Was it something I said? Unk, Robert, Donna, Diane, Hardliner.....

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), November 26, 1998

Answers

I suppose if you have there's no point in posting this message.

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), November 26, 1998.

It's Thanksgiving day in the U.S. today, Richard. National holiday.

-- Kevin (musicmixer@worldnet.att.net), November 26, 1998.

Hi Richard. Most of the forum is probably busy with Thanksgiving festivities, including my family. I'm on half-hour break. Do you have this across the pond? Anyway, just came online for a little while to see what's happening. Looks like the biggest thing going on is waiting for the 60 minutes show. Cheers.

-- Rob Michaels (sonofdust@net.com), November 26, 1998.

Yes Richard, it's all your fault. Everyone is gone and you are to blame. Happy now? It's all ruined.

-- Uncle Deedah (oncebitten@twiceshy.com), November 26, 1998.

I'm going to go out on a limb now, and speculate wildly that Uncle Deedah has not left the building but will in fact, five minutes ago, post something.

Are you all bambozzled with my prophetic insight yet?

-- Craig (craig@ccinet.ab.ca), November 26, 1998.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! Now I gotta get back in the kitchen!

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), November 26, 1998.

It's not thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was back in October before we had all this horrible snow.

Like, do you guys celebrate Christmas in January there too.

No wonder we got a Y2K problem. You guys apparently get a lot of dates screwed up. ;-)

-- Craig (craig@ccinet.ab.ca), November 26, 1998.

Richard, Just got done packing at least 6,000 calories away for y2k. Have some turkey, drink a pint and watch some football. Does the soul good.

-- Bill (bill@microsoft.com), November 26, 1998.

Yes we don't have "thanksgiving", I think our nearest equivalent used to be "harvest festival" celebrating the fruits of the land sort of thing. People used to bring produce and vegetables into a special church service laid out on the floor, with huge loaves shaped like sheaves of wheat etc. But it was only confined to the church service rather than a family at home celebration. We also don't go much on halloween, we have a few pathetic kids in cheap home made costumes going round. I think you lot celebrate all these festivals with much more "joie de vivre" than us whinging Brits. Christmas is the biggie for us, also Easter to a lesser extent, thats about it, oh yes not forgetting Guy Fawkes Night 5th November (really like your 4th July only cold and damp.) Hope you all enjoyed the celebrations. Presumably you're still thinking of creative ways of getting rid of all that Turkey, and maybe members of the family who outstay their welcome.

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), November 27, 1998.

Phew, I was beginning to think Unk had mellowed. Yes Thanksgiving is a Govt plot to distract public attention away from Y2k, as will Xmas 1999. BTW y2k will not be the only unfinished millenium project, there are so many construction projects underway over here that they haven't got enough workers to complete them in time. Everyone is saying lets do a millenium project (eg building a seed bank at Kew Gardens Sussex) for 2000, without checking that it can actually be achieved. Lack of forward planning again!

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), November 27, 1998.

Craig, we need forward thinkers like yourself managing IT projects.

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), November 27, 1998.

I hate the use of the term "Xmas", we don't say X was born on Xmas day. Or X knows, or X is born again. Who started all this X business Agent Silly?

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), November 27, 1998.

This Thanksgiving lark is going on for ages. Guess Rickology is talking to myself, what better audience!

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), November 27, 1998.

Maybe it was Generation X, Richard. Quien sabe?

Maybe we could save all the turkey bones to add to our fruitcake collections for our secret weapons stash for use with automatic slingshots? Just a thought.

Now is the morning after the big feed. Much of America goes shopping today, Richard. We're a strange group.

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 27, 1998.

Hi Di! Sounds like a great idea, shopping straight afterward the great feed. I suppose you have January sales, then you have a few days to recover after Xmas before raiding Harrods.

I ALWAYS end up buying "special purchases" every year I regret it, sometimes wonder how many years sales goods get cycled round till someone like me comes along.

Me on seeing "green shirt" hmmm that looks OK...

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), November 27, 1998.

We had a very nice Thanksgiving day with my daughter and her significant other, all of us more than sufficiently stuffed after unstuffing the bird. Thanksgiving, Richard is supposed to be a symbolic reenactment of the First Thanksgiving 300 or more years ago when the early settlers to what was to become the colonies celebrated after nearly all had died of disease and hunger. The indigenous folks came and brought food...Needless to say, these days there are some activists among the native peoples here that do not cheer and celebrate.

