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

So you are having the kitchen delivered on my birthday. So does that mean no present for me?

Sugar is still a little high in the numbers but not on any medication yet. But I think I can improve on the numbers if I get my weight down. Right now I am at 230 pounds. I really need to get it down to about 200. My son Chris has dropped 60 pounds and the doctor told him he may be off the meds before too long.

In so far as the work on the intro -- after looking at Animal's home page I know I know nothing. I cannot begin to fathom how he does some of the things he does. I'll keep on practicing on my intro and maybe figure out what makes things work.

&
Mo

I managed to play with my page a bit more last night, but I still can't figure out how people get things going right across the page - ah well! It takes an age typing all the bits out I can't fathom how he does it all either

Weight - very important as far as diabetes goes - a pain to shed though! I only seem to look at a biscuit & I add a few more pounds Fruit, fresh veg & no biccies Eat smaller amounts at each meal & eat fruit (celery even better) if you feel really hungry. As R & I say: a little bit of everything doesn't hurt & then you have a well balanced diet. Shirps over & out

Aha, your b'day - it's on my calendar now

There is a site where everyone can put their birthdays - if I come across it, I'll let you know

All for now - hope work's not too bad today - weekend shortly

Hi

I like what you did to your p/space. If I get time I'll see if I can add to mine. Right now I got to quit goofing off and balance the checking and pay a bill or two.

Does Roger get on here too?
and
to R&S
mofolo

Hi there

Hey thanks! I hope my p/space a just a "bit" more interesting

Aha, balancing the bank statement (that's what we call it here!) bills (I reckon they've got the same name all over - strange, I sorted mine yesterday - luckily I've got mine on the computer now - much easier to sort & pay

At present R only looks at Nasa things, astronomy & cars!! Basically, when he was working he was the boss & never had to get to grips with computers! I am teaching him slowly (odd as he used to be a teacher!) & just asked him if he'd be interested on getting on this site - he said "yes" - so once this kitchen is sorted, I'll show him how!

back to you! & ?

What grade students did Roger teach.

I have my checking on the computer. I just need to catch up. I have Quicken. I started out when they were Intuit. I was customer number 811. Many years later when asked for my customer number the clerk thought I dropped a digit from my numbers. By then they were into five digit customer numbers. But as I was saying I have gotten a little behind. I need to get everything current and to start using the budgets. Another nice thing is being to access my bank accounts on line. I no longer get my checks back. And if forget where I wrote a check to I can go on line and view the check once it has cleared the bank.

Mary-Kay a few years ago worked for one of the local supermarkets. She started her first checking account. Once after receiving her bank statement she went and bought something by check and a few days later it bounced. She didn't understand it. Her statement said she had the money to cover the check. She hadn't learned about checking accounts and how they are balanced. I guess I blew that one. I walked her through the process and she didn't make that mistake again. Mary-Kay is a blond. I don't know if blonds get picked on at your end of the ocean but here they are fair game for humor. True story: Mary-Kay mentioned that her chicken salad sandwich in her lunch really tasted different. When I asked her if she did anything different she said the only thing new was she tried a different brand - Chicken of the Sea.

Got to go.
to you, Roger and of course Holly. I'd send but if Holly is like our boxers she would end up eating them.

A blonde lady was driving along the highway when a blonde police officer pulled her over for speeding.
Officer: May I see your licence?
Lady: What does it look like?
Officer: It's a rectangular thing with a photo of you on it.
The lady looks through her bag and pulls out her compact mirror and hands it to the officer.
The officer opens it up and says 'if you had told me you were a police officer I wouldn't have pulled you over.'

That says it all really doesn't it

Oh yes, blondes have the fair share of joke attack over here, but recently they have been fighting back trying to persuade people that they are intelligent. I used to be nearly blonde, but used to use the dumb blonde attitude only when necessary Perhaps that's why I've been teased all my life!

We have one county in England called Essex and the Essex girls are the prime attack of joke abuse at present - their speech, the way they dress & act, etc. However, my sister-in-law & family live in Essex - so there are ALWAYS the exceptions.

