Mmmm, we'll certainly try! I hope you guys are doing well an so on while we're gone.

Can you imagine how hot it is here? Today it was 34 degrees Celsius! Phew!!

Huh? American here crazy Swede lady!! The only country thats officially Metric System, but we use our own old system of measurements thats everyone else has to adapt too!!

Hahahaha1 amis are crazy! metric system rules! I gather 34 celsius is about 94 fahrenheit or something!

I can never learn the farebheit and inch-feet gallon craziness!

The sad thing is, your logical system of convenient and easy to learn units of measurement will never win over the heart of Americans and their system based on the size of the kings foot, and three barley seeds placed vertically next to one another.

Oh yeah....I know, and I think it's sweet....


i just love you Ami's and your totally crazy measuring systems

Hmm that cake is equal in weight to this random pile of stones I found, and its volume is equal to my Aunt Margot's keester in 1975....

Exactly!!! and that's hilarious! You can't but love a folk that uses such things as measurements!

Try being in the halfway house in the UK. Today I went and got a 3408ml bottle of milk and a 907g jar of syrup since they started trying to phase out use of imperial...

Farenheit has died out here almost competely but we still use miles (a kilometer is just an unsatisfying distance) and a mixture of everything else.

Actually that makes me wander, what measure of distance do you continental folks use at sea? Here its nautical miles (with speed in knots) which are equal to about 1.15 statute miles.

Its fun having different measures for different things.

Well, I'm going to go ahead and jump into the conversation. Personally I prefer the American system as opposed to the metric system. With the metric system, everything sounds grossly over exaggerated or under exaggerated. I just can't coming inside after a hot day, and saying "Geez, it must be at least 30 out there!" It just doesn't get across the same way as saying 105 or something. And with the measurements, 8 inches sounds better than 4,000 decimeters. Plus, I've been taught the Imperial way all my life and so has every other American. So I don't really think I'll be learning the metric system...or visiting Europe for that matter.

You know what...fine, I'm a typical American saying this. But at least our slang can be figured out with a certain amount thought. british,....not so much.

I still dont know what 'Bob's your uncle.' means!!

If I spent time out of country, I'd gladly learn metric, but since we don't really use that system enough it would be pointless right now.

But it hasn't fallen below 100 degrees faren in over a week. At least that sounds hot to the average person, metric or no.

But I read a lot of military books that use meters to describe range..... Anyway, metrics is just one thing that proves the US isn't quite as cosmopolitan as we're all raised to believe. But we were pretty isolated for awhile so I guess it can be justified.

"Bob's your uncle" is essentially meaningless. It means 'and that's all you have to do' or 'and there you are' but is only used when thats already obvious. Very useful...

4000 decimeters are about 15748 inches. 8 inches are about 20 centimeters.

I'm a biologist by profession, so I use metric in my work. Hooray, setting up 1000 meter transects for invasive plant sampling...

Well, I was exaggerating a bit. What I was meaning to say is inches are about 2.5 times bigger than a centimeter, and I think that makes it easier to measure things. I'd rather count out 13 inches than 33 centimeters.

Coming to a theatre near you...this summer...logical ten based sequences versus random collusion of gathered systems over the centuries! Who will win? The system based on things that actually make sense? Or the system who engineered a global empire?

Find out! When Metric meets Imperial,....which ironically enough has been cast aside by the very people who originally devised it....

Oh yeah? Then what about feet vs meters?

Well I would think that yards are more comparable to meters than feet. All I'm saying is, I learned the Imperial system, it makes sense to me. 12 inches in a foot, 3 feet in a yard, 1,760 yards in a mile. Sure, it doesn't make much sense, but that's how we Americans like it.

Hi guys! Holiday greetings from minque and daedroth on my cellphone.

Ahhh it's good to be back again....and to the nice discussion about measuring systems..



Mmm, maybe, I kinda buy that argument..



uhhh?? I'm not so sure about that, I'm an old geezer and I certainly can't figure it out without help from a conversion table or so



I know you do! And all I'm saying is that I will get a conversion table pinned to my pc so I can talk to you guys the way you like it! OK?

Lol, just give it time, minque. By the next century we're bound to have moved on to metrics. School's starting next thursday for me. *yeah* Honestly, I just look forward to a normal sleep cycle and some structure again....

My mom's been back from China for a couple of weeks. She was a part of a medical mission (cleft palates). It was her first time to go to China, she's been on a few to Honduras. Apparently, this trip was abnormally bad. Without going into detail, there was a whole lot of setbacks, some corruption, and other crap.
In the end, only half of the people they were planning to treat were operated on (the plug got pulled a day early, which didn't help that). In spite of all the trouble, they're likely to go again next year.... after a reprieve. There's no hard feelings that I've heard from any who went on the mission.

