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THE EMERALD WORDAPALOOZA

Is now up and running. Now is the time to jump on board the wagon!!!


WHERE? LETTERMORE, in COUNTY GALWAY
The venue is now definitely at Lettermore, in County Galway, in the west of Ireland. It is a spectacularly beautiful location, on a smallish island which is attached to the mainland by a bridge. As Rubrick says, “Lettermore looks idyllic on its island - - - Lettermore is near Rossaveal where you can take the ferry to Inis Mor, the largest of the Aran's where I was in December.”

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
Go to http://www.irelandwestholidayhomes.com/galway.asp and type in
Scs0854901 for the Lettermore accommodation. Place the number in the text field located on the map.

WHEN the WEEK 15th to 22nd JUNE inclusive

We have booked four cottages, each sleeping six people, for the week 15th to 22nd June inclusive – they are modern places with one double bed and four singles each, bed linen is supplied but not towels. (but towel hire can be arranged if you let us know in advance.) Each cottage has a shower, but I don’t think they have a bath.
They are easy walking distance from the beach (about a mile) 500 yards from a shop and about a mile from the nearest bar.

HOW MUCH?

The cost per person for the accomodation is a little less than €100 per person.
That amount will allow a small amount of the domestic necessities. There will be some extras for food and for a breakage deposit. At a rough guess, I think it will come to round about € 160 each for the week, give or take a bit.
At present, the €uro is roughly equal to the dollar.

It will help us immensely if you can pay € 100 up front, please, and as soon as possible.
Send cheques made out to the Euro amount to:

J.Richardson
Information Systems Services
200 Pearse Street
Trinity College
Dublin 2
Ireland



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A personal check from an American bank or a cashiers check from same?


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I would bet a personal check would do fine, wouldn't it, since it would have plenty of time to clear if you sent it, say, early February?

But I'll stand to be corrected.


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And, Rhuby, those cottages and that location are sweet! What a great view!


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Yes, they are nice, aren't they? And just a few miles away from where they filmed The Quiet Man.

Oh, that's €100 per person, btw. And made out to J. Richardson, if you please - not cash!!! There should be loads of time to clear it but the sooner I get it the better as bookings tend to mount up in early Feb.


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Only a few miles from where they filmed The Quiet Man??? Oh, my heart is glad today.

Now somewhere someone mentioned an airline that is offering really great deals on roundtrip flights from the US to Europe.

Without naming that airline here, will someone please PM me at Wordwind here to let me know the name of that airline or business group that's making the offer?

Many thanks in advance,
WW


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aaaaaaaaaaaOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooo

(howl of disappointment that I can't make it)

Unless....does anyone know of any cheap flights from Canada to Ireland?! because I can afford the accommo!

hm...off to ring my travel agent....


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We are having to find money for deposits more or less immediately. We can probably underwrite this on a short term basis, but we really do need your cheques quite quickly, if at all possible, please.


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Rhuby:

I'll mail mine just before the end of January so you all will have it sometime the first week of February.

Thanks for taking care of all this!!! Big hug!!!

Best regards,
WW


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I may get jumped on for commercializing, but there's always Paypal. I recently sent $500 to a friend in Australia for a painting, and she got it transferred to her bank account within half an hour after I pushed the send button.

If this is OK, I'd need only your email address. I want to reserve four beds, for me, Peggy, and the kids.

TEd



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Going looks like a definite maybe for me right now. I have a friend who's son was just hired high up in United to try to fix some of their problems, so I may be able to get a free flight, assuming they're still flying then. I just need to check with my faculty advisor to see if going on a transatlantic trip right before going off to my first internship is feasible.


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This is great news, Jazzo
I'm keeping toes, fingers and eyes crossed from this point on.


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Paypal is fine with me. Contact me by PM for my email if you want to go with this.

Thanks.


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Well, there won't be much call for lights since it gets dark at about 10:30pm at that time of year. And it shoudln't drop below 12 degrees C at night so we won't have the heating on much either.

The heat and light work on coin slot and between us we shouldn't be spending more than about $20 a house for the week. That's just over $3 each.

Flashlight? You mean a battery-powered torch?

Bring one if you like but I don't think we'll really need it unless it's to get home along the road from the pub. Actually that would be a good idea.....

Don't forget to take the batteries out first so as not to freak the airport security guys.


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I have a small flashlight--about the size of a wallet--that has 1,000 hours on it. It casts a pretty good circle of light, and I expect something as small--and effective--as it is would be good to take. You can't take the batteries out of it because it's a disposable flashlight. Guess I should call airport security--but I don't expect it would present a problem.


