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

Don't worry, I won't... what about the time you spent at Her Majesty's Pleasure?

Oh yes, something I've been forgetting over this past week:
Does anyone know how to deal with a recalcitrant 24-year-old? Y'see my brother is unemployed and is kidding himself that the perfect job will fall into his lap. In order to keep the money rolling in his fiancee is working two jobs. To make things worse my brother has decided that Mother Dreadful hates his fiancee (not true), and when asking to borrow money from Mother Dreadful he was turned down which he has decided is because of this fictional hatred.

Do I give him a verbal kick up the arse because he badly needs one or do I just let him get on with it until he's alienated as many people as possible?

And regarding an earlier concern, I'll publish the final cast in the next thread intro, for easy reference.

Professor, the subject header game is one in which we write a story using the message header space. Each post will have a sentence or part of a sentence as its header, and the next post builds on what went before. Where there are simulposts, we'll trust to luck but stipulate that one should build on the lastmost post that was visible when you hit reply.

No using "Meanwhile"! No "the end"!

We're hoping that controlling the cast will prevent the plot from splintering into a thousand characters. We're hoping that there will be a plot, actually.

The game will be started by me, and will not commence until after the first-to-the-forum rush is over.

You can see our best effort at http://www.asterlil.com/h2g2/5EXY.htm

Oh, Mr D, siblings, bah to the lot of them, have a . I am blessed with a near-dozen of the damn things and so shall take the immense liberty of giving you the benefit of my extensive row-having experience. Please feel free to ignore any and all of it.

As immensely satisfying as the thought of highly eloquent kicks-up-arses may be (and believe me, I spend an embarrassing amount of free time planning devastatingly witty and life-changing speeches to make to assorted relatives) the sad fact is the kickee usually refuses to take your point and gets all snarly and resentful. It boils down to, does said brother usually listen to your advice or generally 'look up' to you? Then the k-u-a may work. If he doesn't, then he'll just get annoyed and you'll be on the list of people he has alientated and possibly who hate his poor fiancee and never understood him etc etc. Which will be very annoying indeed. So, do you want to stay in touch with him at the moment? And do you want to keep every available inch of the moral high-ground? If it's either or both, do not administer k-u-a. No matter how much he seems to be begging for it. If you want to keep the moral high-ground but don't mind not speaking to him for a while, you could try the very very calm and sorrowful letter, expressing your disappointment at how he's letting his poor fiancee down, and at how he is being unfair to Mother Dreadful who really does like the fiancee, and so on (but very very calmly and no name-calling (hence letter, which allows you to re-write and erase the more heated bits). Oh, and if Mrs D likes the fiancee at all adn they are in range of each other, would MRs D like to go and make supportive noises at said fiancee? 'Cause he can't argue you are all down on him because you hate her if she's round your place having tea and chatting.

But as I said. Ignore. Not prescriptive. Lord knows if I could advise myself out of a damp paper bag. Etc.

Gee, that is a sticky one, Mr. D. Perhaps you should Ask Mr. Dreadf-


Uh, nevermind.

My Character Suggestion:

J.C. Cones, reformed space pirate now renowned for his pilotting skills, works freelance for whatever army or shipping company needs their goods delivered through dangerous regions. While he's quit piracy, he's probably not above occasional smuggling gigs or mercenary jobs.

Struggling to make sense of photoshop. I've picked up an image of the cover of the last issue of Crisis On Infinite Earths so that I can make posters for my Christmas special. So far, all I've figured out how to do is turn the Anti-Monitor's roaring scream turn upside down so it looks vaguely like a laughing mouth with a Santa beard.

*David runs in and stuffs his head into a cushion, but nothing can prevent...*



We've just had to tell a bunch of students off for playing hide and seek in the Library of Doom! They were giggling an awful lot and proving to be rather distracting...

I've often thought it would be a great place to play hide and seek, but I'd be expecting to do it when we're closed, not when people are trying to study!

