll all be used to it very soon (like when they introduced the Euro a few years back) & laughing at ourselves....

(Yorkshire Accent) "I remember when round here were nought but miles" (Silly parody on a quote from an advert from a few years back)

Talking of quotes.... I have a weird brain for remembering movie quotes & will spout them off at random. I also do the same for some TV shows like Friends.. & even the Fresh Prince The TV show I quote the most is Father Ted. Not sure if those outside the British Isles will know what I'm talking about, (it might have been shown on BBCAmerica however). It's a sit-com about 3 priests who live on a bleak Island off the western coast of Ireland, along with their tea obessed housekeeper. Honest... it's a lot funnier than it sounds...

Right I'll stop rabbiting on (guess who hasn't been here in a few days) TTFN

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boop - Jan 19, 2005 4:49 am (#1257 of 2956)

Congrats to Mr Eponine new job. I know you will do fine teaching.

Have a great day!!! We are going to get snow today again.

~~Waves to Fawkers and Mike~~

Hugs Always

Boop

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kabloink! - Jan 19, 2005 5:07 am (#1258 of 2956)

Wow. I am impressed and jealous of all of those of you who can be so organized. I try so hard, I have a Franklin Covey Planner and everything, but still, I'm a lost cause. Instead of trying to keep track of all of my syllabi, I simply copy all of my assignments into my planner at the beginning of the semester. Ok have to drive Mr Kabloink to a meeting. Talk to y'all later!

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septentrion - Jan 19, 2005 5:25 am (#1259 of 2956)

Elanor, I haven't the same weather than you : no snow but rain, rain and rain yesterday, and around 7/8°C (don't know how much in Fahrenheit, around 40/50 I guess). There's some sun today but I only guess it through the window.

Congrats Eponine for your husband's new job. You must be really relieved !

about confusion between different units, people here are confused about money : in 1962, the value of the Franc was changed, 100 Francs (ancient franc) became worth 1 franc (new franc). In 2002 we got the euro (=6,55957 francs, easy to convert... Chat & Greetings 2005 1242194059

). So now you have a lot of people, even if they were born in the 70's, who convert from euro to "new francs", then to "ancient franc". People are due to be good with mental calculation !

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Marè- Jan 19, 2005 5:41 am (#1260 of 2956)

I'm more and more tempted to throw in some temperatures in Kelvin, just to be scientifically correct!

I gave up on the guilders and euro's recalculating thing. The shops changed all of their prices so much, it isn't comparable anyway. So as for money values, I became completely clueless when the euro was introduced.
When I'm in Brittain though, I still calculate from pounds to euro's to guilders, but I most likely lose some numbers during the calculations.

Fawkes I'm in awe, I think it's a great idea to have one measuring system in a certain region (in this case Europe) But that must be hard! To recalculate your money is a lot less trouble than recalculating your speed, while driving...
I hope the police cuts everybody some slack the first time... Allthough it'll probably take a long time getting used to.
Anyway: welcome to the official "road signs in metric" part of the world!

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Pinky - Jan 19, 2005 5:42 am (#1261 of 2956)

Fawkes, you'll get used to looking at the tiny numbers on your speedometer. Our car is a Canadian one, so the kilometers are the dominant dial, and miles are the little tiny numbers. We are now living in the US, so we have to look at the tiny numbers while driving. You do get used to it after a while. As for them changing the actual speed at the same time... that's not nice!

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Marè- Jan 19, 2005 6:54 am (#1262 of 2956)

But cheaper, changing from miles to km's won't give nice numbers. So they would probably need to change to the regularly used speedlimits at some point. If you first change anything to "miles" speedlimits just converted to kilometers and then after a while to nice rounded kilometer speed limits, you would need twice the amount of traffic signs and manpower to change it...

So it's kind of understandable.

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mollis - Jan 19, 2005 7:14 am (#1263 of 2956)

Fawkes - I remember Father Ted! When I spent a semester in Galway, my roommates and I would watch it. A most amusing, if not outright bizarre, show. Gave me great insight into Irish society!

On the unit conversions, being a scientist, I am all for a conversion to metric. Metric units just make so much more sense. No more of this 2 cups in a pint...2 pints in a quart...2 quarts in a gallon...

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Fawkes Forever - Jan 19, 2005 7:22 am (#1264 of 2956)

-- waving to Betty .... Yooohooo --

Mare you're right... it's more than likely a cost effective measure... something the Government is very keen on here. One good thing (for the speed demons among us), is that they have rounded up the speed limit on the motorways (freeway/autobahn) to 120kmph (about 74mph instead of 70).

I never knew that the speed was displayed in km in Canada Pinky... well they do say you learn something new every day

I'm sure I'll get used to it... just havin' a little grumble ... hee hee! I do hope the Guards (the Police in Ireland) go easy on us for the first little while.. even though they have promised there will be 'no exceptions'... hmm, perhaps they have a touch of Umbridge-itis

About the currency conversions, when I first moved to the Republic of Ireland, I had no problems converting from Irish Pounds to Sterling. I grew up in a border town... so I pretty much lived with a dual currency all my life. However when the Euro came in, I found myself converting from Euro to Irish pounds to Sterling. Talk about a head-ache in the January sales We had the same problem with prices getting rounded up too... so the Government had to take action (not too much action mind you ) Thankfully I only convert Euro to Sterling nowadays, as the Irish Pound (punt) has gone the way of the Dodo!

Now my only grumble is that 3 years on... I still hate the teeny tiny 1 cent coins (they're about 75mm in diameter) & the fact that I still get my 10, 20 & sometimes 50 cent coins mixed up (too used to the irish & sterling coins, when these where all different shapes & colours) Least I don't confuse the 10, 20 & 50 notes Chat & Greetings 2005 2752390508

Anyhoo... grumble over...

EDIT : Mollis... you've seen Father Ted *squeals in delight* However, I'm not too sure how good a reflection it might portray of Irish society... *giggle* ahh well.. least it's funny.. bizare & surreal definately.. but funny. On another note, I love Galway University & very nearly went there for my degree. It's a lovely city

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Marè- Jan 19, 2005 8:02 am (#1265 of 2956)

Now my only grumble is that 3 years on... I still hate the teeny tiny 1 cent coins (they're about 75mm in diameter) & the fact that I still get my 10, 20 & sometimes 50 cent coins mixed up (too used to the irish & sterling coins, when these where all different shapes & colours) Least I don't confuse the 10, 20 & 50 notes Chat & Greetings 2005 2752390508

Same here! We got rid of the 1 and 2 cents in the, what was it? 60's? with the guilders and now they are all back! And the five bank note too! They just changed that to a coin (better durability than a note).
However I hear Finland allready managed to throw out all the 1 and 2 cents cents, and in the Netherlands they started rounding up and down to 5 in most shops as well. So no more wallets full of red junk!
And I still get all the yellow ones mixed up as well. Couldn't they have found a way to make one of them pink or something? At least that would have been less confusing!

My most grumbling about the euro was that it was ugly! Our former banknotes were happy and colourful instead of this boring brownish set that we have now. But I guess if you have so many countries joining in, you have to find something that everybody can live with Smile

I still think the Irish coins have some of the most beautiful designs though!

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From Venus - Jan 19, 2005 8:30 am (#1266 of 2956)

Just a quick comment on organization...I am very disorganized and I am very jealous of people who are neat and organized. Being messy and disorganized makes life difficult and stressful. My usual first reaction to an organized person is to tease and ridicule them (in jest, of course.) This is a defensive reflex, I think, since I would really like to be just as organized and neat as they are. But alas (earwax), I'm 52 years old, and since I've been this way my whole life, I think I'm pretty much doomed to remain this way.

So, all you organized people, you just go on and keep putting your syllabi in plastic covers and color-coding your exam schedules. And remember that those who ridicule and deride you for this are acting out of jealousy; they really wish they were just like you!

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Ydnam96 - Jan 19, 2005 8:35 am (#1267 of 2956)

From Venus, just start really slowly. I tend to think that the reason people try to get organized but end up giving up is cause they try to start to big. We try to organize our entire lives which can just be overwhelming. Just pick one thing and then once you've mastered that move on to something else. Like, organize your silverware or junk drawer. Then when you are comfortable with keeping that up then move on to something larger, like your desk top. (which, in itself might not be so hard, but it might require you to clean out drawers in your desk...but take your time).

I didn't used to be organized, but now I am. Smile

Although I do slip from time to time. I have one desk in my house that I just throw stuff on in piles then every few months I go through the piles and put everything into the right files in my filing cabinet.

I should go shower and get dressed I've got a class today on Microsoft Excell. *this program has always confused me so it's a good thing I'm taking it*

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From Venus - Jan 19, 2005 8:46 am (#1268 of 2956)

Thanks for the tips, Ydnam96, I have tried organizing little things, but it all falls to pieces all the time. I'm really quite hopeless. It drives my husband crazy, because he is a very tidy and organized person. But we've managed to stay together for over 30 years in spite of this, so I don't think it's a danger to our marriage...

I had to laugh when you mentioned organizing my desk top. It looks very much like JKR's desk on her website. When I have her desk picture on my computer monitor, it's hard to tell where her desk stops and mine starts. It's just a continuation of the same thing. HP charts, coffee cup rings, and all.

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mollis - Jan 19, 2005 9:13 am (#1269 of 2956)

Fawkes ~ I absolutely adore Galway! I had such a wonderful time there. We walked everywhere and loved it (which coming from an american where you drive to pick up your mail at the end of the block is saying something)! So many beautiful shops and, of course, pubs! And I was surprised to find such yummy food. I admit I had heard horror stories of the Irish food (very bland with no spice or seasoning at all). In fact, over 6 years later, I still crave McDonoughs' fish and chips with garlic sauce! Melt-in-your-mouth delicious! I can't wait to get back there. Maybe in another year or two.

On the organizational note, "My name is mollis, and I am an organizational freak." Can't help it. I get cranky when things are a mess. Everything has a place and I like things to be in their place. Not to say that I keep a spotless home or anything. My kitchen is quite often loaded with dirty dishes. But when they get cleaned up and put away, they all have a home to which they belong. I find that I am much more efficient at work when my desk is organized as well. A cluttered desk = a cluttered mind. (IMHO, anyway)

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Elanor - Jan 19, 2005 10:11 am (#1270 of 2956)

Well, I'm a rather organized person, in my own way... Dear old Petunia would certainly not approve of my organization but when I need something, I know where to search and I even find it, so I guess that's not that bad!

If you could see my desk today, you would see French reading and maths manuals for 7 years olds mixed with my PS English copy, an English-French dictionary, "Alchemy explained by its language", the printed fahrenheit/Celsius conversion chart found thanks to Gina, a cup of tea and some chocolate... And my HP desk calendar of course!

Fawkes, I truly sympathize! It must not be easy every day... BTW, I wanted to ask you something. A friend of mine who went to Ireland recently brought me a lovely "Mind me angel" from there, with a charming Irish blessing. I was curious about it, is it an Irish tradition or just something made for tourists?

About Euro, I agree about the small coins, they're a nuisance! Now that the coins from all Europe are mixed a lot, I love to look where they come from, some are very pretty.

Septentrion, I'm happy the weather was better in the North of France. I hope it is mild in Brittany as well, Marè! Here, it was cold and grey all day long but at least the snow the forecast said would fall didn't, phew! I live in the plains but very close to the Massif Central so when there is snow there, it is likely that we have some of it too.

Have a great day everyone!

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John Bumbledore - Jan 19, 2005 10:21 am (#1271 of 2956)

Temperature?

From F to C first subtract 32 then divide in half. From C to F first double the (positive) temp then add 32. Those are just a ball park conversions.

Now about that table... 80 F (26.7 C) labeled as "Minimum recommended habitat temperature" well that must be for a hot-blooded person! Oh, for a cold blooded lizard, actually (if I had read the heading of the webpage.)

Degrees Fahrenheit
(°F)

Degrees
Celsius
(°C)

Notes
212 100.0 Water boils
100 37.8
90 32.2
85 29.4 Temperature needed to properly digest food
80 26.7 Minimum recommended habitat temperature
70 21.1 Average room temperature
60 15.6
50 10.0
40 4.4
32 0.0 Water freezes
20 -6.7
10 -12.2
0 -17.8

Now back to the ball park.. well here is will be snowball park... Now snowing in RTP (ah, that is Research Triangle Park, North Carolina) http://www.wral.com/weather/index.html

Fawkes said, "Father Ted, Honest... it's a lot funnier than it sounds... I was thinking that I have always heard that about British humor... Dr. Who, Monty Python, Benny Hill, (that department store situation comedy, what ever it is called...) I love them all but can only see them on PBS (public broadcast system) here. We Americans can be so under nourished on European cultural artifacts.

sorry, cut this short. checking weather & for official closings...

<)B^D= (John) Bumbledore

Did I mention it is snowing here! Chat & Greetings 2005 2488346073

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Ladybug220 - Jan 19, 2005 11:02 am (#1272 of 2956)

It's snowing!!! Well, John beat me to the announcement but it looks really pretty here in NC. Catherine - if you don't have it already, the snow is on its way to you!

Sirius Lee - Jan 19, 2005 11:09 am (#1273 of 2956)

I've only seen snippets of Father Ted on public broadcasting, and I must admit I wasn't impressed. However, I'm positively addicted to Coupling and AbFab so British humor is certainly not lost on me!

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kabloink! - Jan 19, 2005 11:31 am (#1274 of 2956)

They have been slowly working on introducing colored money here in the US. The newest batch of $20 bills are a brighter green, with a bit of blue, I believe, and our new $50's are pink. They have the flag on them, so I think it's supposed to be red, but mixed with the pale green base color, it looks pink. I will not repeat what my dad had to say about them!

They tried to introduce coins for $1 with the Sacagewea coin when I was in high school. Having grown up so close to Canada, it was no big deal for me, I was quite used to Loonie, and now Twonies, but I guess people really didn't like them, because they aren't being pushed too hard anymore. You get them as change from post office stamp machines though. I know that the Susan B Anthony $1 coins are always annoying because they are sooo close in size to the quarter and the same color. The Sacagewea coins were bigger and gold, though, so much more distinguishable. I suppose that we are doomed to paper singles forever here in the US. Oh well.

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Catherine - Jan 19, 2005 11:37 am (#1275 of 2956)

Ack! Thanks for the tips, Bumbledore and Ladybug. Our local paper mentioned we might flurry. Our local weather prediction is notoriously sketchy. The last time they predicted "flurries," we got 3 inches of snow and ice the day after Christmas.

Now I will have to go to the grocery store and battle for the last loaf of bread! It's a Southern thing. You hear just a rumor of snow, and next thing you know, everyone's in a tither buying food that they don't really need.

Off to stock up on our favorite staples, just in case....Stay warm, everyone!

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Denise P. - Jan 19, 2005 11:46 am (#1276 of 2956)

You forgot to mention the failed $2 bill that came out in 1976. I actually have 2 in my wallet.

Wanna hear a stupid story? I was shopping and after digging through my purse, the only dollar I had was a Susan B. one (the mail machines give these as change). I handed it over and the clerk looked at it, puzzled and then called her manager over. The manager looked at it and gave it back to her. "Yes?" The clerk, in a clearly audible stage whisper, said "Can I accept this?" The manager gave me an apologetic look and a disgusted one was aimed at the clerk. "Of course you can, it is American money!" Boy, I could have fun if I handed over one of my $2 bills! (Which are still legal tender)

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Eponine - Jan 19, 2005 12:02 pm (#1277 of 2956)

It's snowing here too. We just have a light covering on the ground, but it sure is pretty. People definitely go crazy in the south when there's even the slight possibility of snow. Unfortunately, we ran out of milk and bread yesterday, so we'll have to go to the store and hope that they're not out yet.

Well, no baby yet. So, I guess I'm just going to have to wait and see what happens.

The Biography Channel aired the "Harry Potter and Me" special this morning. It was an interesting look at JKR's life, and she talked a bit about the books. She showed the folder that contains the final chapter of book 7, and she actually called it an epilogue.

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a good day today.

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Catherine - Jan 19, 2005 1:39 pm (#1278 of 2956)

Well, I need to thank my NC friends for the snow warning.

The forecast definitely changed since this morning. It started to snow right after I last posted, and I ran to the grocery store before doing carpool. Sure enough, two or three snowflakes fall, and the driver of an ECU bus hits a parent's car right in front of the school, which caused a huge bottleneck. No injuries, just major inconvenience. Also, everyone felt the need to drive slowly by the wreck, staring. That's a major peeve of mine.

Eponine is right when she says that people around here go crazy when it snows. It happens so seldom that no one from around here knows how to drive in snow. Mr. Catherine, having grown up in the North, has my complete confidence, but I still hate for him to drive in the ice or snow here because it's the other drivers I'm worried about.

Well, if we get snowed in, I can catch up on today's posts. I'm behind today because I had meetings all morning, including Book Club, in which the majority of attendees did not read the novel, again. We read Middlesex, which won a Pulitzer, and was a great read, but I guess some of those members will just have to miss out on it. It's just not as fun to talk about a book if only two or three people in a large group have read it.

I'm smiling right now watching my dogs outside. Daisy is zooming around in huge figure eights , while Phoebe is just sitting there looking up at the weird white cold stuff coming down. What cute dogs! **waves to Kim, who does not think that shih-tzus are cute**

See you all around.

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John Bumbledore - Jan 19, 2005 1:44 pm (#1279 of 2956)

I too have been commissioned to "Stop and get some bread on the way home!"

School (Wake County Public) is closed now (one and a half hours early because of weather.) I only see a dusting outside at work. Go figure.

Well, I will keep safe on the drive home. Let me see, judging from common practice that means I should travel above the posted limit, while talking on my cell phone, and I need to get old bald tires on my car.. Yes, that is what I often see "other drivers" doing even in bad weather.

<)B^D= (John) Bumbledore

P. S. Have a look at traffic in my area of the world . . . http://bellsouthpwp.net/j/s/jstev007/camera.htm some of the cameras are not available at this time. Means that I have to fix my webpage links.

P. P. S. Now I am leaving for home. Looks to be a long parking lot. I will probably not be back to the forum until tomorrow. Have a good day/night/moring/afternoon in your part of the world.

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librarian314 - Jan 19, 2005 2:04 pm (#1280 of 2956)

Hey all!

Well, Washington, D.C. is blanketed in a lovely white. I'm really glad they let us federal employees out early (for the Presidential inauguration tomorrow). No work tomorrow, either, woohoo!!!

Traffic wasn't too bad from my metro station to home. I'm avoiding the grocery store because of all the loonies that swarm during the snow. (The t.v. stations are the worst. Maybe if they stopped going to the grocery stores, people wouldn't freak out so. ;-) ) That tendency was exercised when I lived in the frozen tundra (a.k.a. Rochester, N.Y.) when my husband was in grad school. I did learn to drive in the snow there; that and from my grandmother who learned to drive in the snow in Asheville, N.C. I still hear her voice in my head cautioning me whenever I drive in really bad snow. :-)

Hope everyone in the snow makes it home safely! Y'all take care!

**michelle the librarian**

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Julia. - Jan 19, 2005 2:47 pm (#1281 of 2956)

It's snowing here too. It started about two hours ago, and I don't think it's going to be stopping any time soon. I too tend to avoid the super market when it's supposed to snow. My dad always insists that you should always have mile, bread and eggs in the house when it snows. We usually have them, but if we're running low we'll get a few days before it's supposed to start snowing.

I've now gone to all of my classes. They all look like they're going to be fun. My Shakespeare professor was very excited because a lot of people taking my class, Shakespeare 2, took Shakespeare 1 with her next semester. We had a right little party going on when she came in, and she really didn't put too much of a stop to it. We had a lovely chat after class, so I'm looking forward to her class.

Well, off to check the threads and thank G-d that I only have to go outside to eat.

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 19, 2005 3:02 pm (#1282 of 2956)

Also, everyone felt the need to drive slowly by the wreck, staring. That's a major peeve of mine.—Catherine

Well, if you drive by too fast you don't get to see anything good. Razz

D.C. was rather caught unawares by about an inch or two here as well. Everyone is crazy when it snows here which is ridiculous. Only a true disaster would close the 7-11's so therefore, food, milk and bread are really only within walking distance. Of course, the shelves may be bare after everyone has done their snow-panic shopping spree. It's funny but to me, it is actually rather annoying. Back home, I have been truly snowed in before without power. My dad was recovering from back surgery, so I had to trudge out to the barn (yes, we had a barn) in a foot or two of snow to get wood for our wood stove on which we cooked for a couple of days. Luckily, it was only a couple of days. In this area, people apparently need to stock up on supplies for the one or two dark and scary hours in which they might have to suffer without cable.

Helen Potterfan - Jan 19, 2005 3:05 pm (#1283 of 2956)

Eponine, congrats to you and your husband for his job! My husband has been out of a job twice in the three and a half years we've lived in NYC, so I know how difficult and frightening it can be.

Catherine, I'm originally from NC, so I know exactly what you mean about the stores selling out of bread and milk. When I tell my friends here what it's like, they don't believe me! I hope you were able to get your bread.

I don't have a movie quote for you today, but I did see a movie last night that I would highly recommend. I went to see Hotel Rwanda last night and it was very well done. I don't know if it's getting a national release or if it's only in select cities, but if it's in your area, you should try to go see it. If you're in NYC, it's playing at the Loews 19th at 19th and Broadway and the Loews Lincoln Square. It tells the story of a hotel manager who takes in and saves almost 3000 refugees during the genocidal civil war. It was hard to watch at times, but it is a very powerful story that was well made. It's based on a true story.

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Denise P. - Jan 19, 2005 3:08 pm (#1284 of 2956)

It is not just NC that freaks with a bit of snow. Our local news actually has Bread and Milk reports when we are forecast with snow. "Bob, I am at the Madison Street Kroger. There has been a rush and it is getting worse so if you are planning on getting some bread and milk, you may want to get here soon. We spoke to the manager of the 41A Kroger who assured us that they still have plenty." The people act like the stores are going to close down until spring thaw.

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Eponine - Jan 19, 2005 3:52 pm (#1285 of 2956)

Chattanooga was nuts about snow too. If there was even a hint of flurries, schools would close and the city would almost shut down. When I was in college, classes would rarely get cancelled because about 90% of the students lived on campus, but I never went, because it was "just too dangerous to drive". That was always excused.

Last winter, my husband and I were at the grocery store when snow had been forecast. There was an older lady in front of us in line buying a ton of lightbulbs. The cashier said something about it, and the lady said she didn't want to get caught off guard like the winter before (horrible ice storm, no power for days) so she was going to be ready with light bulbs. The cashier asked her if she didn't want to get batteries instead, and the lady said no, she wanted light bulbs and she would not dissuaded from it. We sincerely hoped she didn't lose power.

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The giant squid - Jan 19, 2005 5:05 pm (#1286 of 2956)

The TV show I quote the most is Father Ted. Not sure if those outside the British Isles will know what I'm talking about, (it might have been shown on BBCAmerica however).

It has been shown on BBCAmerica--at least, it's listed on their website. I actually haven't seen Father Ted, but ran across it while looking for info on My Hero, also starring Ardal O'Hanlon. My wife & I caught an episode on our local PBS station and now have to make sure we're in front of the TV every Saturday at 10PM. We're desperately looking for copies of the show on tape/DVD, but when I clicked on the "merchandise" tab for My Hero it sent me to the Father Ted merch page. I guess buying my own Thermoman helmet is out of the question...

As for the Celsius/Fahrenheit conversion, Bumbledore was pretty close--from F to C, subtract 32 and divide by 1.8; for C to F go in reverse order. Also, if you want to go from Miles to Kilometers multiply by 1.61 (km to miles multiply by .621). A little tough to do while driving, I admit... Just remember that 55mph=90kmph. Most speedometers are oriented nowdays so that that speed is at the top--if you're going 55/90 your speedometer needle will be straight up & down. Unless of course you have a digital readout, in which case I've got nothing...

Finally, in the interest of bringing things together, I have a movie quote that refers to my organizational skills: "All of my filth is in alphabetical order; for instance, this was under 'H' for 'toy'."

--Mike
waves back at boop, even if I wasn't the Mike she was waving at

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Madame Librarian - Jan 19, 2005 5:16 pm (#1287 of 2956)

Back to the money and MPH v. KmPH discussion. (BTW--it snowed lightly here in Chicago last night and more is due tonight. Shoveling the sidewalk is such good upper arm exercise. Yeah.)

Anyhow, having just visited the marvelous land Down Under, I found it amusing that their road signs, etc. are in KmPH, but the money is dollars. The dollars don't look anything like US dollars. They are more colorful and have shiny bits (holograms?) on them. The coins cracked me up, though. The smaller the coin, the higher the value. There is no paper single dollar or two dollar, just gold coins, one a bit larger than the other. My husband was impressed with the gimungous 50 cent piece. It's about 2 inches across and heavy! He kept saying how Australian men must have holes in their trouser pockets from lugging around such huge coins.

When we were planning this trip last summer, I got a huge kick out of the fact that when I checked the hotel rates, then hit "convert" to get the rate in US dollars, the price went down! It made a very expensive trip seem less so. Now, planning out trip to Italy to visit our son Jordan is not so nice. Alas, earwas...the price goes up. A lot. Oi.

You might get the impression that we are gallivanters who take trips all over the place at the drop of a hat, but that would be wrong. I am really bad at traveling, hate to fly (need valium), I don't get excited about planning the trip, have a dreadful time making packing decisions. Once I'm there (wherever there is) I love it, but before--it's terrible. No, this year we have the two major trips simply because our best friends' son was getting married in Melbourne, and you don't fly all the way across the globe just for two days for a wedding; and the trip to Italy is because our son's there doing a junior year abroad thing and we miss him and need to see him (...and while we're there, we'll enjoy a bit of Florence, Venice, Sicily and other locales in bella Italia). The irony is that because of the Australia trip, we have to wait to see Jordan until the first two weeks of April. His original plan was to travel on his own after his school year is over at the end of April and not come home till June or mid-July, but he's broke and will be coming home May 5. So, we'll see the kid and then two and half weeks later, he'll be home. Oh well, we're not going to kick him out and say, "we just saw you!"

Sorry for the long ramble.

Ciao. Barb

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Catherine - Jan 19, 2005 5:26 pm (#1288 of 2956)

Mike,

Your conversions made my brain hurt. It's like my husband, all over again. He, who has no idea about teaspoons and tablespoons (which, BTW, is awful considering that over-the-counter- kiddie medicine is in those units here in the U.S.), thinks in liters, kilograms, and kilometers) will constantly express frustration that I have no idea how gallons and liters correlate.

He was doing homework with Claire, and was doing fine until they were doing tablespoon into cup measurements. He had absolutely no clue. Claire got annoyed with him, got up, and asked me, and I knew the answer.

Finally, Mommy rules on math homework! :cheer: Take notes, because it will probably never happen again!

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Ladybug220 - Jan 19, 2005 5:27 pm (#1289 of 2956)

Barb, when you go to Sicily - you need to go to Taormina. It is absolutely beautiful and there are some great places to shop. Well, all of italy is a great place to shop really. The Aeolian Islands are beautiful too and there is a great hotel right on the water. If you need more ideas, send me an email. My brother and his family lived there for 3 years and I went to visit twice.

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Madame Librarian - Jan 19, 2005 6:06 pm (#1290 of 2956)

Thanks, ladybug. Right now we're not sure how many days we'll be there, but we're aiming for the long-ish weekend between our two weeks so Jordan can join us. I'll e-mail you soon.

Ciao. Barb

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Ydnam96 - Jan 19, 2005 6:45 pm (#1291 of 2956)

Well, it's something like 85 here in LA. I'm just in shock. I've lived on the east coast most of my life and I'm just not used to this warm weather. I'm not complaining though. I'm most recently from Northern Virginia and I have heard it's been down right cold and snowy there lately. Edit: haha, my cat sat on the key board while I was typing and somehow my post got posted before I was done Smile

But they do the same thing there when there is a threat of just a little bit of snow or ice. They stock up like they will be stuck in their houses for a month with no power. They cancel all school and everything. It's stupid. I lived in Ohio and it snows there all the time and nothing ever closes.

Anyway.

I finally pre-ordered my HBP today. The closest bookstore is in Covina which involves getting on the 10 freeway, which is quite a pain, so I haven't been down there lately. But I had to go for work, so while I was there I had my name put on the list! They aren't sure they will be open at midnight though! AAAAAAAAA They better be I don't think I will be able to wait till the morning.

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Julia. - Jan 19, 2005 6:53 pm (#1292 of 2956)

Lol Catherine. In my house we were always on our own with math homework. My parents were history and government majors. You can see why I was so close to my calculus teacher in high school.

My Shakespeare teacher gave me a permission number to get into her class. However, she asked me not to use it until there's an open spot. So I've been compulsively checking the system to see if someone's dropped.

I've finally bought all my books for the semester. I spent $420, not including the $80 Shakespeare book I already have. Chat & Greetings 2005 793915934

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Mrs. Sirius - Jan 19, 2005 10:16 pm (#1293 of 2956)

No, no Mollis, it's "an organized desk is a sign of a sick mind". (he he he). I'm one who breaks out in hives when someone says "let's organize these files" or "can you organize this project". I get short of breath and hyperventilate. Although I honestly do start most projects trying to be organized, somehow I don't get there. I make list, piles, notes, it just doesn't work. (Having 4 kids who are a total of 2 years apart in age and my mother's antiques definitely doesn't help)

Ouch Julia, $400+ for one semesters books?!

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dizzy lizzy - Jan 20, 2005 12:06 am (#1294 of 2956)

Hi all. After 9 days off air and 320 posts to read on this thread alone, I have finally reached the end of this one. The other threads can wait until I've caught up with the "car-lag".

I went to a cousins wedding at the other end of the state. I live in north-western New South Wales (NSW) and the Weddding was on the border between NSW and Victoria (Diaoma Dumbldore's home state!). So in 9 days I managed to drive 2,800km (2800*0.621=1,738miles?? did I get that right??) all on my own except for 300km driven by the brother. I am not doing that again...I'll fly next time despite the exorbitant cost.

The wedding was brilliant, but they forgot to supply the nondrinkers with something to drink! They had two old-fashioned bathtubs full of beer bottles, and approximately 6 litres of apple juice and rain water for the "dry" guests. As I don't drink, it made life a little difficult getting refreshments after a salty entree.

I may be a little late, but I am one who just cannot get her head around any of JRR Tolkien and (*ducks*) Jane Austen.

I find it fascinating you guys are getting all this hot and cold and hot and cold weather. It has been mildish here since early December and It finally went above 35deg cel. today. I also have a lovely cold change and a thunderstorm on its way so I'll leave you all and bring the frightened hound puppies inside to shiver with fear at the thunder!!!

Cheers and many grins to everyone have a wonderful Thursday wherever you are.

Lizzy

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Caput Draconis - Jan 20, 2005 2:48 am (#1295 of 2956)

Hey Barb, that is the best description of Aussie money ever. It used to be made of paper y'know, now it's the shiny plasticy colourful stuff you're familiar with. We used to have a two dollar note too...it was green, I think...now we have that little tiny coin. I only just figured out that the 50c has 12 sides. Very exciting.

Wow, snow huh? I just spent 10 days at the beach in 90+ weather. *grins and waves at everyone* Penny, that guy in your class sounds like a complete tool. People are dumb.

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Julia. - Jan 20, 2005 8:08 am (#1296 of 2956)

Don't talk to me about beaches Caput! I'm not even going to begin to talk about how unfair it is that you're on the beach and I'm in 15 degree weather wearing two pairs of pants.

Glad to have you back Lizzy! Good luck on catching up on the rest of the threads.

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From Venus - Jan 20, 2005 8:32 am (#1297 of 2956)

Good Thursday morning, all. I'd like to add to the "southern US winter practices" conversation. My husband and I lived in Chicago for most of our lives, and so coming to southern Indiana was a real eye-opener for us. It's a whole 'nother world down here when it comes to winter and snow. (I know, I know, southern Indiana is not that far south, but it's far enough to make a difference.)The phenomenon of everyone running to the store for milk, bread, and eggs totally flipped us out. It's funny, because most people even make fun of themselves for it, but it's done anyways. A friend of ours commented, on the last snowfall that we had, that he went to get milk and bread, and then realized that he doesn't normally ever even have milk in the house. He spent the next few days trying to figure out how to use it all up before it spoiled.

I think that because snow moving equipment is not a top priority on the lists of southern counties' highway department must-haves, even a few inches of snow can cause havoc. The people here have little control over this, but at least they can be "prepared" by having food in the house. It might sound silly to people from up north, who don't think anything about 5 or 6 or more inches of snow, but when the hilly, curvy county roads get snowy and icy, they can be downright dangerous, and some are even impassable. All the county workers will spread on icy roads is cinders, because salt would ruin farm land, and so everyone stays home, where it is safe. And they drink lots of milk. Maybe, subconsciously, they are feeling the need to take in extra calcium, to protect those bones against fracturing when falling on the ice!

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Ydnam96 - Jan 20, 2005 8:38 am (#1298 of 2956)

I'm so sad, I have to be at work today and the Inaguration is on tv and I'll miss it Sad

Politics aside, cause we shouldn't talk about them, it's a historical event. Pesky work!!!!)

My brother went to college in Canada and I would visit him almost every year. I thought it was so cool that they had the Loonies and Toonies. It's nice to have coins; much easier to carry around in my opinion. Although, it did initially take me a while to get used to telling them apart.

Guess I should go get ready for work. To all of you in the cooooold areas- dress warm. Especially all those college students who have to walk around in the cold all day long.

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Catherine - Jan 20, 2005 8:41 am (#1299 of 2956)

Whew! I'm back from carpool. We had a two hour delay today, which was ridiculous. The roads were clear this morning, at least in our area, although we are a large county, and I realize that the backroads might have had a problem.

From Venus, it is funny how people act about the snow. For me, we are having multiple days of possible bad weather, and I had to make sure I have everything to celebrate Hayley's 5th birthday in case we get snowed in, especially if her grandparents get stuck here. Merlin help us if my dad has to eat a sandwich on wheat bread, or has to eat creamy peanut butter versus extra-crunchy. Sometimes I think he's pickier than the kids! Also, we can go through a gallon of milk in no time flat.

Speaking of my parents, my house is a total wreck after the long weekend last week and the tracked in snow from outside. Alas, earwax, I must become a House Elf. My mom can spot dust at 50 paces, so I should get busy.

See you all around, and stay warm!

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mollis - Jan 20, 2005 9:31 am (#1300 of 2956)

Here is the heartland (central USA) we also to the "stocking up" before the 1/4 in of snow. But here it is not just the milk and bread, but heaven help you if you are trying to get stuff to make chili. Shelves are barren with no beans or tomatoes in sight! Apparently it is a universal good idea to make chili every time it snows. No I try to always keep the cupboards stocked to prevent the last-minute dash for canned goods.

But as for weather, it is a balmy 50 degrees (10C) here today with the sun shining! Might have to eat my lunch outside today! (You know its funny, if this were summer, I'd be complaining how cold it was today and bundling up. Weird!)

Lady Arabella Mon Jan 05, 2015 8:13 pm

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Sirius Lee - Jan 20, 2005 10:26 am (#1301 of 2956)

Chili. Now there's something I can understand stocking up for. Should you get snowed in, at least you'd have a substantial meal to keep you going. What are you going to do with milk, eggs and bread? French Toast?

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Eponine - Jan 20, 2005 11:04 am (#1302 of 2956)

You could make toast and scrambled eggs, but you're right. I don't know why people always stock up on those particular things.

It's supposed to snow here again tonight or this weekend, but I doubt we're going to get snowed in. The pond in my in-laws’ development has a thin layer of ice across it. This is the first time I've actually seen water iced over. In Chattanooga, the Tennessee River never iced over. I suppose it's because the water is constantly moving.

I hope everyone is having a great day!

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Helen Potterfan - Jan 20, 2005 11:51 am (#1303 of 2956)

To those of you in the RDU area of NC, I just saw pictures of your snow storm on the weather channel! I lived in RDU (Raleigh-Durham) when I was in undergrad, so I know what just a little snow can do! My freshman year of college was 95-96, and the "blizzard of '96" trapped me off campus for almost a week! Now that I'm in NYC, snow isn't as fun because you don't get snow days from work or school. I did call off my college classes once because of a snow storm. I had some students who were having problems getting in because buses and ferries weren't running, so I decided to give us all a snow day. Another snowstorm is forecast for this weekend in the northeast. Maybe I'll go to Central Park to play in the snow and pretend like I'm at home in NC!

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kabloink! - Jan 20, 2005 1:07 pm (#1304 of 2956)

Wow, my mind is boggled by all this panic over a few inches of snow! We got 4 inches here yesterday, and the roads actually ended up quite icy, but schools were NOT closed. When I was in high school, on the other side on Michigan (most eastern point, actually) we had a HUGE snowstorm. we got about 2 feet of snow overnight, and two days later, my school district was the only one in Southeastern Michigan that opened. So, I do not get too concerned about snowfall unless we are expecting at least a foot. I was shocked when I was watching the presidential inauguration this morning and they said the DC was essentially paralyzed by an inch of snow overnight! I guess if I had grown up where I was born (in Florida) I would totally understand, but its hard for this tried and true Michigander to worry about less than a foot of snow.

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Julia. - Jan 20, 2005 2:09 pm (#1305 of 2956)

I just got off the phone with Mommy who called to ask if I had snow boots. Of course I don't have snow boots, I hate them and they bother my feet, and I do just fine in my sneakers. Then my Mommy informed me that we're expecting a foot of snow this weekend. I'm suddenly wishing I had my snow boots with me.

I'm with you Kim. I'm not from Michigan, but we get quite a bit of snow in Connecticut. Over 6 inches here is cause for canceling school, 4 inches is enough to make traveling difficult. Anything below that is nothing to worry about. Florida I can see being paralized by an inch of snow. DC should be used to more than that.

Grrr, still no luck getting into the Shakespeare class. *goes off to check Peoplesoft again*

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Madame Librarian - Jan 20, 2005 3:06 pm (#1306 of 2956)

It's snowing here (again) in Chicagoland with a bigger storm predicted for Friday afternoon and Saturday. The weekend storms are great for schoolkids who then get to go sledding (or get roped into shoveling for you). Even though we are no stranger to winter here in the Midwest, the news media still make a big deal now about it. It's just a somehwat self-serving ploy to make us all think that weathermen are really, really important. Sorry if there are any weathermen/women out there. They've taken to running alarm crawlers across the TV now when it's just a storm watch, or whatever the least level of possibility is. Sheesh, you'd think folks who lived back in the mid-20th century all perished in some surprise 2-inch snowfall because they didn't know 24 hours in advance that it might snow. Do you think poor, dear Sibyll might be suitable for a weather reporter's position?

People do tend to overreact and rush to the store even if they know better. It's not that the stores will run out of things, I think. It's more that even a few inches of snow can create havoc with a grocery store parking lot and who wants to deal with that? Folks around here are generally good drivers (after all, it's not Boston or LA--uh, oh sorry again), but they go all wonky if it's snowing a teensy bit or even raining a little.

I get a kick out of the ones who rush to the library to stock up on good books to get them through a long weekend of bad weather. Heaven forbid you don't have a good read handy if you're holed up at home. Those are the people a librarian loves to serve. (Yep, I often suggest a bad-weather weekend as a great time to delve into HP.)

Ciao. Barb

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Catherine - Jan 20, 2005 3:14 pm (#1307 of 2956)

Great advice, Barb, about using a snowy indoor weekend to get acquainted with Harry Potter.

I can't imagine any worse torture than finishing a book, getting hooked, and being unable to go buy/check-out more HP books due to inclement weather.

We're supposed to have more snow tonight, and I am worried that school will be cancelled tomorrow. Trying to finish cleaning this house with two kids and two dogs underfoot is NOT something I anticipate with delight.

Another reason I really hope it does not snow is that the Humane Society and the County Animal Shelter are having a big dog adoption weekend at Petsmart. I'm worried that if we get all of the snow we are forecast, then the adoption event will be cancelled, or have a poor turnout. There's this one dog who was seized in a cruelty case who is adoptable, but his time at the County Shelter is up. For some reason, people around here don't adopt black dogs at the rate they do other dogs. As someone who grew up with black Labrador Retrievers, this makes no sense to me.

So wish us luck, and hope for NO SNOW! **apologies to the kiddies for this!**

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Kowalla - Jan 20, 2005 3:17 pm (#1308 of 2956)

Hehehe. This is all very entertaining reading about people's worries about getting snowed in. YOu should see the way everyone here acts! If the weather channel even mentions snow in the near forcast, I know I'm in for a busy day at work. It seems like everyone rushes to Wal Mart to stock up "just in case." Usually, we end up almost running out of bread, eggs, & milk. Then people also clean out our kitty litter & de-icer. Of course, they also swarm in whenever it rains. Very odd.

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Accio Sirius - Jan 20, 2005 5:04 pm (#1309 of 2956)
Edited by Jan 20, 2005 4:06 pm

Catherine, I have my fingers crossed for you! Poor dogggie. I want to adopt him! I love labs no matter what color! Alas, Mr. Sirius is allergic, but has agreed to getting the service dog that my son qualifies for when he turns five. My husband picked out our cat from the shelter because I couldn't pick just one. It was like Sophie's Choice or something. I would literally take everyone I could carry as well as any that would follow! Good luck!

I get amused and annoyed at how quickly the "newscasters" start broadcasting from THE STORM DESK. Because it isn't just snow, it's the sky falling. But I have to admit, I had to bag two appointments yesterday because we started out and it was really slippery and we weren't going to make it in time. I was happy to go home and make my daughter the traditional first snow coffee cake. A pinch of fresh snow in the batter makes all of the difference! I don't know how this tradition started, but my daughter insists on it now and I have to say, when it is cold and the windows are all foggy, the smell of that yummy cake makes you feel really warm and cozy!

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Catherine - Jan 20, 2005 5:24 pm (#1310 of 2956)

Mmmm....Accio Sirius...Coffee cake.....mmm...

It sounds delish.

Of course, with your name, you would have a soft spot for a huge, black dog?

I do, too. He's not a lab mix, alas earwax. He's Husky and (maybe lab) and something else. He's HUGE, and really FURRY.

Perhaps I should get them to change his name from Sam to Sirius? He was unfairly targeted for incarceration and death. That's a definite idea, and I may call the director about that tonight, as it's all about marketing and publicity right now. He is a real sweetie, despite the abuse and neglect, and he is one of the few that are truly adoptable from that case.

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Helen Potterfan - Jan 20, 2005 6:13 pm (#1311 of 2956)

Good luck getting into your Shakespeare class Julia! My dissertation workshop begins the first week of February and I haven't written anything in January. I really have to get back in gear. Embarrassed Maybe getting snowed in this weekend is a good thing!

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librarian314 - Jan 20, 2005 7:07 pm (#1312 of 2956)

Hey all!

Whichever newscaster was saying DC was paralyzed due to the snow was wrong. :-P The only schools to shut down for the entire day were Baltimore and Calvert Counties in MD; the rest opened a couple of hours late.

Downtown DC was shut down due to the inauguration, not the weather. Federal employees had the day off, which meant that I and my hubby had some time to ourselves without our darling daughter (she had to go to school)! Woohoo!

It takes a little more than the two or so inches we got to shut the Metro DC area down. Our snow season isn't really that long, only about six weeks, from Jan. to mid Feb. (We do get snow before and after, but it's rare. I don't remember the last time there was a white Xmas here.) There isn't the need for the heavy duty snow equipment like in Rochester, NY where flurries start the end of Sept. and the first blizzard can arrive with Halloween. We'd freak if we had a Halloween blizzard in DC!

Our snow storms often dump less than 8 inches and it often melts of its own accord within a few days. It might be nasty for a day or two but then it's gone. It's cheaper to let the schools have the day off, than it is to pay for the equipment and crews to clear the roads.

Y'all take care!

**michelle the librarian**

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Prefect Marcus - Jan 20, 2005 7:16 pm (#1313 of 2956)

It is fascinating to read all the weather reports on this thread. Here in Seattle we are having record breaking warm temperatures.

I would kill for one lousy inch of snow. :'(

Julia. - Jan 20, 2005 7:22 pm (#1314 of 2956)

Marcus, I will gladly send you some of the FOOT we're supposed to be getting this weekend.

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Wand Maker - Jan 20, 2005 7:29 pm (#1315 of 2956)

Here in the Triangle of North Carolina, the inch of snow we got yesterday caused amazingly long delays for many people getting home. Children had to sleep over in their schools if parents couldn't get there to pick them up.

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Eponine - Jan 20, 2005 7:38 pm (#1316 of 2956)

Yep, in Raleigh, there were quite a lot of difficulties from two inches of snow. We got a light dusting, and that was it. Although, it's supposed to snow again soon. We drove to RDU today to pick someone up, and we didn't see any snow on the ground. There was a little in the airport parking lot, but that was it.

Okay, I have a question for the parents of young girls. Is it strange for 8-9 year old girls to be wearing high heels? We saw a little girl at the airport today in heels I would have trouble keeping my balance in. I was just curious if this was unusual as I don't have that much exposure to girls that age.

Well, I hope everyone is having a great day!

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Catherine - Jan 20, 2005 8:04 pm (#1317 of 2956)

Okay, I have a question for the parents of young girls. Is it strange for 8-9 year old girls to be wearing high heels? We saw a little girl at the airport today in heels I would have trouble keeping my balance in.—Eponine

Yep. That's strange. To my way of thinking, it's also icky. Of course, my daughter loves her dress-up clothes; some items are plastic high heels with rhinestones and feathers. Not to mention her favorite Christmas dress-up item of, and I quote the package, "purple glimmer glamour boots." It goes so well with her new purple velvet cape with the pinky feather trim.

In all serious, though, I have often imagined a "get real" or "common sense" bullet to shoot into the parents of such children. I really do wonder what they are thinking. Or NOT thinking....

EDIT: Yes, Denise, I know it's a peeve of yours, and of mine as well. It's going to be really hard for me with Hayley, who's in the 99th percentile in height, so she's going to be sized out of the cutesy little girl clothes very soon, much to my dismay. Her feet are nearly as big as her sister's, and Claire is 4 1/2 years older! The "heel" problem approaches.....

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Denise P. - Jan 20, 2005 8:08 pm (#1318 of 2956)

Yes, it is unusual in some ways but not in others, to see a younger girl in heels. I personally feel that a young girl has no business in heels but take a gander through the shoe department sometime. Look at the shoes designed to be worn by 7-8 year olds, the dressy ones have heels. I have to hunt to find Kaity shoes that are flat or have a heel less than 1" on it.

Walk through the clothes department for the same age girls and be prepared to be aghast and horrified at what someone thinks is acceptable for them to wear.

Can you tell this is a major peeve of mine??

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Eponine - Jan 20, 2005 8:53 pm (#1319 of 2956)

These weren't shoes meant for little girls. They were probably 3-4 inch heels. My husband and I decided that if she was still carrying around two stuffed animals, she was probably too young to be wearing heels that high. At least I don't think they were meant for little girls.

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Denise P. - Jan 20, 2005 8:59 pm (#1320 of 2956)

I can easily find 3-4" heels for my 7 year old, if I was inclined to let her wear stuff like that.

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Eponine - Jan 20, 2005 9:06 pm (#1321 of 2956)

I hardly ever wear heels that high. They make my toes go numb. I agree that children should dress like children. Thankfully, I won't have to worry about that for a very long time.

Oh, no baby yet, but most likely within the next day she will arrive. I'll probably start at the school on Monday. I was really looking forward to having a couple of weeks to prepare for this, but alas, it was not meant to be.

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Gina R Snape - Jan 20, 2005 9:25 pm (#1322 of 2956)

Chili. Now there's something I can understand stocking up for. Should you get snowed in, at least you'd have a substantial meal to keep you going. What are you going to do with milk, eggs and bread? French Toast?

Here, here! I'm laughing at all the 'bread and milk' panic talk because, frankly, I don't drink milk and I seldom eat bread. So those items would be the LAST thing I'd think to 'stock up' on in a storm.

I'm not looking forward to the possibility of a foot of snow this weekend. But I am thinking of going out and buying new winter boots. So at least I have the perfect excuse!

Oh, and thanks for the compliment Mrs. Sirius. I do have the prototypical NYC apartment the size of most people's bedrooms. But I make the most of it.

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Helen Potterfan - Jan 20, 2005 10:01 pm (#1323 of 2956)

OK, so after all this talk about it, I had to make chili for dinner tonight. It was quite good! Good luck with your teaching Eponine!

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John Bumbledore - Jan 21, 2005 12:10 am (#1324 of 2956)

North Carolina, Snow.