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Guess I should call airport security

or prolly you could just put it in your checked luggage? they don't freak out over stuff in there do they? (unless it's obviously explosives or summat like that)

Hey, if I can't go, I can still help plan, right?!

and I hope everyone will have a pint for me....[tipsy-e]


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The planning proceeds. I downloaded four apps for passports and was appalled to see how much they're gonna cost. $70 each for the kids and $85 each for the adults. You'd think they were trying to keep people home!

We're planning tentatively to arrive "incountry" (an adjective used during the Vietnam War) on about June 6, and rent a car. We'll bop around the country for a few days, and arrive at WAPI on the 10th. I'm pretty certain that we'll be taking several day trips during that period, particularly since I know you won't want the kids around full time. If I can convince Peggy that driving on the other side isn't difficult she can take the kids off for a couple of day trips so I can help deplete the country's Guinness supply.

We're also going to stay on for as much as a week after WAPI is over. I particularly want to spend some more time in Donegal, as I have a friend whose family castle is there. I'd never heard of it, but if you google Doe Castle you will find a lot of sites. Several of them mention the initials GVH "let into" one wall; interestingly, they seem to stand for General Vaughn Hart. My friend's name is George Vaughn Hart and I can't remember whether he's the III or the IV. The title in the family devolved onto his brother Donny, who died a few years ago without heirs, and I think George now bears the title. Will have to ask him. He said if I dropped his name in the area we'd get a wonderful reception. I'm interested in finding out if the G on the castle wall actually stands for General. Never would have occurred to me to use a title as part of a monogram.

Nice thing about Ireland is that you can get anywhere you want in just a few hours when traveling by car. Took longer when I went by bike, but Sasha's still on training wheels.

I hope to take a lot more pictures than I took on the last trip, and I certainly am not going to leave any film in my luggage for the airline to lose on the trip home. In fact, I have a new digital camera that puts the images directly onto a CD. Cheap and you can carry a whole lot of pictures in a shirt pocket. At the highest resolution I get around 75 pictures on a disc. At medium resolution it jumps up to over 400.

I told Peggy I wanted to go back and get a recharge from the Blarney Stone, and she went off to a meeting muttering something about coal and a new castle. Wonder if she meant Newcastle Brown.

TEd





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and arrive at WAPI on the 10th.

Ted, please don't. We won't be there until the 15th!!! See dates at the top of the thread.

Donegal is fantastic and you won't be disappointed. My grandmother was from there and my biggest regret is that I didn't travel there when she was alive. Be sure to visit Glenveigh national park which is just stunning. You may be lucky enough to see one of the golden eagles which were reintroduced to Ireland from the US fifteen years ago. The last indigenous ones were hunted to extinction a century ago.

As for film I'm a keen photographer and take my camera with me on all my trips. As a rule I take everything as cabin baggage and pack only my tripod and other hardies in my hold luggage. The x-ray machine used for hold luggage is much more powerful than the one used for passengers and cabin baggage so your films stand a much better chance of survival staying with you. I carried back tewlve rolls of film from NY in December 2001 (after stringent security was introduced) and they all came out perfectly.


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Clothing. I talked to my best friend who has traveled in Ireland a lot and asked her how to pack. This is what she wrote back to me, summarized:

Layers
Raincoat (necessary)
Comfortable shoes
Jacket for cool nights--combine the raincoat/jacket, she suggests

She didn't say whether heavy sweaters would be necessary for nights.

Now, I know this is probably of little interest to anybody, but I tend to have the worst instincts when it comes to packing for long trips. Always carry too much, which I can't stand. So I am going to make a big effort here to pack economically. And, if there is a sympathetic British ear out there who will help, thanks very much in advance.

1. Will jeans pretty much do it?
2. Are heavy sweaters probably necessary at night for those of us who shiver easily?
3. Lights-weight tops: Any sense in taking them at all that time of year? (IN other words, should I just leave my sleeveless tops back in the US?)
4. Bathing suits, I would guess, would be pretty much out of the question.
Thanks for your input. Packing for over a week is hard for me anyway, but I sure do intend to pack as lightly as possible this time. I told my friend in Connecticut: "Maybe I should just carry an empty suitcase and buy everything over there as needed." (I was just kidding, but, if I had a limitless budget--I don't--I'd almost be tempted.)

Best regards,
WW


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Layers
Raincoat (necessary)
- prudent and practical though not always necessary
Comfortable shoes - definitely. Sneakers/runners/gym shoes and good walking shoes/boots.
Jacket for cool nights--combine the raincoat/jacket, she suggests - Mmmm... the nights can be quite mild in June but it is definitely still a good idea. Don't pack winter wear whatever you do!

She didn't say whether heavy sweaters would be necessary for nights. - I wouldn't bother. A light jumper/sweater should be fine.

