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

just printing this out for my students to go with their military aircraft order form - thought you might like it, it's quite clever (but look carefully!)

http://www.coxar.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

Over sensitive-you? and that Neil Armstrong has travelled a bit. Have we now completed the masterclass in understatement? (in anyone else's post there would be a smiley here but you're just going to have to learn to work it out given I can't do English or Spanish and smiley's are beyond me).

I hope you realise that I have no idea at all what the end bits mean (except perhaps the pasta thing, oh and the alligator), whatever happened to those people who tried to get the fighter jet from Pepsi? you remember when they had the advert and they quoted several million ringpulls for a F1-11?

Just look out for the openly hostile rant-that's when I am being unfriendly, anything less than that and it likely involves my 'humour'.
Tell me about the film later-I've just been given Amelie on DVD by the man who would be my father in law if we'd married-incidentally my partner is Sandra-now you have the whole set. What a nice man-bought it-watched it-thought I'd like to keep it-makes me happy.

Hasta la something foreign sounding, Jalapenos, yep that'll do it.

the Michael Moore film, Michael Moore inicia una investigación a partir de los sucesos violentos ocurridos en una escuela de su ciudad natal y bajo un marco de sátira e ironía, se atreve a plantear un interrogante que ningún habitante de los Estados Unidos se anima a preguntar en los tiempos de fervor patriótico que corren: ¿Acaso somos una nación de personas locas por las armas, o es que simplemente estamos locos? yeah?

Well, my GOODNESS your Spanish has improved since yesterday! I'm very impressed.

The film was fab!!! It's amazing he got an Oscar for it, considering how scathing it is in places. Funny also. Interesting, scary, intelligent, thought-provoking, and lots of other adjectives. It is very complimentary towards Canada, making it sound like all Canadians are such gentle, tolerant, unfrightened people. I suppose compared to Americans they are, but then, so are most Spaniards. My students also loved it (students are in fact a 37-yr-old auditor and a 52-yr-old doctor, head of nuclear medicine at gen.hosp. - you know...they don't actually allow me to teach kids here ) It was a bit of a bummer not having the third student here and THEN my 'guest' for the day cancelled last minute. I usually invite an English speaking person to come and chat to the group for awhile and then join us for lunch. But all in all, it went well. They also really had a laugh over the McDonnell Douglas order form (actually it's a post purchase survey)

So yes - see the film if you can (it might come back for another round after winning the oscar).

Amelie, eh? I have only met one other person who hated that film as much as I did. Okay, okay, maybe hate is a bit too strong (did I ever tell you that I am prone to exaggeration as well as massive understatement? actually, I suppose that would make sense). But the film totally got on my nerves, like it was trying way too hard to be cute.

Hey, have you ever seen South Park? There were a few bits of it in the film today. It looks quite funny.

Okay, didn't notice any of these words in your movie review so here are a few translations for you:

hasta luego - see ya! (literally - until later)
un abrazo - a hug
un beso - a kiss
besitos - little kisses

All are typical letter closings (or telephone conversation closings) to friends.

buenos dias
buenas noches

Day is masculine, night is feminine.

Okay, I'm going to check my other conversations now and then have a nice dinner of popcorn and rioja.

kissitos (made that one up!)
az

In Spain you call your partner's parents suegra and suegro (mother-father-in-law) even if you are just dating. And they have the same words for girlfriend/boyfriend as bride/groom (novia/novio). I guess because many years ago if you were dating someone you were just as good as married. But there is a nicer term for partner - pareja - which means both couple and partner, and it refers to either your spouse, the person you live with, the person you love. . .

Sounds like after many years with your pareja, three kids and a nice suegro to boot you are quite married enough. I've been married three times (don't ask!) without ever having felt married even once. Now I seem to have become a born again virgin. Apparently men are quite frightened of me. Must be the green scaly skin, four heads and snakes for hair.

one last endy bit I forgot last time.

hasta pronto,
(see you soon - literally 'until soon' which I actually like better)

az

Hi Az, so those missiles actually get sick sometimes-serves them right. What about the power stations? worried now. Did you see Amelie in translation or in french? Apparently this could make a large difference. Rather like 'Look Who's talking' which had Roberto Benigni voice the kid in the Italian version and was, so I am told, really funny-we got Bruce Willis, not so good.

