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

Dear Shea

I am so sorry to hear about your cousin's son. If it's not too painful a question, what did he die of?

I don't actually have a great deal of time tonight, but I am on my (shortened) break so I have a few quiet minutes.

Bridal shower? I think I know what that is, but I don't think we have an equivalent here. Do you have hen nights (as opposed to the groom having a stag night)? I suppose that's the nearest we get but far from involving giving presents to the bride-to-be it is far more intent on humiliating her!!! All in the name of fun, you understand.

Weekend plans... hmmm... well, sleeping to get over this night shift, and, if the weather holds out, blitzing the garden one final time. Sunday will probably be blitzing the house - so, no, no real plans, just take it as it comes.

There is always a possibility I may have to have Pebbles and Bam-Bam because their Mum is not too well (I had Bam-Bam for some of today as well) but it is only a tummy bug so she may well be over it, and her hubby is at home tomorrow as well. It's a shame because they were supposed to be going away for the weekend and leaving the children with their other granny and grandad, but that is in the balance at the moment.

Still felt overwhelmingly tired today, but Bam-Bam kept me on my toes pushing Thomas the Tank Engine around his track and opening and shutting the crossing gates! Wasn't sure about him calling me the Fat Controller though. (Do you have Thomas the Tank Engine in your neck of the woods?) The Fat Controller is a character in the books, so Bam-Bam isn't being intentionally rude, but the name fits just a little too well!!

I'll pop back later, when the next despatch has been dealt with.

more

Take care UG

Thanks for the ... even though I'm tired, I'd prefer some herbal , please.

Joey died of cardiac arrest, apparently. He's always had a serious asthma problem ... even needing a machine, but who knew this would happen? It's so difficult to believe.

A bridal shower is where all the ladies that are invited to the wedding get together for lunch or hors d'oeuvres, and they all give her gifts that she (usually) has registered beforehand. They are either gifts of china, crystal, household goods, linens ... that sort of thing. There is also a wishing well, which is an anonymous little gift that is put in a faux well ... usually decorated with white flowers, tulle and such. It's a lovely time to get to meet other people you'll see at the wedding, and a chance to go "ooooh" and "aaaaah" over her gifts!

Brides get a bachelorette party, which usually involves going out and getting drunk or going to Chippendale's or something. I didn't get one, since I forbid my sister to go the stripper route. Some of my bridesmaids were from out of town, and some don't have much money, and they're all married, so a big night out wasn't really in the cards.

I'd *love* to sleep in one of these days, but I won't get a chance. I need to get up at 10am tomorrow for the shower. I'm not looking forward to that!

Today I had my first physical therapy session for my carpal tunnel syndrome. It was great! I had a paraffin dip, and a nice massage of my wrist.



Okay, back to work!

<ice-cream>



The batchelorette party sounds like our hen night!

I presume that when the wedding actually happens, no one brings gifts then because they have all arrived at the shower. We tend to arrive at the wedding with the gifts which the chief bridesmaid takes care of. They are not usually opened at the wedding, rather taken home and opened in private followed by a frenzy of "thank-you" letter writing!

Your massage sounds nice. I like having a massage, and my eldest daughter used to work at a hotel which had a spa, and often gave me a voucher to have a massage as a birthday or Christmas present. It involves darkened rooms, aromatherapy oils, whale music and a non-speaking masseuse with magic hands..........

I hope the therapy works on your wrist though, because I would imagine that is very painful.

I haven't put this on the "Okay so what do I do now" thread yet, and maybe I won't, but between you and me I had a phone call at 1 o'clock this morning from "Christopher Biggins" asking if he could see me again. In Tefkat's words: "Earwig Joe, Earwig Joe, Earwig Joe....."

I have used delaying tactics because I am a coward, but I think a firm hand is now needed!

Must fly, day staff arriving in droves and work floor is a mess!

Take care UG

Hi Shea, can't remember if you are in tonight, or don't start until tomorrow night.

Here as always if you want a chat

Take care UG

Oops! Forgot herbal ,, and

And, of course, UG

UG

Hi there!

Oh, you are expected to bring a gift to the wedding also! Here on Long Island it tends to be a "cash" gift, but you also get "gift" gifts. So we get more gifts, but we also have 2 frenzies of "thank-you" letter writing!

I had a professional massage once on my honeymoon. I didn't like it. It was a bit too rough for me. I love TJ's massages, though. He's got golden fingers.

The massage I get a physical therapy is just the wrist. I also used some clay-like stuff to do "exercises" with.

I can't believe that guy called you back! After many, many years of dating, I learned that even if it might hurt feelings a bit, you have to just be honest, say it won't work, and cut the call short. You shouldn't feel too badly about it ... after all, he wasn't exactly nice to you during your "date".

