What do you assign to Mordor?

[Inziladun]

As for what I assign to Mordor; I assign American Football. It's truly terrible. And dreadfully confusing. Give me real football any day.
As an American, I could easily assign 'real football', which I find insufferably boring.
I think it's mainly a question of what one is culturally accustomed to, though 'soccer' has been gaining popularity in the U.S. for many years now.

[Groin Redbeard]

I assign looking forward to a trip to the UK this summer (since August), but having your parents JUST tell you a week ago that they cancelled the trip the first week in March because they couldn't pay for me to go. I was disappointed to say the least.
Sorry about that TGEW. Especially since I know that you have been talking about a trip to England for some time.:(

As for what I assign to Mordor; I assign American Football. It's truly terrible. And dreadfully confusing. Give me real football any day.American Football assigned to Mordor?:eek: Now I've heard it all. Possibly the best sport ever made for boys and it's assigned to Mordor. What's this world coming to?:rolleyes:

[Kath]

I'm with the others on American Football. What a useless game. I wouldn't mind it so much except they're constantly changing the entire team every 5 minutes, which of course means they put an advert break in and makes a game that should take an hour about 4 hours long. Very dull.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I'm willing to argue that American Football is fun to play- but is death warmed over if you have to sit and watch it.

I assign waiting for a package to arrive. I wants it, precious, and it's late.

[Oddwen]

And so of course there were several oh dear god the car is rolling away dad how to I make it move forward AHHHH! it stalled moments.

Press the clutch, turn the key, oh god it's rolling backward again! (stall)
Press the clutch, turn the key, foot on the brake

-switch to the gas at hyperspeed!-

[sound of tires squealing on pavement]

Huh.

Well then.
...
Climbing
Climbing

Eek

No-gas-clutch-third-gas

[whimper]

Climbing
Climbing
Slowing down
Slowing down

[whimper]

Approaching the top at 5mph

I think I can
I think I can

Crested!

Success!

No, not another stop sign!!!


I've done this. On a very small hill with a stop sign and a speed bump at the top. And some strange old guy shouting directions at me outside my window. It was probably worse for my sister in the seat beside me though. :D

[Laurinquë]

As an American, I could easily assign 'real football', which I find insufferably boring.
I think it's mainly a question of what one is culturally accustomed to, though 'soccer' has been gaining popularity in the U.S. for many years now.

Well, I'm an American too actually (though I prefer to be called Alaskan). I just happen to be an American that despises being forced to play American football and likes to pretend to be British.

Moving on, another thing that could be assigned to Mordor is forgetfulness. I apparently left my dear Doctor Zhivago book at the hairdresser's. I fear it will languish there for at least a week before I can make it over there to retrieve it. For some odd reason I always leave something at that place! Last time it was my DSLR camera . . .

[Folwren]

I assign lack of writing time to Mordor most emphatically. (Does that mean we move school, work, household chores there, too? Yep, I guess it does. Without those we'd definitely have more writing time.)

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Sorry about that TGEW. Especially since I know that you have been talking about a trip to England for some time.:(
Yeah, I was not impressed.

I quite agree with Laurinque about the football thing though, Groin.

[Eönwë]

Not having a day off today!

[Gwathagor]

I lived in England, and it's nothin' special. Just a lot of hills and cobblestones and rain. And castles.
:)

[Lhunardawen]

Having to transfer from a beautiful university campus having lots of trees and open spaces to one which is a claustrophobe's worst nightmare, with almost not a tree in sight.

Sunflowers not blooming enough when you've waited all year for them.

[Kath]

Recording a show that you really wanted to watch and then discovering that because of the idiotic system wherein a show gets cut in half if there is a news show in the middle you only have half said show. I am fuming.

[Thinlómien]

I assign lack of writing time to Mordor most emphatically. (Does that mean we move school, work, household chores there, too? Yep, I guess it does. Without those we'd definitely have more writing time.)Wholeheartedly seconded... But I could also assign laziness/procrastination that hinders writing...

