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

*walks up to the terrace and sits down*

*her fur is rather bedraggled with many burrs and leaves entangled in it*

*starts a thorough grooming which may take some little while*

*thinks to herself......*

^I think I will leave that Forest alone for a time^

Oh good. In which case I can report that I have done a mischief to my right knee at the gym. Who said exercise was good for me?

On the matter of plaits. Over the age of 13 it's possible to get away with a single plait provided your hair isn't grey but plaited bunches don't work. Currently my hair is in a ponytail but that's because I've just come back from the gym. Additionally, over the age of 13 all hair accessories should be black or, possibly, artificial tortoiseshell. Pink scrunchies should be avoided.

[d’E] <-- Xeno’s backlog, yes for sure, but I am now within sight of the end and I will apply a little backlog calculus. I seem to have lost Zeppo somewhere around the cheese, though.

Happy belated birthdays, Coelacanth and MR. Congrats, Z. Welcome back eats. Sporky! That’s too much weight to loose too fast!

And the problem with the government’s ability to track individuals is not so much with the government as with the unscrupulous people with hidden agendas who make up the government. Think what Richard Nixon or Joe McCarthy would do with GPS tracking. It must remain an “opt in” system.

/* Turns on his GPS and heads back into the backlog */

If I’m not back by the end of the day, you can track me by satellite.

"the unscrupulous people with hidden agendas who make up the government"

I think my problem is that I don't believe in "them". I think "they" are just the same as me. The government is made up of people I was at university with. They may be a lot of things but 'unscrupulous' doesn't seem to fit them at all. They're no more likely deliberately to set out to persecute someone who happened to move a few boxes for a political activist than I am.

Zeppo! Back away from the cheese. Good boy!

eatsmice! Welcome back!

Belated birthday greetings for MR and belated congratulations for Z on the exams.

Titania, my daughter has an image (of flowers) that replaces her wallpaper when she shuts down her computer. I'll ask her how it got there, maybe the process is similar to what is happening on your computer.

Braids... When I was still working in the mortgage department at a Savings and Loan in the mid '80s, I had a co-worker about my age (late 20's) that had mid-waist length blond hair. She either wore a bun or had a single braid hanging down the back. The S&L president, in his fifties at the time, pulled me aside one day and asked me if I thought the braid was inappropriate for the office. He was concerned that it was a childish hairdo. I told him it was neat and confined and that her wardrobe was professional. I didn't have a problem with it at all. Thinking back on it, I give the guy credit for doing a little 'research' and questioning his own opinion. He never did mention it to her.

The boring bit, personal news. This past weekend was the 4 performances of my daughters' dance recital. Additionally, the older one had her first professional performance of the dance company she is in, which was squeezed between Sunday's two recital shows. Thank goodness the venues were only 10 minutes apart. Crazy, but fun.

I've had another go at the Dirk Gently-inspired I Ching calculator that Hati (I think it was Hati) recommended some time ago - I try it every now and then, just for fun, because I find it amusing...

...and it's spooky how accurate the replies are to my questions! Today I was wondering if I should join some friends for a couple of beers after w*rk - and the reply was 'Withdrawal'! (OK, it is just Tuesday, and yes I did drink quite a lot last Friday, and I've been complaining about my weight loss slowing down recently...)

Here's the link again, in case someone else would be interested:
http://www.thateden.co.uk/dirk/

You could do a Princess Leia with the plaits/braids

The insurance broker has come up trumps with the pay out from the insurance company for H's car. Nearly 50% more than he was hoping for on a good day with the sun in the assessor's eyes.

I like hearing what is going on in my fellow Salonistas' lives, we wouldn't much good as friends if we didn't want to know how everyone is doing and offering support when needed.

On the curry query, balti, rohgan josh, pasanda, korma, moglai, jeera and tikka massala are usually mild, I'm not an expert but have the take away menu from our local curry house in front of me. Traditional Indian cooking is actually flavoursome rather than hot. It was only the fussy Europeans that had to have the taste of rancid meat disguised pre refrigeration days.

Looks like Gussie has been having adventures.

Another busy morning -- off to Carrizozo and the museum for a photo shoot. And then I want to get down to the Mighty Walmart and find something I can put together and use as a podium in my new photography studio. Oh, and I need to get a bathing suit to wear in that studio (the shed at La Bosquita) because once I turn on the lights it is going to become HOT in there this summer.

*moves the cheese*

Amy, take a bath with some epsom salts!

And I will settle for the gold card.

I had a bath with some M&S 'Waterlily' bubble bath. It did the trick.