Now, I know this is probably of little interest to anybody, but I tend to have the worst instincts when it comes to packing for long trips.
Always carry too much, which I can't stand. So I am going to make a big effort here to pack economically. And, if there is a sympathetic
British ear out there who will help, thanks very much in advance.
- Go out light/Come back heavy is my motto. This isn't Iceland here and you should pack sensibly otherwise you'll be lugging around jumpers and heavy clothes all week. Bring light to medium clothes or else wait for a week before you leave and I'll let you know how the Summer is looking. We tend to get few surprises here when it comes to the weather. It is either incredibly beautiful or absolutely torrential but the temperature never goes below 15 degrees C in June. Even now it's 13.6 degrees outside my office window.

1. Will jeans pretty much do it? - Yup.
2. Are heavy sweaters probably necessary at night for those of us who shiver easily? - Nope. Bring lighter ones. A light jacket can make up the difference.
3. Lights-weight tops: Any sense in taking them at all that time of year? (IN other words, should I just leave my sleeveless tops back in the US?) - No. Bring them. But check back with me about the weather in early June.
4. Bathing suits, I would guess, would be pretty much out of the question. - Why? It can be wonderful in the sea at that time of year.

"Maybe I should just carry an empty suitcase and buy everything over there as needed." (I was just kidding, but, if I had a limitless budget--I don't--I'd almost be tempted.)

One thing you should buy is an Aran sweater. I have one for the past two years and wore it most of this winter and, yes, it is very warm. Good for those of you who live in snow and ice zones in North America. I think they cost about $60-70 but you get tax back (21%) at the airport and they should last you a lifetime. You can also get wool socks, caps and gloves. I'm saying nothing about the souvenirs.....


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The tenth was a typo or wishful thinking, I don;'t know which. I have my calendar clearly marked and just spaced it while I was typing.

I saw part of Donegal when I was on my bike trip some years ago, but decided to head on back to where the cycling was a bit easier!

As for packing, I learned a rude lesson in Ireland. I weighed my bike with all the gear on it just before I left, and it was an amazingly heavy 110 pounds (50 kg.) Coming from here in Denver area, I had not one but THREE water bottles attached to the bike. Several times throughout my trip people brought to my attention the fact that water really was readily available throughout Ireland and it wasn't necessary to import it. I actually only used about a quarter of the gear I took with me, and could have gotten away with less than that except I like clean clothes in the morning! I had intended to camp out but found out that hostels are the way to go when trekking around the country. I'll never forget the little German woman in the hostel on the Aran Islands . . . . well, more about that some other time.

I was in Ireland for the entire month of June, cycling almost every day, and I only experienced three days of wet weather (one soft day as I went around the Ring of Kerry, another as I did a loop through the Gap of Dunloe, which is one of the most beautiful places on earth, particularly when the rhododendrons are blooming, and then a gentle rain on the last full day as I pedaled from Spanish Point to Shannon to catch a plane home.) BTW, the rhododendrons blooms start to peter out about mid-June, or at least they did the year I was there. There were several places where I was cycling slowly through tunnels of rhododendron, with occasional gaps through which I could see people fishing for salmon in the river along which the road ran. And everyone, everywhere, was quick with a greeting; it seemed as though every person in Ireland was happy, at least happy to see me. One of the oddest things I remember is noticing that men would greet me with a quick shake of the head to one side. I first thought it was a sign of disapprobation, but it finally dawned on me that it was the Irish equivalent of a USner's head nod.

I didn't buy an Aran Island sweater, opting instead for one that I had knitted for me and shipped to my home. It was a major error, as the quality of the knitting was poor and the thing fell apart within five years.

I did buy an off-the-rack sweater that I wore early in the morning to ward off the cool until the sun had risen well, and that is as good now as it was in the store. And I don't think I spent more than 10 or 15 punt on it. Around $20. I do intend to get an Aran Island sweater this time! They are beautiful and each one's unique, according to what I read about them.

Among things on my itinerary is I need to get a refill from the Blarney Stone. Peggy suggested the other night that the Irish would pay me to come back and recharge the stone; I resembled er resented that remark.

I also want to go back to Dublin to spend more time wandering through Trinity College and looking at the ancient books on display in the library there. Perhaps I'll stretch the trip out to a whole month! Or maybe I can talk Peggy into moving there.

Gosh, I can't tell you how excited I am about meeting everyone and getting to see Ireland again all on the same nickel.

TEd



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Thanks very much for the information and suggestions about what clothing to take.

I think Rubrick's idea to wait a week before the trip to make final decisions is a good one. I do remember reading in the description of the cottages that there are washers and dryers, so that's good. Could just wash the same couple of pairs of jeans. I am *so* determined not to overpack this time.

