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

*In the background, workbots are carrying in newly upholstered sofas and fitting them in amongst the thicket of recliners that were dragged in during the last conversation*

*Lil opens a well-worn scroll*
Welcome to the Atelier! If you haven't been here before, please take a moment to read our forum page at A304354, and follow the links that take you to web pages that feature illustrations, floor plan and backstory.
*tosses scroll to Chloe*

This time, we had a scribe who, despite all the distractions of her real life, turned in a valuable set of notes to remind me of all the difeerent things that happened and that were discussed. Three cheers for Ben! *Chloe steps forward bearing a gift of thanks for Ben: a quill pen in a special holder designed by CLI. In the base is a window showing the view out Ben's window in real time*

First, let us welcome new salonistas mereside3, mikerhike and Julie S. *Chloe hands out goo tee shirts with SALONISTA written on the back* We haven't actually seen mereside since they wandered in, but they're bound to emerge from the backlog sooner or later. We also salute the extreme intermittency of Egon, who arrived, apologized, and apparently left again.

And then we are happy to accede to Sir Marv's recommendation and award a Golden Backlog to Lentilla for her comprehensive reading of and replies to previous posts. She is so accomplished at this that she seems to have received the award before it was received, and thanked us very nicely, too.

Once again, B4 has scored the B4-I-Wake Sympolic cattle prod for being last one to the forum. But anyone who is writing more than one book at once deserves sympathy. His reminiscences of his Opa and Oma in Gdansk made us all nostalgic.

A moment, if you please, of commiseration for the public and private losses suffered during the last conversation. Marv's dad, Z's grandad, Santra's beloved old dog Castor, Betty Friedan, Dennis Weaver and several Danish embassies all succumbed or were escorted out of this life and into another, better one. FG nearly lost a friend, Scandrea's grandmother was poorly, and we are concerned for Amy , whose work travails continue. Lots of salonistas wrestled with lurgy, Mr. D and Kelli in particular being repeat offenders.

No, the year hasn't been easy so far. Who can forget Hati's waterless, firewood-less days in her old place, just before she moved? But finally she made the transition. The whole salon congratulates her on her new home. Meanwhile, the Witty Monikers actually vacated their home in order to perform drastic cosmetic surgery on their kitchen, and Kelli is also remodelling her kitchen. Lil's roof attempted to take flight during the most recent gales, and now she awaits resolution of family soap opera before the new roof is installed. Hypatia's home from home, the WC Library ("see Bob's Rock!"), tried to kill her with coldness, but she won. And Agapanthus's new blog is a symbolic home, of sorts!

Rather than spotting the first robin of Spring, your hostess observed a large and hairy pig in the road. This spawned a deadpan series of posts all avowing that they had never seen a pig in the road -- but what we ~have~ seen! All of life feels compelled to cross the road sooner or later.

Everyone's favorite political event was definitely VP Cheney's shooting accident. There must be some sort of award we can spin out of that, and your hostess is open to suggestions. Meanwhile, we got a postcard from Bald Bloke at Aldergrove Airport, and Mr. Dreadful is knitting himself a chainmail tunic. I know I am not the only one who was horrified at the idea of putting a pillowcase full of sand in one's clothes dryer.

A new batch of smilies arrived and were comprehensively tested and critiqued. A certain lack of anti-aliasing in some of the smilies was deplored, while Amy's was greatly admired and creatively misunderstood.

According to Ben's notes (too copious for me to include everything), we now have a Bad Back Club, with charter members being Teuchter, Kelli and Hati. Carry on!

Here's a list of other topics that were discussed in the course of our conversation:
ANIMALS --
adoption standards compared and contrasted in America and Europe;
Animal training / Owner training;
Dog temperaments in various breeds, and dog stereotypes;
Badly behaved children, raising and adopting, examples of good parenting;
The Welsh - love em or loathe them? If you are a sheep you can't ignore them.

SPORTS AND GAMES
War on Terror Game - Nuclear War Game
The Super Bowl in the US and Rugby in the UK
The Winter Olympics

DILEMMAS
FG's co-worker who won't bring food to the bring and share do
Enforcing Robert's Rules of Order at meetings
Valentine's Day [Why, Ben? -Ed.]

CULTURE
Drive in and drive thru - churches - utilities - post boxes - viewings - etc
UKian and USian and Danish banking - direct debits and indirect debits - pros and cons of paying utility companies by Direct Deposit
Not-Disney videos, stepsons, actual parents and other embarrassments
The Conversation: when/if they tell you about sex - talks - videos - putting condoms on carrots - Femidoms and dental dams
The pros and Cons of wind generators
Landlords' duries

RECIPES
Lentilla's tasty Chicken: F38024?thread=2133573&skip=380&show=1
Lady Chattingly's daughter's saussage and beans: F38024?thread=2133573&show=20&skip=789&show=1


And, after Ben signed off the scribing, we started talking abut brisket again as Wandering Albatross pointed the way to a recipe involving naked brisket in a cottage pie.

And now, fellow salonistas, the salon is ready for us. I am told that the sofas now feature multiple adjustable console arms, and have been sprayed with a dilute mixture of scotchgard and anti-grav. Not enough to unseat you and send you flying toward the ceiling, but perhaps you won't sink so deep into the cushions!

Please make yourselves at home, and let the conversation continue.

Am I here yet?

Hoo Yus

First time I've made the fist led in a while!

i would have been here earlier but was pulled away from my desk!

I could've made it easily if it hadn't taken so long to load... but first LED isn't so bad.

Phil was already here by the time I got in, so I went back and read post 1 - nice notes Ben

*Matina brings Phil an irish coffee in a FTTF mug*

*Staggers in, re-arranges blanket coccoon and hot-water-bottles, and curls back up. After a short pause, Matina very kindly brings over a large hot toddy*

Well what a succinct summary of the year to date, thanks Ben and Lil.

Must try one of these new refurbed sofas. Attempts to sit down, only to find himself hovering two foot above the cushion. Phew, good job I'm an Albatross.

There's supposed to be a button in the armrest console that adjusts the antigrav. If you see an orange button, don't push it.

{Teuchter}

Just in from the gym ....... to catch up

Oh ok, what's orange ?

Mr. Customer: "I ordered item X in November and I've just found out it's incorrect."

Why didn't you check when you received it? That's what everyone else in the world does.

*Flops down onto a sofa, accidentally knocking the orange button as he does so.*

Post 15? Not bad, given that I've been wrestling with some rather nasty javascript that appears to have been written by a drugged-up monkey.

Here I was all ready to jump in and grab the FTTF and then I remember, I need to have something written for English. Oh well, at least I nade the 1st LED.

*flies in to the Salon, trying to think of something interesting to say*

New conversation??? And I've had a different site open for at least the last half hour...

* back to see where it started *

A FTTF mug, been a while since I had one of those