The Hare & Hedgepig, Vol. II, No. 3
Date: June 1, 2009
Categories: At the Top of the Blog, Muse Academy, Nonrandom Craziness, The Musiverse
Wednesday, 8 May 2024
Life, the universe, pies, hot-pink bunnies, world domination, and everything
Date: June 1, 2009
Categories: At the Top of the Blog, Muse Academy, Nonrandom Craziness, The Musiverse
*sips tea* I think we should actually try having a topic of conversation for once. Ideas?
Oh, wow, is it June already? Not here, of course, it’s only a little past 10…..
I’m not sure what to say, as far as conversation goes. Everything seems to have a thread of it’s own, but I suppose that doesn’t mean it can’t be discussed here, as well. Perhaps what books people (MBers) are reading?
I just started “Foundation”, by Mercedes Lackey. It’s set in the same realm as her Heralds of Valdemar books. Actually, I think it might be a Herald book, I’m not positive–I’m only a couple or so pages in.
I recently read “Melting Stones”, by Tamora Pierce. A bit of an easy read, but an enjoyable one nevertheless. It’s something of a sequel to the Circle Opens and Circle of Magic series, although it could probably be treated as stand-alone, if so desired.
Oh, dear. SFTDP, but could I please have a glass of tropical punch, please? Something similar to the pink Paradise Punch you can by in frozen cans at the store, if that could be managed.
Thanks, Piggy!
I recently read The Sea Of Trolls, The Land Of Silver Apples, The Prophet Of Yonwood, and, ummm….
Anyway, could I have some wung buttons?
3- As you wish, so shall it be.
4- You could, I suppose. Here you are.
Books, eh? Well, I’m currently reading Watership Down, which, if I may say so, is teh pwnage. There’s also another book which I continue to read on and off, entitled The Rise of American Civilization by Charles and Mary Beard, published, er, quite a while ago, either in the ’30s or ’40s. It’s about sixteen hundred dense pages, so I’m not very far in yet, but it’s fascinating.
4–Hm, I don’t believe I’ve heard of any of those. Who’s the author?
5–I read Watership Down as well as the sequel, but that was quite a while ago….I enjoyed it, although I must admit I rather liked the Redwall books better. *shrug*
The Rise of American Civilization…I’m afraid that sounds too much like school, to me. I’ve never been terribly fond of history, except for historical fiction. Or nonfiction written novel style.
Watership Down has a Sequel?
What is it called?
It’s a collection of short stories entitled Tales from Watership Down. I haven’t read it yet, but I’ll probably search for it at a library after I finish rereading Watership Down.
Sequel to Watership Down?
I must read this!
.
I should also re-read Abarat and sequel.
Well, yes, it is very educational and not exactly light reading, but for some reason it just fascinates me to no end. I’ve never read Redwall, myself.
*sips tea and talks in fake english accent* I am currently re-reading Percy Jackson, absolutely LOVELY books, they are. Then again, if you’ve read any of my previous posts, you’ll have known that how stunning I think they are. On another note, does anyone have any book recommendations? I’d really like a series (preferably a good summer read) because I just realized that I don’t have any summer books ready.
The Sea of Trolls and The Land of Silver Apples were both quite good. I liked the first one better.
I’m currently reading Angels and Demons. It’s pretty good, although so far I like The Da Vinci code much better. The plots are very similar at the beginning.
I almost forgot–could I have a slice of key lime pie, please?
Tesseract- Mm, sound delicious. I think I may have a slice as well. *fetches pie*
*sips punch*
Yes, The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons were both enjoyable reads. I’m afraid I don’t quite remember the beginnings clear enough to say whether I found them similar.
I know Da Vinci started with the guy in the Louvre, but wasn’t the beginning of A&D in some sort of science research facility? With a completely different sort of murder (if there was even a murder at the beginning? I forget). *shrugs* Perhaps you mean something even before that…..I don’t tend to remember details of books for very long, unless they were just very exceptional/unusual, or I’ve read them countless times (HP).
I’d really like to go see the movie, although I’m sure it’s not very good, when compared to the book. Unfortunately, it’s not currently playing at the local theatre, not to mention all four members of the family are never home at the time the matinee showing of the movie would be. (And, typically, we’re too “cheap” to go to any other showing…..They keep jacking up ticket prices. *snort* Inflation. [said with complete disgust] )
I’m working Tuesday through Saturday, my dad and sis Monday through Friday, and my mom everyday except Wednesday and Thursday…..Makes it hard to do much, except evenings, when everyone is tired. Or, if it’s Tues-Sat evening, there’s no guarantee I’ll even get home when I’m supposed to (shortly after six), as more often than not I end up having to work late. Like last Thursday, where I ended up having to work until 9:30, because several emergencies came in…..Apologies to all who have read a various….complaint? rant? whine? whatever?…..on a different venue.
A&D has lots to do with CERN.
There is also a murder, involving an eye.
One would think a murder involving an eye would be sticking in my memory, at least so far as your comment would jog it to the forefront, but it doesn’t. How odd.
And I just realized: My last sentence on my post does not quite make sense. It should have read something along the lines of “Apologies to all who have read a various similar….complaint? rant? whine? whatever?…..on a different venue.” I really don’t know how “various” got in there, as it doesn’t even make any sense in the context.
My parent won’t let me read Angles and Demons or The DaVinci Code becasue they say it’s too gruesome.
Same here…ahhhhh, parents….
Ah, Angles and Demons, the epitome of geometry-based violence.
However, my parents did let me read Ragtime, Wicked and A Thousand Splendid Suns, all of which are rather inapropriate for middle schoolers.
Wait, I’m confused. Did you miss my snarky sarcasm or are you tactfully ignoring it?
No, I liked your sarcasm. It fits, by the way.
A+D started at the LHC.
My, I haven’t been in this charming establishment for a while! May I have my usual, please? (Do you remember what it was, Piggy? ‘Cause I’m not sure when I was last here…)
Brr. I’m freezing. My nose must be just about to fall off. May I have a hot cocoa and two hot dogs and some potato wedges please?
11- Well, I can’t say I do. Could you refresh my memory?
12- Indeed you may.
Egg and cress sandwich, jasmine tea, and sometimes eclair.
*studies* (not really) (alas I should though) *kicks self*
While you’re at it, could I have some key lime pie, Piggy?
Of course you may.