I do the same with on-line bank accounts & paying bills via this way - saves postage & time! I have never got around to computerising everything as you have (my daughter keeps telling me to use Excel) - over the past few years I have had trouble with some computers, so I prefer to keep my main accounts in black & white - old-fashioned, but trustworthy (when I do the addition & subtraction correctly that is I've always budgeted everything out - practically to the last penny - if there was anything left over went into an emergency account and/or savings. I think I managed to teach Liz to pay the "life" things first (mortgage, heating, etc.) It's different for the youngsters today, she & her husband bring in double what R & I have. However, their mortgage is alot higher, etc. Swings & roundabouts.

Ah yes, the number thing! I know a very few people on h2 that would love a 5-figure number. When I originally joined I had a 6-figure, but having messed up getting back here I've ended up with a 7-figure - ah well - as I say: I am a person, not a number.

That originally came from a TV series called "The Prisoner" with Patrick McGoohan - did you ever get that in the States?

When R was teaching at school, biology, - it was a boys grammar school - ages from 11 to 18. Then later he switched to adult education & taught biology & physiology to, obviously, adults. Usually people changing jobs & trying to get their basic qualifications for things like nursing. He taught in the evening, while being one of the 4 co-ordinators of adult education for our county. The county is quite large, so it was split into 4 areas.

However, as usual, everything was re-organised and the "gang of four" were offered early retirement/redundancy. Roger grabbed it & retired.

A couple of years back the government were offering incentives for older teachers to go back to teaching - he read it - ripped it up & threw it in the bin! So many of his friends are teachers or ex-teachers & nearly all have had heart or mind problems. So I reckon he is best out of it. Our present government has brought in so much rubbish to do with education - they are ruining the whole setup and standard. I'm on my soapbox!

I was quite yesterday, the evening before R cooked liver & onions, I thought I'd take a chance (I love onions & garlic, but I usually have a bad reaction to them) - the following morning I was badly sick, etc. & took all day to recover - milky coffees & nothing else - I still feel fragile, but alot better - the old sugar levels went absolutley berserk, but I think I have them under control again

Must go too - washing my hair don't you know

to you all too - what are your dog's names? I think you have told me, but I've forgotten. & s to them too.


PS: Why Holly has her name is because when she was a puppy she used to eat the leaves off the Holly bush! H'ever she doesn't touch flowers!

Hi ,

I know what you mean about the government and schools. I can remember when the older kids had "New Math." That lasted about a three years I think. After the kids got totally confused with it the schools went back to the basics. Now we are on a proficiency kick. Now I am not too much against setting standards for graduation but our schools spend way too much time preparing for the test and leave a lot of the rounding out materials go. But the main thing with me is that it stops some kids from getting their diploma. Personally, I think they need something like a three tier diploma. The highest for the student that get top grades and pass all five proficiency tests, the middle tier diploma for those with average grades and have passed at least two or more of the proficiency test, and a standard diploma for those who have earned passing grades and may not have passed any proficiency tests. My one brother-in-law and his wife taught school. He taught high school up in Monroe, Michigan and she taught elementary here in Toledo. He taught business math and economics mainly. They are retired and take trips two to three times a year together and he takes one trip to visit his family that moved to Missouri. His one daughter has an egg farm and her husband raises dairy cows and grows his own cattle feed.

"The Prisoner" was a big hit over here. I never watched it. I do not know why. I wonder if they put that on DVD's? A lot of the really popular or cult TV shows are being put on DVD's including some of the older shows.

I wonder if the Essex girls are like our California Valley girls?

I love liver and onions. I am the only one in my family that does. But, I ask you, nicely I hope, what goes on in your mind that you eat something that makes you ill? My daughter, Mary-Kay, has problems with strawberries. That doesn't stop her from eating them. Her mouth breaks out with sores and she finds it difficult to eat. You did say you were nearly blonde.

My "girls" are Lady about 8 or 9 years and her daughter is Whizzer about one year younger. Whiz is a . She is constantly licking something. It can be herself, her mamma, the rug, my chair or if the grandson, Midget, comes over, his face. But they are my girls except when needs a pillow. Then they are his girls.

to all and a little something extra, , for Holly.

Mo

Hi there

Sorry not got back - hands a little bad at present - mustn't type too much. I'm a little bit cheesed off (see my journal of yesterday).