One other thing. Blow dryers/curling irons. I know ours from the US won't work over there. Is there some kind of very inexpensive place--like our Wal-Marts over here--where we could get a blowdryer and curling iron? I cannot believe that I am sitting here asking this question, but it's something else that would be awfully nice to know in advance. Jeans, shirts, light sweater, jacket--I'm fine. That's light. But I really would like to be able to dry my hair and curl it, too. If it will be absolutely impossible to dry and curl my hair, then I must back out and say I cannot make it to Ireland.

Ha!!! Psych! I'm just kidding!!! Of course, I'd still go, but I'd have to develop another blow-dryerless plan.

Thanks for being so patient with these questions.

WW


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WW, you can get an adapter for your appliances. Hang on, one of the folks here will tell you exactly what you need.


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Try this:
http://snurl.com/mcg

Not sure how much power it'll handle, but.


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Thanks, AnnaS and Faldage. That price looks cheaper than buying a dryer and iron over there.

I have a vague memory of blowing such a device, however, in Grenada once upon a time.

Still, its specifications look good.

WW


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I've used such adapters all over the world and they work fine - so long as you don't overload them by putting two or three way adapters into them. Over here you can buy them in most any hardware store, but usually they are from UK to European, or UK to US, system rather than the other way round so you would need to buy before you left to be sure of getting one the right way round. They are available at international airports also, so if you forget they can be a last minute buy.


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So that you can run several appliances off the same power point. Maybe you don't call those things adapters? There are several types of adapter.

The gizmos that allow you to plug US equipment into a UK, or other system, power point are adapters and maybe some of them adjust for voltage difference as well as the difference in plug pattern (round pin, square pin, two pin, three pin etc.). Normally, I believe, they just allow for the different pin shape and pattern and if you come from an area with a 110V supply then you should only use them with equipment that has a voltage change switch on it (e.g.: from 110V to 240V)otherwise you may burn out your equipment.

The adapters that allow you to plug UK equipment into US power points don't have transformers, that just means that a travel kettle, or set of electric curlers, takes longer to heat up if the voltage is lower unless of course it has a voltage change switch.

The other type of adapter fits into a power point and has two or three or more outlets thereby allowing you to plug more than one appliance into the same wall socket outlet. With these it is important not to overload the power point.



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A lot of AC adapters for laptop computers and such will be rated for inputs from 100-240VAC and 47-63Hz. Then all you have to worry about is the physical plug configuration. There will be a label on the AC adapter that has this information.


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power point = outlet


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#92046 01/23/03 11:23 AM
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That hertz. But at least she's staying current.

I just realized I am going to need something to keep my cameras charged. Do I remember correctly that Ireland's power points deliver 220?



TEd
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It just occurred to me. Has anyone heard from the other Ted in all this planning for WAPI? I certainly hope he shows up with Goldie! Not to mention the bears.



TEd
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No, TEd - nothing from the Erse Ursus, although I did PM him at one point - but without response.


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Do I remember correctly that Ireland's power points deliver 220?

220/240v. What camera do you use? I have a universal charger that may suit your brand.


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Hi! As for curling, I suggest one of those curling irons that run on a self-contained heater thingies. Any good shop can help you out.
Meanwhile, I strongly recommend this place :
http://www.Magellans.com
I have bought tons of stuff from them and never been disappointed in the quality. They have pages and pages and pages of all kinds of adaptors in the catalogue! EDIT : They have a link for residents of the UK.
The website has all kinds of info on travel including packing. There is a contact point for specific info on a place.
Magellans has been a Godsend to me in buying gifts for My Son The Major who travels all over the Far East for the Army. Plus he and his Lovely Wife have travelled to Europe and found Magellans stuff a huge convenience.
One thing I found that's great is one-time-use plastic locks. You snap them on and the only way to open your luggage is by cutting them off. BUT better check with specific airline as to the regulations on locked luggage as
there are new security regs.
Oh, and Magellans has a bag for film which allows it to go through Xray without damage! A professional Pho-Jo friend swears by it. He got the catologue and bought the Many Pocket Vest ( a real investment) because it is very handy for him. But then he travels with no fewer than three cameras! So the Vest may not be for anyone but the serious Pho-Jo!