South Park is rather a curate's egg of a problem-I really feel like a Sherlock Holmes vibe just now, they have the little kids humour right but they repeat it every time-I not like a lot- plus from a personal point of view it is aimed at men of a certain vintage (black jeans, tour t-shirt, down with the kids ie my age)to admire as a counter culture iconoclastic...I really cannot be bothered to type any more. Like the term 'pareja', I've felt like a working unit since whenever...if I was hip-hop-back in the day. We've been together since we were 16. Please don't say how nice that is, I'm afraid we'll break it. Got her Calvin Klein pyjamas off the kids for mothers day(we live near a cut price designer outlet village-help me!), off the kids so I can guarantee tomorrow will be reasonably loud-she will think I spent real cash money and hit the roof. She has this 'I'm not worth it' thing to work out. You don't seem to frighten me but then you didn't describe the heads-that could be a major consideration-also isn't Shawn a boys name?or for that matter a sheeps? Don't get bloody cross again.

Hope you had a nice night-Rioja and Michael Moore.. sounds reasonable. Have you read 'Stupid White Men'? my eldest got it for me for Christmas-frightening to think how the election was rigged, allegedly, assuming you read it?

hasta pronto, I'm prepared to learn, but I liked the Jalapeno's one-why can't just get what I want-I am a man. Toxxin.(please don't rise to it)

Rain.

Just remembered another endy thing - probably my favourite one, so don't know HOW I forgot it. Hasta ahora - literally 'until now' - which you say when you expect to see or get back to someone really really soon. BTW you pronounce pareja 'pa RAY ha'

What's going on? You are the third of fourth person I've met recently who has been with their pareja since they were sixteen! The record holder is my friend Darlene in Toronto who is now 56. Anyhow, things mostly tend to break only if they aren't flexible.

Shawn the sheep? I have no idea why I was given a boy's name - my parents must have been drunk at the time (fair assumption). I used to hate my name, now I just hate my hair.

Saw Amelie in French (of course! NEVER watch dubbed films, except occasionally on tv to practice my Spanish, which actually is crap considering how long I've lived in Spain). I think I would have really enjoyed it if I were 17, but as I say, found it too cutesy and self-consciously quirky (what a bitch, eh?)

Oops, I almost never say 'eh' anymore - a little of the old Canadian slipping out.

No, I haven't read Stupid White Men yet - looks like I'll have to order it from Amazon.

I was going to read the twenty pages of novel that Hass sent to me yesterday, but my printer ran out of ink after the first half-page. And I can't read long stuff on screen somehow, so it will now have to wait until tomorrow. She told me not to feel I had to say anything about it, but not saying anything might seem rude, doncha think? So I hope that I really really really like it and then can tell her so.

Time for some serious

hasta el jalapeno?
az

ps
what happens on your end if I use the eñe, like in jalapeño (or eñe, for that matter) - does it show up over the n or does another letter show up?

WARNING: SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION!

rain,

The next time you want to buy your pareja some nice pj's talk to me first! This is one of the clothing lines I am designing - nightwear (pj's, nightdresses, dressing gowns) in all natural materials (linen, cotton, silk). Of course, you'd probably have to mortgage the house to buy them and give me about six month's notice to receive them in time. Anyhoodle, just a thought.

Meanwhile, check the spelling in your personal intro - it's parejA. Parejo is an adjective meaning equal, similar, alike (and though this also may apply it isn't a noun).

Just back from the coffee bar and found that my one-legged street beggar friend Miguel had left a present there for me - a book! He always sees me reading there. It's by Emile Zola and the Spanish translation of the title is El Vientre de Paris. I can't place the title and vientre can mean either belly, bowel, womb. Any ideas?

