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

Welcome to the Atelier! If you are new to the experience you are about to have, please take a few moments to read our forum page at A304354 and check out the extra pictures and the floor plan at our offsite link. We are a group of entities so varied in age, ethnicity, occupation, political outlook, planet of origin and species that it is impossible to generalize about what a salonista is. A salonista is you, if you choose to join us.


Our previous conversation began in mid-December, with participants caught up in a mélange of conflicting emotions -- anticipation of the holidays, celebration over regime change in America, and economic apprehension. Strangely picked up his very first FTTF mug and the rest of the salonistas tumbled in as follows:

~~Roll of Honour, First LED~~
Gw7en
GDZ
agapanthus
Ben
Mol
Irving Washington
Montana Redhead
Witty Moniker
Magwitch
David B
Todaymueller
Z

And the rest of the crowd shuffled in later --
FG
Lentilla
Teuchter
Marv
egon
d'Elaphant
Happy Nerd
Hypatia
space cadette
Amy Paper Lady
Wandering Albatross
Titania
Demon Drawer
Phil
Santragenius
lostmonalisa
Runescribe
Bagpuss
Solnushka
minichessemouse
Bookmouse
Mr. Dreadful
Pheroneous II
tartaronne
Kelli
Beatrice
Bald Bloke (Post 590)

And that made Bald Bloke the winner of the itchy blue mohair trousers for being the last regular salonista to arrive at the conversation. Newer salonistas may be unfamiliar with this tradition, which was started by Salonista B4. Originally, we awarded a cattleprod to the LTTF but winners began misbehaving with those prizes, so we discovered an award much more heinous, a pair of hand-knitted cerulean blue pants that morph into socks at the ankle, made from fuzzy, itchy mohair. As you see, Bald Bloke models them rather well.
http://www.bonitovalley.com/h2g2/lttf.htm



Returner Oldie But Goodies: Not included on the above list because they deserve separate mention is the crew of salonistas who have been gone for absolute yonks but who showed up to help us celebrate the hols. It was wonderful to see all of you. Why disappear again?

Jedi Jade
Garius Lupus
sea
Anonymouse

Guest Appearances by Lurkers: Two entities materialized just once and then were not seen. The second one was not so coherent as the first.

Taff Agent of Kaos
Zugszwang

New Entities: And then we brought on board two more who have stayed to converse after testing the turbulent waters of our multi-threaded backlog. Welcome to both of you!

Anoldgreymoonraker
The Thinker

Hypatia secured Post 42.



There being no scribes, let me move right on to What We Talked About. I haven't harvested any links this time, except one, simply because there were so many of them. End-of-year photo omnibuses, oddities, YouTube clips... If anyone wants a link remembered, please just post it again in our Memorable Quotes thread. That one exception was a photo link submitted by Montana Redhead, of elk driven into the river by a forest fire. http://bannister.us/weblog/2004/10/18/wildfire/ Fantastic image!

I also want to mention that Bagpuss made it to the Memorable Quote thread with this offhand observation: "Anglicans will do most things in moderation, even religious stuff if pushed."


The HVAC system in Hypatia's library seems to have been the longest-running topic, earning its first mention before we even got to post 100, and still making news by the end of the thread.

We were still waiting for the arrival of Kelli's new baby when the thread began; Lil won the sweeptstake for guessing the birthdate, which occurred on Boxing Day.

There was much snow in the Northern hemisphere, which is how rock salt cropped up in the conversation, except that the merits of rock salt drifted to making ice cream.

We had a lot of medical problems, but our bitterest rants were reserved for the administration of medicine (not its practise, which we followed avidly and admiringly through the lens of Z's day-to-day experiences (see post 192)), particularly in the US.

Although we always talk about food at some point in the course of a conversation, I think the discussion of celebrity chefs was a first. It was terrific to see the Atelier Cookbook page be revived!

Gw7en's orange mayhem machine (a.k.a. Eliot) ran amok at the vets, injured his owner and threw them both into quarantine for 10 days.

Post 260 is worth referencing, even though Santra bagged it from another forum. It's the hilarious one about how to wash a cat.

Amy Paper's moving day was delayed yet again. And again, thanks to income levels determined during recertification.

Lil became briefly involved with Powerpoint and asked a lot of geeky questions, but was ultimately disappointed with the app.

As Christmas arrived, everyone shopped, wrapped, cooked, and ate. Hearing exotic recipes being shared, Pheroneous put in an impassioned plea for traditional Christmas fare. And Beatrice launched some listing activity -- songs, books, films of the year. Bagpuss was struck by a raw egg during New Year's Eve. Resolutions were made by some, in a desultory way.

