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

Welcome to the Atelier! If you've never been here before, please go to A304354 and have a look at our raisons d'être. Also have a look at http://www.asterlil.com/h2g2/index.html and check out the link to our atelier illustrations, where you'll even find a floor plan!

Witty Moniker was our scribe for the previous conversation, and I believe it was her first time in this capacity, and she has all our thanks for all her work. *Chloe hands Witty a quill pen with a pale yellow ostrich plume, set in a base of Delft porcelain, white with a goo pattern that incorporate "6F" with "HooToo"* We also have this pad of CLI Post-Its for Phil, who issued the timely reminder about skipping the number 70 and going on to 71, due to a previous hostess error. These post-its have some special properties, which Affi or GL will explain.

A Special Award for Clerical Diligence goes to Demon Drawer, who collected statistics from all of our previous conversations and served them up at the beginning of the thread. When Scribe Witty copied them out, I realised that such an effort deserved preservation, and placed the data at http://www.asterlil.com/h2g2/halloffame.htm , from which position, we may be able to update the tables easily. *Chloe presents DD with a magnifying glass, the handle of which is cut of oak from the nearby Magic Forest, nicely carved in an oakleaf pattern and with several buttons carved to look like acorns. The buttons are for zooming in and out*.

And then we have a blue garter and a bouquet of roses for dave, who received numerous propositions of marriage from salonistas looking for a househusband.

Egon's calling card arrived first to the forum with Demon Drawer appearing in person right behind. Matina, in what may be a salon first, broke out two FTTF mugs. Who knew she had a backup? Who knew she could distinguish between a calling card and an actual post with content? Egon followed his card into the salon and was able to enjoy his Irish coffee before it got cold.

Your hostess has checked up on the tee shirt situation, and finds that they have been kept in the linen closet, where their size could be adjusted, post-manufacture, to fit the winner. They are colored #33CCCC, a nice cyanic blue-green, with FTTF in bold white letters over a teacup logo on the left breast. No matter how many times you've won, you have just one tee shirt unless you require a replacement because of wear and tear. I never get to be First to the Forum. If none of you mind, I have taken back the name of the Atelier, and changed it back to Lil's, from the "Hootoo Atelier", a change I only made to attempt to placate a certain Ice Man who is no longer with us.

The B4IWake Last-to-the-Forum Symbolic Non-Working Cattle Prod goes to Tartaronne at post #610. *proudly* That's your second cattle prod! *Aside to Tartaronne from Witty, as Chloe presents Tartaronne with the award: Blame Lil, I never would have noticed.* Hmm. I had better collect that Cattle Prod statistic and add it to the Hall of Fame tables, along with a list of scribes.


New Arrivals and Sporadic Visitors:

Pierce the Pirate jumped right into the conversation. Welcome, Pierce. You're managing the backlog without difficulty, I hope! jr52 made a tingling appearance, and we were overjoyed to learn that ox has made it through all the hurricanes with nothing more than a few callusses from clinging to palm trees in high winds. Lil, meanwhile, is extremely glad that she no longer lives in Lakeland, home to two successive hurricane eyes.

Quizzes and such:

I Ching calculator: http://www.thateden.co.uk/dirk/
Your Vampire name: http://www.emmadavies.net/vampire/default.aspx
Your Smurf name: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mule/smurfgen.html
Are you a good speller?: http://books.guardian.co.uk/quiz/questions/0,5957,1303707,00.html
Lab results: http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~kovar/hall.html
IQ quiz (beware possible rogue dialers or matchmaking services ): http://web.tickle.com/tests/uiq/index2.jsp?sid=&supp=&z=
Occupational Hazard Quiz: http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/W/worstjobs/quiz.html
*nice for WM to have included the links!*


Significant RL events:

