I don't want to start off a whole debate again. But I would like to say a few words. And then there are picture of newts.
When I started this, I had no experience of a 'community' on the internet. I never imagined people would really read this, or comment. And I thought I'd find it slightly....creepy, if they did, to be honest.
But here we are.
I do want to make it clear that, truly, we're all strangers. Yes, some of you post under the same name each time. Some of you post occasionally, and Anonymously. Some of you, I gather, just read. I don't know any of you. I certainly don't value any of you less for not wishing to put a 'screen name' on your comments.
All I'd ask is that you do, as someone else said, remember that each and every one of you is a person. Not just a name, or an Anon. A person. As I've said before, I'd never expect a group of people to all share the same views. Discussion is healthy. Welcomed, even. But please, be civil. Be polite. Even if it means you need to take a moment, bite your tongue, calm down and then post.
The subject of 'trolls' is a difficult one. I really don't know what goes on on other blogs or groups. But just because someone's opinion differs from yours, don't call them a troll. Yes, some people could have been more polite. But at the end of it, the basic thrust of every comment I've seen has been to share an opinion. Some people do it more eloquently and some more politely than others. But everyone is entitled to an opinion. None are more or less valid. Just remember people will be more inclined to see your point if you don't manage to insult them whilst sharing yours.
Right... on to the real reason this blog is here.
Biking was brilliant. It was muddy, the bikes were fast, I managed to get airbourne as much as possible. And occasionally even landed the bike and myself the right way up :) - actually, I only had one impressive off. Highsided after landing, luckily into a fairly soft verge/hedge. (A highside, for those not savvy, is when the bike is leaning over one way and then 'catches' and rotates on the long axis very violently, flicking you up and over. Very nasty on the road. Not too bad on the soft. Provided the bike misses you. Which it did.)
Sherlock made us biscuits with jam, and helped Mrs H bake a large cake. And decorate it with a big skull picture. I hope the recipient liked it.
John didn't get his bike :( he's... coping. Staring whistfully at a picture of it. Occasionally stroking it.
Sherlock says you have to see the newts:
Big newt (NannyNewt?) [Look at it's feet! they have the best feet. and it's a girl newt because it's crest isn't the same and it's belly is orange and I caught it in a net and we looked at but we didn't touch it and it looked like John when he is really in a bad mood at something that's happened that he can't shout at. Sherlock.]
And babyNewt.
In other news...I might be seconded to another team for the olympics. But I think it'll be another 'normal' team, who's losing their DI to the Olympics, if you see what I mean... probably drugs and gangs. I'm... well, I don't get a choice.
54 comments:
Hah! I've just seen Sherlock's comment. It does look a bit like John's grumpy glare....
(I'm going to run now.)
The newts are awesome! Glad the mud ride went so well. Sounds like a ton of fun. I'm looking forward to hearing about as much of the Olympic coverage as you are able to share. Seems like it could be a real security nightmare. But maybe you'll also get to watch some events?
ryo
(who had the brief and easily-mastered impulse of posting under someone else's nick... )
it's a newt! It doesn't have a facial expression!
Lucky your the police, Greg.
You said you didn't mind police questions. What's it like when you put someone away and theyve got family and kids? How does that feel? Especially now you've got John and the two boys.
It does!
Ttid - might answer that in a blog post, if that's okay?
Excellent description of newts there Sherlock.
I imagine that policing during the Olympics is going to be even more frustrating than normal, with more people and traffic chaos to contend with.
John chased Lestrade all around the flat but he still wouldn't say newts don't have expressions because they do and now we're making bread.
Newts definitely have expressions. And you're right, the feet are cool, but I am amazed by the big newt's tail. It's so wide! Will it get narrower as the newt finished metamorphosing, or is that the way it will always look?
rsf
We're making newt bread. With expressions. :)
RSF the big newt only has a thin tail really but because it's in the catching net the crest and bit that's usually going downward is flopped out sideways so it looks wider so only a thin bit is real tail and I'll get another picture too that you can see.
Your newt bread looks smug to me.
Thank you, Sherlock, I'll look forward to seeing the picture, because I'll admit to being a bit confused. Did you have fun making the smug newt bread?
rsf
So the actual newt has John's expression, and the newt bread has Lestrade's? :)
no one I'm rooting for at Wimbledon is managing to win (well, Federer and then it was scary). It's time to start rooting for Djokovic.
And the big newt is full grown. And the bread isn't smug
The actual newt has no expression, because newts don't have expressions!
At least Kim Clijsters is doing all right. And with Federer, who knows, he might still come out on top. I think if he wins and Djokovic loses in the semis, he's back to number one.
The actual newt has more expression than the bread.
The bread will taste better than the newt though.
How are newts supposed to know what other newts are thinking if they don't have expressions?
I'm not sure that I want to know what newts taste like. But I like bread. Even if it isn't smug.
I wasn't sure if the newt was fully grown, Sherlock, because the front legs are so much smaller than the back legs. I am definitely not a newt expert. Is the small newt mature too, but a different species, or will it grow?
rsf
(silly Captcha, is newts, not "geekos"!)
L - are you sure newts think?
The little newt is the same except I don't know if it's male or female yet and it's not even as ling as the big newt's tail yet but we're watching them grow.
Yeah, I forgot about Clijsters. I like her a lot.
I'm only going to root for Djokovic in hopes that it'll curse him in the same way it seems to have cursed everyone else I was rooting for. :)
John, newts may not have expressions (I think it's still up for debate, lol) but did you know that rats laugh? My friend posted this yesterday, and I thought it was really interesting. I wonder if the degus laugh?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-admRGFVNM
Ryo - it's odd, I know he must have fans, but I don't know a single one, online or off.
