Well, you know what the original Epiphany presents were, though at least one of them can get expensive.
Both of those guesses were wrong. I’m sorry.
Also, I’m about to have to hit up Old Navy or something for some sweaters! It’s so cold outside!
DAMN! And I was hoping nobody would catch that typo. :smack: And I did TOO preview.
I just found out that my brother in law and his wife are in a bit of panic.
They decided to move out of Connecticut and head for Florida. So, they bought a home in Florida and put the one in CT on the market. The house that they had custom-built not two years ago. Four-car (two wide and two deep for all their toys) garage, cherry kitchen cabinets. Plasma TV over the fireplace, in-wall speakers, whirlpool tub in the master bath, and on and on. Cheap land means you can spend more on the building, apparently. Out here, it’d easily be a $1.5 million home - IIRC, they paid closer to $500k
While wrapping up loose ends of the move, my BIL was staying at the house but not in the master bedroom as it was devoid of furniture.
Good thing. A neighbor’s tree decided it was tired and wanted to lie down for a nap early in the morning. It scraped the entire master suite off the building. If they’d not moved, the two of them would have been in bed then, and would have sustained severe injuries at the very least.
His wife was in Florida, he was on an air mattress in the living room, so no injuries. The big problem is going to be that they now need to sort things out with insurance companies, and will be paying two mortgages until it’s repaired and able to be put back on the market.
I guess they could leave it on the market now, but would have to sell it as a fixer. 
Whoa, glad to hear nobody was hurt, gotti. Stupid tired trees.
I am so bored. I didn’t get in until 11:15 or so because of the snow, and for some reason, this day seems to be taking longer than it should.
Happy Anniversary, FairyChats.
No snow here, but I am seeing if I can get some wood delivered this weekend to keep things warm at the Factfortress.
(snerk lines starts here.)
Have a good weekend, y’all. Stay warm.
I hear someone up in Connecticut has a lot of just-felled wood they need to get rid of…
:: joins in the anniversary-congratulatingness :: 
Anyway, my desired frozen precipitation outcome was achieved - just enough to make me happy and not even close to classes being cancelled or delayed. Although I managed to miss my 8:30 am class anyway since I was up until 4 am doing my very last homework assignment for the semester, the last weekly comment essay for my Mind, Brain, and Society class. It’s in the form of a short story, addressing one possible consequence of a truly social robot. Anyone who wants to read it need only email/IM me.
And now, being hungry, I shall venture forth in search of food.
Does this social robot serve good strong drinks? Send it on over here, and I’ll let you know what I think of it!
You know, it’s not often that one reads sentences such as: “my desired frozen precipitation outcome was achieved.” Especially not outside a book. Our frozen precipitation outcome wasn’t all that impressive; and the wind, unfortunately, was not really fun to be out in.
Happy Anniversary,
FairyChatMom & -Dad!!!
Glad to hear you’re feeling better, jayjay.
I want to hear about the HP Scene-It game too…
cb, do we really want to know what your puzzle means? Just askin’.
So…do we know who the MMP-starter is on Monday? Seems like there was confusion when we decided this one…
I guess I should consider dinner now… I have to bake lots of cookies tomorrow, so I better go clean up the kitchen, too.
GT
For those of you wondering where I’ve been all week;
anybody?
hello?
Well, I’m gonna tell you anyway.
Now don’t make a big fuss (it could happen), but about 2:30 Tuesday morning I had a [sub]heart attack.[/sub]
I came home from the hospital last night. I would have been in earlier, but I had to go to Costco and get prescriptions filled and a few other details this morning, plus, I just didn’t know how to tell everybody. I’m not comfortable having a fuss made over me. (Yeah, it does happen, sometimes.)
I’ll be back next week to tell you all about it iffen you wanta know.
Aw, geez, Bumb!! That’s not allowed! :eek: So quit this heart attack nonsense and behave yourself. I’m serious!!
OK, seriously, please take of yourself. Geez… All kinds of hugs and stuff coming your way!!
I see how it is, Bumba. You just had to top my sick story, dintcha? You just had to come tap all of the fuss being made over me for yourself, dintcha?
What?
What do you mean they’re not fussing over me?
They’re really not? Howcum?!