My stomach has not returned to normal - I'm not on the painkillers at present as sometimes they upset my stomach too & I have to go without for a week or two.

I wish when things are working OK they would leave things alone!! I talk about education, of course! I suspect your brother-in-law & wife think the same - I should imagine, like R, they are happy to be retired from it all now

I do think that all children should leave school with some level of qualification, but as long as they have shown they have worked towards it. Not everyone can be a "brain surgeon" , but alot work VERY hard to achieve their own personal best & that should be rewarded. As long as future employers can understand what level they are.

Our present government has it in mind that everyone should go to university and alot of technical colleges have been turned into uni's. This leaves no room for those who are good at technical rather than academic subjects. So now tuition fees for uni have been introduced as the uni's cannot afford so many more students.

I could go on ....... but I won't - thank goodness says

Sometimes people get "cleverer" as they get older (that's you & me I reckon )

I think they have put the Prisoner on DVD - do a search on the web - Amazon for instance, or the British TV sites - sure to be there. Well worth watching. I've been to Portmeirion twice - that was where they filmed it. It is in Wales & was a complete village designed by one person many years ago - again, if you do a search you'll find out more. Giving you alot of work am I?

Could well be! I think I've heard an American speaking about the CV girls.

I eat the onions, because it is so long since I had any & the smell was so enticing & I just wondered ........ I do have the same problem with strawberries - stomach. The only other things I cannot bear, for much the same reason as Mary-Kay, are oranges/juice and coconut! My father was the same. I end up with ulcers in my mouth. Must be something to do with the fair hair (Except my father had dark hair )

The builder only took 1 and half days, compared with the 3 to 4 days he estimated! Now R has to see to the plumbing - they are all really old taps & things that come from a basic lead pipe! The lead pipe we can do nothing about - Victorian age & run under the house to the main Victorian water system It would cost a fortune to get them all replaced & my newly decorated hallway would have to come up - NOOOOOO! One of our taps has developed a drip, but we'll hang on as a new setup will be coming with the kitchen. On top of that our old stove is leaking gas! (I did say it all needed replacing )

So having cleared up most of the dust, we now have a dripping tap, a gas smell so we have the sound of the extractor fan all the time

Apart from that & my stomach we're just fine

We collected R's brother from the airport yesterday. He's come back from France to help out with scenery for the next show at the Amateur Performers Society in his old local village. His wife is still working in England during the week & going to France at weekends. Once she has retired (she hopes this year) then I think they may cut ties a bit more with the Society. No - R & I do not take part! We go & watch - they're not bad at all - mainly musicals, which are great fun.

My mother used to breed miniature long-haired dachshunds years ago & one of those was called Lady - I loved her very much & was sad when mum gave her away. However, she lived in the next road & I was forever getting told off for being late home from ballet class: I would call in and visit Lady

Holly can be a licker - only when the fancy takes her though, usually when she wants something She does bark alot - anybody going past, even people she knows. Sometimes it is a real pain!

Must go - typed too much

Have a great weekend - speak soon

to all
especially the s a little dog for them

Thanks for the for Holly, but she must be careful: she's getting a little thick around the waist - all us ladies have this problem

Shirps

....Got to eat a little of my own crow (eat humble pie). I watched the superbowl with the and pigged out on crisps and dip. Woke up only because Whizzer jumped on my bed. The girls are used to me letting them out between 5 and 5:30 am. She woke me up at 6:30. I was feeling spacey or a little off my trolley for most of the day. I really overdid the carbs and threw my system into a diabetic mad cow. So I guess I spoke out of turn being critical of your dining on the onions.

I will put the "Prisoner" on my to do list.

The sewer pipe backed up so had to have a plumber come in and snake it out. Unfortunately I called the wrong one and ended paying twice as much. I think we have a tile out of alignment and also a root problem. So every three or four months we end up calling the plumbers.

As far as the mouth ulcers, is very dark haired. He has the tight curly black hair. I really get jealous sometimes. I got a monks cap at the back of my head. My natural, a way of saying what it used to look like, hair colour is mousey brown and light textured. So I don't think it's being fair of skin or hair. I think will get poison ivy just by seeing it across the road. He breaks out regularly with that.