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When I travel abroad the first thing that goes in the suitcase is an old fashion hot water bottle. takes little room and very handy for both hot and cold water!
Also I invest in one of those silver Emergency Blankets - pretty cheap- they're silver and fold into a tiny packet. If the matress is cold, just unfold and put it under you. Promlem solved. Takes less room than a pack of cigarettes (remember them?) The blanket will also reflect heat if you are in torrid climes. Oh, and talk to your bank NOW ... if arranged ahead you can buy some traveller checks in Irish Punts or Euros which are taken everywhere and there is no charge for changing from US dollars. When I was there Jury's hotel wanted 30 percent to change dollars to punts on a Sunday checkout! So I stayed another night and went to the bank next day and changed them and came out even!
If you can find them : I used Kennedy half dollars as little souvenirs for children I met on the way. They loved them.
Another big hit was a Polaroid camera so I could give pictures to people on the spot


#92052 01/26/03 06:04 PM
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__________THE EMERALD WORDAPALOOZA__________
                
MOTHER IRELAND


At first
I was land.
I lay on my back to the fields
and when I turned
on my side
I was a hill
under freezing stars.
I did not see.
I was seen.
Night and day
words fell on me.
Seeds. Raindrops.
Chips of frost.
From one of them
I learned my name.
I rose up. I remembered it.
Now I could tell my story.
It was different
from the story told about me.
And now also
it was spring.
I could see the wound I had left
in the land by leaving it.
I traveled west.
Once there
I looked with so much love
at every field
as it unfolded
its rusted wheel and its pram chassis
and at the gorse-
bright distances
I had been
that they had misunderstood me.
Come back to us
they said
Trust me I whispered.

-Eavan Bowland

_________________See yall in June. _________________


#92053 01/26/03 07:22 PM
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milum...

Oh, that was lovelylyreland!




#92054 01/27/03 08:20 AM
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Rub--

I have a Sony Mavica CD250. It has a charger that converts 110 AC to 12 V DC. The male plug thst goes into the power point hads round contacts iunstead of the two flat ones that are sytandard here in the US, and there's an adapter that allows me to use it here. I'll go look in Magellan's catalog to see what they have available.

Thanks

TEd



TEd
#92055 01/27/03 05:01 PM
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A lovely poem Milum.
I recall (vaguely) a song called "Ireland, Mother Ireland" Some of the lyric includes in the verse Let's see :
"If you sigh, we hear you.
If you weep, we weep.
In your hours of gladness, how our pulses leap.
Ireland, Mother Ireland,
Come what may befall,
Ever shall we hold thee
Dearest, best of all."

Can't remember the rest.
Anyone help? [EDIT : Never mind, It came to me while I was brushing my tooth last night at bedtime!!!

#92056 01/27/03 11:21 PM
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From Chicago Tribune magazine, Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" rendered as a PowerPoint presentation:

PROJECT GOALS:
- To watch woods fill up with snow.
- To do so without being observed.
- To steal some time from other projects.
- To stay mindful of other projects, however.

RISKS OF PROJECT:
- Could get caught by owner of woods.
- Could cause disorientation in horse.

PROBABILITY OF DISCOVERY:
- Identity of owner not 100 percent sure.
- Likeliest candidate lives in village.
- Cannot rule out other owner or owners, or recent real estate sale.
- Would be wise to be ready to start up sleigh.

STATUS OF HORSE:
- Likely disoriented by unplanned stoppage.
- Additional reasons for disorientation:
-- No farmhouse near
-- Only woods and frozen lake nearby
-- Darkest evening of the year
- Horse shows uneasiness by shaking bells.

STATUS OF WOODS:
- Lovely; dark; deep
- Largely silent, though wind and snow flurries are slightly audible

LIMITATIONS ON PROJECT:
- Strictly short-term
- Other commitments have priority
- Also need to sleep
- Commitments involve miles of travel.
- Travel has precedence over sleep.


editor's note: I do believe "rendered" was well-chosen.
-ron o.


#92057 01/28/03 01:14 AM
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Well, at least they didn't say "orientated"...

Milo's to go before I sleep. Just couldn't help it--that's what I thought of as soon as I saw that line!


#92058 01/29/03 11:50 AM
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I have a Sony Mavica CD250. It has a charger that converts 110 AC to 12 V DC.

Built-in battery? If that's the case then I can't help you. A converter is your best bet.


#92059 01/31/03 03:32 AM
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Magellans has a bag for film which allows it to go through Xray without damage! A professional Pho-Jo friend swears by it.

I'm sure Rubrick can kerreckt this info I am about to give if it is inkerreckt, but I've heard that such bags don't work. I trusted my source because it was a camera shop that sells the bags....Why would they turn away a potential sale? yet they did.

So the wisdom I heard on lead-lined bags to protect your film was: Don't bother and don't waste your money. The x-rays in airports are very low-dose (except for the ones they put checked luggage through - hence you should NEVER put your film in your checked luggage, in a lead-lined bag or not) and will not harm film that is below something like 1000 ASA (most amateur shutterbugs shoot either 200 or 400, very rarely as high as 800 and only for specialised pix such as action shots at sports events).

