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

Today, it has been raining, cold, and miserable all day in North Carolina.

From what the Prof tells me, it's either rainy or snowy, cold, and miserable in the UK.

This is no way for the weather to be behaving on Palm Sunday. I understand some people in the US are considering suing the official Ground Hog, because he promised an early spring.

I've personally been working a lot today - the FP, the Post, next week's Post, etc - and round about afternoon coffee time, I realised I was tired, depressed, and generally grumpy. Other than Elektra and one cat (the other one's grumpy, too), nobody's said anything nice to me today except for the Post Staff.

The Post Staff are always nice. Mags and I had a good time hunting ducks this morning. (My morning, her afternoon.)

So, just in case everybody else is feeling as out of sorts as I am here's a list.

FIVE THINGS TO DO WHEN YOU'RE FEELING MISERABLE:

1. Read PR. There are some good new entries. I recommend the on on 'Wollemia nobilis, the Wollemi Pine - A87789163', which is about a prehistoric tree that's still around. How cool is that? Of course, we've got 'Star Wars' and sci-fi babies, too. (Thanks, Bluebottle!)

2. Watch old TV shows. I have a recommendation here. We've been watching an old series I liked called 'Reasonable Doubts', from the early 90s. It's available on Youtube, if you're patient with hunting out the segments and don't mind subtitles in Brazilian Portuguese. (I don't, I can learn as I watch.) The first episode starts at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CChirT4jmZw
The plot is about a tough-guy investigator - Mark Harmon, for you ladies - who assists an Assistant District Attorney, played by the wonderful Marlee Matlin. Half the dialogue is in sign language, but you'll have no trouble understanding. They translate. Marlee Matlin is, well, amazing.

3. Read more of 'A Tramp Abroad' by Mark Twain. You can find it here:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/119
Format of your choice. Beware: I have stolen one of his pictures for an upcoming issue of the Post. I recommend that you read about the French duel. Twain will cheer you right up.

4. Recall the dreams you had last night, and speculate. One of mine was pretty interesting.

Dream: I had been rehearsing for months for what I thought was a one-man show. In it, I portrayed a foul-mouthed character who spoke in Lowland Scots. This had required a lot of dialect coaching and the help of Kenneth Branagh, the director, who was most encouraging. The night before the dress rehearsal, I had a problem, though: I was trying to talk my parents out of attending, because what part of the dialogue was likely to be comprehensible was unlikely to be edifying. My mom inisisted that they would attend, however. (It was nice to see them in a dream, though, as I miss them both since they've passed on.)

The second problem was even worse: I found out that I wasn't the only one in the play. I was just the main character, groan, and all the other players were native Scots speakers. I was afraid I would disgrace them, but they assured me that I sounded completely authentic, although I found this hard to believe. So off I went to make-up....

Okay, weird. Mulling this over with Dr Freud. I think it was telling me that even if I don't know what I'm doing, somebody does.

5. Read the Post. Or re-read it. Do a Youtube search for all the songs listed in the Post Quiz this week. Listen to that one that's linked, and imagine being in a nicer place, like the Bright Angel trail.

http://www.susanosborn.com/?section=music

Ah, that's better. Thank you, Susan. You always make me feel welcome.

I hope you all felt welcome wherever you went today, and that you're in a better mood than I am - but in case you're not, I hope one or two of these suggestions helped.

Oh, well. Tomorrow's another day.

I do feel miserable. Snow is falling again. My bf has a friend visiting and so I took tomorrow and Tuesday off so we can do things. But with this snow? Doesn't look like we can go anywhere.

Here's a little something to cheer you up. I just uploaded it as an answer to an Australian friend on FB, but why not share it here also:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrEk06XXaAw

Tav, I'm sorry to hear that.

And thanks, Pierce - that's a cool flash mob.

That is one of the best 'Flash Mob' videos I have ever seen I was really surprised how quickly they all left at the end.

F S

In that case why not enjoy another?

Here Copenhagen Phil are at it in the metro from Copenhagen Airport to Copenhagen Central (the sign at the beginning of this clip reads "classical special train - enjoy the music"):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gww9_S4PNV0

http://www.maniacworld.com/are-you-going-to-finish-strong.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o0ExGXfs2o

don't be sad! don't be blue! smile when it's hard and let the sun shine through

(I'm a poet and I don't know it)

That guy is truly amazing. Have seen him before, but always cheers me up (even if I have to wipe tears every time)

Myself, I enjoy jigsaws. I think I once used this site to make one myself using one of my own photos:

http://www.jigzone.com/puzzles/daily-jigsaw

A long book and a mug of cocoa are good for those days Dmitri.

I like the jigsaw idea, there. I'm not so much on cocoa, but whatever floats your boat.

It's still too cold, but the sun is shining today.

We have sunshine and snow.

It's also very cold.

But, today, Bioshock Infinite has arrived.

Now, where's me Xbox controller...?

Have fun! (If you hadn't said 'Xbox', I wouldn't have guessed what that was.)

Hmmm, I could do with a mug of hot cocoa with a severe shot of cognac and covered with whipped cream right now

http://www2.crayola.com/coloring_application/index.cfm?referrer=/ECE/ece_display.cfm&mt=digicolor

for budding artists

could bring an for barefaced cheek

buy a umbrella melt tiny holes all over it and then take it back saying acid rainyou want your money back