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

Welcome to the Atelier, a place about which you can find out everything by visiting A304354. Those who frequent this place are not so easily described, but it's safe to say that they are all interesting, all diverse.

The first order of business is to thank the relative newcomer, healingmagichands, for volunteering to scribe the most recent conversation, and for providing your hostess with a thorough set of notes, for which we present her with the traditional Quill Pen Award. *Chloe presents hmh with a snow-white plumed quill set in a base of white marble on the sides of which are carved a forest bed of ferns*

Many good links were provided, as usual, but I think the one which made us all laugh the hardest was provided by Lentilla, to a group of imaginary covers for bodice rippers. For this we award Lentilla with the Golden Link for 88X. *Chloe gives Lentilla a fine gold chain with an '88X' charm*

Thanks to hmh's scribing, we have a clear winner for the Last To The Forum Award! And that winner is GreyDesk at post 1248. As advertised, we have a new prize for this distinction: Chloe, please present GD with these blue mohair pants with attached feet. GreyDesk, these are yours to wear for three LEDs, at which time you may hand them back to Chloe for washing and presentation to the next winner. May they bag in all the right places!

Despite an early display of magnanimity, ltp still managed to post at #42. Congratulations!

New salonistas: We had three -- Rev. Nick, Yingcat and dgbibulli. Welcome to you all. We are all pleased to see you keeping up with our notorious backlog.



Now follows a distillation of hmh's notes, which were so prodigious that I broke them out in categories.

QUIZZES:
Kingdomality
American Geography

TRAVELS:
At various times during the thread people travelled: Mol returns from camp, David B goes to his sister's wedding,. Marv travels to Las Vegas for a convention, Healingmagichands goes to the Carolinas, Hati goes to a minimeet in Estonia, Mr. Dreadful to an LARP extravaganza (there are photos), Phil to a music festival, KerrAvon goes to Dorset on vacation, Santragenius to scout camp, Agapanthus to visit in-laws in the country, Ben goes onvacation, FG goes to New York and Philadelphia, Solnushka goes on holiday to Moscow, Tartaronne on holiday to an island off the coast of Arhus

HEALTH COMMISERATIONS:
to Sol whose pregnancy misfired this time, to GDZ who contracted a nasty case of strep, to Kelli for whom stress became a physical entity and who is safeguarding her unborn baby zealously, to Ben for her migraine, and to Mr. Dreadful who experienced the consequences of outdoor LARPING in the cold. Congrats to Kelli on a good sonogram, and to Witty Moniker for the improvement in her back.

FOOD:
Foods discussed in passing: Pot noodles, chip butties, crisp butties, sausage sarnies, eggs in the hole, scratchings, battered sausages, deep fried twinkies, mustard, goat products including goat, chicken cordon bleu, salad, rabbit stew, slow roasted tomatoes, deep fried snickers bars, blini, how to cook beetroots, and virtual blackberry crumble with vanilla ice cream.

REALWORLD NEWS:
Foiled terrorist plot fouls travel plans for total population wordwide.
Steve Irwin dies in a freak accident with a stingray.
Hati has a disastrous embarrassing infuriating work day, threatens to become an assassin
The Singing Libarian is going to sing Gilbert and Sullivan: Pirates of Penzance There is a short excursion into hats and costume items.
Bagpuss has a job interview.
Lentilla gets a commission for a mask from Wilma.
Someone in the Sudan is forced to marry a goat.
Marv gets a tattoo.
Santragenous V. has a 14th wedding anniversary.
Amy, now situated in Quirm, has interesting encounters with debt collectors who are trying to collect on someone else's debts.

ECOLOGY:
A water use calculator is presented, and discussed at length, with suggestions for conservation. A lot of discussion is also given over to composting, garbage disposals and recycling.
Ben gives a link to a news story about tree blights: horse chestnuts, elms, oaks dying everywhere. Gypsy moths.

ROMANCE:
GDZ begins to talk seriously to J and winds up doing some activities with her [This could maybe be explained better. -Ed ]. They go on a "Date", and then things get really great. Even the kids like her. He sends her flowers, and starts another term of school.