Always take your fillum in your carry-on bag, and don't worry about the x-rays...that's wot I heard. I also heard that if you use a lead-lined bag, airport security types will just bump up the dose on the machine until they can see through it. Now THIS info seemed a tad suspect to me - I thought x-rays couldn't get through lead, period? - but I offer it up as one more possibly erroneous tidbit of info.

It does make sense, though, that airport security types are not going to view lead-lined protective bags kindly - since they wouldn't have any idea what such bags are likely to be "protecting." If I were an airport security type and such a bag came through my machine, I'd make the owner open it so I could be sure it didn't contain a small gun or knife, or plastique or any similar weapon of small-scale destruction.


#92060 01/31/03 08:02 AM
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FWIW I have taken film up to 400ASA through x-ray machines at airports around the world, including what are called 3rd world countries and never had a problem. I suppose a machine could be faulty, but I reckon that would spoil their picture.


#92061 01/31/03 08:59 AM
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I'm sure Rubrick can kerreckt this info I am about to give if it is inkerreckt, but I've heard that such bags don't work.
I trusted my source because it was a camera shop that sells the bags....Why would they turn away a potential sale?
yet they did.


I'll answer this by simply pasting in a section of one of my posts from way above near the top of this thread.

As for film I'm a keen photographer and take my camera with me on all my trips. As a rule I take everything as cabin baggage and pack only my tripod and other hardies in my hold luggage. The x-ray machine used for hold luggage is much more powerful than the one used for passengers and cabin baggage so your films stand a much better chance of survival staying with you. I carried back tewlve rolls of film from NY in December 2001 (after stringent security was introduced) and they all came out perfectly.

There was a time (not so long ago) when you were entitled to a manual search of some bags (like a camera bag) to spare some valuable items the ardours of x-rays. They may still do it here (except on paranoiac US flights) but I fear that those days are now long gone.

As for x-rays going through lead - if they fo through lead they ain't x-rays. Lead-lined bags are a swizz. Show your films to the security guy and then walk through the friskem. That works on magnets - not x-rays - and magnets don't affect film.


#92062 01/31/03 11:18 AM
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OK guys, chill out about the lead and x-rays. The special thing about x-rays, is that nothing stops them 100%. Sorry to break it to y'all. The reduction in the amount of dose that gets through is related exponentially* to the amount of lead (or other material) in the beam. Therefore those lead vests you wear during dental x-rays reduce the dose to below a certain amount which is far less than what you get from background radiation, and which is considered acceptably low-risk. Trust me, it's gobs less than your average dose from rocks, cosmic rays, etc. It is not exactly zero dose but it is "low enough" (and let's not get into another discussion of limits here) not to cause you any harm.

* so if one layer of lead of a given thickness reduces the dose by 1/2, another layer added on will reduce by 1/2 again (giving 1/4 of the dose), and another layer will reduce by 1/2 again (giving 1/8 of the dose)...unlike the limit discussion in Q&A, you can really only put a finite thickness of lead between the x-rays and the film, so depending on where you want to stop, you get a rather small but nonzero amount of x-rays going through. And maybe the lead-lined bags for airports don't have enough lead to make one whit of difference. To figure that out, I need (a) the thickness of lead in the bags, and (b) the energy of x-rays used in the machines. I have the books with the rest of the numbers needed to figure out if your film would be affected.


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Inconsistent idioms/spelling/dialect aside, mg , what we do is pull out the film at check point and hand it over to the 'airport security type', outside the machine. This has been the norm on both national and international trips, in my case, even post 9/11. Has it changed?


#92064 01/31/03 09:45 PM
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Us more modern types just have little CD-ROMs that are impervious to any treatment they'll get in an airport.



TEd
#92065 01/31/03 09:54 PM
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I'll let you know how I get on with my laptop when I fly to Zild via LA next week. I unnerstand that I have to "enter" the US to transit from Britain to Zild these days. That'll probably mean luggage searches. Hey, though, I get to visit Fiji - well, Nadi Airport - for an hour on my way down. Bula bula. I may just climb off the plane and find me a resort on the west coast of Viti Levu for a month...

- Pfranz

#92066 02/01/03 12:54 AM
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Good grief--how come you can't just fly to Asia, and then on?


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LATEST NEWS: EMERALD WORDAPALOOZA

Being a reformed whore and a former fagger I can be as insufferable as the most self-righteous of abstenators but this (AP) report today blew my dress up big time.

Say it ain't so...

(AP) Belfast Today Irish Parliament banned smoking in all public places throughout the emerald isles, including all hotels and bars. A page has turned prissily against the storied charm of the Irish pub.

Oh well maybe big brother O'reilly will let us chew gum.



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blew my dress up big time.........choke!

The blue one or the pink? You gonna wear it in the pubs, milum? Your reformation could be abbreviated... You and Faldage and the High Heel Club here on AWAD...lawdie, lawdie!


