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

[GDZ]

Thank you all for your kind words and thoughts and other things. I'm so sorry to have worried people.

It turns out that the pain was muscular, rather than anything more serious, although I'm not sure what on earth I did to myself to cause it! They were worried that, because of my complicated medical history (dodgy heart, mainly) it could have been caused by a blood clot in the lung - especially as it was worse on breathing in and caused me not to be able to breathe very well at all, as David has said. Because of this they did blood tests, an x-ray and another scan thing that I can't remember the name of just to make sure - hence they had to keep me in overnight.

I'm feeling a lot better now but am staying at home for the rest of the week - I daren't go back before Monday as I think my colleagues would frog-march me back home!

I'm hoping that writing this doesn't break the 'rest' rule, and that David doesn't tell me off!

and all round - I'm sorry for any fretting I may have caused.

I am angelic, apparently. Must be some mistake.

LibrarianPear, I'm sooo glad you're back with us. Don't even think about going back to work until next week! , you fellow angelic being you

Thanks Magwitch. I promise I won't go back to work 'til next week!

Well......it appears that we have an Angelic Atelier Librarian Squad. I am certain that David's rank as merely good is a mistake on the part of the test since we all know he is definitely more angelic than I am. I mean, I can't even carry a tune.

I was a bit embarrassed at first by being ranked as angelic. Didn't want to seem to be putting on airs. But the more I think about it, I have come to the conclusion that working in a library all these years has sort of raised me to martyr status or at least to that of a Blessed. Blessed Hypatia of Brickhenge. Sort of has a ring to it.

Librarians are angelic. We offer up our suffering on a daily basis for the good of humanity, the enlightenment of the common man, the amusement of out fellow salonistas. A few floral tributes wouldn't be refused at this point.

*weaves a garland of wisteria, freesia, lilac, honeysuckle, passionflower, and roses*

I'm good....*looks confused*

Dissertation done, and handed in, just in time.

Best wishes to Librarian Pear-are you going to read this week? I never read much for pleasure in term time.

[]

Thanks for the good wishes Rosemary - I will try and get some reading done this week, although I left the book I'm currently in the middle of at work! Congrats on finishing and handing in the dissertation!

Yes, Hyp, I'm pretty sure that David's 'good' should really be 'angelic'! Sorry, David!

Mr Evil D,
Quick the blunderbuss, Hyp's floating off on a cloud of some sorts. Could be Jet Hag, sorry Lag.

i scored as neutral on that quiz

i enjoy the smell of lilacs - it makes me think of spring/summer whenever i smell them

Lilac and honeysuckle are my two favorite spring fragrances. But I hate honeysuckle because it is so invasive. Sory of like the wild river clematis. It is really beautiful, but if given the chance it will kill everything in it's path.

LibrarianPear, perhaps we should launch a protest over David's score. On his behalf, naturally, since he is far too modest to participate in anything like that.

*removes a y and replaces it with a t*

Hmmmm...it seems that most of the Salonistas are angelic. I'm glad that there are a few of us to balance that out.

My favorite smelly flower is the mock orange/syringa. Many people have one or two in their gardens, but it also grows wild in Montana and throughout the Pacific Northwest.

LP, nice to know it was just muscular. I've had that happen, as well, and it really does rather feel like something more, doesn't it! But I'm so glad that that's all it was...I guess you'll have to lay off your night job as a contortionist?

I was thinking about all the flowers, and they're all lovely. I am particularly fond of the lilac and honeysuckle. But my favorite flower scent is the stephanotis, and really, truly, my favorite plant smell is freshly cut grass. Especially on a hot day when the grass was cut in the morning and the dew is evaporating in the sun. Clean and light and just oozing with summer.

A company over here, Method, makes a line of environmentally friendly cleaning/home products that all smell wonderful, and they came out this year with a line of "cut grass" smell. I bought the dish soap, the floor soap, the little stick diffuser thing, and the candle.

Roses that smell of turkish delight are nice, but I also like fresias, and lavender (but does that count as a flower?). Anything really, as long as it doesn't make me sneeze!

My nephew Nathan is one of Method's art directors!

Hyp, yes maybe we should stage a protest on David's behalf, but I'm not sure he'd like it, even if he wasn't actually participating!

Good to have you back, LibrarianPear.

The US Post Office has jumped the shark (do Brits understand that phrase?).

I spent the morning working Lincoln PO and studying the training materials for the price changes coming up next Monday 14th. And some of the time I was laughing out loud at the new figgerin'.

We will now have Dimensional Weighing for large parcels (over 20 inches). Dimensional Weighing applies to Regular Parcels (those which are cubes or rectangular) and Irregular Parcels (guitars, birdcages, hastily-wrapped telephone poles). I have condensed the instructions down to formulas, as follows:

1. Regular parcels

x = (Length * Width * Height)
IF x < 1728
x = ROUND(x/194)

x is how many pounds in weight to charge the customer. [and rounding is always upward].

2. Irregular

x = ((L*W*H)*.785) [measuring the widest points on the parcel]
IF x > 1728
x = ROUND(x/194)

Apparently all post offices will be issued with electronic fFordean scales to handle the calculations, but employees will be measuring most every parcel that comes across the counter unless it's a pre-printed priority box. Those of you with longstanding grudges against the post office (you know who you are) will pehaps be motivated to finally send off that garden ornament to your aunt on the other side of the country. Just be sure it weighs less than 70 lbs.

[p]

>hastily-wrapped telephone poles
We received a piece of actual used wall panel (you know, furthest down on the wall to make it look nice against the floor) with a long story on the side that had been against the wall and our address, stamps etc on the painted used-to-be-front side.

The mail man looked rather puzzled as he handed it out...

( I can do images...

Tonight was quite fab We went with my inlaws to see Madame Butterfly (in the sadly soon-to-close Rialto theatre in Copenhagen). The orchestra was one very, very good pianist and the place is not big, so the singing went on 1-5 meters / 3-15 feet away from out seats All roles were very well casted, with some very good singing from Mme Butterfly's soprano to Mr Pinkerton's tenor. Personally, I also thought that the maid Suzuki was very good - good voice and very good mimic and acting. Nice