Today is the day to avoid going anywhere in the US cos everyone will be out shopping...retailers favorite day and the supposed "biggest shopping day of the year." I am following the suggestion of the anti-consumerism crowd, and will buy nothing!

As to the X in Christmas, my understanding was that it was used even back in ancient days... the X representing the Chi rho, the christ......never really took objection to it even when I was a practicing Xian.

-- Donna Barthuley (moment@pacbell.net), November 27, 1998.

Excellent idea Diane! Insert the bones into the fruitcake - fruitcake with spikes! Can we talk about this at the next FRL mtg?

-- Christine A. Newbie (vaganti01@aol.com), November 27, 1998.

* Who started all this X business Agent Silly? *

Probably fear of lawyers and the America Criminal Liberties Union.

-- fly . (.@...), November 27, 1998.

a fruitcake with spikes!!

That may have been Paul Gascoigne.......

Just a wild gaz...........

Long live Sheffield Wednesday....

Am I rambling yet..............

-- Craig (craig@ccinet.ab.ca), November 27, 1998.

Ramble on Craig. Love the armed and dangerous fruitcake idea, Christine!

Donna, I'm not going shopping either, but do have to brave the crowds to return a video. Groan! It is a gloomly overcast day in Silicon Valley just now. A green shirt would perk things up a bit Richard.

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 27, 1998.

Uncle D, it's finally working! :-)

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), November 27, 1998.

Craig,

No they don't have Thansgiving Day over there - just like they don't have a 4th of July! And the Y2K problem is much worse in the "Olde Country" for several reasons :

They're on the metric system so all the dates have to be converted in 100's instead of 7's, and embedded controllers are all reset into deci-hours instead of minutes.

Their clocks run on the left side of the street when jogging, so they rotate counterclockwise when viewed from behind.

Half the country is in the other side of the divider at Greenwhich, so they can't figure out what time it isn't anyway.

By the way, have we infiltrated the Canadianain holiday calendar yet with Thanksgiving? Do they shop for turkeys, or do the Saskatawhateveryoucallitians just walk outside and pickup whatever frozen bird has fallen from the sky?

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 27, 1998.

Oh... and .Jean says "Hi" to everybody - but very pointedly reminded me as I left the house that "... the Christmas tree will look a lot prettier with a few more presents for me under it."

Any hints?

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 27, 1998.

Robert, a cozy warm, Y2K ready sexy flannel nightgown. (Good luck finding that one).

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 27, 1998.

At the risk of being rude (by answering for someone else), yes, Robert, we do have Thanksgiving - it's the second Monday in October. Since our fall (autumn) comes earlier than yours, we can't wait 'til you do. In fact, lots of the Northern States would be smarter to celebrate earlier, too, I'd think. Just one of the many advantages you will have when the Great Invasion takes place 8-)

-- Tricia the Canuck (jayles@telusplanet.net), November 27, 1998.

Diane, Jean is Robert's 13 year old daughter. Flannel, yes. Sexy flannel, probably not! :-)

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), November 27, 1998.

How about flannel turtleneck?

-- Christine A. Newbie (vaganti01@aol.com), November 28, 1998.

Uncle D fell off roof installing his solar panels. Robert suffocated in a barrel of grain and nitrous oxide;and is still laughing. Donna came over to my house and ... so did Diane.

Hardliner is my alter ego and keeps a low profile.

-- fly . (.@...), November 28, 1998.

fly,....Tell Hardliner to get his butt back to the Asylum....! ROFLMAO

And if you're inclined I'll talk about theories of consciousness that pertain to the "multi-minded", oh you of the alter ego.

-- Donna Barthuley (moment@pacbell.net), November 28, 1998.

The sock problem is an example of quantum weirdness. It's Schrodinger's Sock Paradox... 8-)

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), November 28, 1998.

Kevin: is "Schrodinger's Sock Paradox... 8-) " a reference to my missing reallly bright red sock? If it is could you elaborate on the other thread.

BTW, What is " 8-)", Diane scale? Leftover html? Help.

-- Rob Michaels (sonofdust@net.com), November 28, 1998.

Rob, here is the emoticon "directory":

http://www.eff.org/papers/eegtti/eeg_286.html

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), November 28, 1998.

More emoticons & smileys for your expressive pleasure ;-D :
http://www.windweaver.com/emoticon.htm
xxxxxxx xxxxxxx

-- Leska (allaha@earthlink.net), November 28, 1998.

Gayla - :D

Leska - :-)

Thanks.

-- Rob Michaels (sonofdust@net.com), November 28, 1998.

You are all back with a vengeance it seems.

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), November 30, 1998.