Wednesday, my shift ended and I left work at 3:30 PM local time, but I didn't get home until 12:30 AM. Seems every person in the county had to get out on the roads at the same time. I think it would have made great footage for a disaster movie where the interstates are shown as parking lots. Then to find out that the county government refused the state governor’s offer to open emergency shelters.. By 8:00 PM, I would have gladly have pulled off the road for a couple hours rest at a shelter. It was just a 40-mile drive (64 Km) but cars were lined up in all available lanes. So if you put one car every 12 feet of a single lane 40 mile long you have 17,600 cars. I am guessing there must have been over 100,000 cars driving (and sliding) about that night. Thursday travel was fine but schools were closed and most businesses were on a 2 hour delay. They are forecasting more mixed rain/snow Thursday over night and ending by Friday morning.

Thursday, Mrs. Bumbledore and I had to wake early and drive our 5 year old to his scheduled ear surgery (tubes for drainage). He is fine and hearing much better. We are tired. This is his third set of tubes for his eardrums, since they work their way out over time. We hope that he will soon grow out of the need for these.

I like French toast, but it has to be with real maple syrup. I also like chili for cold weather food. Soup and hot chocolate are also cold weather staples.

I grew up in Pennsylvania, the northwest corner (second in snow fall to Buffalo, NY--at least in my memory of things.) so I can say that the major part of winter "troubles" in the southern united states are simple economics (like From Venus said about the snow removal equipment being few and far between) and self induced panic. I have no trouble driving on two inches (5 cm) of snow (often packed, melted and refrozen into ice) with out getting close to getting dings or dents. Just go slow and use neutral if your breaks make you slide. Pennsylvania winter of 1978 was a memorable year for me and snow. Something like 48 inches (122 cm) of snow over three days with winds causing 6 foot (1.8 m)deep drifts of snow. School was close for over a week and to clear the roads the state had to bring in special equipment (snow blowers and bucket front high-lift tractors). To me that is was being snowed-in really is like. Snow was so deep in one area back behind the barn (yes Loopy, my parents had a barn - three barns for the farm, really), well, we tunneled in the snow. Heck, they were large enough to be called snow caves! We had five in all, the two largest were 20 ft (6m) long and both 3 ft (91 cm) wide and high. Those two were joined to form an "H" shaped tunnel formation. In the middle of the cross passage, we dug up through the ceiling and the snow was more than 5 ft 10 inches (1.77 m) deep at that point.

Well, thank you all for letting me retell of a fond childhood memory. And, to my fellow Tar Heals (meaning state of residence, not school affiliation), I hope we get some nice deep, damp snow again soon. 2000 was a good year but I was to busy to help my children build anything in the 23 inches (58 cm) of snow that fell in the area that one weekend. Alas, if I had remembered the tunnel/caves and had the time off from work.. I believe I would have built an igloo (likely would have been the first or only one in recent history for the state capital..)

<)B^D= (John) Bumbledore

P. S. Come to think of it, I brought my family to this state in 1999 and there has been an unusual amount of snow (practically) each winter since then. Anyone think the winter weather has followed me here?

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Ydnam96 - Jan 21, 2005 12:34 am (#1325 of 2956)

Oh Bumbledore! That drive home must have been painful. I mean that literally. I can't believe that. It's crazy. I hope you get a chance soon to relax a bit.

You know when I was a child I had tubes in my ears. I just remember that it meant I had to go to the Dr. less than I had before. So in that way it was a great thing. I also remember trying to take the tubes in to show and tell after they were finally removed, but I lost them (I mean, come on don't give a 5 year old two tiny little pieces of plastic, even if they are taped together, cause you are just asking for her to loose them). I was so sad I lost them Sad

I do hope that the tubes are worth the effort for your family (I know they were for me).

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Tomoé - Jan 21, 2005 1:01 am (#1326 of 2956)

Bumbledore -> I like French toast, but it has to be with real maple syrup.

LOL, I was thinking the same thing, what's the point to cook French toast if you don't have maple sirop?

Congratuation to Mr Eponine for is new job! (It so silly, I can't imagine him without the mid-19th century clothes)

Elanor -> Here, it is a common saying that kids can feel snow coming and become very excited before snow appears. I would bet my broom that it is the same all over the world, is it?

We say the same here, I heard it's because the atmospheric pressure is lower, go figure.

As for weather report, it's curently -16.60°F/-27°C here, I have no idea how it does with wildchill.

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The giant squid - Jan 21, 2005 3:11 am (#1327 of 2956)

Mike, Your conversions made my brain hurt.—Catherine

Sorry about that. If it helps, I often give myself a headache when I do that. Just another of the semi-useless things that get stuck in my brain. (I say semi-useless because there's not much need for km-mph conversions in Las Vegas.)

Speaking of Vegas, I think Marcus & I are in the middle of the same weather system. They're predicting higher than normal temps for the weekend (around 70F/21C) and only a bit lower for the following week. Naturally, I'll be spending the time recuperating from some minor surgery (no, Marie, I haven't told Mom yet...I figure I'll have plenty of time while I'm lying in bed to call her ). With my luck by the time I'm up & around again it'll start raining.

--Mike

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Catherine - Jan 21, 2005 5:52 am (#1328 of 2956)

Good luck with your surgery, Mike. I hope you'll be swimming in no time.

Bumbledore, I feel your pain. How awful for you to sit in that traffic. The day after Christmas, we were trying to drive to Richmond and got caught in the snow and ice. A trip that normally takes 3 hours took nearly 8. This was with both kids and both dogs in the car. We seriously reevaluated our stance on TVs in the car after THAT trip. Also, hope your child's ear tubes do well.

Well, goody for us, no snow delays. Looks like tomorrow's precipitation will be rain, so I can stop worrying about the adoption event this weekend. The kids were sad that we didn't get as much snow as forecast, but I was doing a happy dance! **still dancing and waves to Lupin is Lupin **

Happy Friday to all.

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Julia. - Jan 21, 2005 7:26 am (#1329 of 2956)

Oh John, you poor thing! Did you at least have something to do besides stare at the road? I must say I'm jealous of your snow fort building skills. When I was a kid the coolest thing we ever built was a snowman, and that was with the help of the mailman.

Good luck with the surgery Mike. Hope you'll feel better soon, and when you do, it'll start raining. That's what you get for not telling your mum!

Still no luck getting into the Shakespeare course. Well, I'm off to class. TTFN!

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 21, 2005 7:38 am (#1330 of 2956)

I'm glad to hear about the rain Catherine if, for no other reason, than the adoption weekend. I really hope someone adopts Sirius Sam.

Well, here in the DC Metro area, it is a waiting game. I agree with Michelle the Librarian several, several posts back. One or two inches does not shut down D.C., but it does create some small frenzies. We were caught unawares a couple days ago and I saw a few cars in ditches and the like. I really don't know what to expect here. Yesterday's Post forecast "snow" for today . Not a % chance of snow, but "snow." Now it appears that a fast moving storm will start snowing on me (remember, it's all about "me") around 7:00 a.m. tomorrow . Whatever. I've actually come to enjoy the snow again a little bit again. If this is like our last "big" storm, I'll probably venture out in me Jeep and go to IHOP. They don't seem to close regardless of the snow.

I never understood the milk, bread, eggs "snow trinity" either. I suppose you could make sandwiches. But, if you have no ekeltricity because of the storm, what to do with eggs? It makes more sense to me to stock up on chips, salsa, and firewhisky, but that's just me.

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VeronikaG - Jan 21, 2005 7:40 am (#1331 of 2956)

Good luck in hospital Mike. I hope your mom won't scream too much at you when she discovers you had surgery and didn't tell.

Is it true that if you go swimming with ear drain, water will flow into your brain and kill you? I was told this, but it came from a woman who once tried to sell our house with us still living in it, so I'm not sure how correct that is. Sounds drastic.

I was stuck in traffic for an hour and a half two days ago. A truck had slipped and driven into the ditch to avoid hitting cars. It was pretty smashed, good thing the gutsy driver made it out OK. When the bus I was on finally was allowed to go, we saw that there was a line of about 200 trucks and busses in the other lane, waiting to pass. The small cars were allowed through, but the big ones had to wait. At the worst the line was supposedly 5 miles long or something.

I think our exchange students must have had an overwhelming desire to see snow once in their lives that has been granted, because it has been snowing these last days. Even if the weather experts said that southern Norway was as good as rid of snow forever. Hmm...

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Accio Sirius - Jan 21, 2005 7:56 am (#1332 of 2956)

I'm in the DC area too. How many of us are there around here?

Loopy Lupin, I'm with you on the chips and salsa. I stopped by the store this morning because we actually needed milk and ended up with all kinds of guilty snacks: BBQ potato chips, Starbucks coffee in bottles; Valentine M&Ms--you know the essentials. The hubbie is going to Hartford, CT, this weekend and if I am going to be stuck at home in the snow with two kids, then I'm going to need the caffeine and chocolate. **goes off to rationalize my purchases some more**

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Gina R Snape - Jan 21, 2005 7:56 am (#1333 of 2956)

T-t-t-t-t-ten degrees in New York City. Brrrrrrr.

Good luck with your surgery, Mike.

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Steve Newton Jan 21, 2005 8:28 am (#1334 of 2956)

I lived in the DC area for 17 years. The wintertime motto seemed to be "It's never too early to abandon your car."

The big rush at the 7-11s was for bread, milk, and toilet paper.

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Julia. - Jan 21, 2005 10:09 am (#1335 of 2956)

Accio Sirius, your hubby is going to be in Hartford? He should come visit me in Storrs, where it is currently 9 degrees, although it feels like -2.

YAY!!! I got into the Shakespeare class! *does happy dance*

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From Venus - Jan 21, 2005 10:30 am (#1336 of 2956)

Happy Friday, everyone! It's sunny, cold and windy here today. Nice day. The temp is about 20°F which isn't too bad on a sunny day, but the wind really cuts right through everything you're wearing. A good day for dressing in "layers".

You know, you hit on one of MY pet peeves, which is, the clothes that little girls are wearing nowadays. They are smaller versions of the clothes that teens are wearing, and some are too immodest even for the teens. I think the little girls are being rushed into becoming older. Their clothes are not good for playing in. Their shoes are not good for running and skipping in. And some of these parents should have their heads examined, including my daughter-in-law. I have a whole drawerful of jeans and tee-shirts and socks and gym shoes and sweatshirts, for playing and being comfortable in. When the kids arrive, the first thing I do is give them a change of clothes. Ain't I bad?

Well, speaking of the kids, they have only a half-day of school today, so I better go ready myself for the onslaught. Have a great day and weekend, everyone!

EDIT: Congratulations, Julia, just noticed about your Shakespeare class. Hope you have fun!

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 21, 2005 10:32 am (#1337 of 2956)

Even if the weather experts said that southern Norway was as good as rid of snow forever. Hmm... – VeronikaG

What expert said that?

Well, I have blue skies at the moment, so I suppose there will be no snow today. I'll see what tomorrow brings.

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Acceber - Jan 21, 2005 2:32 pm (#1338 of 2956)

Folks around here are generally good drivers (after all, it's not Boston or LA--uh, oh sorry again)-Madame Librarian. So you're saying I'm going to be a bad driver when I get my license? Chat & Greetings 2005 1003735042

Just to add to the weather conversation: While walking home from school today (play practice ended early and I didn't feel like borrowing someone else's cell phone), I felt like my ears were going to fall off. I didn't plan on walking home, so I didn't wear a fleece headband or scarf to school. When I got home, the thermometer read 20F (-6.7C thanks to Gina's conversion chart). I don't have frostbite, fortunately.

Not much to report on here. It's cold. My nose is stuffed up. The quarter ends next Friday and I'm really stressed out. We have *counts on fingers* Social Studies independent study due Tuesday, English writing portfolio due Tuesday, math quiz Monday, science quiz Tuesday, and a Chinese quiz Monday. Does anyone know how to memorize the placement of the countries in South America?

The sky outside is a light blue with a bit of purple. Perfect way to end a week.

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The giant squid - Jan 21, 2005 3:12 pm (#1339 of 2956)

Well, I'm back from the doctor, and (obviously) survived the trip. Thanks for your well wishes. I'm off to take some nice pills & prop myself up on the couch.

--Mike

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Pinky - Jan 21, 2005 3:24 pm (#1340 of 2956)

Acceber, not that it sounds like a lot of fun, but get an outline map of South America and run off a lot of photocopies and write them over and over and over. You may be able to come up with snazzy "hooks" like Chile is the southernmost country (it hooks right around the bottom) and it certainly is "chilly" down there near Antarctica. Corny, I know... Also, just found this: http://www.yourchildlearns.com/south_america_map.htm It's an empty map of South America, but the country name will pop up when you run your mouse over it. That might be another way you can practice.

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Steve Newton Jan 21, 2005 5:01 pm (#1341 of 2956)

" I'm off to take some nice pills & prop myself up on the couch."

Sounds like my college years.

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Helen Potterfan - Jan 21, 2005 5:12 pm (#1342 of 2956)

Well, NYC officially has a BLIZZARD warning for tomorrow, so I'm sending my husband to the store on the way home, even though the store is only half of a block from my apartment! As much as we've talked about southern states going crazy, I laughed when I saw the local news at a grocery store asking people what they were shopping for! lol. I'm definitely doing comfort food this weekend: chicken and dumplings, chili, stew. I couldn't sleep last night because I felt guilty about not doing work on my dissertation. I gave up at 5 and got up to work. After I started the computer and checked JKR's site and the forum, I managed to write a couple of pages, then I was able to fall asleep without feeling guilty!

Mike, good luck with your surgery, and Catherine, best wishes on the adoption! Acceber, good luck with your homework. Wear a hat next time!!

Have a great weekend everyone!

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dizzy lizzy - Jan 21, 2005 5:12 pm (#1343 of 2956)

Acceber, when I was in an Asian Studies class in High School long long ago (20 years or so) our teacher gave us a map of Asia (including South Asia and from Japan in the east and over to the west right over to Turkey) blank each week.

The person who got the most countries filled in correct over a period of a school term (approx 10-13 weeks back then), got a reward of some sort. Sometimes it was a chocolate, sometimes it was first choice at an appropriate meal. We never knew what the prize was, but it did motivate us.

To this day, I can still get most of them right and learnt the nifty art of remembering things using a picture.

This is the formal version of what Pinky suggests and yes it does work.

Lizzy

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Catherine - Jan 21, 2005 5:24 pm (#1344 of 2956)

Steve, I'm so sorry.

I had no idea you were so ill during your younger years. Hope you feel better now. Chat & Greetings 2005 464751818

That goes for Squid Mike, and I hope your tentacles are up for typing soon. P.S. --as a woman, I am compelled to tell you--CALL YOUR MOM. They always know, and/or they have reliable snitches to tell them stuff.

I'm gearing up for tomorrow. My Mom can't (due to snow in VA) come visit for Hayley's birthday, but our own snow reprieve means that our adoption schedule goes forward. **Crosses fingers for big black dogs everywhere**

Have a great weekend, everyone.

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Amilia Smith - Jan 21, 2005 5:25 pm (#1345 of 2956)

Weather report from Utah: clear, sunny and mild. I'm not sure of the exact temperature, as I rarely bother to watch the news (I know, I know) and I am listening to HP in the car, not the radio. Suffice it to say that it is light jacket weather, not heavy parka weather. I feel quite guilty reading about all of you in freezing blizzards.

Veronika: Is it true that if you go swimming with ear drain water will flow into your brain and kill you? Well, I remember when I was a kid, my cousins had tubes in their ears, and they were never allowed to go swimming with the rest of us. However, I have no idea if the consequences of swimming would be quite that drastic.

Well, today was my boss's last day. As of tomorrow, I am Boss. Scary thought.

Mills.

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Peskipinski - Jan 21, 2005 7:06 pm (#1346 of 2956)

New boss? Congratulations! And I love how you capitilize it when you're using it for yourself, but not for your old boss. LOL

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Madame Librarian - Jan 21, 2005 8:14 pm (#1347 of 2956)

Big snowstorm predicted for Chicago area, tapering off on Saturday night, but not along the lake. Sigh. It's called "lake effect" snow and can be extremely thick, wet and relentless. Evanston is definitely one of the 'burbs that's considered near the lake. Fortunately this is happening over a weekend which makes things easier for most people. Aaah, how sweet, someone to share the shoveling with.

The grocery store was crazy today, but I was noticing what other people had in their carts (is this an invasion of privacy, or just plain nosey?). Not an inordinate amount of milk, bread and eggs, but lots of salsa, chips, brats, slaw, beer, etc. Oh, I get it...maybe they're munchy loading for a big football weekend. Ah ha! The playoffs!

There are so many things to gripe about in winter, but one I find particularly annoying and yucky is how absolutely filthy my car gets. It's almost totally coated with this, this, this--aaack--godawful glop made of slush, mud, road salt and who knows what. Trying to get the door open to get in gets you all mucked up with the stuff and every winter coat or jacket is filthy in a short while. And, I've not even mentioned the whole issue of visibilty. The car windows are practically opaque with a layer of dirt, and after a certain point even the windshield solution doesn't help (or, you usually run out on the coldest day of the winter). Forget seeing anything out of the side window. I just rely on the car knowing the way home like a reliable old horse.

The last time I got so desperate with the dirt was a few years ago with out older car. I took it to the carwash. Big mistake! It was under freezing and the fellas there didn't quite dry things off like they claimed they would. The whole darn car froze up overnight. Not one of the four doors would unlock. I did get the hatch open and crawled in that way. With my husband yanking on the outer handle and me pushing from inside we finally got the doors open. I was so frustrated, I was near tears. I don't go near a carwash unless it's over 32 F and is predicted to stay there overnight.

Anyway, everyone have a safe and happy weekend no matter what your weather. I suppose we should be thankful that though we may be a little bit miserable with local conditions of cold and snow, annoyed with traffic and the mess, and wondering what in heavens name possessed us to buy three dozen eggs, we are all truly lucky to have our relatively normal, mundane lives undisturbed by huge natural disasters and some that aren't so natural.

Ciao. Barb

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Gina R Snape - Jan 21, 2005 8:50 pm (#1348 of 2956)

Yes, I hear NYC will get a full foot or more of snow tomorrow. I plan on eating a lot of soup this weekend. . .

btw, Chrissy, I hear feeling guilty about not working on your dissertation is the general state of affairs for all students in your situation.

Oh, nearly forgot to mention! The Disney Channel is showing the first HP movie. Good night to stay inside!

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Caput Draconis - Jan 22, 2005 1:56 am (#1349 of 2956)

I want to eat soup. I want to jump around in snow. And wear giant jackets. I want my car to slide around. Oooh, I really want to put those big spikey things on my tyres, that'd be cool. And shovel my driveway. And other mystical white winter things. Unfortunately it's like 25C. Dry. More brown than white. Sigh.

What are Valentine M&Ms, prey tell? I'd like to think I'm an M&M fan. Better than Smarties, mark my words.

*hugs to all*

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Catherine - Jan 22, 2005 6:49 am (#1350 of 2956)

Happy Saturday!

Gina, I like your new avatar very much.

Good news! Yesterday afternoon the dog Sam/Sirius was adopted, which is wonderful news not just for him, but the other dogs in the County Shelter. I'm hoping today's event is successful. If so, it will be a bright spot in a day that will be gray and drizzly and chilly.

Julia, congrats on your Shakespeare class, and I hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend, even you if are snowed in.

Lady Arabella Mon Jan 05, 2015 8:22 pm

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mike miller - Jan 22, 2005 7:30 am (#1351 of 2956)

Well, I have a lot to catch up on. Work has not allowed me the time to keep up with the going's on with my forum family. I'll try to be quick. The snow is just now started here just north of Baltimore. They're calling for 9 to 15 inches where I live. My wife just returned from the store and it was the meat counter that was empty.

Steve Newton - You're the first one to mention the most important snow storm supply - Toilet Paper!

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Accio Sirius - Loopy, Steve Newton and myself are the others in the Baltimore/DC area that come to mind. I'm hoping we all can meet face to face at this summer gathering in PA along with many other forum friends. Check the new thread Betty (Boop) has started for info, we're trying to lock in on a date, not that it's possible to have one date that works for everyone.

Eponine - As the father of a 9 year old girl (going on 18), the high heels will not be making an appearance any time soon around here. She is rather fond of a pair of thick soled shoes, the lug sole like some boots, with about 3 inch heels, but they are not at all like "high heels".

Julia - Congrats on the Shakespeare class! The school talk from you and others gave a dream of being back in grad school. I guess the memory loss has not kicked in yet!

Mike - Good luck on the surgery. I hope it's not anything serious (you did say "minor"). I have always been very healthy *knock wood* so when I had knee surgery it was the first time I'd been in a hospital since birth. A bit of an eye opening experience. Thank goodness for modern pain medication.

Catherine - I'm so happy for Sam/Sirius. I hope the other dogs fare as well and that the weather today does not shut things down.

In the time it has taken me to draft this post the snow fall has gone from a few isolated small flakes to about 50 yards visibility. Have a great weekend everyone.

EDIT: I'm off to make a crock pot full of venison/turkey chili. You must have hearty food when you come in from shovelling the driveway or "extreme" tubing!

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Chemyst - Jan 22, 2005 8:12 am (#1352 of 2956)

Oh, Madame Librarian, thank you for the walk down memory lane...
Yes, yes. the days of hairdryers and extension cords for auto-access! I am familiar with Lake Erie's snow belt, and happy to be no longer battling it. I try explaining to my children the pain of the whipping wind that attacks one's fingers when the glove is taken off to insert a key. They don't get it. They think it is all fun and "extreme" tubing! Here, it was warm enough yesterday to go outside in sweats and jump on the trampoline. I much prefer the discomfort of that muscle stretching to the pain of windchill.

What are Valentine M&Ms, prey tell? The ones you pray to prey upon? No, they are a special package of only red, white, and sickly-pink colored candies.

Yea! for Sir Sam's adoption.

Julia - Congrats on the Shakespeare class– now promise me you'll stay this happy during finals!

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librarian314 - Jan 22, 2005 8:12 am (#1353 of 2956)

Hey all!

I survived my trip to the local grocery store this morning. I stocked up on staples, including chili fixings. ;-)

The storm has canceled my trip to Philadelphia, bleh! :-P but I'd rather be safe and at home than stuck outside Philadelphia. I'll get to see my friends this summer, hopefully.

It's snowing pretty steadily but not heavily, here in Gaithersburg, Maryland (one of Washington, D.C. northern suburbs). It's cold enough that the flakes are tiny, not like the huge ones (big enough to see the snow flake structure) we'd get in Rochester, N.Y.

Mike, feel better and call your mom! :-)

Catherine, Yay! Sirius/Sam got adopted! (I grew up with black labs, so I've always had a soft spot for big black dogs even before I read HP.)

Julia, enjoy your Shakespeare class! I hope you get to study Henry V as it is one of my favorites.

Y'all take care!

**michelle the librarian** yet another pseudo-Washingtonian

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The giant squid - Jan 22, 2005 9:19 am (#1354 of 2956)

Okay, okay! I called my mom! You can all stop hounding me now.

Doing better today--I can actually walk mostly normal. Yesterday I was shuffling around like a man three times my age. A good night's sleep (preceded by a viewing of Sorcerer's Stone on the Disney Channel) and I'm right as rain...well, one of those midwest rains that comes down sideways, anyway. It was elective surgery, but somehow that doesn't make it hurt less.

My heart goes out to all of you dealing with nasty weather. Things may be calm here in Vegas, but growing up in North Dakota I had my share of bad winter storms (think Barb's lake effect snow with an added 40mph wind ). Come to think of it, we never stocked up on bread, milk & eggs either. How weird.

--Mike

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I Am Used Vlad - Jan 22, 2005 9:30 am (#1355 of 2956)

The snow started several hours ago where I'm at, and I have no bread, eggs or milk. I love snow, and trying to drive in it, so there's no need to send your heart my way, Mike.

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Ydnam96 - Jan 22, 2005 9:38 am (#1356 of 2956)

The weather here in Southern California is still mild. No snow Smile

But my friends back home (I haven't lived in Cali long enough to call it home I guess) in Fredericksburg Virginia (just south of Washington DC) have said it has NOT started snowing and they are all quite dissapointed. They were expecting a large enough snow storm to cancel school (college) on Monday, which would have to be some snow storm. It sounds as if, from you all, that the snow is staying north of DC so it will probably miss them completely.

I miss the weather channel. I do not have cable out here, just the channels I can get with a regular antenna. No Disney, no History, no TLC or BBCA, no HGTV or SCI FI, no MTV, E, or VHI. It's kinda sad. I have to depend on the regular networks to keep me up to date on what is going on in the world.

Today I'm planning on going to President Reagan's Library. I've never been to a Presidential library before. It should be interesting. I hear they have a replica of the Oval office there!

Okay, off to read the threads. Happy weekend everyone, stay warm!

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Steve Newton Jan 22, 2005 9:55 am (#1357 of 2956)

Here I sit Broken hearted. Its cold outside and the snows have started.

A couple of you thought that I was going somewhere else with that, didn't you? Chat & Greetings 2005 464751818

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Catherine - Jan 22, 2005 10:27 am (#1358 of 2956)

A couple of you thought that I was going somewhere else with that, didn't you? –Steve

Well, I didn't think you were going to break into a Shakespearian sonnet, but I can't speak for other Forum members.

Off to Petsmart in just a bit. I was trying to post a link to Sam/Sirius's picture so everyone could so how perfectly he fits the description of the Grim/Sirius's Animagus form, at least as it's descirbed in the books, but our newspapers's website didn't put the photo on the web.

All this talk of stocking up for snow has made me crave chili and soup. Mmmm....chili....

Mike, good to know that you are recovering, and that you called your mom.

Thanks for the good wishes for the event today. You all are very nice to put up with my little pet causes!

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 22, 2005 11:02 am (#1359 of 2956)

Folks around here are generally good drivers (after all, it's not Boston or LA--uh, oh sorry again), but they go all wonky if it's snowing a teensy bit or even raining a little.---Madame Librarian

'Generally' being the operative word here. If you were in Boston, they would all be good drivers. We don't go all 'wonky' because of a little snow or rain. *btw, thanks to Rebecca whose post drew this line to my attention*

Catherine, glad to hear about the dog.

Looking forward to the big storm. I've got my battery-operated Coleman lanterns on standby and many books from the library (should the electricity go out) and a trio of movies from Netflix (should the electricity stay on). And, as I happen to be married to the world's foremost stovetop popcorn popper around food will not be a problem.

Hey Becca, if things work out, school might be called for Monday. How'd that be?

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mike miller - Jan 22, 2005 12:06 pm (#1360 of 2956)

Quick weather update from just north and east of Baltimore. WE've a good 6 inches on the ground right now. By the time I finished shoveling the driveway, there was another 1+ inches where I started! The chilis in the crock pot and providing that wonderful smell throughout the house. Time to start a fire to round out the ambiance.

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dizzy lizzy - Jan 22, 2005 2:17 pm (#1361 of 2956)

Oh man oh man... all this talk of snow. I think its wonderful, since where I live I don't get snow at all so I get to experience it all on my net. As mike miller just said a fire would round out the amibience all right, but so would real snow right here.

We had a really wierd storm last night thunder, then rain, then wind, and not all at once would you believe.

I woke up to find its 24deg cel. inside the house and I've just checked the weather stats for the last 72 hours. We had 38 deg Cel. as our top temp yesterday at 5pm and the lowest temp was 20deg Cel. at around 4am this morning (its now 8.15/23rd Jan at the time of posting).

I could just sit here and drool at all this lovely cold weather, but I guess I'd better and go and check what other threads you have all been talking on...

Lizzy

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Steve Newton Jan 22, 2005 2:23 pm (#1362 of 2956)

Just a quit update from New Castle, DE. I talked my son into going out for the mail. There is at least 6 inches on the ground and still coming down. He tells me its cold.

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Madam Pince - Jan 22, 2005 2:35 pm (#1363 of 2956)

Wow, Mike, 6 inches! Eastern Shore of Maryland has probably about 4 inches, I'd say. Well, maybe more. I don't know. We should ask Mr. Pince -- he's the one who's been out there shoveling it. Denise, my tulips and daffodils were all confused too, and were starting to poke their little heads out of the ground. Guess they will get a big surprise!

I had about 350+ posts on this thread to read today -- when I started reading at about 10:30 a.m. it was just starting to flurry, and now here it is after 4 p.m. and been snowing heavily all along. Thank goodness we have nowhere to go and are all well-stocked with bread, milk, eggs, and toilet paper. We went to the store yesterday, where I found myself almost feeling defensive about buying milk amongst the hoardes of people lining the check-out ("But I'm making Baked Potato Soup for the weekend! It calls for 7 cups of milk!") However, Mr. Pince was careful to get the real essentials -- two different varieties of Chex Mix, Lays Potato Chips, and some other snacky-type thing. Whenever I take him shopping with me, the cart always ends up full of that stuff.

Had a yucky week -- looong car trip to take my mum to a doctor's appointment, and Baby Pince had picked up some sort of tummy virus and decided to throw up in the car for the last hour of the trip. Lovely. Chat & Greetings 2005 1242194059

I was really wanting to take the carseat apart so I could launder all the fabric parts. (That was sarcasm, by the way.) Then a good friend of our family passed away rather unexpectedly, so had one funeral; and then Mr. Pince's 100-year-old great-aunt passed away, so had a second funeral. Not a nice week.

Thanks to all for sharing the kiddie nursery rhymes, and thanks to Mare for attempting a translation for me. Guess it has probably been through too many manglings, and will just have to be in the category of "fun gobbledygook." Marcus, I liked your "Ooey Gooey" poem -- it reminded me of another one:

"Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear // Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair // Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't fuzzy, wuz he?"

Barbie, your reference to the "overworked Mom ponytail" made me laugh. It looks so cute on some people. I have tried to pull that style off, but just can't. Whenever I try, I end up looking like Thomas Jefferson.

Regarding Tolkien and LOTR -- I liked "The Hobbit" but was never able to get through all the rest of them. It just got too battle-heavy. However, I once found a very cool book on my high-school English teacher's bookshelf when I was baby-sitting his kids -- it was called "Bored of the Rings" and was an hilarious spoof of the trilogy. Very ribald. I expect my teacher would have been appalled had he known I'd rooted that out of his shelves. I've also got the "Politically Incorrect Fairy Tales" and all the rest -- too funny. I haven't seen the one about holiday stories, though.

Movie quotes: In college, we practically communicated through quotes from "Young Frankenstein." To this day, "Could be worse...could be raining!" is one of my favorites when something unfortunate happens. Other good sources are "A Fish Called Wanda" and "Princess Bride" ("Boo! Hiss! Queen of Refuse!" and "Helllloooo, Lady!") Mr. Pince and I love to quote from "Galaxy Quest" also -- whenever we observe something rather distasteful, one of us is bound to say "Ewwwww, that's just not right!!!!"

Everyone enjoy their snowy day (if it's snowing where you are), or enjoy your balmy beach day (if that's the ticket instead.) I'm off to make the Baked Potato Soup!

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Gina R Snape - Jan 22, 2005 3:33 pm (#1364 of 2956)

Wow. It really is snowing hard here in NYC! Just got in from a day of shopping and running errands. It's unbelievable out there!

So, I need your help, everyone. My NYC HPforGrownups meetup chapter privately emails each other, and we decided (at my suggestion ) that we start a yahoo group to keep things easier because we hate going through meetup.com and haven't used their site in over a year. But I am having trouble thinking of a good name.

See, there is a HPfGU NYC yahoo group already, but we are not them. Someone suggested Dumbledore's Army--NYC chapter. But it doesn't have a real ring to it.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Oh, and thanks Catherine! Snapesforte is a great artist.

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Marie E. - Jan 22, 2005 3:42 pm (#1365 of 2956)

Wow, I've been gone for a week! It's funny that the east coast was suffering from snow and cold while out here in the west it was nearly balmy. Thursday it was 71 F and yesterday it was 65 F. It's supposed to be cooler today. I wouldn't know, I've been trapped indoors with Mt. Laundry. I'm nearly to the summit, so that's good news.

I went with my husband to a chat meetup and I was heartily unimpressed with his crowd. At one point these girls turned their back on me to talk to someone else so that it looked like I was sitting alone at a table. Humph! I do hope that the meetup boop is planning isn't really on July 23rd. Giant Squid and I have a reunion in North Dakota that weekend and our mother will have a coronary if we skip it.

Another movie quote I use often: "It will be mine...oh yes, it will be mine."-Wayne's World.

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Amilia Smith - Jan 22, 2005 4:37 pm (#1366 of 2956)

Well, I made it through my first day. :-)

Tonight I am dancing with my Scottish Country Dance group at a Robert Burns dinner. Should be fun. Last night we danced at my great-uncle's rest home. I really like going to rest homes. The old folks are so sweet, and they really seem to enjoy our performances more than anyone else ever does. Plus, they all thought that my baby sister (who is half my age) and I were twins. :-)

Madam Pince: It sounds like you are recovering from a really stinky week. Here's to this week being better.

Gina: Good luck on coming up with a suitable name. As I have almost no imagination, I haven't anything other than luck to offer.

Marie: Welcome back and good luck catching up on the threads.

Mills.

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Steve Newton Jan 22, 2005 4:57 pm (#1367 of 2956)

"May I?"

Said sarcastically in "The Muppet Movie."

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Accio Sirius - Jan 22, 2005 5:36 pm (#1368 of 2956)

Gina, I love the "talk to the hand" version of Snape. We knew he was all that and bag of chips. As for a name, how about something SPEW related? Or DADA NYC?

Catherine, I am so glad Sirius/Sam was adopted! Very good news. I'm glad the weather didn't hamper your event.

We got about 5 inches which isn't so bad, but the hubbie is stuck in Hartford for who knows how long considering they are supposed to get 15 inches tonight. (How are you hanging in there Julia?) We are hoping he makes it home in time for the Steeler game. As for me, stuck in the house with the kids, I've used up all of the left over Christmas presents and crafts and this is just day one! I am considering working on Brownie badges because one more puppet show and I will go bonkers.

Giant Squid, glad you are feeling better. Perhaps calling mom relieved some guilt as well?

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The giant squid - Jan 22, 2005 5:40 pm (#1369 of 2956)

Perhaps calling mom relieved some guilt as well?

Sorry, guilt has little effect on me--as you know, having tried it to wrest my lamppost from me.

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Catherine - Jan 22, 2005 5:50 pm (#1370 of 2956)

LOL, Accio Sirius!

I was quite glad, considering our icky weather, that I "had" to be at PetsMart today. Mr. Catherine was allowing the girls to watch unlimited movies by the time I came home. Hmm..sounds like it was getting to him.

We had good turnout today, considering the weather. I was a little surprised that some Humane Society puppies were not adopted today, although they are a good P.R. draw for the older dogs at the County Shelter who REALLY need the attention and a new family very soon before their time is up.

I lost my heart (it happens despite my earnest desire to remain detached) to one lab-mix boy who is the smartest thing I've seen come down the pike in a while. He was picked up as a stray, and is rib-counting thin, but so playful and yet calm. He would climb up in these tiny canvas chairs meant for the volunteers, and look like he was going to sleep, which was very cute. But, when no one was looking, would "wake up" and use them as a springboard to get out of the doggy corral. Can't say that I blame him for that! Mr. Catherine remains unconvinced that we need yet another dog, so my fingers are crossed that someone recognizes the charms of this dog soon. He's on Petfinder, so I feel sure that someone will realize that he's the next love of their life.

Sorry if I sentimentalize animals too much. Dogs and books have been passions since I was very young, and I might be just a wee bit obsessive.

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dizzy lizzy - Jan 22, 2005 6:06 pm (#1371 of 2956)

Catherine,

I think dogs are just plain wonderful. My three dogs are all ex RSPCA (Australian/British version of Humane Society) dogs and they all seem to know they were "saved".

I was thinking about your previous posts where you were saying the board (?) needs shaking up in terms of legislation/rules. Some of the rules etc that you mentioned are par for the course in New South Wales and are state wide in coverage (unfortunately it doesn't necessarily mean they are enforced). Just another fascinating difference between countries and jurisdictions and how they operate.

Good luck and lots of well wishing charms coming your way.

Lizzy

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Helen Potterfan - Jan 22, 2005 6:24 pm (#1372 of 2956)

Gina, I'm thinking...so far no good ideas. I tried to think of something to do with an apple (for obvious reasons), but all I could come up with apple-related in the HP world was Malodora Grymm, who used a beautification potion to conceal her true form, married a king and used a charmed mirror to reinforce her self-image. She became jealous of the most beautiful girl in the land and fed her a poisoned apple to get rid of her. (JKR's version of snow white, but no help with a name!). Other bad ideas:

This is hard. I'll have to keep thinking. I promise I won't post any more unless I think they're good!

Helen

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Gina R Snape - Jan 22, 2005 6:31 pm (#1373 of 2956)

Thanks! Since you are a member of the group now, you may well have the honour of being the one to name us!

I am sort of partial to PoNY. Lemme think about that one. . .

Oh, and 'all that and a bag of chips' :snort: Would that be a case of a bag of crisps in Severus' case, seeing as how he's a Brit?

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Madame Librarian - Jan 22, 2005 6:37 pm (#1374 of 2956)

Loads of snow fell here overnight and continued during the day! There's a total of about a foot and a half. We've shoveled twice today and still can't quite see any sidewalk. The wind was really howling in the afternoon, and I was sooo happy to be curled up with a good book while a pot of beef stew was simmering away on the stove.

I really enjoy hearing everyone's weather stories, good and bad--it makes one feel less alone in the cruel, cruel world of weather.

I suppose I should retract my snide remark about Boston drivers. They are as good as any, but the roads and road signs (or lack thereof) create an illusion of wild driving tactics. The roads twist and turn, change street names from one block to the next, and then feed into these traffic rotary (circles, in some cities) that are very tricky to negotiate. It's an older city, so lanes are narrow, adding to the sense of being caught up in a stampeding herd of fast moving vehicles. I love that my son goes to school there, but I dread having to drive around while there. We try very hard to just take the T.

Yikes! The wind is so fierce right now, our shutters (or something) is banging away outside. Wait...it's coming from the side of the house where there are no shutters. Better go check.

Stay warm, everyone.

Ciao. Barb

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 22, 2005 6:45 pm (#1375 of 2956)

Hey Catherine! How about hooking us up with a link so we can take a look at this smart fellow?

Hey Gina--how about HAGGIS:

Harry and Gryffindor Groupies for InSights

Harry And Gryffindors Gather In Slytherin

Hogwarts Alumni Group Get-together In Situ

EDIT: Barb, that's how we keep the riffraff out.

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Julia. - Jan 22, 2005 6:47 pm (#1376 of 2956)

BRRRRRR! It's 18F but feels like 4. We have about 6 inches of snow the ground, and it's not even been snowing for 6 hours! I'm not planning on going out at all! I have a night with 'Much Ado About Nothing' (the movie, not the play) and tomorrow I have a date with my reading.

I'm watching ESPN College Game day at the moment. They're broadcasting live from Gampel Pavillion, which is on the UConn camlpus. I'm looking for my friends in ths student section, but I've not seen any of them yet.

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Helen Potterfan - Jan 22, 2005 6:58 pm (#1377 of 2956)

HAGGIS Hogwarts Alumni Grown-up Gathering In Soho

I don't know; the thought of Haggis still seems nauseating!

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 22, 2005 7:00 pm (#1378 of 2956)

Ahhh, I knew it could be improved. That's a winner!

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Gina R Snape - Jan 22, 2005 7:02 pm (#1379 of 2956)

Bwa ha ha ha ha ha

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Catherine - Jan 22, 2005 7:34 pm (#1380 of 2956)

*SNORT*

I love HAGGIS. That's too funny.

Kim, he isn't pretty in this photo, but he's a delightful creature.

http://www.petfinder.org/pet.cgi?action=2&pet=3858484&adTarget=468doggeneral&SessionID=41f30cd314611463-app2&display=&preview=&row=0&tmpl=&stat=

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From Venus - Jan 22, 2005 8:13 pm (#1381 of 2956)

The weather is still very cold here, and windy. It snowed on and off all day but not much of it accumulated. It was a good day to stay in, so naturally, I went out. I took my daughter out and we got haircuts and had lunch. We just about had the whole town to ourselves because everyone else was smart and stayed inside.

Remember when we were talking about how hard it was to grow out bangs? Well, I haven't had bangs in about 40 years, but I have them now. What was I thinking?

I am a huge dog lover, I have been my whole life. But, my mother was not, and in all my years before my marriage, I only ever had one dog. And then, after I got married, it turned out my husband is a dog hater as well, so I still can't have a dog. It's not fair. I am envious of all you who can have a pet dog, and I salute you who are helping to find homes for the ones who need them.

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 22, 2005 8:46 pm (#1382 of 2956)

Catherine--he's very appealing. He just needs to be fattened up a bit. I'd bet he'd make someone very happy. Something in his face says "Bloodhound."

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Mrs. Sirius - Jan 22, 2005 9:36 pm (#1383 of 2956)

Oh, Catherine he is beautiful. I was this close >*< to getting a female lab that look just like that. Alas, with construction in two parts of my house and 4 unruly kids, I'm just not winning the dust bunny war. There is just no way that I can add a dog at this point.

Gina I like the sound of PoNY too. Manhattan Maurauder's also has a nice sound to it. Depending on where you are in the city, I thought of BMT-HP or ManhattanAlly

We are on the border of for the highest forecast of snow, about 24". Hopefully being on the west bank of the river we'll get a little less. Now we have about 6 inches of snow already but it's really lightweight. What I am afraid of is losing power because if we do, we have no heat or water even.

Accio Sirius, if your husband is stuck in Hartford, they just announced on the news that the airport is closed. However, the good news, on the weather map, Hartford is only in the 12-18" of snow forecast.

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Acceber - Jan 22, 2005 9:37 pm (#1384 of 2956)

Thanks to Pinky and Lizzy on their South America tips. I'll look at the link after I post this.

I told my mum about the "milk, eggs, and bread" discussion when we were at Stop and Shop today, and she said that those are the snow staples for Bostonians because during the Blizzard of '78, the grocery stores ran out of those three things for about a week. So now anyone who lived around Boston during that winter stocks up on those items during snowstorms.

There is currently snow on the ground, and it's supposed to pile up--about 24-36 inches if I remember correctly. That's about 60-90 centimeters for the metric folk. It's enough to cancel my Hebrew high school tomorrow, but I'm not sure if we have school on Monday. I personally don't like snow days because then I think the school committee is wimpy for canceling school.

Almost forgot: GO PATRIOTS!

Off to click on Pinky's link. Good night/morning/afternoon to all!

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septentrion - Jan 23, 2005 3:43 am (#1385 of 2956)

I hadn't much time these days for the forum, and it took me quite a while to get updated. Congrats to everyone who earn it (don't speak names in fear I'd forget someone).

No snow here in North France, a little chilly (2/4°C, around 35/38°F) but sunny, at least this morning. For my part, I'm very glad not to have snow.

I need some advice. I feel the need of a new english dictionary, my old one is torn apart for intensive use while reading the HP books. I want a single dictionary which could be used as well for contemporary English and for literary English. Which dictionary would you advice me to buy ? Thanks for your answers !

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Elanor - Jan 23, 2005 6:05 am (#1386 of 2956)

Hello Septentrion! You're lucky not to have snow. Here, after two days of dull rain, the rain has become fine hail in the morning and then snow about 11 a.m.. Brr... For now, it doesn't stay on the road or roofs but the forecast says that the weather will become much more colder so I fear it might hold. That's not fair, you're the one who lives in the North! LOL!

Actually, I live more than 500 km south from Septentrion, not very far from Lyon, but my region is between mountains: the Massif Central in the West, the Alps in the East. It's a rather cold region in winter and hot in summer, the climate is more continental here.

It is funny you talk about English dictionaries because I was thinking to buy an English unilingual dictionary as well (you gave me the idea last week in fact!). So I would be happy to have advices as well!

I hope that everyone in the snow-covered areas are fine, you're in my thoughts! For the ones who are in warmer places, please enjoy the weather for us who are freezing, you make me dream with your 20°C!

Mike, I'm very happy you're fine!

Catherine, I'm sure this lovely dog will find someone and bring his master some joy.

Tomoé: thanks for the answer about the saying about the snow, I was sure it was a worldwide phenomenom!

Have a great Sunday everybody!

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septentrion - Jan 23, 2005 7:55 am (#1387 of 2956)

Hi Elanor ! What if you couldn't go to work tomorrow because of snow ? **only joking** Note that would be the case I wouldn't be bothered too much with snow. The last time we had a lot of snow, it was a saturday and I couldn't go to a friend's wedding

Everyone have a great Sunday, whether it's warm and sunny, or dull and snowy !

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Gina R Snape - Jan 23, 2005 9:24 am (#1388 of 2956)

Good morning everyone. It's knee-deep in snow here in NYC and last night the Mayor said the city estimated spending about $1million for every inch of snow! "Think if it as very pretty, and very expensive" he said. WOW.

As for dictionaries, in the United States Webster's is the great standard. I have a two-set Funk & Wagnalls. But I find I most often go online to http://www.dictionary.com these days!

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Julia. - Jan 23, 2005 9:29 am (#1389 of 2956)

Good morning everyone! Wow, I can't believe it's a sunday and I'm actually up early enough to say good morning. Anyway, it is cold. 16F right now, with lots of snow. I haven't ventured outside my dorm yet, but I think this is not going to be one of those Sundays where I can throw on a t-shirt w/ my pajama bottoms and slippers to go to breakfast.

Sept, you mean a French-English dictionary, or an English dictionary with definitions and stuff? If you mean an English one, I know a really good one, I just can't remember what it's called, but I'm looking!

Well off to check the threads before breakfast and a day of reading.

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Eponine - Jan 23, 2005 9:41 am (#1390 of 2956)

I watched Pride and Prejudice last night. I didn't intend to watch the whole thing, but once I got started, I just didn't want to turn it off. Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy...mmmm. That movie turns me all gooey inside.

Well, my cousin had her baby. Everything went fine, and she's healthy. Her name is Meredith Grace.

I hope everyone is having a great day!

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Julia. - Jan 23, 2005 9:45 am (#1391 of 2956)

WOW! Mazel tov on being a cousin Eponine! Have a butterbeer on me! *hands Eponine butterbeer* By the way, how's teaching going?

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Eponine - Jan 23, 2005 9:55 am (#1392 of 2956)

I haven't started yet. I have to be approved by the personnel office first. I just filled out my paperwork this past week, because I thought I was going to have a couple of weeks to get everything in order. But once they approve me, I'll be starting immediately. Now, I just need to get my hands on her lesson plans. I'm not even sure what I'm going to be teaching at first, but I really hope I've read it.

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Madam Pince - Jan 23, 2005 10:50 am (#1393 of 2956)

Catherine, that pup-pup is just adorable! Those eyes! He looks a lot like my Annie. She was so funny yesterday in the snow -- she kept whining to go out because she looooves to chase the snowflakes falling down, and then two minutes later she'd be whining at the door to be let back inside because it was so cold. I told her she was a big weenie. But....it WAS cold.

Eponine, congratulations on the new baby cousin! Glad to hear it all went well. Hope your new week teaching goes gangbusters also!

Julia, did you find out yet if you'll be having a new roommate? Or did I miss the announcement? As I scrolled through my TV directory yesterday, I saw that UConn was playing, and I thought of you!

Oh, thought of another classic movie quote from "Young Frankenstein":

"Walk this way...." (delivered with humpback and dragging leg, preferably when leading a group of clueless people somewhere.)

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Ydnam96 - Jan 23, 2005 11:01 am (#1394 of 2956)

Another excellent movie with Colin Firth is The Importance of Being Ernest (although I'm the only person I know who enjoys it) I love it, it makes me laugh. I watched a BBC version in High School when we read the play. It was a lot funnier than the modern version IMO, but I still highly recommend the new one. Smile

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 23, 2005 11:03 am (#1395 of 2956)

Hello all. Well, for my money, the storm here in D.C./NO. Va. was quite a let down. We have blue skies and plowed roads today, so I doubt I could even get away with coming in a little late tomorrow. As usual, I found no need to get milk or bread etc. as I ventured out for pancakes two days in a row. As a matter of fact, last night I realized a movie I wanted to see was playing at 9:45 p.m. so I went. Snow storm, big deal!

Many, many posts back, Steve Newton mentioned "The Muppet Movie" which reminded me of an old standard quote for bad movies: "I've seen detergents that left a better film." Hehe.

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Eponine - Jan 23, 2005 11:14 am (#1396 of 2956)

Ydnam, I liked the new version also. The older one is funnier, but the new one is enjoyable.

My mother has started reading Harry Potter. I can't believe it. My sister called me last night to tell me she was reading PS/SS.

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septentrion - Jan 23, 2005 11:32 am (#1397 of 2956)

Congrats Eponine for your cousin's new born !

Julia, what I mean is an only English dictionary. I want one which I'll be able to use for at least the next ten years (if it resists an intensive HP reading ) without it being out of date. I saw several dictionaries at the store but couldn't decide which one would be better and couldn't find a competent salesman to help me.

