BOOK TOUR UPDATE: SOMEWHERE IN WISCONSIN

Good name for a rock band.

Comments

[DDi]

G'mornin Moat!

*passes out face masks and rubber gloves as well as hand sanitizer*

No offense MiK, but if what you have is what I had, no thank thee. You guys can keep it in Kourou. Eww. I felt awful for over a week. Hope you get to feeling better soon!

PS: Did GF surprise you with anything for your big day? Did he cook you a fabulous dinner of chicken soup and tea?

[Kibby F5™]

*packs his bags for the guilt trip*

[Marie in Kourou]

I was so far gone due to the Martian Death Flu that I didn't care if he remembered my birthday or not. All I wanted was to get better dammit!

As it is, he didn't forget, but there was no present involved. I didn't really expect one, though, because a month ago or so our camera broke, and we bought this shiny new one. That will limit our DVD and book orders for a while.

[Jeff Meyerson]

Gee, is it any wonder Paris is getting in nightclub brawls over a stud like this?

/end sarcasm

*goes to bleach eyeballs and look at something soothing, like Barry Manilow*

[Leetie]

Marie, sorry to hear about the death of your grandmother. Sympathies to you, your mom, and your aunt.

[Marie in Kourou]

No. I was feeling better by yesterday evening, so he cooked pasta with salmon in a lemony cream sauce... Yes, I know we had eaten this already last week, but I had been saving some mozzarella to make pizza on my birthday, and I was so disappointed at not being able to stomach pizza that I asked him to make pasta. If all goes well, the pizza will be for tonight - though without seafood, as I had planned.

[Marie in Kourou]

Thanks, Leetie. She was a nice woman. I'm sorry I couldn't go to the funeral (it was held yesterday, apparently - thought it was today, but no).

It's a good thing the image you linked to didn't load on my screen, Jeff, but I can only imagine the guy's, uh, cherubic countenance.

[Sarah J]

Jeff, I think they're a perfect match. The Trashy McTrashersons!

[Leetie]

Blogchik, since I have no idea what you may have said, and I don't want to go back and check, why don't you repeat it and we'll see if we should be offended.

HUH??? I would think that if something was offensive, we really shouldn't have it repeated now, should we?

kingw MBE LP OBDE: Thanks for posting that view on the pilgrim thing.

[DDi]

*strips off pants and flings them onto the pink flamingo in Labs yard*

Ahhh, much better!

[DDi]

I agree with Leets, we should all just let it go...

Speaking of which!

*pulls Leeties finger and runs for the hills*

[Leetie]

*sets up truckload of pink flamingoes in Lab's yard*

*decorates flamingoes with flashing lights*

*lofts SBD in direction of the hills*

[Jeff Meyerson]

C'mon, Leetie, do I have to write "THIS IS A JOKE" every time? No one could really take that seriously, could you?

Well, I guess you could, so... IT WAS A JOKE!!!

[DDi]

Jeff, have you been helping yourself to Eleanor's happy pills lately? If not, do you need some?

HA! Just kidding!
Maybe. ;)

*strips off long underwear and tosses those onto the blinking flamingoes*

[Leetie]

MAJOR NEWS UPDATE!

It has rained about 2" in the last 12 hours. My MOAT French freedom drain is WORKING!!!

Too cool!

[slyeyes]

Why is Kibby going on a guilt trip? Will it be round trip or one way? Any guided tours?

Strange dream last night. I mean, really strange.

I got shot in my left side. I don't know why, I don't know who did it. There was just a horrible burning in my side and a lot of blood. I was thinking, "so this is what it's like to die." No one else was around, so I just laid down and waited to die. Then Jenni and Meghan arrived and they were pi$$ed at me for giving up and got help and I got all patched up. I recuperated at Sarah's cabin. We spent most of the time on the porch at her cabin because the interior was wall-to-wall beds. Due to my injuries, I was not able to climb up and over the beds to get from one side of the cabin to the other.

Just before I woke up, I remember thinking that because I dreamt that I got shot in my side, that I would probably hurt there today. But I'm happy to report that I'm fine.

[kingw MBE LP OBDE]

Good Morning
Jeff You are right you never revel in the loss of someone else's team. You are a nice person. Myself on the other hand am not and I revel in the Yankees losing, Kobe Bryant losing, and many others. But I will stop for your sake.

Leetie I just wanted to through in an opinion, I was stuck at work and just got started. Sorry.

[slyeyes]

Oh, in my dream, when Jenni and Meghan arrived, it was the next day. I thought I was dead until they got mad at me. I was just kind of lying there watching them fuss over me, feeling badly for them because they lost their mother. When Jenni yelled at me to answer her, dammit, I said, "You mean I'm not dead? How can I not be dead, I got shot hours ago and I lost a lot of blood, are you sure I'm not dead?"

Yup, it was one strange dream.

Leetie, congrats on the freedom drain. *snork*

[BigD@]

I saw a birthday card the other day that was MOAT worthy: "Birthdays are like boogers, the more you have the harded it is to breathe."