I love plays. Especially amatuer productions. My son Chris was in a comedy where he was the only one to sing. He has an amazing capability of having perfect pitch. I'm not sure exactly what that means but I do know he can imitate a copper's siren. I only found out about it when he was getting an award in band and the director had him show his skill. Any way, Bonnie and I went to one of his rehearsals and there were a few mixups in the practice and Bonnie cracked up. She was practically laughing during the whole practice. After the rehearsal the show director called for the next date of practice and said very loudly that it would be a closed rehearsal. I bet we were the first parents to be uninvited to stay for a rehearsal.

It won't be long and you will be past the leaking gas thing. Roger will be able to cook up a storm. It is always the before problems that make the after seem so sweet. Once you get the cubbies up and the range in place and the walls painted you will feel a world of difference.

I started this too late. I have to go to sleep now. So I'm off.

to you, Roger and Holly.

Difficult isn't it? You know eating what or when you're not supposed to That's why I DO feel lucky having the jabs. I have one insulin at night that acts as a background for 24 hours & another 3 jabs during the day (1 before each meal) which is fast acting. So, if I know I'm going to have more carb than normal I can increase the dosage. It sounds perfect, but, as you know, it is still nigh-on impossible to make it all balance, but it does give me a little lea-way.

I've got several of those "to-do" lists - seem to forget to look at them though

So, you haven't got a bald patch, but a hair patch?

A friend of mine, who I've known since I was around 18 has been bald since then - he went through the phase of combing his hair across the bald patch & then he began wearing caps. Thank goodness he has at last accepted it & actually looks very good.

My nephew who is now nearly 31 has shaved his hair off completely for years - he reckons he doesn't have time in the mornings for washing & primping it!! Speaking of him: He has recently moved away from home into his own newly built flat. He has alot to learn!!! Apparently he had a friend round & they were to have some sort of meat fondue - cooked in oil? Anyway, they set it up & left it .... you've guessed: it caught fire & made the whole brand new kitchen sooty, for him. As I say - he'll learn, he'll have to!

Must say, if you'd been my parents I reckon I WOULD have got the director to bar you

Go look at my journal (by the by, if you add me to your friends list, you'll know when I post anything in my journal - I have added you to mine ) Maybe you've done it already - sorry if that's so!!

Speak later mayhap?

for all

Found the journal entries. Have you set up as friend.

Hope you get the two doctors together soon. Can't imagine what you must go through not taking the pain relievers. Hope it doesn't change your personality too. I tried to quit Paxil cold turkey and became very angry person. Quitting Paxil must be done in stages. I use Paxil to help me face paying bills.

Bald spot.

Drain backed up this past weekend. Had to call in a plumber. Had to borrow from my oldest son.

The one thing I really want to avoid is having to do the jab. I hate needles, yet I give blood everytime they call me. Last week I went in after work and they asked if I would do a double risk. I had no idea what that was but agreed. They take out one pint, spin out the red cells, and then replace the fluids. Then they take out a second pint and do the same thing. I get credit for two pints and can't be called for 115 days. Yippee! A little over three months needle free.

This week has been exhausting. I come home zapped out tired. I've gotten a bit behind on the laundry and dishes and haven't been getting to bed early enough to recoup my energy. So I am making this brief tonight and hitting the sack.

to all and for Holly.

A couple of quick thoughts about smoking. When I was a kid I could buy a carton of cigarettes for $2.00 US dollars. Now people pay over $3.00 just for one pack. I don't know if people buy cartons any more. The most I have seen being purchased has been three packs. I would guess that there aren't as many pack a day smokers now. How much in your currency does it cost for a pack of cigarettes in UK?

One thing that helped me to decide to quit was the time I was laying carpet in our living room. After removing all the furniture and laying the the padding I had a smoke. Then I went for the finish and using knee kickers and special hold down devices along the wall I completed the job. I was going to have another cigarette before bringing in the furniture. But my shirt pocket was empty. Then I noticed a bulge near the center that I missed before. No way was I going to tear up all that work for one pack of cigarettes. I took the rubber mallet used in the final stretching of the carpet and pounded the bulge flat. I went out to the kitchen for a glass of water when I noticed a half empty pack on the diningroom table. I got to thinking that if this is the pack I have been smoking, what then ???? About this time Bonnie came in to the room and says to me, "Honey, I looked all over the house and I can't find the parakeet."