Gina, I know there are good dictionaries on line (I myself usually use the ones on www.lexilogos.com) but when I read a book, I'm not in front of my computer. Yet I never tried dictionary.com, should give it a try.

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Chemyst - Jan 23, 2005 12:54 pm (#1398 of 2956)

I'm sorry Catherine! It's just that when I read, "If not reclaimed he will be available for your home cookin on Jan. 10th," I thought...
Oh, nevermind what I thought.

My favorite on-line dictionary is MSN Encarta http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/dictionaryhome.aspx because it has audio to hear how the word is pronounced for free, whereas audio pronunciations at dictionary.com are for premium members only. (Translation is a premium feature at Encarta though.)

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Catherine - Jan 23, 2005 1:06 pm (#1399 of 2956)

Welcome to the world, Meredith Grace, and I hope your cousin Eponine can conjure a good "Faking It" spell for those lesson plans, in case she hasn't read the book yet!

Loopy, what a tough guy. Going out in the snow for pancakes two days in a row!

Today is Hayley's 5th birthday, and there were big snowstorms in North Carolina and Virginia then, too. My mom actually missed her birth by about 30 minutes because she was driving down in the snow. She kind of caught us by surprise by coming 3 1/2 weeks early, and weighing two more ounces than her full term sister did. It's hard to believe that "the baby" is starting kindergarten this fall. Sniff....at least the puppies are still like babies!

Stay warm. We've had wind-chill single digits, which is very cold for Eastern NC.

Happy Sunday to all.

EDIT: LOL! Chemyst! How horrifyingly, awfully funny. I hope no gung-ho barbecuers read it the same way...ICK!

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Julia. - Jan 23, 2005 1:28 pm (#1400 of 2956)

Catherine, wish Haley a happy birthday for me!

*waves to Madam Pince* Hiya! Lovely to hear from you No roommate yet, still crossing my fingers hoping that I won't have one. I actually watched a bit of the UConn game last night, and they lost. I am never watching a UCOnn game again, ble neder.

Loopy, I'm impressed by your amazing ability to go out in a snow storm, two days in a row no less! I've ventured out side three times since the snow started...walk from Hillel to my dorm, from my dorm to the dining hall, and from the dining hall back to the dorm. Walking is not fun, even with people shoveling and plowing. No chance at all that classes will be canceled for tomorrow, although we are expecting more snow on Wednesday. *hopes it will be enough to cancel yucky classes on Thursday*

Sept, Ok an English dictionary. dictionary.com is good for if you're near a computer. It's also cool because there is a listing for 'muggle.' I'm still looking for the one my high school English teacher uses, which is by far the best I've seen.

Off to check the threads and then attack mount fanfic!

Lady Arabella Mon Jan 05, 2015 8:24 pm

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Gina R Snape - Jan 23, 2005 1:35 pm (#1401 of 2956)

Thanks for the tip, Chemyst. Though the pronunciation feature doesn't seem to be working on my computer. Maybe it's a Mac/PC thing.

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Prefect Marcus - Jan 23, 2005 1:59 pm (#1402 of 2956)

It's a down-right balmy 60 degrees here in Seattle. Any chance some of you guys could send some of that lovely winter weather our way?

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Steve Newton Jan 23, 2005 2:04 pm (#1403 of 2956)

Loony, you aren't trying to say that you think that "The Muppet Movie" was a bad movie, are you?

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Accio Sirius - Jan 23, 2005 2:11 pm (#1404 of 2956)

Happy Sunday all. Another long day here, even though the roads and skies are clear. Hubbie is hopelessly stuck in CT! Hopefully he can get a flight out tomorrow morning.

GO STEELERS!!!!

Betty are you excited for the game?

As far as quotable movies, Young Frankenstein and This is Spinal Tap and just about any Monty Python is what comes to mind in our house. All of our electronics go to eleven.

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Detail Seeker - Jan 23, 2005 3:07 pm (#1405 of 2956)

After reading about all that snow across the broad river full of envy, I can announce, that snow has reached Germany at last. We had nearly a centimeter of it today in Berlin and more is announced. I hope it will stay, tough, as it is around the freezing point, not safely below (Thus avoiding any °/°F/K discussions... evil grin)

Have a good star of the week, everybody !

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 23, 2005 4:09 pm (#1406 of 2956)

Loony, you aren't trying to say that you think that "The Muppet Movie" was a bad movie, are you? -- Steve Newton

(Pssst. It's "Loopy") No, no. Recall that in "The Muppet Movie," the film starts out with all the muppets in a theatre ready to watch the movie. In the middle of the movie, the film breaks down (or maybe it was sort of an intermission) and we cut back to the theatre and, in particular, the two hecklers, Statler and Waldorf. Statler says "So, what do you think so far?" and Waldorf replies "I've seen detergents that left a better film."

But in direct response to your question, The Muppet Movie is an all time favorite.

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Steve Newton Jan 23, 2005 4:38 pm (#1407 of 2956)

Sorry about the Loony slip-up.

I'm a big fan of the MM and missed the reference. “Duh” seems to be my word of the day.

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Helen Potterfan - Jan 23, 2005 5:40 pm (#1408 of 2956)

Septentrion, I always tell my college students they can get whatever dictionary they want as long as it's a collegiate dictionary because collegiate dictionaries have more literary words and definitions. I have The American Heritage College Dictionary, but I know Webster's and others also have collegiate dictionaries. They're bulkier, but I prefer a big hardcover one because it will stay open where I turn it! I hope this helps! Helen

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Gina R Snape - Jan 23, 2005 5:50 pm (#1409 of 2956)

The muppet movie rules!

“It's not easy being green.” **sigh** I wonder if the Snape doll thinks that.

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Steve Newton Jan 23, 2005 5:51 pm (#1410 of 2956)

“It’s a good thing frogs can jump or I'd be gone with the Schwinn.”

One of the great lines in movie history.

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Marie E. - Jan 23, 2005 8:07 pm (#1411 of 2956)

Great! Now I have "Movin' Right Along" in my head. We sang it in our eighth grade choir thingy. I love the Muppets, especially the Swedish Chef. Are the episodes of the tv series on dvd?

Our girl scout service unit is doing a lock-in in two weeks and somehow I got volunteered to organize the activity booths for the Brownies. We wanted to have the girls complete one of their try-its (badges) that night so I picked the Puppets one. I hope the girls have fun.

My boss' two year old son was running around the daycare center Friday night yelling "Expecto Patwonum" and pointing pencils at people. It was so darling.

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Daioma Dumbledore - Jan 23, 2005 8:33 pm (#1412 of 2956)

G'Day Everyone!!!! Well it's been a while since I popped in here, I've been on holidays, I didn't go away but instead had a very relaxing time at home, and am now trying to get back into the swing of work, it's not easy!

I'm still smiling uncontrollably whenever anyone mentions my engagement or impending wedding, which we still haven't set a date for, but there's not great rush, we'll get it organized I just have to get Ben and go and look at some venues but he's been so busy with work this past month as we've had a bit of a re-shuffle with the trucks and it's been a bit crazy, but good crazy, so once I can organise to go look at venues then we can set our date, it's all sooooooo exciting

Hope you are all wonderful, and for those that aren't I'm sending you some of my very cheer filled hugs! I'm marking everything as read as there is no way on earth I'm going to be able to catch up on everything so I don't know whose up to what so:

Happy Birthday to those who require it

Congratulations to any new parents, aunties/uncles, anyone else who needs it

Happy New Year to all

And cheers to cover everything else!

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Denise P. - Jan 23, 2005 9:10 pm (#1413 of 2956)

Sounds nifty, Marie! Our SU just did a Brownie lock in on Friday. The girls earned two Try-Its but I would have to go look to see which ones they were. They were up until 1 am (lights out) and back up by 6:30 (lights on) :::shudder::: Have you seen this Try It, it is fairly new. It is not in the book but still pretty easy for the girls to do. Wave The Flag Try It There is also this patch that they can do: Ms. President Patch It may not work for a lock in but they are both easy enough that you can work with girls to get it.

A friend of mine either has the Muppets series on DVD or is getting them so I think they are out.

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Julia. - Jan 23, 2005 9:27 pm (#1414 of 2956)

LOL Marie, you've got me singing the Swedish Chef song. It's a good thing I don't have a roommate, or she'd be totally making fun of me right now! I shall have to look for the Muppet show on DVD. We have the two cast albums (yes, albums, you know, vynal) and I'd love to have the show. My dad would love them too.

*waves to Daioma* Lovely to see you again dear! Glad to hear that things are going well, and I hope you set a date soon!

Well, having spent the whole afternoon reading fanfic, I think it's time I check back into reality and read the threads.

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From Venus - Jan 23, 2005 9:36 pm (#1415 of 2956)

Hello, all. I just wanted to tell you that my lovely sister gave me a Gryffindor t-shirt today and I just love it. Aren't sisters great?

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Ydnam96 - Jan 23, 2005 11:14 pm (#1416 of 2956)

From Venus, so jealous! Your sister must be a wonderful person Smile

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septentrion - Jan 24, 2005 1:47 am (#1417 of 2956)

Snow has reached here during the night. This morning, while coming to work, I found out my car can move by itself. By luck, nothing wrong happened to me but everyone were driving very carefully.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary online here proposes free pronunciation for those who are interested. Thanks Helen for your advice, I'll have it in mind when time to choose will come.

Nice to see you back Daioma !

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The giant squid - Jan 24, 2005 1:58 am (#1418 of 2956)

Great! Now I have "Movin' Right Along" in my head. We sang it in our eighth grade choir thingy.--Marie E.

Gee, so did I...you'd think we went to the same school or something. Chat & Greetings 2005 464751818

As for Muppets on DVD, I know they've released "best of" compilations but I don't think they've done a season-by-season release yet. If they have, let me know--I'm there!

As for Septentrion's dictionary woes, I'm surprised no one's mentioned the Oxford English Dictionary--especially considering the setting of our beloved subject matter. Then again for all I know the OED could be a big joke across the pond & we Americans just haven't been let in on it yet. Personally I'm with Gina--I always hit dictionary.com if I'm near the computer or use the miniature Merriam-Webster I got as a gift a while ago if not. It doesn't have a lot of the words I usually get tripped up on, though. Another thought is to try to find either a Crossword Puzzle dictionary or a Scrabble Dictionary; both will be full of words not usually encountered in everyday life (and thus less likely to have been translated for you before).

--Mike

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dizzy lizzy - Jan 24, 2005 4:09 am (#1419 of 2956)

I found a thesaurus that was arranged like a dictionary a great big help. Its more work than a crossword or scrabble dictionary. But it helps you work your way through the different meanings of words.

The Oxford English Dictionary is good, you just have to be careful about which version you need. The Australian brand called the Macaquarie is, like the Merriam-Webster, focussed on a particular dialect of English (American/Australian) but has the variety of types of dictionaries like the Oxford English Dictionary

hey Diaoma! welcome back! I am glad your holiday was good.

Catherine, that puppy you had the link for - it's cute. I hope he gets some good tucker and a wonderful owner. (I hope it's Catherine that had the link!!! )

Weather update warm at 24deg cel. and raining.

Have a wonderful day/night afternoon/evening everyone.

Lizzy

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Catherine - Jan 24, 2005 5:35 am (#1420 of 2956)

Mike, never worry. I love my OED. The only problem with it is that it is huge, and not very portable, so I have gotten in the habit of using online dictionaries. No workout required.

Denise, those Brownie lockdown hours are indeed worth a shudder. Excellent work on the badges, though. Good luck to Marie! What great moms. All this talk of Scouting makes me really wish that our Girl Scout Cookies were here. Yum!

Hope that the start of the week isn't too painful, especially for those who got tons of ice and snow. I'm sure that Loopy Lupin will make it to IHOP, at least!

Happy Monday.

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 24, 2005 6:40 am (#1421 of 2956)

Happy Monday to all. Mmmm. IHOP. Now that you mention it..............

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Julia. - Jan 24, 2005 8:05 am (#1422 of 2956)

LOL Loopy, have a good breakfast.

As for dictionaries, my English teacher suggested the OED as well. She also suggested the American Heritage Dictionary. That's the one I'd get.

*goes off to read threads before class*

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Ydnam96 - Jan 24, 2005 9:07 am (#1423 of 2956)

Does the OED have just "proper" words or does it also have colloquial terms as well? I've often wondered about that. I should get one. I need a good dictionary as well. I've used this terribly old Websters that is falling apart or Dictionary.com.

Happy Monday all! I hope that those of you in the colder climates are staying warm. Smile

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Elanor - Jan 24, 2005 9:20 am (#1424 of 2956)

Hello everybody! I have great news for you all: I have just read on Mugglenet that yesterday 23th January, Jo has given birth to a healthy baby girl! It says also that more information will appear on her site soon!

Congratulations Jo!

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Sirius Lee - Jan 24, 2005 10:00 am (#1425 of 2956)

Well, after hiding in my apartment for two days, I finally had to emerge for work. It was sort of fun to stay inside eating junk food and watching tons of movies, but the aftermath is not nice. NYC is still pretty gross. The city requires people to shovel out their sidewalks, but no one bothers to clear off a spot to get ON the sidewalk! Needless to say, I arrived at work with soaking wet socks....

Can I vent for a moment? Would one of my fellow Americans explain to me why in the world do I keep watching Desperate Housewives?! It frustrates me to no end, I'm always yelling at the television and I always swear I'm never going to watch it again. Yet, every Sunday, after Extreme Home Makeover, I can't bring myself to change the channel. The madness must stop.

Off to catch up on two days’ worth of posts. Best of luck to everyone battling the snow!

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Julie Aronson - Jan 24, 2005 10:01 am (#1426 of 2956)

Conratulations, Rowling-Murray family!!!

Julie

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Helen Potterfan - Jan 24, 2005 10:15 am (#1427 of 2956)

Ydnam96, The OED has some colloquial terms (it depends on how widespread the usage is). It has more information on more words than any other dictionary. It also has the history of the words, including root origins and historical uses of the words. For that reason it is HUGE and very expensive. I never make my students buy it, and I don't own it myself. I always show my students how to access it online, but you have to have an account, so that's not feasible unless you're at a college that pays for a subscription. I always use the OED in my academic work, but I just look online. For everyday use, the American Heritage College Dictionary is a good choice.

BTW, in case you haven't heard, JKR delivered a healthy baby girl yesterday! CONGRATULATIONS J0!!!!!! The announcement on CBBC (BBC for children, I assume) also says that her name will be released on the web site!

EDIT: Elanor, you beat me to it!

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 24, 2005 10:32 am (#1428 of 2956)

Would one of my fellow Americans explain to me why in the world do I keep watching Desperate Housewives?!-- Sirius Lee

Well, perhaps the answer lies in the show you watch prior to Housewives . Personally, I am so sick of reality shows that I am likely to give anything fictional a fighting chance. What's more, since I've never been too fond of cop dramas or legal "dramas," this narrows my options quite a bit because I consequently don't give a hoot about any of the CSI's, Law and Orders, or Boston Legal. I like Housewives myself. Typically, my tv stays on Comedy Central except to watch The Simpsons .

CONGRATS JO!!!! Yay.

I was always under the impression that OED was fairly comprehensive of most words that are used in English.

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Gina R Snape - Jan 24, 2005 10:42 am (#1429 of 2956)

Woohoo! Congratulations Jo.

I do not watch any reality tv. It holds less than no interest for me. I've never watched Desperate Housewives, but I hear it is addicting. Best for me to stay away. . . My most recent favourite show 'Dead Like Me' was cancelled. So aside from QAF on Showtime (which has gone down in appeal for me), there's really nothing on tv right now that I enjoy except for reruns of Friends, SiTC and Will & Grace. Good thing I've got my computer!!!

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VeronikaG - Jan 24, 2005 11:35 am (#1430 of 2956)

Hi guys.

Still pretty cold in southern Norway, but not much snow. Just ice. Neat... About the expert predicting no more snow in our area, it's not one but many. Most of the respected Norwegian meteorologists say that the change of climate is final, and that from now on we can't expect much snow in the lowlands south of Oslo.

Speaking of high heeled shoes; My mom tells me I could never be a lady. I just can’t walk in them (while she can run). Once I borrowed her highest pair, with heels like 4" needles... and got stuck on the lawn.

Flame? Where are you lady?

It took me more than 3 months to finish LotR, while I read OotP in about a week. OK, I'm no speed reader.

And may I please have the link to the instructions on how to put a picture in a post? Thanks

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kabloink! - Jan 24, 2005 11:50 am (#1431 of 2956)

Okay, finally caught up enough to post. Here in Michigan, we have about 2 feet of snow-give or take a bit given the drifts and such. Saturday was crazy. I had went to my parents’ house, which is in Port Huron, quite close to the river and only about 5-6miles from the base of Lake Huron, on Thursday night so that on Friday I could hang out with my friend who had just turned 21 (in addition to spending family time and getting my hair dyed-I go to a cosmetology college, whose owner I've known since I was 8 or so). SO on Friday we hung out and talked (no, we weren't drinking any Firewhisky...we got to the restaurant and she decided she didn't feel like drinking) til about 4 in the morning, at which point it wasn't snowing. When we left for breakfast at 10:30am, we had a good 6 inches. I didn't make it back to Lansing like I was supposed to at all, given Blizzard conditions all day long. I was, however, out all day long, riding in my sister-in-law's boyfriend's 4-wheel-drive Trailblazer. We went to lunch, the mall, then the local UHL Hockey game-which we won! GO Beacons! And after that, I went out with some family. Yep out in it all day, but wouldn't drive home...

I feel like such a bad friend. I'm supposed to be the maid of honor for a friend of mine whom I grew up with. She asked me because she wanted someone to stand up for her that had known her mother, who died in August of 1996. We're not very close anymore, but when we were really young, we were inseparable. Anyway, I thought her wedding was October of 2006. WRONG! It's THIS year! SO now I have a bachelorette party and a shower to plan, that I so wasn't prepared for! Not to mention that my maid of honor is getting married in August, and the friend with whom I hung out this weekend is getting married Sept of 2006, and I'm not even in her wedding, but I volunteered to throw her a shower in Port Huron, because her mom and bridesmaids all live near Detroit, and can't really afford to throw a big enough one to encompass everyone from both areas! I think I'm just crazy.

Anyway, happy Monday to everyone. Sorry about the ranting, just had to share with someone. Good luck to everyone else who is wading through a couple feet of snow today!

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John Bumbledore - Jan 24, 2005 11:51 am (#1432 of 2956)

Squid Mike, hope you’re feeling better soon. Oh, wait, "nice" pills probably means you are feeling better... BTW, there is now scientific evidence that Mom's have the power of healing. Seems that "kiss the boo-boo" practice is beneficial in that it makes you feel loved which in-turn boosts your immune system. Same for morning kisses from your spouse. So seems you can't go wrong with an Rx of more snuggles and hugs, with rest.

S.Newton, Must have been a college like mine. Many of the other students there has a similar practice, with beverages.

Veronika: Is it true that if you go swimming with ear drain water will flow into your brain and kill you? Well, don't know if it would be that bad but, you can get a nasty infection from any ... erm, impurities, in the pool or bath water. Best to use earplugs, and keep your head above water. Now I would definitely not let my son swim in wild water like a lake or stream, so many nasty microscopic 'critters' in that water, and possibly get a parasite in there.. Awe, now I'm thinking of poor Chekov in the Star Trek III: Wrath of Khan movie...

Julia, congratulations! on getting in to Bill's class...

And congratulations! to Mr. Ep. on getting a Job.

And to anyone whom I may have missed: Thank you, happy Birthday, get well soon, sympathies, congratulations, good luck, or other ___________. (pick what applies and then remind me again.) I'm finding I need more reminders as time goes on.

<)B^D= (John) Bumbledore

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Sirius Lee - Jan 24, 2005 12:05 pm (#1433 of 2956)

To whomever mentioned Dead Like Me - I so loved that show the first season (second season went wayyy down) but was totally bummed when I heard it was cancelled. And I agree with QAF, which incidently is the only time I've ever thought the American version was superior to the British one.

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Gina R Snape - Jan 24, 2005 12:28 pm (#1434 of 2956)

That was me, Sirius Lee.

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Catherine - Jan 24, 2005 1:06 pm (#1435 of 2956)

Woo-hoo! Congratulations to Jo and her family! It's so nifty that her youngest shares my youngest's birthday.

Just to chime in on the TV addictions, I will say that I am currently on the TV wagon. I'd say for about the past 2-3 years, there's been no show that I feel like I have to watch, which is great . My friends have tried to hook me on Desperate Housewives, but so far I haven't seen a single episode. I kind of like the freedom. There was a time when I was a sucker for the NBC "Must See TV" lineup, and the home makeovers on HGTV. One of the very last shows I used to watch regularly was Law and Order **waves to Loopy Lupin** and Will and Grace **waves to Gina**

There was a period of time in college when a group of us were unnaturally obsessed with Guiding Light and The Young and the Restless, but thankfully that's all behind me now.

Now, I've probably replaced those addictions with Harry Potter and the Forum, but hey, I never claimed to be addiction-free!

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Julia. - Jan 24, 2005 1:32 pm (#1436 of 2956)

Wooooooo!! Mazel tov Jo on the birth of your daughter!! Have a butterbeer on me! *hands Jo butterbeer*

Oh, TV addictions. The only shows I really watch compulsively are ER and West Wing. I can't stand reality TV. When I was in high school I was all about 'Real World' and 'Road Rules,' but thank G-d, I've passed that phase in my life. Now, I'm not sure how this happened, but I've managed to get myself hooked on Project Runway on Bravo. This is a terrible reality show, that I don't particularly like, yet there I am, watching it every week.

I'm on IM with Veronika sorting her out with putting pics in posts. After that, I'm off to buy colored pencils. If I ever want to have a shot at understanding the Royal Genealogy of England (Edward III to Elizabeth I) I have got to make one gigantic family tree.

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Sirius Lee - Jan 24, 2005 1:59 pm (#1437 of 2956)

With the anti-reality shows vibe around here, I feel I must defend my love of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I have never been able to stomach any reality shows (Survivor, American Idol, etc) until this one. Most reality shows are based on manipulation, cat-fights, greed and portraying the worst of people. Home Makeover is just the opposite. For those who don't know, it's a show where a contractor and crew have one week to build a VERY deserving family a brand new home. These are people who have overcome great odds or are battling their children's deadly disease etc and have homes that are unlivable. It brings me to tears almost every week to see these amazing people crying or screaming with joy. Communities coming together to support and build each other up is the basis for THIS reality show.

The only problem is, I'm still wiping the tears away when Desperate Housewives starts and by then it's too late - I'm hooked. Thankfully, Sunday is the only night I'm glued to my TV (Will & Grace is a must, but usually only if I'm already home)

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VeronikaG - Jan 24, 2005 2:02 pm (#1438 of 2956)

Here is the result. A million thanks to Julia for showing me how to do it! Like she has a series of LM Rourkes pictures for her avatars, I plan on using pics from the old Pooh comics I loved as a kid (and still love), This one shows Piglet having a small mishap after stepping on a "catapult" during an honest(?) attempt at being a detective.

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Eponine - Jan 24, 2005 2:46 pm (#1439 of 2956)

Exteme Makeover: Home Edition always reduces me to a pile of blubblering goo at the end. I will watch American Idol occasionally, and I watched one season of The Amazing Race, but that was only because I knew one of the teams. Once they were off, I quit watching.

Well, I start teaching Wednesday. I went by the school today to see if I could find some lesson plans. There was not a one in sight. I'm hoping the current sub just took them home, and they will be back tomorrow. One of the teachers is going to e-mail me if they find them. I just don't want to show up Wednesday morning with no idea as to what the students are doing.

I hope everyone is having a great day!

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Accio Sirius - Jan 24, 2005 2:48 pm (#1440 of 2956)

Does Jo's new daughter share the same sign as Severus? That would be quite interesting!

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The giant squid - Jan 24, 2005 3:21 pm (#1441 of 2956)

Bumbledore, I did indeed receive plenty of cuddles & hugs from the missus. They do help in the healing process.

When it comes to TV, I'm a sitcom junkie. I'm not a big fan of reality shows--I watch TV to escape reality. My current new fave is "Committed" on NBC. It's quirky, funny and smart, so naturally it'll be cancelled soon.

Eponine: No worries, you'll do fine. The key is that the kids don't know that you don't know. Bluff 'em. If the missing lesson plans don't show up, you can always ask the class what they were studying--there's always a Hermione that'll speak up ("But we're not supposed to study werewolves util after Christmas!").

--Mike

P.S. Congratulations, Jo!!

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Sirius Lee - Jan 24, 2005 4:19 pm (#1442 of 2956)

I've spent my life as a sitcom junkie too, and only recently expanded the genres a bit. But I must say (and my best friends hits me whenever I say this), I hate Committed. It just feels like it's trying waaaay to hard and is yet another cookie-cutter sitcom. It's not original; it's been done and cancelled oh so many times before. (Plus the main girl’s voice drives me up the wall!) It reminds me too much of the AMERICAN version of Coupling, which was terrible. However the original British verision - now that's good comedy!

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Ydnam96 - Jan 24, 2005 4:34 pm (#1443 of 2956)

Congrats Jo, although I doubt you will be reading the forums anytime soon Smile

Can't wait to hear the name!!

I LOVE Extreeme Makeover Home Edition. It's so uplifting. It's the one show I watch that I don't feel extreemly guilty for watching. (Although...I love Alias too...but that show isn't as redeeming).

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 24, 2005 5:14 pm (#1444 of 2956)

Accio Sirius--No, Snape is a Capricorn. Who would've thought? Jo's daughter is an Aquarius. Which, I know from experience, produces simply fantastic people!

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Penny Lane. - Jan 24, 2005 6:21 pm (#1445 of 2956)

I remember the one episode of Coupling! (American Version - on NBC)

I hate to admit it, but i've fallen into the Reality TV trap. I never used to watch it, and I swore up and down on my mother’s grave... er.. when she dies?... that I would never ever watch it and like it. Well, this year my roommate has gotten me hooked on "Project Runway", "Love in in the Heir", and "Celebrity Fit Club" .. all of the shows are terrible, yet I think we like them because they are so bad and cheesy. We also watch Desperate Housewives, Boston Legal and Law and Order SVU. And then the DVD's come out, and we've been known to watch "Roswell" compulsively.

Oh, and there's a new show on the E! channel, where Wayne Newton picks the next great Vegas entertainer. It was actually fairly entertaining, i just with they would have shown more of the performances and less of the "drama" that people had in the preparation.

I don't really like sitcoms much, besides "NewsRadio" and "Arrested Development". Mostly, I find it easier to watch serial shows on DVD too.

Oh, and my dad is out of the hospital again, home and feeling much better. He has slight paralalsis in his right hand and is very tired and weak most of the time. Thank you all for your support, it really meant a lot to me.

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Madame Librarian - Jan 24, 2005 6:25 pm (#1446 of 2956)

Woo hoo for Jo!! You go, girl! Having had a high risk end of pregnancy/delivery as a mid-30s mom, I'm always a little nervous now for others who are past that age 35 point. All seems well. Hooray.

Yeah, I can't put my finger on the appeal of Desperate Housewives. My husband and I are hooked, too. I wonder if it's the oddball mix of over-the-top, give-me-a-break comedy that borders on slapstick (think I Love Lucy) that entails some tongue in cheek over acting with downright good acting when the subject shifts to a serious, not funny side. There seems to be a sophisticated playing off of these two extremes of mood. A balance is achieved. The fact that there are at least two or three murders that may have been committed (and a few more to come?) is part of the appeal for me--I love mysteries where you have a really good idea of whodunit, but can't quite pull the threads together.

The Shorter OED (in two volumes, but still heavy) is what we have at the librarian's desks. Of course, the huge one is on the reference shelf along with a bunch of others. I find the S-OED excellent. It's surely contemporary enough for me, but admittedly I am no skateboarder or techno-geek. I wonder if you could find a website that reviews and rates dictionaries. I'd take that tack if a library patron asked me about what's the best. Do a Google with a subject line like "reviews ratings english dictionaries." If memory serves, I remember reading a wonderfully helpful article in the NY Times Book Review a few years back that compared the major ones. Poke around on the Net, you may find good stuff to guide you.

Speaking of websites, Mr. Madame Librarian just introduced me to one--Answers.com. It's a free site that offers all kinds of information and...well, answers to just about anything. It does it's own thing plus offers links to well known sites like IMDB. It takes a few seconds to load each time, so beware of that slight delay. Worth it, according to my husband. I've just used it once or twice so far, but haven't put it through it's paces yet.

Ciao. Barb

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The giant squid - Jan 25, 2005 12:41 am (#1447 of 2956)

Sirius Lee, I admit Committed is a bit cookie cutter-ish (although how many previous shows have featured a dying clown living in a closet?). Then again, I was a big fan of a show called "Misfits of Science" back in the mid-80's...it ran 6 episodes and is notable only for being Courtney Cox's first acting gig. I just have a habit of liking shows with a limited shelf life.

--Mike

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Elanor - Jan 25, 2005 12:50 am (#1448 of 2956)

It works! Phew! When I tried and log in this morning, the Forum didn't work anymore, I was fearing it had something to do with my computer but I saw Kip's message trying to log in via the Lexicon forum's button. Any idea what happened?

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septentrion - Jan 25, 2005 12:59 am (#1449 of 2956)

Congrats Jo ! You achieved your dream of being a mother of three !

Thanks everyone for your nice advice about dictionaries. I'll certainly use your tip, madame Librarian.

About reality TV, we have those shows here. Most are imported (not only from the US)and adapted to the french audience. Each time I tried to watch one, I got bored within less than two minutes. Yet there is currently one show which sounds interesting but I never manage to watch it. It's about a young chief to whom the channel paid his own restaurant (or helped him to pay it, I'm not sure). Now he has several apprentices and the show is about how he teaches them, what happens. That could be the way to learn about work in restaurants but maybe because it's relating to cooking, I just never watched it.

edit : Hi Elanor !

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Caput Draconis - Jan 25, 2005 1:20 am (#1450 of 2956)

Hey, is that restaurant show the one with Jaimie Oliver, the Naked Chef? I watched bits and pieces of that one, I think the restaurant they all started is still going...I heard they just got sued for overcharging on beans, or something.

Just to say that since the first Survivor I am a helpless reality tv junkie. Love it all. We get imports, then if they're successful some foolish person has the idea of making a local version, which more often than not is really bad. Current example: Australia's Next Top Model. And local Queer Eye. Sigh. We're just about to enter ratings season again, the hype for Desperate Housewives (everyone in the US is addicted thus you should be too etc etc) is quite intense. Lost is being hyped too, yay for JJ shows. It all begins next week...

Lady Arabella Mon Jan 05, 2015 8:26 pm

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Elanor - Jan 25, 2005 1:34 am (#1451 of 2956)

Hi Sept! And Caput Draconis!

I am like you, Septentrion, I never watch reality shows because I get bored at once and I have the feeling that I'm watching a 2 hours long add, for which I would have to pay moreover!

The only show that hooks me is ER, I'm addict, hopeless, for years. And we won't have the next season before next September... **sigh**

So, I don't watch TV very often, though today I will maybe watch a DVD or 2 because I am stuck at home with a nasty little virus. Nearly half of the kids of my class got it those last weeks and they finally gave it to me. That's an occupational hazard! I feel peaky but I know it should only last for 2 days. At least, I will have some time for catching up with the threads!

Have a great day/night everybody!

Edit: Eponine, about the lessons plans, one thing that works very well for a first day is revisions. If you manage to know what they studied in the last weeks, then you will be able to do one or two lessons of revisions without problem.

I will give you the advice an experienced teacher gave me when I started to teach: to always have some written work handy to give to the kids, it is the best way for having a class under control for the first hours or when the kids start to become fidgety and you fear you don't know how to calm them down. I tried it when I started teaching and it works! But you will see that after some time, it becomes easy to see when the cauldron starts to bubble a little too much and how to reduce heat under it. Another thing that works is to take a book and start reading them, it always work!

Another advice I can give you is not to talk too much. It was a fault I made when I started, the way you move, the way you look at the kids is at least as important as what you tell them. When one goes too far, I just stop what I was doing (talking, writing on the blackboard), I fix my gaze on him without saying a word but looking very severe. Very often it is far more efficient than yelling and it is less energy consuming for you.

I hope it will help! I'm not worried, you'll be perfect!

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Marè- Jan 25, 2005 1:46 am (#1452 of 2956)

::waves to all people currently online...::

Sep, thank you for the FNAC adress, I wouldn't have taken it for a bookstore on sight. (The books are in the back, the DVD's and technical gadgets are what you see when you enter the store)
But yeeey! I found books I can read! (as opposed to, have to translate )

I am currently in a "have no tv" period. And allthough I'm doing fine I miss my favourite shows. I help myself with transcripts...
What do you mean completely spoiled when I will be able to see them.

And as for high heels (love the image you put in my mind Veronika, stuck in the lawn? LOL!) I'm no doctor, but I don't think it is healthy for a child in it's "growing" years to wear high heels as normal everyday shoes. The muscels (mucsels?? whatever) which go from your leg to your foot are at their longest when your foot is flat on the ground. Walking around a lot on your toes, so to say, is not really healthy for the development of that muscle. (hey I got it!)
Mine where short be nature... and operation and revalidation is not fun.
Man takes of the plaster. Little Steffie is all excited: "Now I can run and swim and join in gymnastics again!" Man:"I don't think so. Little Steffie:"Sure I can!" and jumps of the table to prove it. My mum and the man weren't fast enough to catch me... How was I supposed to know that after 2 months of having my legs in plaster they wouldn't be able to carry me anymore??

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septentrion - Jan 25, 2005 4:06 am (#1453 of 2956)

Sorry for you, Elanor ! being ill is always a nasty thing. I think your advice with children would fit with adults too. They can be as poisonous as kids, especially when they forget they're no more kids. In fact, I often happen to forget I'm an adult BTW what's ER ? I don't know a TV show with that name.

Caput Draconis, that restaurant isn't the one with Jaime Oliver. The show I was speaking of is a family-friendly aired at prime-time, so you're not supposed to see a naked chief.

Hi Marè ! I'm glad you found books to read. Am I to understand you once had troubles with your legs ? No fun when it happens to you and when you have to relearn how to walk.

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Julie Aronson - Jan 25, 2005 4:53 am (#1454 of 2956)

One of my favorite TV shows right now is "Monk." I finally got to see the season premier last night, and while it was a bit predictable, I'm pleased that I still like it now that it's in the third season and even though they've replaced a main character.

Julie

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Elanor - Jan 25, 2005 7:07 am (#1455 of 2956)

Septentrion ER is "Urgences" in French (stands for Emergency Room I think). And I agree, some adults sometimes deserve what I call the "à la" McGonagall look... It snows again a little here and it is very cold, is it the same in the North?

And you Marè, did you have some snow in Brittany? I do believe that the reeducation of your legs was not fun at all. I'm sure you appreciated the day it was finished!

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Essidji - Jan 25, 2005 7:34 am (#1456 of 2956)

Monk... this a definitely good program IMO.

Thanks for the links about dictionnaries, they're very useful.

Talking about the weather in France, here in Lorraine it's rather cold (-4°c / around 25°F?), and snowy enough to pour the fields of white dust. Maybe in the mountains of the Vosges there is enough snow to allow the opening of all the skiing stations...

Edit : Hello Sept, Elanor, Marè!!!!!

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septentrion - Jan 25, 2005 7:36 am (#1457 of 2956)

No snow here, just a cold, icy and sunny weather (yes, sunny).

edit : *waves to essidji !*

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Helen Potterfan - Jan 25, 2005 7:53 am (#1458 of 2956)

Hi everyone, glad the forum's back up!

HBP News: The American edition will be 672 pages. There is also a "Deluxe Edition" going for $42 with 32 enlarged illustrations. It has 704 pages. Page numbers are now listed on Scholastic, BN.com, Amazon, and other book sites, and confirmed on TLC. I'm wondering if that means 32 chapters. We'll see!

TV...I, too watched "Dead Like Me." I didn't watch every week, I'd wait for a lazy weekend (i.e., when I felt lazy, not when I had nothing to do, because that never happens) and play half a season at once from Showtime on Demand. I agree, "QAF" has gone downhill. I don't watch anymore. I loved the first season of "Gilmore Girls," and I still watch it, but it's not as good now. My husband watches "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition", so I get sucked in every weekend. One of my friends has been trying to get me to watch "Desperate Housewives", but so far I've resisted because I don't have time to be addicted to another show!

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Winky Woo - Jan 25, 2005 8:14 am (#1459 of 2956)

Hey Guys!

JKR has named the baby....! Id never have guessed that name in a million years!

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Julia. - Jan 25, 2005 8:17 am (#1460 of 2956)

Wooo! I went to sleep last night, forum was down. I wake up this morning, forum's up Yay!

Royal genealogy is very confusing. I'm making a gigantic family tree of England's royal family going from Edward III to Elizabeth I. This is not going well. Everyone is named Edward, Richard or Henry, and there are lots of cousins marrying each other. Very confusing.

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Madame Librarian - Jan 25, 2005 8:20 am (#1461 of 2956)

Boy, Accio, you are quick. I was going to post that yesterday but the Forum went all wonky. Sigh. At least it wasn't just my computer.

If you visit the Leaky Cauldron, the "what's new" for Jan. 24, has a link to the Scholastic Customer Service page which tells the full story on the various editions.

I wonder if the 706-page expanded special edition with the black and white drawings are ones done by Mary Grandpré. Probably says who on the website and I just missed it.

Have a good one today.

Ciao. Barb

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Ydnam96 - Jan 25, 2005 8:22 am (#1462 of 2956)

Julia, it is difficult. I was doing a little personal research and I got so confused. I believe the royal website has a pretty good tree there. I'm sure you've looked there though Smile

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VeronikaG - Jan 25, 2005 8:31 am (#1463 of 2956)

I can't believe I forgot to say it... Congratulations Jo!

The one thing I know about royal families is that they are inbred. They couldn't have any, you know, half-blood princes. And as they all are named after the grandparents, and they all have the same grandparents, the names are sort of similar. Good luck on the project, Julia!

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Helen Potterfan - Jan 25, 2005 8:36 am (#1464 of 2956)

Barb, I also tried to post last night, but couldn't get on.

In other Potter news, PoA was nominated for two Academy Awards: "Best Visual Effects" and "Best Score".

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Marè- Jan 25, 2005 8:49 am (#1465 of 2956)

Hi everybody,
No snow here, just clouds... Sad

And about reeducating my legs (nice expression) It went so gradually that you don't really notice. I can't remember when wheelchair or crutches had to go back, I do remember being very happy when I could jump again and when I could (sort of) run again... Must have looked silly though...

And Julia, royal genealogy is really very simple: take one name and tag several numbers to it when you get further down the tree! That's all there is to it, really. Chat & Greetings 2005 1003735042

Veronika, I like your avatar, even though piglet’s bottom half is the only thing we see, he still manages to be cute!

And on a last note: sending well wishes to Elanor!

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From Venus - Jan 25, 2005 8:49 am (#1466 of 2956)

CONGRATULATIONS, JO AND NEIL, ON YOUR NEW LITTLE BUNDLE OF JOY. I WISH HER A WONDERFUL LIFE!!!!

What wonderful news! I'm so happy for the Rowling/Murray family. New babies are sooooo great!!

I REFUSE to watch any reality shows. When I watch TV, I want to see a GOOD show with GOOD actors and a GOOD script. I don't want to see some quasi-real show with a quasi-real premise done by people that aren't even professionals. My two favorite shows right now are Monk and Joan of Arcadia. They both have great writing, great acting and they can both surprise me week after week. The only other things I currently watch on TV is sports (football and baseball), and the weather.

Speaking of the weather, it looks like here in southern Indiana we will be having a peachy week! The sun is shining and the temperature is going to be in the mid to upper 40's. Not bad at all. Well, have a great day everyone!

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Catherine - Jan 25, 2005 8:57 am (#1467 of 2956)

How wonderful that JKR has shared her new baby's name with us. Welcome to Miss Murray, and please let your mom get some sleep!

Elanor, feel better soon.

Hope everyone in the Northeast has dug themselves out of the snowdrifts. **waves to Lupin is Lupin who shoveled lots of snow yesterday!** Accio Sirius, hope that Mr. Accio is home soon, if not already.

Julia, those pesky royals! I think your project sounds fun, actually. **ducks the rotten tomatoes**

Have a good Tuesday.

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kabloink! - Jan 25, 2005 9:10 am (#1468 of 2956)

As far as TV shows go, the only reality show that I am REALLY into is American Idol. My husband and I both love to sing, and we are karaoke junkies, so it is a fun show for us. I don't have cable anymore, but last week we bought an antenna so that I could watch the premier of AMerican Idol. The shows that I am really missing, though, are Sex and the City (The TBS version) and Charmed.

As for the British family tree...I used to have a beautiful family tree of the British monarchy that went all the way back to before the Norman Conquest, but I have since lost it, or as it wasn't laminated, it has been ruined. I am, however, taking a British history class on the government of Britain. Given that up until the Glorious (heh) Revolution of 1688, the monarch WAS the government, I have a couple of geneaologies that My prof has handed out. Julia, if I could help you at all, feel free to email me-the British monarchy (especially the Tudors and Stuarts) is an obsession of mine, not to mention my area of specialization in my history major!

EDIT: Congrats JO!!!

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 25, 2005 10:11 am (#1469 of 2956)

Julia, I'm positive there must be some sites or books that have done the tree you speak of already. I don't know if this is a project you are doing for credit or something you're using for personal reference, but I can't believe it hasn't been done before. Anyway, my point is, there ought to be reference materials out there to help you.

Yay for the POA nominations!

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Mrs. Sirius - Jan 25, 2005 1:15 pm (#1470 of 2956)

Julia, if you ever get stuck on any question on the royal family of England let me know. My mother-in-law is a fanatic on the subject. She has researched it for years and years. She has more chart and graphs on the subject than they do. Never has the time come when she hasn't answered a question on the subject that beyond sufficiency.

Yeah to JK and her family!! Babies really are so wonderful!

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I Am Used Vlad - Jan 25, 2005 1:45 pm (#1471 of 2956)

I couldn't get to the forum last night, either. It made me wonder if I spend too much time here when I thought, "what am I going to do now?"

Congrats to Jo and hubby.

Elanor, you said that it snowed where you live. You live near Lyon, don't you?

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Elanor - Jan 25, 2005 2:00 pm (#1472 of 2956)

Yes, I live in the Lyon region, about 100 km north-west far from Lyon, in a very small town. In fact, we're on the border of different regions: Auvergne, Burgundy, the Lyon region: here, exactly. Do you know this region?

Julia, when I was an history student I loved to make charts because I always thought it was easier to learn something you actually wrote than just read. I also loved to do chronological "stripes" because it is the best way for connecting events, people, works with their time and evolutions in the long term. You could even say I was a chronology freak! Good luck for your chart!

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I Am Used Vlad - Jan 25, 2005 2:11 pm (#1473 of 2956)

Elanor, I don't know the region yet, but I am going to visit my nephew, who is doing an internship in Europe this winter, next month. I'm going to meet him at The Three Valleys, which is not that far from Lyon. Needless to say, I'm hoping for lots of snow. I think where I'm going to be is due east of Lyon, but it's still not far from you.

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Julia. - Jan 25, 2005 2:31 pm (#1474 of 2956)

Thanks for all the help offers guys! My professor would never assign something this long and complicated. I'm making the chart for my own personal reference, but I'm going to try to talk her into giving me extra credit. They have the chart in the back of my Shakespeare text book, but it's in three different parts. I want to combine them into one uber-chart, and this is proving difficult. However, as much as I appreciate the offers of places to look, I want to figure it out on my own. My inner Hermione (see avatar) is telling me that it's the best way for me to learn it.

Well, off to check the threads, set up my new printer, do some reading and back to the genealogy chart!

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Elanor - Jan 25, 2005 2:36 pm (#1475 of 2956)

That's great Vlad! This is a beautiful region, but I visited it only once, though it is only about 250 km far from my town (I'm scared on skis). But I know a lot of people who often go there and have a lot of fun skiing and hiking there.

Do you know this site? Les 3 vallées (they have an English version of the site). It will give you a lot of details about the region, the activities, the weather... A LOT of snow felt there those last days, actually they even fear avalanches in the region, and I have no doubt there will still be a lot of snow there in February. Even if it should melt a little, these are famous mountain resorts and they have some snow cannons when there is not enough real snow.

I hope you will have a lot of fun! If you need any information about the region, just ask! Before being a teacher I worked in a Tourist Office and I still know where the right information is.

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Catherine - Jan 25, 2005 2:47 pm (#1476 of 2956)

Elanor,

You're scary sometimes. Brilliant, but scary. Next thing we know, you'll be telling us all about Hogwarts, A History!

**tips hat to Elanor of the uber-knowledge!

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I Am Used Vlad - Jan 25, 2005 2:52 pm (#1477 of 2956)

Thanks for the link, Elanor. I read about the avalanche danger last night (when I couldn't get on the forum). If I need any info, I'll Email you, but right now all I have to do is learn to speak French in 30 days and somehow make the dollar recover.

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Catherine - Jan 25, 2005 2:55 pm (#1478 of 2956)

I'll be really impressed if Elanor can pull THAT out of the hat, Vlad!

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Elanor - Jan 25, 2005 3:08 pm (#1479 of 2956)

LOL Catherine! Well I'm afraid you're right and there is nothing I can do about that... Except maybe give you that French sentence Vlad: "S'il vous plait, parlez-vous anglais?" (please, do you speak English?), if you add a nice smile, it should be enough for surviving... This one: "où est l'Office du Tourisme, s'il vous plait?" (where is the Tourist Office, please?) is handy too because you will always find someone who speaks English there and more, someone who will be able to help you whatever you need! Don't hesitate to email me anyway.

As for Hogwarts, a history, if only... LOL!

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I Am Used Vlad - Jan 25, 2005 3:46 pm (#1480 of 2956)

"S'il vous plait, parlez-vous anglais?" If it's enough for surviving, it's all I need to know.

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From Venus - Jan 25, 2005 5:05 pm (#1481 of 2956)

Vlad, you might also want to find out how to ask for the restroom.

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Tomoé - Jan 25, 2005 6:18 pm (#1482 of 2956)

Congratulations for your Shakespeare class, Julia!

I'm glad Sirius was adopted Catherine.

Mike -> It was elective surgery, but somehow that doesn't make it hurt less.

I sympathize with your pain, I got a car accident three years ago and cut myself to the bone on the forehead in the process. They sewed it back, but the main goal was to keep me alive not to do the best looking work. The result was pretty good, but a bit rough, the scar was bumpy. Two years later, they propose to correct it, so I said yes, it couldn't hurt. For two weeks after the operation, I was asking myself "What I was thinking! It wasn't that bad before! I didn't need the surgery at all! Why did I stupidly say yes?". A year later, I'm glad I did say yes, it's almost invisible now. My pirate look is ruined, but it won't get in the way if I try to get a new job. So I hope you'll get better soon.

Marie E, no one was left out at boop's meeting last year, well, maybe Moaning Myrtle's dad, but he was there mainly to keep a eye on his daughter.

Edit: Here's how to ask for restroom in French, Où sont les toilettes, s'il-vous-plaît? or S'il-vous-plaît, où sont les toilettes?

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Catherine - Jan 25, 2005 6:41 pm (#1483 of 2956)

Où sont les toilettes, s'il-vous-plaît? or S'il-vous-plaît, où sont les toilettes?

Bless, you, Tomoe! Or....Bouilliobaisse?

**just kidding, I know how to find the restroom most places I go**

Have a good night.

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Gina R Snape - Jan 25, 2005 7:34 pm (#1484 of 2956)

I don't know about the usefulness of learning just a handful of foreign phrases. If you ask someone in french 'Where is the bathroom?' they will think you understand french and answer back in french! Then you will not only not understand the answer, but you will have wasted time talking when you've really got to go!

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Amilia Smith - Jan 25, 2005 8:22 pm (#1485 of 2956)

Pray they just point.

Mills.

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Mrs. Sirius - Jan 25, 2005 9:24 pm (#1486 of 2956)

A trick I learned when in France (I didn't speak French). When I approached someone, I first asked in French,

"do you speak Spanish"? When they said no, I would ask in French,

"do you speak English?"

I found that people were more helpful and likely to respond in English when I did that rather, than to ask if they spoke English first or to ask in English.

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The giant squid - Jan 26, 2005 1:03 am (#1487 of 2956)

I know how to find the restroom most places I go

I've found that crossing my legs and putting a look of extreme urgency on my face usually works. For difficult people you can hop up & down a bit as well.

My crowning acheivement in college was when my roommate taught me how to say, "I'm sorry, I don't speak French"...in French. You know, just to confuse people. Alas (earwax), I've since forgotten the phrase.

Apparently this Forum outage occurred after I logged off last night, because it was fine while I was here. Just goes to show, I miss all the exciting stuff!