[Marie in Kourou]

Cool dream, Sly!

I had weird fever-induced dreams last night, but they promptly vanished from my mind as soon as I got up. Now all I can recall is a vague sense of panic when I dragged myself out of bed about not having made the right kind of bow and arrows on time. I was actually looking around for them, and my Martian Death Flu-addled brain decided that the bow and arrows were on the pile of clothes that are on a stool in the bedroom.

[slyeyes]

MiK, it's so bizzare that you had a dream about bows and arrows. I'm reading Norah Roberts' new series about vampire fighters. One of the characters is a girl from Gaell, circa 11th century or earlier. She's now in Ireland in this century and is enthralled with all of the books in the library. She spends as much time as possible reading, but she's spot on with a bow and arrow; and can kill vampires from great distances and very rapidly with her weapons. When I'm reading the story, I picture you as she.

[Leetie]

Of course I read MiK's last sentence as "clothes that are on a stool in the bathroom." Because that's (eew) how my mind works. ;)

My p-nut had a strange dream this morning too. It's the first time she's really remembered a dream enough to tell me about it. It was so cute listening to her tell me the story.

Ok this is getting spooky. JU's parents just got home from Ireland! Where they practiced archery!

(I may have lied about the archery part)

[Marie in Kourou]

Neat, Sly! Whenever I play computer games, I nearly always choose to fight with a bow and arrow. I wouldn't mind learning archery.

I don't know how far this place is from Cheraw, but I hope it's nowhere near the border with SC. I wonder if Susan can see the smoke?

[slyeyes]

LEETIE!! NO!

OK, this is getting so strange. My parents just returned from Virginia where THEY PRACTICED LYING!

[Leetie]

Hey now! Are you saying that we're all liars here? We do like to use lye for unclogging drains and stuff. So maybe I am a lyer.

*goes off to lie down*

[neophyte]

-dashes in just long enough to give KingW a big SMOOCH- Welcome home, sweetie!

[BigD@]

MiK, Susan is about 2 hours from there although my daughter is only about an hour away.EEEK.

[Jeff Meyerson]

Good dream, sly! I'm not too good on dream interpretation but it doesn't take a genius to see it says something about how important your daughters are to you.

Am I at least close?

Very cool here today. Jackie kept complaining how cold she was last night, shut all the bedroom windows and used a cover over the sheet. I wasn't cold at all (I never am) but she said it was because she was the "windbreak" between me and the windows.

Today is overcast and very windy and cool. They said the rain would stay to the south but it's been raining lightly here for the last half hour or so.

I need to get a light jacket (a "spring jacket") since I set my old one on fire in Madison, in case I didn't mention that.

Actually, it didn't go up in flames, just sort of melted a big hole in the back before I even noticed I was on fire.

10 miles from Raleigh is a ways from Cheraw. (Whoops, BigD already confirmed that.)

And sly, Jackie is waiting for book 3 before she starts the Nora vampire trilogy.

[kingw MBE LP OBDE]

Neo smooches to you too.

[Marie in Kourou]

{{{BigD}}} Be sure to tell us as soon as you hear from your daughter. Hopefully, she won't be downwind of that place.

[Jeff Meyerson]

MiK: belated condolences for your grandmother's death.

[Kibby F5™]

kibby was getting ready for, what appeared, to be an upcoming guilt trip and didn't want to be left behind (hee hee, he said "behind") because the luggage wasn't packed in time.

*wonders what this bullet hole's doing in the left side of his chair*

[Eleanor]

*zips in*

When I was at summer camp after the 10th grade I won an archery medal!!

I've been waiting for mumblegrumble years to be able to drop that bon mot into a conversation!

It's going to be a good day.

*decides to hang around for a while* :)

[Eleanor]

Good thing it was in the side of your chair, partner, and not in your side!

Happy belated birthday, MiK!

[«LabSpecimen»]

In fact during the French and Indian war tribes aligned themselves with the French to help conquer there historic rival Native American Tribes.

This happened after the indians in the east were forced to move west, into already occupied lands. The indians were very peaceful and cooperative for centures. Sure there were border battles - just like those that took place in Europe. There is no recorded history of the indians taking part in anything even close to the barbaric Cruisades.

[DDi]

To give you all a small glimpse into my mind and how it works:

Now I have a taste for pasta and crepes. Thanks Lab.

[Marie in Kourou]

I think you might like to read href="http://www.amazon.com/Years-Rice-Salt-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0553580078/sr=1-2/qid=1160148948/ref=pd_bbs_2/104-1587711-2079952?ie=UTF8&s=books">"The Years of Rice and Salt," Lab. Not for the spiritual side -every chapter ends with the characters meeting in their afterlife -, but for the "what if...?" storyline. Muslims in Europe, Native Americans in the Americas, and the Chinese pretty much everywhere...

Or not. I think non-fiction is more to your liking, but I wanted to mention this book, anyway.

Thanks, Jeff and El.

I very, very briefly took archery lessons in summer camp when I was 6-7. Little plastic bows and arrows, nothing sharp. I was pretty bad at it, though.