*David runs out again, as he's supposed to be being helpful*

Well, I have no real desire to stay in touch with my brother because he's a self-righteous tosser at the best of times (and believe me, I've tried to get along with him since leaving home... his fiancee has actually told him off for not trying back), but I do want to keep the moral high ground so like you said the kick up arse may not be the best plan.

I think Mrs. D is already planning to have a chat with the fiancee.

I am dead set against going around his back to the fiancé - if she is sick and tired of him loafing about while she's working two jobs, she should say something to him or kick him out on his keister. He has to grow up sometime.

[Affy]

Personally, Dreadful dearest, I'd give him the *literal* kick in the arse. Well, okay, a good talking to. At the age of 24, not working and expecting his mother and fiance to bail him out until the "perfect" job comes along is just irresponsible. I'd also tell him that sooner or later his fiance will get sick and tired of parenting her husband and leave him.

I should know. I did it.

Did my civic duties and voted. An hour before closing time, the local polling place had a participation of 77% - up 7% (well, points to be exact) relative to last "only" local election, down 7% (...) relative to the last one, which was also national. So a fair turnout.

And then drove up to the nearby town - with which we'll be in a larger community from '07 - and collected a bunch of orienteering maps in large scale 1:10000 and all the details of a forest you ever want. And got them free of charge as a) they were drowning in prints, b) we're scouts

So now we'll soon be set for the weekend

[GDZ]

Hi all. I should be sleeping right now, but my body won't let me. Plus, I have an appointment in 90 minutes or so. I appreciate everyone'e words of encouragement. I am utterly exhausted and demoralized. I don't mind learning new things at all, that's not the problem here. As Lil and Sporky can tell you, post office work is hard repetitive physical labor. There's nothing demanding about the work itself in the least, other than the physical part. Place Item A in Basket B, when Basket B is full, lift it and place it in Container C. When Container C is full, wheel it to Loading Dock D.

No one shows me what to do, no one really seems to care. When I go out on my breaks, everyone is sitting around griping and calling each other names. And not in a jokey work environment kind of way.

I'm trying to tell myself to buck up, believe me. I'm trying very hard. But until my sleep schedule rights itself, I will be a mess.

I'm sending hugs and good thoughts your way. Think of it this way, dear. In a few years, you can go wherever the heck you want that has a post office. If you keep telling me there's light at the end of my tunnel, then I'll do the same for you.

i've mentioned this to FG and given her tons of links, but i'm nearly positive that once she has her sleep schedule down she will be feeling a hell of a lot better.

Here's hoping that things start looking up, FG.

*Tries very hard to figure out how to finish a play that needs to be finished within the hour*

Oh *I* remember the polecat dancing! And something about golden syrup!

for FG, because I can't think of anything useful to say which hasn't already been said. Actually, is there an astrological reason why w**k should be grim this week? Several people I know (including myself) are having an un-fun time.

Moral high ground, Mr D.

I want to come and play hide and seek in the Library of Doom! Although frankly it sounds a bit of a dangerous place to be creeping around in. I mean, at any given moment you're liable to be squelching in an overflowing toilet or tripping up over a duck.

We had an overflowing toilet at w**k today. It flooded the ninth floor, and seeped through to the eighth and seventh as well. The IT team were under four inches of water - not ideal, given the amount of electricky stuff they have in there - and when I say water, well, it wasn't the nice clean sort, put it that way. But we on the 13th floor missed the excitement and had to carry on w**king.

Always good to see people voting, even though I don't work in the business any more .

I have to go to bed. Night all.

Mol

Today I received an e-mail with a picture of a sign and the suggestion that I place something llike it in the children's library. The sign said "Unattended Children Will Be Fed Expresso and Given a Free Puppy."

Our own variations of the sign weren't quite as friendly. One involved slavery and another threatened decapitation.

I like the idea, however. At the bookstore, in the kids section, it states that if your child destroys a book, the parents have to buy it. We also have one that says "The employees of BOOKSTORE are not licensed by the state of California for child care".