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

*Lil, hostess of the atelier, enters the main salon, where the maidbots are housecleaning preparatory to the start of a new conversation. She looks around distractedly*

Matina, stop cleaning for a moment, I need your help. Have you seen my notes? I wrote some notes about things in the recent conversation, and I can't --
...
Ok. Chloe! Have you seen my notes?
Yes, I looked behind the sofa cushions. What? Let me see. Wow, that's a lot of money for one robot to carry around! And you found it all in the sofas? Yes, you may use it for art supplies, of course, we agreed that you have finders keepers.
...
Oh, that's wonderful, you found them, where were they? You got to the sofas before I did then, eh? I'm glad you found them, I need -- what, now? Can I borrow them back first, then you can have the paper to keep? What do you mean you've already used them? Please bring them.

While I'm waiting for Chloe to fetch my notes from the last conversation, let me welcome newcomers to the atelier. If you haven't, please take a few minutes to look at A304354, our home page, and follow the offsite link: we have lots of illustrations, backstory, and a floor plan to help you get oriented.

*looks around for Chloe* Uh, Hootoo is a very busy place of late. There are election campaigns being waged, and one of our salonistas, Hypatia, is running as the Ozark Party candidate, with Jodan as vice-presidential candidate. Hypatia and Jodan have run a vigorous, good-natured, intelligent and well-thought-out campaign, and they have attracted a great number of promised votes. She's a salonista! I hope you will vote for her.

Hypatia was made ambassador in our last thread, not the last of the appointments I hope to make at the atelier. The campaign has slowed down other activities, but once a president is elected I believe we'll be going forward with our legation to the Kingdom of 2Legs, long may he reign.

Also coming up and greatly looked forward to by me is the upcoming Lincoln Meet in about a fortnight. A handful of salonistas will be coming out to my tiny town for a weekend of sightseeing and hospitality, and Sir Marv promises us many many photos.

Our saddest event was the departure of eatsmice, who is off to an Unhappy Sandy Place and who knows where after that? Our thoughts and good wishes fly with you, eats. We also feel concern for B4, last heard from fretting about relatives who had been in Katrina's path, and for Affi, whose family have very likely taken an economic battering from the storms.

Oh Chloe, there you are, I was starting to worry. Have you got -- oh. Yes. The paintings are lovely. I like the way you incorporated my handwriting into the tree branches. You may take them back, I won't be needing them after all.

Ladies, gentlemen, and other entities, it looks as if I have to depend on my leaky memory to tell you anything more, and I myself have been quite busy and distracted over the past few weeks. I know that we have all given each other cheer, comfort, support and advice. We have talked like pirates and measured our command of the english language. We've had a good time.

Please come in now, and make yourselves at home!

What's this? *looks around in still rather emtpy Atelier*

Lil posted that 15 minutes ago - where is everyone?

You beat me to it, Titania

I just saw 1. post and thought: Yahoo. But then

*Matina brings the elfishly vague (but speedy) Titania an Irish coffee in a FTTF mug*

Gee, there seemed to be a number of people in the running. I wonder what happened to them -- should we look in the linen closet?

Oh, and Lil - the 'Who is Online' includes researchers from other DNA sites besides h2g2.

Just h2g2 researchers, sorted by ID:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/Online?orderby=id&thissite=1

Just h2g2 researchers, sorted by name:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/Online?orderby=name&thissite=1

Sorry tartaronne...

Thanks Matina!

Linen closet? Has anyone checked the *gulp* you-know-what in the fridge?

Oooo... and there's something I'd like to share... today I bought a PC gaming magazine (only to be reminded of why I usually don't by them - mainly about hack-slash-shoot or strategy games) but they had one piece of interesting news in the film license game section:

The Seventh Seal by Ingmar Bergman

How seriously cool is that? Getting to play (not completely sure about this) either Death or against Death...

Scene from the film - playing chess with Death:
http://cinema16.mty.itesm.mx/historia_del_cine/film_frames/seventh_seal.gif

I told you it was a conspiracy! I'll go read all the posts now.