[Marie in Kourou]

*sigh*

*hands back HTML badge*

*tries to link to the book again*

*crosses fingers, hits post*

[«LabSpecimen»]

Jeff, I used to love baseball. Then I started watching football. The thing about football is that, no matter how much you analyze what can happen that season, you can never be really sure. This is for two reasons: (1) Statistically speaking, there aren't that many games to show trends. (2) The system is designed to create parity between the teams. Sure, you can tweak things here and there so you have a great season, maybe two, but then you'll end up letting all your stars go to get under the cap and end up with a sucky team. (Eg. 49ers)

So, at that point I decided that baseball is broken. It's too easy to buy a championship-quality team. The Yankees proved my point. They aren't the only ones trying to do it, but they were the first. And look at teams like Cincinnati and the Expos who are in small markets. There is no parity. The Yankees embody that for me, so I take my hatred out on them.

Although, frankly, I watch so little baseball now that I don't even care if the Yankees win or lose, but for a few years, I wanted to see the money go to waste. Until the system is fixed (in my mind), I just don't watch anymore.

Ironically, The Wench and I started dating because we went to a Reds game together.

[kingw MBE LP OBDE]

No crusades for the Indians, that requires organised religon and politics and money and salt.
The Indians had less population pressure, so the need for large scale warfare was less.
I just read a book about the history of salt. Turns out that it was at least as important as religon in starting many of the wars in Europe. Very interesting book.

[Marie in Kourou]

Can you share the title, KingW? I think my father would be interested in it, and I may be, too.

[«LabSpecimen»]

Before the arrival of the Europeans, the population of North America was probably larger then that of Europe.

Thank you, Marie. And thank you for remembering that I really prefer non-fiction.

Blogchik, I read your appology. I can say this: Everyone makes mistakes, but only the mature admit it. I'm impressed with you.

I vote we move the MOAT. I'm having trouble loading it. Is it just me?

[kingw MBE LP OBDE]

Salt A World History by Mark Kurlansky
I recommend it highly

[Marie in Kourou]

No, I'm not having any trouble loading this MOAT. Of course, it isn't as *zippy* as when we started it on 26 September, but the time it takes to load is fine.

[«LabSpecimen»]

Writing it down, kw!

BTW, in my mind, I call you "K-Dub". No, it is NOT inspired by K-Fed. I guess, though, that the two of you are similar, except that he is a complete waste of carbon.

[Eleanor]

It's just you, but because you are YOU, why don't you find a spot? :)

*zips out to look*

[Eleanor]

I give up. I looked all through May, 2004 and there was nothing available.

[Eleanor]

How about here?

[Susan]

Last comment here was 10:58...typing before I heinze again...

Yes, Apex is a couple hours from me. I go through that area going to the Raleigh airport. My father worked with Weller, a part of Cooper Tools, and he used to occasionally go to Apex.

I was a little confused...I moused over the link and thought, what? BBC? How is that going to be anywhere near me?

Then I read it.

*going back to heinze*

[Marie in Kourou]

Speaking of books... My aunt has asked me which ones she wants me to buy for my birthday (yes, this year's birthday). She will keep them in her house until I go to Spain at the end of the year to renew my papers, because I'd rather avoid the expense of sending them here through the mail.

So... I was wondering if you guys could recommend some history books. KingW's book has already been jotted down as a possibility.

I'm interested in, well, pretty much anything... Last time we bought books online, for example, one of the books I chose was on the history of Australia, "The Fatal Shore," which I will start reading whenever the headache from the Martian Death Flu passes.

[Eleanor]

Paging Lab, paging Lab

This one for you!

[Marie in Kourou]

Though if I had to narrow it down to a few subjects, I'd say I'd be interested in reading about the history of languages; Russia or the ex-USSR; Scandinavia; the Celts; Asia in general and perhaps Japan in particular; Australia and NZ (I'd be curious to see what Kaf recommends on her fine country); the Middle Ages; the exploration of the New World, especially in the colder climes; the Arab world; Canada, and particularly Québec; Africa in general, and now that I think of it, probably all colonies/former colonies in general, never mind which country ruled them.

*rereads list* OK, that doesn't exclude too many things, but oh well...

[rita]

Feel better, MiK, and happy birthday (late), and I'm so sorry to hear about your grandmother. I miss my Nana so much.

Blogchik, I didn't see anything offensive about anything you wrote. Either there's nothing offensive, or I'm really in pissy mood right now. And all week.

[Susan]

Are the pissy moods contagious? I was in one most of the week...it did let up a little yesterday...

And today has been good.

Tuesday, though.

Not a good day at all. Or was it Monday that was sooo bad?

[Marie in Kourou]

Rainy days and Mondays always get me down...

[«LabSpecimen»]

Thank you, Eleanor. I stand sit pantsless, corrected.

Hey, I'm on vacation and I *am* pantsless.

[«LabSpecimen»]

OFFICIAL MOAT MOVE

Eleanor, prepare the emails!

We're going to Commit Crime in Japan

END OFFICIAL MOAT MOVE