12. Sayings Nov 12 Sun

(7:25 am Nov 12, 2006)

"It's gonna get worse before it gets better." (CB Penny Roberts : DT Don Joss)

Man I hope not.

Three hundred and seventy one million six hundred and thirty seven thousand six hundred and twenty three words so far this month for the NaNo writing crowd. Wow. I wonder how this stacks up to the same time last year. Total and average. I am sure the figure is somewhat higher as it doesn't include everyone's words that have been written between the last time they updated their word counts and now.

I really don't need this novel to get worse before it gets better. It has kind of been worse from the start. Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder they say.

(8:00 am Nov 12, 2006)

(8:47 am Nov 12, 2006)

Well, what is to become of today gentle reader?

Oh no! It is getting worse. Not in the way I had feared though. It seems my net connection is on the fritz. This is gonna wreak havoc with my planned writing method if I let it. Luckily I have quickly switched to offline writing mode and will copy this into the IRC channel when the connection comes back.

"Don't you mean IF zotzy?"

"Bing, let's not go there."

Well, gentle reader, the connection is back. It got hung though. Screen to the rescue.

You can learn about screen here gentle reader. ( http://www.gnu.org/software/screen/ ) It provides interesting possibilities.

What I had to do after my net connection came back was to ssh into the remote box again, become root via su, kill the previous ssh login session and then drop out of root and do a screen -r and bam sookie! I was right back where I was when the connection dropped. Then I just copied and pasted from my local AbiWord which was where I switched to writing when the cable modem connection dropped. That done, I just picked right back up writing in the IRC channel. Joy.

(8:59 am Nov 12, 2006)

And pain. Actually it was more like pain and joy but I am not sure that has the same ring to it as joy and pain.

Doc and Nipps decided to take a little break from Guana and flew over to Hope Town. When they arrived, there was a rather large combruction going on. There was a cow up at the top of the famous candy stripe lighthouse.

( http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&sa=N&resnum=0&q=hope%20town%20lighthouse&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&tab=wi )

No one knew where it had come from or how it had got up to the top of the lighthouse, but there it was. Walking around up at the top there, stopping every once in a while to gaze out towards the mainland.

Doc and Nipps decided to look into the matter for themselves.

(9:11 am Nov 12, 2006)

They left the mangrove branch where they were sitting and flew up to the top of the lighthouse tower.

"Good morning madam, lovely weather we are having today, are you enjoying the view?"

"Yes, quite, thank you, but I would ask that neither you nor your small friend there come any closer. I have a tail and I know how to use it!"

"Madam, we wouldn't dream of it, we have just eaten."

"Well, that's different then, what can I do for you two this fine day?"

"First I believe, introductions are in order. I am Doc and my friend here is known as Nipps and we have the honour of addressing?"

"I am Ayr Danger Kyne but people call me Danger, and rightly so I might add."

"Madam, we are here to inquire on a point that is of interest to the whole town below. How, madam, did you come to be here at the top of this tower and where did you come from?"

(9:22 am Nov 12, 2006)

"Well, gentlemen, I hail from Scotland and how I came to be here I am not certain. I remember I was being lifted by a helicopter for some unknown reason and I seem to recall a lorry passing by with a picture of this edifice on its side when the harness gave way. the next thing I know is that I was rising above the water just out that way."

"A poor craftsman blames his work on his tools." (CB Tim Maher : DT ??)

(9:28 am Nov 12, 2006)

"Madam, that is a strange tale."

"I will thank you not to make such familiar remarks on my anatomy good sirs."

"Oh no madam, far be it from us to do anything of the sort. I was commenting on your anecdote and not to your posterior."

"I beg your pardon!"

"Sorry, please, what happened next?"

"Well, gravity. Gravity happened next. I stopped rising and fell back into the water. With nary a splash I might add. I used to be on the diving team back on the farm when I was a wee calf."

"Were you injured at all?"

"Oh no, I simply swam to shore right about there and came up to investigate this tower as it was the last thing in my mind before the strangeness. I found the door open and came on up to see what I could see."

(9:37 am Nov 12, 2006)

(9:58 am Nov 12, 2006)

What? It took that long to post a little follow up to the dare in the forums. That is crazy!

Well, gentle reader, this morning we can find Petro sitting up in that spot up east. That spot where he sat in the same spot Loqui sat to paint her painting of Rose Island. Sitting in that Spot and thinking. Thinking about yesterday. Thinking about changes. Changes and strangers.

Petro was always fascinated by the interconnections in this land. Six degrees of separation was overkill for the islands. Probably more like two degrees down here, especially if you confined yourself to the natives or long time residents.

Interconnections and hookups. And co-incidences. Beautiful, fortuitous, co-incidence. Beautiful, fortuitous, Loqui.