Okay, that really didn't happen. But if it had, well, I guess I would have had a smoke in memory of the fictious bird. But speaking of parakeet -- My Aunt Frances and Uncle Bob lived on Parakeet Lane when I was young. True. One day my brothers and I were returning to their house, we probably had gone to Lane's Drug Store, when we spotted a parakeet in the gutter. It was raining and the poor thing was soaked. It offered no resistence to being picked up, We took it back to the house. Aunt Frances dried it off and put it in a shoe box and gave us a cage to take home. I don't know how long we had the bird. Maybe a year maybe more. Has Roger ever gotten an excuse that the dog ate the homework? I worked hard on an assignment and placed it just before going to be next to the cage. The next morning the paper was gone. All that was left was a scattered pile of bits. The whole sheet was bitten down to half centimeter bits! I'm guessing that the sheet was around 22x29cm. That was one busy bird. One spring day we were all outside when I noticed that the screen door was open on our trailer. When I checked inside Petey was gone. We never saw him again. But at least he didn't get stuck under a newly laid carpet.

to all,

Great!

Two doctors (if it isn't cancelled again): 11th March - my birthday &, if you've heard of it over there, Red Nose Day!!

R reckons I've been "flying off the handle over nothing" at times, but I think it's more to do with the actual pain - the arm/hand pain I am fairly used to, but the arthritis last year attacked my feet (they look now as if I've worn bad shoes all my life , toes a bit contorted so I have a nightmare finding shoes that are comfy), now it seems to be attacking my back - i reckon that's why I'm niggly. It is also so frustrating that I can't really help R with the kitchen - won't talk about that at present - BIG trouble fitting the cooker hood to the chimney breast, etc.

I thoroughly recommend "Kalms" whilst trying to pay bills - it helps to keep you relaxed

Bald spot - a sign of an intelligent, live-life-to-the-full & thoughtful person


That's embarrassing having to borrow from your kids, but just remember they are probably earning more than you (mine is) & think how much they've cost you over the years & I'm sure he didn't mind

Hey, don't worry about jabs - the needles we use now are only about 7mm long & it's injected into your fatty areas: stomach, backside, top of arms - so really all you feel is a little pinprick!! The needles are SO fine too. In the old days I had to use thick, longer ones & boil the metal syringe to keep it clean! Now everything is prepacked, easy to use &, really, after a while: no big deal

The blood giving thing is different though. I have never given blood because of the diabetes. My mother has won badges throughout her life for giving blood. She always gave on Boxing Day morning, she is rhesus negative & her blood was scarce, so she would often get a call when they were running low. She wishes she could still do it now as she said she felt so good afterwards - reckons "letting of the blood" can lower your blood pressure!

This isn't the best time of year for anyone is it? All the greyness, etc., make us feel lethargic. Just think, everything will get done in due course - what's really important is done immediately (like ). If you're tired then you feel worse 'cos everything is getting on top of you. & s

Going to answer your next post now
to next post

Me again

I pay for 100 cigs £19.13p, they are the Superking size. There are cheaper ones (& shorter ones), but they make me cough. There are also much more expensive ones, which I can't afford. However, I do smoke roll-ups at home (tobacco & papers), which is much better as: a) they don't have the additives & b) they go out when you put them down. I pay around £4.86 for 25g of Old Holborn. I've worked out I pay around £100 per month - another reason to try to give up! Depends what's going on in my life, sometimes it's much less, but sometimes a little more

that story cracked me up!! Can I copy it to another thread? Pirate has a thread that I haven't thought of anything to say back yet - about a missing parrot

R s, "no, can't remember anything - I know the labradors were a .....y nuisance chewing up things - my ex mother-in-law who ran a business had a load of business papers chewed up by one of the labs" he says!!

