Not location specific, No rules: Welcome to ILX heaven

Promotions sounds terrible, if it's what I think it is!

I took a half day off work coz the sun was out. I'm halfway through mowing the lawn and have stopped for refreshments.

I'm finding myself having less and less to say on ilx these days. I still read it obsessively of course. Maybe I've run out of opinions. I only seem to post on nothing threads, football threads or the odd UK politics thread.

(I'll probably check the stats and find I'm making 1000 posts a month or something)

Congrats on enjoying sunny weather. Seeing the sun here this time of year is usually a grim thing. (Unless you are doing something fun in the water.)

I'm finding myself having less and less to say on ilx these days.

I read it too much b/c I have the attention span of a fly. When I do post I usually regret it b/c it seems most of the board, even old regulars I used to like, have reverted to assholism. I don't like becoming an asshole in return so it is annoying.

I should probably just stick to this thread, the crafty ones and the scrabble one. AND LOST WHEN IT COMES BACK! :)

A rough count puts me at #69 (oo-er) this month with 236 posts. Could be worse I suppose. I reckon the vast majority of them are either here or on the Scottish footie thread (where there's only about 4 regular posters).

I love reading the LOST thread but my downloading/viewing routine usually means that I get to the thread and there's already been 200 posts about what I just watched and I have nothing new to add except "Yay that was grebt! Hurley pwns!"

Yeah well I don't post while I watch so by the time I get to it the next morning it's about the same.

I used to IRC Chat while watching the X-Files. I have now sworn off such nerdiness.

kv_lol, I have been waiting a week for you to come back so I could play that shot!

Sun is shining and it is very warm, I just went out to go and do stuff and just about melted, my car is like a wee sauna on wheels.

Most of my posts are here, Scottish football predictions, Big Brother and occasional ventures into the land of wilful misunderstanding that calls itself the Watercooler thread. I shall return to L O S T posting shortly, but will very much have nothing to add, though will try to keep up for next series. Doctor Who, Heroes, that's about it. I do try to put forward opinions on other threads, but there aren't enough that capture my imagination any more, mostly because of what Ms M said about the ongoing assholism issue.

(though I do read virtually everything, being a housebound recluse at the moment)

Alisa, you are my model poster on ILx. You don't hesitate to call out people, no matter what their reaction, and then you just go about your business after saying your piece.

I used to be very confrontational, but not in a good way. I'm trying to find a better balance now.

And I'm sorry for constantly misspelling your name. I do know better.

Aw, thanks :-)

*embarrassed*

I am shit at this in real life, believe me. I wibble and cry and get all paranoid and shakey.

Promotions sounds terrible, if it's what I think it is!

Not for drinks! Organising club nights etc. I would have figured that B4ckl4sh would have given you a few contacts in that department.

Ailsa, I do not understand what draws you to the horrific twilight zone that is the Watercooler.

(Car and crash? WE ARE ALL GUILTY ect ect)

xxpost biting tongue.

Ailsa, didn't mean to embarrass! I'm crap at social interactions in real life as well. I blame it on a better lifestyle and less drinking.

CSS is giving me fits today and I want to fling something through my monitor. Head just not working right.

I blame it on a better lifestyle and less drinking.

Than in my past when I was a social bee and queen bitch. Not in relation to others.

Nice people, kv_nol, same as here. Though there are some dicks as well. I find ignoring the rules helps, even if other(s) do not necessarily agree.

Dickage runs high on Ilx. I really do hate it when I become one though. I blame it on cross-browser issues today.

My browser gets cross sometimes too. I think it picks up my moods.

In less ILx whine news, I have ditched plans for making a treacle tart this Friday. It sounds lovely but also difficult and between house-cleaning and other party prep I know I won't have the time. I'm going to make a trifle instead, sounds far easier and seems to involve alcohol. Which is good.

xpost It's really my CSS being difficult. The bastard, trying to make me look bad.

No no! Treacle tart is easy! I promise! And trifle is disgusting yuck :(

I find drinking to be easier still and involve more alcohol and less prepping.

(talking of which, provisional house-warming/BBQ - ha, optimism - plans for 7th Sept if you and the missus are around, onimo)

and anyone else, obviously, but the likelihood of that seems remote

Grass cut. Brownie points gathered :)

All the kids in my street are having a water fight outside, I used to love that when I was a lad. It was all squeezy washing up liquid bottles in my day - this lot have what appears to be high-powered riot-control water cannons.

I'll let you know re the 7th. It's Anne's Mum's b/day that weekend but I don't think they've arranged anything yet so we should be ok.

Treacle sounded hard! making dough and everything. Also I wasn't sure b/c of the syrup if I could make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge.

And trifle is disgusting yuck :(

Really? This is what I've been thinking it is: layer of cake topped with liquer, varying layers of fruit, pudding, cakes, jam, whipped cream, etc. sounded super easy and yum to me!

Make vodka jelly. It's jelly, with vodka.