I’ll take a Cream soda!
Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m a bookworm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you!
Thanks!
4- (I know this is past but,) The sea of trolls and its sequel(s) are really good read the House Of The Scorpion another good one by that author.
15.1.1- Here you are.
+ have you read Enders Game? its good not too bad some swears but I read it.
Grammar, PLEASE
13.1- As you wish.
Thank you, Piggy.
Could I please have a chocolate eclair? My little sister is being quite obnoxious, (this being a formal thread, I won’t complain about all of the obnoxious things she’s doing) and chocolate should make me feel better. Maybe some chamomile tea, or something calming. *Breathes deeply*. Thank goodness camp is in a month.
21- Ah, the classic chocolate eclair. Never gets old, does it? Here you are.
Has anyone hear read the Graveyard Book? I’ve heard it’s really good from some people but really bad from others. I’m not sure if it’s worth picking up this summer, but wanted to hear your opinions.
I absolutely loved it. If you like books to be mysterious, evocative, and leave a lot to the reader’s imagination, read it.
Read the Jungle Book first, though. The original unabridged Kipling, not the Disney adaptation. Then you’ll get a lot of the parallels.
I really need to read that. A friend of mine read ten pages of it and decided it was stupid, but her book sense is…interesting. Let’s leave it at that.
Has anyone read A Thousand Splendid Suns? It’s a really amazing book about 2 Afghan women living from around 1950 to now, who end up married to the same, horrible man. It’s amazingly depressing, especially at the end. It shows how awful people’s lives were during, before, and after the Taliban. I highly recommend it. It’s a must read for anyone 12 and over.
24) Yeah I did. I bawled like crazy when I read it. Have you read The Kite Runner by the same author? It’s just as awesome! *eats cheese and drinks soda*
I want to read The Kite Runner, but my dad said it’s so disturbing that even he couldn’t get through it. I think I might read it over the summer. And, yes, I cried some too at the end of A Thousand Splendid Suns *sniffle* but then my geography teacher had go ruin it and make me write and essay.
I’ve heard of The Kite Runner but never have actually read it. What I did hear about it was very good though.
It’s fantastic! Despite a few parts that are a little graphic. And it’s as much as a crier as A Thousand Splendid Suns is.
ENCLADUS-
There are (finally!) 2 Missions for you. Mission #1 is get the Wungs OUT of the H&H. #2 is persuade MBers to join MBETW. Thanks!
Well, I’ll ask the Wungs to join the UFWWR (Union For Wung Worker’s Rights) to get more rights, and as for the other thing…
Catkopelli- I’m afraid we need to have a little talk. You’ve been here for a while, haven’t you? Yes. You’ve had plenty of time to learn the ins and outs of MuseBlog, get a feel for what’s generally accepted, that sort of thing. You capitalize your posts and use punctuation. For these things I applaud you. However, though the details of your posts are generally good (some spelling excepted), overall your attitude towards other MuseBloggers seems, to me, a tad disrespectful and somewhat immature. Don’t get me wrong–MuseBlog should be a very fun place, filled with humor and shenanigans. However, finding humor in alienating other MBers is not the way to go about this. I’ve seen several people in various threads ask you to stop posting pointlessly, but you either ignore them completely or even talk back to them. This is absolutely unacceptable and extremely rude. Remember, we’re all Musers here, and each person needs to be treated with respect and acknowledgment. I thank you very much for listening to RoseQuartz and shortening your name–this is the first step towards complete acceptance on MuseBlog. Continue on this path and, before too long, no one will be asking you to stop whatever you are doing, and I’m sure that will make your time here on MB much more enjoyable for you.
As for your disagreement with people’s treatment of wungs, it’s very clear to me as to what’s going on here. As your former name stated, you are a fan of Hermione, who is known partly for her opinions on house elves. This makes it plain to see that you are emulating Hermione, substituting wungs for house elves. Now, though this may seem funny to you, I must let you know that most people who have an opinion on this, including myself, find your mission annoying and unnecessary. I think that you are doing this because you’re not quite sure of yourself yet, either as an MBer or as a person in general. It’s perfectly fine to have someone, fictional or otherwise, who you look up to, a hero of sorts. However, I think that you are using Hermione as an alter ego instead of finding out what you like to do. I want you to find out who you are, what you like to do, what your personality is like. Apart from making your life on MB more conflict-free, this self-discovery is something everyone has to go through, and I promise you’ll be all the better for it.
Ahhhh! The dreaded phrase! But, I’m not doing the wung saving to be like Hermione, I’m doing it ’cause I’m going through a ‘workers’ rights’ phase, like Younger Brother in ‘Ragtime’. He’s not my hero, though. He dies. I don’t want to die. (Well, mabye of natural causes in… 90 years)
There are times when the Dread Phrase is acceptable.
What Dreaded Phrase?
I dare not say it.
Well, I’m not sure
Evil must be vanquished
All MuseBloggers unite!
Really, is that going to happen?
Eggs make delicous sandwiches!
Alternatively, we could fly!
Look! It’s
Luna the Lovely!
Many people don’t like George Bush
Ugly? Who cares about ugly?
Sure it’s implausible, but hey, it’s MuseBlog!
Every person has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness!
Rah! Rah! Attack the chatspeaker!
Silly me!
Haha. Very funny.
Eek! It’s the HPBs!
Rudeness is not apprectiated.
Errr…. I dunno.
!!!
Lovely poem!
Eep. You gave SudoRandom a bad idea, Enceladus. He did that to me on Gmail chat like 30 times this week…
“We’re all Musers here.”
Thank you. (Although Enceladus spelled it out with his poem.)
AAAHHHHHH!!! DEATH TO POSOC
/Joking/
(28, 29.1, and others): You mustn’t underestimate wungs. They would never let anyone mistreat them. They might let you try to save them, out of curiosity and to humor you, but it wouldn’t make any difference. Please review the discussion on H&H II.2, including https://musefanpage.com/blog/?p=1395#comment-291208 .
I like Wungs. Especially the one who works here. We’re chums. We even have a secret handshake. Don’t make him go away. Please?
The one who works here? There are numerous ones. Or are you referring to the hyperdimensional state/yarn through cloth hypothesis?
The Wungs CAN stay!
Good morning. What sort of tea would you recommend for someone who’s tired and out of sorts? No caffeine, please.