--Mike

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Elanor - Jan 26, 2005 1:43 am (#1488 of 2956)

LOL Mike! "Je suis désolé, je ne parle pas français" should be the phrase you forgot... It reminds me of a sentence I had learnt by heart for a German exam when I was in High School (I was hopeless in German), it was something like "Ich habe nicht verstanden, konnen Sie wiederholen bitte?" (I have not understood, would you repeat please?). Actually, it is nearly all that I remember in German now!

Vlad, don't worry, you will find a lot of people willing to help you. Well, we often butcher English when we speak it, but speaking with the hands helps a lot!

It started to snow again about half an hour ago and the streets are already white whith snow. Brr..

Have a nice night/day everyone!

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septentrion - Jan 26, 2005 4:22 am (#1489 of 2956)

Hi everyone !

No snow here but it gets colder every day.

I remember more German than you, Elanor : ich habe Deutsch gelernt (I've learnt German), but I can't come with more than that, except for some magical words such as Danke (thanks) or bitter schön (please).

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Phoenix song - Jan 26, 2005 4:45 am (#1490 of 2956)

Hello everyone! I've been missing out on your excellent posts and great company lately...again. I hope that you can all forgive me if I've marked the "read" button, as there are over 200 posts here alone for me to catch up on.

As many of you know, I've been helping to take care of my ill father for some time now. He passed away last Friday morning after an extended battle with cancer. We're all heartbroken but very relieved that he's not living life in such suffering any longer.

We've been living with his dying for so long now that it will take some adjusting for us to begin "living" once more. I'm sure that anyone that's been in a similar situation can understand. So much of your time and energy can be spent helping out an ill loved one that you lose touch with those things that most people take for granted... like shopping, going out to movies/restaurants, seeing friends, watching TV.

I want to express my deep appreciation to all of those members that helped me last fall when I first disclosed my father's condition. Your support has made it easier for me to accept and speak about such a painful matter. Thank you all so much. I'm looking forward to moving on to happier times and more pleasant memories in the future, and to sharing them with all of you. THANKS!

Barbie

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septentrion - Jan 26, 2005 5:06 am (#1491 of 2956)

Welcome back Barbie ! I'm sorry for your father, but I too understand your relief not to see him suffering anymore. Live your life to honour his memory !

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Catherine - Jan 26, 2005 5:13 am (#1492 of 2956)

Welcome back, Barbie. I'm sure that this is a busy time for you and your family, but we hope to see more of you when you have time. I'm sorry that your father was so ill for so long, and I am sure that you miss him very much. I'm very sorry for his loss.

My local newspaper tells me that today is "National Compliment Day," and that to observe this holiday, I am to compliment (not complement **waves to Chemyst**) at least five people. So I'll just say how much I enjoy everyone's company here on the Forum, and now I only have four more to go.

Of course, the same newspaper also says that it is 'National School Nurse Day." Perhaps I should issue a compliment to all of the excellent school nurses out there and have three more to go...

Happy Wednesday to everyone.

EDIT: How cool that I have post # 1492.

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Pinky - Jan 26, 2005 5:56 am (#1493 of 2956)

Ah yes, Catherine - in 14hundred and 92, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.... I assume that's why that post is cool?

Barbie, many hugs to you and your family.

Like others, I learned one of the best lines was "nu vorbesc romenishta (I don't speak Romanian), do you speak Anglais?" Also, "that" is a very good word to learn in the foreign language - it comes in handy while shopping. Oh - and if you plan on using a debit card, make sure you know your password numbers. I had learned mine according to the letters that correspond with the numbers, and when I went overseas, the ATMs didn't have the letters - just the numbers! So I had to figure out what letters went where, and then learn the numbers.

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Catherine - Jan 26, 2005 6:07 am (#1494 of 2956)

Ah yes, Catherine - in 14hundred and 92, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.... I assume that's why that post is cool? –Pinky

Yes, but isn't it also Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington's birth year as well? Oh, well, I didn't mean to lose my head with the excitement.

Have a great day, everyone.

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 26, 2005 7:00 am (#1495 of 2956)

Yes, but isn't it also Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington's birth year as well? – Catherine

No, that would be his death year. Sheesh!

Hey Julia! I'm trying to remember a Jewish dish a friend made. (At least it was presented as a Jewish dish.) I think it was called "health salad" if that rings a bell. It has cabbage (softened with kosher salt) and other veggies. I'm trying to find a recipe to make for my Grandmother's 80'th birthday party. I thought a Jewish salad would be good to serve in a Methodist Church (where the party is) especially since her first husband was Catholic. Very Happy

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mollis - Jan 26, 2005 7:03 am (#1496 of 2956)

Barbie ~ I am so sorry to hear of your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this difficult time.

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Catherine - Jan 26, 2005 7:14 am (#1497 of 2956)

No, that would be his death year. Sheesh! --Loopy Lupin

Oopsie. Looks like I really did lose my head. How silly to type the word birth instead of death.

May I compliment you on your swift correction, Loopy? Now, just three more to go....

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 26, 2005 8:05 am (#1498 of 2956)

You may compliment me, certainly. Very Happy

Sorry, if I was being more insufferable than "know-it-all" there. Razz

(I'm lost. Three more what to go?)

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Julia. - Jan 26, 2005 8:09 am (#1499 of 2956)

Good morning everyone.

Barbie, I'm so sorry for your loss. I think you've got the right idea in being relieved that he lead a full, happy life, and that he is no longer suffering. *hugs*

Loopy, I have no idea what you're talking about. Health salad with cabbage in it? Nothing about Jewish cooking is healthy. Can you ask your friend what it was called and what else was in it?

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From Venus - Jan 26, 2005 8:13 am (#1500 of 2956)

Barbie, I am sorry for your loss, and I am also happy for your father that his suffering is now over. My mother died of cancer back in 1998, and my father took care of her at home for about a year before she died. We all took turns spending some time with them to give Dad a break, but he did almost all the caregiving. It was very hard. Her death was bittersweet, we missed her dreadfully, but were also so relieved that her suffering was over and she was at last at peace.

I take care of my invalid mother-in-law in my home now. She is not dealing with any life-threatening disease, but she cannot walk or talk or do anything for herself due to a number of ailments, and so it is a full time job caring for her. I am the one who must get her up and washed and dressed and fed and then put back to bed in the evening. Sometimes there seems to be no end in sight. It is very hard because I wish her wellness, and long life, but how much longer can I do this? It's been 4 long years now, and although she is 84 years old, she could live to be in her 90's. Her mother was 98 when she died. I just hope that I am up to the task.

So, Barbie, I feel for you and your family, I will remember you and your Dad in my prayers. Peace be with you.

EDIT: I don't have a recipe for health salad, but I have gotten it from the deli section of the grocery store. It is mostly cabbage with just a little oil and vinegar dressing, kind of dull tasting I thought, but then, most healthy things are, aren't they?

Lady Arabella Mon Jan 05, 2015 8:27 pm

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Ydnam96 - Jan 26, 2005 8:33 am (#1501 of 2956)

Barbie, you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers!

So, I woke up in the middle of the night because I was hearing this really strange noise from my bathroom. My cat was in there trying to dig (fruitlessly) through the bathtub. I shooed him out of the bathroom but still hear noises. I have come to the conclusion that there is some sort of animal living underneath my modular unit (I live/work as a Residence Director on a college campus and we live in modular homes- think trailers- so they are not on solid foundations but raised up a bit). I know we have racoons around here and I have heard it is not strange for animals to live under there...so now my cat is in the bathroom attempting to attack whatever is under there because he can hear it scratching but can't see or smell it. It's quite humorous actually. Smile

I just heard that there was a horrible accident this morning near here in LA with a metro train. I am going to go watch the news.

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Elanor - Jan 26, 2005 9:04 am (#1502 of 2956)

Barbie, I'm so sorry for your loss too (I've just emailed you), you're in my thoughts and prayers.

From Venus, my mother did what you're just doing with her mother-in-law so, believe me, I understand perfectly how you're feeling. I wish you strength and patience and I hope you manage to find some moments just for you, outside the house. I remember well how my Mom appreciated those little "escapes" she managed to do from time to time. They gave her the strength to carry on.
Take heart!

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Catherine - Jan 26, 2005 9:19 am (#1503 of 2956)

(I'm lost. Three more what to go?) --Loopy Lupin

My first post today mentioned that it is, supposedly, "National Compliment Day" Observances requires one to give 5 compliments.

By the way, I never knew that salad could be religious, but live and learn! Although, now that I reflect upon it, my friend does have a breakfast casserole that she calls the "Methodist ladies' casserole." So maybe that is, by default, a Methodist casserole.

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Julie Aronson - Jan 26, 2005 9:44 am (#1504 of 2956)

Loopy,

If you want a Jewish dish that is good for a potluck, may I recommend Lockshen (noodle) Kugel (pronounced with a hard "g")? It's excellent hot or at room temperature, and any leftovers (not that you should expect any) freeze great!

1 lb extra wide egg noodles

1 8 oz brick of cream cheese, cut into 1/4" chunks (lowfat neufchatel works well here)

1 32 oz container of cottage cheese (I use 1% or Light and Lively)

1/2 c sour cream (again, I use light, but not fat-free)

2 large eggs, gently beaten

half a stick of butter (use real butter here)

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Boil noodles according to directions on package. Drain them, but do not rinse. Using the pan you boiled the noodles in as a mixing bowl, combine noodles, cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, eggs, salt, and pepper. While you're mixing all this together, melt the butter in the oven in an appropriately-sized casserole dish. Use a flat one for more crust, or a deep one for more of the soft inside stuff. You want a beurre noisette, or browned butter, but be careful, as it will go from a warm, nutty brown to miserably burnt quickly.

When the butter is properly melted and browned, pour it into the noodle and cheese mixture, but leave a little bit in the casserole dish. There is no need to measure here, just don't be too careful about getting it all out! Mix the butter into the noodles and them dump the whole mess into the HOT casserole dish--it should start to sizzle immediately. Place the pan into the center of the oven and bake for about 60-75 minutes, but start checking at 45 minutes. It should be crusty and a dark golden brown.

YUMMY!!!!

Note: Many traditions make this as a sweet item, but my Russian/Lithuanian background offers this as a savory dish.

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 26, 2005 9:44 am (#1505 of 2956)

Oops. That's what I get for hitting "recent" and skipping a bijillion posts. Let me compliment you, though, on trying to compliment everyone. Razz

I also noticed that "The Village" was nominated for an Oscar for its score. After I regained consciousness, I had forgotten what made me pass out in the first place and thought maybe checking the Oscar site for a full list of nominees would make me feel better. Needless to say I hit the deck again and now have a cold compress on my head. So, now this piece of crap will have "Oscar nominee" splathered on its DVD box. I can't take it.

EDIT-- Thanks for the recipe. Sounds savory. Smile

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Julie Aronson - Jan 26, 2005 9:45 am (#1506 of 2956)

Barbie,

My deepest sympathies go out to you and your family at this difficult time.

Julie

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Julie Aronson - Jan 26, 2005 9:47 am (#1507 of 2956)

Man, The Village stank! I was so appalled by the movie that I can't remember anything about the music. I just get a static-like buzzing in my brain...

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Julie Aronson - Jan 26, 2005 9:48 am (#1508 of 2956)

You're welcome--let me know how it works out if you decide to try it!

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Sirius Lee - Jan 26, 2005 9:52 am (#1509 of 2956)

Barbie, my deepest sympathies to you and your family. Having been there myself with my own father and recently my grandmother, I understand the emotional swirl you're going through - happy they are out of pain, but missing them so. You will be in my thoughts and prayers as you begin to heal and reemerge into the outside world. God bless you and your family.

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Marè- Jan 26, 2005 10:20 am (#1510 of 2956)

Hi Julie,
one tip, if you have multiple things to post in a short time frame, use the "edit" button to add text to an older post. (It's on the right of your name, first of the little line of buttons)

You can edit up onto 30 minutes after your initial post. Seeing how you’re not a premium member, you can only make ten posts a day Sad

So adding text to your previous posts allows you to make more posts!

As we always love to hear from people... more posts is definitely better!

Hope that helped.

PS Barbie, my sympathies. One of my best friends lost her mother in the christmas holidays. Her mother has been very ill for five years, so their situation is similar yours. Sad and relieved at the same time.
Strength to you!

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librarian314 - Jan 26, 2005 10:34 am (#1511 of 2956)

Hey all!

Barbie - Having lost several loved ones to cancer, I can fully understand both the sadness of the loss and the relief that they are no longer suffering. I find comfort in enjoying the things they enjoyed. When I garden I remember my mother, grandfathers, and grandmother-in-law; when I sew, my mother and grandmother. I also try to remember to laugh. It often seems inappropriate to laugh whilst in mourning, but laughter is good for us and our loved ones would want to see us happy. So pick your favorite comic strip/sit-com/comedy movie and watch it in honor of your dad (or pick his favorite as another way to remember the good times.) and laugh away. I hope you and yours find the comfort you deserve during this trying time.

To those taking care of elderly relatives: You are angels! Looking after the elderly is so much harder than looking after little kids, primarily because there is usually no end in sight and often things just keep getting worse. Remember to ask for help and to take care of yourself. I often helped my mother-in-law care for her mother. I'd run errands, cook, tidy, or just visited my grandmother-in-law, so that my mother-in-law could get other things done or get out by herself occasionally.

Now on a much lighter note: I was pretty disappointed in the movies this past year. There seems to me to be years where there are a bunch of really great movies and so ones that deserve to be recognized, aren't and then years like last year, where in some categories it seems that people will be celebrating the best of a mediocre lot.

It's also possible for movies to be bad but still have parts that deserve recognition. Having studied to be a theatrical costumer as part of my undergrad, costuming is one of those categories. There have been some pretty awful films that have had great costumes/been nominated in the costume category. (How the Grinch Stole Xmas and 102 Dalmatians to list a pair of recent ones.)

Anyway, y'all take care and hugs to those that need them!

**michelle the librarian**

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Accio Sirius - Jan 26, 2005 10:37 am (#1512 of 2956)
Edited by Jan 26, 2005 9:37 am

Barbie, I am so sorry for your loss. Your family is in my thoughts. Glad to see you out and about on the forum.

Loopy, Funny you should mention a cabbage recipe. I just bought the stuff for such a dish for tonight, although I don't know if it is a Jewish recipe or not. My brother-in-law made it for us a while ago and it was surprisingly good. It's fairly simple too, just chopped fresh cabbage sautéed in a big pan with olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, a splash of malt vinegar and peeled and chopped granny smith apples. It's a nice winter side dish.

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mike miller - Jan 26, 2005 10:42 am (#1513 of 2956)

Barbie - My deepest sympathies. Know that you and your family are in our thoughts and prayers. My mother-in-law took care of her husband for some time and it is both painful and a kind of release when a loved one no longer suffers.

CONGRATS Jo & Family on your new little bundle of joy!

On the reality TV front, I refuse. About the only thing I watch on network television is the news and sporting events. However, I'm a sucker for the science and history programs. My nine year old daughter just loves any of the home fix it shows. I don't let her watch Clean Sweep as I think those people have no respect for a persons memories.

It would seem I've painted myself into a corner when it comes to pot luck food events. We're having a Super Bowl thing next week at work and I've been asked to make my special chili again! I take it as a compliment, but I can make other dishes! Now I know how my wife feels when everyone asks her to bring her cheesecake.

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 26, 2005 11:39 am (#1514 of 2956)

Barbie, my condolences on your loss.

Catherine, I wish you success in your mission.

Loopy, I was so happy to hear The Village received a nomination. Thanks for passing along this news.

More snow today! My minivan was rather hopeless in the snow--a plow! a plow! my kingdom for a plow!--but later I got my hands on my husband's Wrangler and boy, oh boy! Fun and fabulous! But alas! He's taken it to work.

EDIT: My family is in the market for a kitten. Do you realize how hard they are to come by? What with all the spaying and neutering programs kittens are scarce. My mother-in-law used to say that back in the day one just stuck one's head out the window and yelled, "Anybody got a cat!" Sooooooo....Anybody got a cat?!

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Penny Lane. - Jan 26, 2005 12:10 pm (#1515 of 2956)

I don't know about kittens, our humane shelter always has them "in stock" when I go "window shopping". My parents have been looking for a poodle, but for some reason they seem to be only available for $400 and up. Every time they go to the shelter/humane shelter to check for new arrivals, they think about getting a new kitten but still hold out for that trained toy poodle.

I still haven't seen "The Village". I almost bought it the other day though - instead I bought "The Forgotten" which I haven't watched yet. My roommate bought "Catwoman" and it wasn't horrible - just seizure inducing.

Barbie- I'm sorry to hear about your loss. I will keep you in my thoughts.

Oh - a while back someone had a quote that was close to : "Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup" who was it, and where was that from? It's been driving me insane all day.

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Catherine - Jan 26, 2005 12:26 pm (#1516 of 2956)

"Anybody got a cat!" Sooooooo....Anybody got a cat?! --Lupin is Lupin

Wow, Kim. Boston must be SUCH an elightened place that the local shelters don't have homeless animals. I envy you that! Try Petfinders! You can search by age, gender, breed, zip code.

Penny, I think Schoff here on the Forum has the dragon-meddling quote as a tagline. I think, though I am unsure, that the inspiration for that comes from the Tolkien quote of, "Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger." I'm sure that I will be corrected quickly, if this proves to be an incorrect assumption.

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Ladybug220 - Jan 26, 2005 12:33 pm (#1517 of 2956)
Edited by Jan 26, 2005 11:34 am

Kim, check the local shelters. Some of them will keep your name and number and call you if any come in. Like Catherine's shelter, one of the shelters in Birmingham takes their animals to a pet store for the weekend - that is how I got my second cat Lizzie. The animals are just too cute to resist and I almost ended up with several cats that way (the threat of murder from my then roommate stopped me). You could call the larger stores around you to see if they do that. Also, many shelters will give discounts for spaying/neutering the cat. I personally recommend having the cat fixed as soon as the vet feels that it is old enough - especially for a male so that he doesn't learn to mark his territory.

Edit: well catherine beat me but we both have good ideas.

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timrew - Jan 26, 2005 1:04 pm (#1518 of 2956)

Barbie, I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your father. When I lost my Dad, in July last year, I (and my mother) got a lot of relief from messages from the people of this Forum.

I hope it is some small comfort to you to know that a lot of people are thinking about you and praying for your Dad at this moment.

Tim

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dizzy lizzy - Jan 26, 2005 2:10 pm (#1519 of 2956)

Barbie, I am also sorry to hear of your loss. It can be really confusing to feel relief and sadness at the same time so I always try to give this quote a run in a situation like this.

"Everyone reacts to death and grieving differently, no-one mourns in the same way, so the best we can do is give them space to mourn in their own way..."

Have a wonderful Thursday everyone. It is 8.10am here and if I want to get to work on time, I'd better get moving.

Lizzy

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Helen Potterfan - Jan 26, 2005 2:12 pm (#1520 of 2956)

Barbie, I, too, am sorry for your loss, but celebrate with you that he is no longer suffering. I'm sending you hugs and smiles and peaceful thoughts. Helen

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The giant squid - Jan 26, 2005 2:22 pm (#1521 of 2956)

A huge hug for Barbie in her time of sorrow. We've missed you around here, and I hope you and your family are able to get your lives back on track. Like Tim said, if you ever need a pick-me-up, just swing by here, we're more than happy to help.

Elanor, thanks for the reminder. It'll come in handy the next time I travel to France (shortly after I win millions on the slot machines...).

Catherine, may I compliment you on your eagerness to be complimentary?

"Academy Award nominated film 'The Village'"...ugh. It makes my tongue taste nasty just thinking about it. I've always been annoyed by the Academy's insistance on billing anyone who's been nominated as such, no matter which movie they're in. Nicolas Cage may have won an Oscar(tm), but it wasn't for Con Air even though the video jacket says, "Starring Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage". It's tantamount to false advertising.

Penny, I've seen that "Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons" line for years, long before HP (gasp!). I think Catherine is right in that it's a LotR reference/parody as I most often saw it at D&D-related events (we liked Tolkein before Tolkein was cool ).

Finally (huzzah!), I was wondering something recently that perhaps Catherine might be able to help with. Is there an online veterinary resource, similar to WebMD? I don't know why I thought of it as I have no pets, but I was thinking it would be a really good thing to come up with if someone hasn't already. That, and I know a pretty good web designer who is owned by a pair of cats...

--Mike

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Ladybug220 - Jan 26, 2005 2:36 pm (#1522 of 2956)

Going back to an old topic....

My sis-in-law got her long black hair cut off today and had 16 (yes that is 16) inches of hair to donate to Locks of Love. Not only does her new cut look great but she did it for a very worthy cause. Just had to share that since it had been mentioned.

Barbie - my deepest sympathies for you and your family.

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Catherine - Jan 26, 2005 2:48 pm (#1523 of 2956)

Mike, thanks for the compliment, and right back at ya!

As for the online vet resources, I've used a few here and there. VetInfo comes to mind, but I have not been there in a while, mostly because my poor older dog gets the same old thing over and over, and there isn't much to research.

For shopping purposes, I really like Drs. Foster and Smith. They have a website and a print catalogue, and you can even buy, with proper prescriptions, pet injections and medicines and anything that your pet might need at very reasonable prices. If you want to compare medicines, they have handy charts that can help you make a good choice.

Drs. Foster and Smith also do aquarium supplies and fish under the guise of LiveAquaria.com, also with its own catalogue, and you can buy medicines, supplements, etc. for your fish, too.

EDIT: Yay for sis-in-law, Ladybug! And yay for adopting your kitty at an adoption event. I know it is hard to not to bring everyone one of them home. Mr. Catherine always looks worried when I set off for the shelter, or to an adoption event, because he knows that I will want them all.

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 26, 2005 3:10 pm (#1524 of 2956)

Let me add my condolences to Barbie and her family. Sorry to hear about your loss.

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Helen Potterfan - Jan 26, 2005 4:17 pm (#1525 of 2956)

I have a question for others in NYC. On the HP6 thread, Catherine mentioned that people who did not reserve their copy of OoP at Barnes and Noble were not able to get the book during the midnight release. She also said that one's place in line was determined by the date of the reservation. I've called a couple of BNs in the city (Union Square and Fifth Avenue), but they don't know whether they will stay open. Since I didn't get into HP until after the release of OoP, I don't know where people here waited before. Has anyone in NYC already reserved somewhere, or do you remember where you waited for OoP? It's sad that I'm getting frantic about this in JANUARY, but I also don't want to stand in line for hours if I can get my name in now and be closer to the front (assuming other BNs conduct their line according to Catherine's experience)! Thanks! Helen

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Ladybug220 - Jan 26, 2005 4:18 pm (#1526 of 2956)
Edited by Jan 26, 2005 3:19 pm

Well, Catherine, if I end up with Kitty #4 then I am laying the blame entirely on you. When you suggested Petfinder, I decided to visit the site since it had been awhile. I may end up with another cat but I think that I am going to volunteer at a local shelter instead even though that will probably be more dangerous. And it's all because of you.

I didn't think that you would mind

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Sirius Lee - Jan 26, 2005 4:43 pm (#1527 of 2956)

Accio HBP -I had my little cousin in town so we took her to Toys-R-Us in Times Square. They were having the biggest to-do that I could find, plus it was a fabulous experience for a 12 year old to be hanging out in the middle of Times Square (in a huge line though) dressed up and having a blast. However, I had my book reserved at the Barnes & Noble on 66th. I picked it up when they opened Saturday morning though, because the line was still really long when we finally made it out of 42nd Street. They weren't doing it by name or date, just a good old fashioned first in line method and we didn't feel like waiting.

If you're unsure who's having a release party, you can certainly count on the Scholastic Store in Soho (Prince and Broadway) and the Times Square Toys-R-Us as having something. I'm pretty sure the Union Square B&N and the 72nd Street B&N (they have a large events room) will stay open as well.

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kabloink! - Jan 26, 2005 4:49 pm (#1528 of 2956)

Barbie, my condolences to you and yours. I also send them out to From Venus. My parents and I lived with my grandmother all of my life, and we were very close. AS she got older, however, her quality of life went downhill, and she couldn't leave the house much. As I got older and was busier and busier at school, she got lonelier and lonelier. She died three years ago, three days before Mother's Day, at 89. While we were all very sad to see her go (she hadn't really been sick, simply old), it is nice to know that she is with my grandpa again. I only realized after she died just how much she loved him and must have missed him. We were going through her closet and found every single card of any sort that he had ever given her. It was very sweet.

Geez, I'm tangent girl lately. Anyway, about kitties. This time of year isn't all that great for obtaining a kitty, but come May or June, you'll have to turn down people trying to get rid of kittens. At least that's what I had to do last summer! If, by summer, you haven't found yourself a little motor, let me know. I could use an excuse to head to the East Coast!

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Catherine - Jan 26, 2005 4:49 pm (#1529 of 2956)

Bwa ha ha ha ha ha, Ladybug! I will take the blame!

Yes, Petfinder is an excellent resource! I actually get emails from them daily about shih-tzus and shih-tzu mixes, so that if one ends up in a "kill" shelter around here, that I can get it into foster care (usually me) or into the Humane Society. Fortunately, the cute **yes Kim, they are CUTE!** shih-tzus without major problems usually get taken right away once they are on Petfinder, so it's all good.

Volunteering is a great idea! Our local HS really appreciates those folks who come in and help, especially those who will snuggle the kitties and clean litter boxes--ick!

I am compelled, in my fretful mom fashion, though, to warn Forum members that if you do this, to PLEASE wash your hands before and after visiting the shelter, and make sure that your own pets have their proper vaccinations. Change your clothes upon coming home, as some weird viruses have been going around, and you don't want to infect your own sweeties with something that there is no shot for at the moment. I hate to lecture, but some shelters have been lax about sanitzing, and animals suffer for it one way or another.

Oh, and for dog lovers, never fear. There are so many ways to be involved. One thing that our HS has done is have the dogs take basic obedience, (as unruly behavior may have caused them to be surrendered/abandoned in the first place) and they always need warm human bodies to be the handlers for these occasions.

Bwa ha ha ha! Another pet-obsessed person **waves to Loopy Lupin whose parents have given him six dog siblings!**

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Bathilda - Jan 26, 2005 5:07 pm (#1530 of 2956)

I saw a past posting about high heeled shoes on young girls, and I give a whole hearted Hear, Hear! My four year old is very small and skinny, so I may be able to send her to Kindergarten in 3T clothes! I hope they make the uniforms that small. Just wanted to say hey to fellow Harry Potter fans. I'm trying not to make this web-site too much of an obsession. The vast number of posts in all of the subjects is daunting to say the least. But sometimes I need to escape this reality and enter the magical world!

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Catherine - Jan 26, 2005 5:15 pm (#1531 of 2956)

Welcome, Ginerva,

I hope you can find some magic here. Many of us have found some good friends here with whom we feel a real connection.

For me, it's great to be able to discuss the minutiae with other folks who have read the books, done their homework, and know what JKR has said. That, and some of the kindest, wittiest, and well-meaning people I've ever "met" are here on the Forum. **waves **

It's good to see you posting on the chat thread.

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Eponine - Jan 26, 2005 5:25 pm (#1532 of 2956)

Well, I survived my first day teaching. The students were mostly well behaved, and I didn't flub anything up too badly. It's different than just normal subbing because I'm going to be there for so long. At least they won't be able to lie to me about what they're working on.

I got to see the baby today, and she is beautiful as almost all babies are.

Ginevra, my niece is four and a half and she still wears 3T. Her two year old brother wears the same size shoes as she does and weighs about 5 lbs. less. She's tiny, and he's big for his age. They're often mistaken for twins.

I hope everyone is having a great day!

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Chemyst - Jan 26, 2005 5:33 pm (#1533 of 2956)

I've been a lurking slacker on this thread. **returns wave to Catherine** I'd started to post about three different times but never made it all the way to the "post message" button. When the topic was snow cover, I'd typed up a sentence about feeding the birds. When the topic was chili, I'd started to add that my "secret" ingredients are 1 Tbl. sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon per pot. Then, when the discussion turned to TV shows, I realized there haven't been any shows worth fighting for the remote since Tru Calling, (which last I heard is a solid 'maybe' to return this spring.) And I have nothing to add to kitten discussions except to standoffishly observe that they will eventually become cats– so I've warned you all.
But I had post tonight to pass along condolences to Barbie. May your memories of the happy times help you get back in touch with those little things that most people take for granted.

Edit:
A Woo-Hoo for Eponine.
Yes, Ginevra, ...obsession, daunting, escape... those are words nearly everyone can identify with here! Welcome.

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Helen Potterfan - Jan 26, 2005 5:47 pm (#1534 of 2956)

Thanks, Sirius Lee! Welcome, Ginevra and Chemyst!

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Catherine - Jan 26, 2005 5:53 pm (#1535 of 2956)

Chemyst, you might be a lot of things, but a true Slacker isn't something that I can confirm. Thanks for the chili hint, though.

And W00T! to Eponine. You got through your first day. One day at a time, just one day at a time...I'm really proud, by the way.

Sorry to post again so soon, but hey, might as well wring out that premium membership.

My compliments to all, and hopefully I have exceeded five for the day.

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TwinklingBlueEyes - Jan 26, 2005 6:00 pm (#1536 of 2956)

Barbie, I too am so sorry for your loss. you and your family are in my thoughts. Glad to see you back on the forum.

Pam

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Eponine - Jan 26, 2005 6:02 pm (#1537 of 2956)

Barbie, my condolences to you and your family. You will all be in my thoughts.

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I Am Used Vlad - Jan 26, 2005 6:05 pm (#1538 of 2956)

Barbie, I'm sorry to hear about your father.

As for my French, or lack thereof, Dr. Pimsleur is now helping, so I should be fine.

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boop - Jan 26, 2005 6:18 pm (#1539 of 2956)

Barbie sorry for the loss of your father. At least he is done suffering and at peace. MY prayers are with you and your family. Big HUGS

HUGS ALWAYS

boop

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Julia. - Jan 26, 2005 7:14 pm (#1540 of 2956)

*waves back at Catherine*

Congrats on surviving your first day of teaching Eponine.

Well, off to check the threads and then attack the mountain of reading.

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Helen Potterfan - Jan 26, 2005 8:25 pm (#1541 of 2956)

Eponine, the first day is always the hardest, congratulations!!!

I just had another thought. If I can't preorder at a BN store for the discount price, I could pre-order at Borders online for in-store pick-up. I almost never go to Borders, so sometimes I forget about it! I had thought about going to Scholastic, but I assume they'll charge full price and I don't want to pay more than $18! I don't have to have a big event, I just want to be able to get the book.

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Madame Librarian - Jan 26, 2005 9:59 pm (#1542 of 2956)

Barbie, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I hope you are finding comfort with family and friends. I'm glad you can think of the Forum as a place to express your feelings and share your thoughts.

I, too, have never heard of Jewish salad, other than things that really aren't veggie dishes such as herring salad, beet salad, egg salad and so on. Israelis eat a very fresh, crisp chopped salad as a breakfast dish, but I don't think salad as we know it was ever high on the preferred list of most European Jewish cooks. As Julia said, there's hardly anything healthy about Jewish food (old style, that is) since it is a schmaltz-based cuisine. The recipe for noodle kugel has many, many variations, but none of them use less that 1/4 pound butter or margarine and fewer than four eggs. Most contain at least two kinds of cheeses just in case there wasn't enough cholesterol to your taste. Heart attack in a casserole dish, that's what we call it in my family. A delicious way to go, though.

Ciao. Barb

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From Venus - Jan 26, 2005 10:08 pm (#1543 of 2956)

That noodle kugel recipe sounded delicious, buy since my new years resolution was to eat more healthy and serve healthier foods to my family, I decided not to try it. (At least not right away...better let the resolutions get a little stale first...)

By the way, Eponine, congrats on surviving your first day of teaching. You're on a roll now!

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The giant squid - Jan 27, 2005 1:47 am (#1544 of 2956)

I have nothing to add to kitten discussions except to standoffishly observe that they will eventually become cats—Chemyst

You say that like it's a bad thing... I offer a quote from Robert A. Heinlein: "Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea." I always get along with cats--we have a mutual ignorance pact between us; dogs always seem to want attention at inopportune times.

Eponine, congrats on surviving the first day against the horde--er, students. Just keep an eye out for spitwads & you'll be fine.

--Mike

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septentrion - Jan 27, 2005 2:25 am (#1545 of 2956)

madame Librarian : Israelis eat a very fresh, crisp chopped salad as a breakfast dishes

Fresh, crisp chopped salad is eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner, whether you go to Israeli or Palestinian restaurants/hotels. Very healthy indeed, plus you can hardly find decent pastry there. A stay in Israel is good for diet !

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Julie Aronson - Jan 27, 2005 2:47 am (#1546 of 2956)

For what it's worth, I do modify my kugel recipe to make it less unhealthy...sniff...

Julie

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Catherine - Jan 27, 2005 5:38 am (#1547 of 2956)

Happy Thursday.

I chuckled this morning while reading the comics. Dilbert featured the angry secretary acting in a manner that many of us here on the Forum might recognize: she fires off an angry email with a link to an online dictionary. Very amusing! Yesterday's episode, with the secretary high on the power of "know-it-all-ness" also gave me a giggle.

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Madame Pomfrey - Jan 27, 2005 5:41 am (#1548 of 2956)

Barbie,I'm so sorry to hear about your father. I too have lost my mother in law to cirrhosis and my step mother to cancer this past year. It is tough losing the ones you love because you miss them so much. My grandmother has been dead for 13 years and I still think of her almost on a daily basis. The real comfort is knowing they are at peace and no longer suffering. God blessed us with memories and with that your loved ones live on. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Kelly

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Marie E. - Jan 27, 2005 6:37 am (#1549 of 2956)

Barbie, my deepest sympathies for you and your family.

Lovely Colorado weather we're having. It was in the 70's on Monday. Today? Possible snow. Bah humbug!

I went to the most pointless training yesterday. I was so mad at the end of the day that I actually wished I had been working instead. We're having a teacher training day on President's Day (Feb. 21) and I've been asked to present the kindergarten curriculum information. The training, first of all, only went over the school age information and it was so boring. The whole training boiled down to: use flip charts for visual aids, watch the time, and add your own comments if you'd like. I didn't have to drive to Denver to figure all that out. I also think I'm presenting the information to the kindergarten teachers, who should already know all this information. **rant over**

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Amilia Smith - Jan 27, 2005 6:56 am (#1550 of 2956)

I have decided to celebrate my raise by buying an avatar. I don't really post enough to justify buying it while my bank account is still recovering from Christmas and unexpected bills, but as it will now be recovering faster . . .

Barbie, you have my condolences. I lived with my Grandfather the year before he died, which is not the same, but maybe I can sympathize in some small way.

Weather report from Utah: foggy, cold and gray. However, it started raining last night, so hopefully that will clear up some of the yuck.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to work I go.

Mills.

Lady Arabella Mon Jan 05, 2015 8:29 pm

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Catherine - Jan 27, 2005 7:16 am (#1551 of 2956)

Marie, rant all you like about teacher training workshops. They can be amazingly boring, pointless, or insulting to one's intelligence.

I once had to attend an assembly for an in-service day in which a very silly woman wearing too many crystal beads gave a "talk" about how we should think of our students as caterpillars awaiting butterflyhood. She actually flitted across the stage at the end of the talk, proclaiming that she had overcome her horrid education and was now a butterfly. Watching someone pretend to be a butterfly when you are desperate to finish setting up for the first day of classes is pure Crucio.

I'll leave the rant at that, although I am sure that particular workshop cost me at least 5 I.Q. points.

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Denise P. - Jan 27, 2005 7:36 am (#1552 of 2956)

Marie, I can sooo relate. It is just like some Cub Scout training I recently went to. It was an all day training event. We were handed a huge packet of information and then sat while the instructor basically read it to us. Uhm, I know how to read by myself. An 8 hour class could have easily been condensed down to about 2.

Today is the day that strikes fear in every woman's heart...it is the day I have to go for the tri-weekly grocery shopping. My coupons are in order, my list is at hand...and here I sit reading the Forum Anyone wanna come do my shopping for me? I only have to bring the almost 2 year old with me so it should be relatively easy today. Actually, I don't mind the shopping, I don't like the unloading and putting things away while curious kids poke through it. "How come you didn't get any of this? Why did you buy this, I like that better!"

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Gina R Snape - Jan 27, 2005 8:24 am (#1553 of 2956)

Hey everyone. Gee, don't check this thread for two or three days and it explodes!

Barbie, my condolences. Though, I can fully understand the sense of relief your family must feel. Being in the caregiver role has both joy and immense strain. And the death of a loved one can be sorrowful and yet a good release at the same time.

Accio HBP, last time the book was released, TLC posted links for HP events in every city. You will have no problem finding somewhere to reserve the book. Equally, you will not need to reserve the book if you do not intend to pick it up at midnight. My hope is that our NYC crew will plan a get-together for that night. Last time, I was in the UK and queued up at a WH Smiths in Nottingham.

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Essidji - Jan 27, 2005 8:28 am (#1554 of 2956)

Sorry for asking something that might have been told several times (I must have missed it), but what's that Locks of Love thing?

Today we have very beautiful sunny day. I really love those bright, though very cold, winter days. Dry cold is definitely much easier for me to stand than snowy weather.

EDIT : Hi Gina, we posted almost at the same time!

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From Venus - Jan 27, 2005 8:31 am (#1555 of 2956)

I hear you, Denise. Unpacking and putting away is indeed the worst part when kids are present. When I go shopping, I like to buy some goodies for the grandkids and hide them so that I can bring things out at opportune moments and surprise them with something yummy. But if they have their little noses in everything before it's unpacked, they know what I have, and then they end up begging for it and trying to eat up a week's worth of goodies in one day.

EDIT: Essidji, Locks of Love is an organization that takes peoples donation of their long hair and gets wigs made for children that have lost their own hair due to cancer or other illnesses. It's a very worthy cause.

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Julia. - Jan 27, 2005 8:36 am (#1556 of 2956)

I'd love to Denise, but I have classes to go to and a royal genealogy chart to do.

It's still really cold here. We got quite a bit more snow yesterday. University canceled all classes after 4:00. Guess when my last class ended. Yep, 3:50. I love that they finally canceled classes and it had no effect on me. Grrrrr.

*sigh* Must go read the threads and then do some reading before class.

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septentrion - Jan 27, 2005 8:44 am (#1557 of 2956)

Hi Essidji ! Today you gets the sun and we gets the snow, although it was a very weak snow. I can't wait for the warming of temperatures !

Denise, I fear to be a little too far from you to be some help. Well, I can be psychological support.

Julia, I understand you. Why not cancel a whole day class ?

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Gina R Snape - Jan 27, 2005 9:39 am (#1558 of 2956)

*waves back to Essidji*

Hey, Accio HBP and anyone else in the NYC area *koff-Jack-koff*

I've created a yahoo group for anyone in the NYC area who would like to be part of our sort-of-monthly meetings/gatherings. Email me if you are interested.

EDIT: I get almost all of my groceries delivered by Fresh Direct which is a blessing for those of us in NYC who live up several flights of stairs. Alas, I do not have wee kiddies or grandkids nosing through the bags. But Faberge and Nymphadora get a kick out of playing with the boxes when they are emptied!

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Madame Librarian - Jan 27, 2005 9:39 am (#1559 of 2956)

Denise, I second and third the hated task of grocery schlepping. Schlepping from the store to the car (trying to roll a wonky cart over a pot-holed, slushy parking should be an Olympic event, methinks), schleppping the bags from the cart into the trunk (boot) of the car, schlepping them out again and traipsing from garage (unattached) to mudroom, ungracefully trying to remove slushy boots and switch to clean slippers, schelpping bags to kitchen, and then, last but not least, putting everything away. It's a toss up whether I want help from Mr. Madame Librarian or not. He's a bit forgetful (oblivious?) to where things go--"Hey, Barb, which shelf is the one for milk?"--or very innovative--breadcrumbs in the fridge ("I thought it was Parmesan!").

Anyhow, thanks for the chance to rant on my definition of most-detested hausfrau task. Well...there are a few others....

Ciao. Barb

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Helen Potterfan - Jan 27, 2005 12:19 pm (#1560 of 2956)

Gina, I'm definitely interested and will send you an email. I have a Fresh Direct order being delivered tomorrow! I LOVE Fresh Direct! They have the best produce. I live on the ground floor so that's not my problem, but the supermarket near me has very poor produce selection, tiny aisles, and almost no organic products. Plus, I can shop at 2 in the morning in my PJs!

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Phoenix song - Jan 27, 2005 12:56 pm (#1561 of 2956)

I want to thank you all so very much on your condolences for the loss of my father. It means a lot to me and my family, as Tim pointed out earlier. It is wonderful to be able to find people with whom you can share without being judged harshly.

It is a relief to know that he is no longer suffering, the body can go through more pain that I'd ever anticipated. And it was both a pain and a joy to be there to help him through the passage from life to death. In my mind I'm able to equate it somewhat with the pain of childbirth. I've heard that we should weep at births and celebrate at deaths, since births are the beginning of human suffering and deaths are the end of that pain. I now understand that poignantly. We are saddened, but we understand more fully now.

From Venus: You have my deepest sympathies for what you are going through in your care giving responsibilities. I understand how you feel... the hopelessness of wanting the best for your charge and the need to also see an ending of your own personal trauma. I took refuge on this forum, as I believe that you may have as well. It's a lonely and disheartening job. I hope that you can find joy and peace amongst us Potties and those others that you reach out towards.

Again, I must thank you all for your support and kindness. It is very meaningful for me. It helps to know that there are others that have been through similar situations as my own. Thank you all for sharing and for caring.

Barbie

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Catherine - Jan 27, 2005 2:08 pm (#1562 of 2956)

That was a very nice thing to say, Phoenix Song.

I was checking the news, and saw that Boston has set a record for the snowiest January. **waves to Boston Forum members** Good luck to the moms up there in getting the kiddies back to school! **waves to Lupin is Lupin**

Hope you get shoveled out soon.

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From Venus - Jan 27, 2005 2:20 pm (#1563 of 2956)

Penny Lane, a good while back you asked about a quote that a forumer used concerning dragon affairs.

Well...here is the quote: Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

It is the second line of information belonging to a forum member named schoff. I just ran across it on the Riddle Diary thread.

Just thought I should let you know; you said it was driving you crazy, and I figured St. Mungo's had enough loonies to worry about.

BIG EDIT!!! Phoenix Song, thank you so much for your words, you seem to understand me perfectly. I do dive into this forum as an escape from reality, but in doing so I have been delightfully surprised at how wonderful all the people are here. You are becoming a group of friends that I can talk to, think with, and laugh with. I find myself talking about you to other friends of mine; I SO enjoy being a part of your company. You are all really great!

So now, go on with all of you. That's enough seriousness for one day. SIRIUSLY

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dizzy lizzy - Jan 27, 2005 2:25 pm (#1564 of 2956)

The one thing I don't like about the grocery shop is that although I don't have kids to go through the shopping bags, My dogs are just as bad. They have learnt to crowd around the garage door and stick their noses into everything! Then when I do try and walk to the back door, they follow so closely they have tripped me.

I now just put the bags on the ground, let them sniff and then quietly pick them up after a minute and start walking.

Good to see you back Phoenix Song. Have a wonderful Friday everyone. I only work 4 days per week so Friday is a day off for me. But today is lawn-mowing day and I really would prefer not to do it at all.

Lizzy

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Bathilda - Jan 27, 2005 2:59 pm (#1565 of 2956)

Lawn mowing day?!?! Our yard is still snowy, but that's Indiana for you. Argh, thought I had a minute, and now the wee ones want paper airplanes... I really wanted to vent about full day kindergarten to anyone who gives a fig!!

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Chemyst - Jan 27, 2005 3:12 pm (#1566 of 2956)

I once had to attend an assembly for an in-service day in which a very silly woman wearing too many crystal beads gave a "talk" about how we should think of our students as caterpillars awaiting butterflyhood. She actually flitted across the stage at the end of the talk, proclaiming that she had overcome her horrid education and was now a butterfly.

'Sorry about your loss of IQ points Catherine, but... SPEW! That is a woman who seems to have realized her full potential and is now merrily taking revenge upon all her horrid teachers!

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Ydnam96 - Jan 27, 2005 3:25 pm (#1567 of 2956)

I love grocery shopping! I wish I lived near those of you who don't, I would gladly do it for you. I don't have kids, just my kitty, and it's the only kind of shopping I don't feel guilty about when I'm done. But, I can imagine that with little ones in toe and coupons and all that it would be a chore. I'm kinda wierd (I also like to vacuum) Smile

Today has been a very blah day. I'm off to read some threads. Watch some Stargate. And take a nap.

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kabloink! - Jan 27, 2005 3:31 pm (#1568 of 2956)

Accio HBP-you mean you can't go grocery shopping at 2am in your pj's otherwise?

I have been known to do this with regularity...at actual grocery stores, like Meijer.

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Denise P. - Jan 27, 2005 3:34 pm (#1569 of 2956)

Shopping itself was not too bad. Kierynn actually left the coupons alone this time. She normally finds it great fun to get into the coupon folder and merrily rearrange them. I had just pulled into the garage to unload when the cell phone rang. The youngest boy at school was not feeling good so I had to go get him. This meant a drastic rearrangement of the unloading and putting away protocol. It is all done though and I am set for about 3 more weeks before I had to go endure this again.

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Catherine - Jan 27, 2005 3:35 pm (#1570 of 2956)

Sorry about your loss of IQ points Catherine—Chemyst

Thanks, Chemyst. I regret their loss very much.

As I was in kindergarten when she was a tortured caterpillar, I did not appreciate being on the receiving end of her metamorphasis lecture.

Now, if she wants to round up all her bad teachers, and show them how she is now a crystal-clad butterfly, complete with wing flutters, heck, I'm all for it! I'll even put the Full Body-Bind on them just to make sure that they watch the entire performance.

EDIT: Denise, whew! Good for you. I love the luxury of grocery shopping sans children--not that it happens often. I can't imagine how long it must take you to shop for your whole crew, especially if you are stocking up for three weeks.

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The giant squid - Jan 27, 2005 3:45 pm (#1571 of 2956)

I want to thank you all so very much on your condolences for the loss of my father. It means a lot to me and my family, as Tim pointed out earlier. It is wonderful to be able to find people with whom you can share without being judged harshly.--Phoenix Song

Awww...*hugs Barbie*

Marie, I just want you to know that it's not just teacher training that leaves something to be desired. Last August I went to a one week training course to be the District Booth Certifier for my theater chain (nutshell: I make sure all the projectionists in town are competent; no easy task). Aside from some wonderful Powerpoint presentations our hands-on training consisted of learning the workings of some projectors--the very same models I've been using since I started with the company! I flew from Las Vegas, Nevada to Knoxville, Tennessee just so they could show me how to do what I already know how to do. Well, at least they paid for everything...Krystals burgers are even tastier when they're free. Chat & Greetings 2005 2752390508

As for that snow in Colorado--bring it on! As long as it all melts into the Colorado River, anyway. I'd really like it if they could end the water rationing this summer. (The CO River feeds into Lake Mead, Las Vegas' primary source of water.)

--Mike

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 27, 2005 3:45 pm (#1572 of 2956)

For all you Yankees fans out there--Julia, I'm talking to you--I'd ask you to take a close look at my avatar. There you'll see my husband holding a certain something. My, my...how did he get his hands on that thing? Oh yes, it could be because...WE WON!

Sorry to gloat, but it isn't everyday you get to see your husband holding the World Series trophy. Nifty!

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Julia. - Jan 27, 2005 3:52 pm (#1573 of 2956)

AH! *says nothing* How did hubby get his hands on the world series trophy?

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 27, 2005 3:57 pm (#1574 of 2956)

How did hubby get his hands on the world series trophy?---Julia

Wellllll....First, your team has to win.

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Catherine - Jan 27, 2005 4:55 pm (#1575 of 2956)

Kim, I'm impressed. And that is saying something!

Oh, and the trophy looks handsome as well.

I'm killing time until I go to dinner with Mr. Catherine to wine and dine a faculty candidate. I'm going to be the only woman, the only non-chemist/scientist, and the only spouse at the table. I'm not sure how I get asked to these things, but I'm not complaining since we're going to my favorite restaurant! They make the most divine shrimp served atop garlic cheese grits, and the have a Maple Creme Brulee for which I would prostrate myself.

Have a good night, everyone.

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 27, 2005 4:58 pm (#1576 of 2956)

and they have a Maple Creme Brulee for which I would prostrate myself.---Catherine

Is that legal?

As for the other, I laughed out loud.

