Well, I don't work for Guinness directly, but for the company that owns them. Trust me, it's a fun place to work.

No one I know, with one exception, likes the winter. It's unbelievable. Everyone's grown up here and yet each year, they are shocked and horrified when the weather changes. And then come the months of pissing and moaning about it. Because clearly going from a heated home to a heated car to a heated office is "roughing it." It's really annoying to the likes of me, who does not really mind winter one way or the other. No, I don't like ice storms - they can be dangerous - and no, I don't like being uncomfortably cold. But...there's really no reason to be cold to the point of discomfort. That's why there are delicious sweaters to wear! That's why we have heat and fireplaces!

All I know is that from December to May, all I hear from my coworkers is how much they hate the cold. So when I politely suggest they move to a warmer climate, I'm greeted with a look that could kill. Move?? Leave their families?? Never!! So on goes the complaining, year in and year out. Last time I checked, we live in NEW ENGLAND, people...we WILL have some funky weather!! Still, it can be so beautiful and if we get even just some decent snowfalls (not enough to make day to day living rough), then we don't have to hear about water restrictions come summer.

Ollie, all I can advise is to BE PREPARED. Hey, we might get another winter like last year, in which nothing really happened. A few snowfalls here and there, which melted quickly. However, you should always have flashlights and candles (all year round, not just winter) - that's just practical. If you have a car, make sure you have decent tires. Wear the appropriate clothing (unlike one of my coworkers, who insists on wearing sleeveless shirts in the dead of winter, and then complains about being COLD). So much of it's common sense...you'll be fine!! And maybe you'll even find some beauty in it! If nothing else, it will make you appreciate spring just that much more.

Ghost, I lived in Nome for each of the solstices (that was enough for me!) What part of Alaska?
Seattle gets just wet and misssssserable winters. Cold dark and damp. :(
I think this year I might get a light box...

ghost - alaska! that's too cool (ha, i'm punny). that's def a place on my want to see list. i don't know what it is about people round these parts but definitely something is up the bum.

mets - thanks for the tips. fortunately, i sold my car before i came up here (these drivers are insane!) but i do need to invest in some good snow boots. and yes, i am sure we'll find beauty in it. can't wait to see how everything looks with that first white coating. i tend to appreciate all the seasons, even winter, but my fav is spring.

and down south it's the same in the summer. from may to september it's "howabout this heat" but it was kind of endearing. something to talk about with strangers in the grocery line. so far, up here we just get scowls in the grocery line.

I live in Dutch Harbor. If I were advertising this place as a tourist location I'd have a slogan like "Come here, it sucks!"

Ollie, you have to bear in mind that hard core, old-time New Englanders are not a warm and fuzzy bunch. It's that gruff Yankee persona. Not that they can't be amazingly supportive and communal, but it's just a very different mind set. I used to know someone who lived in Vermont for a while. He found it very hard to gain acceptance, since he and his wife were considered "newcomers"...even though his wife was something like an 8th generation Vermonter.

Anyway, yes, a good pair of boots will hold you in good stead. It sounds corny, but if your neck and head are exposed, you'll feel chilled to the bone! I think what also gets people nuts is the lack of daylight. No one likes it to be dark by 4:15 p.m. I'm up at 5:15 a.m. and in the winter, I feel as if I rarely see daylight during the week.

People do get fired up for the first snowfall. I think it makes things more childlike, and I mean that in a good way. It can be so peaceful. We've been snowed in a few times (nothing too serious - not days or anything, just til our snowplow guy came and cleared us out; our driveway is a hill) and if you've got food in the house, a good fire going, and a good book - well, that can be pretty nice!

thanks for the reminder, mets. i realize it is a different mindset and i am totally trying to take it on as an ethnographer would and just observe, smile, and nod; however, some days it's rough.

being a homebody i'm kinda looking forward to being holed up in me house.

ghost - i looked up dutch harbor on google maps. how cool is your longitude and latitude, dude? everyone thinks there town sucks btw

OK, now I have to look up Dutch Harbor as well!

Just look up the deadliest catch on the discovery channel, thats about the jist of it here.

but it looks cool on a map! you're like on the tail of alaska. how exotic. heh heh unalaska, alaska.

i've always wanted to head that way to glimpse aurora borealis. heard it sho is purty.

It is pretty, I've only seen it a few times here in Dutch because we are a bit south, but the last time I was up north I braved two hours of sub zero winter temps with my cousin to watch the best and biggest light show on earth.

sounds amazing. thinking of heading up to scandinavia to check it out but bf loathes the cold.