#92069 02/01/03 02:24 AM
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what we do is pull out the film at check point and hand it over to the 'airport security type', outside the machine

Yerrrrsse, I used to do that too - but with success rather like my idioms/spelling/dialect: inconsistent! ('tis part of me charm, doncha think?!)

Examples:

1. In 1997, leaving from Shermetyevo I (Moscow), I asked a Russian (at least, I assume she was Russian) lassie to hand-check my films; she flat out refused. I was well put out by this, particularly as it soon transpired that everyone on my flight had been sent to the wrong gate, and we all had to go through the x-ray palaver twice. Film was unharmed, nonetheless. Whew.

2. On my way to Australia for a 10-month trip in 1998, I asked airport security at Pearson International (Toronto) to hand-check my film. The lassie there patiently looked at each of my 75 rolls of film (hey, I got a bulk discount at my fave camera store, okay?!) without complaint.

3. Flying Isle of Man to Bristol this past summer, I was even more put out to discover that ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING (except me and the clothes I stood up in) had to go through the x-ray machine. At this point I had been letting my fillums go through, having given up the battle (experiences at earlier airports in this trip, doncha know), but I had hoped to preserve my medications. Not a chance. Mentioned this to the friend who met me in Bristol and he said, "Well, how are they supposed to know it's not plastique?!" (little tiny blue pills, little tiny beige pills - go figger) Mind you, this *was* just a day or so after a Ryan Air flight in Scandinavia caught a baddie trying to board, so I think security everywhere got very tight for a little while, at least.

So now I bend to the will of Allah, apparently, and all my fillum goes through the x-ray machines. As long as they don't x-ray me myself, as they're now beginning to threaten to do, I don't care anymore.


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Today Irish Parliament banned smoking in all public places throughout the emerald isles, including all hotels and bars. A page has turned prissily against the storied charm of the Irish pub.

Yep, it's so. But it won't come into effect until January 2004. We'll wait and see what adjustments are made to the legislation on the meantime.

USners. Could you all get together, please, and form a sub-committee to organise meeting up, flights to Ireland and travelling on - not to mention car pools from Shannon/Dublin/Knock - and money exchange? I've received a few queries about this from several people but there's nought that I can do about it from my nerve centre here.


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Howye fokes

Haven't had time ta read all the posts yet. Anyways, I did spot that ya had ta hire yer own towls. Don't worry, I'll knick a few from some of the posher hotels in the area, like Ashfred Cassel and rint them out ta ye fer knock down prices. Also, me pet human sez I can't go on me own, so they want ta tag along as well - can ya bring pets with ya? MadDogTed has being banned outa County Galway and I'm wonderen if someone can organise a bit of a pardon fer him or somethin like that or at least fix him up with a disguise of sorts.

Ye say that this Lettermore place is an island - will I need a visa or will I have ta get me shots or somethin. I've heard all about them mountainy island men and I'm a bit nervous.

Don't ferget yer rumbrellas in case it rains - I can only knick so many towls.

Be seein ya

GT


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Good news, this: - 100% increase in the number of indigenous Irish at the Emerald WaP!! Plus the humans that you are going to bring with you, of course.

No problems about MadDogTed, GT. Rubrick and I have arranged a fine disguise for him. Behind the stone wall 4Ľ Irish miles out of Dublin, you will find a brown paper parcel containing:
1 Bowler Hat
1 tightly rolled umbrella
1 Black Overcoat
1 Sash
1 very large drum

Put these on and his own Mother won't recognise him - and he can be sure of a warm welcome in Galway.




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Put these on and his own Mother won't recognise him - and he can be sure of a warm welcome in Galway.

Alternatively, just affect a Carrrk accent and say that you're Roy Keane. An equally warm welcome can be expected......


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Howye Rhu and Ru

How is things with ye?

Good idea there Rhu - decken MadDogTed out in a clown's outfit. Mabee there'll be a circus rollen in on the same day.

Be seein ya

GT


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clown's outfit

Are y'all trying to sneak in some political comments? Or are you stealing a march on someone?


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Howya Faldage

I see the colour of yer own polliticks is white - good choice. Not that I know much about that sorta thing meself, been a apollitickal bear.
I do be marchen the odd time fer Teddy Bear rights allright, specially if we have ta trample accross Loxy's lawn in order ta get ta the pub afterwards.

Be seein ya

GT


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Dear Bear (GT),

I just want to let ya' know that I'm lookin' mos' forward to gettin' to meet ya' in Ireland. You may not know that I'm there 'cuz I'm very much like the wind: virtually invisible. But I'll be watchin' ya' and listenin' to ya' and inspectin' yer poker hand. I don't know anythin' 'bout poker, but I 'spect I'll learn a thin' or two from the likes of ya'. Ya' won't mind a bit of a breeze passin' 'round and 'bout yer furry neck, now will ya'?

