Good morning everyone.
Good grief, Noonie, I’m glad you’re okay.
I’m sorry about your parents, Pie.
I’m glad your mother seems to be doing better, taxi.
Have fun on your trip, Mama Tigs.
I know there’s more to address, but really this was supposed to be a drive-by post.
I need to get some work done. I’m tellling you, my vacation can’t get here fast enough. I’m seriously burned out.
I’m choosing to take that in a good way. 
also- previous post “aloud” should be “allowed” (or I guess, out loud!). :smack:
We are very democratic in our club! We read one book per month, and when it’s your month to choose then you get to submit a list for a vote. We ask for two fiction titles, one non-fiction and two random choices that you fancy. They must all be readily available in softcover for those who like to buy their books, and (hopefully) on the local library’s shelves.
Then the list is circulated around the group and we have to vote for our book of choice. The one with the most votes wins, and if anyone has a serious objection to it, they just don’t bother to read it.
Well, see, I’m not really interested in book clubs at all. I like reading what I like and I don’t like the idea of having to spend my time on something I don’t enjoy. But the coworkers were starting it up, and I like them and I want to be sociable, and I still don’t know anyone around here except for my coworkers and the people from church so it seemed like a good chance to spend time with people. I just kind of wish we were getting together every 6-8 weeks just to hang out instead of having to read a book. :rolleyes: 
I think it probably would be a good idea to let one person pick each month. The coordinator just wants to make everyone happy. And she and a couple of the other members read a lot of books so if they’re not the hot, new, best-seller type, they’ve probably already read them.
Oh well. Whatever. I’ll just try to keep my mouth shut next time so I don’t end up making the problem worse. That’s really the issue this time… I’m feeling guilty over saying that I didn’t like the sound of one of the books that a bunch of the others were interested in. But then again, other people did the same thing to books that I was interested in. So… well, I guess democracy just doesn’t really work well in a book club!
I don’t know, if you’re going to be in a social club, I’d say you have some say as to what goes on! Still, I can understand your position.
What do you guys do after you read the books? Do you chat about them, or just chat about anything?
Wow, I gots some catching up to do, huh?
meeks!!!, good to see ya! Hurry back, once we’re all free and cheap, ok?
I have been buried here. Workworkwork.
And if I ever see another doctor, I’m going to scream.
And I just chugged a hot chocolate, and am sweating like a, like a …sweaty something.
All appropriate waves and hugs and cheers and stuff.
I like that idea. I think I’ll have to propose it!
Well, we’ve only met twice so it’s hard to say what’s going to become the standard, but so far we have spent some time talking about the book, but way more time trying to decide on a new book than talking about the current book, which seems to defeat the purpose.
Taxi - it’s worked very well for us and we rarely have anyone grumbling that there’s nothing on the list they wouldn’t want to read. Also, because there are two “wild cards” on the list, you can pick things that are genre-specific that maybe other people wouldn’t have tried.
We did originally ask for two ‘mainstream’ fiction titles and one non-fiction, then one sci-fi and one biography/autobiography but eventually we decided to drop the last two categories and just leave it up to people to decide which two extra books they wanted to put to a vote.
Sometimes someone will decide the book we’ve voted to win isn’t to their taste so they can either have a stab at it, or just not bother reading it at all. They’re still welcome to come to the meetings, and after we’ve talked about the book, it’s on to more general social stuff so nobody really misses out.
Sorry, swampy! I only meant to do that to you once. Really.
blurghl
I got woken up by a knock on the door. See, my internet bill is late, but I get paid Friday, so I was going to run over and pay it in person then, right? But apparently they weren’t willing to wait that long. So I managed to pay the guy so he didn’t disconnect me. He was nice about it, I know it’s his job, but damn, people you can’t wait two days?
Off to caffienate some more.
How did you “pay” him, rabbit?
ducks and runs really far away
::Checks timestamp on Meeks’ post:: 4:22 PM, is “Morning” ? I wish I had your staying power in bed!
Congrats on the new toy!
Hey! Gimme my job back!!
**Ivory **-- I know who you are, too! And I know who Meeks is! Does that make the three of us a cabal!? :eek:
Also – yay for getting rid of good-for-nothing troublemaker “student” (and I use the word loosely…
**Tara **-- :eek: Some people really need killin’ sometimes.
**Pie **-- has the A/C been fixed yet?
Me, I’m back up to my eyeballs in last-minute work, but I’m thankful for no actual dramatic moments in my life today…
The campaign was successful. The First Battalion, 3rd immune regiment, massed along the borders of Sinus Ridge and is successfully beating back the stinking, viral army of Teh Sick. My runny nose is receding and is now just minor congestion and the occasional, faint desire to sneeze. The pressure around my eyes has largely abated and I’m beginning to feel much more human and much less like a keg of mucous on tap.