Ooooh, it is so fabulous. I saw it once in Montana: unbelievable. Bundle up and go! (You can always cuddle ; )

Hey hey. So today I got an email I've been anxiously awaiting...it went a little something like this:

"Congratulations! You have been selected to attend a final WHEEL OF FORTUNE contestant audition in your area (by invitation only). We have reserved the following appointment for you:

When: Thursday August 28, 2008 Time: 1:30 PM

Where: The Pan Pacific Hotel Seattle (Lakefront room, 2nd floor)
2125 Terry Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121

You are responsible for parking.

Keep in mind that Wheel of Fortune's contestant team is looking for enthusiastic puzzle solvers.
Ask yourself these questions before deciding to attend the audition:

*Do you think you can solve puzzles under pressure on national television?
(Everyone is good at Wheel of Fortune in the comfort of his/her living room!)
*Can you be heard calling out letters? (It sounds simple, but sometimes we cannot hear people.)
*Do you have a good presence and energy?

You need to RSVP as soon as possible to secure your place in the audition."


Holy crap!

OMG! OMG! OMG! YOU ARE SO FREAKIN LUCKY!!!! You better make the cut! Yell thos letters loud and proud!

I always wanted to be a contestant on the Price is Right when I was in college.

Woo hoo! Go, meowkat, go!

Gimme a T! Gimme a....
anita

that is too cool.

in totally unrelated news: any old school rage against the machine fans here? y'all know they are back together and playing at the same time and cities as both Rep and Dem conventions? rad, huh? or am i the only one that "Freedom" was my theme song when i was in high school?

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/bla...sitemID=103043

too bad it's the same day as classes start back...

meowkat---soooo cool. me envious! you go slay 'em w/ur awesome presence!!!

ollie- i dig rage(dag,dug?)...."killing in the name of" was cool to headbang and just lose it in general to :)

word. i got "lost" in a couple pits at a few of their concerts. it's too cool they are doing the conventions! btw so i read through some old posts and noticed you tried to start a thread on politics. bummer that we can't talk about politics, but if you ever feel the need or want to know an inside americana scoop or have a question you can message me. i happen to work on someone's campaign. :o wonder who :o

MeowKat! I cant wait to see you on TV! I used to live in T-town (38th and East I street) about 10 years ago, man has it been that long?! What parts do you live around? They've got great walking along the sound and I love that park in the middle of town, forgot the name, with the arboritum.
Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I made some Kale chips and cauliflower popcorn today, YUM, y'all gotta try, way better tasting than you may think, I got the recipe on recipezaar
chow

Meowkat -cool! Good luck at your audition! :lucky:

I am back from my convention in Indianapolis. It was a huge gaming convention -i.e.collectible card games, board games, video games, role playing games - and a live action D&D game in a dungeon setting complete with a tavern - it was a blast! They also had several movie rooms and and an anime room. I got several games when I was down there and a bunch of weird movies -guess what I will be doing this weekend since I am broke from the trip? :lol:

I think I will join in that Samhain challenge since I have a wedding to go at the end of October. :bat:

welcome back mauvaisroux! hope you had a wonderfully nerdy time:) what kind of weird movies? the hubs has this thing about bad movies, he's a bad movie freak! it's rubbed off on me and we're kind of addicted to Mystery Science Theater 3000 reruns and other bad movie phenomenon.

MST3000 is one of my favs!

SO, I've been praying for this baby whale that found a boat and adopted it as its mom. Then yesterday I hear that some sick f***s are going to euthanize it. BAST@rd$! So last night I meditated and visualized a white ball of light protecting the baby whale. This morning, when I came to work and check on updates, its escaped!! or disappeared!! I'm so happy! It got away from the evil jerks that wanted to kill it. what a relief. Hopefully it heard a pod of its kind and made way to them.

When I saw your first post about living in Dutch Harbor I immediately thought of Deadlist Catch. I love that show. hehe You may not like where you live, but I'd love to get away from the chaos of my city and head out to a place like yours.


Hah! That is too cool! Good luck at the audition. :cb:

Thanks for the well-wishing! I hope I get on, I could certainly stand to win some money, lol :)

I've got all kinds of things going on...Bf and some of his friends and I are going camping this weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) which will be excellent as always. Just have to watch my WW points......I might end up using them all on beer :stars: (j/k) Then I work M-W, Wheel audition Thursday, then we're going up near the WA/Canadian border to a wedding over the Labor Day weekend. *whew*

missygith- I'm in University Place right now, but I've kind of lived all around that area so it's just easier to say Tacoma, lol. I believe you're thinking of Wright Park? It is cool, one of my bf's sisters got married in the little arboretum! It was a very small wedding (had to be to fit in there) but it was really a neat place to have it :) I don't spend a ton of time near downtown anymore, but once in a while I'll go to the Grand Cinema or hit a bar here or there. I did just find a knitting group that meets in Old Town...so that's my new hangout once a week.

ghost, i didn't realize that people can just euthanize a whale if they want. wtf? good news that it escaped.


motomichelle - welcome. motorbikes, huh? you'll shoot your eye out.