What we need now is a good thunderstorm.

I wear my hair in braids occasionally, but it's so curly that I get little curls popping out here and there, and it looks rather frizzy by the end of the day. And I have all sorts of fun hair accessories, because frankly, if I can't get away with wearing some of the newer clothes fashions, I will at least play with my hair.

After all, it's just hair.

Oh, and Z, I know you're in France, but congrats. I missed that in the blog.

Summer is only four days away! It seems spring only just arrived here. Ho hum.

d'E I always loose weight fast on a diet - only not enough! What's left to lose always seems to take forever to get off.

We have had about half an hour of thunder rolling around, but no rain. It feels just as hot and sticky

I agree with the statements that I am interested in the everday goings ons of everyones lives, it give the coversation a more homey feel.

Courtesy

Sol, what are 'bunches'? I'm thinking they must be dog ears.

Sorry about your knee, Amy. Exercise can be hazardous to your health. That's why I avoid it as much as possible.

Thanks for the curry tips. Frank doesn't like anything hot. I like more heat than he does, but I don't want it so hot you can't taste the flavors.

As for the tracking issue, I understand the concerns. But it's like everything else. If they decide to do it, then they'll do it. They're going to have a pretty dull time of it if they spy on me. The most exciting thing I ever do is post to OTD.

A man came in and was talking about Ashcroft wanting even more power for the justice department. His thinking is that any Democrat who wants to run for President should tell the voters that if he's elected, he'll get rid of Ashcroft. He thinks that would be the best way to beat Shrub.

Of course, we're more interested in Ashcroft's fortunes here since he is a former Governor and Senator.

[MTG]

I'd vote for someone who offered to get rid of Ashcroft. That man is seriously gutting the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Heck, Hypatia, that line would work on me. If only the majority of the American voting population had half a brain between them, we would be rid of the Bush-Cheney Junta.

Which provides me with a segueway! Today it was announced that Montana's former Governor, Marc Racicot, will be heading the Bush election campaign (I won't distinguish it by saying re-election; he wasn't elected in the first place). Please pass this inside information from a Montanan (and MR can back me up on this) to everyone you know: Racicot left this state in a big fat economic mess. Like Bush, he played friendly with the right people and said the right things and everyone liked him and looked away while he cut taxes for corporations and the wealthy, increased spending for special interest programs and put all of it on the backs of the working poor. On top of that, at the behest of his buddies in the energy industry, he deregulated the electric industry in Montana. I know opinions here are divided on regulation and deregulation of any industry, but that spells disaster for low-population, poor rural states like mine. We don't have the infrastructure or the money to attract a lot of businesses in any industry that will compete against each other and offer the consumer lower prices and better service. Now we're at the mercy of a Pennsylvania-based conglomeration that constantly raises utility rates and provides spotty service at best. Racicot signed the deregulation bill and after he left office in 2000, became (no surprise) a lobbyist for Enron when he wasn't heading the Bush challenge to the Florida election results.

Our state is millions of dollars in debt, raising electric rates forced several businesses to close because they couldn't afford their bills--thus throwing thousands of Montanans out of work--and yet Bush feels Racicot is the man for him. If nothing else, this shows you Bush's economic plan for America's future--lining the pockets of the rich by robbing the poor.

Sorry for the rant.

What can I remember to comment on (the ever present problem of this place )
Curries and other assorted cuisine from the Indian subcontinent - I like them to be not too hot but with good flavour from the use of the varied spices and herbs. Rogan Josh and Biriani the general favourites. Thankfully there is a very good quality take away down the road. Have you got any books on indian cookery in the library hypatia? The two that MC has downstairs are both by Madhur Jaffrey and they go into the regionality of indian cooking as well as the recipes.

Amy, knees are very tender things, don't overstress it for a while if you've done a mischief to it.

As Caer said a group of friends regulary discusses what's going on in their lives.

In my life, I'm still unemployed and very fed up, demotivated and have probably lost a lot of the confidence in myself I once had (if I'm being honest about it) but I've got to keep plugging away and eventually something will happen. Still I've got Glasto to look forward to in just over a weeks time

[]

I will back FG up on absolutely everything she said, and add this... Racicot's attitude towards education is directly reflected in Shrub's No Child Left Behind, which sounds lovely until you realize that it is an unfunded federal mandate which requires schools not to actually educate students, but to teach them to take standardized tests. Also, it includes a boost for Head Start, which, again, sounds great, until you realize that it's for standardized testing of 3 and 4 year olds!!!!!!!!