Probably Earl Grey. Not much caffeine, and bitter enough to wake you up. What’s wrong?
Nothing specific. It’s just one of those days where everything seems gray and dull.
Thanks for the recommendations, both of you. I think I’ll have a cup of piping hot fresh peppermint tea, and… *browses menu* a slice of Madeira cake to go with it.
If you want soothing, chamomile is nice. If you’d prefer something more tonic, anything with peppermint or ginger usually will do the trick. I’ve recently become fond of lemongrass ginger.
Lemongrass? Is that what you get when you water grass with lemon juice?
/joking/
I think lemon must be one of nature’s favorite flavors: lemongrass, lemon balm, lemon verbena. There are lemon-scented varieties of geranium, myrtle, catmint, basil, thyme…the list goes on. Some of those are purposely cultivated, of course. Licorice scent shows up in a number of plants, too, though not nearly as often as lemon.
POSOC- Here you are. If there’s anything else I can do for you, just let me know.
Thank you, sir. I feel better already.
*nibbles Madeira* Mm!
When I looked up this variety of cake, it said that it was originally from Portugal, but that it was called an English cake there. This is puzzling.
By the way, POSOC, do you notice the lovely fragrance of bread baking? Its spirit-lifting properties are well known. As sensitive as the wungs are to human mental states, they had the bread in the oven before you walked in the door.
You people (and Things) will never cease to astonish me. Muchisimas gracias.
I’ve noticed that there seem to be three vague categories of Things on the blog.
Two of them are benevolent- obviously, the wungs and the gnomes. The gnomes seem to be more “physical” (if such a word can be used to describe creatures of pure cyberspace) entities, dealing with the nuts-and-bolts of the blog: HTML codes, spelling errors, links and such. The wungs are more metaphysical: baking imaginary goodies (which, I hasten to add, are no less delicious for their technical “nonexistence”), giving advice, and being enigmatic yet cute.
Of course, then there are the Balrogs. Perhaps these are a corrupt form of gnome. In any case, they delight in introducing malevolent viruses, wrangly bits of destructive code, and floods of spam. Robert is the only man known to have wrestled one and survived.
Has any woman ever done that?
I’m not sure. Quite possibly.
Well, does anyone want to start a tea conversation?
What sort of tea conversation?
36-
such as……………? I like tea. Has anyone here heard of Teavana? I like the Blueberry Bliss and the Roibos Chai and the Samurai whatsit, but my dad’s fave is the Matevana one, I think.
I like some Asian teas. Sorry that wasn’t very specific but for right now it’ll have to do. I don’t really have any specific favorites though-I’m the type of person who just tastes whatever teas our on the menu at restaurants or whatever I’m in the mood for.
Cool! I like Thai Tea, too……… it’s kinda confusing. One time my dad called it Tai Chi, another time he called it Chai Tea, and so on……….and I’m like, “Heloooo? Dad? It’s THAI TEA! Not those other stuffs!” lol!
PS I’m half jap~my mum’s from Tokyo! (random)
I’m half Chinese and half Irish.(also pretty random, sorry but that was in response to your comment about being half Japanese)
Or we could discuss some of the creatures that seem to be cropping up on the random thread. Giant Space Squid, turtle mobiles, self-replicating Madeira cakes, riddle-swapping arachnids from the Woven Beyond…
OK, I lied about the cakes, but wouldn’t it be nifty if it were true?
I’d like to order a pot of chrysanthemum tea, please. I would also proudly like to point out that I managed to spell that without consulting an outside source.
39- Ah yes, it seems all a manner of things have popped up lately. I’m biased, of course, as to which is my favourite. This Woven Beyond seems rather interesting, though, as do the spiders.
Yes, the random thread is, well, definitely random… I personally prefer threads that are a bit more focused because it’s becoming really hard to follow along with what’s going on on the random threads. Every time I get on, I have to continually scroll up and down in order to understand the conversation. But whatever, I guess the random thread is called random for a reason…;)
Indeed, that’s why I suggested bringing the conversation here, so that we could focus on the weird and wild creatures of Muse-space. And drink tea while we do so. Another cup of fresh peppermint, please?
Lapsang Souchong, please? The strangest creatures, I would argue, are we. At least, that’s what the squids would say.
Well, we are the squids, are we not? At least, a sizable portion of them.
I’m a kokoclone! Kokoclones like chai tea and escargot! hinthint Piggy*
…|||
=|_|
..|./= ………………
..|.\
..|–\
C’est moi.
Fast GAPAs!
WHOOSH!
Or at least they’re the thoughts of MuseBloggers, depending on whether you believe the old legends. Perhaps thoughts are transforming into the other creatures as well. Is there a pattern? Some life force inhabiting this particular Random thread? Do you suppose more creatures are lurking?
Oooh. Lapsang sounds good. I think I’ll have a cup of that myself.
I didn’t even get to mention space dolphins! They’re definitely lurking *is a fan of of space (fill in the blank with an animal that can swim).
40- I would be more than happy to fill that order.
41.1- Sure thing.
42- Here’s your tea.
42.1.1- Piggies like those things as well. I’ll get some for both of us.
You do know what escargot is, right?
In a word: delicious.
Do I know what escargot is? I take offense at the question. Anyone in their right minds knows and has eaten escargot. So do you actually like escargot, or were you ordering it for some perceived “shock” factor?
Yes, I do like escargot. I wasn’t ordering it for the shock value. I asked because, well, most piggies don’t get to eat escargot. They eat slop the farmer gives them.
/joking/
Of course we do! The most delicious french dish around! Especially with garlic!
What’s escargot? (does this mean I am NOT in my right mind?)
45- snails, cooked deliciously in butter and garlic. Don’t be put off, they’re wonderful.
I love garlic, but I can’t digest butter. Phoo.
Well, you can use chicken stock instead of butter.
45 – snails, if you can believe it.
Could I please have a nice orange soda?
Might I have some peppermint hot chocolate and a chocolate fudge cake, please? Thanks!
Kiwimuncher- Well, I’m not sure whether I have any nice ones, but how about a normal one?
Kokopelli52- Your wish is my command.
Is there such a thing as a non-nice orange soda?
Well, “normal” ones are far better than just “nice”. I only stock the best, so I don’t have any lower than “excellent”.
*elmer fud laugh* Sure, I guess a normal one would be good too.
