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

Those people should have had ME for a writing instructor. I am brutal when it comes to such things as simple clarity and correct punctuation. I am also quite firm in my belief that spellcheck and grammarcheck in anyone's word processing program does not substitute for actually proofreading.

GDZ, happy birthday! Are you officially old yet? (Says the woman who is rapidly approaching 40)

I've been a little spaced our the last 48 hours or so. So I'm not sure whether I wished you a happy birthday, GDZ. If not, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

*collapses*

::fans Irv and holds some smelling salts under his nose::

MR, you need to come down here and slap me upside the head a couple of times. It's becoming more and more difficult to resist talking to some of the tourists in LOLcat. Really stupid questions deserve no less, but still.

[Scene 1. Lil is sitting at the information desk in the lobby of the old courthouse. Enter young woman in fashionable clothes and ponytail.]

Young Woman: [gesticulating randomly and looking around while speaking] Oh hi, like, is this where that stair is that has the hole in the wall? Like, I saw this tv program and it's haunted and like Billy killed some guys and the bullet went right through the guy and into the wall? I want to see the stairs? With the hole?

Lil: Yes, we has gots a bullethole.

Young Woman: [stops gesticulating and looks at Lil] Whut?

Lil: [has coughing fit] Tickets are $5.00 for all the museums in town. Yes, this is the building where Billy shot Deputies Bell and Olinger when he escaped on April 28, 1881. Would you like to buy a ticket?

Young Woman: I just want to see the stairs?

Lil: [tiredly] Oh, go on then.


Today I worked the Tunstall Store, which really does have over a thousand items of the original nineteenth century merchandise on the shelves, a real winner with families and older people who can remember using some of the items. There were a lot of children, and as part of the usual badinage I started quizzing the kids. Name ten things you saw in the museum!

It was horrible. Not a one could name more than 3, and it was always the most recent three. We're talking between 5 and 10 years old. Has the entire nation gots lead poisoning?

Nope, TV poisoning

That said, the usual answer I get from Faith when I ask her what she did that day when I pick her up from preschool (usually on the way to the car) is, "I don't know." But I figure that, at 4, she's not quite used to quizzes yet. And I'm aware that I tend to ask questions that are a bit too broad--when I ask more specific things, she'll talk my ear off all the way home. I found that out the day of her first ever fire drill (It's quite convenient on *so* many levels that she goes to preschool at the same school I work at, for the same hours I work there (though technically she gets out half an hour before I get off work, there's another girl in her class whose mom also works for the school district and can't pick her daughter up until 11:30ish).)

Congrats to Irv and a belated Happy B'Day to GDZ...hope you've both had fun, respectively...

It must be frustrating Lil, although perhaps you could see it as an opportunity as those who come to visit with a great deal of knowledge already are already into history. Those who ask the silly qustions may never have been into history before and this could be an opportunity to inspire them onto greater things. Teenagers sometimes would rather play computer games than be seen dead in any museum so Billy info could be a start into a history interest. What is it banks say, "Catch them young and you have them for life".

[p]

{Teuchter}

[mags]

Morning All

Late start this morning as I had to take my bitch to the Vet for her annual injections. The Vet was very complimentary about her condition, lean and muscley, a stylish hunting machine. Shame her owner doesn't have the training skills to turn her into a Field Trial Champion. She's very affectionate but I think in her mind work comes first and keeping the janitor/cook/driver and his Mrs amused second.

Still hurting this morning... I think I need to take my knees to see the doctor.

Take very good care of them Mr D. You'll not be doing much long swording without them.