I'm just waiting for my latest round of work to come through ... I may speak to you later.

Hi Shea

Wow! Two lots of s - that is going some! Mind you, here it is not unusual for the list to include dishwashers, fridge/freezers, double beds, washing machines etc.... things that I would never have dreamed of asking for on my wedding day, nor any of my contemporaries!

I did have one rather rough massage, but she eased up a bit when she hit a particularly tender spot and my leg shot up in the air missing her by a whisker! The rest have been good.

You're right, the more I think about it the more I know I am not going along with the next "date" for want of a better word. He has said he will contact me on e-mail to suggest a venue, but I think I may get in first so that he doesn't have to bend his brain too much into thinking of somewhere to go and something to say!!

I am not at all worried about hurting him because he didn't treat me very nicely, I was tempted for just a wee moment into giving him a second chance - but why? I don't want anything out of it and it just prolongs the agony - well, comedy value actually!

How many sessions have you had on your wrist now, and is it improving? Actually, more to the point, how many sessions do they reckon you will have to have before it does improve? I hope it all goes well for you.

My first grandson is being dedicated in Church this coming weekend, so we are all preparing for a great family occasion. It's like a christening, but in my daughter's church, instead of only three people being responsible for his spiritual upbringing (godparents), the whole church takes on the responsibility, so they call it dedication. We are all providing food (sherry trifle and a quiche the size of a tea-tray are my orders!), and are set to have a great day on Sunday with all the little ones in their party best (and the grown-ups I suppose better find out!)

I hear another despatch arriving, so had better go for a while - may be able to get back later, depends on what he is bringing in.



Take care UG

Our wedding gifts certainly aren't *that* extravagent! My sister and I chipped in together to get my friend 2 blankets that she wanted. For the wedding, my rule of thumb is to "cover your plate" ... try to give a cash gift that will at least cover what the bride and groom lay out for your dinner at the reception. Of course, it depends on how close you are to the person, etc. The friend I just mentioned is having her wedding at a rather extravagent place, and I'm not too sure I could afford to cover both our plates on that place!

I'm glad you're rethinking your "date". I'd hate to think about what he's *really* like, since you're usually on your best behavior during the first "date".

I'm only had 2 sessions for my wrist. I have another tomorrow. I'm seeing my orthopedist again next week, and he'll order more physical therapy. I don't know how long he's planning on keeping up the therapy. He said that if I don't respond to the therapy, the next step is surgery. The good news is that he's supposed to be one of the best, and carpal tunnel surgery is his specialty. I'm not too keen on surgery, but it would be nice to finally get it fixed for good.

It sounds like you have a wonderful weekend planned! I don't have any plans for the first half, but we're visiting my parents (along with my sister and brother-in-law), where we're celebrating my birthday a little early. It should be nice.

I've pretty much run out of work, so I'll be around for another half an hour. If I don't see you again, maybe we'll chat again tomorrow.

Goodnight, Shea, I'm off in about 30 minutes myself.

Talk to you tomorrow

Take care UG

Hi Shea

<places fingertips on either side of forehead and contemplates)
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! It's coming.... it's coming.... yes..... yes.....it's .... it's.... the 28th October! Your birthday, that is! Am I right? Only 10-days-ish early to celebrate, have a good one!

Daughter is panicking slightly about seating at the weekend. I can take the garden chairs, but they are a bit wide and take up a bit too much room. We're not actually having a sit-down meal, just a buffet, but she is worried about the number of "oldies" who won't want to be standing around all day. Case of self-preservation really, I shall be taking a small fold-up chair for personal use or the legs will give out at an entirely inappropriate time! My legs, that is, not the chair's. I think the other Granny has something more accommodating and it has been left to her and Grandad to bring their chairs along.

Had another "down" day today - too tired to do anything. Nearly too tired to drag myself in to work, but I knew I would feel very demoralised if I let myself give in to myself (if you see what I mean) so I gave myself a good pep talk and here I am. Still took me 40 minutes to get on line though.

My geography is pretty terrible, Shea, but do we share the same sort of seasons, or are you further north than me? We seem to have suffered an immensely sudden temperature drop. Remembering the summer weather that we had, it is actually only about a month since the last red hot day, and yet it seems to have cooled down extremely quickly, you know, ice on windscreens, tender plants already nipped by frost etc. etc. and I already need to wear a coat to work, more for the cold mornings when I come home, but nonetheless, I didn't start wearing my coat until the week before Christmas last year!

Ho, hum, must be my age.