I also had an … interesting call this morning.
Me: “CompanyIworkFor, Eric Speaking, how can I help you?”
Old gentleman (OG): “Yeah, I have a MfgrWeNoLongerHandle lawn tractor I need parts for…”
Me: "Unfortunately we no longer handle parts for MfgrWeNoLongerHandle. They were bought out by OurMainCompetitor, I can give you their number if you like?
OG: “Uh, alright, sure.”
Me: “It’s 1-800-555-5555.”
OG: <dictates to wife in the background>
Wife in background (WIG): “That’s 5374?”
OG: “What? No, no!”
WIG: “Well what is it then?”
OG: “Well I don’t know now! Why don’t you listen?”
WIG: “I was listening!”
OG: <puts phone down and begins walking away>“Well I don’t know what it is now! You’re useless! Fucking useless!”
WIG: “But I didn’t hear you!”
OG: “Fucking useless bitch! Go fuck yourself!”
WIG: “Why are you yelling?”
OG: <receding into the background> “Go fuck yourself!”
WIG: “What did I do?”
OG: “Go fuck yourself!”
WIG: “Why? Why do we go through this agony?”
OG: <obviously clear across the room now> “Go fuck yourself!”
Ah, wedded bliss[sub]ter[/sub]. At this point I hung up, having obviously been forgotten and feeling a bit dirty and voyeuristic. It was pretty clear from the wife’s relatively numb reaction that this sort of exchange has been repeated ad nauseum for years.
If I ever get like that, I hope someone has the decency to shoot me in the head.
Mika - {{{MEEEEEEEEEKS!}}} I’m sorry to hear about the illnesses in the family. That’s never fun, and I hope things work out for the best. I hope you can stick around though. We miss ya round here, and dammit, coming back to tell us you’re just letting your sub lapse is just a tease. A tease! Well, I guess we’ll have to enjoy your company while we still have it.
Herbs - Jebus! What a fantastically rude wench! I would have opened the window and tore her a new one for persistently banging on my damn window so late at night. Some people just have no decency.
Back later with more; must do lunch now.
Well, you know, youth is potential, ya old fart! 
Also, from dictionary.com:
Cabal:
a small group of secret plotters, as against a government or person in authority.
But what are we plotting against?
What do you got?
Believe me, I was in no mood for anything you’re implying, Meeks!. And I can’t think of an appropriate smartass reply, but thank Og for credit. I haaaaaaate paying bills on credit, but it was that or no internet!
It’s **N.O.L.**time so I’m takin’ a break. I feel sleepy. Gee, I mean, how can one feel sleepy when one is doin’ excitin’ stuff like listenin’ to voice apps and makin’ notes when the voice and the written app don’t jive? Fortunately it’s been pretty easy so far. I’ve gotten through much more of the stack of stuff than I expected to by this time. I really think I could be done in a couple more hours. Which means I could run it all back over to da office and call it a day and not be too worried about tomorrow. Yay me!
Ok, I’s hongry so Ima make me a sammich.
Later Y’all!
tarra, it sounds like you have lovely neighbours. May I suggest a Flaming Bag of Poo[sup]tm[/sup] on their doorstep as a thank-you gift for their services as a late-night wake up service?
LiLi, hey, at least wine and cider are both dairy-free. Dark chocolate, too. I feel your pain, though - we have a couple of friends who are violently lactose intolerant that come over for dinner semi-regularly, and it’s always a struggle to figure out what to feed them that doesn’t involve dairy in some form.
Mindy, sounds like a certain old crank also needs a Flaming Bag of Poo[sup]tm[/sup]. I mean, I’ve been in relationships where nearly every discussion devolved into a squabble over something petty, but even then, there was an unspoken no-profanity rule in play. I hope his wife spits in his eggs each morning. Hmph.
OK, time for N.O.L. I shall now venture forth and seek nourishment… most likely in sandwich form.
And then I wouldn’t be able to make cracks at your expense.
Tower, do we want to plot against the mundane or the unusual, first of all?
Hi, Mindy, and thanks for the kind words.
It does sound like the “plot” of a bad porn movie. just saying.
I went to the Ear, Nose, Throat doc my regular doc referred me to. He’s referring me to a neurologist. At least my hearing is good.
:waves at MBG:
Interesting call there, Mork.
Herbs, that’s what chamberpots are for.