I guess a normal one has, like, half the fizz gone and is only slightly cold. An excellentay one is super-icy-cold and has bubbles coming over the top, in my opinion.
Either way, I’m not allowed to drink it.
Por que no? Allergies?
You’re not allowed to drink orange soda?
Any soda. Luckily for me, though, kvas doesn’t count as a soda, so…
Parents?
51.1- I feel sorry for you. No, really. Why? Nutritional requirements of relatives?
Might I perhaps have a nice big chocolate fish, with vanilla marshmallow, not strawberry? Thanks!
(and hot chocolate)
Sounds sweet. Here you are.
51.1-You can’t drink orange soda?!?! Why not? Is that an allergy thing or parents? If it’s your parents, join the club! My mom and dad are really healthy and therefore I rarely drink soda, but I am allowed to have it. They just never buy it. Unless, of course, they found an orange soda that was actually organic and has “significant” nutritional value. Or whatever that means…
This is totally off the top of my head random, but is a hedgepig real???
Well, I do believe that it refers to a hedge hog…….
Why’s it called a hedgepig then?????? Will we ever know???
Patience, grasshopper. One must not be impatient in learning the ways of the MuseBlog.
In some parts of England hedgehogs are called hedgepigs. This particular hedgepig developed from a comment by Paul Baker in the early discussions about the houses at Muse Academy.
Mmm, that was delicious. May I please have another? And some peppermint tea with loads of honey? Thanks. I have a cold. A bad one. I caught it- I think- from riding my horse 4 hours in the pouring rain- cross-country. The horse, Kona, is fine- I’m not.
Another what? Do you want the cocoa and the fish, or just one of them? Here’s your tea anyway. I’m sorry to hear about your cold. At least your horse got off lucky, though.
Can I have a cucumber sandwich? It sounds delicious. Your cold sounds horrible Kokopelli52. Maybe you shouldn’t ride your horse in the rain like that…sounds dangerous too. I’ve always wanted to learn horseback riding though.
Rabbity24- It is delicious, as you will soon see. Oh, and it’s a finger sandwich, i.e., one or two bites at most. I’ll bring out a plate of them; if you don’t like them after all, I’m sure we can find someone willing to have the rest. You’re new, aren’t you? Welcome!
Have you guys heard about these treats called ladyfingers? They’re like little bread-cake-things that are covered with sugar. They’re really good with ice cream and pretty high classy so I’ll bring out a plate. That’s cool that hedgehogs are called hedgepigs in some parts of England. *bites a ladyfinger**lady screams* Oops! Sorry!
Wowsers! You seriously had me going there. But then I got it and I laughed my head off.
61-yeah I have. They’re really good!!
58.1- The fish, please. Thanks for the tea.
59- Well, I didn’t realize it was going to rain. Then when I had just reached the top of the mountain it started sprinkling. The journey down was pretty awful because there was thunder and lightning and of course the horse was spooking and bucking all over the place. I was completely soaked. Today I just have a sore throat and cough and I’m all sleepy.
*orders a nice scone* Yummy!
*delivers a nice scone* Yummy indeed.
60) Heehee, actually, I’m old. 2007 actually; just swamped with school work for… say… a year and a half or so (oops). Well this summer I’m trying to catch back up. By the way I love the cucumber sandwiches, that full plate was gone in 5 minutes! A nice cup of tea after would be nice
Well, if you’ve been gone for a year and a half, MB must’ve changed a lot (obviously), so it’s somewhat like being new. And compared to me, you are new (I first arrived three months before you (and I, luckily, was not too swamped as to have been forced to be away for any extended period of time)). Do you have any preference of tea, or should it be a surprise?
Would you like a ladyfinger? Real or, um, cake-ish?
Me? Sure. The cake-ish type, please.
Yes, please surprise me!
Okay, then. How’s about a nice pot of my Japanese green tea with pomegranate?
Ooh! I’ll have that, but without the pomegranate. And do you happen to have any youcan? I do so like the green tea flavoured youcan.
I’ll have that, with the pomegranate too! Sounds delicious. Did you make it yourself?
SFTDP, but I realize I forgot to explain what youcan is! It’s a Jap snack, made of condensed, sweetened red bean paste. Another bean treat I like is what I call “red bean paste soup”. My mom buys a can of pre-sweetened red bean paste, which is really called “an” and puts it in the pot with some extra water for the broth, then puts mochi (rice paste) in it. And finally, there are an-pan (red bean bread) and what I call an-mochi, which is basically an-pan but with mochi on the outside instead of bread.
Well, the tea’ll be right out for you, but it’ll take a bit to make the youcan.
Oh, you can get packages of them at any Japanese store. Wait- I’ve got some, here you go, you can try one if you want!
Sorry for the long wait, Piggy, I had to go out to buy another case. Plus, they block musefanage.com at my school. Here you go! *hands virtual ladyfinger to Piggy* Enjoy!
Maybe you should write the website with a ‘p’.
On such a dreary day, at least where I am, it’s nice to have a cozy tea room to sit in.
Does nobody want any delicious youcan?
Not until I learn to pronounce it. Does it rhyme with “toucan”?
N-oo! It’s more like “yoh-caun”, and I suspect that yocaun would be a more accurate pronounciation. There is just plain (only an) there is green tea flavour, and there is coffee flavour. Want any?
SFTDP, but where I say “and I suspect that yocaun would be a more accurate pronounciation.”, it should be “and I suspect that yocaun would be a more accurate spelling”.
72- Sure. *tries* Mmm…
73- Why thank you!
It seems to be “Give Piggy Delicious Food” week.
Haha, yeah! Glad you lilke!
Yes! I just fond a bone white teapot in my furnace room. Unfortunately, it’s plastic rather than china, but I still need a kettle.
Dried wild blueberries. Very good. Have any here?
We have more fruits, dried and fresh, than you can imagine. Help yourself.
I have to say, it’s rather frightening when one of the recent comments is
‘We have more fruits, dried and fresh, than you can imagine. Help……’
What? Help? What’s happening?
Come… join the GAPAentity… we have fruit…
WHAT!? IN!? THE!? WORLD!? IS!? GOING!? ON!?
Resistance is Museless…
We could have a new RRR thread called 2090 where it would end when someone said-I LOVE THE GAPAS!!!
Dried fruit…?
No! Don’t use plastic for tea! When hot things come in contact with plastic they are liable to get all plastic-y.
