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

Hypatia, The eye of Rita may be weakening, but some places are still looking at up to 25 inches of rain. And from what I hear about Beaumont, a good washing down is what it needs.

Affi, what's the status on Zoe?

Marv, sorry to hear about the serpentine belt -- perhaps you should take another couple of drives to sort out any other problems before you drive across the Texas, whose new state motto is "No Vacancy"...

I'm reminded of an old Click and Clack program where a caller said her boyfriend wanted to take his Peugot on a cross-country tour *burst of laughter from the brothers* and could they recommend dealers where they would be able to fallback for any repairs *even louder burst of laughter*.

In other news, I was not paid today.

I still haven't heard from my son. So, I'm not having a particularly good evening. I hated Beaumont when we lived there. It is the worst place I've ever lived. But I would still prefer that the eye of the storm go someplace else.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you hear from your son soon, Hyp

[GDZ]

[p]

[Hati]

*also hoping Hyp hears from her son soon

*wondering about the size of the kitchen which is going to have 700 canape-munching visitors

Z - if I was going to be on the receiving end of a DC, I would hope very much that it would be someone like you delivering the news

I think we're going into Nodnol today - if Mr T's hangover dissipates (golf dinner last night). My i-pod shuffle isn't very well - its ring fell orf - and I need to get it seen to. I'd quite like to trade it in for a Nano if possible.
Currently trying to decide between visiting the BM or the V&A or the Tate.

Morning everyone.

B

Marv has a new Saab? I had a Saab once and I loved it.

I'm snowed under with w*rk and I'll have to w*rk through the weekend to get ready for the start of the semester. However, the big boss came and introduced himself to me yesterday and said how impressed he was with my w*rk.

*wonders why she has a label saying 'sucker' on her back, just next to the 'doormat' and 'silly ant' labels*

Still Amy, it is jolly nice to be appreciated - once in a while. Don't wo*k too hard this w/e.

I had another set of possible buyers touring around the house. Sometimes I wish I could say them that yes, indeed the whole house is rotten, the roof leaks, there are rats everywhere and fireaccidents in the next house happen several times a year, the neighbourhood is noisy, etc etc etc. It isn't all true but so aren't the things I usually say.

*crosses fingers for Hati and hopes that these house viewers will make an offer

Yes, Hati.

[T&R]

The buyer was actually from UK. I hope they'll make an offer as real estate is quite cheap here compared to the prices in UK.
In the evening another set will come to see the place. Is the world gone mad? Or is it just me? I guess starts are in my favour and I think I have a crush on someone. Psst.

Marv, it shouldn't be *too* much. That's a pretty straight-forward job.

Just had a huge row with the X. I hate when that happens when I'm half tanked and he's tired. Always unpleasant at that point.

Been listening to a Tom Waites CD I bought recently. An odd time of day for it - but it really is fabulous!

A bit sleepy now, having spent ages tidying up the flat, and I haven't even started cleaning it.

I think I may skip that part!

B

I'd dispense tea and sympathy all round, but I've lost my tea-ball. *Blank looks from the Atelier*.

A tea ball is a pierced metal ball, slightly smaller than a golf-ball, with a chain on one end. It unscrews into two hemispheres. You put loose-leaf tea in and rejoin it and then put it in your cup or tea-pot - voila, tea-bag. I don't buy tea-bags because I am the most horrendous tea-snob in the entire universe, so I depend very much on the tea-ball. And it has GONE. *Sips tea through clenched teeth to sieve the tea-leaves out*

The neighbour we rescued from a night curled up on her own doorstep on Thursday came round yesterday evening to give us a cake and a bottle of port as a thank-you. See? Do nice things. It gets you and .

I was just sitting here at the desk, talking to you guys and then moving on to my other Internet pastures, with S leaning over my shoulder to see what I was reading, when we heard a flop and a rustle right by my foot. I pushed the key-board tray in slightly (we've got a fancy pooter desk) and there, by my bare foot, sitting on the pile of printer paper, was A MOUSE. I looked at it. It looked at me. S beant down and looked at it. It looked at him. It sat there while S and I stared for a minute and then had a conversation about the mouse which ended in me picking up the nearby screen-wiper cloth and picking the mouse up. It let me pick it up. I mean, I am sure it probably wasn't happy about the situation, but it let to enormous great humans stare at it and make loud exclamatory noises and then PICK IT UP. I am very sure it wasn't a well mouse. S put some clothes on (look, it was Saturday and we'd been drinking Friday night. Clothes BEFORE lunch? Nuh-uh) and carried it outside, but the local cat was sitting in the yard looking mean, so we took it across the road to the carpark to release it under the hedge. It seemed quite fond of the cloth and wouldn't go, so we gently pushed it under the hedge. Yes, I am well aware that sickly mice are in Nature's great wisdom SUPPOSED to be kitty dinner, but we were hungover and it makes one sentimental.

And then we came back in and hunted for the method of ingress and other traces of its passing. And S mentioned that we'd left the remains of the pizza out. And he'd taken a bite this morning. And had thought the pizza wasn't quite how it had been abandoned but hadn't thought anything much of it because, hey, it's not like we had mice or anything.

AAAAAAAAAGH!

Now what?

Off to boil entire house in Dettol. This was the first weekend of a holiday, S has time of work, we were going to do fun couple stuff. Since when does fun couple stuff include setting mouse-traps and bleaching the cupboard under the sink where mouse seems to have been living for a few days ?