Hope you're about tonight, but if not, I'll make a valiant attempt tomorrow night to get logged on again, and maybe we can chat then.



Take care UG

Hi there, UG!

I've been very, very busy today with the stupid Yankees game. I wish they'd just lose and let me get on with doing other work!

Gee, however did you guess my birthday? Nowhere on hootoo, I'm sure!

I hope your legs don't give out! I suppose strapping a chair to yourself will help.

I'm so sorry you had another "down" day. Is it the weather, or are you overdue for a vacation? I find that when it gets colder, and the days get greyer, it takes a lot of persuading to get myself out of the house. It's just too tempting to fart around the house!

I did a little checking. You're further north than I am. New York is 40n43, and London is 51n30! Our leaves have just started changing. We haven't had any frost yet. It's been averaging in the high 60's (around 19°C) to the mid 70's (around 23°C) during the day. It's been just lovely. It was very windy the last couple of days ... strong enough to take down trees today! It's supposed to calm down again tonight, though. I have to start thinking about getting my winter coat dry-cleaned for the season! I've been bringing a jacket or sweater (jumper) to work for the ride home.

I'm going to be busy again tomorrow night with the ballgame. It's the last one for a few days, whatever way it goes. I'll have more time after that. If the Yankees make it to the World Series, I'm stuck again.

Hi Shea

Okay, I bow to the Yankees and will talk whenever you have time off the games!! Actually, big despatch has just come in and the day staff are nagging to get it prepared, so can't stay again tonight.

We WILL make time soon, I hope, meanwhile take care of yourself - glad your weather is better than ours, make the most of it!

Take care UG

I have some free time now ... the game starts in 2 hours. If they lose this game, I'm free! If not, it starts again next week. I'm rooting for a loss!

We're hoping to have a nice stroll through Central Park in a couple of weeks. My husband has always had dreams of strolling through Central Park in the autumn. Last year we were a little early, and the trees had just started turning, so we're waiting for the first weekend of November.

Hi Shea!

I have just spent a very frustrating 40 minutes trying to get logged-in again. It was so annoying because I could view your message to me, but it would not let me reply because it wouldn't let me in! And I STILL don't know how I did it! I have come to the conclusion it is just persistence and in the end it gets fed up with chucking me out, so lets me in!

A walk in Central Park sounds very ......... um....... romantic? no...I don't think I mean that in the usual sense, I mean it in the romanticism of a fictional film world. After all, Central Park is not a reality to me because it is unattainable, so I can only see it through the medium of film, but whatever, I envy you, it sounds a lovely idea.

Preparations for the weekend dedication took a slight hiccup yesterday when the little star of the show came out in spots!! However, they seem to have receded today, and he is certainly not unwell, bouncing off the walls as usual and constantly chattering.

So tell me how you are then

UG

After that first day, I haven't had a problem logging in. Maybe I'm just lucky.

Last autumn, we took a *very* romantic walk through Central Park. In fact, TJ had bought me a plain wedding band as a birthday gift My "real" wedding band has diamonds on it, and I found myself leaving it off a lot when I was messing around at home. He thought it would be nice if we had matching plain ones (he's got a "real" band that's fancier too, and I got a plain one for him that they gave me for free when I got my "real" ring made). Anyway, he got me this plain wedding band, and he got on his knee and presented it to me in front of the Romeo and Juliet statue in Central Park. It was so sweet, and very romantic!

Spots? Chicken pox? Yikes! I hope he's going to be alright!

I've got a light workload tonight, and am hoping to make it through my backlog here. I'll be busy next week for a few days, and I'm looking forward to this baseball season being over!

How are you?

Hi Shea

How did the Yankees do last night then? Are you to be glued to several more games or did they lose?

No, not chicken pox, just an allergic reaction to something we think, because he is spot-less today - well, at least as spotless as any little boy of two-and-a-half can be! So panic over and the dedication goes ahead. His four-and-a-half year old sister has decided she would like to say something at the ceremony, and so has been rehearsing with a plastic microphone to say: "Dear God, Thank you for my brother" and is under threat of instant expulsion if she adds "although he is a pain" which is how the first rehearsal went!!

Your TJ sounds a real romantic. My proposal went something like this:
Himself: "If I ever asked you to marry me, what would be your answer?"
UG: "Is that a proposal?"
Himself: "If you like!"

Well, it lasted 9 years, I suppose. Been finished for 26 years now, although I still hear from him, and, indeed he will be at the dedication on Sunday - we'll probably go together because he doesn't like churches and needs persuasion to go in!!

More ? or <ice cream>?

Take careUG

Thanks for the ! Join me?