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Ydnam96 - Jan 27, 2005 6:00 pm (#1577 of 2956)

To complain about horrible training sessions today I had to sit through three hours of someone reading to us word for word out of the student handbook here. Doesn't sound so bad right? NO, if you have read a student handbook at a college you know it's mostly in a legalese type style, incredibly boring, and something we've read a lot. We were supposed to be learning how to deal with Sexual Assaults as the first responder team...which would have been incredibly useful...but this was kinda a waste of time (only because we could have read the stuff on our own and gotten more training on the things they can't write in the handbook). I did learn one thing: you shouldn't put anything that could be used as "evidence" in a plastic bag. It is supposed to be in paper. Didn't know that. Any science type want to explain why???

But other than that I guess I shouldn't complain. The college I work at is amazing and does a lot to make our jobs much, much easier and they support us a lot. This is really the first thing in 6 months that I've had to complain about. So I'm happy.

Off to sleep some before I have to go work again.

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Helen Potterfan - Jan 27, 2005 6:13 pm (#1578 of 2956)

Kabloink said, "Accio HBP-you mean you can't go grocery shopping at 2am in your pj's otherwise? I have been known to do this with regularity...at actual grocery stores, like Meijer. "

Kabloink, Actually, no, I can't. I've found that the title "The City That Never Sleeps" can only be applied to Manhattan. When I lived in NC, I would often do my shopping after midnight at a store. In my Queens neighborhood, the supermarkets near me close at 9. I would have to walk almost a mile to get to a 24 supermarket. I don't even have a 24-hour drugstore nearby! Plus, there's the added joy of carrying my groceries home, or pushing a cart there and back (no car here). I had no idea how different living in NYC would be. Even grocery shopping is different here!

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Marie E. - Jan 27, 2005 6:37 pm (#1579 of 2956)

I think the worst hausfrau task has got to folding hundreds of teeny socks. They all settle to the bottom of the laundry basket and I spend about fifteen minutes just doing socks. I can't even imagine the sock fiasco at Denise's house.

I'm glad I'm not the only one with a bad training story. I would like to teach everyone something new, not rehash old stuff.

I wish we had grocery delivery here. By the time I get the kids out of the daycare and into the car, the last thing I want to do is drag them into a grocery store. Sometimes I get to go shopping by myself on the weekends, and that is extreme bliss. The closest we have is the Schwan's man, and mostly he just brings me ice cream.

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Catherine - Jan 27, 2005 7:44 pm (#1580 of 2956)

I think the worst hausfrau task has got to folding hundreds of teeny socks.—Marie

You are correct. That is a horrible task. That is, if you actually DO it!

I lump socks all into the "sock basket" and make the kiddies figure out what goes with what. It started when we had two dozen "white" sock pairs, and my oldest child kept claiming that they "didn't match." So I solved the problem, sort of, by NOT pairing the socks and letting my daughter arrange their marriages instead.

Now we have a cozy foot/sock unions, and I don't end up folding socks. Now, if I could just get the laundry to do itself.....

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Mrs. Sirius - Jan 27, 2005 10:15 pm (#1581 of 2956)

He he he, socks, I buy only one color and style of socks, and then they always match! It's great for my son because he really like the style he likes. For the girls it's a little less fun. I buy 21 pairs of white knee-hi's which they wear with, pants, skirts, boots...

Ginerva, vent against all day kindergarten? We have only 1/2 day kindergarten here. In 2 1/2 they have to fit in gym, music, art, library and Spanish and of course, snack! On the days that I drove the girls to school, by the time I got home and have lunch, the bus was in front of the house, school was out. They girls didn't seem as tired coming home from all day kindergarten as coming home from first grade though.

Denise, do you really get food shopping done for 3 whole weeks? We food shop more like three times a week from the supermarket! We order once a month from the food coop, and about once every 6-8 weeks from the bulk warehouse place. But we just can't seem to keep fresh fruit in the house though.

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Marè- Jan 28, 2005 2:03 am (#1582 of 2956)

I did learn one thing: you shouldn't put anything that could be used as "evidence" in a plastic bag. It is supposed to be in paper. Didn't know that. Any science type want to explain why???

My best bet: Plastic doesn't breath, paper does. If your plastic baggie is sealed tight, there is only limited oxygen. So when the circumstances in which your evidence is change... Your evidence could change as well. And that's not good. I also think it could have a bit of a greenhouse effect, plastic that is.

Now I'm curious if I'm correct or not. Let me see if I can google some experts opinion!

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Madam Poppy - Jan 28, 2005 2:22 am (#1583 of 2956)

I thought I'd fly by and say a quick hello. I think of my Potter friends often but just don't have alot of time right now to keep current on all the posts. My daughter is in her 5th month of a very difficult pregnancy and I even flew down to see her for a couple of days the beginning of December. She was put into the hospital for a week due to dehydration. My Mom also became ill the end of December with Temporal Arteritis Disease which has left her permanently blind in her right eye. I am working full time and keeping busy also with my activities at church. (A special hello to Denise P. and Kip.)

Madam Poppy

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septentrion - Jan 28, 2005 2:32 am (#1584 of 2956)

We don't forget you either, Madam Poppy ! I hope your daughter will get through her pregnancy and give birth to a beautiful child in 4 months and your mother will recover completely.

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Essidji - Jan 28, 2005 2:59 am (#1585 of 2956)

Phoenix song, tears were filling my eyes when I read your post about the way you felt when you were with your father during his last moments. Thank you so much for the emotion you gave me. It's hard to explain in subtle terms (well, it would be in French anyway) but I had the feeling we were sharing the same opinion about life and death.

Poppy, my best thoughts to your daughter and your Mom.

On a much happier note : WEEKEND!

Edit : *waves to Septentrion*

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Marè- Jan 28, 2005 3:13 am (#1586 of 2956)

Madam Poppy, so good to see you again! I'm sending over some best wishes for your daughter, her baby to be, your mother and you.

On a completely different note:

From http://www.crime-scene-investigator.net/evidenc3.html

Most items of evidence will be collected in paper containers such as packets, envelopes, and bags. Liquid items can be transported in non-breakable, leakproof containers. Arson evidence is usually collected in air-tight, clean metal cans. Only large quantities of dry powder should be collected and stored in plastic bags. Moist or wet evidence (blood, plants, etc.) from a crime scene can be collected in plastic containers at the scene and transported back to an evidence receiving area if the storage time in plastic is two hours or less and this is done to prevent contamination of other evidence. Once in a secure location, wet evidence, whether packaged in plastic or paper, must be removed and allowed to completely air dry. That evidence can then be repackaged in a new, dry paper container. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD EVIDENCE CONTAINING MOISTURE BE PACKAGED IN PLASTIC OR PAPER CONTAINERS FOR MORE THAN TWO HOURS. Moisture allows the growth of microorganisms which can destroy or alter evidence.

And from: http://www.leineshideaway.com/EvidenceTechnician.html

An ET must be responsible for insuring that all evidence collected is packaged properly. One of the cardinal rules of evidence collection/preservation is NEVER package and seal anything that is wet. There is nothing worse then collecting blood soaked clothing, and then putting that clothing in a plastic bag which does not breath (allow air inside) after being sealed. With no air, the blood on the clothing can deteriorate very quickly. If this happens, the evidence is now altered and may be useless at trial.

The best way to package this type of evidence would be to place it in a paper bag for transport. Once at the station, the clothing can be removed and placed in a drying locker (locker with inside fan) or left out to air dry. After the clothing has dried, it can then be packaged back into the paper bag and sealed. The paper bag even sealed, allows air to flow in and out of the bag. Therefore, the clothing and blood would not deteriorate as it would in a plastic bag, and the evidence is preserved.

Plastic bags: not breathing. Seems I have some facts stored in the chaos that is my brain! Hope that answers your question Mandy.

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septentrion - Jan 28, 2005 3:45 am (#1587 of 2956)

Waves back to essidji and to Marè ! Thanks for your explanations. As I love suspense novels, that was all benefit for me !

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Marè- Jan 28, 2005 4:42 am (#1588 of 2956)

::Waves back to Septentrion, Essidji and all lurkers out there!::

I like suspense novels too. Off all the detectives, investigators and private eyes out there, I still love Miss Marple best!

One of the moderators on the accio forums posted a link to a tourist site: Brittain for Americans.
Opening sentence; under a picture of Great Brittain:
This is Britain.

We live here. We are called British people.

Well what do you know! and I always thought that the Chinese lived there! Chat & Greetings 2005 1242194059

Edit: checked the site, explained a lot...

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Winky Woo - Jan 28, 2005 5:25 am (#1589 of 2956)

Hello! *waves at Mare* I am one of the lurkers just trying to get up the nerve to join in the conversation!

I just had to say something on the subject of Pajamas. This morning Mr Winky Woos train was cancelled so he called me for a lift to work. As I was in bed I threw on a jacket over my pajamas, and the nearest pair of socks(I say pair loosely- one red and one black) so I wouldn't waste any time as he was going to be late, and headed off to the station. Imagine my horror when I arrived to discover that he had bumped into a colleague and had offered him a lift!!!

Mr Winky Woo was yapping to his colleague and didn't appear to notice...it could have been worse because I can't drive in slippers I had put on shoes at least.

Winky

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septentrion - Jan 28, 2005 5:33 am (#1590 of 2956)

Winky Woos, it happened something on those lines to me : my husband arrived late in the evening at the station because of troubles which prevent trains to leave the town where he worked. So he had no buses anymore to transport him from the station to our home and he called me. I put something random over my pajamas but he happened to have proposed a woman to get her to her home, and she insisted then to give us a drink ! Oh my, what embarrassment I felt !

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Catherine - Jan 28, 2005 5:39 am (#1591 of 2956)

Oh, dear. Septentrion and Winky Woo have cured me.

I hereby resolve to check my feet before dashing out to drive the kids to/from school. Many a time, I have had slippers on and forgot (ala Mrs. Figg) to exchange them for shoes.

Once we were running SO late to get the kids to school by 7 a.m. that I threw my coat on over my PJs and drove them. Now I'm thinking about how embarrassing that could prove to be.

**runs off to put proper clothes on**

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The giant squid - Jan 28, 2005 5:43 am (#1592 of 2956)

You mean you're not supposed to run errands in your pajamas?

As for socks, I use the same method as Mrs. Sirius--buy all the same kind of sock, and they all match. Actually, I have two kinds: black for work and white for not-work. Then again, I'm a guy--I don't have to worry about whether or not my socks match my outfit.

(Especially since my "outfit" is always jeans & a t-shirt.)

--Mike

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Marè- Jan 28, 2005 5:54 am (#1593 of 2956)

Hi Winky Woo!

There is nothing to be nervous of. You jumped into the conversation just fine. (If in trouble, the topic "weather" always gets a good response too. Good thing it changes every day!)

As for pyjamas and driving. I have yet to have my first pyjama drive!
I do remember that when my mother had to drive my brother and me to the 6 o clock extra morning swimming lessons (we actually choose to have them... there weren't many others) she always had the same dilemma: Do I leave my pyjama's on so I can get in bed for a little while when I get back... Or do I put my clothes on, because you never know if you might have to get out of the car...
Other mothers knocking on the door and proposing to get a cup of coffee together was a good one...

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Kip Carter - Jan 28, 2005 6:03 am (#1594 of 2956)

Catherine, a suggestion that my wife started using many years ago and I have been practicing for a long time too. When I go to bed, I jump into one of my running outfits (active-wear type). If I have to get up quickly and go outside, most people will think I have been working out. Now the shoes are a little more complex, I do have quick-release type running shoes which can be put on or taken off quickly. Yes, I do sleep with my running socks on.

It may not be a fashion statement for those who also want to look absolutely beautiful (or handsome for the men), but it does simplify having to exit the house quickly.

And by the way, running outfits are very comfortable sleep outfits. If you ever go camping, you will really find out the benefits of sleeping in active-wear apparel.

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Marè- Jan 28, 2005 6:20 am (#1595 of 2956)

If you ever go camping, you will really find out the benefits of sleeping in active-wear apparel.

I have to disagree here. I'm going to assume you're talking about temparature benefits for a moment... So...
I once had to go camping in march and it was cold! So when we went to sleep, the entire group put their sportsclothes on. Now they were thermo-clothes, so normally they keep you warm, no matter what. However, because of the layer of clothes, the sleeping bag did not get warm.
Because normally your body temperature heats the inside of the sleeping bag so it gets warm and cosy.
So after a cold night and some research, we found out that in chilly weather, it is actually advised to sleep in as little as possible when it comes to clothes. So basic underwear and no more.
This off course assumes you have a decent sleeping bag (I have a mummy) or else the heat doesn't get preserved but is simply lost.

Sleeping in active wear is however, much easier if you happen to be one of those persons that needs to go to the bathroom a lot during the night. Running over the campsite in your underwear doesn't sound like a brilliant plan to me...

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Kip Carter - Jan 28, 2005 6:33 am (#1596 of 2956)

Marè, I fully agree that you should not wear thermo-clothes when using a sleeping bag. My active-wear is nothing like thermo-clothes being that the fabric is porous and allows your skin to breathe so that body heat helps warm the inside of the sleeping bag.

Note: Thank you for copying part of my post because when I saw the "every" instead of "ever", I had time to edit my post within the 30-minutes allotted for edits.

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Chemyst - Jan 28, 2005 6:46 am (#1597 of 2956)

Never a dull day on the forum! I'll bet there are others for whom the odd juxtaposition of proper storage of wet evidence and the benefits of sleeping in active-wear apparel was not lost.

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Marè- Jan 28, 2005 6:48 am (#1598 of 2956)

Yes, thermo clothes especially turned out to have been a huge mistake!

Edit: I'll bet there are others for whom the odd juxtaposition of proper storage of wet evidence and the benefits of sleeping in active-wear apparel was not lost.

Conclusion of the day: Never store wet evidence in sleeping bags?

Okay, you know what? I obviously need to start my weekend!

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Essidji - Jan 28, 2005 7:03 am (#1599 of 2956)

LOL, Marè. You may well be right : you need rest! ;-)

How strange that movies always show people pulling out evidences from (well, the place where they are stored) carefully wrapped in plastic bags. I figured this was close to reality. I would never have guessed it was only for the public to understand what is in the bag! This kind of upsets me!

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 28, 2005 7:23 am (#1600 of 2956)

They make the most divine shrimp served atop garlic cheese grits, and the have a Maple Creme Brulee for which I would prostrate myself. – Catherine

It is funny, but even with that lovely description, it seems to me that you are still eating "shrimp 'n' grits" with dessert of "burnt pudding." Very Happy

Lady Arabella Mon Jan 05, 2015 8:30 pm

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mike miller - Jan 28, 2005 7:31 am (#1601 of 2956)

Madame Poppy - I hope that all goes well for your daughter; and, that your mother suffers no more complications. Seeing your post has reminded me to call my 95 year old grandfather as he is home alone in Sunnyslope while my parents galavant around the desert Southwest for the winter. It sounds like he's had several opportunities to play with one of his favorite toys, the snow blower!

I'm wrestling with several computer related issues; together with the current demands of my work are making it increasingly difficult to keep up with the forum. I have someone coming to look at the home PC today, so at least I can get the technical issues resolved.

The biggest HP issue I'm working through is when to begin the re-read so that I finish close to the release date of HBP. Being a slow reader I have to plan these things; and, with the PA gathering slated for 7/30/05 I will not be able to waste any time.

Also, does anyone know if Amazon will be shipping HBP to arrive on the release date or will we be faced with the normal delivery delays as many experienced with POA DVDs? I can reserve a copy at Barnes & Noble and pick it up at the Bel Air, MD store; however, they do not seem to be offering the deluxe edition with added illustrations.

Well back to work.

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Julia. - Jan 28, 2005 7:34 am (#1602 of 2956)

Good morning everyone! Wow, I leave you all for the night, and Kip posts twice! Wow!

Madam Poppy, lovely to see you dear! I really hope everything goes well for you and your family. I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

On the current topics...Pajamas are just for night wear? Really? I wear my pj pants out all the time, especially in the summer when it's warmer. I mean, I never leave the house in the tank top I sleep in, for reasons of modestly, so I always throw a t-shirt on over it. But I'm really not supposed to wear my pj's out? *sigh* One of those lessons mum tried to teach me that never sunk in I guess, although if any of you happen to see my mum, kindly don't tell her that my pj's have been making appearances in places other than my dorm. She would not be pleased.

Socks: I prefer to be like Dobby and I almost never wear socks that match. So long as I have an even number of socks in my sock drawer, I'm good to go.

Camping: One night in October a friend and I were planning to sleep in the Sukkah. For those of you who don't know, a Sukkah is a three walled structure with a thached roof, through which you can see the stars. Whilst getting ready to sleep in the freezing cold of an October night, I was planning to wear as many layers of the warmest cloths I could get on. Fortunately, a friend came by and told me that I was stupid if I did that. He loaned me his nice, warm, army issue mummy sleeping bag, and so I was nice and warm.

OK, that took a lot longer than I expected, so I'm going to check a few threads and then head off to class. TTFN!

EDIT: Cross posted with Mike. I have no idea about Amazon's shipping, as I didn't preorder the book, and I preordered the PoA DVD from Barnes and Noble. If you really want your book on time, it's probally something like three extra dollars to have it shipped overnight.

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 28, 2005 7:37 am (#1603 of 2956)

I fail to see the difference between what people might call "pj" pants and sweat pants. Sure, sweats are thicker, but I wear "pj" pants in public all the time.

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Winky Woo - Jan 28, 2005 7:45 am (#1604 of 2956)

I find that having a layer of dogs on top of the sleeping bag does the trick too! Not that I usually have any choice in the matter as they curl up pretty much where they want to.

I went camping in Canada in January a long, long time ago in January for 10 days in Wilderness of the Algonquin(sp?) National park. Our guides gave us the advice to just sleep in our thermal underwear too, which I really found strange in tempretures of minus 10 and 2 foot of snow- but it really works!

Edit: Loopy mine are fleecy with pictures of bunny rabbits on them! Whilst I have no claim to being a fashion icon I do draw the line at these! Just for the record they were a christmas present so no choice in the type/design!

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From Venus - Jan 28, 2005 7:55 am (#1605 of 2956)

Oh, you people are such a delight! I LOVE starting my morning off laughing! Chemyst, I do believe you are right about us; we do appreciate the finer points of evidence collection and the time, labor and face-saving tips for dressing for success. (If you count success as not being embarrassed in front of your/your spouse's peers, wearing matching socks, and keeping your sleeping bag warm.) Thank you everyone for being such a knowledgable group of people willing to share your wealth of information with the rest of us. You are all helping to make the world a better place.

I have a pajama story. Years ago, I lived next door to a woman who ALWAYS left the house in the morning wearing a skimpy nightie or baby doll pajamas under a hastily fastened bathrobe to drop her kids off at school. It always made me shake my head and mutter under my breath. Then one day, as I was driving back from the school myself, I saw her on the side of the road trying to change a flat tire. She looked ridiculous, to say the least. I was very bad...I didn't stop to help. I figured she needed the life-lesson.

On grocery shopping: When my kids were small, I used to wait until late at night when they were sleeping, and do my shopping at a 24hr. store. That way I saved money; I didn't have to buy all the junk food and toys they would always beg me for when they were with me. (BTW...There should be a LAW against having toys in a grocery store. Also, there should be one against having candy right next to the check-out counters!)

Well, have a great weekend everyone! I'm off to sort socks! (BTW...buying all the same socks works well until you have to buy more, and then you find out that you have to match the newer socks together and not mix newer and older, because the older ones look different because they are faded/stretched/worn out!)

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mollis - Jan 28, 2005 8:02 am (#1606 of 2956)
Edited by Jan 28, 2005 7:05 am

"Never a dull day on the forum! I'll bet there are others for whom the odd juxtaposition of proper storage of wet evidence and the benefits of sleeping in active-wear apparel was not lost."

Oh my gosh Chemyst! People in the nearby cubies were all looking at me as I laughed out loud to my computer screen. Now, how am I going to convince them that I'm working, when I'm laughing at my computer?!? And this after showing up 20min late due to the long line at the coffee shop... Oh well, at least it's FRIDAY!!!

Oh, and on the grocery-shopping front, I hate it! I try and do it once a month, but it is the worst. I don't mind the shopping so much, but as someone earlier said, its the shlepping of bags from cart to trunk to kitchen and then the endless putting away of the groceries. And I have to do it all myself, because Mr. Mollis has no regard for the organization of the pantry or fridge. I've been putting off the shopping all week. Its going to have to be done tonight though. Or maybe tomorrow...

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Ladybug220 - Jan 28, 2005 8:36 am (#1607 of 2956)

Mike Miller,

Amazon has this message about delivery of the book:

AVAILABILITY: PRE-ORDER THIS ITEM NOW AND WE WILL MAKE SURE IT ARRIVES ON OR JUST AFTER THE RELEASE DATE OF JULY 16, 2005

They will probably ship it via UPS or FedEx to get it to you in time. I know that they used FedEx for GOF as I had it sent to my sis-in-law, but I don't know what they did for OOP.

I hope that every one is having a good Friday and there are only 3 more days until I can start moving into my apartment.

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mollis - Jan 28, 2005 8:53 am (#1608 of 2956)

I pre-ordered OOTP from Amazon. When I ordered they guaranteed deliver on the Saturday release date. I got mine on the release date, at around 2pm. Considering that I was out in the boonies of Virginia, that was a pretty standard time for my first thing in the morning deliveries. But now that they aren't guaranteeing delivery on the release date, and the fact that I'm in a real city again, I think I'm going to reserve at the bookstore and pick it up Sat morning. Unless I find a midnight release party and someone cool willing to go with me. I don't think my hubby would enjoy doing it.

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Sirius Lee - Jan 28, 2005 9:09 am (#1609 of 2956)

For all you Yankees fans out there...I'd ask you to take a close look at my avatar. ... Oh yes, it could be because...WE WON!

Eeee *Sqeals with excitement and jealousy!* Oh my goodness, that's FANTASTIC!!! I'm a huge Red Sox fan and would give anything to get my hands on that even for a moment! I went to Boston for the parade afterwards and was thrilled just to see it. Prior to the premium-members-only avatar rule, a Red Sox symbol was mine, during the warmer weather I'm rarely seen without one of my many baseball caps, and I screamed like a lunatic in Times Square when we won!! Yup, Times Square - did I mention I live in NYC. Fun place to be a Sox fan Years back when I was working at a Starbucks, I had a regular storm out as soon as he walked in, pausing to tell my manager that he would "NOT be served by a Red Sox fan"! Even my boss thought it was funny he passed up his morning coffee over a sports dispute!

Eh, sorry folks, I know its been months, but I'm still so excited and end up rambling with glee

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Ydnam96 - Jan 28, 2005 9:21 am (#1610 of 2956)

Thanks for the info on the plastic vs paper bags for evidence collection! Smile

As for PJs: one day after church I got super cold so I changed from my church clothes into some nice comfy sweats. I was still cold a little later so I decided to run to the grocery store and get some hot chocolate. Now I had always promised myself I would not go out in such attire but I figured it was just a short trip and it was just a grocery store. What I didn't know was that the store, which had just opened, was having a celebration for it's opening and had invited some famous tv stars to sign autographs. There were tons of people there and one of the stars (from a soap opera that I watched in college) was someone I really wanted to get an autograph & picture of. So despite the fact that I looked like a bum I got in line and went for it. After that experience I have tried to never go in public in PJs. (and I must say I've only done it once since, but I was sick with the flu and had to get some medicine so I went to Walmart in a pair of PJ pants and a t-shirt that was about 2 sizes too big).

The sleeping bag thing...you know the whole “wear less clothes it will be warmer” thing never worked for me. I went on a backpacking trip last summer in the high Sierra's in Yosemite/Sierra National Forrest. We were out for around 10 days, no tents. It was hard core. I froze some nights. I mean, we had frost on our sleeping bags in the morning one morning. I tried one night to wear just my shorts and tanktop and I thought I was going to get hypothermia. I have a better sleeping bag now and I sweat profusely in it. I can't win Smile

Well, as I'm going to be late for work I should go. Have a great weekend everyone.

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Catherine - Jan 28, 2005 9:26 am (#1611 of 2956)

It is funny, but even with that lovely description, it seems to me that you are still eating "shrimp 'n' grits" with dessert of "burnt pudding." --Loopy Lupin

Mmmmm....the "burnt pudding" tasted wonderful. And the contraction of "and" to "n" didn't change the taste of my shrimp and grits one teensy bit. If you change out of your PJs and wear real pants, I just might take you to that restaurant sometime.

Kip, it's great to see you posting. You made a very good suggestion, and I think for these chilly months, I just might try it for the 7 a.m. carpool. Plus, if people think I was working out, then I have an excuse for the "bed-head" hairdo.

As for the sleeping bag issues, Mare, you don't think I really go camping, do you? My idea of roughing it is staying in a hotel without wireless internet. The only think I ever enjoyed about Girl Scout Camp, aside from torturing the camp counselors, was making and eating S'mores.

You all have a great day. My mom is showing up in about 10 minutes from Richmond to celebrate Hayley's birthday belatedly. She got snowed in last weekend, so it'll be great to see her. It's wonderful that she feels up to driving these days, so it looks like she's really getting back to her old self.

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 28, 2005 10:13 am (#1612 of 2956)

If you change out of your PJs and wear real pants, I just might take you to that restaurant sometime.—Catherine

How about if I just don't wear pj's that have bunnys and stuff on them?

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kabloink! - Jan 28, 2005 11:21 am (#1613 of 2956)

I stand firm on the going out in Pj's thing. I am still a lazy bum of an overstressed college student, and will often pick my husband up from a closing shift (at 2am) or drop him off for an opening shift (at 4am) in my pj's. While I have not yet attended actual classes at MSU in my pj's (only because I live 30 min away), I have taken exams in them and spent library days in them. At U of M when I lived in the dorms, however, I would roll out of bed 10 min before class started, pull my waist length hair into a ponytail or baseball cap, brush my teeth throw some water on my face and run to class. Oh yeah, I would typically throw on shoes or flip flops, too. Maybe when I have kids, taking them to school will have a different effect on me, but as of right now, I don't care who sees me in my pj's.

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VeronikaG - Jan 28, 2005 12:18 pm (#1614 of 2956)

LOL, I have yet to be spotted shopping in my nightwear.

Barbie, I'm so sorry for you. Take comfort in your friends at the Forum, we're here for you lady!

Suspense and crime... I really like detective novels and -films. I watch most everything, from the classics like Colombo and Inspector Morse to modern series like Wire in the Blood, Waking the Dead and Midsomer Murders. It's hard to pick a favourite. I like trying to be as smart as the detective, noticing things that can give clues to who did it and why. I never get it right.

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Helen Potterfan - Jan 28, 2005 12:35 pm (#1615 of 2956)

During my freshman year, most freshmen were assigned an 8am Writing Class that was required for everyone. Since many of these classes were on the campus where we lived (all freshmen were required to live on campus, and all on "East Campus"), it became fashionable to come to class in PJs. It was not at all unusual to see several members of the class show up complete with robe and slippers! My dorm was beside the Cafeteria where we were all forced to have meal plans, and most mornings before 9 or so there would always be people hanging around in PJs. That was 10 years ago, so I'm not sure it still happens, but I imagine so.

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Catherine - Jan 28, 2005 12:55 pm (#1616 of 2956)

How about if I just don't wear pj's that have bunnys and stuff on them? --Loopy Lupin

*SNORT*

Deal.

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Gina R Snape - Jan 28, 2005 1:09 pm (#1617 of 2956)

I don't think of sweatpants/track suits as pj's. So I see no problem wearing them in public.

I usually sleep in a long t-shirt, or once in awhile those PJ bottoms from Old Navy with a sleeveless shirt. I will answer the door and walk in the hallway of my building in that (but not a t-shirt alone). Otherwise, I have to get dressed to go out. But since I don't have kids, don't drive a car, and don't go to school full-time, I can think of no situation in which I'd have to run out in my PJs unless (merlin forbid) there was a fire in my building.

But if there is a weekend where I am feeling lazy and/or ill and don't really want to 'get dressed' I will put on a pair of sweatpants like I use for yoga and potions brewing and exercise.

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Eponine - Jan 28, 2005 1:43 pm (#1618 of 2956)

I have stolen my husband's jammie pants which are red and covered with Dr. Seuess's Horton the elephant. They are quite comfortable, but I have not yet worn them out of the house. I have worn others out on late night store runs, but that's about it. Oh, when I flew back from Alaska (leaving Anchorage at 1:00 AM), I wore very comfortable pants that could be considered pajamas along with a tank top and a pair of fuzzy slipper flip flops. It was a seven hour flight, and I was going to be comfortable!

Regarding re-reading the books before HBP. I have decided that I am going to read a chapter a day up until July 16. I've figured out that I will need to start reading March 6 to finish OotP on the 15th. If I'm only reading one HP chapter a day, I'm more likely to be reading other things as well.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day!

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 28, 2005 1:59 pm (#1619 of 2956)

Years back when I was working at a Starbucks, I had a regular storm out as soon as he walked in, pausing to tell my manager that he would "NOT be served by a Red Sox fan"!---Sirius Lee

Well, I can't fault him for his faithfulness. All team fans should be so steadfast. I'm glad your boss supported you, though. I would have loved to witness it.

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Tomoé - Jan 28, 2005 2:56 pm (#1620 of 2956)

I've been quite busy last few days, I have a lot to catch up, so beware, it will be a long post.

First, even if I'm a bit late, I'm very sorry about your father, Barbie. I never lost someone that close to me, but I did lost an aunt to mutiple sclerosis and a grandmother to repeted cerebrovascular accidents. Sure, you miss him, but it's hard time to deal with your loved ones in pain and so vulnerable, it's sain you're relieved his suffering is over. There's really no reason to be ashamed over the fact you're relieved to have time again to do whatever you wish. He knew you were sacrifying a lot to support him, he knew you all had much pleasant stuff you could have done instead, but you stuck to him until the very end and that's what make the difference. He knew he was loved, even if he was a shadow of his former self, even if he couldn't give you back as much as you gave him. That's the only thing that matter in the end.

Venus, you have all my admiration for taking care of your disenabled mother-in-law. I have really no idea what you are going through, my grandmother and my aunt were placed in institution, they both were too sick for anyone but nurses to take care of them, and that was quite demanding already for my mom (she was the ones who took care of finances, invoices, medical stuff and she made sure she spend a afternoon a week with them). I sounds to be one of these thankless job no one won't even mention unless you do something wrong.

While being on difficult topic, I read Accio Sirius's profile the other day and the newspaper article that was linked to it, I was deeply moved, you have all my admiration as well. It's been a year since the article was printed did the ketogenic diet worked?

Madam Poppy, I'm sorry for your daughter, I hope she'll get better soon. I'm sorry for your mother as well, to lose an eye is near the top of my "hadicap I don't want to get" list.

Eponine, congratulation for your first teaching day (even if it's getting a bit old).

Mike Miller, Mireime did order DVDs from amazon.com and she get her order a day before the release date more than once. I'll ask her if she used the standard shipping or the express one.

dizzy lizzy, lawn-mowing already? I don't expect my parents' grass to need mowing befor May, it sounds so surreal.

If I need to get out of bed quickly to go outside of the house, I never were pj, I prefer taking any pant plus upertop of any kind even if they don't match at all. I sometimes put socks as well, sometimes not.

Edit : Marè from jkr website thread -> Anyway I can fly you over to do some of my statistic tests?

Oh! I didn't take statistic related class for 6 solid years, so I'm not sure what my answers will worth. ^_~

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Acceber - Jan 28, 2005 3:43 pm (#1621 of 2956)

"Anybody got a cat!" Sooooooo....Anybody got a cat?!"-Kim. Try Alliance for Animals in Arlington. That's where we got our two male cats. They are neutered (or spayed, I can never remember the difference), so no hope for offspring.

Congrats to JK on the birth of her new baby girl!

Kim, your husband must feel so lucky! I'd love to touch the trophy. (Aside to Kim and other Sox fans: They traded Mientkiewicz! Aaaahhhhhhh!!!!!) On that note, has anyone seen/heard from/emailed Leila lately?

Barbie, my condolences on your father's passing.

I ranted about my part in the school play about a month ago (I'm the cow in Into the Woods) and the time has come for me to rant some more. Constantly kneeling hadn't been that annoying, until I woke up this morning with two huge bruises right below my knees. A lot of my friends are also in the play, and after seeing the bruises, they yelled at the director for me. Very kind . I'm getting knee pads this weekend.

Pajamas-I don't wear pajamas out of the house, except at pajama day at school, and that was just the bottoms. Pajamas for me are an oversized T-shirt and too-short bottoms with dragonflies on them. Very comfortable.

I'm done, I think. My Forum anniversary (one year) was last Monday and my birthday is next Monday. w00t!

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Bathilda - Jan 28, 2005 3:44 pm (#1622 of 2956)

Yes, vent AGAINST all day Kindergarten. I just don't feel that a five year old with a full time parent at home should be in school for 35 hours per week. The only additions to the half day curriculum are "quiet time", free play, recess, and review. I agree that the 2.5 hour day isn't the answer either. However, my daughter's school is going to have an option to take the kids home after lunch. So it's technically 67% of the time as the full day. (I know it's 67%, because that's the amount of tuition they are charging. There were too many parents threatening to leave if they didn't give some options. ARGH! I've been going grey over this whole school thing!

Madam Pomfrey--I am sorry to hear about your daughter's pregnancy. Her condition sounds horrible! I've had two pregnancies where I couldn't stop vomiting, and also became dehydrated to the point of hospitalization. It thoroughly sucks! BUT BLIND in one eye!? I have a friend who had a condition where she couldn't pee--had to self cath, and later when she was huge; her husband had to do it. But at least it went away. Your daughter has a lot of courage, and obviously a lot of love for her baby! Good luck and God Bless.

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dizzy lizzy - Jan 28, 2005 4:54 pm (#1623 of 2956)

Oh I love coming onto this site in the mornings. I spend most mornings giggling away getting my dose of laughter for the day.

On the PJ thing, I cheat now. I just wear T-shirts and shorts in summer and trakkie daks (tracksuit trousers) and jumper in winter.

As I live in Shorts and T-shirts or trakkies and T-shirts (except for the work clothes), there are times when they just miraculously become PJ's with a wave of the wand!!!...more often than not. There have been times when I've been so tired, I've crawled into bed in jeans and jumper in winter and been deliciously warm. I won't use electric blankets and I don't have a human hot water bottle living with me, so I'm glad our winters aren't as bad as yours.

The lawnmowing was not pleasant. The grass was wet, temp was 24deg cel. and it was a humid morning. However, it had to be done, the littlest dog was getting lost in the grass.

So now I get to spend the rest of the day recovering. Sausage curry for tea tonight as the reward

Lizzy

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mike miller - Jan 28, 2005 5:28 pm (#1624 of 2956)

Ladybug, Mollis, Julia and Tomoe - Thanks for the insight on Amazon. I had pre-ordered the CoS DVD and, as I recall, it came the afternoon of the release date. I just could find anything on their website giving me the option for "faster" delivery. I would not mind going down to the bookstore in the morning to pick up my reserve copy, but I'm leaning towards the deluxe edition.

Have a great weekend everyone! Oh, by the way, the computer seems to be fixed!

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Madam Poppy - Jan 28, 2005 5:37 pm (#1625 of 2956)
Edited by Jan 28, 2005 4:38 pm

Thanks one and all for your comments and encouragement. Generva, my daughter is expecting the and is sick as a dog . My Mom is recovering from her illness and lost the sight in one of her eyes. It has been hard to be so far away from my family. They count on me daily for support too. All I can do is or mail Care packages.

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Marie E. - Jan 28, 2005 7:08 pm (#1626 of 2956)

Oh, Madam Poppy, it's so good to see you again. We've really missed you. I hope your daughter and mother improve. I know it's hard to be away from family when they need you. Then again, you could have family members like mine who announce to the forum they're having surgery but fail to tell their sister!!

An update on Shayla: after consulting with her pediatrician we've decided to try a medication for her ADD. We are also looking into some other things she's having trouble with that are not "attention" related. I think she may have a reading comprehension problem related to writing. She starts the meds tomorrow so I won't be sure if they're working for about a week. We've also done some diet modification and a progress chart at home to monitor her behavior better. Her doctor was giving me a website to check out and she paused to ask "do you have internet?". I tried hard not to laugh in her face.

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Catherine - Jan 28, 2005 7:33 pm (#1627 of 2956)

For the record,

I am not arguing against loungewear. After all, I have two Shih-tzus, so lounging is part of the game.

I might have ventured out in loungewear to get the paper while waving at my best friend dressed in her pink piggy PJs, and saying hello to my across the street neighbor in her T-shirt and baggie flannnels. We really used to laugh at what people would think about us in our un-lovely and comfy sleepwear. So, I have been seen, by neighbors, utility men, construction workers, and carpool buddies attired thusly.

That said, I have reconsidered my stance on driving in said manner, as the idea of being stranded on the side of the road in my lounge pants (printed with shoes and purses) is NOT attractive. **Waves and respectful salute to Eponine with Horton pants** Greenville is a small town, after all, and it is a lot to live down. I imagine from now on if I wouldn't want to be filmed changing a tire in it, I shouldn't wear it for carpool!

From now on, it will be athletic wear, even if I am not athletic in the least, and even if the people who know me well know that I was NOT working out! Thanks, Kip!

EDIT: Marie, good luck with that. If she is having trouble, I'm glad that you caught it early.

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Mrs. Sirius - Jan 28, 2005 8:33 pm (#1628 of 2956)

This is truly a special day, Kip and Madame Poppy posting. Nice to hear from you. Poppy best of luck with your daughter, I'll keep some of my best thoughts for her.

On the food shopping, why I am inspired to tell embarrassing stories here I don't really know, but here goes...

A couple of years ago when the my son was about 5 and the triplets were 3, I went food shopping with all four because I really needed some staples. I thought that the self-checkout lines wa moving faster so I went on the self check out. As fortune would have it, my kids were on their worst behavior that day. They were pulling things of the shelves, "mommy can I have..." pulling the bags, climbing in and out of the cart and so on. I told them to get into the cart, paid up, grabbed my receipt as I told them how disappointed I was in their behavior. We drove home, an 11 miles trip, when my son asked, "Mommy where are the groceries?" I had grabbed my receipts and stormed out of the store with my naughty kids but I left all of my groceries on the belt.

I called the store and yes they did find a checkout counter with nearly $50 worth of groceries left behind. (They had restocked everything so I had to re-shop)

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TwinklingBlueEyes - Jan 28, 2005 10:05 pm (#1629 of 2956)

"it seems to me that you are still eating "shrimp 'n' grits" with dessert of "burnt pudding." "

Loopy, I would like to thank you for saying what I was thinking, and also for reminding me how badly my screen and keyboard needed cleaning!

SPEW!

Julia, "Socks: I prefer to be like Dobby and I almost never wear socks that match. So long as I have an even number of socks in my sock drawer, I'm good to go." If you end up with an odd number you can always pick your cleanest dirty one to match it when need demands.

"Forum anniversary"...is there a way to find the date you joined?

Catherine - "the idea of being stranded on the side of the road in my lounge pants (printed with shoes and purses) is NOT attractive." The idea is not attractive, but it sure helps in getting a prince in shining armor (his view) aka male of the species (our view) to stop and offer assistance. :-)

Frost on sleeping bag - I thought that was what tents or shelter halves were made for? S'mores now, and a crackling fire...pure heaven!

Mrs Sirius, you have my full admiration, respect, awe, and sympathy! Triplets! I thought I had it made surviving my twins and their older sister, (she was 13 months when twins were born) with some semblance of sanity. My hat is off to you!

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Gina R Snape - Jan 28, 2005 10:44 pm (#1630 of 2956)

TBE, that would be fun, to find out one's exact date of joining.

Unfortunately for me, when I first joined I posted as Gina without registering for a month or so (back when you could do so). Then when I finally went to register the name Gina was taken and, alas, I had to give my full married name...

I'd be curious to get stats on number of posts too. I sometimes wonder about that, after Kip gave us that posting averages info before the changes at WX.

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The giant squid - Jan 29, 2005 2:27 am (#1631 of 2956)

Then again, you could have family members like mine who announce to the forum they're having surgery but fail to tell their sister!!

Why, who would be so insensitive as to do something like that?? Chat & Greetings 2005 266347159

I'm glad to hear you've had some progress with Shayla; let's hope this first try works so you don't have to play the "Okay, how about this..." game.

One hand: I've often wondered what my actual "Forum anniversary" is and think it would be kinda cool to be able to look it up. Other hand: I've only seen Kip post one non-admin post in the last thre months (at least) as it is. Give the man anything more to do and he may just explode!

--Mike

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Pinky - Jan 29, 2005 5:55 am (#1632 of 2956)

Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Kip has every single one of our forum anniversaries. I've wondered as well - I know it was after GOF came out and SS on movie - as I saw the movie first, then read all the books right after. Beyond that, I don't know. But I have learned that Kip, for some reason, absolutely delights in keeping meticulous records about these forums, and has been able to come up with amazing statistics. He spends hours every day working behind the scenes on the fourms, even though you don't see him post very often.

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TwinklingBlueEyes - Jan 28, 2005 9:28 pm (#1633 of 2956)
Edited by Pinky Jan 29, 2005 4:58 am

Pam, I moved this post from the Introduction thread - please keep all welcome type posts here in the chat thread. The Introduction thread is for introductions only. ~Pinky

Welcome to the forum Lisa. Harry and this forum have helped a lot of us here through the "rough moments".

Pam

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TwinklingBlueEyes - Jan 29, 2005 6:15 am (#1634 of 2956)

Thank you, I get lost sometimes. Is nice to have a harbor light.

Ok, I'll fess up, I knew that and just slam forgot! :-)

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Denise P. - Jan 29, 2005 9:09 am (#1635 of 2956)

Wow, I am suitably impressed! Saturday is cage cleaning day at our house. We have 6 guinea pigs and 2 birds that get cleaned. One of our guinea pig cages is about 2.5'x5', the other two are marginally smaller. I normally take a dustpan and scoop out the used bedding, scrub it and then replace it. To clean all three guinea pig cages normally takes me about an hour to 90 minutes...depends on how much "help" I have. Today, I decided to try the shop vac to do it. I am never using a dustpan again! That shop vac sucks it up in a flash, no mess, no bags and in a fraction of the time. Call me a geek (Don't try it Kim!) but wow, how much easier!

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Marie E. - Jan 29, 2005 10:04 am (#1636 of 2956)

Isn't technology wonderful, Denise? I wonder if the shop vac works on the kids clutter in their rooms...

It's snowing here in Colorado Springs. It's that pretty, light, fluffy kind of snow. I hope it lets up a little for tomorrow. Our Brownie troop is going to the Museum of Nature and Science in Denver and I don't have anything else planned. Just in case, I've just been online looking for some quickie crafts. If any members in the Denver area are interested, the museum is doing a free admission day tomorrow. You still have to pay for the IMAX movies and such.

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mike miller - Jan 29, 2005 10:06 am (#1637 of 2956)

Denise - As Tim Allen would say, there's no substitute for POWER!

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Gina R Snape - Jan 29, 2005 10:16 am (#1638 of 2956)

Hey, Denise. Would you go so far as to say...'It's Like Magic!'?

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 29, 2005 1:21 pm (#1639 of 2956)

I'll bet Denise was at least thinking if not saying "Scourgify!"

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Catherine - Jan 29, 2005 3:09 pm (#1640 of 2956)

Or Evanesco!

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Doris Crockford - Jan 29, 2005 3:15 pm (#1641 of 2956)

About Forum anniversaries, I figure mine is approximately August 14, since that was the day I got an email from WX confirming that I was an official member.

I was just at the Queen's University website (I applied there and am hoping to go there in September), and I was looking at the FAQs for residence. One of the questions was: "What do I do if I drop my room key down the elevator shaft?" It's even funnier that that's a question since there's another question about losing your keys in general, and since only a few residences actually have elevators!

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From Venus - Jan 29, 2005 3:51 pm (#1642 of 2956)

Yeah, Denise, the shop vac is the way to go, so long as you've remembered to remove the critters first!

(Sorry, couldn't resist it.)

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Catherine - Jan 29, 2005 3:57 pm (#1643 of 2956)

Oh, we weren't vanishing the guinea pigs? Oopsie.

Just kidding. We love our shop vac. It can hold many gallons of water at one time, which is wonderful during floods. It's a great idea.

Perhaps I should suggest it to Mr. Catherine for changing the fish tank water? Of course, I can see the fish accidentally getting sucked up into the vac....Ick.

So Denise, how are the little piggies doing these days? I feel like I haven't seen them in ages, although your current avatar is just too adorable.

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boop - Jan 29, 2005 4:06 pm (#1644 of 2956)

Hi everyone, I went to see Hide and Seek. It was really good, with a surprise. IF you like scary movies then this one will be a movie for you.

hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Hugs Always

Boop

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Denise P. - Jan 29, 2005 4:57 pm (#1645 of 2956)

All the piggies are doing well. Regulus and Sirrius are about entering the teenaged boar years and Sirrius wants to make sure Regulus knows he is the boss. Regulus is very laid back and just lets Sirrius have at it. Petunia and Luna occasionally chatter at one another but for the most part, they get along fine. Cinnamon and Spice have always gotten along and are doing great. If I could trust Petunia around the others, or Luna or the boys, I would get a group shot but if I tried to put them all together, we would end up with squealing and fur flying. We have way too many alphas and alpha wannabes.

I can tell you my Forum anniversary, it was after Lexicon Steve posted his welcome at 9:07 am PST Wednesday 2 October 2002. I posted at 10:26 am PST (almost an hour and twenty minutes later). I have the dubious honor of being the first to post on WX. I was also on Bravenet and the place before but I believe Kip and Marcus were there as well.

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From Venus - Jan 29, 2005 5:29 pm (#1646 of 2956)

My forum anniversary is September 3, 2004. I'm still kinda new.

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Penny Lane. - Jan 29, 2005 5:33 pm (#1647 of 2956)

Wow. I'm not loving this lack of a personal macintosh computer deal. I keep forgetting to check in, and then I come back than there are 100+ messages on this one thread for me.

thanks to everyone who helped with the Dragon quote.

Socks: My best friend grew up in a home with 7 sisters and 2 brothers, and they solved the sock problem by writing their initials on the bottoms with a permanate - argh, i have serious spelling issues- marker.

PJ's: I can't believe we are discussing what we wear to sleep in, but I tend to wear either shorts or pj pants - flared, of course - and a tank top. I dont' care who sees me in it, as I am not the most modest girl in the world, nor do I care what people think of me. I find it comfortable to lounge around in, and thats that. I don't, however, ever wear PJ's to class. 4 days out of 5, I will dress up, just because I'm at the stage in my academic career where I have to be looking for instructor recommendations. Also, I just don't feel comfortable in class all scrubby. I have afternoon classes, so I guess that might be part of the reason.

I don't know my Forum anniversary, but I remember when it started. I lurked, and started posting sometime in December of 02, I believe.

Has anyone read "The Golden Compass"? I started it last night, and at first it was hard to get into and confusing and I was annoyed at the spelling of various words, dœman included, but now I'm curious about it, and if the rest of the series is completed.

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Denise P. - Jan 29, 2005 5:43 pm (#1648 of 2956)

I have read that triology, Penny. I didn't particularly like it but it was okay.

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Julia. - Jan 29, 2005 6:56 pm (#1649 of 2956)

My forum anniversary is December 21, 2003. My first post was on the Flitwick thread.

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The giant squid - Jan 29, 2005 11:28 pm (#1650 of 2956)

Doris, the funniest bit about the elevator/key issue is that for it to be part of the FAQ it has to have happened often enough to be a frequently asked question! Me, I always used a keychain...

--Mike

Lady Arabella Mon Jan 05, 2015 8:33 pm

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septentrion - Jan 30, 2005 4:26 am (#1651 of 2956)

Julia, we nearly share our forum anniversary because I received my confirmation mail for subscribing around Dec 8th 2003.

Mike, keychains aren't the ultimate solution against losing your keys. What if you lose your keychain with the bunch of keys you use for your car, home work ? Of course, a keychain makes it difficult to lose your keys in the gap between the door and the lift itself.

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librarian314 - Jan 30, 2005 7:53 am (#1652 of 2956)

Hey all!

It's snowing here in the greater DC area, again. The weather people are calling for 1 to 3 inches. I'm so glad we got our friends moved yesterday. I'd hate to have to be out in the yuck today.

I didn't start wearing sweat pants out in public until after I became a mom. :-P I'm a morning person and always have been, so there was no problem getting to breakfast before my eight o'clock classes. These days though, I'll toss on the sweat pants easiest to find and go out and about no problem. I'm still a morning person, so I do tend to miss the crowds and lessen the number of people that see me less than put together. (Though most people who "put themselves together" would think me horribly incomplete, as I don't wear make-up and doing my hair consists of pulling it back in a scrunchy, for a long pony tail. ;-) )

When I'm camping, I always take a pair of wool socks and a hat to sleep in. (Depending on the time and location, I may just sleep in my flannel nightgown or a T-shirt and leggings.) The socks are only for sleeping as sleeping in the socks you wore all day long can actually make your feet colder.