At one time, among the menagerie of animals Liz & I have had, we had a couple of rats. My first one, Jasmine, used to come out & run around. She kept going missing, but after, hunting high & low for her, she used to appear. Some time later I looked in the bottom drawer of my bureau for some new paper - you've guessed it - the whole pile had been nibbled, but just down the corners. She'd managed to find a hole in the back where the backing met the drawer & had kept herself entertained. As she got older she sat on my shoulder alot & just nibbled my hair - saving me pounds in having my hair cut

When I was little I had a pet , the same thing that happened to Petey happened to her. Some months later I did notice mum & dad rummaging in the front garden & shooing me away - I often wonder .... probably a got her

Away next Tues/Wed. Liz has her official ceremony of being handed her doctorate certificate, so we're driving to her, staying the night & then driving on to Bristol (that's where the university is that oversaw her Phd). They are looking for a new car at present, having to get a loan though of course. Her old one which she had 5 years ago has just about had it & the MOT is due in May which will cost around £600 plus repairs. So they reckon this is the best time to get a new (maybe second hand) one. She's been at work yesterday & this morning - the trouble with research is that you have to carry on going in to check on things. She's thinking about other lines of work as this one comes to an end in September - the lab is closing - & it would be her chance to try to get into something else - science based, but not lab work.

All for now - hands have really had it - need to rest again

Still at the story! Got any more like that?

to you & plus for Bonnie
Don't forget it's Valentine's day tomorrow

Just a brief reply. You are more than welcome to use it. I am not much at story telling. I usually can't remember the parts that set up the punch line.

Oh I was excursing some of your writings and wanted to tell you how fascinating the story of you and Liz seeing the Crown Jewels. I am curious about the Civil War and costumes. A blonde co-worker told me one time that the Japanese kept taking pictures of her when she was honeymooning in Hawaii. I'm not sure those are pictures one keeps in their vacation album. Maybe. I don't know. But a picture of two ladies in period costume escorted by the majestic guards. I would keep that one for sure. Any idea how many flashes there were in estimating how many albums you are in? You two are practically celebraties.

Got to go, will respond soon. And I plan to take Bon out to a nice restaurant.

,

Hey, I think you're great at storytelling! Feel like there's a book inside you? Supposed to be that everyone has. Get writing chum

No idea of how many pics - we were too excited to see the jewels without having to queue

Lucky Bonnie! I got taken to MFI (the store we ordered the kitchen from to check on a few things) and Wickes (a store that has DIY bits) . However I did get a card first thing with my morning cup of coffee AND he kept the downstairs to let me open it! I got R a card & a box of choccies - he's been working SO hard.

Hope you both enjoyed yourselves this evening.

I'm away at my daughter's for the next couple of days - so I won't be online.

Take care & keep smiling - things feel so much better then

Greetings ,

So how was the get togethers. Shed some when Liz got her Doctorate Certificate? You have to be one proud mama. And Liz should be one proud daughter.

I took Bonnie for a ride today. went along when I mentioned I might stop at Menards, a favorite store of his. The trip takes about an hour and afterward I just drove further south another half hour or so before heading back a different route. I basically navigate using the compass on the return trip. If I don't have a predetermined destination starting out I use the compass then also. I just head in one or two directions for awhile and when it is time to turn back I just reverse the directions but do not necessarily take the same roads back. It was a terrible day driving. Started out with fog and misty snow flurries. Later there was huge snowflakes. Still later there was hail, then more big snowflakes followed by more hail and ending up with large flakes upon arriving home. There were a couple of minor situations but the one major one, the car suddenly acted as if it was being pulled off the road. I struggled with it and brought the car back in alignment with the road when it started to slide across the road. The other side had very deep ditches and was less inviting than the correct side. Luckly I was able to pull it out of the slide and again realign the car with the road. Gave Bonnie and quite a scare. Probably me also but I was too busy navigating to notice.

Menards is a kind of house and home store that sells good quality off brand products at a fair savings over some of the competing stores that sell at discount but uses more brand names.

Again, hope it was a swell time for you and Rog this past week.

to all,

Mo

Hi

Will get back later - waiting for phone calls so have to get off-line - the CHAOS is beginning here = aaargh!! & Roger has gone off to the coast till tomorrow night !!!!

I've got flu - dragged myself out of bed to send you a birthday wish (you'll see it on your messages) - will do a few write-ups in my journal to keep you up-to-date. Gotta go - my eyes are hurting looking at the screen

Hope u had a good day - nearly did wrote:
Hippo Birdie 2 u
Hippo Birdie 2 u, etc

Ah well - back to bed.