The good morning, good night thread

[Pharosian]

I recall some comedian said that "tequila" is the other word that is recognized in every language.  He said you could go to China, Germany, or where ever, say "tequila" and watch as evryone just shook their heads and grumbled in pain...I don't like the stuff nyself---prefer the cheap beer (go Beast    )

What's the first word everyone recognizes?

I do love a good margarita. Or two.  Mmmm! 

[Ed]

What's the first word everyone recognizes?

Probably 'aww-shaddup!' -- newborns tend to cry a lot when you're trying to sleep.

Can't say I've ever tried tequila, but my wife says she'll never touch the stuff again after her last experience with it. I remember it well. She and a friend (when they were young and sillier) sat on my settee looking pretty green, so I went and got a bucket and placed it in the middle. They banged heads a few times

[fnord33]

[They banged heads a few times

Any chance you got that on film? It sounds like good memeparty material.

I'm not really a fan of tequila myself. I had some good tequila (hanger 1) while I was in California, but I can't get it here and it was over 100.00 a bottle. I tend to prefer dark liquors. A few weeks ago a friend had a scotch tasting party and we found a 16.00 bottle that everyone ranked higher than the "good" stuff. The only one that beat it was Johnny Walker Blue. Pity I can't remember the name.

I had an interesting day yesterday. I had to go to work just as the ice storm was kicking off. I saw 5 wrecks and nearly slid down a hill while hanging out the window trying to de-ice my windshield as I drove. Fun fact, spray de-icer doesn't come out fast enough to pierce 30 mph wind. My heater broke and ice was forming so fast that I had to stop every couple of minutes. So, I got to work and found that everyone had already given up on staying open. The managers were trying to get somebody from corporate on the line to tell us we could leave, but they were nowhere to be found. After a couple of hours the managers let some of us who had a long drive leave, but by that time all the roads I needed to take to get home were closed. I couldn't take the highway because of the windshield thing, so I had to park and call my wife to come pick me up. My car is still there. The roads are supposed to re-open tomorrow.     

[Kerr]

OMG! Fnord, what a nightmare. Or you could be snowed in like us, trapped all weekend and still trying to dig out. Just a little further and we'll hit the street. I'm wondering if I can take another winter. I remember years back in Chicago subs when we dug our way out of an apartment lot, picked up my friend and the two of us were deposited at the restaurant for the night. It was almost empty except for those stranded. We were like a beacon and the truckers were very generous and grateful. It was always one of my favorite nights waitressing ever. But Chicago's worst snows can't hold a candle to Michigan's. Snow is the reason this is called the Wilderness state. I want to be a Snow bird in my next life.

[Pharosian]

Hey, Kerr! What part of Michigan are you in? I grew up on the west side of the state, close to the Big Lake.  Then I went to college in the Upper Peninsula for several years, and really learned how to drive in blizzard conditions.    When it snows down here in southern Ohio, it's never quite the same as in the "good old days" at MTU, where people often had paths from their front door to the street with walls of snow on either side six or seven feet high...

And of course, Winter Carnival was awesome, with the fraternities building enormous, intricate sculptures out of snow and ice.

[Rev. Austin]

Speaking of unexpected links between people and such like, I recently received an email for the giant monster antho I'm editing, from someone else in Scunthorpe!  He read on my blog that's where I'm from and thought it was a sick joke hahaha

[Kerr]

@ Pharo. I'm SW too and wouldn't go any further north if you paid me. Enough's enough. We're about 20 miles inland from the lake though, just enough that we're the likely place the headwinds reach every time. A couple years back I asked my brother if he'd pick up daughter #1 from O'Hare and drive her to the hospital because of a blizzard the night before and she being out of the snow zone so long. # 2 was having her baby. "What snow?" he wanted to know. "We're buried here. #2 almost couldn't get out of her driveway. It took them an hour and her contractions getting closer and closer." He didn't believe me until he was almost here. 

[Ed]

How's the new job going, Pharo -- settling into it yet? Is it all very strange and different, or is it feeling like home from home?

[Pharosian]

Thanks for asking, Ed.

The new job is going well. I've been going to meetings and getting in on conference calls. Today I was on a call with a couple of people from one of our bigger customers along with "Dan," the guy who handles their account on our side. Dan isn't as well-versed in the product as I am, so I was able to answer some of the customers' technical questions. It was nice to have all that in-depth knowledge I gained through testing come in handy in a discussion about future enhancements.

[Ed]

Glad to hear it Sounds like the perfect job all round, in terms of matching your skills and knowledge to customer service and product development. Cool.

[fnord33]

Pharo, Glad to hear you're liking the new job. My wife just got a promotion as well. They haven't given her a title or told her how much she'll be making though. It was more like, "Hey you get a promotion. Something, something research. Now, get to work. It looks like it'll be more laid back than her last position except that she's going to have to do more presentations. Meanwhile, I'm still carrying food around for a living.

I retrieved my car today.   It took an hour and a half to get enough ice off to see through the windshield, but I did it. It was an interesting experience. I started out with a library card then someone came up and offered me a slipper they had found. It worked okay for the big chunks. Then someone else came up and offered me a hairbrush that worked a little better. I still couldn't see through it, so my father in law came out and delivered me a big metal scraper. It was kind of heart-warming seeing all these strangers come to my aid. I didn't think people did that anymore.  

[Geoff_N]

At last, the temp soared to 10C 50F allowing my bike to see the road again. 15 miles and I realized how unfit I've become so a small detour to the swimming pool on the way home only to find it shut for maintenance. Even so, I was chuffed for the hour or so with my legs rotating - helps think through story plots.

[Kerr]

  I have to tell you guys that I totally suck at redos, but I'm struggling with it and may finish in time--not that that means a lot. But my leaning always seems to show up in the next, so I have no problem with forward motion. Anyhow, a prompt to write something about snow seems to have kicked my next direction off. My little MC has big problems and a lot of determination and spunk. Whoots! Now I must finish the redo today so I can get back to her. 

[delboy]

Apparantly Richard and Judy have done it again:

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/851929-richard-and-judy-book-club-reveals-list-for-spring-2011

on the TV yesterday they were saying how since they've announced these books they have jumped into positions #2, #3, and #4 in the best-sellers list and overall more than 40 000 copies of the selected books have been sold!

Clearly R&J know where it's at!

Derek

[Rev. Austin]

I can't believe those bastards took my money and ran.  I should have been in the number 1 slot.  Last time I bribe daytime TV talkshow hosts.