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

and a bog wave to all the Webb City gang.

I'm about to turn down that job I told you all about. Despite the fact that the money turns out to be better than I'd originally thought which would, ordinarily have tipped the balance. I'm probably making a mistake but something's come up (tell you about that another time) and I just find that I don't want to be mucking about dealing with a new job right now.

I was standing next to the bus stop yesterday and the wind blew my hat off, over some railings and onto the immaculately manicured lawn on the other side.

Now, the railings were too high for me to get over easily, so I'm afraid I uttered a ladylike squeak of distress and wrung my hands a bit, aiming this at the young man standing next to me. Who obliged by hopping over the fence and retreiving the hat.

I am abaondoning principles left right and centre this month.

That would be a 'big' wave to all in Missouri. I have no idea what a bog wave is.

Congratulations on being offered the job in order to turn it down, Sol .

Inquring minds want to know (a) why you were wearing a hat in this weather and (b) what has come up.

European keyboards are different - in Germany the Z and the Y are transposed which makes using keyboard shortcuts for "undo" "redo" very problematic. As well as touch-typing things like zygote. In Sweden umlauts and accents and other modifiers are up at the top right of the keyboard.

At one time I used to have alternative language mappings available as a shortcut in their own right, so I could flip over to a european keyboard, pick up an accent, and flip back to a UK (an UK?) mapping for the rest of my typing.

Z, on the other hand, maliciously but cooly, has a very cool but entirely blank keyboard. I thought I could touch type, but my passwords are all dutifully crafted out of L33t, and I have to copy and paste them via notepad to make sure I've got them right.

Incidentally, his PC's still burgered.

B

A sun hat, presumably.

Most definitely a sun hat. One day I will spring for prescription sunglasses, but until then I am defiently ineligant in one of those fishing hatty trype things.

*Has a mental image of self in a wooly bobble hat dying from heat stroke *

Our keyboard's got cyrillic pasted next to the latin script. This is absolutely fine until I have to type something in cyrrillic (about once every five years. It takes me about three hours to hunt and peck my way along, after which I can't 'see' the latin letters for about a week.

I'm obviously failing to see the latin letter for close brackets. Pleas pretend I'm pressing the cyrillic buttons or something eh?

I'd correct the lack of an 'e' in 'please' too, but that would be the fourth post in a row and we wouldn't want to seem too ditzy this morning would we? Oh. Too Late, you say?

We have had Cassie now for four years and she has only just started to allow us to tickle her tum. She would always nip your hand before that. It takes a very long time for an adopted cat to fully trust some one.

'ning

>Hope you're all having fun in Webb City
Hear, hear - and, btw, did you plan to set up a webb site for it?

>I had an email from Garius Lupus today. He's very busy! But it was good to read his voice.
... but nice to hear

off to do some w**k...

Morning All,

Waves to Hillbillies

Oh sorry, too early, I see.

Melting... melting...

On the plus side, sleeping without a t-shirt on last night meant I didn't wake up drenched and slowly cooking at 1am (which is what happened Sunday night).

*Wonders which principle Sol's going to abandon next.*

Only four days 'til Tewkesbury Medieval Festival! Woo! Things I want to buy: New pint mug, Viking belt, Viking underpants (no, really! I've got a pair of Viking trousers but need a pair of proper kneelength Viking underpants to be able to wear them comfortably).

Happy 4th of July. To those that celebrate the date, have good celebrations!

Sol, we want to know more about what's come up. Well done on turning the job down by the way

OK, so where does one buy a blank keyboard from then. That would be cool.

Having trouble breathing again. I had it pegged to the smoking, which I have been trying (again) to give up but I had a scary moment a couple of days ago, went to the and came away with anti-histamines and an inhaler (sheepish look at Hyp and Bagpuss). Don't like them I have used the inhaler twice and the pills are making me itch... is that bad news? doesn't seem to think so... I went and bought Allen Carr's book - and if that doesn't work, I walk down to the clinic and beg on my knees. I really want to quit smoking...

On a happier note, our Florida Sun visitors left at 4 am this morning. That would be my flat mate from uni days and her two daughters. We had a glorious whirlwind 12 days which I will have to describe elsewhere for fear of clogging up the wiring here..

Other than that? We're slowly back to normal. I can't find a flight to Beirut that won't bankrupt us so Trog is quietly gloating as I left it too late and he is being very good - restraining himself from saying the dreaded words: I t**d you so... All my own stupid fault. Ah well. Something will crop up, even if we have to go through Abu Dhabi or something equally mental

*sends waves of 'hang on in there' to Kelli and J's little prawn*

*gawps at stories of sinkholes and disappearing states*

*wishes Amy good health and tries not to envy the Meeters*

Wilma

I've had a few breathing problems due to my hayfever Wilma. I'm trying my best not to end up down the doctors asking for medication for the breathing.

I've just fixed my desk It's now much more sort of level rather than having one side about half an inch higher than the other. Why they didn't check it for level when they put it together I don't know.

J was given an inhaler this year because of his hayfever - doc said it triggered a little bit of asthma. He has been much less wheezy since Must have been a high old year for pollen because even I got a few hayfevery symptoms and I don't usually suffer at all...

I heard a maiden singing in the valley below

Oh don't decie-eve me
Oh never lea-eave me
How could you u-use a po-or maiden so.

I much prefer the Jim Moray version from his eponymous album than the twee tune that it usually sung with. Looks like I'll have to rip that one onto this work computer as it doesn't seem to be on here to listen to.