hasta pronto,
az

it seems that it's a straight translation-'The Belly of Paris', 1874. I've only read 'Germinal', my god that was a laugh,possibly the most tortured and depressing book about poverty I have ever read. I don't really do classics-as a general rule if the car was not invented when it was written I won't read it-no Austen, no Dickens and certainly no Hardy-I nearly choked on a copy of 'Far from...', somebody is going to get hurt one day, trust me on this. I really know that this is one of the most Philistinistic (is that a real word?) things about me but I just cannot do it, especially the mannered Austen speeches-too self consciously smart. I get all the foreign letter additions on the posts-I'd like to remember how to do a few myself-I used to have a list of numbers to type in to get them but lost it. I don't think you can read someones novel and not respond really, I mean it can be taken so many ways, most of them negative.
I've just come back from Liverpool, dropping off (I'm going to go for this) El Diabolo, el Madre de mos(?) pareja-she of the cloven footwear, keeper of the gates of the underworld, Baal, Beelzebub, the Dark One, Doreen. Lovely woman. Nice to get time to myself for a change- got some felafel,zatar, khoubz bread and couscous. I know you can probably get this stuff anywhere there but this is a treat for me, nowhere really sells the stuff.
I'll let you know about the PJ's-I can barely afford the bread-but still it's not as if I'm just poor. No, I am in genteel poverty, which you can't beat with a stick.
Hasta pronto (we like that, it's also hard to finish emails with anything even vaguely original-it's adopted, and that is semi-official).

Rain.

Once again you amaze me with your innate grasp of the Spanish language. I'm not kidding (this time). Let me translate what you called your suegra in 'proper' Spanish: El Diablo, la madre de mi pareja. You weren't that far off - you see? Except of course el diablo is masculine. Most Spanish people refer to their nasty suegras as 'la bruja' (the witch). Must be hard for her to find cloven footwear, even in Liverpool.

Do you live in Chester? You mentioned that you are studying there. My most recent ex-husband is from Chester so I've been there a few times. Nice place, but it seems to be turning into a somewhat rustic touristic shopping mall. LOVED the cathedral however. And it was the first place I ever had chip butties.

I've never been able to read Hardy either. I've had better luck with Austen and even better luck with Dickens at times. Mostly I love, love and totally love A Christmas Carol - can't get much better than that for a truly lovely Christmas story. And the humour in it is quite wonderful, something lacking a lot in his novels. So philistinically speaking, I'm probably not far behind you in negating all that stuff I SHOULD be reading and APPRECIATING.

I've never read any Zola, but now it looks like I shall have to - and in the Spanish translation - otherwise Miguel will think I didn't appreciate his gift. What a guy. One-legged beggar, herion addict, all around weirdo. We became friends about seven years ago on a Christmas Eve morning when I was going out for my usual coffee. saw him sitting outside and although I'd seen him every day since I'd moved to Seville I was feeling kinda Christmasy and so handed him a thousand peseta note (4 pounds?) and wished him a Merry Christmas. Since then he's been my best buddy! He's actually quite special, and it's not only me that thinks so. For example, when other beggars come into the coffee bar the barmen shoo them out (though they always give them a glass of water or even a take-away coffee - but they don't want these people bothering the clientelle). Yet they always let Miguel in and let him order his coffee and toast - AND - they even let him 'do the rounds' first with the clientelle in order to get the cash for his breakfast. I usually invite him to have breakfast with me when I see him, though I never give him money (except at Christmas and on his birthday) as he is very prone to self abuse and I don't really want to promote that, though I'm quite happy to feed him. And a few times Miguel has even invited ME for breakfast, looking very proud to hand over his cash to the barman to pay for me (I only let him do this sometimes). Anyhow, a couple of weeks ago some American friends left here and gave me a whole whack of clothing to distribute to the poor and needy as I saw fit. So I picked out a few choice items for Miguel. Which is why I think he felt he had to give me a present - though I'm a bit concerned he may have stolen this book. It's even a hard cover edition and it looks quite new to me! Oh well.

Falafel? Couscous? Stop it! Mostly in Spain you can get very wonderful Spanish food - but that's it. Anything even remotely resembling international cuisine here is just that - a very remote and pale substitute for the real thing. Coming from Toronto, this has been my most difficult adjustment to living in Spain as TO has such a multi-cultural plethora of amazingly wonderful restaurants. And the REAL stuff - not touristy crap. Guess you can't have everything (though I've never totally understood why not!)

Mind you, Bristol was almost as bad. Actually, it was worse, cos you couldn't get tapas there unless you paid an arm and a leg.

Ho hum. Now I have to go and play with cats - my little black gypsy street cat Azar (not to be confused with Azahar - his name means luck or happenstance) is crying for some attention.

hasta soon,
az

This is getting freaky- No I don't live in Chester, can't afford to yet. Industrial northern town just above and to the right. The Cat-hed-ral (which I still spell out in German-went to Koln as a yoof)is one of a limited number to a female saint-Werburgh, in case you can pretend an interest. Chip Butties? not from Davey's in Lower Bridge Street, ie by the posh hairdressers, round the corner from Habitat? Did you get all Van Morrison? I did. I don't know if you do Van but... There's a bit where he does 'just a closer walk with thee' and he wanders in the middle...'Fish suppers at Daveys chipper on the Castlereay road, etc etc' and I am sure that chippy is in there, at least in spirit. I am getting carried away. Very malled it is-just did a pubs and clubs thing(I may have whined earlier)-dull, dull, dull.

