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

Z I don't know what to do to be honest. My contrary nature says to stay home. But then there is the fact that this might be the last time my Mother has the chance to visit him. At her age, we just don't know. And he has a new house he wants her to see. So it isn't just my own feelings to take into consideration.

[GDZ]

So turn up, with your mother, your coffee and your Annie He wouldn't send you packing would he? Just give some lame excuse that the person who was going to look after her suddenly couldn't because they were struck by a meteorite (or something) so you were stuck, and you *so* wanted to see the new place and mother was so*very* excited about coming that you didn't want to let her down

*scatters more s around as it seems everyone could do with one*

Special wave to Z *waves frantically* Haven't seen you for *ages* hope the doctoring is going ok

*worries about Hyp

What an awkward situation to be in. Like you, I'd be tempted to tell my brother to s*d off - but also be torn by self-imposed duty to be a Good Daughter.

Off to pack now for a two day conference - our professional association's annual scientific meeting. A chance to see old friends, hear about new science and get lots of freebie toothbrushes and floss

Marv - I've had a wee search for your Glendronach and it appears to be a Speyside type.
If you run it through google as 'Glendronach whisky' you'll get a pile of references.

[Affy-Trying to add a santa hat to a classic comic book cover. Why is photoshop so persnickety?]

Hypatia, it WILL be the last time he sees his mother if he doesn't turn the heat up. (...in SPACE!)

A Lincoln neighbor chose today to bring in 350 invitation for mailing. And he asked whether I would put the stamps on for him.





He came back later with the 350 envelopes all stamped (it took 3 people to perform the task), and then I spent the next two hours hand-franking them. So I'm tired now, but happy to know that Cille is cooking tonight, and it's pork chops and mash, with gravy.

FG, that is wholly and absolutely wrong the way you were treated, and I wish that I had had the courage at certain times in my life to turn my back on a job that wasn't as advertised instead of worrying about how it would look.

I will gratefully accept your description of my decision as courage, Lil. The old workplace called and said they would be happy to have me come in Friday morning. Now I need to decide whether or not to go into the PO tonight and work or take a day off as a "me" day.

2 posts in as many hours? We're losing our touch, I fear...

Flip a coin. Heads you go, tails you stay home and drink wine. If you're disappointed by the outcome, you'll know what you really want to do.

> If that were my brother, I'd tell him that I'd rather not be an imposition and decline the invitation.

Hear, hear! If it weren't for the worry of your mom's declining health, I'd say forget the brother and have your mom up to your place, and drink coffee all day in the warm.

You could make him feel *really* bad, and tell him that you can't find a sitter for Annie, your mom can't take three days of being cold, and you can't afford to buy coffee. And if he wants to see his mom, he can come visit you at your house.

Why are people so contrary during the holidays? It seems to bring out the worst in people.

I've decided I'm going to ask for donations to the Red Cross for my Christmas present. I can't afford to donate money. At first I planned on giving the money I would have spent on Christmas to the Red Cross, but it wouldn't have been fair to the people expecting gifts from me.

Oh yeah, and I hate the capitalist nature of Christmas. Buy, buy, buy, buy, buy...

Naw, Affy, we're just touched!

I've found that not properly balancing the different aspects of Christmas is what prevents people from enjoying it. The peace and goodwill of Christmas absolutely needs some festive merrymaking added to it or it's not really a holiday for multiple people.

There's a really good Sluggy Freelance comic strip illustrating this, but I'm too tired to link things right now...

Idea #1 for dealing with Hypatia's brother: Trade brothers with Mr. Dreadful. Then you can give his brother the talking-to he needs, and Mr. D could give your brother the talking-to that he needs, after which you trade back and don't have to worry about having offended your own brothers.

Idea #2: Call your brother the day before you leave, and in a terribly upset voice tell him that Annie has run away and you can't find her anywhere. Then bring her with you. When you arrive at your brother's house, declare very excitedly that you were a block away from his house when you saw Annie on the side of the road, she had found her way by herself. Your mother should nod at this point and say in a convincing tone, "Tut, tut. Looks like rain."

There was a forklift training video that someone posted a link to, I think here in the Atelier. I must find it.

OK, maybe everyone here was two polite to post the forklift training video. But not me.

Not for the squeamish, it has all the subtlety of a horror film. It's in German and kind of long, but stick with it. It really gets going about halfway through:
http://www.hugi.is/hahradi/bigboxes.php?box_id=51208&f_id=1000

And when I say "not for the squeamish", I mean it.

Thanks for the link, d'E. I think I made my decision at about 3am this morning while operating a hydraulic lift with three pallets of magazines and catalogs on top of it. The pallets tipped over and fell, and I was less than a foot away. Others were around, looked at me, and went right back to doing what they were doing without coming over to help or see if I was okay or operating the lift in a safe manner. I picked everything up one at a time and went back to work.

I think I will lie low until after the first of the year. At that time I'll get my share of the profits at my former-current job (we have a profit-sharing program) and start looking for another job again. Until then, I'll go back to wrangling tourists. There's always something else out there for me.

for FG. And a and a loobrush: . People go postal for a reason.

What *is* it about siblings? My sister couldn't have been more blasé and unhelpful about the fact that I have two family beds I might need to get rid of. Then, when I come up with a solution, (saw the knobs off the top of the bed-head and have them drilled and dowelled so that they can be put back again afterwards), and they suddenly might not be coming her way after all, she sends me an email as follows:

"Actually - when I mentioned it to E***** he was delighted with the prospect of a double bed. He jumped up and down and said 12000 thanks (or it might have been 1200). So can I change my lukewarm offer "would give house room" to an enthusiastic request - unless you need it.

I could swap you Mary Miles' single bed currently in E*****'s room (which you have slept on and which is extremely comfortable)."

She knows I want rid of a single bed, so what the bleepetty-bleep would I need with another one of the damn things? Does she assume that I have no sex-life?

She is the most extraordinay woman: when my periods went episodic for a while I asked her about Mum and the menopause and such, and accidentally commented that I knew I wasn't pregnant because I'd taken a pregnancy test. This was a couple of years after my divorce. She didn't say "oh, are you seeing someone, then?" or anything like that. She just completely ignored it. She may be assuming that I'll tell her what I want her to know, and I may be assuming that she'll ask about me if she cares, but I am fascinated by just how incurious and self-centric her world-view is. I do wonder now what she thinks of me.

Mr D, I think the suggestion that Mrs D works on your brother's fiancée is a good one. It really depends on whether your brother is likely to say well 'f*** you' and cut all ties if you administer a kick up the @rse. As the youngest, I am not good on elder-siblingly advice.

Hyp, what can I say? As I have said already, what IS it about siblings?

for Teuchter, for Mol, (a near-miss from an asteroid, how cool, how scary, ), in fact s for all Salonistas being Freddied at the moment.

The kitchen in the new house is more-or-less functional, but I go back to work tomorrow. Thankfully Z is coming up to stay at the weekend, and is foolish enough to help me, otherwise I doubt I'd be fully moved until the New Year. 2008.

G'night all, and s again.

B

FG, if you need an ear, call. I'm home.

That video was... graphic.

[Affy]

Good night all.