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

I always sort my goods that way, Lil. Heavy, unbreakable stuff (bottles, cans, glasses etc first, light and delicate stuff last).

Lil - I pinky swear I always ask 'may I help?' and then 'what can I do to help?', and then I do what I'm told. Given how fussy I am about hanging socks up to dry in the right order (don't ask. It all makes me sound barking mad), I think I might shriek like an air-raid siren if anyone tried to arrange my shopping .

I remember a friend at University, who was blind, telling me how scary and tiresome it was to have 'helpful' people grab her arm and pull her along, rather than let her take their arm (this also gave her the freedom to let go if they were going too fast or leading her somewhere rough or if she felt off-balance). It made a huge impression on me. Which is why I do always ask what help the person wants, rather than assuming.

(I initially typed 'arsuming'. How appropriate. What's that saying? 'ASSUME' makes and ass out of u and me? If Scrumph (or anyone else, for that matter) wishes to provoke me into a shocking and unmannerly display of temper and foot-stamping, all he (or anyone else, for that matter) has to do, is tell me he did or did not do whatever-it-was-that-I-am-querying because he ASSUMED that's what I wanted. ASSUMED. Not asked, not checked with me, ASSUMED. Given that he's known me for 19 years (eep, did I just write that?), you'd think he'd know that, like Cleopatra, custom cannot stale my infinite variety. But I digress).

Why doesn't everyone ask what help is wanted, rather than just DOING stuff, especially for a complete stranger? I am baffled. Humans baffle me. I am going to go and stare at the neighbour's cat, because I cannot fathom why it is sitting on a wall in the dark either, but it's a CAT and we're not actually supposed to be mutually comprehensible.

>>Given how fussy I am about hanging socks up to dry in the right order

I really did at that!

I don't just arrange the groceries on the conveyor belt, I organize them in the shopping cart too! Drives J nuts! She just throws stuff in, though she is careful of breakables and squashables.

As for helping others, I always ask, something about having been a Boy Scout might have something to do with it. Having half-a-dozen "moms" growing up might have something to do with it too...

You're a Marine, GDZ. One expects that sort of fussiness from Marines.

"Like items with like items." How hard is that? General categories grouped, specifically similar things right next to each other. I bet this issue hits home with the Librarians here, as well as anyone who appreciates a bit of ORDER in their lives. Folks who can--even in the dark--reach into drawers, cabinets, and closets, and can walk away fully dressed in attire that doesn't clash.

Helping is good. Asking "what can I do to help" is the pinnacle of good etiquette. ~Listening~ to the need, and responding appropriately, is the mark of a truly "human" individual.

B4ihave2runout2theTurbineBldg&cleanupanoilymess

Good grief, all these NaJoPoMo postings make this one drop further and further down my pop up window - better bump it up.

*tries to come up with something worth while*

*fails*

Ah well, we can't all be brilliant all the time, can we now?

Ha-ha, so the best way to keep this in the Top Ten is to drop a line every hour or so...

B4wefindoutwhoelseisawakethistimeofday

'Day' being the key word for me, as it's 10.45 am here - what's your excuse, B4?

[Bagpuss]

Refuel Outage 18.
12-hour shifts.
5 days per week, sometimes 6 days per week.
Owl Shift. [7pm - 7am]

B4irootaround4somekindofexemptioncardlikeaBacklogPass

Because for the first Saturday in several weeks I've been able to have a lie in.

A lie in, Hmmm. I think I remember the phrase. Can't quite remember what it means though

A sad day in the household.
The Tomcat's guinea-pig, Samson passed away this morning. A most clever little beast who squeaked most loudly when the fridge's salad drawer was open, and ran to the edge of the cage to greet us when we came in to the kitchen. He even liked to greet our cat with a touching of noses when she padded by.
Safely buried in the garden in a spot chosen by the Tomcat.

*who also places in order his groceries for safe packing*

Safe packing is essential for me too. I often go to several shops to do the shopping so visiting the greengrocer then butcher before going to the deli or bakery is essential. It ends with a trip round the small supermarket to get the last of what we need.

Difficult for the wee ones, Eats. And sometimes for us not-so-wee ones,too. We have , and buried in the garden under each their own

for Samson.

We have a few gerbils and a budgie buried in the garden.

This weekend I will be mostly playing Skyrim and making sure that my shopping is properly packed in the right bags.

*looking out at a pretty solid wall of mist*

Weather today: an indeterminate shade of grey from 8 pm to 4 pm, roughly. No snow yet, which is kind of unusual this far into November.

*scribbles busily, pulls out a sheet of paper, crumples it up and tosses it into a corner*

*scribbles some more, pulls out another sheet of paper, crumples it up, tosses it into... the basket Matina is holding in front of her*

*looks ish*

*picks up a pillow and puts it against the wall, then repeatedly bashes her head against it*

*other self tells Ti to stop acting like a drama hungering for attention and get back to writing instead*

What we need is a procrastination smiley