The New Hobbit Hole

[Overtaxed]

How large were the files?

The one I downloaded was about 25 MB. At 3:30 in the morning, I didn't notice the size of the 5 hour file. :)

[RosieCotton]

OK, here's a story that would really get the Libertarians (sp?) here in an uproar...

After work last night, I called up two of my brothers to see if they'd like to get together for dinner. I had a rough day yesterday (finally snapped where my boss is concerned and told him some of my opinions, and he didn't appreciate it much...), so I wanted company and some good food. We went to the grocery to get something to bring back to my house to cook. We ended up going to a bigger chain grocery (the only one in the area) rather than the small local "chain" (three stores), because my brother wanted to get some hard cider to try. They didn't have any, but we got a six pack. I buy alcohol maybe two or three times a year, so maybe I was just unaware of how things were at this store, but...

Got up to the register, and a lady I assume was a manager came running over and they immediately started grilling us (and anyone else who had seen us in the store) - had they seen all three of us together? They took my ID and passed it alllll around, and then said because we were in a group, they needed to see everyone's ID. Because BILL isn't of age, they wouldn't let us purchase anything. Said it appeared "suspicious", and that the store policy is that they refuse to sell alcohol when it looks like it may be being purchased for a minor, and since we'd been together in the store they had to check us as a group. I protested that we're all siblings - we've got the ID to prove it! The manager started treating us like dirt at about that point, and took it away from us. (It's not like we even had much of a quantity! We're not talking keg party, here!) I didn't push it much farther, but is that dumb or what? Where do you draw the line? If I looked my age (I don't, which maybe I'll appreciate when I'm 40), or was thirty instead of 26 (well, three weeks shy of 26), would they THEN have let us purchase alcohol? What if Dad comes in with my sixteen year old sister? What if Bill had been fifteen instead of eighteen? What if I'd bought a single bottle of beer instead? Just seemed really dumb to me, and it's not the first time they've treated me shabbily, so I think I'll just go back to White's Market, where the biggest threat is that Mrs. Smith might tell Dad how much junk food we buy... ;-)

[2Jedismom]

Good heavens. Seems a bit silly to me!

I'm downloading the Large Trailer...and getting my mom to copy the Full screen one onto a disk (she has cable, but she also has a mac, which could negate the benefit of the cable!)

[RosieCotton]

Good heavens. Seems a bit silly to me!

Yeah...I can laugh about it now, but I was mortified at the time. They were so nasty about it! I'm such an evil big sister...trying to get Bill all boozed up!

I can't wait to watch the trailer! Come on, five o'clock!

[rightwingreligiousfanatic]

Thanks for your excellent post, which certainly tips one even further into the elf-bash camp. And I just loved the section on Gollum:

Even Gollum was not wholly ruined. He had proved tougher than even one of the Wise would have guessed – as a hobbit might. There was a little corner of his mind that was still his own, and light came through it, as through a chink in the dark: light out of the past. It was actually pleasant, I think, to hear a kindly voice again, bringing up memories of wind, and trees, and sun on the grass, and such forgotten things.

That passage is so poignant....

[RosieCotton]

’And it is also said,’ answered Frodo: ‘Go not to the Elves for counsel, for they will say both no and yes.’

I love that part...little Frodo, not afraid to speak up to the elves. Fiesty little hobbit, isn't he?

[2Jedismom]

Good morning Sis!

I went to bed at 10:30pm. Steve was watching a football game in bed when I came in. Now, I never go to bed with even a light on, but last night I laid down and went to sleep with the light on and the TV blaring

I was exhausted.

Hey, my mom says she can't download a PC program using her Mac...is that true? I would think you could download it but just not play it.

[ksen]

Thanks for the info ladies. ;^)

[RosieCotton]

No problem!

[RosieCotton]

I'm so evil, I even got the 666 post...

[Overtaxed]

So did you walk out of the store and leave the groceries sitting at checkout? That's what I would have done.

[Corin Stormhands]

It's here it's here!

What on earth were you doing up at 4:00 a.m.? Never mind, we already know.

Dang! I'll have to wait until after rehearsal tonite to see it...

[Overtaxed]

Good Morning! I'm here waiting for my fuhdohgu to arrive. That soap treatment helps lots. :)

my mom says she can't download a PC program using her Mac...is that true?

I have no idea. Don't have any experience with macs.

[RosieCotton]

So did you walk out of the store and leave the groceries sitting at checkout?

I was sooo tempted to...but I was hungry! That proved stronger than my anger, but I'm seriously thinking of writing a letter to management about the whole deal. It's not like we were a gang of rowdy college kids!

What REALLY annoyed me was that my other brother (not the "trouble maker" who was under-age) tried to lecture me on why the store was right and I was wrong to be offended! Like it's any of the store's business what I do with their products after I leave! I could buy a spatula (pancake turner for those of you who think of a spatula as a rubber thing) and peg someone with it...do I need a license to buy one of THOSE there?

"Nanny" policies really tick me off.

[Overtaxed]

Good Morning!

Now where's the smelly dwarf?

[2Jedismom]

I've done that before. I'd bought a huge basket of groceries and when I went to check out, the girl behind the counter wouldn't make eye contact with me. She purposefully looked over my head or up at the ceiling. I think it's called "attitude"? Anyway, I had left my wallet out in the car and said "Just a sec, I need to get my wallet." She still didn't look at me and on the way out to get my wallet I decided it wasn't worth it and I left.

[rightwingreligiousfanatic]

‘Go not to the Elves for counsel, for they will say both no and yes.’

I love that too. You could say the same thing about the democrats...

[Corin Stormhands]

How'd things go with Jr.? Did he surprise you and accept the responsibility for his actions?

Okay. But it was a rough day for him. He ended up skipping football practice and going with Mom to an inner-city Bible study she works with (it's a great ministry, but another story). Did that so they could go by Penney's on the way home. They were having a sale and he only had one pair of long pants that still fit.

When they pulled in the driveway he noticed his light on. I had already moved the tv out. He went upstairs and when he came back down it was evident he'd been crying. I don't think he'd realized that the Playstation and Nintendo were part of the deal. But, I told him he could earn those back (although he wants to sell the Nintendo 64). He has a list of things he has to do this week and I'll set the Playstation up downstairs. (There's a selfish motive there, it's the only thing we've got to play DVDs!). But the television is out until the end of the school year. I think he got the message that his actions caused this.

It was a bad day all around for him though. He saw some paperwork from school about his 504 plan. Being ADHD he still has one (although I put my foot down and stopped the meds about two years ago). But the form says something like "the meeting will determine if the child should still be considered to have a disability." He'd never seen that before and it disturbed him greatly. My wife had to spend about an hour explaining all the terminology to him.

I've had to fight an uphill battle there against the school, his pediatrician and in a lot of cases the Mrs., but she's seeing things differently now.

It helped this morning that on the way in, I caught an episode of "Focus on the Family" which had "kids" sharing how "Dare to Discipline" had been a good thing in their lives...

[Overtaxed]

I was sooo tempted to...but I was hungry!

Hungrier that you were angry?

[Overtaxed]

You could say the same thing about the democrats...

Elves are leftist democrats