And I don’t have a kettle, I boil water in a saucepan.
@Piggy- Sorry about the tea (on the Chatterbox) but I’m rather hyped today, and in a mood that my friends term “obnoxiously annoying”, and I call “mischief mode”. But it was kinda funny, wasn’t it?
Not when you’re the one dripping with boiling tea.
Only VIRTUAL boiling tea, though. C’mon, don’t be too mad at me!
One or two Americans have asked me why it is that the English like tea so much, which never seems to them to be a very good drink. To understand, you have to know how to make it properly.
There is a very simple principle to the making of tea and it’s this – to get the proper flavour of tea, the water has to be boiling (not boiled) when it hits the tea leaves. If it’s merely hot then the tea will be insipid. That’s why we English have these odd rituals, such as warming the teapot first (so as not to cause the boiling water to cool down too fast as it hits the pot). And that’s why the American habit of bringing a teacup, a tea bag and a pot of hot water to the table is merely the perfect way of making a thin, pale, watery cup of tea that nobody in their right mind would want to drink. The Americans are all mystified about why the English make such a big thing out of tea because most Americans have never had a good cup of tea. That’s why they don’t understand. In fact the truth of the matter is that most English people don’t know how to make tea any more either, and most people drink cheap instant coffee instead, which is a pity, and gives Americans the impression that the English are just generally clueless about hot stimulants.
So the best advice I can give to an American arriving in England is this. Go to Marks and Spencer and buy a packet of Earl Grey tea. Go back to where you’re staying and boil a kettle of water. While it is coming to the boil, open the sealed packet and sniff. Careful – you may feel a bit dizzy, but this is in fact perfectly legal. When the kettle has boiled, pour a little of it into a tea pot, swirl it around and tip it out again. Put a couple (or three, depending on the size of the pot) of tea bags into the pot (If I was really trying to lead you into the paths of righteousness I would tell you to use free leaves rather than bags, but let’s just take this in easy stages). Bring the kettle back up to the boil, and then pour the boiling water as quickly as you can into the pot. Let it stand for two or three minutes, and then pour it into a cup. Some people will tell you that you shouldn’t have milk with Earl Grey, just a slice of lemon. Screw them. I like it with milk. If you think you will like it with milk then it’s probably best to put some milk into the bottom of the cup before you pour in the tea. This is socially incorrect. The socially correct way of pouring tea is to put the milk in after the tea. Social correctness has traditionally had nothing whatever to do with reason, logic or physics. In fact, in England it is generally considered socially incorrect to know stuff or think about things. It’s worth bearing this in mind when visiting. If you pour milk into a cup of hot tea you will scald the milk. If you think you will prefer it with a slice of lemon then, well, add a slice of lemon.
Drink it. After a few moments you will begin to think that the place you’ve come to isn’t maybe quite so strange and crazy after all.
By Douglas Adams. You can see an animation of it online, too. Is this how tea is made here?
Hm. Whenever I make tea I use boiling water, but don’t have a teapot and I generally pour the water directly into the cup with the tea bag (or, more accurately, canning jar. I’m weird), so I can’t put the milk in before the tea, since the tea isn’t tea yet. If you catch my drift. I would use tea leaves, but I don’t have a little tea strainer, so I use tea bags. Also, I don’t like Earl Grey.
Once I was drinking fruit tea and decided to put milk in it, and it curdled, so I thought I should put the milk in first, but that failed also and then I realized it was just curdling because that’s what fruit tea does when presented with milk. By then I had used up half a pot.
then pour in the tea before the water
The instruction to “pour a little of it into a tea pot, swirl it around and tip it out again” means to use part of the water to warm up the teapot without brewing anything. Then pour that water out and refill the teapot with fresh, hot water to make the tea. (Microwaving the teapot with water in it would produce the same effect.)
The same principle applies when you’re brewing tea directly in a cup: heat the cup first, so the tea won’t lose any more heat than necessary while it’s brewing.
(I lived in Britain for a few years and learned to brew tea from the experts. I never met Douglas Adams, though, alas.)
Now why have we not heard of your adventures in the UK?
I didn’t have any adventures that I can think of, but I drank a lot of tea.
Well, that’s an adventure in itself, in my opinion.
Robert Coontz: EXTREME tea-brewer!
Piggy, could i have a cup of tea and a scone?
Cream Soda for me!
Any soda for me please! *makes puppy dog face*
83, 84, 85-Yes, yes, and yes. Piggy, seeing as I am closest to the soda, could I be allowed to serve the Man for Aeiou, Catkopelli the Great, and Little Basement Kitten?
83- Of course.
86- Well, TMFA didn’t want soda, but you can serve LittleBasementKitten and Catkopelli, if you want.
Thank you, Piggy. The scones are coming out better every day.
Hey Piggy, can I serve TMFA’s tea? *cackles gleefullyl* P*ease?
I’m for a spot of chamomile tea myself. Perhaps with a slice of sponge cake. I haven’t had any since years ago, when my great aunt used to make it.
Well, I don’t know if my recipe can compare with your aunt’s, but I’ll have some right out for you.
Thanks. She made lovely Moravian cookies, too. A traditional molasses and ginger cookie rolled out almost paper thin. In her later years she was pretty crotchety and not much fun to visit.
I just realized — she lived her entire life in hotels. The first was the one her parents ran for the railroad in the late 19th century. After it burned to the ground, my great-grandmother, by then a widow, raised the money to build a new hotel of her own, and that’s where my Aunt Bettie Vann lived until she died.
That sounds like a fascinating life, and a fascinating person, save the crotchety bit, of course. The story sounds like it could be a novel.
Funny you should say that. I actually did preliminary work on a novel some years back, after I found some letters written by my great-grandmother, who must have been a formidable woman, if somewhat reluctantly so. She owned a hotel in Florida as well as in North Carolina, and provided a home for a number of her sisters. I also discovered evidence that suggested my aunt had a serious sweetheart at one point, but the relationship was broken off and she never married. Lots of other interesting tidbits. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to do the period research. Maybe one day.
Random fact: Aunt Bettie Vann would save all her dead alarm clocks for us kids to take apart when we came to visit.
Wow, she keeps getting more and more amazing. She sounds like a Muser to me. But I don’t know why you don’t write that novel. It’s not like you have anything else to do. For some reason, I had a feeling you had thought the same thing as I. I think this GAPAentity thing is starting to become real. *spooky music plays*
Can I please “serve” all the tea? P*ease?
