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

They say that in order to become a great musician you must practice for at least 10,000 hours.

In the 80s, the new thing was Windsurfing. I windsurfed. It was a difficult skill to learn.


Later, Kite surfing became the new thing.


I read about it, and one of the things I read stated that while kite surfing was easier to learn than windsurfing, it was much more dangerous.

A few weeks later I read a story about a novice kite boarder who caught a "good" wave, and a "good" wind, and died when she hit a third story window across the Ventura highway from the beach.

Lloyd Bridges did an episode on kite water skiiing for "Sea Hunt".

http://www.darwinawards.com/

You can always find one!

Maybe we could blame the building for being in his path?

The oldest historical reference to man carrying kites I know of was from an 18th century British court case in which the verdict of the court was that there was nothing in the laws of England prohibiting flying so long as one could do it.

Morning all, back from my hols and I'm lightly tanned with a wiff of sea air about me

[grump]

Morning

I'll have to walk to the pub. It's a dirty job, yeah, but somebody has to do it. And the owner is closing shop for a few weeks and go for a holiday so you know, last orders and all that

Just got in from the pub, the bar was empty and it was really nice to watch the flys, flying around the light

[grump]

Takes a barfly to know a barfly, I suppose

If the customers were flies, maybe it was a flybar.

Last nights barflies were very drunk and playful, took me by surprise when they started singing hymns......



i nearly shed a tear when the rude version of "All Things Bright an Butifull" was started

[grump]

There are other versions

I have a standing rule... If folks (and folk singers) refrain from singing hymns in my pub, I'll refrain from singing drinking songs in their church.

[grump]

Sounds fair

Reminds me of a bar in my home town. Long ago the barkeeper put up a sign in the men's restroom with the words: "Please do not throw your cigarette butts in the urinals - and I promise not to piss in your ashtrays"

I like that. It so much better than the tired old "Please do not throw cigarette butts in the urinals as it makes them soggy and hard to light."


Speaking of pub restrooms, I heard about a pub that had an "interactive" picture of a young, well chiseled Scotsman hanging in the women's room. The "kilt" was a separate piece from the photo itself suggesting that it could be lifted to see what the Scotsman wore under it.

What visitors to this pub were unlikely to know was that there was a switch connected to the "kilt" that turned on a light over the bar when anyone lifted the "kilt".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPriOQkKd6k

I remember a scene from "Romeo and Juliet" in which someone lifted up the skirt of a woman, whereupon Romeo said "What hast thou found?"

Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo ?

under the balcony you stupid woman! it's raining!

Alas poor Yorick! I knew him Horatio ? was that his real name ? I thought it was Albert

There is an old song on the subject http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UJI31UJuzc about the Scotman's kilt