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

I'll try a little bit of that Canfrieda Wine The Big C offered me a few posts back.

Odra! Dio! Long time no see!

Hi, Witty!

Wow, ox. I paid $1.45 this morning for regular gas! And by law, I'm not permitted to pump it myself. I knew there was some redeeming value to living in New Jersey.

Hi Odra, Witty

Sorry ox, for some strange reason, having read your posts this week, I thought you were in the UK, which came as a bit of a surprise to me as I had assumed you were in the States, which means my original assumption was correct Ah. Logic!

LOL Yes, though I'm often confused why I am or who I am, I do know where I am. Usually!

Odra, what classes are you taking this semester?

*sniffs Canfrieda Wine*

*trots back in, toting a twelve pack of Obscure Canadian*

Have to earn my keep, after all...

Hi, everyone.
l could smarmily point out that always having refused to get a driver's license, in the wake of the fuel climate, is seeming less and less an unreasonable and recalcitrant move on my part...foresight, that's what it was...

l'm taking several, Witty. Unfortunately all but one fall on the same two days of the week, meaning that l spend thirteen hours straigt at school on uesdays. Today being Thursday, l get to get home by eight, which is a nice perk...
l can't complain, though, as l only have one class a day, Monday/Wednesday/Friday, and it doesn't even start til noon.

My classes are:

German l

"lmagination and Reflection" (basically a lit. discussion course)

Computer (a class beautifully abbreviated on my schedule as Prgm Anal Dsgn -- it's primarily flowcharting, and eventually we'll start in on C++)

Astronomy

Algebra/Trig/Pre-Calc

A well rounded schedule, Odra. Are the Profs OK so far?

Reasonably...my Lit professor has thus far dubbed me both "the Aristotilean" and "our parakeet here", so l guess that's a good sign....

'S going pretty well thus far, though, all things considered. Even if the college itself has an absolutely impenetrable transfer policy, much to my disadvantage.
Well, l shouldn't say that. lt's very well set-up for students preparing to transfer to in-state four-year colleges.
l, however, would like to get as far from home as possible, and the guidance counselors can be less than accomodating...

Witty, why don't they let you pump your own gas in Jersey, anyway? And why won't they ever let you turn left? lt's a very confusing state to drive in...

(parenthetically, if in my posts you notice more typos than usual or words left out, it's 'cos the computer l'm suing currently has a browser l'm not used to, and l have to keep scrolling to read my own text, so, apologies...)

(heh. The phrase above in which l claim to be sueing a computer is an excellent example...)

Funny, I read using... just shows how much I take in...

{J}

Hi, Joanna!

Ahh, the fine art of driving in New Jersey. NJ is a ~very~ densely populated state. And the highway system is old. When traffic got too heavy to make left turns safely, the civil engineers started building traffic circles (round-abouts or rotaries, depending on where you come from). This was in the 1950s.

Then traffic circles got too dangerous as the traffic got even heavier. So new intersections got jug-handles, where they make you go right to go left.

Then the traffic circles got even worse, so now they are converting them back to intersections with a combination of jug-handles and dedicated left turn lanes.

Now, there are very few areas to put any brandy new highways in. But if there is room, they try to go with a left turn lane with a delayed light to give those cars a chance to make their turns.

Now, as for pumping gas... back in the olden days, some politicians thought that they needed to protect the job security of those individuals who would be out of work if people were allowed to pump there own gas. And because NJ has a major seaport where crude and natural gas come into the country and go to local refineries, the price of gas stays low relative to the rest of the country (except for Texas, of course). Every so often, when the price of gas starts to climb, some people suggest we could save money if we pumped our own gas. But there's no real incentive to do so, because we pay less already.

Takes a deep breath. I think this is the longest post I've ever written!

l thought l'd heard something to that effect about the reasons for gas-station-attendants, yes, but the no-left-turn thing has always puzzled me terribly. Thanks to that edict l once got myself trapped in a parking lot. l'm sure there was an actual, legal way to drive out if it, but it was beyond my, the driver's, and the rest of the car's mental powers to find it. So we just drove over a berm...and a small plot of grass...and another kerb...til we were freed. lt was an adventure!

*notices that the OC have been sitting by her feet all the time*
Ooops, these could stand to be popped in the 'fridge...

*takes beer to kitchen, slips them in fridge. *

*glances at watch*
Well, 's about time for me to dash off, in RL. Shall be back later, though, l will, doubtless having been freshly imbued with the knowledge of further C pseudocode...

Til then, all!

Bye, Odra.

*floating in, in her usual vague, elf-like manner*

Hi all!

Matina, a Y please...

Is the champagne bottle in the fridge, or did anyone of you take it out? If so, would you please pour me a Y...

*Pops into kitchen and opens the Whirlpool ICR. Grabs the ~bottle~ and 2 Ys.*

Hi, Titania. 1 for you and 1 for me.

*Pours*

Hmmpph! Babel just beat me to the H2IQ question!

*Knocks back her entire glass of champagne and pours another.*

Thanks, Witty!

How about veranda, Witty?

Cuddle, Springie?

*Titania floating out on veranda, followed by unau*

*...and Witty?*