(10:20 am Nov 12, 2006)

(12:42 pm Nov 12, 2006)

"I'm bearing up chile, I'm bearing up." (CB Susan Thompson : DT Leonard Thompson)

Well, gentle reader, let us shift our attention once again to the happenings over at the Hope Town lighthouse. As we arrive, we notice that the town is fairly overflowing with people. The harbour is jam packed with boats to over flowing. Yes, more boats were moored beyond the harbour. Word had spread up and down the cays and the mainland settlements and everyone was on the move, coming to see the cow in the tower.

As we focus our attention to the top of the tower we can see that Danger is becoming decidedly agitated. If danger was a bull instead of a cow, you should have to say that he was as happy as a penguin in a microwave, however, since Danger was indeed a cow and not a bull, yes, Danger was a bona fide member of the Bovini tribe alright, but one of the feminine persuasion and so one would have to say that she was as happy as a penguin in a microwave.

(12:55 pm Nov 12, 2006)

And gentle reader, just in case you are not familiar with the relationships between penguins and microwave ovens, let me assure you that Danger was none too happy. Listen, can you move those refrigerators for me gentle reader? And while you're at it, check to make sure that there are no penguins in their freezer sections will you?

What's this? What is Doc saying to Danger?

"Danger, calm down, it's like all of a sudden you are as happy as a penguin in a microwave."

"Hey doc, I wouldn't say that she was as happy as a penguin in a microwave. I would say she was as happy as a pig in a smoke house."

"Nipps, let me deal with her without interruptions please."

(1:02 pm Nov 12, 2006)

(7:27 pm Nov 12, 2006)

Oops, before I can even start, I have to run out and go to a party, I will probably want to stay for a good while, but I will have to leave early and come back here to get out my quota. I still have quite a way to go.

Ouch.

(7:29 pm Nov 12, 2006)

(9:42 pm Nov 12, 2006)

Double ouch.

Well, I just got back from a party, nice. Hanging out for a while with a bunch of creative types is not a bad thing to do once in a while. Perhaps often even. If I ever start doing such a thing often, I will try and let you know.

Time is running out for the day gentle reader and so, while I will not ask you to suspend your disbelief for the rest of the night, I will ask that you enjoy the mayhem.

So, like I say, two parties today and a serious behind problem. I am not talking haulin' trailer problem neither.

Now, gentle reader, here is the thing, I know that you are most concerned with Danger and what happened out in Abaco today.

Well, sip sip say that this one cow that was up in the lighthouse all day finally came down on its own accord.

Now the inside scoop that I can let you in on is that she did not come down on her own accord at all. No, it was Doc and Nipps that finally convinced her to come down just before it got dark. The way they finally convinced her was to remark that they were feeling a might peckish and was she feeling peckish too.

(9:52 pm Nov 12, 2006)

"Well monkee!" (CB Andy Gape : DT Lynn Gape)

It turns out, gentle reader, that she was feeling quite peckish as well. Well, that was all the two little pests needed to hear. They told her that they had a friend in town that had a goodly stash of some of the best grass she could hope to find in the islands and that they were sure they could track him down and arrange to get her some.

Well, she started down the steps and they accompanied her down. When she came out of the door at the bottom of the lighthouse, a cheer went up from the crowd assembled in the vicinity. No one noticed Doc and Nipps following discreetly behind.

After leaving the lighthouse, she calmly walked down to the water's edge on the harbour side and swam across the harbour, weaving in and out of the moored yachts (no that mega yacht had not come into the harbour to watch the day's events) on her way to the town.

On reaching the other side, she had climbed a wooden ladder to the deck of one of the local eateries and ordered herself a Bacardi and Coke before asking to borrow a towel and the ladies room.

I am not sure we will ever see the day when these incredible happenings are no longer discussed in the Abacos.

Somehow, word got up to Spanish Wells right away. The Segillians thought that the Abaco boys were trying to pull their leg again though and did not believe a word of it. Too bad for them, if they had believed the reports early on, some at least could have headed out in some fast boats and been there in time to see Danger descend.

Too bad for the Segillians indeed.

(10:05 pm Nov 12, 2006)

Those superb Segillians. Those adroit Abaconians.

Well, Danger could not borrow a towel from the place, by some strange co-incidence, all of the cow sized towels in the place were sopping wet. They did loan her an electric hair dryer though and kindly pointed her in the direction of the ladies room.

Needless to say, Danger was soon ta reckly in danger. The restaurant had an outlet in the ladies room alright. The problem was, the outlet was not properly fitted with ground fault interrupt protection.

Cue ominous music.

(10:33 pm Nov 12, 2006)