Made it to the first page - for a change

Shopping: is it a really strange idea to either go with a shopping list, mental or otherwise, and a set budget, and add the shopping up as you go. So then I tind that I tend to buy things that I can get several meals out of rather than things that will only last one meal. If I'm on a really tight budget (£5 to feed self for a week for instance) then I find that the only way to do it was to work out a menu for the week and a shopping list in advance, and stick to it. And yes it does mean going to Sainsbury's for the cheap squash and baked beans, and Aldi for the cheap cheese etc. My parents, who are really rather impressive at money saving have an entire month's meals planned in advance, and cheese is rationed, which is the most expensive item for vegatarians so just making a cheese sandwhich at night means that one nights 'bread and cheese meal' becomes bread. I think this an excellent idea, and always feel rather extravagant when I can't be bothered cooking and end up going to the hospital canteen. B does find it a little strange when I'm at hers and I ask if I can eat something she's just brought, her response is always 'yes, that's why I buy food, so you can eat it'

etc...

I find the whole hurricane aid thing really interesting, if you have a system where the needy are helped then there are going to be some people who abuse the system, the alternative of course would be to have a system where no one at all is helped. I think the question is finding a balance.

I'm living in at the moment, and had a really enjoyable week on call. I've even enjoyed this weekend. My hospital flat is sort of starting to feel like home, which is rather nice. B drove down last night and we went out for the best curry I've ever had, () and she hung around doing work on her masters whilst I worked today. I have to admit it all worked out rather well.

Teuchter (about DC's) the fact is that I am junior, I look a bit younger than I am, and some conversations have to be had by a senior doctor. Some people, especially more educated ones don't take junior doctors very seriously.

I forgot to tell you that we went to an exhibition in London yesterday at the British Museum - David Milne - a Canadian water colourist.
http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/pd/pdnoexh.html

His work was interesting - but I enjoyed the room next door to the exhibition area better - it contained drawings of people, sometimes self-portraits, by Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Dyke, Gainsborough and many, many others. I'm in awe of the skill these people had - to be able to give a sense of lamplight shining on the side of a face - with just a lead pencil -

Get back from LARPing and I find a new thread... I'll do the backlong on t'other later.

Event summary: I ate people, got covered in fake blood and spent the last 15 minutes of the event buried in cleavage.

Oh, and I got accidentally headbutted, accidentally hit in the eye and my right knee, right shoulder, left thigh and left elbow hurt.

*Plops on the couch, kicks off her shoes and starts massaging her feet.*

Yay! The kitchen tour is history!

That almost sounded like the cleavage had caused the damage, Mr D

Glad you had a good weekend.

Z, on food expenses -- very sensible to pre-plan the shopping! We do that now because it's becoming expensive to get out to the stores, and of course it takes three hours out of one's day, minimum.

We justify the trip to pick up Chinese food (as part of the shopping trip) on the grounds that we can eat for three days on what we buy. Tonight I'll be finishing off the beef and broccoli.

Me, I'm singing along to the Bob Dylan 'Quest for Judas' Dylan night special with Andy Kershaw (who's he?) on Radio 3. S is washing up. Blimey. My singing makes men run to the sink and scrub things.

I have a bit of a thing about Bob Dylan. We share a birthday - well, not the year, look, smooth cheeks as yet, NOT craggy (despite sleep-deprived episodes recently that made me feel nine million years old) unlike Mr Dylan (didn't he used to be pretty?) despite the wild hair synchronicity - so parties chez Agapanthus get a bit surreal, Bob, Queen Victoria and me, all clocking up together.

*Sings 'Like a Rolling Stone' very loudly to make sure S scrubs the grill pan.*

I saw the Dalai Lama today, the real one, not Salvadore the Dalai Llama. He sends his greetings. I'll post a picture or two, but can't get to my server today for some reason.

And yesterday I did lots digging, moving dirt into the space where my parent's swimming pool no longer is, then took Zeppo swimming at the bay, where he saw a fisherman casting his line and tried to fetch the hook. Bad dog. Luckily he did not get it. Gummo temporarily forgot his dislike of water and also went for a dip, then promptly recovered his dislike.

I found Dr. Demento streams again! 3 of them!