Masculine mother in-law/ not a major mistake,Kind of sexless malice(not directed at me at all-just nearly thirty years later ex-husband hatred, and I mean undiminished hatred, can be wearing)Brew-Ha-yes? must hard drive that.

The lit thing has me mostly ashamed but I care less each year-whatever you are is what you are. Nobody does everything-better to do the stuff you enjoy well I think. Just listening to the World Music Awards to broaden that aspect-just seen 'Sexy Beast' on TV-good film. if you like gangster films writ small.Christmas Carol is absolutely fine-On TV with Alistair Simm (A God)never read the book.

Miguel sounds cool, in that kind of wouldn't like to actually be him, way. He probably wouldn't either, at least some of the time but would he want to swap with some of the people who look down on him?

On my brother's stag night I got bored with him and went out to find something fun to do. I met a guy selling the Big Issue and bought him a meal,burgers, and sat with him on the floor to eat it talking together. At that point his (brothers) irritatingly snobbish girlfriend and her posse of girlfriends passed by and were about to ignore us when...I shouted hello from the pavement and introduced Paul(not the brother but the homeless guy)to all of them like he was a real person, shock, my whole family were bumped to table 9 at the wedding for that, moral? talk to anyone you can-sort out the men from the 'bothered by small rubbish, boys'. I don't speak to any of my family. Nothing extreme, just neglect, in a proper sense-they just couldn't care. Remember you saying about not being brought up to respect/value education-I was good at it at first, just fell down when I realised it was a game for them to win using me as a game chip, became a failed project from then on. Now that I am titular 'head' of my own family, and they no longer figure, life is happier.

When and If I get this degree my graduation is in that Cat-hed-ral. That is something I am really defying to exist. I would be sooo happy to do that. You can have everything just not at once.

Hasta pronto Matey,

Rain. Sunday,early Monday, Happy for a change, and still not as psychotic as he thought he would be.

Yes, BREW ha (accent on first syllable)

I can't remember the name of the place I had chip butties in Chester - it was near the river cos I remember we sat outside on benches throwing chips at water birds (ducks, seagulls? can't remember that either). This would have been about 11 years ago, though I'm good at not even remembering 11 days ago. Anyhow, thought it was a pretty town but most memories of the place are tainted by crappy relationship ones. btw - we only got married so I could get my work papers in England (just like in the movies!) though we were living together we never would have got married otherwise.

I don't speak to my family much either. Buncha weirdos. I don't hate them or anything - in fact just had an MSN chat with my sister yesterday - but especially since I moved abroad they just seem to treat me like I no longer exist.

Yes, Miguel is

S**T!!! It's 8.30 and my student is going to be here in one minute and I'm still in my pj's with my hair all over the place - FORGOT TO CHANGE THE CLOCKS ON SATURDAY! I thought is was 7.30! Dang!

gotta run,

az

boy, I'm stupid sometimes! Luckily Teresa only lives five minutes from here and so, of course, usually turns up late. So I called and caught her just as she was leaving and asked her if she could come half an hour later. Which gave me time to have a quick shower, make coffee and do SOMETHING with my hair. whew!

Hair isn't really snakes, btw. But it's pretty bad - the type that in Spanish is called pelo frito (fried hair). My mother is half Indian, father Irish - my sister got the thick dark straight Indian hair, I got the thin frizzy just-stuck-my-finger-in-a-light-socket stupid Irish hair. Snot fair! So, unless weather conditions are perfect (0% humidity) I just gel and tie it back, otherwise I never know what it's getting up to. The other day the weather was pretty good so I was doing the 15-minute blow-dry straightening and de-frizzing job when suddenly my hairdryer burst into flames! I swear it was one of the funniest things that has ever happened to me (though probably you had to be there . . .)