Well, never mind, then! Pfffft…
(Hope your recovery goes smoothly, Bumba…relax and heal)
Cripes Bumba! I’m so glad you did tell us. I was wondering where you were this week. I know you said you don’t like a fuss and all that, but…we do care about our Soapy Bear! I just told Mr. Taters and he said, “Oh geeze, that’s not good!” He also sends his best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Hugs to you and yours and please take care of yourself.
I have had a very long and tiring day. It seems I spent most of the day in meetings, but in between I was cramming all manner of work in. Next week will prove to be hellacious as we have some new reporting products we want to put out and it falls to me to make it all pretty, relevant and understandable via charts and tables. The chief of clinical services would like me to have these ready for our administrative officer meeting this coming Wednesday. In addition, I have my big monthly report for our higher headquarters. This report is a major pain in the ass to put together because of all the sources we need to go to, clean up, and pull the data from. I need to ensure it’s done, analyzed and QA’d by Wednesday as well, because the chief of the referral center is leaving for a trip to Italy.
Sooooo…I have my work, and then some, cut out for me.
I need to figure out what I’m gonna feed the Taters family. I’m drag ass tired and don’t even want to mess with it. But…they’ve got to eat. Frankly, I’m not even hungry.
No, no, no, no. You’re not allowed to have heart attacks, Bumba. I like you. Stay healthy, dammit!
I’m glad you’re recovering. Hugs are being sent from Canada.
Oof. Did a lot of walking around with Attacks Husband, who didn’t feel like going to class today because he likes snow. I got Mr. Lissar’s major Christmas present and we squished through the snow to our favourite Indian restaurant, then visited Driving Husband and family for a bit, then walked home. Attacks Husband dropped me off at my door.
I am not wearing any pants.
It’s wet outside, and my jeans are soaked.
No, no photos.
Bumba!!! I’m pretty sure there’s a rule against heart attacks in the MMP. What? Oh…I was wrong? Darn. If you’re posting and going to the pharmacy and stuff, you must be better, but please, take care of yourself. (This is not fussing, in case you’re wondering.) The sentence I forgot in my last post was “Where’s Bumba this week?” I figured you’d probably mentioned you were going to be away and I forgot or missed it.
Taters, I recommend a relaxing weekend. It’s probably too late, but I vote for: 1) Mr. Taters cooking, 2) you going out to eat, or 3) one of the kids cooks dinner. You take care of yourself too… We’ve already surpassed our quota of sick MMPers for the week.
And you, young lady, need to put some clothes on. Isn’t it cold up there?
I’ve conscientiously folded laundry and am now going to bed so that I can wake up early and bake cookies.
GT
Actually, the ones in my story seem fine at first, but then they kinda, well, go on a religious rampage and kill everyone. Yeah, shit happens. It’s the difference between a social robot and a sociable robot. Sociable robots are cute and friendly and that’s all they’re programmed to do; they would fill roles like Mr. Rogers and Shari Lewis in our society. A social robot could be that, or it could just as easily be Virginia Woolf, Martin Luther, or anything a human being could be.
Bumba. Let’s get one thing clear here. Heart attack = bad. Friends don’t let friends have myocardial infarctions. 'Kay? No more of this heart attack nonsense. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
On the subject of finding paths through fresh snowfall, and with apologies to Robert Frost (while fully noting and exploiting the irony there), I give you this poem:
The Snow Not Walked On
Two flakes diverged on a white landscape,
And sorry I could not trod on both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it stuck to its companions;
Then took the other, as just as pristine,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was shiny and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had melted them about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In crystals no step had melted back.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how snow leads on to water,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two flakes diverged on a hill, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has gotten water all on my pants.
Bumba! Hey! Stop that! Get better real quick, 'kay?
SR, I love Frost and I absolutely love your interpretation. I may print it out and hang it in my cubicle, if you don’t mind.
Bravo!
Bumb, it’s another day and another good wish for you. Stay healthy! MWAH!
You’re very talented, Spatial; it really sounds like the Frost poem.
I’m up and have made it through item 1 on my list: clean kitchen. I need to make cookie dough, then stow it in the fridge for an hour. During the hour, I get to clear of the dining room table so that I’ll have somewhere to put the cookies when they’re cooling (I have the smallest kitchen in the universe). Hopefully I can finish up some laundry folding and start clearning closets. We’ll see how far I get.
GT