Z passed his driving test! And became a car owner to boot.

It turns out that quite a few of the accomplished salonistas have actually failed various courses in their academic careers.

To great acclamation, Solnushka's Star sleeps through the night.

Z notes a big increase in pneumonia and hypothermia cases.

David B takes part in a real, professional panto, playing the part of a Mean Genie. He scared the kids! Oh no, he didn't! Oh, yes he did!

minichessemouse is awarded Entry of the Month status. Congratulations!

Mercury becomes Freddie for 3 weeks of retrograde hell, and the salon actually goes silent for most of a day as salonistas either gird their loins or run and hide.

Gw7en joins Lil and Marv in being laid off, and Hypatia's Escher exhibit opens in an unheated library.

Lil revives the Atelier Astrology Project after some newer salonistas ask who the heck Freddie is. The topic is subsequently moved to the Conservatory.

We learn that MR's "hooding" for her Ph.D. is due to take place in June.

A mention of fishing inevitably drifted to discussion of ideal rivers and lots of picture-sharing. As Santra said (of sofas, actually), how did we manage to convey ideas before this ability to give links to images?

Lil's legs begin to go wonky, but she still thinks it's a matter of orthotic help.

Z plans for a trip to Morocco, and Teuchter spontaneously flies to China.

As salonistas' thoughts inevitably turn to food, we talk about food, about the price of lamb and the relative merits of different kinds of meat. Hypatia mentions indian (native American) fry bread and that discourse leads to some cooking history in respect of baking soda. Invented in 1852. That's the kind of fact that forever after hard to forget.

MR gets her hair cut.

Chinese New Year is celebrated: it's the Year of the Ox.

Runescribe mentions that, among other tasks accomplished over a weekend, she has lost her virginity, news which has other salonistas scanning the greeting card aisle for the relevant compliment, and sharing some very very interesting reminiscences.

Hypatia's relationship with Syn takes a dive, and everyone seems to have some sort of nasty day somewhere in the week leading to the end of the retrograde period.

Mag's experiences of inter-familial inheritance wrangling brings forth a number of like stories from others.

Strangely continues to wrestle with bi-polar disorder and side-effects from the meds.


GDZ mentions some honeymoon locations that he and J are considering, and other salonistas are thrown into nostalgia.



Other miscellaneous topics of discussion:
subtitles
Pan's Labrynth
sleep patterns
rogue appliances
dreams
teaching: keeping students on their toes with callouts
drivers wearing hats
Facebook
friends as replacement for family
planning one's own funeral
ad libbing in pantomime
the price of lamb
Ikea, pronunciation of and furniture with names in
ways for Anglican churches to earn money
Walkers crisps and flavors in crisps, or not.
when people are found lying on the ground



Birthdays: Titania, Gw7en, Amy Paper Lady, kelli



It was an interesting conversation, if fraught with peril, and I for one am glad it's over. May we be equally interesting in 97X but considerably more placid!

And now that the refreshments have been refreshed and the ashtrays cleaned, the drinks replenished, we may resume. Please make yourselves at home.

Am I first?

*screeeeech* Admires the newly polished salon before running back out the door

Nice and succinct review there!

Teuchter, I have to ask - did you "Santra" your way to that FTTF mug () or are you back in the UK?

*posting then returning to read the notes...*

There ya'll are

First LED?

For the mention

Tea, cappucino and coffee.
Have it with lots of toffee.
Cheesecake, cakes, hotdogs and burgers.
Eat with ice cream and lots of larger.

*Matina brings Teuchter an Irish coffee in a FTTF mug*

Still on the train. Probably another 30 to 45 minutes to Manchester where I then have the last leg of the journey home to do.

I bagged an appointment with the doctah early this afternoon! Progress at last.

What? New thread? I go away for a weekend and am taken completely by surprise! Time to finish the backlog and actually read the scribing.

*lands with a bump*

>> Z passed his driving test! And became a car owner to boot.

Given his mammothy alter-ego, shouldn't that be "a car owner to trunk"?

Nice notes, Lil. I'll do 500 or so posts in this thread if you like, just let me know when you want me to start and stop and I'll take notes as they happen.

B

::slides in on stocking feet and a prayer::

Wheeeeeeee!

* sips Irish coffee, grinning broadly at having made FTTF for the first time ever

Skates in wearing his wellies, determined not to repeat his blue trouser performance of the last thread.

[BB] currently wearing blue mohair

[WM]

*arrives*