# SDMB Diplomacy - Here we go again! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 12, 2002, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-diplomacy-here-we-go-again/97833 "2002-03-12T13:15:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-diplomacy-here-we-go-again/97833/201 "2002-04-16T14:58:34Z")
Like I’d bother to work in MARYLAND. Oh, p’shaw! ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-diplomacy-here-we-go-again/97833/202 "2002-04-16T15:33:08Z")
Well, I’m more an expat Virginian than I am a Marylander, and this isn’t GD, so I’ll slam Virginia some other time. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![White\_Lightning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@White\_Lightning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/White_Lightning)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-diplomacy-here-we-go-again/97833/203 "2002-04-16T15:48:17Z")
Oh what did I do to deserve such torture. You’re telling me I’m going to have to sit through my entire 75 minute Soc class without having seen the adjudication – what on earth am I going to do to keep myself busy. Argh. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-diplomacy-here-we-go-again/97833/204 "2002-04-16T16:18:52Z")
Well, this should cheer most of you up. Not all, by any means… [Spring 1903 in Dip 983 has been adjudicated.](http://www.wooleysark.com/dip) Enjoy, some of you. And get those retreats in! ---
**Author:** ![Abe\_Babe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ab097/32.png) [@Abe\_Babe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abe_Babe)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-diplomacy-here-we-go-again/97833/205 "2002-04-16T17:13:38Z")
86 degrees here too. Yesterday, the 84 broke the record. Today is looking close. I actually had to turn on the AC in my car on the way to court today. How fun it is when you can watch the needle on the gas gauge go down as you drive. And I got rear-ended on the offramp. Nothing serious. I didn’t even get out of my car. Just enough to get that adrenaline rushing. On the plus side, the MIL is sending the wife and me out for dinner on her as thanks for doing her income taxes. She doesn’t know I just made up all the numbers, and filled it out in a base-8 system rather than base-10. ---
**Author:** ![Abe\_Babe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ab097/32.png) [@Abe\_Babe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abe_Babe)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-diplomacy-here-we-go-again/97833/206 "2002-04-16T17:16:30Z")
86 degrees here too. Yesterday, the 84 broke the record. Today is looking close. I actually had to turn on the AC in my car on the way to court today. How fun it is when you can watch the needle on the gas gauge go down as you drive. And I got rear-ended on the offramp. Nothing serious. I didn’t even get out of my car. Just enough to get that adrenaline rushing. On the plus side, the MIL is sending the wife and me out for dinner on her as thanks for doing her income taxes. She doesn’t know I just made up all the numbers, and filled it out in a base-8 system rather than base-10. Oh yeah. Game’s adjudicated too. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-diplomacy-here-we-go-again/97833/207 "2002-04-16T17:34:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Abe Babe \* > 86 degrees here too. Yesterday, the 84 broke the record. Today is looking close. Yeah, but I’ll bet you mean _outside_. I’m talking about _in my office_, where it got up to a brainlocking 87° before they finally got the A/C running over lunch. (It’s down below 80° now, thanks. :)) ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-diplomacy-here-we-go-again/97833/208 "2002-04-16T17:36:31Z")
That’s what you get for having that comfy government job, RT. That’s what you get. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-diplomacy-here-we-go-again/97833/209 "2002-04-16T17:48:55Z")
Or not-so-comfy, some days. ---
**Author:** ![Abe\_Babe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ab097/32.png) [@Abe\_Babe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abe_Babe)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-diplomacy-here-we-go-again/97833/210 "2002-04-16T19:23:10Z")
**RT** works for the gub’mint?. . . That means my taxes pay your salary. . . That makes me your boss. . . Go get me a whopper and get my car washed, drone (just kidding) ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-diplomacy-here-we-go-again/97833/211 "2002-04-16T20:06:17Z")
Yeah, but remember Abe… He can make the laws complex or simple and straightforward. And where would a lawyer be in the laws were straightforward? Hmm? **HMM?** ---
**Author:** ![Abe\_Babe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ab097/32.png) [@Abe\_Babe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abe_Babe)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-diplomacy-here-we-go-again/97833/212 "2002-04-16T20:24:13Z")
As my granpappy used to say, two things you should never, **ever** watch being made. Laws and Sausages. (And I thought you math types would be all over that base 8/base 10 comment up there) ---
**Author:** ![Orbifold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orbifold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orbifold)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-diplomacy-here-we-go-again/97833/213 "2002-04-16T20:37:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Abe Babe \* > \*\*(And I thought you math types would be all over that base 8/base 10 comment up there) \*\* What can I say…I’ve been taking advantage of the delay to work on real-life stuff. (Although now that I think about it, if you’re just making up the numbers anyway then it doesn’t matter what base you use, does it? Unless you use hexadecimal…I think the IRS would notice if you claimed an income of A000 dollars…) ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-diplomacy-here-we-go-again/97833/214 "2002-04-16T21:46:45Z")
Gumming bureaucrats don’t make laws, just regs. Congress and the state legislatures have the franchise on laws. I don’t even write regs, you’ll be relieved to know. ---
**Author:** ![Abe\_Babe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ab097/32.png) [@Abe\_Babe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abe_Babe)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-diplomacy-here-we-go-again/97833/215 "2002-04-16T22:25:47Z")
Hey, the legislative branch has plenty of gumming bureaucrats, too. One less now that Strom Thurmond is retiring. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2002, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-diplomacy-here-we-go-again/97833/216 "2002-04-17T01:00:28Z")
So, do we have retreats? ---
**Author:** ![Abe\_Babe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ab097/32.png) [@Abe\_Babe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abe_Babe)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2002, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-diplomacy-here-we-go-again/97833/217 "2002-04-17T02:43:18Z")
I’sa not the culprit. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2002, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-diplomacy-here-we-go-again/97833/218 "2002-04-17T10:22:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Abe Babe \* > (And I thought you math types would be all over that base 8/base 10 comment up there) I was trying to figure out a good way to work in Tom Lehrer’s “New Math” song, which involves a subtraction problem in Base 8. But nothing occurred to me, so I let it lie. Now 'scuse me, my toast is ready; it’s time for me to be gumming it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2002, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-diplomacy-here-we-go-again/97833/219 "2002-04-17T12:44:49Z")
I’m short one retreat. I’ll post when I get it. ---
**Author:** ![Abe\_Babe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ab097/32.png) [@Abe\_Babe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abe_Babe)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2002, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-diplomacy-here-we-go-again/97833/220 "2002-04-17T14:07:22Z")
Are Dip 983 orders still due Thursday morning? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-diplomacy-here-we-go-again/97833.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-diplomacy-here-we-go-again/97833.md?page=12)