Have they burst a fire hydrant yet? That's when it's properly summer.

xpost: No bother, it's just provisional at the moment anyway, figure it'll take us a couple of weeks to get settled enough to let people near the house.

more xpost: Trifle is gooey, and can vary tremendously. I'm not a fan, but what you've described is pretty much the idea.

and other xpost - aye, do that. That's always good. In fact, I might do that for housewarming, hurrah!

I want something British, and Harry Potter-ish. Treacle Tart's the best option but I do believe a trifle is featured in Chamber of Secrets.

One of the women coming is married to a Brit and the rest are Potter fanatics like me so I worry about authenticity. Maybe I should just throw some Digestables on a plate, call them wizard wafers, and make a pot of tea.

Skipping dickheads is easy. It's avoiding the passive agressive or the attention whores is the hard part!

British and Harry Potter-ish? Spotted dick. Note: significant other will need to be comfortable with sharpie near dangly bits and need to adopt posh accent.

Also:

http://m.assetbar.com/uua45HwGS.gif

</incredibly unfunny (and creepy) joke>

I'm afraid of the wizard-related porn which might really exist.

Making dough?? You can if you want but the rest of us just buy dough if you can't be bothered making it :) Here is my easy guide:

line your tin with dough
mix up some golden syrup, breadcrumbz, ginger and lemon
stuck the mix inside the tin wot is lined with DOUGH
make strips out of remaining dough and put them on LATTICE STYLE
Brush with milk or egg or whatever

BAKE
SCOFF

Trifle is way more f-d. Shudder.

(Spotted dick = YUM YUM YUM. Gots to have your custard though. Oh yes, Sam, you will also need custard. Custard custard argh I am so hungry why I am going for sushi tonight I just clearly want TWENTY PUDDINGS)

f-d

?

Okay, yours sounds easier, maybe I'll try it. This means I will have to run to central market though to look for the golden syrup. They should have it.

I want to make things that are in the books. I should flip through the sections at the Burrow and see what Mrs. Weasley makes. Surely easier than the Hogwarts feast. Parsnips! Never had those before. Don't even know if I could find them.

Roast parsnips are nummy.

Are they like potatoes? I don't think I've ever seen them in stores here and don't remember having them when I was in England. But the cook at the college I was at was French.

Pretty comprehensive list here!
(http://www.hp-lexicon.org/wizworld/food.html)

OMG you don't have parsnips??? They are root vegetables but much sweeter than potatoes. Great roasted or you can make parsnip chips which are amaaaazing.

Hahahahaha tripe! I love tripe but with all the best intentions do not serve this yourself...

HOWEVER I highly recommend black pudding fried up with leeks served with a big pile of mashed potatoes and plenty of gravy with treacle tart for afters maybe (have the ambulance on standby).

ooo, good list.

Although I would love to recreate a Hogwart's feast that's not going to happen. I can only take off half a day of work to prepare and most of that will probably be spent vacuuming dog hair.

We're doing pot-luck style that's why I'm going on about the dessert. Also I'm contributing homemade guacamole and salsa which is very, uh, not British.

This parsnips thing has knocked me for eleventy. I suppose they do need frost to grow... maybe it is more available in northern north america ie COLORADO and the like (i hear it is cold there, a lot). Gosh! Parsnips though. Nom nom.

Treacle tart, do it do it do it (I think I will make some myself soon too)! Ooh I will bring some to sinipicnic! YAI.

Stop making me sad that I am not going to sinipicnic. Dang Perry and treacle tart and indie dancing and people what I haven't seen for years...WAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH

Yes, I was just thinking that parsnips are around somewhere over here. There's a Dave Chappelle sketch where they do a husband swap between a white and black family. The white man makes parsnips for the black family and they're all "wtf??" So yeah, somewhere. But not the South!

Dudes! I did not post earlier because I was out in the world. I can report back that it's a bit shit, and I do not plan to go out in it again (well, I might go into Dublin on Saturday).

So, the Dublin Fringe Festival is on in a month's time, and get this, a guy I used to know (who is a playwright and poet) is putting on a show where he RECITES HEART OF DARKNESS. Not reads, RECITES. He has spent a whole year learning it off by heart (of darkness). It is the maddest thing ever. I MUST see this show.

Will you shout "Comma" and things at the appropriate times? Will you tell us who it is?

It's Gavin Kostick.

I actually really want to go to it, but I'd be kind of afraid I might put him off. Also, I would feel unable to leave if it was shit.

Here's hoping he doesn't google himself, see that and start getting paranoid!

Oh don't worry, I intend to contact him and say "hey Gav, I want to come to your show but reserve the right to leave if it's shit".

I did some computer based training this morning for the first time in years. I forgot how patronising faceless voices can be.

'I...am...speaking...very...slowly...because...this...bit...is...IMPORTANT'

I hate computer based training stuff. I don't think I ever done a training course on a computer where I have managed to retain any information passed a couple of days.

I do like looking out for sad has been actors in training DVDs, though.

Retaining information is a problem, and this one will have a closed book examination at the end :(

I was out in the world.

Traitor! I'm sure it's completely overrated.

I just realized this morning that I will not be able to take a week off come October when my sites are done. I will be in a MWF class. :( Also this means we will have to take our trip to NOLA at Thanksgiving.