Re: Vacation Report

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Welcome. You went to woodhenge? Where is woodhenge? Come to that wtf IS Woodhenge? Why not Avebury?

By Friday evening, I will be a total wreck, for pubbing purposes. Please make it somewhere easily accessible from Kings Cross


Posted by: Nworb Werdna | Link to this comment | 07- 5-10 2:34 PM
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There's an irony in that the 'scale' model in This is Spinal Tap is indeed to scale: 1:1.


Posted by: Charlie | Link to this comment | 07- 5-10 2:36 PM
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Eddie Izzard:

And the Welsh were helping the druids carve the stones out of the very living mountain! "Fantastic! Building a henge, are we? That's a fantastic idea. It's a marvelous religion the druids have got, yes. A lot of white clothing, I like that." They'd smash out a huge stone and then they'd put tree trunks down to roll it along on..."Help you push 'em along, all right? It's not far, is it?" And the druids going, "Heave, everyone, heave, well done everyone. You're doing very well. You'll love it when you see it, I've seen some of the drawings already, it's very special." After 200 miles, "You fucking bastard! You never told us 200 miles! Two hundred miles in this day and age? I don't even know where I live now!... I wish the Christians would hurry up and get here!" And they set all the stones up and the druids are still tinkering around. "Ok, that stone and this one, can we swap them round?"


Posted by: Stanley | Link to this comment | 07- 5-10 2:45 PM
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Woodhenge! Fucking hilarious. I am very very impressed with your friends that they had the nerve to take you to such a ridiculously uninteresting place. For those who haven't been there - which I think is probably the whole world apart from C, me, LB and family, and her friends - Woodhenge is a layby with some concrete posts where bits of wood used to be. Avebury's much nicer.


Posted by: asilon | Link to this comment | 07- 5-10 2:48 PM
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4: Carhenge is much better


Posted by:
rob helpy-chalk | Link to this comment | 07- 5-10 2:57 PM
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There was supposed to be a link there


Posted by: rob helpy-chalk | Link to this comment | 07- 5-10 2:57 PM
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Carhenge delenda est!


Posted by: Merganser | Link to this comment | 07- 5-10 3:12 PM
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Via Wikipedia, the fate of the child's body buried at the center of Woodhenge: Unfortunately after excavation its body was destroyed in London during The Blitz. Something a bit historically unsettling about that.


Posted by: JP Stormcrow | Link to this comment | 07- 5-10 3:55 PM
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Are youse heading to Oxford or environs on Wednesday? Or is it somewhere else touristy?


Posted by: nattarGcM ttaM | Link to this comment | 07- 5-10 4:16 PM
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Always great for a Yank to be in England on Independence Day weekend.


Posted by: bill | Link to this comment | 07- 5-10 4:17 PM
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One of the houses across the road had fireworks going off on the 4th, and some people were drinking beside our little lake and yelling. However, by the sounds of their voices, they were mostly of the big-haired English variety.


Posted by: nattarGcM ttaM | Link to this comment | 07- 5-10 4:21 PM
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Carhenge delenda est!

In some kind of henge-demolition-dARby.


Posted by: Turgid Jacobian | Link to this comment | 07- 5-10 4:29 PM
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11: I asked an Aussie yesterday if people in Australia were aware of the way Americans celebrate the Fourth, and she laughed at me.

To be fair, I wasn't asking out of some misguided Americentric ignorance; I was curious how much of our Independence Day narrative had made it over. (Which reminds me of the Chilean I met who was absolutely fascinated by Thanksgiving and gave a pretty funny and pretty accurate summary of the holiday as she understood it.)


Posted by: Stanley | Link to this comment | 07- 5-10 4:34 PM
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9 - we're going to meet the Breaths in London and go on the Eye. For starters.


Posted by: asilon | Link to this comment | 07- 5-10 5:24 PM
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re: 14

Cool. I can't quite work out if the pub choice has been settled for Friday, yet. The Sir Richard Steele was mooted, I think.


Posted by: nattarGcM ttaM | Link to this comment | 07- 5-10 5:36 PM
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Although looking at reviews it might be a tad noisy .. but mebbe someone who drinks there can advise ...


Posted by: nattarGcM ttaM | Link to this comment | 07- 5-10 5:42 PM
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There's a bit of a shipping forecast quality to the OP. "Dogger, mildly tipsy. German Bight, also pleasant."


Posted by: Ginger Yellow | Link to this comment | 07- 5-10 6:21 PM
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OT; Interesting new poll from the Pew Research Center on the economy. Excellent charts if you click through.

A few notable points:

*More than half of the adults in U.S. labor force (55%) have experienced some work-related hardship -- be it a spell of unemployment, a cut in pay, a reduction in hours or an involuntary move to part-time work.