I should think that you could tell how the Yankees did by my nickname! I was here for an extra 2 1/2 hours updating things last night. I'll have at the most 3 more days next week of the World Series. I've convinced my boss to let me come in later so I won't be working too many extra hours (I don't get paid overtime). Since the games don't start until 8pm, I'm coming in at 6pm instead of 4pm. I've got some help too! It will take the load off having to do it all myself. My wrist is absolutely throbbing! Luckily, I don't have much to do at all tonight, and it hasn't come in yet!

That "proposal" wasn't my real proposal. The one in Central Park was after we had been married a few months. My real proposal was rather funny, because he panicked about it! He was on one of his long-weekend visits to New York (he was living in Houston at the time), and my engagement ring was supposed to be in that day. I had the whole romantic day planned. He dropped me off at school, where I had class for about an hour and a half. After that, we were going for some lunch, and then heading for the Mall to pick up the ring. I had plans of having our picture taken with Santa (it was December) as a cute reminder of the day we got engaged, and had made reservations at this lovely restaurant that has a little village attached to it. They always decorate beautifully for Christmas ... strolling carolers and the works ... and I thought it would be a nice end for our day.

Well, I went to class, and let him know where he could park the car, and a few places he might want to visit on campus while he was waiting for me. When I got out of class, he pulled up to the building to pick me up. We went to a local diner for some lunch. He pulled into the parking lot, parked the car, and told me to wait a minute. He took out a card that he gave me. It was a beautiful, sentimental card that seemed almost to have been written for him. It was signed "Will you marry me?" As I looked up, with tears in my eyes, he was holding out the box with the ring in it in his shaking hand. I hugged him, and whispered, "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!!!" into his ear. He slipped the ring on my finger, got out of the car, and came back in with a dozen of the largest, most beautiful roses I've ever seen! It was so beautiful ... until we looked around and realized where we really were! We were parked right in front of the smelly dumpster for the diner! He said that I had the whole day planned, and he couldn't think of how to make it a surprise, so he rushed out while I was in class, got the ring, ran into a card store, found the perfect cardk, ran into a florist, got the roses ... (good thing it was at a big mall) ... and rushed back to school just in time for me to walk out of class!

He said he didn't know what to do, and was afraid I'd start crying or something if he told me that the ring wasn't ready. We had planned his whole trip around the ring being ready. I told him he should have just told me that, it would have been fine, but he wasn't thinking too clearly at the time.

The day was so beautiful, and since he had ruined my plans anyway, we drove to the beach to walk along the boardwalk. We saw the most beautiful sunset! I've really never seen one nicer! Then we headed for the restaurant (after stopping to pick up some champagne for later).

Anyway, that's my proposal story. Every time we drive past that diner, we gaze at each other lovingly and say, "Look! It's *our* dumpster!"

Whew! After that, I'd better go for the<icecream>!

Oh Shea, that was lovely! I am almost in tears at the thought - happy tears, that is - quick, comfort food, lob me the , and yes, I would like to join you in a herbal , camomile, I think, if you've got it, if not peppermint will be lovely.

My ex had the occasional spurt of romanticism - a single red rose on the first anniversary of our first date; a huge bunch of roses when Wilma was born (nothing for Betty but I think the novelty had worn off by then!); a surprise trip to Jersey to meet Gerald Durrell and have a private showing round his zoo; and a Chinese meal in a superb restaurant where the monosodiumglutimate in the sweet and sour caused me to have a flash headache which nearly paralysed me and we had to cut the meal short!!! Not his fault, that one, I grant you.

Spent the afternoon with Wilma and her two, Pebbles and Bam-Bam, most of which was spent with a magnetic alphabet set so that Pebbles could show me the words she has been learning to read at school. Then it was "How do you spell 'knees' Granny?" and then 'arms' and then 'legs'......... and then, as she ran out of the more common body parts, in a whisper "How do you spell 'boobies'?" "Well, I'm not sure if Mummy wants you to know how to spell 'boobies'". "Yes, but if we spell it in a whisper, she won't know". Give me strength!

or ?

Back soon, take care UG

That reminds me of something my niece did when she was little. She was sitting in my lap. She looked at my breasts, looked at me, then gave them a bit of a poke. She said, "Is that real, or is that stuffing in your ninny-bra?" (I don't know why she called them that) I told her they were real. Her eyes went wide and she said, "Mommy's aren't very big. How come some people have big boobies and some people have small boobies?" There's a question, eh? I've always answered questions straight, and I let her know that the same way some people are tall and some are short, some people have big boobies, and some have small. She burst out laughing and said, "Aunt Janet is short and has big boobies!" (that's my sister) I guess that was the start of the realization that people come in all shapes and sizes!

Off to dinner!