I need tchoose avatar now. I have four to choose from.
nr1, my first:
nr2, the one I'm currently using:
nr3, created today:
nr4, first Oblivion one also created today:


You choose

Well, I'd take either four or one. Four looks fine on its own. One has these deeper shadows that make the face more pronounced. In two, the face looks washed out due to all the light. This is the same reason I'd suggest against using three. The other reason is that I like one and two's hairstyle more.

But in the end, it's your choice.

Going back to news from my place. I figured out that the life of a student isn't easy, especially when you're from the countryside. (Or the closest thing to countryside in the Netherlands). I'm still in the initiation week, which basically means I tag along behind a group all day and watch them get seriously drunk. I'm kinda bored with that, but at least I'm not the one with a hangover.

Anyway, tonight the folks decided to go past every single pub in the city-centre and make a new record on drunkeness. I didn't feel so well, so I went home. I arrived one hour and about sixteen minutes later, after having rode around in a circle, take a bridge in both directions, gone past the landmarks my sister explained and then using them the wrong way. All while it was raining. Damn, I'm tired now. Looking back, I can laugh at being so ridiculously lost but back then, I wasn't laughing.

I found something very sweet that I'd like to share with you.
Enjoy!

The singer is Sophie Zelmani!

I'm going to try the Oblivion one for now..

The joys of Fresher's Week, and pub crawls... good times.. This year I'll get to be one of the people in the group that organises such things, rather than being a fresher who tagged along
But that won't be starting till the 6th of October... lnog wait yet...

Being able to drink is not on my list of reasons to look forward to turning 21. I switched my favorite soda after I found out coke leads to liver disease. I'll still have it every now and then, but I'm starting to like sprite a whole lot more now. *I'm going to donate my organs when I die, so I might as well keep them in some sort of health.*

I'm a teacher's pet..... sorta. Some friends of mine have sipped a little beer and said it tastes horrible anyway.

21 always seems high for a drinking age, I'd even say 18 is rather high (except for spirits), bearing in mind that you can leave school, get married and join the army to go and kill people at 16. Not that drinking ages work anyway, there's always someone who will sell to anyone.

As for freshers week - sometime the end of september for me though I doubt this one will be as wild as the last one which went off the rails rather. Fortunatly no one expects me to organise anything though, all I have to do is make a meeting to decide what subjects I'll do this year and do a afternoon's demo.

I'd say make the most of it if its your first one becuse it will be the most fun one probably, and join lots of clubs.

One of the reasons it's 21 is because your brain is still developing in your late teens. You might as well let your brain get *almost* finished before you go screwing it up with one of the harmful substances that can penetrate the BBB (blood-brain barrier).

Btw, why do the freshmen tag along with the people getting drunk anyway?

Tradition partly and most people (here at least) quite enjoy getting drunk. Also when you get to uni you're in a new place and don't know anyone: to have a few drinks is a good way of meeting new people and getting to know them very quickly.

The way you taste things changes as you age as well and almost everyone develops at least some appriciation of alcohol so its most enjoyable.

Basically the reasons anyone drinks.

I guess I'm kind of a weird rebel as far as "normal" teenagers are. Only in some ways: I am actually pretty comfortable in my own company, I'm a freshman in High School so I don't know but two girls from my church's youth group. Most of my friends at my old school are people I "fell in with" rather than picked out of the crowd.

I went on a three week student trip to Australia and New Zealand. The trip was awesome, but I loathed so many of the other guys in the trip. Without resorting to overly harsh terminology, they were total A[ok, jerks]. Apparently they were "normal" older teens since they made up the majority of the male demographics (the exception being myself and one kid that was a popular source of "amusement").
After having to spend three weeks with them, I can say, "Screw the bandwagon; I'll live life by what's fine by me." Most people aren't as bad, but I refuse to bow before peer pressure if there isn't a good reason to do something.

I suppose part of the reason might be that I'm an adopted only child who tries to adhere to family values and abide by the law (whether classroom or general).

It's highschool.... university tends to be somewhat different. There's a crowd of people you can hang out with no matter what your interests, practically. Hell, I was more or less the same as you before university... then I found the Sci-Fi society. Pretty much a big gang of people who spend their time playing video games and watching scfi-fi and fantasy movies. It's awesome.

Just found out I won't get Pocahontas back for at least two more weeks!

But looking on the bright side she'll have a new fancy screen by then!

Woohoo? Atleast they're making some progress. And look on the bright side, then you finally can try Oblivion for real instead of watching me playing it . Well I got my 360 back today.

I start school on thursday (as in tomorrow). DO NOT feel sorry for me, I want school to start so I can stop being a lazy bum. By now I'm tired of Summer, I'd give up a couple weeks of summer for more breaks during the school year. It makes things less agonizing in the end.