Bear regards,
WW

P.S. to Consuelo: Thanks fer trackin' down our mos' fav'rit bear.

P.P.S. I don't know how ta' spell yer


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Howya WW

The shivers are racen up me spine allready at the taught of yer omnibus presence. We shold have a grand time surely shooten the breeze (or is that cutten the mustard - I always get them two mixed up)

Be seein ya

GT


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Oh my gosh you guys !!! The place looks fabulous. (Bonjour tous le monde, by the way )

I am truly envious.

I don't want you guys to be bored with a repeat of what you've got planned already. Can somebody just let me know via e-mail or message. How is it do you say...I can live vicariously through the telling.

I can nearly smell the sea air through that picture - sigh.




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Oh, bel, can't you come?? Please?


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Good news!!

belM has said that she is coming - we await her cheque with bated breath!

and Mrs Rhuby has just been given her new timetable for next term, and finds that she is doing all of her hours in the first six weeks, leaving her free for the last four.
She announced over lunch, today, that she intends to come to the Emerald WaP - so we are now half-way there (once I've sent another cheque to John, that is!)

So - come along, all of you who are hanging back: take the plunge; send your deposit; COME AND JOIN US!!



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Dear all,

Just confirmed is GallantTed. Forget your teddies - we have a real live one coming to Wapa II!

Latest figures are 20 with a few more to confirm. Just a month left to decide, people. This will be the holiday of a lifetime!

One day trip to the Aran Islands is now on the itinerary. This alone should surely make it worth your while.

atb,

Rubrick


#92083 03/27/03 11:54 AM
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Aw darn. I was hoping all the ladies would be wearing their teddies. And now you tell us that only GallantTed is authorized to have one.

TEd(dy)



TEd
#92084 03/27/03 12:08 PM
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I done heard of wearing your heart on your sleeve, but this is getting ridiculous!

- Pfranz

#92085 03/28/03 08:59 PM
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Howya Big t Big e Small d

Meself in a teddie? What kinda bear do ya think I am?

Be seein ya

GT


#92086 03/29/03 10:46 AM
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What kinda bear do ya think I am?

That's just what we don't know, my ursine gin-and-tonic! We can hardly bear to wait until June to find out.

If you repudiate a teddy, does that mean you will bare all?
Or are you a follower of Fuzzy-wuzzy?
(as in:-
Fuzzy-wuzzy was a bear
Fuzzy-wuzzy had no hair.
-
So Fuzzy-wuzzy wusn't Fuzzy, wuzzy?)


Whatever else, if the sun shines, we shall turn Lettermore into a bare garden.
One thing is certain (well - it is if you believe Isaac Walton) see edit, below - Time, like an ever-rolling stream, bears all its sons away.

EDIT: - Oh God our help in Ages past was, of course, writ by Isaac WATTS - Walton wrote Th Compleat Angler. My thanks to the Atleur who pointed this out, but wishes to remain a nony mouse -

#92087 06/14/03 01:24 PM
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Howye fokes

Well, I finally got ta check out this so called acomadation in The Galways and I'm just disgusten at what we're been offered. It's only a 3 star kip, ya know and this does not suit the high standarts of a Cyber Celeb Teddy Bear like meself.

Also, I'd like ta pint out that the organisors promised me there would be loads of slots and stuff there at no exter charge so that I, meself and me pals could do a bita gamblen on our hollydays. Well, what's this supposed ta mean so?
EXTRA CHARGES:
FUEL ELECTRICITY BY SLOT METER

Slot Meter I ask ya? Who do they think they're foolen. Pull the fur over someone else's eyes, ye pack of chancers ye.

Anyways, suvice ta say, there'll be no Teddy Bears from this establishmint crossen inta The Galways fer this typea treetment. MadDogTed is only beside himself with the idigistion of it all.

I'm only ragen now that I paid me 350 hard earned Euros up front. But I'm not a cheep bear, so I won't be demanden a refund. As look would have it, I just met this ejjit in Slashers Bar (and Grill) and managed ta convince them ta bye the hollyday(!) ] offa me. I hope they fit in with ye but then again, that's not Ted's problem. I only managed ta make a lousy 299 Euros on the deal, but after seein that sub-standart jint they call a hollyday home, I'm gratefull ta be cutten me losses.

Hope ye all have a grate time anyways, I suppose even cheepos like yerselves deserve a brake.

Be seein ya

GT



#92088 06/28/03 11:46 PM
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Who's the real ejjit here? The rest of us only paid 100 euros


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