I’m sorry, but this is an elected position.
But your helpers needn’t be. Most barkeeps work with wait staff.
92.1.1- but… but, it wouldn’t be the same H&H with everyone rushing about serving. It’s Piggy’s position. *does not wish to offend* And it might not be so nice for Piggy if other people started taking over the tea room. Anyway, Piggy does such lovely chocolate fish.
Don’t worry, Kokopelli52. This is a tea room — it is expressly forbidden to rush around. No one will be taking over, the proprietors will see to that. Piggy’s is an exemplary barkeep, he deserves to have some help. At the same time, we certainly do not wish to discourage anyone’s enthusiasm to help.
If Piggy wants, Nimly can help serve.
\_F__o__o__d_/
………\.\(*.*)/./
Shoot. It got messed up.
\_F_o_o_d_/
….\.\(*.*)/./
Fireandhemlock, you can’t serve all the tea, but you could serve some of the orders. You and whoever else wants to can bring the orders from the kitchen to the sofas and chairs. I can stay behind the counter, give advice on tea and life alike, direct the wungs, and such like. Just as long as you remember to listen to your superiors: myself, Lady Bunniful, and Master Baker. And Gwen, since technically she is the other barkeep, though she hasn’t been seen in ages.
94- I heartily encourage any young wung to learn how to help around the H&H.
Oh, and remember: no one here gets paid. This is a strictly not-for-profit establishment.
Nimly will help then. How ’bout an internship starting on the 28th, and going for around 3 weeks?
Hey Musers! Sorry I haven’t been on much, my mom’s computer is kinda slow. My school year ends on Tuesday! Yay!!!
awesome! I get to serve the tea! *dumps boiling teapot (with tea in it, that is) on heads of all who want tea* *runs away cackling gleefully*
Good job, f+h. For that you’ve lost your job. I can’t have my employees accosting my customers.
awwwww…………..why? I pwomith I wont do ith again!!
Serendipity is interested in being a waiter here.
_______
\_Food_/
..\(o.o)/
(She has arms, apparently. I never noticed. Maybe she shapeshifts as needed under all that fluff.)
Oh, Piggy. In the Student Lounge, right before it closed, you said “wung points granted”. How many?
You asked for ten, didn’t you?
Hey, enceladus, do you know what your name means?
It’s a moon of Saturn. They almost mentioned it in “Star Trek”, the new movie, but they said Titan instead.
I’d like a crumpet, please!
It’s rather gloomy around here, even though it’s summer, with all the thunderstorms. They’re cool and all, but not very…summery.
I”m going to D.C. tomorrow…..you guys?
Ugh… there are rumbles of thunder in the distance here. What about for you? *tries to figure out if you live right near me because if you do that would be kinda creepy*
97- As you wish.
I don’t mean to be off topic at all, but what’s Paker? I’ve seen several references to some game which gives you “Wung points”, and goes by the name “Paker”, but no explanation of how it is played.
– Kaiser
Paker, also known as Iceland Hold ‘Em, as summarized by POSOC:
Long Version: There are at least eight major suits: Herons, Hares, Hedgepigs, Roses, Eclairs, Peanut Butter, Chorley Cakes, and Muffins. These consist of the usual rankings: Ace, King, Queen, Jack (or Knave), 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (or Deuce). There are a multitude of combinations one can make from these, which create various effects on the game, and more are being invented all the time. In addition to the standard cards, there are several dozen rare cards, which either cannot be categorized into any suit (such as Anarchy, HPB, and Cheshire Cat) or are specialized variants of a suit (such as Wung of Jasmine or Mess of Eclairs), and have various specialized uses. These are also being invented throughout the game. A notable one is the Golden Wung, which can only be played by the High Bailiff and signifies the end of a round. When a round ends, all temporary rules in the previous round are made null unless otherwise specified.
There are a great variety of points, the major ones being Creativity Ceylon and Wung. Wung points can only be placed on the table by the High Bailiff. They can be brought into play when the Bailiff awards them to a player or when a player lays a claim to them. In the latter case, a claim can be challenged by another player or players. The claimants then battle it out for the wung points. Wung points, once in the hands of a player, can be exchanged willingly between players or captured from a previous owner in a duel.
Creativity Ceylon points can be arbitrarily created and awarded to other players once created, for acts of great honor or imagination.
All kinds of points can be placed at the four cardinal directions to create various offensive and defensive positions.
Short Version: Make it up as you go along.
But at the moment we have no thread for it, so we can’t play it. I’m the high bailiff, by the way. It used to be played here at the H&H, but was moved to the Student Lounge, which was closed to the general public for us paleos. Hopefully the GAPAs will be able to find time to finish renovations on the Game Room, and that will open up.
96.1.1.1: It’s also a Greek monster with 100 heads.
I will be at summer camp from this Sunday to Friday. I’ll see you next week!
I have a hundred heads! w00t!
Piggy, could I have 100 croissants, please?
100.1- Is this a recent development?
May I have some tomato soup and those Oyster Cracker things? Thanks.
100.1- It’ll take a while for my wungs to make them, but I’ll have them out to you as quickly as possible. However, I must ask you to refrain from using internet slang in this tea room. Thank you.
101- You may indeed.
Sorry! *gives Piggy 50 kilos of choklit*
! An army of serving wungs for Piggy! And everyone!!!
\-F-o-o-d/
“\\(^-^)//”
Yay!
Catkopelli, despite being nearly a year old on the blog (older than me), you insist on acting like a week-old neophyte. Please, have a little more consideration for others. I know you think everyone hates you, which is not true; however, if you try to copy paleophytes’ writing style instead of neophytes’, everyone else here would have a lot more respect for you and would want to talk to you more.
Just a suggestion.
No offense, RoseQuartz, but that sounded kind of mean. I know you all like good grammar and stuff – I do too – but if someone said that to me, I’d be a little hurt.
On a lighter topic: I didn’t know this threat was still active. Could I have some pretend mint tea with honey, please? And, fireandhemlock, please no dumping it on my head. Thank you.
aww, why not?
(103) Catkopelli, while we appreciate your enthusiasm, this thread is for tea and relaxed conversation. It is not the Random thread. We are much stricter about pointless posts at the H&H, as you should know by now. The only reason I didn’t zap this comment, too, is that other comments replied to it. If you want to post on this thread, please cooperate with its spirit.