I have a plumber arranged for next week to fit new stop cock, taps and waste pipe.
Cowboy plumbers, no pun intended, are a minefield and since I have never booked one I chose a company of female plumbers since have to start somewhere. Although you can never be certain all the rip of plumbers on Rogue Traders programme have been men. She sounds middle aged and competant and was honest that work could take 3.5 to 5.5 hours if any snags and that she might have to go out for parts, and charge for time, if the waste pipe system she brings doesn't fit, you can't tell what is needed until actually see job.
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She has a sliding charge scale which sounds reasonable for UK . First hour £50. Hours two, three and four £40. All other hours £30.
This is a test really as will want a new bathroom suite fitted after Christmas and am looking for a good plumber for that and future work. A new bathroom suite sounds luxurious however old one is around 40 years old, pink and taps are really beyond usful life. An old pink bathroom suite will knock thousands of price if decide to sell and is frankly annoying now as really limiting decorating choices. I won't go for too expensive stuff and just have bath, small sink and new toilet, and keep just painted walls as now. painted walls.
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I went to a local company and they said the average cost for their bathroom instalations is £6,000 to £8,000!!! Gulp. However I suspect they do far more than I want and tile walls, put in new floor, wiring, etc as take two to three weeks.
I think I can get away with £2,000 with labour and parts and finished in two or three days. It is still a lot of money although it will last a long time and I should have done it ten years. ago really. The costs involved will more than be recouped if I sell flat as peole would look at pink bath and think how much replacement suite would be and offer less for flat.

*agrees with Ag re proof-reading*

When I worked as a secretary way back when, I automatically corrected the hand-written manuscripts as I typed them out - it was a reflex rather than a conscious act.

Then, the PC came - and suddenly, every departemental manager would have one. And so, they started typing their own letters.

Oh, the horror!

OK, in those days, there was no grammar control, and the spelling control in Swedish was poorly inadequate, missing a lot of actually existing words.

I felt embarrassed, I did, when I saw some of the letters that were sent off - spelling errors, grammatical errors, and errors that I don't know the English expressions for.

Nowadays, spelling errors in books really get to me - I've long given up reading an error-free newspaper, but a book isn't something you produce and print over one night, is it?

Double line spacing in Word can also be achieved by selecting the text and pressing Ctrl+2. Ctrl+1 gives single line spacing, and Ctrl+5 1.5 line spacing.

<<"Catch them young and you have them for life".>> Isn't that religion? I suppose it could apply to banking also, or any other thing where brand recognition is involved.

We were talking here about weddings a month or three ago. That was a subject of conversation when Lady C was here over the weekend. We have decided that Lutherans know how to throw a wedding reception.

It's back to work for me today, thank goodness. I need the rest.

Lil, you should start keeping track of how many people ask you if you've seen the ghost or bullet hole? And award a prize for every 100th questioner.

Agapanthus (and anyone else who wishes to join Facebook) there's a group on there called "I used to hang around h2g2" - you should find some familiar faces there.

Actually, since you don't see any faces on here that's probably not correct. Anyhoo, there's a few hootizens hanging around there.

I'm not a member of Facebook and probably won't be either - first, it was the 'you have to be a member to view this picture' thing. Hey, I read blogs, I watch photos, I put up my own photos.

Why would I want to register with Facebook if all I want to do is watch photos, not upload any myself?

Second - I'm none too happy regarding their ban of breast feeding photos.

http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/09/07/breast-isnt-best-on-facebook/

'Obscene content' my

I'm really surprised at how many people come up to the front desk and ask about ghosts. I've told all other staff NOT to refer these questioners to me, but to the Southwest Ghost Hunters Association instead. It's not that I think I'm Don Juan teaching Carlos Casteneda, but that I would rather not waste half my life on thrill seekers who don't really think about the spiritual or technical side of EVP research. No, what they mainly want is this -- http://www.sgha.net/ -- the Halloween stuff.

Now, we routinely find a warning on the alarm system about movement in what we call the Jail Room upstairs, when we come in in the morning. Last week a carload of sheriff deputies from Tennessee came to the courthouse, some of whom were on their second visit. One of them told me that one of the first-time visitors had only just confessed to the others about an experience he had on his first visit, in the jail room. He was pushed toward the window, while he was alone in the room.

People like this are far more serious about the paranormal.

That girl only wanted to be able to interject into the conversation that she'd been there, seen the [alleged] hole. If anyone asks her what she thought of the shackles in the front east corner or the spurs or the gun collection, she will... she will.. like...

Cold! Down to 60ºF in my office! I shall have to wear closed-toe shoes to work.

Down to 60? Shoot, it's 45F here, and I'm wearing sandals. I think my internal thermometer is set to "high" today. ::sheepish grin::