h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

lemon tea for Looney ----------> c(*)

I sense a general battening down of hatches tonight.

Huh?

Another house blend...I hate french homework.

Because of tomorrow's upgrade. Some people are apprehensive as to whether they'll see their stuff again. Plus, change is scary on principle.

Thankfully I will be tucked up in bed when the big makeover is done. I imagine it will run smoothly for a short time and then once all the technical people have adjourned to a nearby bar chaos will take over.

loreth, in the 70s my girlfriend who had learnt French for three years and I, with two years French tuition, went into a small shop in rural France to buy some bread, we had to point to make ourselves understood

My French teacher is an Israeli, so I speak French with a distinct Hebrew accent. It's horrible.

Bill Bryson describes an incident (hypothetical, I'd guess) moderately similar to yours, in a book I am just finished reading. I think I shall share it with you to put off doing the homework.

You walk into a French bakery, and up to the counter, where you are greeted by the proprietor with a look that lets you know you'll never be friends. In your best schoolboy French you request a loaf of bread. Said proprietor greets you with a long, cold look of loathing, turns around and fetches a dead beaver. No, you say, not a dead beaver. A loaf of bread. He then turns to the customers and speaks at a pace far too fast for you to understand, but the jist of which is clearly is that this person here, this AMERICAN TOURIST, came in and asked for a dead beaver and he gave him a dead beaver and now he says, no, I didn't want a dead beaver, I wanted bread. The other customers in the store look at you as if you were about to fart in their handbags, and you slink away in disgracem comforted only by the thought that in four days you will be in Belgium and able to eat again.

I thought it was funny, anyway.

LOL. My French teacher was a Frenchman with such a broad accent that his pupils couldn't understand his English

It may be a wonderful place, but I've had bad experiences there...

green tea anyone?

un pour moi, s'il vous plait

un thé pour toi, biensur .... (`)
Et vous, Lunichansons?

I was a little taken aback when ffMike (who probably won't answer to that any more) said he's removed the list's home page. I need to try and find some, build another one. I'm almost healthy, I can get back down to the books.

As was I... I wonder if there's a copy of the survey somewhere, it would be another good way to put off work.

That definitely shocked me too.

*carefully wraps mug in bubble wrap*

Well all, I'm off, I will see you on the other side Hopefully sometime tomorrow. Unless RL takes over.

Courtesy

Anyone have ideas as to what I should write my french journals about? I've got free choice of topics.

Combien des cahiers est-ce qu'il faut escriver?

How about an essay about France's despicable behaviour in the South Pacific. The refusal to grant independence to some of the island dependancies, nuclear testing, blowing up Greenpeace ship the Rainbow Warrier....

Beaucoup... je n'est pas une bonne etudiante... mais mon prof est genial.

Est-qu'il y a des idees?

Looney, that's a wonderful idea. A paean to arrogance. Youcould mention De Gaulle's visit to Quebec, where he incited the Quebecois to separatism.

*puts IIEM on autopilot*
Well, I just have to wrap up a few threads and then it's goodnight to the old h2g2.

email will reign tomorrow.

*Strolls through the door and up to the IIEM*

Double espresso, please.

*Takes cc((~)), sits down and lights a Marlboro.*


Wonder if I'll still be here after the server upgrade?

*ambles in, waves to the crowd, views some of ridiculously long backlog, mumbles something about missing yet another thread race, walks up to IIEM*

I'll have a woodbine smoked mountain goat extra dark roast please.

*unfortunatly gets what he asks for. Makes mental note not to try sarcasm with IIEM again*

*walks in, sees nobody*

Hello, anybody there?

*to IIEM*
one lemon tea please.

*sits down at table with tea*