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

You object to having the word posthumosity included in your lexicon?

Oh on the contrary, not at all...the other scenario sounded more flattering...if that's the best description!

...the strewing about of s - potent visual image!

Well yes, except that on rainy days they would perhaps contravene some sort of Workplace, Health and Safety regulation. Devilishly slippery little things, rose petals, under the wrong conditions. (Brightens) But then I'd die a rather heroic death (dreamily imagines banner headlines: Death by Rose Petals) and have my posthumosity thrust upon me anyway.

Hmm, somewhat of a worst-case scenario I suppose, but yes posthumosity indeed!

(Clapping her hands in delight at having enviegled someone other than herself into using a word she can now claim to have coined, she fiendishly turns the conversation).

If it's not being too intrusive, what country do you live in? Only I see there aren't many people online and usually when I post in the early hours of the morning (for me) there are hundreds.

Oh not intrusive at all! That's a great thing about the internet - access to almost anywhere in the world. I'm in Canada...western Canada to be specific. Yes registration has increased dramatically since the movie and now of course DVD.

What movie? What DVD?

Oh the Hitchhiker's movie...and it's on DVD now

(Gasp.) You mean it's no longer a cult book? It has become...(reels in horror and clutches heart dramatically) a cult MOVIE????

Yeah, actually I have seen it. But I didn't know it was available on DVD> No chance of ever getting it in China. Unless (and I have a terrible memory for movie stars) it stars Sylvester Stallone, The Governor of California or Garfield the Cat? Or perhaps (hopefully) the sound track features either the Carpenters or any boy band?

I missed that last posting...I was wondering if you were extremely busy or caught up in a minor crisis of some sort.

Actually every day in my life these days is both incredibly busy and filled with some sort of crisis. But the truly amazing thing about it is that I have am learning to treat each one with the sort of laisse faire attitude which is the only way to live life here. I spent many years in other 'eastern' countries but I am learning things here I think I could never have learnt anywhere else.

The inverted commas for eastern is because one of the first things I realised was how how elitist I had become regarding China etc. as the East. Considering the world is round, I mean. And that I have lived around most parts of it. I probably would have considered I lived in a post-colonial era until I realised that those very terms define 'Western" attitudes.

I suppose it's good that you're adjusting to(...for some reason the proper phrase eludes me at the moment)the cultural climate. I've ever-so-vaguely(over the years)discerned a bit of laisse faire attitude in some Chinese. Even something as subtle/innocuous as listening to Chinese elders conversing in Chinatown or on the . (Just something in the linguistic flow, if you know what I mean.) Or taking in some of the conversations in a crowded Dim Sum restaurant - it's easy to imagine that attitude being the prevalent one in Chinese society. And of course I assume I'm sensing only a slight degree of what you must experience daily....if not hourly!

Oh no, mate. You don't get out it that easily - with a convenient pair of brackets and a muttered ellision. Come on - what does one call it if it isn't "Eastern"? And really, it simply isn't. I've tried Asian but that doesn't meet with favour here as everyone ELSE in this part of the world is considered Asian while Chinese are just...well..Chinese. But then, from a foriegners point of view so many things simply aren't just Chinese - they apply to all the nieghbouring countries as well. And then, of course, there's Russia in the mix as well. Can't call it Middle Earth 'cos that's been taken? "The top bits" won't work because theres places like Greenland to consider - and places like Indonesia sort of seep past the equator and into the bottom bits...its rather a conundrum. Which actually sound somewhat geographical, doesn't it? "Peoples of the Conundrum" has a sort of ring to it.But then there's no adjectival form of conundrum, is there. Conundumatic?

Hmm 'conundramatic', it does have a ring to it.*mutters I do believe she's done it again!'*

By George, I rather think I have! And lo! I shall now go and spread the word throughout the foreign teachers community.

And re wot you said before - the conundramatic attitudes (haughtily ignores the red line which has drawn itself under her perfectly wonderful new word. Ignorant computers!)which one can either allow to drive one completely mental - as it does some of my co-workers - or which one can slip dreamily into. They can, of course, be used either for good or evil. Evil when someone comes to investigate a gas leak and casually runs a bic lighter up and down the hose and good when you can import a week's worth of assignments, a packet of ciggies, half a bottle of red wine and a good book into a tea room or coffee room and take up residence there for the whole day for the price of a single cup of whichever.Rather like Lil's, actually.