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

I learned how do drive stick this past weekend. I'm so proud of myself. I'm going to be driving Zippy (my sister's car) for the rest of the week. She and the rest of my family went to Massachusetts for Thanksgiving, so I'm babysitting her car. I think it'll be fun.

I still own the second stick shift I ever drove. My grandfathers 1971 Ford Pickup. My father taught me to drive it when I was just fifteen.

I've been traveling since Thursday, from Massachusetts to New Hampshire, with my my family, I borrowed my grandmothers car. Her card game has slipped terribly from last year.

May I be among the first to wish you a Merry Christmas. See you this New Year.

Well, Zippy is no longer in my care. I'll miss that car.

Where in Massachusetts were you?

Buttercup,

I live in the town of Easton, south of Boston, MA. I spent thanksgiving at my mom's in the town of Guilford on lake Winnepesaukie in NH.

When I'm reflecting on how far I've come in this life the answer, sometimes, is 28 miles. I've lived briefly in CT, ME, NH and for a school year at University College Cardiff, Wales. I've driven cross country, been to Florida and Paris six times each, was a student at a university in Venice for two days and spent a week on Ios beach, but my folks are both from Stoughton, a few miles from here and I was born at the South Shore Hospital in Weymouth.

Wow...I hope I will be able to travel that much at some point in my life. I've always loved travel, but haven't been able to do much. I've been to Danvers, Mass., and other various places in New England, Toronto, Chincoteague, Va., and New Orleans. I'm planning a trip to Cleveland soon. I was planning to major in French in college, but changed to Culinary Arts. I still love the language, though, and would enjoy going to France.

Well then, how long should I steam asparagus?

I like most of my veggies almost raw, sometimes I just pour boiling water over them, but asparagus are, it seems, different. These aren't the fancy white ones you see on the continent but they're very skinny. Also should I continue to use this Knorr packaged Hollandaise sauce, or is that like pathetic.

Bonne nuit, mon amie.

I know this is a bit terrible, seeing as I'm a cook, but, um, I really don't know how long to steam asparagus. And we just had some for a party tonight....I'll find out tommorrow and get back to you on that. I do know that you steam eggs for 18 minutes to hard boil them, and green beans for about 5. As for the Hollandaise sauce, Knorr is the same brand of packaged sauce that we use at the country club.

Greg (another cook) and I made a triple nut pie the other day. It looked really good, but when we cut it, we discovered that it wasn't cooked the whole way through. It turns out that Greg took it out of the oven like 10 minutes too soon. I was quite disappointed. When I think of all the Macademia nuts that went into it, that will not be eaten...Grr.

'A teut 'a l'heure, mon petit chou.

Asparagus should be steamed until it turns bright green. The same for beans and broccoli and other green vegetables.

Uh, woof, long weekend, just woke up.
Good to here from you buttercup.

Thanks for the asparagus research.
You'll be happy to hear they've turned bright green
all by themselves in the fridge, fuzzy too.
May be time to start fresh.

Along that path, I'm spending today writing.
I find an insulted brainstem can free ideas.
I could write 'Another Poem About Mud'
or 'Only Sixteen Presidents Names End With N'.
I didn't say they were great ideas, just free.
Oh oh.. I know.. 'How the Martians Stole our Spaceships'

Baisers affectueux

At work today I discovered a 5 gallon bucket of dinner rolls that had more hair than 2 of my coworkers combined. Now I have to figure out what else I can use to make croutons.

I'm very impressesed by your poetry titles. My poems are all either untitled or named boringly. Except for that one about Cottage Cheese Man. I really realy like "One From The Other Side." I'd like to read more of your poetry.

This was written while the bulbs in the mud,
starting with the first snowdrops of the new year,
and lasting through the dying tulips,
met the brilliant comet a few years back.


Hale-Bopp Bulbs

Snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils,
tall tulips in turn greet comet!.
Snowball falls whipped, snapped round the sun.
Northeast sunrise!. Northwest sunset.

Earth orbits tipped, topped on a run.
Skies clear, surprise!. Clouds close, windwet.

Petals peek, sneak open, grin much,
Life in mud such, as we forget.

Once again, you leave me with no compliment high enough to do your writing justice. It's beautiful.

Freckledfaced GidgetGirl~

That compliment will do perfectly. Merci beaucoup.
Oops, the t in tall should be T, as in 'Tall, mostly harmless'.

Read rubberbands as weapons, do you still have a ponytail?

Looking back now.. you know before this thread is through,
we might talk again about the fun of driving a stick shift.
My first stick was old VW's through the woods. Seen Zippy?

Actually, at the moment I have my hair in braided pigtails.

I haven't seen Zippy since I gave him back to my sister. I saw her (my sister) for a few minutes the other day, but not Zippy. I still have the key, though.

Last night I was driving my mom's car, also a stick, a Ford Tempo, and I stalled several times. I felt really stupid. I get embarrassed much too easily.

The story so far..

'Embarrassed freckledface, cute laughing blue eyes,
darkblonde hair in braids, sailor pants & chefs hat maybe,
in a stalled Ford Tempo...'

Well, no chef's hat (they make me look silly), but basically that's right. I hate to admit it, but I was also swearing quite a bit at the car....