I did some reconnoitering recently and it seems that the Barnes and Noble in downtown Bethesda and the Borders in Gaithersburg on 355 are both going to be open at midnight for the release of HBP. I've not yet decided which one I want to go to, as neither have anything definite planned yet. The Borders is closer but the Barnes and Noble is bigger. Good thing I've got time to decide! :-)

Y'all take care!

**michelle the librarian**

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Elanor - Jan 30, 2005 1:17 pm (#1653 of 2956)

Hello everybody! I hope everyone is having a great weekend! Here, it has been a very cold one: something like -10°C (14°F) in the morning and only -5°C (25°F) during the day. Brr... To think some people mow their lawn in the sun... (**waving to Lizzy**)

About my forum anniversary, I remember I first posted on the "tell about yourself thread" last July, the 15th I think. I will have a great present for my first anniversary next July!

As for pyjamas, well, since I once opened the door to the postman who was selling calendars when I was wearing Daffy Duck pyjamas (I thought it was my Mom coming), I try and wear sweat pants when I want to relax at home instead. To keep a dignified air with an angry duck on your chest is NOT that easy, especially when a postman, looking at you with eyes like saucers, shows you ugly calendars with horses or the Mont-St-Michel on it...

For camping, it is easy: I don't camp, my back just can't do that. I would need a wizard tent for trying it again someday...

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septentrion - Jan 30, 2005 1:43 pm (#1654 of 2956)

My, I'm glad not to live in Burgundy ! (waves to Elanor) I couldn't survive with such temperatures.

Well, before I can open my door to anybody, I have to make them wait outside to wear something decent because I wear all my old and comfortable stuff at home, and of course trousers (old remember) don't fit with the jacket or the tee-shirt (old too). Of course, I learnt to take precautions the hard way, after I opened my door wearing something worse than Daffy Duck pajamas once.

I can hear the sweet noise of hubby doing the washing-up in the kitchen. Isn't he a darling ? Who told the feminine for sitting in front of the computer was standing in the kitchen ?

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Elanor - Jan 30, 2005 1:59 pm (#1655 of 2956)

**Waves back to Septentrion**

So, I guess it is milder again in the North today... We still have snow on the roofs and it shows no sign of melting yet. I hope mildness will come back soon!

Your husband is a gem indeed! Does he cook too?

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Julia. - Jan 30, 2005 3:44 pm (#1656 of 2956)

Merlin's beard, where is everyone today? Are your fingers all too cold to type?

Happy birthday to MoaningMyrtle101. *hands MM butterbeer* Hope you have a great day and an amazing year. I want the record to show, that I was totally the first person to wish MM a happy birthday, as we were chatting on YIM when the clock struck 12.

My inner Hermione is very happy today. Not only did I do all my reading for tomorrow, but I did all my reading for Tuesday as well. I'm such a dork. Thank G-d that works for me! I talked my Shakespeare professor into giving me extra credit for my genealogy chart, so tonight's activities will revolve around John of Gaunt.

Note to self: Get a life!!!

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Catherine - Jan 30, 2005 4:19 pm (#1657 of 2956)

Must...thaw...fingers....to....type....! **waves to Julia**

The chat thread is quiet today, stiff fingers or no. So I can read it quickly and easily.

Thanks for the update about the piggies, Denise. With a house full of females, my husband can definitely identify with the problem of "alphas and alpha-wannabes!"

Our afternoon was a nice escape from dreary, drizzly gray weather. Hayley celebrated her birthday at the local Gymnastics place with her friends, and it was very amusing to see how grateful the other parents were to have their kids attend a very active party on a day in which they would otherwise probably stay indoors. I heard more than one parent say wistfully that they wished that we as parents could go do the games on the trampolines and in the foam pit. Too bad they don't host "grown-up" parties!

We had such a nice visit with my mom, and an exciting announcement. She is feeling so much better that she is taking the girls to Disney World over Easter break. They almost swooned from the excitement.

I hope everyone had a nice weekend, and I sure hope this latest storm in the East hasn't caused too much inconvenience for everyone.

Good luck with upcoming week! **waves to Sunday Wayne, hoping that Sunday Wayne is not too angry with Friday Wayne! **

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Julia. - Jan 30, 2005 4:43 pm (#1658 of 2956)

*waves back at Catherine* Can I go to Disney World with the girls? I promise to be as excited about it as they are!!! I've never been and I'm suddenly quite jealous of your girls!

mike miller - Jan 30, 2005 4:52 pm (#1659 of 2956)

Julia - Sorry for leaving you with few posts to read. I haven't been frozen today, just engrossed in a little computer gaming.

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Chemyst - Jan 30, 2005 4:55 pm (#1660 of 2956)

Merlin's beard, where is everyone today? Are your fingers all too cold to type? – Julia

As for me, I've been victimized by power outages caused by crashing icy tree limbs. One lasted an hour, but the other half-dozen have been annoying blinks. I finally took my daughter's advice and didn't reset the clocks last time– and that seems to have cured it. ... which also answers Catherine's wondering about this latest storm in the East.

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Catherine - Jan 30, 2005 5:52 pm (#1661 of 2956)

Sorry about your ekeltricity issues, Chemyst. It's good to see you with **hopefully** full power.

I know that we escaped without even the minimum weather promised by our local meterologists, but I know that to the west, it was quite a different matter. Hope that you all are comfortable and safe and back with us soon.

I posted this on the "You Know You Are a Fan" thread, but I thought you all might get a kick out of it. As you know, my mom was visiting this weekend, and I was (in my constant quest to get family members involved in HP) showing her around the Forum. She said, "So what is it that you all DO here? I don't get it." Much later, when we talked about a Patronus, I joked about my dogs, who are shih-tzus. I told mom, "I have a Shih-tzu Patronus, don't you know."

Now, this is supposed to be funny, as shih-tzus are fuzzy, lazy, loving, and small. She said, "So is that what was wrong with Daisy's hair back in July? What have you done to it now?"

Grrrr. I don't think she's paying attention.

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Gina R Snape - Jan 30, 2005 5:57 pm (#1662 of 2956)

Well, it was never my intention to add work to Kip's plate. But something tells me he does have the stats on everyone's anniversaries.

The best I can come up with is late October or early November 2002. This is because I know I started posting before the CoS movie was released (11/15/02). And I can say with about 99.9999999999999% certainty that my first post was to the Snape thread.

Please, nobody faint from surprise... Chat & Greetings 2005 1003735042

I am so grateful we thawed out in NYC today. The deep freeze we've endured has been enough for me to start fantasizing about living in warmer climes. Except, of course, now I hear even Georgia had a frost spell!

Sorry to hear about your power outages, Chemyst! How incredibly annoying.

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I Am Used Vlad - Jan 30, 2005 7:23 pm (#1663 of 2956)

The thread I first posted on no longer exists, so I don't know exactly when my anniversary is. I'm not complaining, though, since it was an incorrect prediction.

Happy birthday, MM101.

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Amilia Smith - Jan 30, 2005 8:14 pm (#1664 of 2956)

Hi all! Just getting back from a looooong weekend. Had an order for 200 breakfast sandwiches Friday morning, so I had to be in to work before 4. Then I took off for Vegas, where I had a dance workshop and ceilidh Saturday. After which I took off for home, so I could sing in church this morning. Very glad this week will be back to normal. ***knocks on wood***

What would be considered my anniversary: my first post, or when my membership was approved? Because Kip had to talk me through signing up over a series of several emails, and I was so embarrassed by my lack of computer savvy it took me almost another month to work up the nerve to post.

About wearing PJs in public: I have a pair of flannel bottoms with ice-skating penguins that I will on occasion wear in public, much to my mother's dismay. I rationalize by saying that they are not really PJs as I do not wear them to sleep in. :-)

About grocery shopping: I work in a grocery store, and by the time I am done with my 8-9 hour shift, I want out. I say to myself as I am leaving, "Is there anything you can't live without till tomorrow? Nope." As a result, I often find myself going days without milk as can't bring myself to go back to the store when I am off.

I was just watching a nature program on PBS (Public Broadcasting System). Did you know that when a hummingbird is nesting, her body temperature lowers? A lower body temperature requires less fuel. Less fuel requires less time away from her eggs. How clever is that?

Mills.

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Jan 30, 2005 8:23 pm (#1665 of 2956)

As you know, my mom was visiting this weekend, and I was (in my constant quest to get family members involved in HP) showing her around the Forum.---Catherine

That was your first mistake.

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Ydnam96 - Jan 30, 2005 8:50 pm (#1666 of 2956)

I've tried to explain the forum to my family and I think they just think I'm a crazy internet junkie who also is obsessed with Harry Potter. Smile

I'm just glad there are other people in the world who understand!

I too have no clue what my anniversary date for joining would be. I have changed email addresses so I don't have the email anymore from when I signed up and when I search my posts the search function only works back through November. Bummer. But it's okay, because our wonderful staff members have enough work today without trying to figure that out for all of us either. It seems as if I've been on the forum for ever Smile

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Mrs. Sirius - Jan 30, 2005 8:59 pm (#1667 of 2956)

lol Denise, sometimes taking that extra minute to do something we always do, differently, can make such a world of difference.

Ohh, anniversary dates...I found Lexicon soon after buying my "new" computer (which I bought because I knew there was more info on HP on it), that was the beginning of October 2002. I lurked for about a month before I dared post. I posted before joining for several weeks, under my full name, Maritza M. I believe I joined formally on my mother's birthday January 16, 2003.

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Gina R Snape - Jan 30, 2005 9:30 pm (#1668 of 2956)

Wow, Maritza. Isn't it weird to think we've 'known' each other for a little over 2 years?!

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Julia. - Jan 30, 2005 10:06 pm (#1669 of 2956)

Well, it's just turned midnight here on the East coast, thus, I want to be the first to say ...HAPPY BIRTHDAY BECCA!!! (You might know Becca as Acceber) *hands Becca butterbeer* Hope you have an great day and an amazing year!!!

Gina, I shall try not to faint from the surprise that your first post was on the Snape thread.

Chemyst, I'm sorry to hear you were having power issues, Glad you're ok and back on the fourm.

Well, I am the biggest dork on the planet. I said that I was going to work on my genealogy chart tonight. A few hours later, it's finished.

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scully jones - Jan 30, 2005 10:18 pm (#1670 of 2956)

Happy birthday Becca!

I'm finally caught up on my homework! That's counting the four written labs that aren't really due until next month, and one extra credit paper. I was just starting to feel good about myself until Brandon shows me that he's written all of the chapter papers up until chapter 9! Chapter 6 is due tomorrow, and that's all I've written up to. He's showing me up! Ah well, I'll catch up during the week.

We've got practically fifty terms to know by thursday, and I know a few of them already. Problem is, this teacher's tests are confusing. She words some of the questions really weird. Ah well..

I can't wait until Valentine's day! My first V-day with Brandon and the whole family and us (and a few friends) are all going to Tahoe! Ski! Yay! Yep. I haven't seen snow since I left Idaho in 2001. I'm excited!

Well it's late and I must be going now. Bye!

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Julia. - Jan 30, 2005 10:25 pm (#1671 of 2956)

SARAH!!!! *runs up and bearhugs Sarah* Glad you've gotten caught up on your homework. It takes a while, but it's quite lovely when it's all done. Brandon is such a show off. Give him some root beer and see what happens. Your Valentines day sounds awesome. I wish I were going to Tahoe with you guys, but alas, I will be doing homework.

You know, if you wanted snow you could have come visit me, I have more of it than I know what to do with!

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Elanor - Jan 30, 2005 11:07 pm (#1672 of 2956)

Happy birthday Becca!

I have some really great news that I want to share with you all! Some of you have maybe heard of the Accio conference that will take place in Reading next July. They organized a call for papers and I had submitted them an abstract about Alchemicals symbols in HP. And I received this this morning:

"The Accio Programming Team is pleased to let you know that we've accepted your submission "Alchemical Symbols" for this summer's conference. You will be sharing a one hour time slot with another presenter."

OH MY G-D! I am too shaken to really think for the moment (it is also very early 7 a.m.) but I am so pleased! The more because it is the work of a team, down there, on the alchemy thread!

I also wanted to thank Kip and all the Lexicon forum staff for letting the Alchemy thread work. We have so much fun there doing some researches and also thank Marè who told us first bout Accio. Thank you so much everybody!

I'm so happy that I wanted you all to know at once!

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dizzy lizzy - Jan 30, 2005 11:16 pm (#1673 of 2956)

Eleanor, congrats on the Accio paper! I hope you have fun presenting it and getting your ideas out to lots of people I had lots of ideas and comments I wanted to make on the weekend to other posters, but it was way too hot to allow my brain to exert itself.

I have quite recovered from my weekend exertions of lawnmowing. We are due to get storms every afternoon this week according to the weather people. That means that I will be out there again...very soon.

I am only going to do a quick tour of the threads tonight. We have a severe thunderstorm alert with strong winds. Nonetheless the storm will contain thunder and lightening which my dogs hate.

Have a wonderful Monday everyone

Lizzie

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From Venus - Jan 30, 2005 11:38 pm (#1674 of 2956)

Happy birthday Acceber! Hope your day is great!

Congratulations Elanor; very impressive.

Gina, you are just too cool. Of course your first post was on the Snape thread! Where else? You know, it's because of you that I have been taking a new look at Severus, thanks for the cool new view.

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septentrion - Jan 31, 2005 1:38 am (#1675 of 2956)

Elanor, congraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaats ! It makes Accio more attractive (not that it wasn't attractive before). ***try not to dance in front of the computer at work***
And yes hubby is a gem : he also cooks. In fact, I don't know if I could have married a man who couldn't cook. I want to eat decent things !

Happy birthday MoaningMyrtle101 and Becca ! Have a great day.

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Winky Woo - Jan 31, 2005 1:39 am (#1676 of 2956)

Congratulations Elanor that is just so cool! I'm sure you will do a wonderful job of it! I'm trying to arrange it so I can go, it conflicts at the moment with Mr Winky Woo's family coming for their summer holiday(He's Dutch) but they are coming for a few days in Feb as well so I'm hoping to suggest that the August weather in England is so much better than July! (May be I do have Slytherin traits on occasion...)

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VeronikaG - Jan 31, 2005 1:58 am (#1677 of 2956)

Congratulations Elanor. Sounds cool!

Happy Birthday Becca and Myrtle!

I still have the mail I got from WX when I registered, it's dated November 17th 2003. I think my first post was the day after, November 18, which is a good anniversary, since it's one of my best friends' birthday. My first post was in "Tell about yourself", my first regular post was in the Lupin thread. I think Fawkes was the first to reply to my post. Funny how I remember things like that, but not the names of the data communication protocols.

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The giant squid - Jan 31, 2005 2:33 am (#1678 of 2956)

Happy Birthday, Becca! I have it on great authority that Jan. 31 is an excellent day to have a birthday!

Of course, a keychain makes it difficult to lose your keys in the gap between the door and the lift itself.

Septentrion, that was what I was going for. Although one of my coworkers (my immediate superior, actually) managed to drop her entire keychain through the gap once. It took her a few days to live that down. On the other hand, having a keychain means you have to replace a bunch of keys when you accidentally leave them sticking out of your mailbox lock... Thank the Maker I'd just pulled all my work keys off that set & given them their own keychain. I only had to replace our house locks & the mailbox lock and make sure my car wasn't left outside the garage overnight (I've since replaced the car, but not because of that).

Yeesh...I've been out of school for a decade & a half, and Julia, Scully & Brandon are still making me feel guilty about slacking on my homework! I was always one of those people that did just as much as I needed to for a passing grade...of course, by "passing" I mean at least a B...

--Mike

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Essidji - Jan 31, 2005 2:36 am (#1679 of 2956)

Elanor : this is great, congrats!

Veronika, my first post was very close to yours in time : it was on Ginny Weasley's thread, on Nov 13, 2003.

"What do I do if I drop my room key down the elevator shaft?"

LOL, this reminds me something : when I was a student, I once rushed out of my appartment (I was very late to attend classes), dropped in a hurry my litter bag in the rubbish chute, took the lift, ran to catch the bus... and only realized when I was back and wanted to open my door that I must have dropped my keys with the rubbish! Fortunately, it was Friday evening, and my boyfriend (my husband now), who had a key, could open the door. As I had spare keys inside, I was prevented from scavenging to find the lost one!

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boop - Jan 31, 2005 5:01 am (#1680 of 2956)

I want to wish Becca a Happy Birthday. I hope you had a great day.

Happy Birthday Mike the giant squid. Have a wonder day.

Hugs to Becca and Mike

Hugs Always

boop

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Catherine - Jan 31, 2005 5:11 am (#1681 of 2956)

Elanor, congratulations on the acceptance of your paper. We're proud to have one of our own presenting her work!

Reading between the lines, it looks like it might be the Giant Squid's birthday, so I better say, "Happy Birthday, Mike" just in case.

Have a good Monday, everyone.

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VeronikaG - Jan 31, 2005 5:19 am (#1682 of 2956)

Happy Birthday Mike!

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Marè- Jan 31, 2005 5:29 am (#1683 of 2956)

Happy birthday Becca, Myrtle and Mike!

I don't know when I first posted, quite some time ago, me thinks. I do know that I lurked for a long time before I first posted, and that my first post was an entire new thread (bad Marè,bad!). It was about the question why Moody did so enthusiastically teach Harry so many things which would come in handy while facing Voldemort...

On another note: You know you spend too much time on this forum when you, catperson that you are, see a little dog and instead of thinking: "Oh, a little dog"... You think: "Oh, a Shih-tzu"...
Drat! I'm not even supposed to tell the difference between a poodle and a husky!
You people have a bad influence on me!

Edit: Oh! I didn't take statistic related class for 6 solid years, so I'm not sure what my answers will worth. ^_~
Too bad! I might have to go and learn how to do it myself after all...

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septentrion - Jan 31, 2005 5:56 am (#1684 of 2956)

Happy birthday Mike !

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mike miller - Jan 31, 2005 6:06 am (#1685 of 2956)

HAppy Birthday Becca, Myrtle and Mike!!

Looks like the end of January is a great time for a birthday. I wonder who's birthday we'll be celebrating in six months?

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Marie E. - Jan 31, 2005 6:45 am (#1686 of 2956)

Happy birthday to my "little" brother!!! Happy birthday also to Becca and Moaning Myrtle! My brother was almost born on Feb. 1st; he made his appearance just before midnight.

When I was planning my January activities for my kindergarten class, I saw on my daughter's school lunch calendar that Chinese New Year was January 21st. They even had a "Chinese" lunch planned that day with sweet and sour chicken, rice, etc. So now that I've already celebrated it with my class I've seen reports that Chinese New Year is actually February 9th. I am so confused! I think that our school district lunch people must have looked at last year's calendar because last year Chinese New Year was on January 22nd. Someone must not have noticed that the Chinese calendar is lunar and the dates change. None of my parents said anything so I'm going to just let it go. Next year I'll do more research before making any lesson plans!

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Chemyst - Jan 31, 2005 7:02 am (#1687 of 2956)

Good Morning, All.

Happy Birthday Becca!
Happy Birthday Mike! (Um, is there some good reason the nickname "Squiddy" never caught on for you?)

Congratulations Elanor.

I used to visit the Harry Potter Lexicon most weekends, always clicking on the "What's New" button. Eventually there came the day when I'd read nearly the entire site except for the "Forum" part. I had avoided that because, frankly, I didn't want to be tempted to waste my time on such a mindless pastime. I restrained myself for months. Then I lurked; and, I guess when you play with fire.... Anyway, the old LotR places I used to visit were diminishing into the West after the release of RotK movie, so I tried to rationalize that if I registered for the HP forum I wouldn't really be wasting any more time than I already was, but.... Well, I suppose you guys know how that goes.

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Loopy Lupin - Jan 31, 2005 7:05 am (#1688 of 2956)

This site lists February 9, 2005, as the Chinese New Year.

http://www.chinapage.com/newyear.html

Happy Birthday all who have birthdays today.

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Mrs. Sirius - Jan 31, 2005 7:18 am (#1689 of 2956)

Happy Birthday, Becca, Mike and anyone else I may have missed. (I always thought that having a birthday at this time of year year is good because it's an opportunity to celebrate an otherwise dreary time).

Yes Gina, it's true, we've been friends for over two years, although we've never met!

Edit: Hi Sarah!

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Gina R Snape - Jan 31, 2005 7:48 am (#1690 of 2956)

Happy birthday Becca and Mike! Congratulations Elanor!

Well, Mrs. Sirius, you will just have to come back to NYC some point so we can rectify that situation. Just leave our literary husbands behind, eh?

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Julia. - Jan 31, 2005 8:11 am (#1691 of 2956)

Woo! I congratulated Elanor over on the Accio thread, but it's such great news that it deserves to be congratulated again. Mazel tov Elanor!!!!

Mike! It's your birthday and you didn't tell me? Not nice! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! *hands Mike butterbeer* Hope you have a great day and an amazing year.

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From Venus - Jan 31, 2005 9:49 am (#1692 of 2956)

Good Monday morning everyone. Happy Birthday Giant Squid! I love it. How many times in your life are you able to wish happy birthday to a giant squid? (Note to Chemyst...I was thinking maybe we could call him Squidward.)

It's a pretty decent day outside today, the sun peeps out from behind a cloud occasionally and it's amazing how this little bit of light can lift the spirits. I had to bring my grandson to the doctor this morning for a breathing treatment and some medicine. He has a bad cough that he has not been able to lick all winter. I hope this does the trick for the poor little guy. Of course, he doesn't mind missing school too much....

Have a great day everyone. I'm going to try to finish taking down my Christmas stuff today. Yeah, well, at least my husband hasn't offered to decorate it for St. Valentine's Day yet. Last year, I think it was almost March before I had it all down. I still think it would be easier to just leave it up all year, but throw a blanket over it when it's not Christmas.

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Helen Potterfan - Jan 31, 2005 9:28 am (#1693 of 2956)

Happy Birthday Becca, Myrtle and Mike!! Congratulations, Elanor! That's exciting! Happy early St. Bridget's Day!

I reread CoS last night and laughed out loud at the end of it! My husband asked what I was laughing about (he's read all of the books as well, and couldn't remember the end of CoS being quite so funny). I had forgotten that at the end of CoS they have a feast to celebrate and everyone is in their PJs!!! As I read that last night my mind connected with our discussion of PJs on this thread, and in my mental image of the Great Hall, there was a giant squid and various other people wearing the PJs we've discussed on the forum! lol. It was a great mental moment. OK, I have to get to school to turn in dissertation fellowship applications, but I had to share that with all of you first!

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kabloink! - Jan 31, 2005 11:39 am (#1694 of 2956)

Happy birthday to MoaningMyrtle101, Mike and becca! Congratulations Elanor! One day when I am finally Graduated, I might get around to writing something, but I doubt it.

My official forum anniversary is actually coming up, February 5, 2003. I think I had posted before then, and lurked even before that, but that is the day that I got my email confirmation. So two years...wow. Okay off to do homework and search for a career, just had to put in my two knuts worth!

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mollis - Jan 31, 2005 11:58 am (#1695 of 2956)

Okay, you guys made me curious enough to put aside the mountain of work I should be doing and research my forum anniversary. I am pretty sure that it was May 2003, just before the release of OOTP. I registered (I think)just before the release, and found my way to the temporary home and back. I may have posted at the temporary home. Not sure. All I know is some innocent research to find the release date of the next Harry Potter book landed me squarely in the lexicon. With that level and detail and analysis, I was hooked. I found my way to the forum a week or so after that. Never in my life had I even imagined a place like this existed! I must have been more sheltered than I thought...

Happy Birthday to Becca, Myrtle, and of course, Mike!

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Ladybug220 - Jan 31, 2005 12:36 pm (#1696 of 2956)

Happy Birthday to all those celebrating - whether or not it is your birthday or just a friend's

Well, there are less than 24 hours until I can start moving into my apartment. My cats are going to be very happy in the new place as will I. My friends have been wonderful but it is time for me to have my own space.

Elanor - congrats on the paper submission!

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dizzy lizzy - Jan 31, 2005 2:10 pm (#1697 of 2956)

Happy birthday to Mike, Becca and Moaning Myrtle101.

Happy birthday also to me for the 24th Jan. I didn't tell anyone because I've been having terminal relationship problems with my sister and despite all my hard work, she didn't call to wish me a happy birthday. So I was pretty down last week.

I just checked my welcoming email and I only joined on October 28 last year. Has it been that long???

Can anyone also give me an opinion on "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost"? I watched the first episode of Desperate Housewives last night and "lost the plot" slightly. Is it worth sticking around for?? If so I will by some blank tapes and tape them (If I watch a show the second time, I generally pick up what I missed the first time!) and also tape the repeat of the first episode tonight. "Lost" is coming to my TV screen on Thursday night.

Have a wonderful Tuesday - I think today is the day to write those job applications before the due date comes around...

Lizzy

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Elanor - Jan 31, 2005 2:12 pm (#1698 of 2956)

Happy birthday Mike! Joyeux anniversaire!

Thank you so much everybody for your congratulations! My head has been in the clouds during all day long. Too bad I had not to produce a patronus today, it would have been spectacular! What makes me particularly happy is that we worked on those ideas as a team, here, on the forum and it is a daily joy to search about them. Now, I have six months to "eemprove my Eeenglish" accent (and there is some work to do believe me)...

Have a great day! Butterbeers for everybody, it's my round!

Edit: happy belated birthday Lizzy! I do hope everything will work out all right, take heart!

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Catherine - Jan 31, 2005 2:38 pm (#1699 of 2956)

I realize that I neglected to tell Acceber and Lizzy "Happy Birthday!"

Oh, and Happy Belated Birthday to anyone else I might have missed!

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Denise P. - Jan 31, 2005 2:43 pm (#1700 of 2956)

Can't answer about Deperate Housewives since I have not seen it. I will admit to being a Lost fan though. It is a weird show but a good one. We get a repeat this week but a new one next week. If it is just starting there, I would watch it a few weeks before giving an opinion. It is the kinda show that leaves you saying "Whaaattt???" at the end and puzzling over exactly what X meant or if it meant anything at all

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Eponine - Jan 31, 2005 4:07 pm (#1701 of 2956)

Happy Birthday to everyone who is celebrating today!

I have a question that I wonder if someone could answer. How is it possible to run up $28,000 worth of parking tickets/fines? My hometown has started putting the boot on cars of people who have unpaid parking tickets, and there is one woman who owes $28,000. I don't understand how that could happen.

School's going okay, but they just don't appreciate literature. It frustrates me that they're so opposed to work. A couple of pages of reading and some questions aren't going to kill them.

Elanor, congratulations on your paper being accepted for Accio!

I hope everyone is doing well.

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Ydnam96 - Jan 31, 2005 5:24 pm (#1702 of 2956)

Lizzy, happy Belated Birthday!! It can be hard when someone you love forgets or whatever. But know there are plenty of people who care!

As for LOST. I'm a big fan, in the I need to know kind of way. I'm not sure if I like it per se as much as I want to figure it out. Anyway, I'm enthralled with it and Alias. I don't get much done on Weds. nights around here Smile

I'm having a pretty rough day so I'm going to go call my mom, curl up on my couch, and watch the first season of Alias for a while.

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Chemyst - Jan 31, 2005 5:42 pm (#1703 of 2956)

Can anyone also give me an opinion on "Desperate Housewives"...? I watched the first episode of Desperate Housewives last night and "lost the plot" slightly. – dizzy

Maybe you didn't lose the plot; I'm not sure it has one! 'Just a loosely connected "how did the narrator die?" theme that won't be answered for quite some time. If you like satire and can plan your bathroom breaks to fall during the overly-hyped bedroom scenes, you'll probably love it. If you are looking for real-life drama, save your tape.

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timrew - Jan 31, 2005 6:13 pm (#1704 of 2956)

Happy Birthday Becca, Myrtle and Mike!! And also to anyone else who has had a birthday in the days that I've not been on here!

Good luck and God Bless to you all.............

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Catherine - Jan 31, 2005 6:37 pm (#1705 of 2956)

If you like satire and can plan your bathroom breaks to fall during the overly-hyped bedroom scenes, you'll probably love it. If you are looking for real-life drama, save your tape. –Chemyst

Oh, dear. SPEW!

So sorry. No time for a warning, everyone. I'm mopping up the mess, and hope everyone else can do the same.

My friends have used a time-worn excuse that I love reading too much to indulge in Desperate Housewives. That excuse is very satisfying to the ego, but frankly, I just haven't done my homework yet. I haven't watched.

**I admit to reading some Romance Novels at this time, though! "**

I was a latecomer to the HP novels, as I only started reading them in 2001. If Housewives is a new classic, I daresay it can wait. If not, then, I probably didn't miss too much.

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Acceber - Jan 31, 2005 7:01 pm (#1706 of 2956)

PSSSTTT!!!! I shouldn't be here. I don't let myself go Foruming on weekdays. *clears throat and looks around innocently* I just wanted to check if anyone remembered my birthday. And they did. So thank you Julia for the early morning greeting and thank you everyone else who wished me a happy birthday.

Congrats Elanor on your Accio accomplishment.

I'm still 13 for another hour and forty minutes, so I'm off to live it to the fullest before I officially turn 14. Tata!

EDIT: Thank you so much Catherine! That made my day!

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Catherine - Jan 31, 2005 7:13 pm (#1707 of 2956)

PSSSTTT!!!! I shouldn't be here. I don't let myself go Foruming on weekdays. –Acceber

I only Forum the carpets every week or so. Also, I only visit the Forum to buy things like groceries and personal items. Oh, wait, I mis-heard that word.

OOPS! Obviously I've incorporating the Forum into daily life too much. So, Rebecca, I applaud your self-control in general; your intelligent posts; and your sense of humor.

PSSST! Acceber! You just might be the brightest witch of your age that I've met, and Happy Birthday! Many more, dear; many, many more!

Lady Arabella Mon Jan 05, 2015 8:34 pm

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dizzy lizzy - Feb 1, 2005 12:10 am (#1708 of 2956)

Ta for the tips chemyst and Ydnam96. I've decided to tape the shows and watch them at my own pace. The "whoodunnit" angle of both shows in their blurbs kinda intrigues me.

Lizzy (never mind the fact I'd rather curl up in bed with a good book right now )

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From Venus - Feb 1, 2005 12:46 am (#1709 of 2956)

Ladybug, congratulations on your own apartment. How exciting! Unfortunately, I went right from living with my parents and 5 siblings to living with my husband, so I have only dreamed of living on my own. ahhhhhhh.....

Lizzy, Happy belated birthday. I'm sorry about your worries. I pray that things get better for you. Smile and laugh. It is the best medicine when you're down!

Remember when we were talking about quoting movies? Well, my sons and their cousins and friends have been quoting for the last couple of days from a movie called Napoleon...er... somethingorother. It's all very strange. They want me to watch the movie with them. Should I be afraid?

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septentrion - Feb 1, 2005 1:26 am (#1710 of 2956)

Hi all ! Have a good day !

Lizzy, you should have told for your birthday, here we would have celebrated it. So happy belated birthday ! BTW I understand how you feel given the fact I have problems with my family too and the only ones to wish me my birthday are my husband and you guys.

Napoleon ? Is it about "our" Napoleon ? Or is it something else ?

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VeronikaG - Feb 1, 2005 1:47 am (#1711 of 2956)

Happy belated birthday Lizzy! I hope everything works out well for you in your new year!

Desperate housewives... It has just started in Norway too, and I find it kind of fascinating but not really addicting. I guess I can't really relate to it, because it portrays a kind of women I have never met in real life. Housewives in Norway are NOT like that, I assure you! (Actually housewives barely exist here anymore.) The fun is mostly in the seeing the contrast to everyday life as I know it.

I have never heard about "Lost". What is it about?

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The giant squid - Feb 1, 2005 2:31 am (#1712 of 2956)

Um, is there some good reason the nickname "Squiddy" never caught on for you?—Chemyst

Yes. Yes there is.

Mike! It's your birthday and you didn't tell me?--Julia.

You didn't ask.

As for Lost, I'm a fan. Veronika, the basic plot is that a plane flying from Australia (not sure exactly where) to Los Angeles crashes on a mysterious island. Only forty-something people survive. In the process of figuring out what's happened, it is revealed that there is some sort of monster roaming the island as well. The show basically follows these people as they try to survive, figure out where they are and how (or if) they can get home, and how the island reacts to their presence. They show the characters' histories through the use of flashbacks.

As the others have said, it's very involved--you almost have to take notes to know what's happening--but it sucks you in. Like Mandy said, you may not like it, but you want to know what happens next. When I first saw the promos for it, I said, "Interesting idea, but there's no way they can make it last for more than a season." Now, after 14 episodes, I'm not so sure...and I like it.

From Venus, if the movie in question is “Napoleon Dynamite,” RUN! Run far, run fast, just run! It is, in my opinion, the worst movie of 2004. Curiously, there are only two opinions of this movie: people either love it or hate it, no middle ground. It's about a loser in high school who ends up as...a loser. Some say it's a "realistic look at life as a geek in school." I say that's the problem.

--Mike

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Essidji - Feb 1, 2005 3:58 am (#1713 of 2956)

Bonjour, tout le monde!

Bargains! The end of sales period is really the best time to buy clothes and stuff : I can't believe I could buy so many things for that price! Now the question is : will hubby like them?...

Have a nice day, everyone!

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septentrion - Feb 1, 2005 4:02 am (#1714 of 2956)

Now the question is : will hubby like them?...

Too late, no ?

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Essidji - Feb 1, 2005 5:58 am (#1715 of 2956)

True, Sept, it was definitely too late! ;-D He does like my new clothes, anyway!

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librarian314 - Feb 1, 2005 7:22 am (#1716 of 2956)

Hey all!

Happy birthday to all my fellow Aquarians! (My husband and I are Feb. 6.) Hope you've gotten/will get to do something fun!

In bopping around the Internet Movie Database http://www.imdb.com/ I found something way cool! The Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy is coming out as a movie this spring and Alan Rickman and Warwick Davis (Prof. Flitwick in the movies) are going to play Marvin the Paranoid Android!!! Mr. Rickman is the voice and Mr. Davis is the body. I can't wait to see the movie! (I suppose I will have a new movie to add to the ones to quote as I used to quote things from those books constantly. We named our first lap top computer Zaphod in honor of those books!)

This is looking to be a great year! Spamalot!(Monty Python stage show)Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy! HBP! What more can a geekette want!

**michelle the librarian**

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From Venus - Feb 1, 2005 7:28 am (#1717 of 2956)

From Venus, if the movie in question is Napoleon Dynamite, RUN!. Run far, run fast, just run!-The giant squid.

Thanks for the warning, Mike, I'll try to dodge that one if I can. Although my sons have been known to force-feed movies to me, insisting that I will like them and that I have to watch them. Sometimes I am pleasantly surprised. Most of the time though...

As for Lost and Desparate Housewives I have not watched either one. I don't do a lot of TV watching; the shows I concentrate on are Joan of Arcadia and Monk.

EDIT: Yes, I heard about The Hitchhiker's Guide coming out. It's going to be awesome. I can't wait. You're right, Michelle, there's a lot of good quotes from those books. I hope the movie is as hilarious. (What's so bad about being drunk? Ask a glass of water.)

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Madame Librarian - Feb 1, 2005 8:28 am (#1718 of 2956)

Veronika, there aren't many American women who can live like the women in "Desperate Housewives," save for the truly hassled one who has 4 wild kids--I do know women who have had that experience. And, maybe in the Sun Belt (California, Florida) women dress with such...ahem, decolletage...all the time, but not here, no ma'am. It's very camp (does anyone still use that term?), though it edges over to serious moral and ethical issues and good thriller stuff every now and then. I like the murder mystery part. The voice-over narration of the truly omniscient missing friend who knows them all so well is the saving feature. Without it, the show would be a flop. Her tone is just right--sardonic, forgiving, slightly vengeful. Nice mix.

On the socks issue from ancient history (a few days ago discussion): Get this--I married a gem. No, he is not a obssessive-compulsive, just a sweetie. He uses those teensy little gold safety pins and when he takes off his dirty socks at night, he pins the pair together. Voila! They are already matched up when they come out of the dryer. We are sloppy enough that we just jam them in his sock drawer 'cuz when he pulls out one, the other comes with. Brilliant, no?

Ciao. Barb

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Ydnam96 - Feb 1, 2005 8:47 am (#1719 of 2956)

From Venus & Giant Squid: I was forced to watch Napolean Dynamite. I HATED it. I felt that I lost two someodd hours of my life. I felt dumber after I watched it. Truly painful. What I really don't understand is how anyone likes it. But I work at a college and I only know one other person that hates it. Everyone else loves it to the point of obsession (not that I know anything about obsession) Wink

Barb: That's a great idea about the socks, unless you forget to take it out and either you can't walk because your feet are attached or you get poked (is that how you spell that?) with the needle!

I'm officially late now. Gotta run.

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Catherine - Feb 1, 2005 8:59 am (#1720 of 2956)

This is so interesting about Napoleon Dynamite. A Forum member suggested to me only last week ***waves to You-Know-Who! ***that I should watch it in order to increase my street credibility with the younger generation.

The reactions provoked by this movie seem to be nearly equal to the reactions to the movie The Village ***waves to Loopy Lupin*** Hmm

I haven't seen either one of these films; perhaps I should keep it that way! So far, I've managed to stay away from Desperate Housewives, even though all this chatter about it has made me even more curious about the show.

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Doris Crockford - Feb 1, 2005 10:43 am (#1721 of 2956)

My brother saw Napoleon Dynamite when he was home for Christmas. He thought it was the funniest movie ever. So funny, in fact, that he would be doing the dishes or eating dinner, and would burst out laughing because he was remembering that movie. It actually kind of scared me. I don't think I'm going to watch it, but I will definitely see the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as a treat once I finish exams.

I've only watched one episode of Lost, and I thought it was really interesting, but I'm never home on Wednesday nights, so I might watch it in the summer when they show the reruns.

Happy belated birthday to Mike, Rebecca, Myrtle, and Lizzy! And Congrats to Elanor!

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Loopy Lupin - Feb 1, 2005 10:55 am (#1722 of 2956)

I have seen Napoleon Dynamite and, as you all know, lost two hours of my life sitting in a theater debating whether or not to walk out of The Village . (I didn't walk out. I had to sit there because I was convinced that the surprise ending I suspected was coming couldn't possibly be the real ending. It couldn't possibly be anything that dumb. I should have walked out.) Anyway, I was rather disappointed with Dynamite as it seemed to me to be manufactured "geek chic," a purposeful attempt to create a "cult hero" or "cult following." Those sorts of things aren't supposed to happen on purpose. That said, it could be that I didn't like it because I am way on the other side of 20 years old. Were I twenty again and if I had seen it in my usual state back then (watery, red eyes-- I used to suffer from many allergies in those days), I may have thought it funny. Alas, not today.

Anyway, VOTE FOR PEDRO!

EDIT-- I am reminded that I did laugh out loud in Dynamite when during a school election, one of the candidates, Pedro, had made a pinata in the likeness of his cheerleader opponent and was inviting students to take a whack at it. It occurred to me that he had essentially hung his opponent in effigy and that the other students were beating her with a stick. I found kind of funny, but I'm not certain that the filmmakers intended the same kind of humor I was getting out of the scene.

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John Bumbledore - Feb 1, 2005 11:23 am (#1723 of 2956)

Hello all,

This is a general call for assistance in finding travel information to Finland from Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Yeah, I know, not very HP related, so that is why I thought to put it here on the chat thread. Edit:I know this is just on a whim of an idea, a small world idea.. *winces as the ear worm song "It's a small world after all, It's a small . . ." begins to burrow deep into my brain*

So, interested in hearing the story behind this? A friend and co worker will be traveling to Amsterdam soon and thought they may look up a friend of theirs in Finland, (somewhere there). So first, they asked how far was it from Holland to Finland... I guessed 400 miles, and another co-worker guessed 3,000 miles. I mean it is only 1,041.4 miles (about 1,666 Km) between the there and Helsinki, that's not far compared to from USA to Holland. Next, they would need to find where their friend is in Finland. So, is Tuominen a common sir name in Finland? Ah, so many question and I though some of my friends here might have some helpful answers.

And I, well I said I might know someone in the *general* area (of Finland). So, do I?

<)B^D= (John) Bumbledore

P. S. Is there an equivalent to an AT&T AnyWho lookup for Europ or Finland? Gee, you can tell I never travel. We used mapblast for the distance and general geography (since we Americans hadn't much more than them both being in northern Europe)

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mollis - Feb 1, 2005 11:44 am (#1724 of 2956)

Okay, I'll admit to having watched both Desperate Housewives and Lost. And I like them both. Housewives is sort of a guilty pleasure. I feel like I shouldn't like it, but I really do. I can't believe some of the stuff they do on that show. It is one where you really have to see every episode. Which I like. Lost is a good show. I had the same "how are they going to do a whole season out of this" reaction, but they sure seem to be doing it. I guess it is this generation's Gilligan's Island.

"He uses those teensy little gold safety pins and when he takes off his dirty socks at night, he pins the pair together. Voila! They are already matched up when they come out of the dryer. We are sloppy enough that we just jam them in his sock drawer 'cuz when he pulls out one, the other comes with. Brilliant, no?"

Barb - WOW! Not even in my wildest dreams would I have hoped for such a thing! I'm happy if the floor isn't covered with the socks that have been taken off...

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Phoenix song - Feb 1, 2005 12:18 pm (#1725 of 2956)

I haven't really watched Desperate Housewives (after all, if I wanted to see one I could also visit my own mirror.. ), but I have seen snippets here and there.

The first view that I had of the show was quite original and funny though. The narrator was explaining that whatever Mrs. Whatever-her-name-was did to care for her lawn, it was never quite as green as Mrs.-Next-Door's lawn. (As in, the grass was always greener on the other side.) Then a jogging neighbor happens along and has a heartattack on her lawn. The gardening lady knows that she needs to call 911, but sees an opportunity to "even the playing field" a bit first. So, she hauls this dying, grown man into a wheel-barrow, and drags him across the way to dump him on her neighbor's lawn. She then alerts her neighbor that someone has passed out on her lawn and to call for help. As you can imagine, the fire department and paramedics DESTROY Mrs.-Next-Door's yard when they arrive to save the poor jogger. The jealous gardener feels justified for jeopardizing this man's life because now her lawn looks nicer.

I have to admit it, I found that to be a disturbingly accurate portrayal of the selfish way that people's minds can work. I just hope that it's not the way that MOST people's minds do work.

Based on the reviews that I've read lately, I think that I'm going to stay away from both The Village and the Napoleon movie. Thanks for the heads up on those two. I really don't like to waste my time or my money on movies that aren't any good. I'm still disappointed over Tom Hank's Lady Killers.

Have a good day everybody. (Hope that you are all drier than we are!)

Barb

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dizzy lizzy - Feb 1, 2005 2:00 pm (#1726 of 2956)

Bumbledore, I can't help you with regards to finding your friend's friend in Finland, but I can tell you that the name Tuominen was a blast from the past!

From Year 3 to year 6 (8-11yrs/primary school) I had a good friend who's last name was Touminen. We fought like anything, scrappy little girls we were, but we generally spent most Saturdays and holidays in each others company.

The friendship died down after her dog (called Nita, one of my favourite names) bit me in the face. I was lucky only one tooth made an impact and that was literally inside my mouth in my gum line. My mother was most unimpressed to have to take me to the doctor the next day for a Tetanus shot.

The dog was a German shepherd and to this day I will avoid ALL German shepherds. Even so far as to cross the street and walk on the other side.

I watched the re-run of Desperate Housewives last night and it is that kind on funny show. I think I'll be watching just to see who does something outrageous next. The narrator is a nice touch and yes it does save the show.

Small world after all!

Lizzy

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Winky Woo - Feb 1, 2005 3:32 pm (#1727 of 2956)

Bumbledore

A site I find very useful is www.lonelyplanet.com click on the Thorn Tree logo, on the left hand side and it takes you to a forum, not dissimilar to this (but no where near as addictive or fun!) Lots of travellers post questions and answers about... well traveling. The info is pretty much up to date all the time, as people who are on the road use it. I used it constantly when I was in South America for 7 months, but I've used it to check info for Europe, for weekends all over the place and even to get ideas of what to do with the in-laws when they came to England from Holland!

Anyway I'm off to sleep in my active wear! Smile

its 22:32 here and I've got an early start. Ta Ta

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Julia. - Feb 1, 2005 3:54 pm (#1728 of 2956)

Happy belated birthday Lizzy!

Neoplean Dnyamite. Not one of my favorite movies. Let's just say that after seeing it I felt like much less of a nerd. No matter how much of a geek I am, I will never be as bad as that guy.

I hurt myself today I fell on the stairs just after my last class. My ankle did something it wasn't supposed to, leaving me on the floor on Monteeth. Two guys who were there called an ambulance for me and I went to the infirmary. The lovely part of this was that while I was there two of my professors saw me sitting on the floor there. So, ambulance the came and took me to the infirmary. They X-Rayed. Turns out my ankle isn't broken, just sprained. So my ankle has swelled up the size of a baseball, and I'm on crutches until it gets better. Gee, getting up three flights of stairs in my dorm is going to be fun. Chat & Greetings 2005 1242194059

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Ladybug220 - Feb 1, 2005 3:58 pm (#1729 of 2956)

Sorry about your ankle Julia. Just remember this for using crutches on the stairs: up with the good and down with the bad. And it really helps to put both crutches in one hand and use the handrail for the free hand. Also, if you have friends with you, have them carry your bookbag. I spent many months on crutches with my 3 knee surgeries and several sprained ankles so I completely sympathize.

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Catherine - Feb 1, 2005 4:01 pm (#1730 of 2956)

Julia,

I wish I could Accio an elevator for you. **Muggle moment of the day: my daughter used to call an elevator an alligator. So, I guess I should, ala Arthur Weasley, hope that Julia comes into contact with many Alligators in the next few days.

Feel better. **tosses chocolate frogs to Julia** Oh, well, if you don't want to go out, there's always the Forum.....

EDIT: I was just thinking...why, when Julia sprains her ankle, no dashing rogue ala Willoughby from Sense and Sensibility comes at the crucial moment? Ah, fiction....and Jane Austen....where are you when we really need you?

Cool avatar, Ladybug!

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Eponine - Feb 1, 2005 4:14 pm (#1731 of 2956)

Oh, Julia, I definitely feel for you. My freshmen year in college, I fractured my foot and was on crutches for 4 months. Let's hope your time spent on them is much shorter than mine. I'm glad it's just a sprain and not anything more serious. Have some butterbeer, it should help you feel better.

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John Bumbledore - Feb 1, 2005 4:21 pm (#1732 of 2956)

Oh, Julia,

I empathise with your ankle misfortune. Long long ago, when I was at university, I was running down the residence hall stairs (two or three at a time--guess I was asking for it). Seems I was late for a class and even 8 flights of stairs was faster than the 'vador.

Some how I caught my heel on the edge of a step and my toes tipped under and I put my weight on the top of my foot on the next step down... similar to you I was suddenly upon the landing and unable to use my leg. My ankle was sprained, but I did have the elevator available when I got the crutches.

I send a strengthening drought your way. Keep your foot raised when ever you can and ice the first night. I hope it heals well and fast for you. Don't know when or if you should work on nobility and range of motion with such injures. Is there a nurse in the forum?

Anniversary? Hmm, I think my membership and first post started in October of 2004. I'll have to check.

Birthdays, happy days to all. I had to skim the 150+ post so, I have no idea now who is when. My best to you all. And my day is coming up on the 24th.

And thank you to whom ever it was gave the address of the travel site/forum that I didn't have time to read but am looking forward to reviewing tomorrow. I will thank you again properly then.

(John) Bumbledore

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Phoenix song - Feb 1, 2005 4:57 pm (#1733 of 2956)

Oh Julia, I am SO sorry about your accident! That had to be both painful and embarrassing for you! If you want a "silver lining" at least your ankle is the size of a baseball, since you're a baseball fan. You may be surprised at how quickly the swelling will reduce with icebags. The pain may linger a bit longer, so be prepared with some Muggle Medicine like Advil or Tylenol. Good luck and best wishes. (And remember, Chocolate really does help things out a lot...have some chocolate frogs on me.)

Barbie

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mike miller - Feb 1, 2005 5:29 pm (#1734 of 2956)

Julia - Sorry to hear about your fight with the stairs. I echo the advice you've already received, keep it elevated and ice can do wonderfully things. One small tip, if you place a damp washcloth on your ankle before the ice pack it will help protect your skin and let you keep the ice on longer. I'm speaking from experience here. I'm no stranger to ice packs, jacuzzi tubs, heating pads, etc.