Pip - that is interesting! And really rather sweet when they're following his hand around. I'd believe rats have expressions.
I'm certain they think. Think how rude you are not to see their expressive little faces.
What do they think about then?
Oh, and what are you going to do in drugs and gangs? Do you know yet?
Today newts are thinking what they'll do with their leap-second tonight.
I am too :)
Sherlock - that newt does have truly impressive feet. Does John look different when he's in bad mood about something depending on whether he can shout at it or not, then?
Newt bread sounds... interesting.
Chasing each other around the flat? I'm impressed :-)
I should hope whatever you're thinking about takes longer than a second, L... or are you just wanting to prolong the moment?
rsf ;D
RSF - every second counts! I'd rather spend my extra one doing something...enjoyable, than something like paperwork :)
Nameless - answering on Sherlock's behalf. Yes, John has an angry-cursing-at-objects/things face, and lots of silently-fuming faces. This newt was only low on the scale... disgruntled, I'd say. Stewing a bit :)
Do not.
You so do! When you're silently fuming it's like... like you purse your lips to keep it all inside. Instead of muttering under your breath (if there are young ears nearby) or not-so-under-your-breath...
You mean like when my bike's arrival is delayed and I can't reasonably shout at the man on the phone about it because it's not his fault? Sigh.
Lestrade - hah, so there's not just a Glare scale, there's a grumpy scale too? Disgruntled through silently seething to full-on turning the air blue?
Awwww, John :-( I'm sure Lestrade is thinking up ways of using his Leap second tonight to take your mind off things. Distract you. Perk you up a bit...
Well, it is a crime he doesn't have something shiny red and new to throw his leg over. All I can hope to provide is something...well, slightly grey and old ;)
And yes, you've got it on the glares/grumpiness
You're pretty shiny under certain circumstances... Time for bed then?
Mmm.
Did you know 999 was the world's first emergency number? And it was launched in London 75 yrs ago today? Fascinating stuff.
And I texted Jo. She says there will be refreshment during the walk. But whether she meant pouring rain showers like today or food, I don't know...
She knows you, so I imagine she means coffee.
Only 75 years? Odd. It's strange to think of life without it.
Apparently when the alarm went off in the telephone exchange back then, the excitement was so great that the girls operating the telephone exchanges swooned and fainted and had to be carried out...
Want to come and swoon into the arms of a big brave rozzer? ;)
People just swooned at anything back then.
Hmm. Depends where he's carrying me off to.
You a swooning expert?
Carry you off to ... well, somewhere nice, because he's a good upstanding member of the community :)
c'mon you. get off my foot and I'll even turn my socks the right way in when I take them off, to show how much I love you.
I'm only saying, it doesn't sound that exciting, does it? And you read about people swooning 100 or so years ago fairly regularly, but you never read about people swooning now.
Ah, you know the way to my heart...
Fewer people with corsets and bad nutrition, I should think. Also today you'd get funny looks instead of sympathy for merely swooning. (I have had people pass out in my presence, but that's not quite the same thing.)
rsf
Apperently 12 new recruits fainted at their parade today for the Met...
well, it is called the passing-out parade, right? ;)
I hope they weren't wearing corsets. Although that would explain a lot.
Come on, stop fake-swooning at me and drag me off to bed.
Greg - ...Just how heavy and thick are those black (dress?) uniforms? Because it seems a bit odd for people to be fainting and collapsing at 19C.
John - Would Greg ever need to drag you off to bed? (Fireman's carry is another matter entirely) ;)
~A from NW (all right, productive: maybe)
AfNW, they probably locked their knees when they were trying to stand at attention or parade rest. (Which accounts for two of the people I've watched pass out.)
rsf
Those newt pictures are GREAT, and that big one really does have the best feet, especially the rear feet! Is the orange belly a way to tell what kind of newt it is? (The newts we had in my classroom when I was in third grade did have orange bellies, I remember!)
Have fun on your walk with Jo tomorrow!
(I didn't know that about locking knees, RSF--I don't do it because it's a t'ai chi no-no, I had no idea it could affect the circulatory system!)
RR, when we had big formations where we had to stand for a long time, we used to count how many people went down because they locked their knees.
A lot of people don't realize it's will make you pass out if you stand log enough.
AfNW - they're not that thick. I mean, not the comfiest things ever, but nothing particularly heavy.
Hi guys! Sorry for being silent that long. Not really the best of times, but we're coping better now.
Awesome newts, Sherlock! I like them.
John, all the critters have expressions. I swear I can see spiders smirking smugly when they scare me half to death. I've seen snakes with different expressions, so I assume newts can have them too... :)
pip - indeed. When we were learning how to march in our elementary school (no reason to, the teacher simply thought it's a good idea), we were told this as well. Never really got around to test it but years later we had some girls fainting in our choir, because they thought that standing really straight with locked knees will make them sing better (or at least look better)...
L - you are very right about disagreements versus trolling. Unfortunately, people sometimes don't really think before expressing their disagreement and come across really really rude and become trolls as well.
I can remember my Dad saying that when he was in the navy and they were on parade, if someone started to faint the person either side would move closer to support him. Then when the inspecting officer came past they moved apart again and the fainter would collapse onto the officer.
Czech Reader, sorry to hear things aren't too good for you at the moment.
I've never personally tested the locked knees theory, but a couple of people in my flight did when I was in basic. Seemed to be valid, judging by the way they went down. I just wish we'd been as smart as Small Hobbit's dad and arranged it so they could faint on our sergeant.
rsf
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