* More than two-in-ten (21%) of all homeowners say they currently owe more on their mortgage or other home loans than they could sell their house for in today's market. In real estate vernacular, they are "underwater."

And I thought this was interesting:

[B]lacks, Democrats and, on most questions, younger adults are more likely than whites, Republicans and older adults to hold positive views about the national economy and their personal finances, regardless of their income, education, gender or whether they have had difficulty paying their bills, making mortgage or rent payments; getting or paying for medical care; or have had to cut spending during the recession.
One likely explanation for these seemingly counterintuitive patterns is that in an age of highly polarized politics, Democrats and Republicans differ not only in their values, attitudes and policy positions, but, increasingly, in their basic perceptions of reality.

The above is accompanied by a particularly vivid chart showing Republicans' and Democrats' perception of the economy over the past 15 years.

I like how the Pew folks are careful not to suggest that one party has an actual view of reality -- just two choices, either one of them just as plausible as the other!

(And in all fairness, I think that might be true -- it's just that Republicans generally think tax cuts for rich people do or will apply to them, and Democrats generally don't.)


Posted by: Witt | Link to this comment | 07- 5-10 6:37 PM
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Someone pick a pub for Friday? I'll show up anywhere.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 07- 6-10 3:43 AM
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I think the consensus seems to be settling round the Sir Richard Steele? Perhaps if it's not, the dissenters can speak up?


Posted by: nattarGcM ttaM | Link to this comment | 07- 6-10 3:50 AM
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That or Fresh Salt.


Posted by: JP Stormcrow | Link to this comment | 07- 6-10 3:56 AM
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It's further from Paddington than I'd like (says she lazily) but I can't stay out late anyway, so not really a problem.


Posted by: asilon | Link to this comment | 07- 6-10 6:17 AM
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Sir Richard Steele it is, unless there's a more vehement protest.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 07- 6-10 6:35 AM
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OK. It's a biggish pub with several rooms. You'll all be wearing your Mineshaft badges?


Posted by: dave heasman | Link to this comment | 07- 6-10 7:11 AM
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re: 24

I worried a lot about that last time. So I brought an identifying camera, but it turned out everyone was sitting right by the door. Not sure what the odds will be of that again, though.

I imagine some people's faces will be familiar to each other anyway?


Posted by: nattarGcM ttaM | Link to this comment | 07- 6-10 7:37 AM
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I imagine, as a Scotsman in a pub, that I'll stand out as a sheer oddity.


Posted by: nattarGcM ttaM | Link to this comment | 07- 6-10 7:43 AM
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If the first in make straight for the big table (ask for the "club room" or look for the sign saying "psychiatric boardroom") we'll know where to find each other and have a big table.


Posted by: Alex | Link to this comment | 07- 6-10 7:49 AM
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Are Scotsmen normally too drunk to drag themselves to pubs, or something?


Posted by: nosflow | Link to this comment | 07- 6-10 8:09 AM
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I think it's that they are too cheap to buy beer by the glass.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 07- 6-10 8:12 AM
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26 - oh, especially in London.


Posted by: asilon | Link to this comment | 07- 6-10 8:38 AM
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What time then?


Posted by: asilon | Link to this comment | 07- 6-10 8:38 AM
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I'm going to try to get there early as I think I'm able to get away from work a bit early on Friday, but that depends a bit on the vagaries of public transport. But I can try to get there and cadge the 'big table' if it's not occupied.


Posted by: nattarGcM ttaM | Link to this comment | 07- 6-10 8:42 AM
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Sixish? I'm not sure when the workday ends for most people. But sixish works for me. And I'll post what I'm wearing so I'll be identifiable.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 07- 6-10 8:44 AM
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I should make 6. That's fairly early, so I imagine [I think?] that others might turn up in dribs and drabs.


Posted by: nattarGcM ttaM | Link to this comment | 07- 6-10 8:47 AM
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Doubt I'll be able to make it before 6.30. But I shouldn't be too much later.


Posted by: Ginger Yellow | Link to this comment | 07- 6-10 9:27 AM
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I'm in Bromley earlier in the day and not sure exactly when free but will certainly be there by 7; a non-unf'ed friend will possibly join me/us later too. I know what the UK people look like now, and I haven't changed either.


Posted by: tierce de lollardie | Link to this comment | 07- 6-10 11:03 AM
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My friend will be in a drib but I will be in a drab.


Posted by: tierce de lollardie | Link to this comment | 07- 6-10 11:05 AM
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I know what the UK people look like now...

Racist. They don't all look alike.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 07- 6-10 11:09 AM
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LB at 33, "And I'll post what I'm wearing so I'll be identifiable"

You remembered to pack your XL Who Wants to Sex Mutombo t-shirt!


Posted by: Doug | Link to this comment | 07- 7-10 4:27 AM
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