Thank you for removing the excess exclamation points, Rebecca. It was stretching my screen annoyingly.
104. 1 – maybe I don’t like tea dumped on my head? And I’m sorry about the Catkopelli thing if everyone really was annoyed by it.
Sorry for the passive voice. I know I should use it less in my writing.
How come? It’s mighty warming on cold days! (I’d assume, as it’s a theory that I haven’t had the chance to test yet, with, of course, one of my extremely annoying cousins as the guinea pig. one time i caught a grasshopper and almost put it down the back of my oldest cousin’s shirt, but I got caught.)
So, has everybody heard about the upcoming sixth book in the Hitchhikers Trilogy? Eoin Colfer, the guy who wrote the Artemis Fowl books, is going to write it. It’s called “And Another Thing” I kind of expected that there would already be a lot of preemptive discussion about this, but I haven’t seen any. You can find a lot of information at eoin colfer dot com.
-Kaiser
DO NOT MENTION SUCH ATROCITIES IN THIS TEAROOM.
But … but Eoin Colfer is an awesome writer!
He is a great writer, but I can’t see him writing HG2G at all. Then again, I’ve only managed to get my hands on the first one thus far, so I guess I could be wrong.
Oh, no. Oh no no no no no.
What are you saying oh no to? To Colfer writing the books or what?
Yes, to that.
So, I gather from the barkeeps uncontrollable rage that most of the opinion about this subject is negative? Is that Isolated or do most of the patrons feel the same way?
-Kaiser
I will not allow discussion of this, this travesty of HG2G in the H&H.
Freedom! Depose the Dictorator! TMFA for H&H server!
He’s allowed! He runs the tearoom, he decides what goes on in it! If it was a city, you would be fine to call him a dictator. But, as Piggy is running this out of his own free will, you have no right to attempt a mutiny.
((Oh. wait. That came on a bit strong. Sorry, I know it was a joke, I just got caught up in the heat of the moment.
Sorry, I just really feel that if you can talk about something civilly, you can talk about it.
108-Ooh. Another HG2G? I know that the “Salmon of Doubt”-the unfinished one had a different story-line, and if that’s being continued, then maybe… but ooh, I’m not so sure I’m happy about it either.
While Colfer is a pretty good writer, his style is entirely inappropriate for H2G2, so I’m going to have to go with Piggy on this one.
Piggy – I can see how you might find this offensive, but lets not turn this into a flame war, okay? Of course, no author could ever do what Douglas Adams did, but maybe this will be a good story on it’s own. There’s no reason we can’t enjoy a story just because who the author is, right?
The new author himself has referred to the new story as “A highly publicized piece of fan fiction”! No matter how this work comes out, it won’t change the first five in any way, so don’t worry! here’s a quote you might find comforting:
“My first reaction was semi-outrage that anyone should be allowed to tamper with this incredible series. But on reflection I realised that this is a wonderful opportunity to work with characters I have loved since childhood and give them something of my own voice while holding on to the spirit of Douglas Adams. I feel more pressure to perform now than I ever have with my own books.”
Oh, and Giminator? this is going to be a sequel mostly harmless, not a completion of any unfinished Douglas Adams work.
Sorry if this post is ridiculously long.
-Kaiser
Oh yes, I’ve read all about Colfer’s thoughts on the book, but I still do not want to see it written. And this isn’t even remotely nearing a flame war.
Colfer is not a good writer. I hacked my way through a few Artemis Fowl books, only to find them, even years ago, rather shallow and predictable. HG2G is the least predictable book written, in my experience, and his writing them would go against everything I hold dear about the trilogy.
Furthermore, I don’t think anyone should write another HG2G book. If people really want to read more of it, they should read the original radio scripts, i.e., the actual HG2G.
So, until I have time to write a better post, there should not be another HG2G book, especially if it’s by Colfer. But now I have to go.
So, the list now is Poems and Songs, Quotations, possibly Religions, and the Hare and the Hedgepig.
If HG2G is the least predictable book you’ve read, then you need to expand your repertoire. However, I do agree Eoin Colfer should not call it the sixth book. He can write whatever he wants though.
Colfer should not attempt to continue Adams’ work. Of course, he may surprise us all and end up with something good. But that’s very unlikely.
May I have some Chai tea, Piggy?
Could some of the younger aspiring employees and newcomers refrain from behaving in such a boisterous and unsettling way? The H&H is meant to be calm and dignified, a place where you can discuss in peace without worrying about pies and other such calamities. If you want to start WW3, then do it elsewhere.
Re: Eoin Colfer/HG2MB; I’ve read most of HG2G and all the Artemis Fowl books so far, and I frankly think they do not mix at all. Artemis Fowl aims at a younger audience than HG2G and I’ve found a stead decrease in the quality of the books. The first three were good, if a little predictable, but then they curved from mediocre to disastrous (coming from someone who read German Fantasy excessively for 2 years). The last one was a nightmare.
There’s a reason why HG2G has a cult following, and why Artemis Fowl doesn’t. I agree with Piggy that HG2G doesn’t need another book.
Let’s just drop it. I’ve never felt even remotely destructive towards any book (english-as-a-foreign-language textbooks don’t count, some of the songs in You & Me 2 could be used as assault weapons), but now have the urge to rip a copy apart.
Fanfictions are supposed to be free! Just a fanfiction- for 19.99$! *insert rant about availability and price of books* </ranting
On a brighter note, I’ve managed to wrest the first and the fourth volume of the HG2G from the bowels of the city library, as well as some Terry Pratchett books. I’ve also found Romeo and Juliet as well as a book on Shakespeare’s plays, but since they’re from the attic and dusty I’ll have to wait a while before reading them.
116- I’ll have the Chai right out to you. And yes, I’m having difficulty keeping my employees, or now former employees, under control. My sincerest apologies for any trouble they may have caused you.
I’ll check it out from the library, see how it is. The problem with Colfer for me is that he is too serious for H2G2.
I don’t think it comes out October or November. I can’t remember exactly when.
I’m back from summer camp! Looks like you guys are talking about a writer that I don’t know. Could someone please get me a tall glass of apple juice? Thank you, I’m parched.
119- Mm, good refreshment choice. Here you are. That conversation has died, so what should we talk about now?