Was Saint Werburgh the bearded woman? The German for cathedral is almost the same as the Spanish - ca te DRAL. Defying to exist? Does that mean you don't want to go to the graduation there? Sorry, it's probably that reading disability of mine again.

oh yes - Miguel. He is cool, though of course also quite strange. He lost his leg in a motorbike-train collision (drunk at the time) when he was 19 and spent 3 months in a coma. He's 47 now and has a very ravaged used-to-be-pretty face, which is actually quite attractive. Lost one brother to heroin, has spent time in prison. He does have a roof over his head though - apparently he lives with his sister in the local slum. Anyhow, since I can't really afford to hand out money to all the street beggars here (there as so many and there is nothing genteel about my poverty level) at least I can be friends with Miguel and buy him the occasional breakfast.

Yes, love both Van and Alistair.

Now I have to go and buy a new ink cartridge for my printer so I can read Hass's novel.

luego . . .
az

. . . something I said?

az

sorry, that last posting should have had one of these . . . attached.

az

Hi Az,

Sorry just had one of those rubbishy weeks- poverty levels at an all time low, very fed up with the Student Loan Co., very fed up with Inland Revenue, basically just a long line of people who admit they have made a mistake (they forgot I was entitled to dependents grants last 2 years and sent my cheque to another university in the Midlands at Christmas) but what can they do? I would suggest ritual self-immolation but they would only moan and save my name for the 'first against the wall list' All over now though.

Can't be bothered being fed up with them-I wouldn't be doing anything else given the choice, so I am just being sulky throwing my dummy out of the pram. I will be rich at the end of the month though-that is by my current standards-we can eat drink and approach merriness from an oblique angle looking carefully both ways. Happy days.

I had this weird dream that you had said to me in a post that not all of the pubs in Chester were that good, I was doing a multimedia project at the same time on Chester pubs so everything was getting mixed up in the subconscious, and I then thought you had said you had been there-you hadn't at this stage. Anyway I did the 'that'll be a tourist place-probably Daveys chippie and down to the Dee' I have no interest in convincing you that I am psychic. I just knew that was what had happened in my dream. Daveys is the only chippie by the Dee close to where you can feed the ducks. Did you by any chance go to the Commercial Hotel for a pint? Perhaps I can get a guest spot on daytime TV?

I have no idea if St Werburgh was bearded(in her den or otherwise)does it seem likely? is this some strange fantasy or an historical thingy?

Did you get a strange message telling you that your contribution to 'great comedy duo's' had been accepted for the guide? I did and your name was on it too, why? I have never to my knowledge written anything for the guide. Any clues?

Perhaps I have fallen down the rabbit hole- Maybe it's the WAR, but things seem a lot darker and inexplicable this week. I just want to get back to the light but things seem so miserable out there, and so morally ambiguous back here-lots of 'our brave boys' stuff.

I think I need a holiday. That and some certainty, sorry, not much fun at the moment. How was Hass' manuscript? any good, and did you tell her? Going to shake this off and be back on top of it by tomorrow,

"I think this twin melancholy, felt, and acted, reflected my disappointment: my feats, laid end to end were nothing but a string of chances..." Sartre, miserable old sod.

Rain, self-consciously coming out of the blue funk of doom.

blue funk of doom???

You just get outta there right now, you hear me? Get out! Out! come over here . . . over here . . . over HERE! . . . that's right. There you go, here you are . . .there's a good raindog! Gooooood boy!

Meanwhile, don't talk to me about poverty levels! You ever want to feel rich? Then pretend you're me for five minutes. Okay, I know you were going through bureaucratic bullsh*t. That sort of encounter always makes me glad that I don't carry an automatic weapon. Wouldn't have done any good to suggest self-immolation btw - too many syllables.

And stop putting me in your dreams! I only ever had one experience of Chester pubs - and the Commercial sounds very familiar - and I HATED it. It was a New Year's Eve pub crawl with ex-dickhead husband and his amazingly boring friends. (actually ex-husband, I'm quite sure he's still a dickhead) Can you also bend spoons? I mean, without using your hands.

hang on, computer is making strange growly noises - going to post this now and see if it lets me continue afterwards . . .

. . . well, so far so good. Keep thinking that scary blue screen is going to appear suddenly. Bought this computer second hand three years ago for 40 pounds - have no idea how old it actually is. I'm still amazed every time I switch it on and it still works. And though it doesn't actually work that well, it probably works much better than it should, all things considered.

There is a bearded woman saint and her name begins with a W. And that's all I know about that.