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Madame Librarian - Feb 1, 2005 7:07 pm (#1735 of 2956)

Julia--Alas, ankles are dodgy things. Stairs are dodgy things. College coeds in a hurry are often dodgy things. It seeems you have had a confluence of dodginess, my dear (sounds like something DD would say). I am sorry that you have to struggle with crutches. Hope it's only for a short time, and that you have many opportunities to milk it for all the sympathy and treats you can get.

If you are in pain, just dial 1-800-NO-PAINS for quick delivery of an evening's supply of firewhiskey (butterbeer being insufficient for anything more serious that a papercut).

Speedy recovery!

Ciao. Barb

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kabloink! - Feb 1, 2005 7:21 pm (#1736 of 2956)

Julia-that's awful, I hope you feel better soon! I have a tendency to step off a curb, or simply on a standard, level, piece of pavement, have my ankle go out, and wrench my foot. I don't think I've ever actually sprained it, but twice in the last year I've been immobile for a day or two with a twisted foot (right across the top-its kinda weird).

Anyway, I saw The Village this past week. I can see a nomination for the score-it wasn't too bad. I think the story line of the movie had a great deal of potential, but was a horrible failure. The acting reminded me of a junior high school reading of a play. I was very disappointed. All in all, it was a bad movie, but it COULD have been good....grrr

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Ladybug220 - Feb 1, 2005 7:32 pm (#1737 of 2956)
Edited by Feb 1, 2005 6:33 pm

Thanks Catherine! I decided that it was finally time for me to have my avatar match my forum name.

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I Am Used Vlad - Feb 1, 2005 7:34 pm (#1738 of 2956)

Julia, I hope you have a speedy recovery. I do not envy you with all those stairs.

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Ydnam96 - Feb 1, 2005 7:43 pm (#1739 of 2956)

Julia, I hope the weather cooperates while you are on your crutches. It is horrible to be on cructches in the snow! Be safe.

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Helen Potterfan - Feb 1, 2005 7:45 pm (#1740 of 2956)

Julia, I'm so sorry about your ankle!

Catherine said: I was just thinking...why, when Julia sprains her ankle, no dashing rogue ala Willoughby from Sense and Sensibility comes at the crucial moment? Ah, fiction....and Jane Austen....where are you when we really need you?

Don't forget, Willoughby didn't turn out to be such a great guy. Sure, he was cute, but he's kind of like leprechaun gold: shiny and exciting, but short-lived! Of course, I'm not sure Colonel Brandon or Edward Ferrars were the best of catches either! **don't shoot, please!** Willoughby was probably much more fun! He could be good enough for Julia during her injury, especially if he'd carry her up three flights of stairs!

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Julia. - Feb 1, 2005 8:29 pm (#1741 of 2956)

AWWWWWW, you guys are the best!!! *passes out butterbeer* Thank you all for the well wishes an healing charms you've sent my way. The weather is not cooperating. There's still plenty of snow and ice on the ground from the last storm, but at least it's melting now. I still hate the stairs, and we're not even going to talk about how interesting a time I had taking a shower tonight.

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Amilia Smith - Feb 1, 2005 9:16 pm (#1742 of 2956)

Julia: I feel your pain. I have loose ankles and am rather notorious among the Highland dance community for spraining them. My right ankle has now been sprained so many times that it pains me quite a bit, especially after the first six or so hours of my shift at work. So, with that recommendation, are you ready for some rehabilitation exercises? :-) Stay off your ankle for a day or two, then try these:

Soak your ankle in a bucket of ice water. Much more effective than mere ice packs. Once your foot is so numb you can't feel it anymore, pull it out of the water. Write out the ABCs with your foot. Once the pain starts coming back, stick your ankle back in the ice water. Repeat as many times as you can handle. This will help get your range of motion back.

Sprains tear the ligaments in your ankle. As they heal, they lose their sense of place in the world, making it hard for you to keep your balance. They need to be retrained so they know where they are in space. The next two exercises help with this. (There is probably a much more scientific way to describe this, but this is what I am remembering from the sports therapist who worked with me.)

Stand balanced on your injured foot, with your good foot up in the air. Once you can balance that way, start moving your good foot forward and backward and to the side. Once you can keep your balance while doing that, have someone throw things at you to catch, still while balancing on your bad ankle.

Jump from side to side over a line (a crack in the floor, a string pulled straight, a line of masking tape, whatever). Start with both feet. When your bad ankle is strong enough, hop back and forth on it alone.

Strengthening exercises:

Stand on the edge of a stair with your heels hanging off the edge. Lower your heels below the stair, then raise up onto the balls of your feet. Start by holding on to the bannister. Once you can keep your balance, let go of the bannister. As soon as your bad ankle is strong enough, raise and lower on it alone.

Stand with your feet together in parallel. Raise up onto the balls of your feet. Balance there for as long as you can. Once this is easy, close your eyes.

At any rate, I hope these help some.

About Napoleon Dynamite: It is very fun to hear about a local movie being talked about by people from all over the world (or at least the US). It was made by local Utahans, and shot in our neighbor to the north, Preston, Idaho. Although I probably should not admit this as it seems none of you cared for it.

It wasn't my favorite movie, and I didn't really enjoy it all that much while I was watching it, but it has grown on me. It becomes funnier the more I think about it. My brother, who is 16 and doesn't speak to us, actually had a conversation with full sentences telling my mother about this movie. My grandmother went to see it with her sister. She said that as they walked out of the movie, she turned to her sister and said, "That was the most pathetic thing I have ever seen." However, she couldn't quit laughing as she told us about the movie.

I apologize for the length of this post, but the conversation had turned to a subject that I actually had something to say about. And it helped get my mind off of my royally stinky day at work long enough for my stomach to unclench enough to eat. I love you guys.

Mills.

PS. Congratulations Elanor! It is funny how excited I got to read your news yesterday when I don't actually know you in real life. :-)

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Mrs. Sirius - Feb 1, 2005 10:39 pm (#1743 of 2956)

Julia, slow down! Well, I guess you will be slowing down now. While you covalence remember the important things, chocolate (makes everything better), butter beer, Harry Potter (maybe even some muggle chicken soup).

Gina, the kids have winter break in a couple of weeks. I'm planning to take them into the city for a couple of days, maybe we could rectify our omission of not having met over these years.

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From Venus - Feb 2, 2005 12:20 am (#1744 of 2956)

Julia, I hope you're ankle recovers quickly. Everyone gave great tips, but I'd like to add one more...Remember to put your weight on your forearms when you are walking with your crutches, and don't have the pads pushing against your armpits. You will end up with very sore armpits.

Thanks for all the warnings on Napoleon Dynamite. I think I'll dodge that one.

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Elanor - Feb 2, 2005 12:31 am (#1745 of 2956)

Oh Julia! I'm so sorry about your ankle! Believe me, I know what pain is (my ankle is swollen for more than a year now) so I truly sympathize. I send you cheering and healing charms- and chocolate, one has never enough chocolate when it hurts. By the way, Willoughby wasn't the worst you could have met when you fell, imagine if Lockart had been here and willing to help?

Thanks Amilia! It's funny because when I read the email from Accio, the first thing that came to my mind was to tell you all about because, though I don't know you in real life, I feel very close to you all. It was after I posted about it that I thought I should call my Mom and tell her... Thanks again everybody, you guys are great!

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The giant squid - Feb 2, 2005 1:22 am (#1746 of 2956)

Poor Julia! You never realize how hard it is to "keep your weight off it" until you have to, eh?

A Forum member suggested to me only last week ***waves to You-Know-Who! ***that I should watch it in order to increase my street credibility with the younger generation.—Catherine

Trust me, you don't need street cred that much. Actually, I've noticed (and a couple of you touched on it a bit) that the line between "loved it" and "hated it" seems to fall somewhere around age 18. Teens think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread, thirty-somethings think the bread's gone mouldy. The way I see it, if geeks need a "hero" they have to look no further than Gary & Wyatt in Weird Science. At least they accomplished something.

--Mike

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VeronikaG - Feb 2, 2005 1:49 am (#1747 of 2956)

Awwww. Poor Julia!

I've had sprained ankles too, but they were no worse than I could still walk on them (or limp more like it). My mother who had a baddy of a leg fracture at 14 had very little empathy for my minor injury.

And I'm truly relieved to discover that my suspicions that most American women are NOT like the Desperate Housewives was right.

“Lost” sounds cool. I bet we'll get it in a year or two, when it's finished airing in the US.

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The giant squid - Feb 2, 2005 1:57 am (#1748 of 2956)

Veronika, I'm not sure how overseas distribution works, but I know that syndication (when they can start showing reruns on other channels) starts after 3 seasons have run (there's a specific number of episodes but it escapes me at the moment). I know certain shows like Friends and The X-Files were 3 or 4 years behind the US when they ran in England.

I hope you don't have to wait three years for Lost, though...it's too good, and it'd be too hard for those of us in the US to keep some of the secrets secret that long!

--Mike

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Marè- Feb 2, 2005 2:44 am (#1749 of 2956)

I think overseas distribution has something to do with how many the channels here are willing to pay for it, and if they have a time sloth in which they can broadcast it.

Also, if they wait a bit, they can see if it is a good show or not, if people will watch it and stay watching it.

Another reason for getting it a bit later is because we don't have delays. If a show is aired, it gets an episode every week (unless off course in summer and during soccer games... GRRRR!) We don't have weeks with gaps because there isn't a new episode finished yet, like you do.

But this is all from a viewers point of view. I'm pretty sure though that there isn't a 3 or 4 season gap. The German channel RTL and SAT1 always had american shows relatively fast, and I know in the Netherlands that Friends and CSI are/were not far behind from the original shows (friends is finished and CSI is airing season 4)

And as for going from Amsterdam to Finland... I wouldn't call that a short distance... But I can see how it seems like one if you come from even further...

I hope you don't have to wait three years for Lost, though...it's too good, and it'd be too hard for those of us in the US to keep some of the secrets secret that long!

Oh , I gave in a long time ago, I have no tv currently and am a curious person and some-one else had recommended lost to me some while ago... So if I have nothing to read or do, I search the internet for transcripts to take home with me as "literature". I'm completely spoiled for CSI season 5... And have experienced "Lost" so far in a read only kind of way. It is a whole new way of experiencing TV! Interesting for sure...

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Catherine - Feb 2, 2005 5:27 am (#1750 of 2956)

Don't forget, Willoughby didn't turn out to be such a great guy. Sure, he was cute, but he's kind of like leprechaun gold: shiny and exciting, but short-lived! --Accio HBP

Oh, I haven't forgotten that Willoughby needed to sort out his priorities. I was not suggesting that Julia marry Willoughby, just use him for sprained-ankle services. Now, about Colonel Brandon, I hope Gina didn't see your comment about him!

Hope you finally made it up the stairs, Julia.

Happy Wednesday.

Lady Arabella Mon Jan 05, 2015 8:36 pm

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Loopy Lupin - Feb 2, 2005 6:46 am (#1751 of 2956)

Trust me, you don't need street cred that much.—Mike

Indeed, street cred is overrated. Sorry about the ankle Julia. Here, let me give you a butterbeer.......

Have a good Wednesday everyone.

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From Venus - Feb 2, 2005 7:45 am (#1752 of 2956)

Good Wednesday morning to all of you. It's very gray and still over here this morning; they were promising sunshine and 50's. We'll see if that pans out. In the meantime, I'll just sit here with my coffee and try to convince myself that I need to get some housework/laundry done.

My grandkids are really getting into reading. My grandson Alex is in the 3rd grade (he'll be 9 in April) and he really likes the Goosebumps series. Are you familiar with them? My granddaughter, June, who is in 1st grade (age 7), is getting into the Junie B. Jones series. I would really like to keep their love for reading alive. Do any of you have any books and/or series that you would recommend for their age groups? Also, my youngest granddaughter, Penny, who'll be 5 in April, is already learning to sound out words. She'll start Kindergarten in the fall. I think she'll be a reader too. I love this reading kick they're on; it makes for a nice quiet house at times when you usually hear a lot of noise coming from the TV; cartoons or video games. I'd like to make some good interesting books available to them to keep this love for reading alive. And I have found all my forum friends to be a wonderfully intelligent group of people who would never steer me wrong. (After all, you did steer me away from seeing Napoleon Dynamite! )

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Catherine - Feb 2, 2005 9:15 am (#1753 of 2956)

Venus,

My daughters love the "Junie B Jones" series. Mr. Catherine and I quote from them quite often. I remember loving "The Boxcar Children" as a child, and my oldest daughter enjoys them. Another series, the "Great Brain" books by John D. Fitzgerald is really enjoyable; I like them as much now as I did when I was nine. The "Encyclopedia Brown" books are great for budding detectives, and while some people consider Judy Blume controversial, her "Fudge" books are very popular, beginning with Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. There's no adolescent themes in those, and my daughter really enjoys those, too. My friend's son really used to like "The Magic Treehouse" series, too.

Happy reading.

**waves to Lupin is Lupin and says "Oops! Check your email for full apology" **

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Loopy Lupin - Feb 2, 2005 10:01 am (#1754 of 2956)

Another series, the "Great Brain" books by John D. Fitzgerald is really enjoyable; I like them as much now as I did when I was nine.—Catherine

You know, I was about to give those to my nieces and nephews, but I re-read them. I dunno. Some of the themes and "morals to the story" sort of really started to bother me. They're rather dated and, in some senses, offensive. Case in point, there was the episode of the "wild" girl who was raised in the mountains by her father. Ultimately, she gets turned into a "proper lady," wearing dresses and such. Frankly, I liked her better when she rode horses and punched the other boys in the nose.

Don't get me wrong, I'm so not a book-banner type. I fully understand the need to put older works in their proper context. Nevertheless, when I re-read those books, it was like one thing after another that smacked me in the face.

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Catherine - Feb 2, 2005 10:31 am (#1755 of 2956)

Oh, come on, Loopy! Fitzgerald had inherited a lot of the Victorian morality of his childhood, and it shows in the gender roles of his characters. That's not a fatal flaw to me.

I can see why you'd be concerned about gender stereotyping, but it is a matter of fact that how kids dress can influence how their peers see them. So, as a historical artifact, you can see that a girl wearing boy's clothing would be something that would cause the girl to be ostracized. Your concern, to me, is what makes that episode an excellent jumping point for discussion with kids about clothes and identity and being a tomboy.

I still think these books have a strongly moral messages about religious and ethnic tolerance, and the characters, like in HP, operate in a very moral universe.

Oops, this is gettting to be more for the "reading suggestions" thread. Maybe we should put our recommendations there?

EDIT: Oh, and the girl in question still rode horses after she became a proper lady! **waves to Loopy**

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Loopy Lupin - Feb 2, 2005 11:49 am (#1756 of 2956)

Yes, perhaps we are digressing into a different type of discussion here. Very Happy

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Feb 2, 2005 12:07 pm (#1757 of 2956)

I'll say.

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VeronikaG - Nov 24, 2004 8:39 pm (#1758 of 2956)

After chatting with Steffie today I suddenly understand the meaning of the sign the Giant Squid is holding in her avatar. It means no moustache for Lupin! I couldn't agree more.

Guess what. We don't have to wait two years for "Lost". It started airing today... at a channel we can't get right. A stupid hill disturbs the signals.

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Elanor - Feb 2, 2005 1:35 pm (#1759 of 2956)

Hello everybody! I hope your Wednesday is nice! Mine was hard. I told you about my ankle swollen for now more than a year, well I tried something new this morning, hoping it would help. It's called mesotherapy and that means that a doctor gives you about 12 little anti-inflammatory injections in a swollen and already painful ankle. Not fun, believe me... And I will have to go again 3 more times in the next weeks for the same thing, boo hoo...

Speaking of ankle, how are you today Julia? I do hope you're feeling better!

Yesterday my computer had also a huge bug and I had to reinstall XP, that is to say that I lost everything that I had not saved and, of course, I didn't save my documents recently... I also lost a lot of softwares. Fortunately, I was able to connect my laptop to the DSL. Now I am here and ready to forget all that on the forum! Sorry for the rant!

About series, a new one starts tonight on the French television: it is called "The 4400". I think it is produced by F.F. Coppola. The papers say that it is even better than X-Files. I've recordered it and will give it a try one of those days. Do you know it? Is it good?

Have a great day!

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Eponine - Feb 2, 2005 1:49 pm (#1760 of 2956)

From Venus, I will have to recommend for the girls The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett. It was one of my favorite books growing up. I don't know if it's a book many boys would be interested in.

I hope everyone is well.

Edit: *waves to Catherine* Yes, I am safe from another day. They're starting to grow on me a bit.

The book A Little Princess has a completely different ending from both movie versions. The movies are much happier. Cuaron's version is beautiful.

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Catherine - Feb 2, 2005 2:00 pm (#1761 of 2956)

Eponine, good to see you back safe from another day of teaching!

Yes, The Secret Garden is just lovely. As an adult, I find the book A Little Princess by the same author, Frances Hodgson Burnett a little precious, but still enjoyable. The modern film version (the original starred Shirley Temple) was done by PoA's Alfonso Cuaron, and I really liked that film. Anyway, I tried to tie it into Harry Potter!

I think I will dash off to the Recommended Reading thread and make a list of things that I think are good.

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Feb 2, 2005 2:27 pm (#1762 of 2956)

The modern film version (the original starred Shirley Temple) was done by PoA's Alfonso Cuaron, and I really liked that film.---Catherine

I've seen both, Catherine, and while the second one is enjoyable (if overly stylized) it can't compare with the original. No one brings me to tears like Shirley Temple. When she, nearly hysterical at the threat of being permanently separated from her newly found father, starts crying out, "Daddy! Daddy! It's me! Don't you remember me! Oh Daddy!"--I am, quite simply, done. Cuaron's film never grabbed me like that. Although it should have a byline that reads "Shot in Glorious Technicolor".

***runs off to see what Catherine recommends***

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Denise P. - Feb 2, 2005 2:29 pm (#1763 of 2956)

"My Sara never cries..."

"But I AM your Sara! Look at me, Daddy!"

:::sniffle::: I agree, you can't beat ole Curly Top for Little Princess.

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Feb 2, 2005 2:37 pm (#1764 of 2956)

***sniffle, sniffle*** See? It never fails.

Catherine - Feb 2, 2005 2:38 pm (#1765 of 2956)

Oh, I really like the original!

I just thought that the second one would appeal more widely to the Forum since Cuaron did it. I was trying to link it to HP, but inadvertently left the wrong impression of my opinion of the original.

No, no, the original is a real tearjerker. I become a sobbing mess, alas earwax.

I'm just an old softie. **waves to Denise and Kim**

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kabloink! - Feb 2, 2005 3:07 pm (#1766 of 2956)

I LOVE the original "Little Princess" with Shirely Temple. I used to watch it with my grandma. Now, I'm taking a seminar course on South Africa (I topic I know NOTHING about) and everytime he refers to Mafeking, all I can thing about it Shirley Temple saying, tearfully, "But my DADDY's at Mafeking!" Ahh childhood memories.

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Julia. - Feb 2, 2005 3:44 pm (#1767 of 2956)

Awww, I feel so left out because I haven't seen the origional Little Princess, just the Curon one, which I liked.

My ankle's feeling a bit better today, but not much. At least the swelling's gone down. It no longer looks like I have half a baseball sticking out of my ankle.

Elanor, you get 12 little anti-inflamatory thingies? How's that workning?

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Denise P. - Feb 2, 2005 3:48 pm (#1768 of 2956)

Anyone that can watch the Shirley Temple version and not sob along with her while she is trying to get her Daddy to recognize here...well, your heart is more shriveled than the Grinch. :::sniffle:::

"This is my daddy!"

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Elanor - Feb 2, 2005 4:12 pm (#1769 of 2956)

I think I saw the Shirley Temple version when I was a kid but it was more than 20 years ago and I don't really remember it, but your posts make me feel like watching it again maybe!

I'm so sorry about your ankle Julie! I hope it will be better soon. As for the injections, well it's done with a single syringe but the doctor doesn't prick it only in one place in the ankle but in several places (everywhere it is swollen in fact) in which he injects some of the medicine. Believe me, you are relieved when he says it is the last one!

BTW, I forgot to tell you about, it's Candlemass (la Chandeleur) today here! It is a very old feast and we talked recently about it on the JKR site's thread. For the Celts it was a feast of light and it became a christian feast afterwards. The tradition here is to eat some pancakes on that day.

It is a very old tradtion and, once, the pancakes represented the sun because days are becoming longer at this time of the year. There was another tradition: you have to try and toss a pancake with the pan in a hand and a gold coin in the other one. If you succeed to do it right (with the pancake inside the pan and properly tossed) then it is said that you will become rich during the year! I didn't toss them but I ate some pancakes today. Some traditions are really good... Marè is lucky because she lives in Brittany and Brittany is very famous for its "crêpes"/pancakes. The cider they make and you drink with the pancakes is really good too. Have you tried it Marè?

BTW, it is "Groundhog Day" today as well, isn't it? How was Phil today? Did he see his shadow? (I love the "Groundhog day" movie...)

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Chemyst - Feb 2, 2005 4:21 pm (#1770 of 2956)

From Venus, please check out my post on the "Recommended Reading" thread. In the meantime, this is a great little educational (& fun ) book for roughly fourth-grade reading level, but still interesting far above that – Archimedes and the Door to Science, by Joanne Bendick.

'Glad your ankle is showing signs of improvement, Julia.

Yes, Phil saw his shadow.

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Ydnam96 - Feb 2, 2005 5:17 pm (#1771 of 2956)

you know, I watch The Little Princess with Shirley Temple as a child. I can't watch it any more. It makes me too sad. I can't handle it. It's just horribly sad.

But I don't like a lot of movies that other people do because they are so sad. I don't like Wizard of Oz, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc. They are all really sad.

Please don't hate me. I like happy uplifting movies. Smile

Congratulate me! I have finished my MA degree after what seems like forever. Thank goodness!

Off to nap.

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Eponine - Feb 2, 2005 5:21 pm (#1772 of 2956)

Congratulations, Ydnam! That is quite an accomplishment. What was your degree in?

I like happy movies too. I watch sad movies as well, but a good happy movie that leaves you feeling like everything is right with the world is just the thing.

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Ladybug220 - Feb 2, 2005 5:53 pm (#1773 of 2956)

I also recommend the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder - those were some of my favorites as a child as well as The Chronicles of Narnia.

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Ydnam96 - Feb 2, 2005 8:04 pm (#1774 of 2956)

Thanks Eponine. My degree was supposed to be in Clinical Counseling, but I changed to Human Relations (hence the 4 1/2 years) because I decided I don't actually want to be a counselor (too depressing) [BTW: Eponine is my favorite character in Les Mis. Smile

]

About childhood books, I couldn't get enough of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Amazing books. I'm not sure if they would interest young boys though. The Chronicles of Narnia I didn't actually read till I was an adult. But they are amazing and I now own them. I think they have great parallels with HP. (but then I think a lot of things do). And for older children (like High School aged) Lord of the Rings is a great book, the Hobbit is okay, not my favorite.

Julia, you will be so happy when your ankle heals and you can stop using crutches! And, a happy side effect is that your arm muscles really develop Smile

I was on crutches for a long time as a youngster, I fell out of bed and broke the growth plate in my knee. Then the day they took off my cast I fell (I was still on crutches) because I hit a patch of just polished marble floor. I had to ride back to the hospital in an ambulence and was on crutches for a few months more. So I sympathize. I think it may be a right of passage Smile

You will find an new appreciation for the ability to do things without assistance.

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Julie Aronson - Feb 2, 2005 8:28 pm (#1775 of 2956)

Congratulations, Audrey!!! Knock 'em dead at Accio!

Julie

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From Venus - Feb 2, 2005 11:56 pm (#1776 of 2956)

Thank you, thank you for all the book recommendations. Some I know, some I will definitely check out.

So now, I guess I'll check the other threads and then off to the Recommended Reading thread.

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dizzy lizzy - Feb 3, 2005 12:22 am (#1777 of 2956)

Julie, I hope your ankle is going better now.

We had the unfortunate luck to have a dust storm yesterday. We were supposed to get the very nasty cold change that was moving through. For us in the North-West of NSW and Southern Queensland, we ended up with a dust storm.

I'll tell you what though, it highlighted the sorry state of my lounge room and the fact all horizontal surfaces need polishing and dusting (red dust does not look good with the decor!). Now the last time I did the polishing as well as the Vaccumming must have been...I can't remember!

Oh well I'll go thread hopping to see what you've all been up to.

Lizzy

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Essidji - Feb 3, 2005 1:39 am (#1778 of 2956)

Julia, I'm so sorry for your ankle, I hope the pain is lessening little by little.

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The giant squid - Feb 3, 2005 1:49 am (#1779 of 2956)

From Venus, I'd like to second the recommendation for Encyclopedia Brown. I loved those books growing up. Also, I know it's kinda cliched and, like Loopy said about another book, rather dated, your grandson really can't go wrong with The Hardy Boys. Once you get past the fact that they had 58 separate adventures in the span of one year (it's always "Joe, 17, and his brother Frank, a year older...") they're well written stories. Just make sure you get the originals; the later stuff by different writers just isn't the same. Of course, they all use the same pseudonym, so the numbering is important.

--Mike

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septentrion - Feb 3, 2005 5:25 am (#1780 of 2956)

I've just caught up, now my two knuts :

Julia, sorry for your ankle. Take good care of it and don't try new experiences such as crutches on ice

Elanor, mesotherapy sounds as a last chance thing to do. I really hope it'll be enough for you.
I've taped the 4400 too ! I'll try and watch it this week-end, as I'm a huge x-files fan, I could'nt miss this one.
I tried the tossing of pancakes with a coin in my other hand when I was younger, achieved it and am not rich yet.

Ydnam, congrats for you MA !

About the little house, I was a big fan of the show when I was a kid, and I own all the books.

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Winky Woo - Feb 3, 2005 5:37 am (#1781 of 2956)

In the UK its Pancake day next Tuesday I think, the day before Ash Wednesday when Lent starts. The idea was originally to use up all the food that wasn't appropriate for the fasting period of lent.

We have a lot of silly tradtions too, such as pancake racesT and tossing Pancakes (pancake racing). The most famous one takes place at Olney. According to tradition, in 1445 a woman of Olney heard the shriving bell (A church bell, called the the ‘Shriving Bell’, would have been rung signalling the start of the holiday and to call people to church to confess their sins.) while she was making pancakes and ran to the church in her apron, still clutching her frying pan.

The Olney pancake race is now world famous ( Well so they tell us! Smile

). Competitors have to be local housewives and they must wear an apron and a hat or scarf. Traffic is stopped whilst the competitors make their dash from the Bull Hotel (old coaching Inn) to the Parish Church of St.Peter & St. Paul, a distance of 380 metres.

Think of the colourful 5 day Carnivals around the world, (Rio, Mardi Gras etc) to celebrate before the start of lent, and all we Brits can do is toss a pancake!

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Marè- Feb 3, 2005 6:29 am (#1782 of 2956)

After chatting with Steffie today I suddenly understand the meaning of the sign the Giant Squid is holding in her avatar. It means no moustache for Lupin! I couldn't agree more.

Yes ! I can only hope they improve that in the next movies ! (That would be OoP, I guess.)

It's called mesotherapy and that means that a doctor gives you about 12 little anti-inflammatory injections in a swollen and already painful ankle.

Okay then I’m just going to cross my fingers and hope that it helps. 12 Injections ! Has to be good for something, right?

There was another tradition: you have to try and toss a pancake with the pan in a hand and a gold coin in the other one. If you succeed to do it right (with the pancake inside the pan and properly tossed) then it is said that you will become rich during the year! I didn't toss them but I ate some pancakes today. Some traditions are really good... Marè is lucky because she lives in Brittany and Brittany is very famous for its "crêpes"/pancakes. The cider they make and you drink with the pancakes is really good too. Have you tried it Marè?

Wait! I can toss pancakes with a pan, and they don't even remain sticking to the ceiling afterwards! Now if only some-one could lent me a gold coin...

And yes I love the cider! My supervisor told me it was custom to drink the cider with the crepes, so as a result I have dragged every-one who came to visit me to a creperie to eat crepes and drink cider!
The companies restaurant didn't have crepes today, bye the way, but I have some in my room, so I can always eat them tonight. (They are premade, put in the microwaves, one's: Cheating, I know.)

Now on to the odd things you never expected to see today: A submarine just passed by, and it wasn't even yellow!

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Catherine - Feb 3, 2005 6:43 am (#1783 of 2956)

Mmmm...Crepes....pancakes....must have breakfast before I read the Chat thread...

I send a puncturing charm to those suffering swollen, painful sprains and luck charms so that the accidents won't happen again!

As for me, I'm injury and pain-free today and quite pleased about it!

Happy Thursday to all.

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Winky Woo - Feb 3, 2005 6:48 am (#1784 of 2956)

Since you asked so nicely Mare *passes her a gold galleon*

I wonder if the pancakes would taste as good with Butterbeer...mmmn

Edit: A submarine??? In broad daylight???There is a small yellow one in Liverpool, for some reason that I cant think of...hmmm... along side a sculpture called the Super Lamb Banana a 20 foot high bright yellow object which is . . . well . . half banana/ half lamb....Possible inspiration for a future half-breed in HBP. Sorry I cant do links yet but if you google it you'll see what I mean!

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kabloink! - Feb 3, 2005 7:06 am (#1785 of 2956)

I have to second the recommendation of "THe Hardy Boys" I LOVED them when I was younger. I devoured all of my dad's original copies, plus what I could get in the library. "Nancy Drew" books were also a favorite when I was in the reading stage. Caroline Keene (if it isn't someone writing for her, she must be quite old by now), has actually began writing new Nancy Drew books, and last I knew, the first one was only 99 cents. I also greatly enjoyed the Beverly CLeary books.

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Ladybug220 - Feb 3, 2005 7:26 am (#1786 of 2956)

I have to second the Encyclopedia Brown books that the Squid mentions. My brothers and I all loved those growing up. They also had all of the Hardy Boys books; in fact, I think that my mom still has them boxed up in the attic.

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Marè- Feb 3, 2005 7:35 am (#1787 of 2956)

Edit: A submarine??? In broad daylight???There is a small yellow one in Liverpool, for some reason that I cant think of...hmmm... along side a sculpture called the Super Lamb Bannana a 20 foot high bright yellow object which is welll half banana half lamb....Possible inspiration for a future half-breed in HBP. Sorry I cant do links yet but if you google it you'll see what I mean!

Accompanied by several navy vessels, yes... Don't know where it went to, but it wasn't an every day thing, because everybody stopped to look.

You can't help but wonder what the artist was thinking when he made this...

It's so... yellow!

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Catherine - Feb 3, 2005 7:51 am (#1788 of 2956)

You can't help but wonder what the artist was thinking when he made this... –Mare

I guess he was hungry for bananas. That picture will wake you up in the morning, Mare!

**off to rinse my eyeballs!**

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Julia. - Feb 3, 2005 7:58 am (#1789 of 2956)

Do I really want to know what's going on with that banana thing?

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From Venus - Feb 3, 2005 8:13 am (#1790 of 2956)

Yes...OK...Ummmm...well.....Nope, can't think of anything...best just leave this one alone.

Sure BRIGHTENS up the street corner though, doesn't it?

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Loopy Lupin - Feb 3, 2005 8:34 am (#1791 of 2956)

I notice that there are two family businesses on the same corner that make sails. I didn't realize that sailmaking was such a competitive business. I suppose it is a good thing that the Lamb family expanded to flags.

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librarian314 - Feb 3, 2005 10:56 am (#1792 of 2956)

Hey all!

It snowing again in Gaithersburg, MD! Glad I'm done going out for the day!

I think the Super Lamb Banana is cool! (I have a thing for art that makes me laugh.) It gives me another reason to go to Liverpool!

The most amusing art I've seen here in Washington D.C. lately was the Dan Steinhilber exhibit at the Hirschorn. He did interesting stuff with garbage bags, hangers, and racks of colored water filled soda bottles.

Here's a link to the image of his garbage bag creation: http://hirshhorn.si.edu/exhibitions/description.asp?Type=past&ID=23

There was also a work that consisted of geometrically arranged hazelnut pollen that I thought was pretty bizarre.

http://www.speronewestwater.com/cgi-bin/iowa/exhibits/record.html?record=23

I never considered pollen as an art medium! (It also made me want to sneeze since I've got hay fever! :-P)

Those with bum ankles, feel better soon and take it easy!

**michelle the librarian**

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Doris Crockford - Feb 3, 2005 11:58 am (#1793 of 2956)

Mmmmmmmmm, crepes. I acctually just got back from having a crepe (my friends and I went out to celebrate the end of exams), and it was delicious. It had peanut butter ice cream in it, and it was served with bananas and whipped cream and this really, really rich chocolate sauce. It was so good, but I'm stuffed. But I kind of feel bad because we didn't invite one of my friends, and we usually take the bus home together, and I didn't tell her I was leaving. I wonder what she's going to say when I see her tonight...

Those are some interesting pictures. Especially the banana lamb. Wow. I've thankfully never seen anything quite like that before. The garbage bag design was actually pretty cool, though.

Julia, I'm glad your ankle is less swollen today. I've never actually hurt my ankle, but I've hurt my knee enough that I know what it's like to have to walk on one leg. It's not fun.

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dizzy lizzy - Feb 3, 2005 3:55 pm (#1794 of 2956)

Right!!! Now I can stop spluttering coffee all over the place...That Banana Lamb sculpture sure is funny. It does seem to brighten the place up. Sure brightened my day .

Off to check the threads and then to go put a job application in. I would dearly love to get this job and get out of the one I'm in. I'm one of those people who prefer to "work" when actually at work. I don't have enough to do. I work about 6 hours of the 32 I'm employed and do pretty much nothing for the rest of the week.

There are not a lot of jobs going in the town where I live that are suitable for me (I have a fused spine (due to scoliosis/khyphosis) and all physical work is ruled out)so it is a matter of sitting tight until suitable admin type jobs become available.

A new job would also help pass the time waiting for HBP to go faster too.

Have a wonderful day everybody.

Lizzy

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Marie E. - Feb 3, 2005 7:29 pm (#1795 of 2956)

Julia, I'm glad your ankle is feeling better. I sprained my ankle when I was in college, too, but mine was even more graceful. I had to cross the street behind the college, slipped, and fell in a puddle.

I love the children's book series you all have mentioned. My favorite was the Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace. It was this series that broke me in to talking to strangers online. I also have a lot of the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary. I remember reading those in the third grade. Ah, book nostalgia!

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Catherine - Feb 3, 2005 7:38 pm (#1796 of 2956)

If I haven't "seconded" the Beverly Cleary books before now, please know that I meant to!

Ramona made me laugh even when I was a second grader. Now that I am a mom, let's just say that my oldest daughter is channeling Ramona all too frequently! **loved that Ramona named her doll "Chevrolet" after her aunt's car**

I spent the last hour watching Pride and Prejudice to lift my mood. It worked!

Have a good evening, all.

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Winky Woo - Feb 4, 2005 1:50 am (#1797 of 2956)

I loved everyone reactions to the Super Lamb Banana!

You can imagine the looks of shock/horror/puzzlement when it was first unveiled in the centre of the city... apparently its a warning about genetic modification and symbolizes the playful nature of the city. They have moved it several times... it would pop up in random places before they found it a permanent home by the docks (hence the sail makers shops in the background as there is a large marina)

Right, I have a million and one things to do today so shouldn't really be in here. Have a great day/night everyone *Waves and toddles off still smiling at peoples reactions*....

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Madam Pince - Feb 4, 2005 2:15 am (#1798 of 2956)

Marie E, you beat me to it with the Beverly Cleary books -- I loved those too! But now I'm going nuts; was it Henry Huggins? or Henry Higgins? Now that I see it in print, I'm sure it was Huggins...

I agree with Ladybug too that "Chronicles of Narnia" and the "Little House" books are up there in my top 5 favorites. To this day, I still re-read the entire "Little House" series every year at Christmastime. Something about winter -- she wrote very well and with amazingly detailed recall about the winters on the prairie. Apparently in March there is going to be a TV mini-series called "Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie" which I'm hoping will be more true to the books than the Melissa Gilbert series. Not that it wasn't a good show and all, but not a lot like the books.

I've been offline for about ten days again -- we bought a new computer and just as we were about to transfer all our settings and data etc., we discovered we had a bad case of spyware. So we had to pay to get the old computer all cleaned up first so as not to transfer "yuck" to the brand-spanking-new computer. (I tried to do it myself but was unsuccessful.) What a drag. But, now we're all set up, and the new computer is wonderful, and the new !!NON-DIAL-UP!! internet service seems lightning fast! Woo-hoo! Now if I could only figure out how to make the fonts / type appear as big as it did on the old one....

Sorry I am so belated, Phoenix Song, but sincere condolences on the loss of your father. You will be in my thoughts and prayers. Mr. Pince's aunt passed away this week, and it was a very similar situation to your father. She had been hopelessly ill for four years, and her husband and her husband's sister had been caring for her tirelessly during that entire time, and she could not speak or walk or eat or anything. So bless your heart, and yours too, For Venus, because there is a special place in Heaven for caregivers. Nobody knows unless they've been there. In fact, for this aunt who recently died, her husband actually predeceased her last spring -- we think he simply wore himself out being a caregiver. I know exactly what you feel about the "relief" because we all were beginning to fear that the sister-in-law was going down the same path very soon, if this blessed relief had not finally come. So anyway, you both (and anyone else who's been a caregiver) have big hugs from me. For what it's worth, For Venus, you might want to try out a support group for caregivers in your area. I went to one while caring for an aunt with Alzheimer's, and it was sooooo beneficial, if for no other reason than the comfort of hearing that others are sharing your experiences. Good luck.

Elanor, I liked "The 4400" even though I have not finished watching it yet. I got busy with other stuff for the last few episodes, and so they're still on a tape waiting to be watched! I suspect I would like "Lost" also but since I missed out on it from the beginning, I think it would be hard to jump into mid-stream. I am also a fan of "Desperate Housewives" -- the mystery of Dana is the best part, I think.

This is going waaaaaayyy back in posts, but about reality TV -- some of them are really horribly awful in premise (Who thought up "The Will?" and all those "getting-married-to-a-stranger" ones?), but I must say I enjoy "Survivor" and occasionally "The Apprentice" -- I think it's the Psychology major in me. And it really gripes me to hear the professional actors and actresses turn their noses up at reality TV because they simply can't believe that anyone would want to watch such "fake" stuff over their shows. Oh please. A good actor is wonderful to watch, but after all, it is simply a profession like any other. I get very very tired of actors who think they have some more enlightened view of the world than we poor, unwashed masses, simply because they are known to a lot of people. Hooey. Of course reality TV is largely staged. So what? Being staged makes it less entertaining? What then, pray, are we to think about all the other TV programs and movies? Frankly, sometimes I think the professional actors are just a little jealous that the public can be as equally entertained by a Rudy or a Rupert as they are by an "Actor's Studio" pro. So it might not be high-level art, but sometimes we just want to sit on the couch in our PJs and eat cheddar worms and watch something silly.

OK, rant over.

P.S. Julia, hope your ankle feels better!

P.P.S. Why am I still up at 4:15 am? Could it have something to do with the almost-full bag of maple-sugar-coated pecans I ate at about 11:00pm? Why did that seem like such a good idea at the time? Guess I'll go read a chapter or two of OotP.

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The giant squid - Feb 4, 2005 5:48 am (#1799 of 2956)

Now if I could only figure out how to make the fonts / type appear as big as it did on the old one....

Without knowing anything about your setup, I'd guess that the screen resolution is different on your new computer. For instance, if your old one was set for 800 x 600 pixels and the new one is 1024 x 768 pixels, all the icons, fonts, etc. will seem tinier. The first setting I mentioned was kinda the standard up until a couple years ago when larger monitors became affordable, so if your old computer really was old that's probably it.

Julia, I'm glad to hear your ankle's improving. Just try to take it slow getting back on it--if you rush it you'll only end up injuring it more. If you're anything like me waiting is a supreme form of torture, but do your best.

That Super Lamb Banana is definitely very...yellow. Like Michelle, it just gives me another excuse to want to visit England.

--Mike

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Catherine - Feb 4, 2005 5:59 am (#1800 of 2956)

But now I'm going nuts; was it Henry Huggins? or Henry Higgins? Now that I see it in print, I'm sure it was Huggins...--Madam Pince

It was Henry Huggins, you are right. Wasn't Henry Higgins the Professor in My Fair Lady? **looks out the window and is reminded of the "Rain in Spain" song. **

Hoping everyone is well and accident-free today--it's Friday, yay!

See you all around the Forum.

Lady Arabella Mon Jan 05, 2015 8:38 pm

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Denise P. - Feb 4, 2005 7:13 am (#1801 of 2956)

I always found Ribsy to be a more memorable character than Henry. I guess I have always been partial to dogs

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Essidji - Feb 4, 2005 7:15 am (#1802 of 2956)

Isn't Higgins the name of Magnum's major-domo? (Aaahh, Magnum * dreamy looks*).

Ahem.

Dizzy, good luck to finding a new job.

Winky : I thought this sculpture was in fact an original way for the "LAMB BROTHERS SAIL MAKERS" to advertize, as this superlamb banana is just next!(well, rather in the background) This is pretty amazing, isn't it?

Edit : waves to Denise

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librarian314 - Feb 4, 2005 7:37 am (#1803 of 2956)

Hey all!

Higgins is indeed the name of Robin Master's major domo. Magnum lived in one of the guest bungalows on the estate. I used to watch this show all the time when I was in grad school. It was a great way to relax for a few minutes between studying and baby care. (I had my daughter in the middle of study for my MLS (Masters of Library Science))

Y'all take care!

**michelle the librarian**

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Julia. - Feb 4, 2005 7:39 am (#1804 of 2956)

Good morning all.

Welcome back to the land of the Forum Madam P. Sorry to hear about your old computer having a bad case of spyware. Mine contracted a trojan about a year ago, and although it's gone now, it was not fun. Also, welcome to the world of high speed internet.

Good luck finding a new job Lizzy!

Beverly Clearly books are always fun. I loved that Ramona had a doll named Chevorlet. Although when I was in 3rd and 4th grade I was far more into the Babysitter's Club. I don't know, I thought they were cool. Thank G-d I soon grew out of them.

It snowed again last night. I have no idea how much we actually got, but looking out my window it doesn't look like much. I have no idea why, but the university canceled all classes before 10:00. Just my luck, that's when my first class starts.

Ankle is feeling a little better. I'm being slow getting back on it. Believe me, if it were up to me I'd have been off these stupid crutches yesterday. But everytime I try to walk without them my ankle still screams out in protest, so I'm still using them. Hoping to be off them around the middle of next week.

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Julie Aronson - Feb 4, 2005 8:15 am (#1805 of 2956)

Yippee! I just got into law school! I know it's a bit goofy, but I had to share the moment...

Julie

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Catherine - Feb 4, 2005 8:21 am (#1806 of 2956)

Congratulations, Julie Aronson!

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Feb 4, 2005 8:32 am (#1807 of 2956)

All this talk about Little House on the Prairie got me thinking. Little House = Michael Landon = Bonanza = Candy = mmmmm, Candy = The Big Valley = a young Lee Majors = mmmmmm, Lee Majors = The Rifleman = Lucas McCain is SO COOL!

Those were some great shows.

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From Venus - Feb 4, 2005 9:05 am (#1808 of 2956)

Good Friday morning everyone. The sun is shining and they are promising 40's today so we're happy. The kids are listening to Veggie Tales music as I type and so my attention is divided since I know all the words to all the songs. (Right now we're listening to The Wheels on the Bus over and over because this is our favorite. )

Thank you, Madame Pince, and thank you again to everyone's kind words towards me and my fellow caretakers. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs. smile: But seriously, I never appreciated what these people do until I was doing it myself. But, you know what? It's a wonderful thing to be able to do. And I am truly grateful for your thoughts and prayers. And so is my Mom-in-law, Anna!

Well, it's off to laundry and cleaning (getting ready for a super bown party!) and getting Grandma off to the doc for a look at her sore hip and then pick up more kids from school. Have a great Friday and weekend!

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Phoenix song - Feb 4, 2005 9:51 am (#1809 of 2956)

Thank you for your kind words Madam Pince. I have been able to wrap myself in the kindness and compassion of my fellow forum members during this difficult time. Just like From Venus, I have a new appreciation for people who care for their loved ones for an extended period of time. It's truly difficult to see once strong and independent people slowly decline. For a while, it was difficult to remember my dad as the person that he was before the cancer took over our lives. As the shock is receding, we're able to remember and grieve more for the person that he was before the illness.

From Venus, you've done me a great injustice by bringing to mind the Veggie Tale songs (just joking, of course). My crazy inner voice has been battling back and forth with some of their all-time favorite hits. "Oh where...is my hair brush? Oh where...is my hairbrush?" and "My yummy cheeseburger, my yummy cheeseburger, I'll be back for you...I'll be back for you..." Gotta love the Veggie Tales and their Silly Songs. Like who could ever forget, once they've heard, "Ukulele".

The sun is finally out today. YEAH! It's been so rainy, cold, misty, foggy, and yucky lately. The lack of the sun can really affect my mood even if I'm not actually out in the sun for very long. Why is that, I wonder?

Elanor, Congratulations on your Alchemy presentation. You've done some great work on there, and I'm so pleased that you're able to share the knowledge with others.

Julia, Congratulations on getting into law school! I'm so pleased for you!! Please always share the happy stuff with us. It's always neat to be able to feel happy for the achievements of your friends, even if you haven't actually met in person. The people here feel so much like family, that it wouldn't be right not to let us celebrate with you!

Hope that everyone has a great day!
Barbie

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Ydnam96 - Feb 4, 2005 9:52 am (#1810 of 2956)

Julie A. glad to hear you made it in to Law School! That's quite an achievment! Now I'm sure there will be moments you regret it though (on those late nights when you are trying to cram your head with more information than you ever thought possible) Smile

Just keep going. (I'm not a law student, but have heard through the grapevine it is way hard) Smile

But congrats none-the-less!

Wishing it were Saturday, cause I have no inspiration to go to work today. Bleh

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Julie Aronson - Feb 4, 2005 10:24 am (#1811 of 2956)

Thank you, thank you...

Yes, Ydnam, the reality of my situation is just beginning to settle in. I'm hoping that my inner Hermione will come to the fore and keep me in line!

Julie

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Ydnam96 - Feb 4, 2005 10:40 am (#1812 of 2956)

Smile

I can sympathize. I just found out I could graduate with my MA without taking anymore classes if I just switched to a smaller degree (I've taken something 21 some odd extra credit hours) but I just wanted to be done. So I transfered to a new program. I'm so happy to be done with school I can't even describe it. I loved school in undergrad, but something about continually doing reading and papers while working a full time job just got really old really fast. Maybe one day I will feel differently and go for that EdD degree, it would be nice to be Dr. Mandy, but right now if I never had to write another paper again I would be so happy!

Well...maybe now I should actually get ready for work. Happy Friday everyone.

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Loopy Lupin - Feb 4, 2005 10:57 am (#1813 of 2956)

All this talk about Little House on the Prairie got me thinking. Little House = Michael Landon = Bonanza = Candy = mmmmm, Candy = The Big Valley = a young Lee Majors = mmmmmm, Lee Majors = The Rifleman = Lucas McCain is SO COOL!—Kim

Did you every play "6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon"?

I would have to throw myself into the injury/pain-free camp today! Yay! Happy Friday everyone!

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Mrs. Sirius - Feb 4, 2005 11:19 am (#1814 of 2956)

Congratulations Julie that's great news!

Edit: a tip, my husband said that they try and scare you in the first year, so don't let them intimidate you.

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Doris Crockford - Feb 4, 2005 12:02 pm (#1815 of 2956)

Today has not been a very good day. There were 10 people at school (out of the usual 45), so I did nothing all morning (and was wishing I was on the forum), then I got home (there was no point in even staying at school since I would have had supply teachers the rest of the day), came online, and found out that the concert I was supposed to be going to tonight was cancelled. I was really looking forward to it, too, since it would have been my first concert, and SUM 41 is the first band whose CD I ever bought with my own money. They rescheduled it, but April seems like a long time away.

Hope the rest of you had a great day!

Congrats, Julie!

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Marie E. - Feb 4, 2005 12:30 pm (#1816 of 2956)

Congrats, Julie!

Wish me luck, tonight's the Girl Scout lock-in. Send me some "keep your sanity" vibes.

I forgot to mention before that my daughter Shayla loved the Junie B. Jones books last year. I used to call her Shayla B. Jones because of certain similarities (Junie gets sent to the principal a lot.).

Happy Friday everyone!

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Elanor - Feb 4, 2005 12:48 pm (#1817 of 2956)

Congratulations Ydnam and Julie, these are some great news, I'm really happy for you! I hope you will celebrate that as it should be this weekend.