Haha maybe, but I haven't yet. ;)

Sorry this has nothing to do with weight and I'm not a regular here but I'd be really interested in hearing this. Are any of you 3fcers fans of TON or Peter Steele? I really need to hear that I'm not the only crazed person feeling this obsession right now :rolleyes:

Hi btw, I recognize a few of you ;)

hi, spoz. i recognize you as well. yer the purty one.

but your question is a blast from the past and about 10 years late, for me anyways. i haven't listened to type o negative since my high school days. i remember he posed nude in playgirl in my sophmore year and we all went nuts. awwww memories.

i did, however, retain my trent reznor crush from those days though and am still crazed over that boy.

meanwhile back at the ranch, wish i had exciting news to report, but my weekend was pretty low key (which i happen to like). hope everyone's sunday is groovy.

cheers.

:yikes: Did you just call me the purty one? Aw I dont know what to say, cept maybe your a lil nuts! ;)

Yeah, for me the Peter steele thing comes back to haunt me every few years. Never understood Trent though :no:

wha wha wha what?!?!? i probably can't post this pic but here goes
anyway. ummm...what's not to understand :drool:

p.s. me being nuts and you being pretty are two totally unrelated things

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1...etlilanglz.jpg

Well, okay I'll give you this one.

(If only because in the pic you cant see his face :rolleyes:)

awww c'mon, spoz, he's a sexy man! sorry to have made your peter conversation turn into a trent one. just to be fair i was going to post a pic of peter as well, but all the good ones are.....ummm....bad. bad meaning good of course. pssst....this guy's dong is all over the net:o

:cheers:



http://www.nndb.com/people/534/000025459/trent-sm.jpg

yum. I don't know Peter Steele but I love me some Trent *drools*


I've been away pretty much since my vacation and here I am back up to 205. Could have been worse I suppose.

I'm NOT getting married now in October, so at least I won't be Cow Bride, but I am getting married in March come **** or high water. That means I need to get back at it again.

Looking forward to catching up with you chicks!

Spoz - I just saw Peter Steel and Type-O at a music festival in Montreal in June - I get your obsession -:lol:

Ollie - I think Trent is attractive too in a dark tortured artist kind of way - years ago my hubby and Trent looked quite alike - :)

The crazy/weird movies we picked up are a bunch of Japanese films from the 70"s/80"s one is called "Girl Boss Revenge" The title made me laugh so we bought it - who knows what the movie is like! Others items include Zebraman, Machinegirl, Kasumi-Lady NInja, Samurai Chicks, Visitor Q.

We also picked up some horror movie gems such as "Garden of the Dead" (zombies!) Cursed, Frankenstein Conquers the World, Hardware (a sci-fi) and a couple more that I can't remember.

We collect a lot of B movie type films. :D

Welcome back V! Hope you had great travels. I'm sure you will be a be-yoo-ti-ful spring bride : )

Janda, hope you are feeling better -- even if school is starting : o

I am covering a class for someone tomorrow so I have to be on campus at 9AM -- I'm already in shock!!!
anita

hi velveteen :wave: don't think we've been introduced. i'm ollie. welcome back from your vacation. hope it kicked all kinds of arse. i'm still on staycation myself.

mauvasiroux - we collect b movies as well. we have all of ed wood's movies. familiar with him? bride of the monster and glen or glenda are my favs. the hubs loves him. sounds like you racked up. we recently picked up a b kung fu 'death duel of mantis' and have yet to watch it

guynna - that makes two of us that are in shock. this week is gonna be carazy!

i'm off to peel my arse off the couch and do a workout video. isn't there supposed to be a point when i get excited about this? when is that? anyone?

(Bah, still can't post images.)

Yes, Trent is very yummy.

Don't ask me why, but I've always been hot for Maynard more than anyone. I really don't get it, because he's not that attractive. But something about that boy makes me tick.

I guess sometimes it just that 'vibe' people have. I love deep rough sounding vocals so for me anybody who has that I tend to like. (long hair is a bonus)

**** yeah! i've seen tool in concert three times and yes, maynard is the ultimate hottie for me as well. and it has nothing to do with looks. it's an intellectual thang. his lyrics and his message, man. or artistic integrity if you will. and his voice....smooth and creamy. i'll post a pic of him.

http://illinoisentertainer.com/wp-co...10/maynard.jpg