Hey, yes, I saw that you were also edited for a comedy thing - me too! It was the whatever-it's-called thingy at the bottom of the main page of h2g2, where everybody puts in their two cents worth. I started a thread about SCTV-Toronto and one person responded to that and both of us were in the edited version. And you are there too, somewhere I guess. You must have replied to one of those conversations and said something clever. Apparently they compile all this stuff and pick the 'best' for the edited version.

More fame. I don't know how I can stand it.

Also, don't talk to me about needing a holiday! Do you know when the last time I had a holiday was? Never! It's true - I've never had a holiday. Okay, I've been unemployed plenty of times, but I hardly think this counts.

It's like I say, anytime you start feeling mopey about your life you can always feel grateful that at least you are not me.

No, still haven't read Hass's manuscript. You kidding me? Takes me long enough to read her emails! Just had to print her last one out - it was too long to read on the screen. I say all that with much affection, of course. Yesterday she sent me some photos, including one of their dog with one of her daughters - very cute.

Anyhow, at first glance, the manuscript looks really like stream of consciousness stuff - and I'm really crap at reading that sort of thing. Might wait until my Dublin friend Mary arrives on Monday (the Joyce expert) before I tackle this. Meanwhile, Hass knows all about my reading disability so she is being patient with me.

You could be right about Davey's. I remember dickhead saying he was going to take me to the BEST place to have chip butties in Chester. btw - LOVE chip butties! Okay, could never eat more than one or two a year (kind of like ice cream) but man! they are such a total carbo-salt-grease fest. . . a few more of my favourite things.

Okay, you - stop moping! That's a direct order. Melancholy, schmelancholy - that's what I say. Count your blessing, that's what I say. And if that don't work have a or two. Or even more - and then go to bed.

buenas noches!
az

'tomorrow is another day' - scarlett o'hara

There's a guy just been on TV said-'worried about lines and wrinkles? visit a burns unit-get some perspective. OK, it's receding. Quick rant then I'll feel better. Lost my docs for student loan at education office, told me no money for dependents as my beloved earns too much-What? pay me nothing for two years, get MP on it(just seemed too unfair)then got some cash but not for last year-takes them another 7 months to work out last year, less what I would have got if they'd done it then (only about £2000) and miss £1000 from college in mature student bursaries. All in, their incompetence has set me back £3000, or about a third of my total cash for the year with no way of getting it back. They are now telling me that I made a mistake with the application form oh, but the seven letters and phone calls and hour long moans have showed up in the records so maybe, just maybe, it was not my fault but theirs.

For my troubles I have a new state of the art computer, don't ask me how fast it is, or how big the hard drive (oooh, matron). Just dislike getting messed about, feel really fed up with it. I've been unemployed several times also and just hate the way they make you feel. So when you've done nothing wrong and you're borrowing from in-laws or telling the kids you can't get them stuff it hurts more so than if it was actually my fault. Not going there.

Have you noticed a decline in the intelligence of the people dealing with stuff in government depts over , say, 20 years? I wasn't sure if they'd always been that bad but as I got more educated, I just noticed it more, because they intimidate me less, not because of my intellectual prowess and general dynamism-falling into a pit of pointless parody, alliterative but still so cold, wet and slimy.

I cannot bend spoons with or without hands (?), by order of my Doctor. Why would I want/need to? Daliesque spoons a dickhead-ex stock-in-trade then(never thought that particular sentence would ever be typed in my lifetime)?

By now, tomorrow is the post sleepy continuation of this day,
Hasta Later,

Rain.

Hey, just thought of something. How could I be in your dream if you don't know what I look like? Or was I standing off-camera, so to speak?

I really know what you mean about dealing with incompetent civil servants. I don't think they've got stoopider, it's just that you probably notice it more now that you are older and wiser. I think it's to do with the type of people who would actually WANT to have those mindless, souless sorts of jobs.

Ever try typing with a sixteen pound Siamese puppy-cat on your lap? I do it all the time and don't recommend it.

Bending spoons like Yuri Geller, or that kid in the Matrix (no hands!). All to do with your amazing psychic abilities.

Okay, gotta run. Credit card refused at supermarket yesterday so have to go to my bank and sent a fax to Canadian bank (where credit card originates) - happily my bank students let me send faxes for free.

But first - !!!

glad you're feeling better . . .

besitos,
az