B4 reports that he starts on the job training at the nuke plant as he continues his climb up the career ladder.
FG got to the root (har har) of her flooding problem and repairs are underway.
Tataronne is off to Italy for some musical and family related activity.
Lil's friend Drew lost his wolf, Lazarus, to renal failure.
Hurricane Frances and the Russian school siege were disturbing events that left salonistas feeling helpless.
Munchkin, Toccata, Phil and MC enjoyed a Victorian festival.
Signs of autumn are in the air in the northern hemisphere.
Z's roommate, A, has had his relocation loan approved is moving on to the real world.
Lil found out that Lincoln is getting a by-pass to local route 380, so no mo' more heavy trucking! On the other hand, it may all be an ugly rumor. Stay tuned.
Ben is having two of her poems published.
Hati hitchhiked to the zoo and back.
Teuchter was notified that she will be laid off effective the end of the year. The news triggered a group hug
In the salon.
Sea continues to wrestle with her 'sister issues'.
Egon has finished his coursework.
MR got a shiny new fellowship.
MR solicited advice for handling the BF's cat allergy.
Hypatia scored a juicy grant for her library.
FG engaged in some architectural archaeology involving an old theatre.

Atelier moments:

Ltp was skunked out of post #42 by Ben ! Lil pronounced (in post 89) that henceforth, post 42 would be known as 'post ltp'.
Labor Day barbecue was enjoyed on the terrace.
Matina decamped while the Salonistas took over the kitchen to prepare an impromptu feast.
Flaming and other combustible vehicles.

Major topics of discussion:

MR instigated a discussion of immigration laws as it relates to inter-nationality marriage.
Tattoos, fangs and other body modifications. Speculation about this population when they become nursing home residents.
Zomnker (GDZ) posed the question: Should an artist i.e. George Lucas, be allowed to make any changes he/she wishes to his/her concept even though those changes will make fans upset?
What makes you feel like a kid?
What was your worst birthday experience?
Teuchter's layoff sparked a discussion of socialism as it affects health care.
Names of businesses that are so silly/strange/bizarre that we won't shop there.
Funeral customs and debts of the deceased were discussed, as was housework.
And then we wound up discussing hobbies, a term in danger of becoming antique...

And now the salon has been cleaned up, the dishes washed, fresh cinnamon buns and mbougatses are on the butler's hatch next to the samovars, and we are ready to move forward into the next conversation.

am I first?

I must be second, again.

Blast! I missed out on a mug because I was washing up! I won't let that happen again ..

*Matina, who has resumes sovereignty of the kitchen, brings kelli an Irish coffee in a First-to-the-Forum mug, along with a tee shirt*

*she turns to GDZ and hands him a small packet of AFTTF saltines*

*does stirry-pot dance*

That was well timed, was just shutting everything down. The treadmills are calling...

k

[GD]

Who has just finished the 900+ posting backlog of the last 6FXth thread

* sits down and looks for a refreshing cup of *

*Accepts the quill in the lovely delft stand and places it on the coffee table next to the one she received for her previous stint as scribe.*

Thanks! I like that each quill is unique.

Bravo Lil, and Witty for the intro.

*helps herself to and mbougatses*

Nice summary, WM .

[BB]
ambles in, just to make sure he avoids the cattle prod

::sneaks in behind BB, covering her fanny in case of cattle prod action and mightily pleased to be mentioned *twice* in Witty's nutritious, chewy and satisfying intro::

Something tells me that the first LED is not the place to get a catttle-prod.

Phew - made it onto the first LED.

Getting one's fanny prodded in the UK is quite a diffeent proposition

Late as usual. Such is life.

Amy, I'll take one of those m'bougatses, please, and a cuppa.

s to read

I'll scribe this one if you'd like Lil.

*sips miraculously still hot irish coffee from FTTF mug*

I'm not sure I earn the honour of the cattle-prod in the previous conversation.

I actually entered at posting 21 - and then went to Italy for a holiday.

But the two of them look very rustic on my wall just over the pc - so if noone is in dire need for a prod, I-ll keep the pair of them

*arrives to the new thread fashionably late and - hopefully - early enough to avoid the cattle prod*

Thank you kelli, I accept your offer to be scribe! And tartaronne, I'm not sure you were the last one here either, but you're right, they look like matched swords on the wall, don't they!

Rainy thundery morning, now a windy sunny afternoon -- more rain probably on its way. I built a fire this morning, at last, the first of the season. It's good wood.