Lizzy, I hope that you will soon celebrate some good news about your job as well. (**crossing my fingers**)

Marè, I knew you would love the Brittany cider... About the submarine, it is possible it was heading for St Nazaire if he went South, I know there is a base for submarines there, I visited it some years ago (though I don't know if it still works). Actually, I think that everybody here has already seen it without knowing it. It was used for a scene of "Indiana Jones- The Raiders of the Lost Arch". When you see the submarine entering a base supposed to be on a Greek Island, in fact it is the StNazaire base that you see.

Madam Pince, I truly sympathize since my computer crashed this week. I had to reinstall XP and lost all my documents, it is not fun.

I'm happy you're feeling better Julia, I hope the weekend will help you to recover even faster.

Phoenix Song and Julie, and every other member I could have forgotten, thank you so much for your congratulations, they went straight to my heart. The week has been hard so I truly appreciate them. I wish you a very sunny weekend, Barb!

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Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Feb 4, 2005 1:37 pm (#1818 of 2956)

Ahhhhhhh! My son came home from school today with his corrected homework. Either the teacher, the aide or the student teacher marked as incorrect the word 'sate'. **looks shocked** Heaven help me. Do I need to send this back with a note explaining the definition of the word 'sate'?

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Catherine - Feb 4, 2005 1:55 pm (#1819 of 2956)

Heaven help me—Kim

Saints preserve us! I really hope it was a careless error to mismark the word "sate," and not a moronic one.

I fear the latter versus the former, alas earwax. I've had to ask to have Claire's work regraded before. One time, five answers on a social studies test were marked incorrectly. She went from a "D" to "B" on the test overnight. You should definitely bring it to the teacher's attention. **places bet on Kim to win this round** Perhaps the teacher can use a link to a good online dictionary? We've found them so helpful here on the Forum!

Marie, sending all the mental wellness I can summon your way. Hope that "lock-in" does not equal "break-down!"

Since I accused the teacher above with idiocy, I will leave you with this little incident of about thirty minutes ago. I was chopping onions to make chili, and decided to light a candle to reduce the crying effect of the onions. I reached across the counter, and accidentally knocked an entire roll of paper towels into the lit candle. Let's just say that I was reminded of Fawkes' Burning Day. I was happy to see that although I am not as young as I used to be, my reflexes are quite good when the situation demands it.

Now, if I could just air out the kitchen before Mr. Catherine comes home...

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Julia. - Feb 4, 2005 2:20 pm (#1820 of 2956)

Woo! Mazel tov Julie and Ydnam!!!! *hands Julie and Ydnam butterbeer*

Kim, yes, I think you need to send the teacher/aide /student teacher a note with the deffination of the word 'sate.' *also places bet on Kim to win this round*

Catherine, nice analogy to Fawkes burning day. This is why I love this forum. Not a single person here won't get the reference. Good luck getting the air out of the kitchen before Mr. Catherine's arival home. I suggest open windows and a good fan.

Do not talk to me about silly songs. I'm listen to Monty Python as we speak, er, as I type. *I'm a lumber jack and I'm ok*

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Penny Lane. - Feb 4, 2005 2:30 pm (#1821 of 2956)

Sorry, I just HAVE to jump in the recommended books discussion.

When I was growing up I loved and I mean, obsessed over, drooled over, and couldn't put down The Baby-Sitter's Club. While many people say they aren't really good literature, I just have to defend them, as I did learn many things from them. They first introduced me to many thing that I didn't know about before, like different ballets, different artists, different types of socioeconmical situations, ecology, different people, etc. I also liked the American Girls books. - Mum would never buy me a doll, but I loved the books. Also, I liked the first 2 Anne of Green Gables books, more so than the Little House books. I think my favorite Little House book was "Farmer Boy" because it wasn't about the Ingalls, per say.

I also liked "The Three Investigators", a sort of alternate Hardy Boys. In my pre-adolecent mind, they were way better. I have no idea why, actually. Maybe I just didn't get into the whole spirit of Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew.

I'm glad you are feeling better Julia.

Catherine! I'm glad you survived "Bonfire Afternoon", as kitchen fires can be quite dangerous. If I could remember the name of that giant bear thing that used to do fire safety - I'd put a picture up.

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Ladybug220 - Feb 4, 2005 2:36 pm (#1822 of 2956)

Penny, I enjoyed the Babysitter's Club books as well and Sweet Valley Twins. I may be dating myself but those series were just coming out when I was in 6th grade (or so, I don't remember exactly not that I am getting old Smile

.

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Amilia Smith - Feb 4, 2005 2:36 pm (#1823 of 2956)

If I could remember the name of that giant bear thing that used to do fire safety –

Are you thinking of Smokey the Bear?

Mills.

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I Am Used Vlad - Feb 4, 2005 2:37 pm (#1824 of 2956)

I read all "The Three Investigators" books, too. They were great. I also liked the series that started with The Book of Three. I can't remember the name of the series itself, but they were written by Lloyd Alexander. The Narnia books were among my favorites, as well.

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Amilia Smith - Feb 4, 2005 2:40 pm (#1825 of 2956)

The series by Lloyd Alexander was The Chronicles of Prydain. I also loved his Westmark Trilogy.

Mills.

Edited to correct the name of Alexander's series. That's what I get for trying to be an insufferable know it all.

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I Am Used Vlad - Feb 4, 2005 2:46 pm (#1826 of 2956)

I knew someone would come up with the name within 5 minutes. Thanks, Amilia.

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dizzy lizzy - Feb 4, 2005 2:48 pm (#1827 of 2956)

Congratulations, Julie Aronson! on getting into law school.

About 5 years ago I was trying to decide what to do with my extra credits from university as I no longer wanted to finish the Graduate Diploma (equivalent to 1 year full time study) in Town Planning I was trying very unsuccessfully to complete. I just did not have the interest and the literary skills to do the 10,000 word project thesis the diploma required for graduation.

So I switched diploma's and miraculously (with a wave of the wand!) I ended up with having completed a different diploma (in Humanities). This one didn't require a thesis so without taking another subject or writing another word, I graduated yet again.

So I understand very well the relief Ydnam at finally finishing!

I had a wonderful Friday and got the job application in and did some more lawn mowing. Today's job is to clean the house after the dust storm on Wednesday.

Lizzy

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Catherine - Feb 4, 2005 5:33 pm (#1828 of 2956)

..."sneaky, peeky" update: **waves to the Junie B. Jones fans**

Mr. Catherine just loved the chili, and didn't notice that a huge fireball had been in the kitchen two hours prior to his homecoming. I managed to semi-obliviate the kids' memory on the matter by pure bribery. Thank goodness for skylights that open--the fumes just went up, up, and away!

I was actually planning on taking them to a movie tomorrow anyway, but they don't need to know that!

So...mum's the word!

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Chemyst - Feb 4, 2005 6:54 pm (#1829 of 2956)

Congratulations Julie!

Marie, I would love to send you sanity vibes, but I've not many to spare. Chat & Greetings 2005 464751818

Kim, I do believe you need to sate your urge to let the teacher know.

Catherine, for what it's worth... on your next chopped onion adventure, America's Test Kitchen tested the candle-burning technique and found that wearing a scuba mask was more effective. (This is not a joke.)

Mills, I have to be an insufferable know it all– it is Smokey Bear, without the the. Picture here: http://www.smokeybear.com/ I learned that when he turned 50. ...ten years later and the new slogan is "Sixty Years of Vigilance." So, how does that compare with Moody?

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Gina R Snape - Feb 4, 2005 7:20 pm (#1830 of 2956)

WOW. I had 122 messages to catch up on. Phew!

Julia, I hope your ankle is getting better.

Martiza, indeed you should let me know when you are coming to NYC.

Accio HbP, how could you even begin to talk down Colonol Brandon?! Severus may make my head race and my heart pound. But Colonol Brandon is enough to make any grown woman's knees weak! Willoughby? Feh. Hack-ptoui.

Mare, as promised, here are your Lexicon designs:

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v64/ginarsnape/forumtrans.jpg

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v64/ginarsnape/forumnacht.jpg

EDIT: I nearly forgot! One of the writers on Will and Grace *must* be a HP fan. Because I was half-watching yesterday while cooking dinner and Grace said "I wish I had a magic spell and I could just wave a wand and turn him into a ferret." Coincidence? I think NOT!!!!

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Catherine - Feb 4, 2005 7:31 pm (#1831 of 2956)

Catherine, for what it's worth... on your next chopped onion adventure, America's Test Kitchen tested the candle-burning technique and found that wearing a scuba mask was more effective. (This is not a joke.)—Chemyst

NOW you tell me? Note to self: take up deep sea diving!

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Julie Aronson - Feb 4, 2005 7:41 pm (#1832 of 2956)

Thanks for all the congrats and good advice! Well-wishes back to everyone who needs/deserves them! I'm just glad that HBP is coming out a month before my classes start--that way I can read it, and then reread the entire series again before I dive into the bottomless pit of reading and outlining I've been led to expect from my Paper Chase year. (OOH is my age hanging out with that one!)

Julie

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Helen Potterfan - Feb 4, 2005 8:10 pm (#1833 of 2956)

Well, I don't think Colonel Brandon is a horrible person. But he is almost 20 years older than Marianne (Marianne is 16 and Brandon 35 when the novel opens, 19 and 38 when they marry), and I do think she settled for him (and lucky she was to snag such a good catch at 19 with no money!). I admit to having a rather radical reading of Austen's novels (she's one of my favorite authors), but I think that Austen made it clear that Marianne was settling for Brandon. This is how Austen describes it: "Marianne Dashwood was born to an extraordinary fate. She was born to discover the falsehood of her own opinions, and to counteract by her conduct her most favourite maxims. She was born to overcome an affection formed so late in life as at seventeen, and with no sentiment superior to strong esteem and lively friendship, voluntarily to give her hand to another--and that other, a man who had suffered no less than herself under the even of a former attachment, whom, two years before, she had considered too old to be married, and who still sought the constitutional safeguard of a flannel waistcoat! But so it was."

She does say a paragraph later that Marianne's "whole heart became, in time, as much devoted to her husband as it had once been to Willoughby." But that doesn't really convince me. I would argue that it's not really supposed to.

But enough about Brandon. We'll have to get together and debate Austen so I don't bore the rest of the forumers to tears!

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Gina R Snape - Feb 4, 2005 8:14 pm (#1834 of 2956)

Indeed, we will have to get together to discuss! Maybe next Thursday...

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Eponine - Feb 4, 2005 10:21 pm (#1835 of 2956)

Hello, All! I hope everyone is having a wonderful day.

I have just returned from my Christmas present from my wonderful husband. I saw Josh Groban tonight. There were quite a few squealing girls there, but his voice was amazing. The guy who opened for him was a great jazz trumpeteer (is that the right word?) named Chris Botti, and his (Josh's) accompanying violinist was incredible. She played Bohemian Rhapsody on the violin. I've heard that song done in a number of ways, but this was unique and beautiful. I've had a lovely evening full of lovely music.

Julie, congratulations on getting into law school!

Marie E., I'm sending calming spells to you to help you through the night.

Catherine, I'm glad you didn't burn your house down, and that Mr. Catherine was none the wiser to the incident.

I'm off to catch up on threads. Have a great day!

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From Venus - Feb 4, 2005 11:51 pm (#1836 of 2956)

Lupin is Lupin, I found your post about having to correct a teacher interesting. There was one teacher in particular that comes to mind; she would constantly send notes home with my son, complaining about something or other that he did or did not do. Every one of these notes were full of blatant grammatical errors and misspellings. Finally, one day I had had it, and I got a red pencil and "corrected" the note, graded it, and sent it back to school with my son...I never received another note from her. Am I bad?

Catherine, oh my gosh, you made me laugh so hard, but it's NOT FUNNY! I almost set fire to my living room one day by burning something in the fireplace with the floo closed. I thought I had opened it but it wasn't. I got the fire out, made a HUGE mess, and had a black wall and ceiling for months until I got around to painting. At the time that it happened it scared the living daylights out of me, but every time someone would ask me what happened in there, I couldn't get through the story without laughing. It was quite ridiculous, after all. We all have done dumb stuff and have lived to tell the tale. I hope I stay lucky enough to keep surviving!

Julie, congrats on making it into law school. Good luck. Here's hoping your inner Hermione stays alive and well.

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kabloink! - Feb 5, 2005 12:46 am (#1837 of 2956)

Well, it is officially my 2 year forum anniversary. Hooray! Anyway, I am totally stressing as I wait for my husband to get home. About three years ago, I lost my mickey mouse watch, for my birthday after that, my husband bought me a watch. The leather band on the watch broke about a month later. SO for our 6 month wedding anniversary last August, he bought me a beautiful gold and white gold watch with hearts for links, I think its a Bulova...and now I can't find it! I KNOW I took it off here at home, I'm just praying that I dont have to go garbage diving to find it.

I loved Babysitters CLub, too. I am very sad over how difficult it is to find them nowadays. I never read too many of the Sweet Valley Twins, but I read quite a few of the Sweet Valley High and Sweet Valley University. Ok, I think hubby just got home, so I'll talk to everyone later!

EDIT: Found it! IT figures, I panic and cry while searching for it for 2 hours, then as I give up and put in a DVD for the night, I see it on top of the DVD player...such is life, right? Oh, and here's a movie quote for ya, "Ladybugs, Katherine, LOTS of Ladybugs." Its from "Under the Tuscan Sun" for non chick flickers.

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TwinklingBlueEyes - Feb 5, 2005 5:34 am (#1838 of 2956)

Good morning everyone! It is just breaking daylight here and I'm getting ready to crank up my motorcycle and go to parade and PARTY!

Happy Madri Gras everyone and have a great day!

Pam

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Pinky - Feb 5, 2005 5:51 am (#1839 of 2956)

Kabloink, just a suggestion for keeping track of your watch. Make it a habit to ALWAYS put it in the same place, no matter how inconvenient. I do this for my rings. Whenever I take them off, I always take them directly to my jewelry box, or if I can't do that (not at home, etc), I place them on my watch band, fasten the band (duh!) and put it in my pocket to keep it secure. I am sometimes tempted to do something else with them, quite sure that I'll remember and they'll be safe, but as long as I stick to the 2 above options, I will always know they really are safe.

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Catherine - Feb 5, 2005 7:12 am (#1840 of 2956)

Oh, yes, Pinky and Kabloink, I am quite the same way about my car keys. The only times I have ever lost my keys (excepting the time Hayley hid them under the sofa when she was two years old--I pulled out my hair for hours looking for them) is when I don't put them in their special place. I have a tray on a chest in our side, "family" entrance from the garage and keys go there first thing. On the way out to the car, the keys are the last thing I pick up.

Those ring holder things are handy, too. My mom gave me one, and I keep it close to my bed, then I don't have to worry with the jewelry box if I'm just wearing my rings and watch.

It's worth it to be a bit compulsive to avoid that horrible, panicky, "Did I throw away my wedding ring" feeling! I've never done that, but I have had to root around in a vacuum cleaner bag looking for a lost piece of jewelry, and I hope never to do it again.

EDIT: Denise, I like your purse's snap-on function. No digging to find them when you are out and about!

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Denise P. - Feb 5, 2005 7:18 am (#1841 of 2956)

Many years ago, as I was taking a child out of the van, I put my keys on the roof. I merrily walked away and since I didn't drive back, I didn't realize I left my keys there. Needless to say, those keys were lost (along with my favorite leather keychain in the shape of my dog). Since that time, I have a hook in the kitchen that my keys go immediately on when I get home. My purse has a place where I can snap my keys on it when I take them out of the ignition. In the 10 years since I lost that set of keys, the only time my keys have become misplaced is when I failed to snap them on my purse or put them on the hook.

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Madame Librarian - Feb 5, 2005 7:26 am (#1842 of 2956)

L is L, and all others who get disappointing notes from teachers--

I can be a member of the "Who Taught the Teacher Club." When my son was in first grade, his young teacher (a newbie) had the daunting task of teaching a roomful of 7-year olds to read and write. A few of them already knew how, but unfortunately, this class happened to have two very BD (behavioral disorder), disruptive kids, plus she was newly pregnant and probably not at her best. However, my son brought home a spelling test one day with a couple of errors--marked with a red checkmark and the comment, "be more carefull." Oh, dear.

My very smart son, who went on to have excellent grades, and get into a top-notch school (Tufts in Boston) never did master spelling as well as some people, but he never, ever failed to check his work. He was totally conscious of his...ahem, lack of talent in that area. He even proofs his e-mails and IMs to me which, I understand, is unusual given that Internet communication mode is simply more relaxed. (Wait--I'm not starting a debate here on that, I get it, I get it.)

That's all. Have a great weekend everyone. Seeing as how it's going to be 55 F or so here in Chicagoland, I hope to shed the muffler, boots, heavy gloves and hat. Right now (8:30am CST) it's darn sunny and the snow is melting like crazy. I know, false spring. But I'm a sucker for it every winter. (Sigh)

Ciao. Barb

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Sirius Lee - Feb 5, 2005 9:03 am (#1843 of 2956)

Julie, congrats on getting into law school. I made it through almost 2 years at a school in Boston before running out of money, but I remember the totally thrill I felt getting accepted. The Paper Chase isn't really showing your age because it's practically required viewing for anyone even thinking about attending! Sadly, it's pretty darned accurate.

Anyone who isn't Julie may want to skip down to the next post now. Some unsolicited advice? There was a saying floating around Suffolk - "First year, they scare you to death. Second year, they work you to death. Third year, they bore you to death." This is soo true. The most important thing for a first year is to always be prepared for class. My contracts class was one where it was almost better to skip class than come without reading the cases because he had no problem making people cry or kick them out (and did both). The first month is the worst because you have too look up every other word in a case in a law dictionary (and half those words in a regular one Chat & Greetings 2005 2752390508

), but once you get the terminology down, it's smooth sailing until finals (which are VERY Paper Chase-ish).

Everyone always expects second year to be a breeze after being a 1L, but it's not. Teachers are a lot easier on you, and there isn't as much Socratic Method and yelling etc, but you're expected to read twice as much. We were all shocked by how much more cases you had to cover for each class. You usually have a year to cover everything as a first year, but after that you have only one semester to get it all down, so you have to cover everything twice as quickly. On the bright side, the finals tend to be easier!

I haven't made it to third year yet, but all my friends kept commenting on how dead it was compared to the rest of it all. Class time is less because you tend to do clerkships or moot courts etc.

It will be tough sometimes, but you can do it! Stick with it, and don't get discouraged when you start to feel overwhelmed (because you are, but everyone else is too!). Also, make sure to factor in fun time. Too many people do nothing but study because they feel like they're supposed to. Almost my entire section would go to the pub next door after class on Friday and have a few drinks and play pool for a few hours before heading home to work all weekend. It really helped with the morale. Best of luck and keep us posted!

On a side note, I owe my HP obsession to my law school friends. Once they talked me into reading it, we'd sit around at lunch debating story lines! We also cut out Corporations class early the day CoS premiered so we could get to the first showing! (But don't tell Prof. Stansbury!)

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From Venus - Feb 5, 2005 9:06 am (#1844 of 2956)

Madame Librarian, as a former Chicagoan, I can relate to those "false springs". The sunshine and warmth are like a shot in the arm to get you through the rest of the brutal Chicago winter. But since I don't like the summer at all, no matter where I live, I'm never very happy to see the spring.

Anyways, the weather here in southern Indiana is warm and sunny also, and it's supposed to stay this way for a few days, so I can't complain since I have missed the sunshine all those gloomy gray days. Enjoy you're weekend, everyone. I'm off to get ready for tomorrow's Super Bowl party. (Ah, football and junk food, two great American traditions!)

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kabloink! - Feb 5, 2005 9:14 am (#1845 of 2956)

Thanks for all the great advise, everyone! I have been trying to institute a few of these habits in my house, being relatively newly out on my own (with hubby, of course...). Unfortunately after I found my watch last night, I left it right on top of my laptop, knowing that I wouldn't lose it there. Well, I came in here this morning, and my watch was nowhere to be found on my desk. Lo and behold, it appears my cat thought it was pretty and knocked it onto the floor.

Being from Michigan, I am also very familiar with false springs, which I am taking advantage of today to show off MSU to my parents. I don't like summer much anymore, myself. SInce I have, ahem, outgrown most of my good summer clothes, and can't afford new ones, I simply find it too hot and uncomfortable. I do, however LOVE spring and fall, where it's just warm enough to wear a light jacket or no jacket at all, but cool enough to still wear jeans.

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Penny Lane. - Feb 5, 2005 2:41 pm (#1846 of 2956)

As another Michigander (I really dislike that phrase, ugh!) I am also familier with false springs and early summers. It is usually a good thing when it thaws enough in Feb./early March so that the bugs wake up early, only to be frozen again. When it doesn't do that, the summers are usually miserable hot, humid, and "insect heavy". So, I personally prefer spring/fall weather. And of course that verge of freezing, no wind, early winter days. I just really like how the air feels cool and crisp.

Kabloink! I have also outgrown my summer clothes and don't really have any amition to buy new ones. It's sad, because I used to love summer, and most of my clothing is summer related. This whole covering up the extra pounds is a bit depressing.

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Julie Aronson - Feb 5, 2005 3:06 pm (#1847 of 2956)

Sirius Lee,

Thanks for the advice! I will take it to heart. Actually, I can credit one of my attorney friends for both suggesting law school and strenuously recommending that I read Harry Potter. I'll have to thank him again for both suggestions!

Julie

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Marie E. - Feb 5, 2005 8:23 pm (#1848 of 2956)

I should have asked for a "stay awake" vibes rather than sanity vibes. At 2am the girls were still going strong and playing basketball in the gym. I bullied them into brushing their teeth and going to bed. The bad part was we had to be out of the high school by 7am so they sent two perfectly bossy Juniors to wake everyone up. We had to roll Shayla out of her sleeping bag as she is definitely not a morning person. We came home, took a four hour nap, then drove to Cripple Creek for a birthday party. I am still utterly exhausted!

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Julia. - Feb 5, 2005 10:13 pm (#1849 of 2956)

Awwww, I hope you get lots of sleep tonight Marie. Sounds like you've had a very long day!

I don't know if any of you have heard of Shlock Rock, but I just got back from their concert in Springfield Mass. They were awesome. My friend and I want to become Shlock Rock groupies. Granted, most of their fans are 8 years old, but they were still amazing. They parody popular songs with Jewish lyrics. Right now I'm listening to a parody of 'Livin' La Vida Loca' by Rickey Martin (remember him?) with lyrics about learning to dance the hora.

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The giant squid - Feb 6, 2005 1:18 am (#1850 of 2956)

Marie, I'm glad you survived, albeit a bit frazzled.

To all of you who felt the need to correct a teacher: you go, girls! Anything we can do to improve the state of education these days is a good thing. I've often suspected it's a "blind leading the blind" situation in a lot of schools these days. Heck, they'll give anyone an education degree--just look at my sisters! (KIDDING! Marie, put that wand down...I don't want to be a ferret...)

Julie A., congrats on getting into Law school. Hopefully your instructors don't fall into the above category.

Julia, keep an eye out for a band called Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. They're a cover band that does punk versions of non-punk songs. In particular they have an...interesting version of Hava Nagila (I KNOW I spelled that wrong) that I found rather cool.

--Mike

Lady Arabella Mon Jan 05, 2015 8:42 pm

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Good Evans - Feb 6, 2005 8:05 am (#1851 of 2956)

Hi (I used to be Good Evans but I am now Good Evans II )

I just want to say that I have been unable to post for sometime and it is sooo good to be back, I've been reading your posts and desperately wanted to join in, but I was locked out (something weird happened to me when world crossing was updated at the end of november / december time and I couldn't get back in). So I just wanted to say I have missed you all and have been reading even if I could'nt share.

well done to all who have achieved, millions of happy birthdays and love and suport to all of you who have had hard times. I now know what it is like to be the "silent majority" !!!!

And for those of you going to Accio in July, I hope to finally meet some of you there.

Good Evans XX

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Detail Seeker - Feb 6, 2005 8:16 am (#1852 of 2956)

Welcome back Good Evans ! You are well remembered, so it is fine to see you again. I hope, we will meet at Accio.

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Gina R Snape - Feb 6, 2005 10:04 am (#1853 of 2956)

Welcome back, Good Evans. But why the II?

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Doris Crockford - Feb 6, 2005 12:22 pm (#1854 of 2956)

Good Evans, nice to see you back. Just curious, is your avatar about a specific Harry Potter 'ship or just a Valentine's themed one? I like it in any case.

Mike, I've heard of Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. Their video for "I believe I can fly" was pretty popular on Muchmusic (probably because of the guest stars in it and because their version was a whole lot better -in my opinion- than the original)

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Julia. - Feb 6, 2005 1:37 pm (#1855 of 2956)

Good afternoon everyone. I'm taking a break from my endless pile of reading to listen to Shlock Rock and post here. My Rabbi has finally sent me some pictures from September, and some of them are just too good not to share. Thus, without further ado I present...

Chicken

Swing

Swing again

With Rabbi

Post swing breakfast with Julie and Brandon

Hope you like them!

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Penny Lane. - Feb 6, 2005 1:40 pm (#1856 of 2956)

Is that a real chicken????

Catherine - Feb 6, 2005 2:13 pm (#1857 of 2956)

Is that a real chicken???? --Penny Lane

Blimey!

I'm hoping it's a rubber chicken from one of Fred and George's joke wands.

Really hoping....

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Ydnam96 - Feb 6, 2005 3:15 pm (#1858 of 2956)

Julia... What are you guys doing with the chickens? Sorry, I think I might have missed something somewhere that explained it...but I am rather curious. Smile

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Julia. - Feb 6, 2005 4:32 pm (#1859 of 2956)

LOL, you guys are too funny. Of course that's a real chicken.

I explained in September (which is when those pictures were taken) about Kaporus. Of all the crazy things Jews do, this one is my favorite. On the morning befor Yom Kipur we swing live checkens over our heads. This is for a few reasons. First is a transfer of sins. By swinging the chicken over your head you transfer your sins to the chicken. The chicken is then killed and given to chairty. The second reason is that it represents Yom Kipur sacrafices we made in the days of the Temple.

So yes, we're crazy, yes, it took my rabbi four months to send me these pictures, yes, that was a real chicken.

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Denise P. - Feb 6, 2005 6:56 pm (#1860 of 2956)

This has absolutely nothing to do with anything but I have to share. It is science fair time and my 10 year old has been working on his. We were putting together his information tonight to print and this is what he found. His topic: Which Brand of Microwave Popcorn is the Best Value

We used five brands (Orville Redenbacher, JollyTime, PopSecret, PopWeaver and Act II)

All brands cost the same (.88 for 3 bags), were the ultimate/massive/more than the law should allow butter kind and all were popped for 2 minutes.

Most volume popped: Orville Redenbacher with 12 cups
Most unpopped kernals left: JollyTime with 32
Largest piece of popcorn: JollyTime and PopSecret with 1.30" piece
Overall best popcorn size: Orville Redenbacher

His conclusion: Orville Reddenbacher is the best buy based on his criteria.

Personally, I think Orville tastes the best but that is just me.

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Catherine - Feb 6, 2005 7:09 pm (#1861 of 2956)

Denise,

I am envious of "your" science project, since "ours" is about weather... .

Purely anecdotal evidence, but we prefer Orville Redenbacher's popcorn as well.

I have a feeling that I'm going to be a sport's widow tonight. Darn that hubby who grew up just south of Philedelphia.

I think I will do something else, thanks! **waves to anyone NOT watching the Super Bowl right now!**

Happy Sunday!

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TwinklingBlueEyes - Feb 6, 2005 7:17 pm (#1862 of 2956)

Waves back to Catherine! What's a Super Bowl? Just kidding, but wanted to stress my disinterest. :-)

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Catherine - Feb 6, 2005 7:35 pm (#1863 of 2956)

What's a Super Bowl? Just kidding, but wanted to stress my disinterest. :-) --Twinkling Blue Eyes

Oh, I think it's what you eat your Orville Redenbacher's out of!

I made sure that I called my mom on 6:30 p.m. on the dot to express our mutual relief that we were NOT attending a Super Bowl party this year. She hates professional sport events, so I knew that she was, between ACC College basketball (Carolina and Duke won this weekend! W00t!) and the Super Bowl, a dedicated sports widow this weekend.

It would be great if the Eagles would win. I think Mr. Catherine would be quite happy at the prospect.

As for me...I'll see you around the Forum.

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Loopy Lupin - Feb 6, 2005 7:51 pm (#1864 of 2956)

Post swing breakfast with Julie and Brandon – Julia

Mmmm. I wonder what was for breakfast.

Hiya Catherine. I don't know if you were technically waving at me because I am watching the game with friends, but have goobered off to the computer. Hope you're dealing with widowhood well. Smile

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Catherine - Feb 6, 2005 8:03 pm (#1865 of 2956)

I don't know if you were technically waving at me because I am watching the game with friends, but have goobered off to the computer.—Loopy

Hiya. If you are not watching the game, then I was waving at you.

At least it's only once a year...

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Loopy Lupin - Feb 6, 2005 8:07 pm (#1866 of 2956)

Well, the computer is in the same room as the tv. Yes, I understand Miss Manners would not approve of hopping on the computer while visiting friends. But, these friends are more like family than friends. This doesn't make rudeness ok, of course, but I'm bored. Smile

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Phoenix song - Feb 6, 2005 8:08 pm (#1867 of 2956)

Hello everybody else that doesn't give a fig about football!! I'm also a sports widow tonight. I have no interest in the game and was rather hoping that since this was the first time in our marriage (nearly 12 years) that our family didn't invade us for the game that we could "veg out" in front of the TV with a nice, romantic DVD.{It'd be doubly nice since the husband won't be home for Valentine's Day this year.} Unfortunately, he turned down flat my offer to watch "Dance with Me" with Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon to watch the game. Can't win them all, can you?

I live north of New Orleans and it's wild around here. Tomorrow is Lundi Gras (the Monday before Mardi Gras) and the people around here and getting revved up for some serious revelling on Tuesday. I'm not especially into the whole parade scene, but I think that I'm one of the rarest of exceptions. I just don't care for the mess and muck. I hope that everybody that IS going will have a great time, though. Stay safe!!

Have a good night everybody!
Barb

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Catherine - Feb 6, 2005 8:14 pm (#1868 of 2956)

Well, it looks like Phoenix Song, Loopy Lupin and I are the Super Bowl Casualties.

Deep Sigh. Bed soon...

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True Love - Feb 6, 2005 8:15 pm (#1869 of 2956)

Greetings folks. Haven't been on this forum in ages. Just want you to know I am alive and well and surviving yet another Canadian winter (in the part of Canada that has a real winter). Hope everyone is enjoying the game. I personally would like to be in New Orleans right now. I managed to visit in August 2002 and loved it, even with the extreme heat and humidity. But there weren't any crowds or line-ups for the tours. And the prices were right too. Now if only the tour books told us about the Southern Decadence festival we would have been better prepared. LOL

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TwinklingBlueEyes - Feb 6, 2005 8:34 pm (#1870 of 2956)

"the Southern Decadence festival" SPEW!!!!!!!!!

The best descripion of Madri Gras in New Orleans I have heard in a long time. My hat's off to you True Love!

...chuckles all the way back to St. Mungos...

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Loopy Lupin - Feb 6, 2005 8:42 pm (#1871 of 2956)

Well, it was New England again. Ah, well. Oh wait, I don't really care one way or another. Oh wait, football being over means it's time for college basketball to heat up. Yay!

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Amilia Smith - Feb 6, 2005 10:04 pm (#1872 of 2956)

Thanks for the correction, Chemyst. **grins sheepishly** I did indeed mean Smokey Bear. (Side note: whenever I hear his name, "On Top of Old Smokey" starts playing in my head. However, I don't know the words to that song, so it quickly turns into "On Top of Spaghetti," which I do know the words to. Ah, elementary school.)

I am going to San Franscisco this week for the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society of San Franscisco's Valentine's Ball. We have been working very hard to get ready for this, and I am very excited. Scottish Country dance is similar to square dancing, but you get a closer image if you picture the dancing in the background of a Jane Austen movie.

So, while I don't get to be in New Orleans for Mardi Gras, I do get to be in China town for Chinese New Year.

Weather report: it has just started snowing here in Utah. Not sure how much is expected, but am very glad I only work about a mile away from home.

Mills.

PS. While I didn't watch the Big Game either, my brother-in-law was disappointed that New England won.

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Madam Pince - Feb 6, 2005 10:18 pm (#1873 of 2956)

Well, for all Boston-type Forumers, I have another movie quote:

"There'll be no living with (you) now...." --Capt. Jack Sparrow

I mean really - the World Series and the Super Bowl BOTH??? Sigh...

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dizzy lizzy - Feb 6, 2005 11:28 pm (#1874 of 2956)

Well your superbowl references went by a little fast for me. That is until I remembered that my favourite TV channel was screening promo's for the live telecast (10am our time on Monday 7th February) all last week.

Then I remembered yet again (with the help of my trusty time zone converter) that you weren't watching this match on a Monday, but a Sunday.

I don't think my memory is the best this week. Perhaps I should go sit under the air conditioner and cool down some more??

Lizzy

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The giant squid - Feb 7, 2005 4:18 am (#1875 of 2956)

Madam Pince, for me on Superbowl Sunday there's another appropriate Pirates quote: "But why is the rum gone?"

Seriously, I was one of the folks Catherine was waving at. Technically it's because I had to work tonight, but I probably wouldn't have watched anyway, since my team got knocked out in the NFC finals by the Eagles...

Welcome back to Good Evans(II) and True Love. I'm glad you were both able to make it back to the Forum.

--Mike

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Catherine - Feb 7, 2005 5:31 am (#1876 of 2956)

Oh wait, football being over means it's time for college basketball to heat up. Yay! --Loopy Lupin

I second that! So how's UVA doing these days?

Mr. Catherine is the lucky one; he gets to go to the NCAA Tournament with my dad. How cruel is Dad to his own flesh-and-blood? Do I get to go? Nope. The guys have some "No Girls Allowed" rule.

Glad to see I wasn't the only one not watching football last night! **waves to Barbie and Mike and Loopy, among the others!**

Happy Monday, everyone.

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Loopy Lupin - Feb 7, 2005 6:39 am (#1877 of 2956)

I second that! So how's UVA doing these days?—Catherine

Ouch! Now that's a low blow. Razz

~~~~~~~~~~

Do I get to go? Nope. The guys have some "No Girls Allowed" rule.-- Catherine, again.

Maybe they don't want to hear about how cute J.J. Reddick is or something. Razz

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Accio Sirius - Feb 7, 2005 7:51 am (#1878 of 2956)

I for one will miss football. My Steelers made a pretty good run for it and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. As for college basketball, that's when I become the "widow." In fact my daughter was born during March madness and there I am getting ready to deliver and the doctor is yelling at the hubbie to turn off the basketball!! Happy Monday everyone!

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librarian314 - Feb 7, 2005 7:56 am (#1879 of 2956)

Hey all!

I too ignored the Super Bowl. I was annoyed that it was on my birthday!

I spent the day hanging out with friends (we finally got to have a 12th night party that was postponed due to weather.) and family. When I found out this morning that Arthur Weasley shares my birthday (as does my husband) I laughed out loud. I love Arthur; he's so cool!He is such an Aquarian!

Y'all take care!

**michelle the librarian**

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Phoenix song - Feb 7, 2005 7:56 am (#1880 of 2956)

"Do I get to go? Nope. The guys have some "No Girls Allowed" rule."

Hey, that's no fair! Perhaps you should fix them up a "special batch" of brownies to share at the game? My mom was the fifth child of nine, so needless to say, there was a lot of meanness and picking on the younger sister type of stuff going on. Once my mom and a cousin made up a special batch of brownies with some chocolate ex-lax for the meaner older brothers that would never allow her to go with them on their outings. I don't know if they learned a lesson about being mean, or if they learned a lesson about taking along a younger sister, but they sure did learn that the meanness could travel in two directions...and to never accept brownies from a person that they had recently made very angry.

Today is the beginning of the end...of Mardi Gras. The day before Mardi Gras (Tuesday Fat) is known as Lundi Gras (Monday Fat). There are always special traditions observed on this day that kick off the major party tomorrow.

I'm not big on the parade scene. In fact, I haven't been to a single one in years. But I always look forward to watching them from the safety of my living room, since they're broadcast on our local channels.

Here's one little tid bit of information regarding New Orleans and the whole Mardi Gras scene. The city judges how many people were present and how "successful" the Mardi Gras season was by how many tons of garbage the Sanitation Department collect on midnight Tuesday night. Apparently they have determined the weight of the average amount of trash that a person leaves. How would you like to have that job?

Have a good day everybody! I need to go and get some work done. **sigh, responsibilities**

Barbie

Edit: Happy belated birthday Michelle the librarian! I hope that you had a good one despite the Super Bowl!

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Catherine - Feb 7, 2005 7:57 am (#1881 of 2956)

In fact my daughter was born during March madness and there I am getting ready to deliver and the doctor is yelling at the hubbie to turn off the basketball!! --Accio Sirius

LOL about March Madness! Ah, it can afflict the best of us. Perhaps the doctor was having trouble concentrating because he/she really wanted to watch basketball, too!

Chores await....see you all around later.

EDIT: ..and to never accept brownies from a person that they had recently made very angry. –Barbie

Oh, dear. That makes the Bat Bogey hex look rather tame!

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Julia. - Feb 7, 2005 8:02 am (#1882 of 2956)

I have only one thing to say about college basketball. GO HUSKIES!!

Catherine, how mean of Mr. Catherine and Father Catherine. Next time you get the tickets and don't let them come,

I would like it known that I only watched the Super bowl for the comertials, which by the way, weren't all that great. If it'll make you all feel better, I was doing work during the game, and although I was invited, I didn't got to the party they were having at Hillel.

EDIT: Cross posted with Barbie. Thank G-d I'm not in New Oleans right now.

SECOND EDIT: Also cross posted with Michelle. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! *hands Michelle butterbeer* Glad to hear your day went well, and I hope your is just as lovely.

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Ydnam96 - Feb 7, 2005 8:30 am (#1883 of 2956)

I went to a Superbowl party, less for the football more for the fellowship Smile

I left in the middle of 3rd quarter cause I wasn't feeling well (too much food?). My favorite commercial: the diet Pepsi one with Puff Daddy and the Pepsi truck. Runner up: the one with the guy, the cat, and the tomato sauce. Smile

Kip: I was on reading a website when you popped in the chat room and you left as I was responding. Didn't mean to be anti-social. I have my computer on mute, but are there sounds that would alert you when someone enters or sends a message?

Anyway...Monday. woooooooo. (note sarcasm)

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librarian314 - Feb 7, 2005 9:33 am (#1884 of 2956)

Thanks for the birthday wishes!

I had a co-worker who once worked for the Environmental Protection Agency sorting garbage. He was working on a study to see what sorts of things were getting chucked. It has to be the nastiest job I've ever personally known anyone to have done. I'll take my old, mind-numbingly boring job of sorting contact lenses into numerical order by prescription any day over going through trash.

**michelle the librarian**

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Sirius Lee - Feb 7, 2005 10:02 am (#1885 of 2956)

Ydnam96, the commercial with the guy, cat and tomato sauce was probably my favorite! Runner-up, the Lay's one where MC Hammer gets thrown over the fence with the rest of the lost stuff - best part of it...They Threw Him Back! AHAHAHA! Half the people at the party nearly fell off the couch!

Must admit, as a born and raised Bostonian, I was thrilled with the World Series AND SuperBowl victories! After soo many years of being a sports joke (any football fans remember the 80's?), it's about time Boston really gets their turn!

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Elanor - Feb 7, 2005 10:03 am (#1886 of 2956)

Happy birthday Michelle, joyeux anniversaire! It is indeed great to share your birthday with Arthur!

No Superbowl here of course, but the rugby Six Nations Championship has begun on Saturday. I love watching it! We won at home against Scotland but it was close. Next weekend, we play England, in England, and it will be harder because the English team is very good. They lost against Wales and they will want to prove they are as good as before. The French fifteen will want that too because everyone says it is mere luck we won and there is a lot of work if we want to keep the cup this year!

So it will be the Cockerel against the Rose, and it promises to be exciting! Any English rugby fan around here, so that we could share a virtual (butter)beer after the match?

Phoenix Song, I always wished to see the Mardi gras in New Orleans one day, it must be spectacular! It will be Mardi Gras here too tomorrow but the feast is very simple in my region. We will allow the kids to come to school dressed up and will share some cake with them. But the " Carnaval" is always beautiful in Nice, near the Mediterranean cost and I believe the feasts in the North of France, where Septentrion lives, are great too.

In my region, the "Mardi Gras" is above all culinary. After the "crepes", it is "bugnes" time! My dictionary says "sweet fritter" for bugnes. Those fritters are very special because flavored with lemon peel and dark rum, yummy! I love them but I will wait till next weekend before eating some because it takes a lot of time to prepare them.

Have a good Monday everyone!

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Good Evans - Feb 7, 2005 11:23 am (#1887 of 2956)

Happy Mondays!!!!

Gina - the II is because I have had to re-register with world crossing in order to get back on (as I said soemthing very weird happend)

Thanks for the remembrance folks - you are sweet, and the avatar is just a valentine one - (also I do ballroom dancing and it looked a bit like that to me)

Denise - I love "your" project. We got a popcorn maker for christmas from my brother and have eaten about a ton since!!!

How thick am I? I didnt even think that mardi gras referred to Tuesday at all. dim dim dim.... I guess my French is not so good afterall!!!

as for superbowl, as it started here at gone 11pm on a sunday night with work next day - no chance, but then again I am a Redskins fan so wouldn't have been that interetested. Seems like it was a good match though what was it 24 to 20 or something.... any excuse for butterbeers all round.

Sorry Elanor not much of a rugby fan, but the kids are so no doubt I will be "forced" to watch, maybe I will sneek for some PC time instead!!!!

have a great evening all

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Chemyst - Feb 7, 2005 11:28 am (#1888 of 2956)

Poor Denise, no one responded to your electrifying Popcorn news. I'll remedy that– The store I shop most often sells only one brand of individual-serving size microwave packets. But for the regular size that pops a bowl at a time, there is quite a pricing disparity. Pop Weaver costs 18¢ per bowl/bag, while Orville's is 35¢. But for our microwave, optimum popping time is 3 min. 9 sec. for Pop Weaver and 2 min. 55 sec. for Orville.
Are we all bored now? I stand firm in my assertion that even corn prices are more interesting than football.

Happy B-day Michelle!

Added: Oops, Good Evans talked about popcorn while I was doing the math.

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Good Evans - Feb 7, 2005 11:34 am (#1889 of 2956)

Ah, but not quite so interestingly as you Chemyst!!!!!

being non US, I cant compare prices and bowl sizes, but I have found a nice cheap source for popping kernals (wey hey!!)

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Denise P. - Feb 7, 2005 11:44 am (#1890 of 2956)

All the prices of popcorn were the same but the amount of actual popped corn varied from 9 to 12 cups. The number of kernels left unpopped varied from 32 to 17. We normally just hit the popcorn button on the microwave but for this, we only popped each bag 2 minutes (since at that point with the first bag, it was done and the first bag had the most unpopped kernels left). I would have guessed that all of them were about equal and after measuring each piece of popcorn, you can see the difference. Just an FYI...we did not actually sit and measure all 56 cups of individual popcorn pieces, we took 1 cup of each brand to measure. Even within the 1 cup, the number of popcorn pieces varied from 29 to 47 pieces. Okay, we are geeks here but it was more interesting than what papertowel is the strongest or what cleans a dirty penny the best

Maybe he should retitle his project to All You Ever Wanted To Know About Popped Popcorn

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Catherine - Feb 7, 2005 11:57 am (#1891 of 2956)

Just for the record, I replied to Denise's popcorn project right away!

I also agree that popcorn popping time, kernels popped, anything about popcorn is probably more fun than watching football.

Unfortunately, this does not solve Claire's science project woes, which is not about popcorn, but about weather.

**waves to Lupin is Lupin and wondering how the gluing is going?**

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Helen Potterfan - Feb 7, 2005 12:13 pm (#1892 of 2956)

Happy Birthday Michelle!

ACC College basketball (Carolina and Duke won this weekend! W00t!)—Catherine
Hey Catherine, are you a Duke or Carolina fan? I'm a Duke Fan. I can't wait for Wednesday's match-up! Carolina is good this year, so the game should be great!

My husband and I watch college basketball together, so we have a good time (this does not transfer to other sports).

Julia, my saddest college basketball memory is standing in Cameron (Duke's home court to all those non-basketball fans) my senior year and watching Duke lose the national championship to UConn! I cried like a baby. It was the last game I watched in Cameron as a student. Both the men's and women's teams were in the championship game that year (1999), and both lost!!!

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septentrion - Feb 7, 2005 12:26 pm (#1893 of 2956)

Hi everyone ! I haven't post much these days because I was dealing with a new computer and was busy with some other things. Happy birthday to those I missed, congrats for all that deserve it.

Julia, I'm glad I'm not Jewish : I could never touch a chicken, I'm much too afraid of them ! I'd have to keep my sins

Elanor, LOL. I thought of you Saturday, I was sure you were before your TV. Yes there's a great carnival in Dunkerque (a town near the North Sea) but I never attended it. I don't want to suffocate ! See by yourself

The rule is : you form a line in front an other people form a line behind a group of people, then you move with the music but of couse the music changes and then you have a "chahut" (uproar dixit my dictionary), ie the front line goes backwards and the rear line goes forwards. And in between, you try to survive !

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Julia. - Feb 7, 2005 1:54 pm (#1894 of 2956)

Wow, sounds like Carnival is uber fun! Maybe I will make it over there one day...

Oh and about the chickens, you can use money too, but I prefer chicken. Much more fun that way, and it makes for very interesting stories.

Accio HBP, I feel for you watching your team lose, it's a feeling I'm quite familliar with. However, as your resident UConn student, my Husky Blue tends to show a bit more than usual this time of year.

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Eponine - Feb 7, 2005 2:12 pm (#1895 of 2956)

Hello, All!

Happy Birthday, Michelle! I hope you have a great day.

On the microwave popcorn thing, for approximately the first year I was in NC, I was working as a nanny for a couple who both work at the EPA. The mother was testing the emissions from microwave popcorn bags. Piece of advice: don't work in a microwave popcorn factory, and don't open the bag close to your face. The fumes aren't going to be dangerous unless you're around them constantly, but it's safer to hold the bag away from your face when you open it.

Yes, everyone here is worked up about the Duke UNC game. This one is at Duke, so we don't go to that one. Mr. Eponine and Eponine-in-laws are big big UNC fans, so that's who I pull for, but I'm more indifferent than anything.

Teaching is still going okay. Nothing horrid has happened yet, so that's good. One of my students is the son of a family friend, and he told his mother that I was doing a good job. That was nice to hear.

Anyway, I'm off to catch up on the threads. Have a nice day!

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Catherine - Feb 7, 2005 2:25 pm (#1896 of 2956)

Teaching is still going okay. Nothing horrid has happened yet, so that's good. One of my students is the son of a family friend, and he told his mother that I was doing a good job. That was nice to hear. –Eponine

It's great to hear your good news! Here's to keeping the "horrids" away and continuing to get positive feedback!

I'm so jealous of all the Carnival activities. Mr. Catherine went to Mardi Gras several times in college. Back then our school had a three term system (two 12 week terms and one 6 week Spring term), with a week off in February, that seemed to coincide all-too-frequently with Mardi Gras. He always swore that he didn't have any fun, though. Yeah, right!

Julia, I'm relieved to know that money can be substituted for the chicken-swinging. Otherwise, my sins might be sticking with me for a long time!

What a relief. Now I just need to get some money to swing over my head.

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dizzy lizzy - Feb 7, 2005 3:11 pm (#1897 of 2956)

Happy birthday Michelle.

Elanor, I follow Rugby Union in the winter, but only so far as to when the Wallabies play and who they play. If the match is televised at a reasonable hour, I will watch it. I'm pretty indifferent most of the time to many sports - especially if there is a strong commercial focus.

I can't be bothered buying microwave popcorn. I do the popcorn the other way and heat it up in the saucepan. Which reminds me to put some more popcorn back on the shopping list.

I am very pleased you can use money instead of chooks (chickens) Julia.

Have a wonderful day everyone.

Lizzy

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Loopy Lupin - Feb 7, 2005 3:18 pm (#1898 of 2956)

Otherwise, my sins might be sticking with me for a long time! – Catherine

Mmm. Finger-licking good sins! Sacrelicious!

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Eponine - Feb 7, 2005 3:25 pm (#1899 of 2956)

I keep forgetting to post that after our discussion of wearing pajamas outside the house, I nearly left for school wearing my slippers the other morning.

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dizzy lizzy - Feb 7, 2005 3:34 pm (#1900 of 2956)

Epione: I can think of better excuses for wearing slippers, than for wearing pyjamas (Brit and Australian spelling!). I'm sure you would have come up with something to convince your class that wearing slippers was deliberate.

I am also pleased to hear the teaching going well. Many wishes that it continues that way.

Lizzy

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