Funny enough, I've had that same thought. I think the schools make summer long enough so that we get tired of it and look forward to school starting! Makes their job much easier.

When all the students are looking forward to summer in late spring; the school already has the students locked into their system so that they will still perform the necessary functions! THOSE JERKS!!!..............

Three days left...and counting! Of my vacation that is! I'm not so keen on going back to work, although I know I like it when I'm actually there. It's the "must-catch-the-bus-must-attend-to-this-meeting-and-that-meeting-must-chase-this-guy-must-finish-that-report"-thingy I do not yearn for..

But ok, I got a job, I earn money, not a fortune but pretty OK, so why do I complain?

I'll tell you; Lack of freedom!

I've had one week of school now and it's more boring than ever... -.-

Hehe... everyone is going back to school and or work... and I still have over a month before I'm back to my studies XD

School is a distant (and fading) memory for this old doggie.... Since my most recent job change, I am not even teaching any longer. I miss the vacations more than the classroom- although I have some pleasant memories of college. I lived at home the whole time- never on campus, and never got into the party or activities scene. For me, my familiar surroundings and the woods and lake were a far greater draw than hanging out with a bunch of drunken strangers..... I suppose I missed some "life experiences" by being a bit of a recluse- but I don't really regret it. Every party I have ever attended isn't worth as much as one early spring morning paddling a canoe through the fog, moving so quietly that I didn't disturb the herons perched on the buoys...

A whole month!? Jesus Christ! I wish I had 1 month left to school. My teacher has weird teeth.

Well that should make it less boring huh! You can always giggle behind his/her back!


@treydoggie: That morning-canoeing sounds just great! As a matter of fact I have tried paddling one of those together with hubby and Daedroth some weeks ago. It was awesome! I'll do it again!

Oh and before my dear son tells any gossip I might as well admit that I didn't paddle alone! Nope hubby and I sat in one huuge canoe.....

Hello, I'm Kinzer, and I would just like to apologize for my extreme inactivity lately, even though I'm sure 99% of everyone here does not know who I am. Regardless, I'd like to let you all know, that I will be returning soon and continue the story I started. The reason I stopped writing was because I hadn't played Oblivion in a few months, and it was very difficult to write about it as I was forgetting more and more every day. So I will be getting it for my PC soon, and as such start writing again. So in short, I left, I'm coming back, and after I do I aspire to have more and more of you enjoy my work. Thank you and enjoy your night.

Morning canoeing... I have done some of that, in Minnesota.

The end of the summer, for me, means the end of my job. I have one week left, and I'm still trying to figure out what I shall be up to next.

Yup, Fresher's week starts on the 6th of October. Actual lectures don't start till the 13th

The first "Week" of school is over for me. Yesterday I ran (well, jogged) a mile without stopping to walk. That's a first in my life, I still felt crappy for a little bit afterwards. I'm certainly not going to claim to be some sort of jock, long-distance endurance isn't my thing.
Sprints are more my speed, anyway. In soccer (football) and tennis you get sweating, but not like just 100% running. Another thing, why do we call American football football and the real football soccer? Aside from kicking a field goal and running, I don't think a football player uses his legs at all. Really crappy logic,

I still have until the last week of september but to be honest I'm looking forward to it, partly because all the tourists who come to edinburgh for the festival will have gone and because I quite enjoy it. Uni certainly beats school hands down, manly because you only have to go to some things.

I just had a really good afternoon. Got the wiring on a bike I've been doing up mostly done (barring some obscure ones which seem to be cut but not actually do anything vital). Even more surprising is that the dynamo and coils all seem to work. So I'm happy.

I'm a week into a new college course, but as for now we only gather once a week and as soon as it's over everybody just runs off, not even staying for lunch! Not a chance to get to know people in the class. I missed the freshman activities because I was busy moving. *cries* I live next door to a students pub, but I don't know when I'll get the guts to go there. It's awkward! I had thought of taking the following course next semester, but I don't know any more. I want to spend more time on campus.

One good thing is that I haven't moved that far and can go home to the family in just a bit more than an hour, but all my stuff, except my marvellous gaming computer that holds all my Morrowind and Oblivion saves, is here now. Back home I'm not completely happy either, but at least not alone. I feel torn

I'll try to install Morrowind on my laptop tomorrow, but I suppose I need a mouse. Planning what mods to download and building new characters from scratch should be fun.

Well I recently had a job crisis that happily was resolved well in my favor; so I have never savored my job more. I always liked it .. it's very sociable waiting on customers in the neighborhood.



I wish everyone good luck with school. Octavia, more than the pub I'd look for fellow students in soberer places like the student union, clubs that interest you, etc. Minque, hope you get your comp back soon. And we love the herons here in Florida .. and the egrets and ospreys and ibises and grackles, etc.

The catch is that the student club for social sciences and language resides in that pub.