ODDITIES:
Strangely Strange has a strange experience with Shell security while attempting to secure artistic photos of their building. Some folks decide flying kites is more interesting, possibly safer.
WM is given a mobius scarf recipe.
We have a brief visit by a Caveman, lost due to a Ffordian Rift. Ultimately, he is hustled out by CLIBOT11.

ACADEMIA:
Ben writes a paper and a sprightly discussion of footnotery ensues. We all learn what a cargo cult is.
We discuss the merits of H2G2 versus Wikipedia. A certain bias surfaces.
We define the condominium, as contrasted to flats and apartments.
Titania writes a poem about a tremendous storm in Stockholm
We discuss the English language, how it changes, the disappearance of old verb forms, and whether this is a "good thing" or not.
How to pluralize an acronym ending in "S".

PERILS:
Kelli goes so far as to use the D-word. Things settle down again. People offer advice and insight into the (possible) inner workings of a man.
Kerr has a money crisis, runs out of food. Well, almost all food. Recipe suggestions follow. Amazing what can be done with flour, lard, sugar, yeast, olive oil, and slightly manky potatoes. Suggestions for foraging also offered. This situation precipitates a discussion on planning for disasters/Armageddon.
Ben has a ceiling disaster at a rental place.
Lil gets flooded during a cloudburst, and her fridge dies during a blackout. (This leads to discourse on what to use a refrigerator cadaver for and what people did before fridges.)

MISCELLANY:
air travel nowadays, its pros and cons.
fashionable uses for ties
childhood misadventures: apparently, Mothers have a streak of absentmindedness. The Basil Fawlty library tour!
Sixties music -- band lists
one-upsmanship
the relationship of artists to galleries
the merits of Irn Bru, root beer, and ginger beer
elderly linoleum
steam trains
baby showers
the pros and cons of zoos
asthma and swimming in public pools

REAL ESTATE:
Ben is remodelling
Wilma is buying a place
HMH sells property
Lil sells property
Mr. Dreadful makes an offer on a house
Witty's house remodelling is proceeding apace.
So is Kelli's.

PHOTOGRAPHY:
Somewhere out there is a picture of Marv in a cowboy hat. Lil offers a reward for it.
Strangely is contemplating procuring a new camera, which leads to a discussion on the merits of sundry models, and we revisit the comparison of digital vs film cameras.
Lil gets some great hummingbird shots and some wonderful links appear in the photo gallery thread.



And now the salon is ready to receive us, with fresh tea in the samovar and another pan of piping warm cinnamon buns baked by Matina. Please make yourselves at home!

Hi

Hiya.

*A mammoth dashes in, tries to stop before he hits the wall*

A new thread



Oh I'm not first.

Oh well.

Never mind.

*begins to repair the dent in the wall*

Well scribed, hmh "Footnotery" - I found that a lovely word

*Runs in*

Did I win?

*Notices Woolly Mammoth, Bagpuss and Santra.*

No...

*Looks crestfallen.*

[MTG{KEA}going to murder a balloon]

*Matina brings Santra an Irish coffee in an FTTF mug, goes back to the kitchen, and returns with a tray of brownies for Marv's birthday*

I may have been second to the forum, but I was the first to post on the old forum after Lil said "Clean cups!"

*registers the underwhelming response*

*takes a cinamon bun and pours some *

Happy b'day Marv. It's a talking balloon.

*comes ning in with Ripley hanging like a backpack on her back, almost strangling her*

First page?

*carefully uses trunk to offer Hyp a Cinamon Bun*

*admires the mug happily and sits down in a nicely red sofa to slurp Irish Coffee and munch on a brownie*

Off to Mrs SG V's sister and b-i-l in half an hourish, then altogether to the theatre to watch (a modern version of) Peer Gynt

*waves while slowly fading from the sofa*

Those buses are slow today...

Happy birthday, Marv!

So far the tally is 18 times that that bloody balloon has gone off. It's not even noon yet.

*Enters the new thread in a dignified, unrushed manner. Helps herself to and a *

Marv, are you planning revenge on the balloon giver?

[p]

*gladly accepts bun* Thanks Woolly. No one does cinnamon buns better than Matina.

Why stop at the balloon giver? I intend to get my revenge on the entire team.

1st LED at least?