Goodbye museblog! This is officially my final post until august fourth since I am leaving for camp tomorrow! I’ll have whatever you recommend, I’m going to need something for my second to last edible breakfast. Ah, camp food.
Have fun at camp!
Breakfast? That’s a specialty of mine. A full English breakfast is in order. Wungs, you know what to do. Make sure she’s not hungry for days.
Hello! I would absolutely adore a croissant with some nutella and honey.
Well, you’re my only visitor in weeks! You have the entire H&H staff at your disposal. *presents food*
I’m back to the H&H! Did everyone miss me? *grabs seat at table next to Kiwimuncher* Piggy, I’d like a few fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies, if you have any on hand. No milk, please; I want to enjoy the melty chips.
So Kiwimuncher, how was your vacation? Where did you go?
123- As a matter of fact, I just finished a batch. Here you are.
124- Oh, thank you so much! They’re lovely. *munches*
*beams with pride* Chocolate chip cookies are my pièce de résistance.
I wanted to make some real (as in un-virtual, not as in these ones aren’t real) ones today, but Mom already knocked herself out with blueberry muffins and blueberry buckle. So now I have to wait until we finish that stuff…
123) I went to London, Paris, Belgium, and Holland.
The cheese in Europe beasts anything in America. I lurve fromageries. American cheese doesn’t stink, which is the problem. It’s fake! No aroma at all! You walk past an average cheese shop in Europe and it’s like I’ve died and gone to heaven without even tasting the cheese yet. *sigh*
Well I assure you the cheese selection here in the Oasis makes European cheese shops look like grocery store free sample stands.
Awesome!
Those are all amazing places. It sounds like it was a lot of fun!!
wow. I have not been here for a while. I am not allowed to drink soda because my orthodontist is a wacko. May I have some kvas, please?
You’re not allowed to drink ANY soda?!?!?! I don’t drink much soda, but I do as an occasional drink. Even still, I can’t imagine not being able to have any… Well, I could live without Coca Cola, which I hate. But I love Sprite and Sierra Mist. I couldn’t live without those…
127- Here you are.
No soda?! What a silly orthodontist! My sister never did that! She even still ate hard candy, even when the doctor told her not too!
I’m afraid I have neglected my favorite tearoom somewhat… May I have a ham/English mustard sandwich, please?
I have a predilection for obscure soda brands due to my corn syrup allergy. Izze, Jones, Virgil’s, you name it.
Wow, this has been really empty lately…does anyone want to start a conversation?
130- Hey, Jones Soda! I don’t drink it very often, but several of my acquaintance are very fond of it. On the opening night of Eggs our director brought us two cases. I like Virgil’s root beer pretty well too. Reed’s ginger ale is my favorite though.
What about: Blue Sky, Sanpellegrino, Fizzy Lizzy, Zevia? I’ve never had the last one actually. It’s sweetened with stevia though.
Hm. May I please have a strawberry lemonade?
I’ve never had any of the brands you mentioned, I’m afraid.
I love how Jones has a different picture on every bottle, though.
I’ve never heard of ANY of those soda brands. I only know Coke and Pepsi off the top of my head….
Heretic. *sips Clementine Izze*
Do you remember the Muse article comparing Coke and Pepsi? How do you think they measure up to one another?
I like Coke way better. Pepsi just can’t compare in my opinion. And who’s a heretic?
130- Here you are.
132- You may indeed.
135- Coke is far better than Pepsi, as is quite obvious to anyone with correctly functioning taste buds. And yes, I remember that article quite well. Which issue was that in?
135- I hate Pepsi, it tastes like chemicals. Diet Pepsi is worse. I’ve never had Coke.
*dusts dust of self* Well, I haven’t been here in a while. Piggy, could I perhaps have a few pancakes and bacon? I’m rather hungry for breakfast.
I don’t like Pepsi or Coke. They both taste over sweetened to me, with no flavor depth. Sierra Mist is a soda I quite like. It’s sour, and sweet, and you can taste both, and they play well together. It’s not all for pleasure.
I like Coke marginally better than Pepsi, although I can’t taste much of a difference. Dr. Pepper is my favorite soda, and Cheerwine is my least favorite. It tastes like sweetened carbonated cough syrup.
Piggy, could I have a mug of coffee, please?
I don’t like Coke OR Pepsi. (For basically the same reasons that Enceladus pointed out in post number 139.) Like Enceladus, I prefer Sierra Mist or other sodas similar to it such as Sprite.
Piggy, could I please have some apple pie? (Not for throwing, of course!)
139- I’ll have those right out to you.
140- Any specific sort and/or additions, or just good ol’ black coffee?
141- Certainly. Would you like any whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on top?
Cream and sugar, please.
Hello, I don’t think I’ve stopped in since I got back from Space Academy. Glad to be back. Would you happen to have any freeze-dried apple cinnamon wedges? I bought some at the gift shop and I discovered they were very good.
142.1- Here you are.
143- Freeze-dried anything, I’ve found, is very good. I think we have some in the pantry–I’ll be right back.
Thank you! -sips coffee- Excellent.
And freeze-dried peaches and apricots, in my experience, are the best freeze-dried things of all.
*sips kvas*
I’m fine with Pepsi, but I don’t really like Coke. I adore root beer floats! *is happy*
Freeze-dried mangoes ate delectable as well!
*are
(but you knew that!)
Yes, they are.
I find freeze-dried banana slices to be quite delicious.
But right now I’m in the mood for… hm. A Neapolitan ice cream sandwich, I think. Yes.
Speaking of things freeze-dried: I tried freeze-dried mangosteen not long ago. It turns out I don’t really like them, at least not plain. (A non-tasty freeze-dried fruit! Can it be?!!) But then I floated them in my cup of ginger tea. That turned out yummy.
Rewetting freeze-dried fruit is probably not an option for astronauts, though.
Mangosteen. Never heard of it, and Wikipedia doesn’t have its instant flavor simulator running yet. If I ever find some, I’ll have to try it (with ginger tea, if possible). And you’re right–floating them in tea wouldn’t be an option for them. The tea NASA buys is something not even approaching the “acceptable” level. How are we supposed to have a quality space program without quality tea?
Oh, and they’re in constant freefall, so I’m sure that’s a part of it as well.
We bought some kind of circular pink freeze-dried thing that wasn’t very good, even rehydrated.