[Laurinquë]

I lived in England, and it's nothin' special. Just a lot of hills and cobblestones and rain. And castles.
:)

You've torn all our fancies to shreds! :( Not really, I went to the UK in 2007 and found it to be more than hills, cobblestones, rain, and castles. I was also awesome. Not that there is anything wrong with hills, castles, etc. I was quite impressed by them to be honest. Particularly the castles, we do not have very many of those in the U.S.

Other things to assign: People who laugh at you for wearing bicycling helmets. They are all egregiously puerile imbeciles. I'd have truely joined the Barrow-Downs several years ago if I had not worn one.

[Gwathagor]

You've torn all our fancies to shreds! :( Not really, I went to the UK in 2007 and found it to be more than hills, cobblestones, rain, and castles. I was also awesome. Not that there is anything wrong with hills, castles, etc. I was quite impressed by them to be honest. Particularly the castles, we do not have very many of those in the U.S.


(Shh! I know this, of course, but I was trying to make her feel better.)

[Mithalwen]

You know that some tourists ask why we buit so many ruined castles in Britain ..and why they built Windsor Castle in the flightpath to Heathrow.... :rolleyes: let alone the people who asked if they needed passports to go to the Isle of Wight....

[Gwathagor]

Oh brother.

[Eönwë]

(Shh! I know this, of course, but I was trying to make her feel better.)

her?

[Oddwen]

I'd like to assign setting my early-early morning alarm for PM instead of AM...grr!

I'm fairly certain it was subconsciously on purpose too, because I stayed up too late the night previous.

[Inziladun]

I'd like to assign setting my early-early morning alarm for PM instead of AM...grr!

I'm fairly certain it was subconsciously on purpose too, because I stayed up too late the night previous.

It's funny, but I've noticed that when I've 'forgotten' to set my alarm, or set it incorrectly, it's almost invariably on occasions when I'm exceptionally tired. It's as if the body takes over for a moment and overrides the brain's conscious actions.

[Aganzir]

Depression.

I've never suffered from it myself, of which I'm unbelievably glad, but sometimes it feels like it's an infectious disease and I'm a healthy carrier.

[Thinlómien]

Depression.Agreed.

[skip spence]

Depression.

I've never suffered from it myself, of which I'm unbelievably glad, but sometimes it feels like it's an infectious disease and I'm a healthy carrier.

As long as you are unbelievably glad that you don't suffer from it you should be immune, and perhaps cure a few stricken by it too. :)

Edit: Or hold on, you're saying you're happy but make others depressed? I don't believe it!

[Aganzir]

As long as you are unbelievably glad that you don't suffer from it you should be immune, and perhaps cure a few stricken by it too. :)
I hope so but it's difficult when I do all I can and it never seems to be enough.

Edit: Or hold on, you're saying you're happy but make others depressed? I don't believe it!
No - it's just that way too many people I know are down with it.

But yes, ever wondered what the Black Breath really was?

[Mnemosyne]

Agan--maybe you're a foul-weather friend like me! (Well, not lately, but for a while there...)

[Mithalwen]

Well JK Rowling's dementors the embodiment of depression. Churchill called it the Black dog. Don't take it personally - it isn't you and it is a complex medical problem that friendship alone cannot solve. However do be aware that depressives often isolate themselves so try and hang in there. One practical thing is to encourage physical activity as it releases endorphins which are natural mood lifters. And encourage them to get help.

http://www.befrienders.org/index.asp

Sorry if this is melodramatic but I know more young people who have died as a consequence of depression than from any other illness or accidents... :(

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

her?I believe that the 'her' that he was referring to was me... If that makes any sense.

[Isabellkya]

I'd like to assign kids.

Well not kids, but their ability to be constantly playing musical disease chairs.
My niece comes home from school with something about twice a year.

Luckily I've only caught something once, but grrr.

[Nerwen]

Well– I assign hearing that everyone's supposedly chronically depressed. It makes me feel as if everything I do in life is useless and irrelevant.

But I just won't believe that. I firmly believe it's only a tiny minority, and that the great majority of people are capable of leading good, happy lives and enjoying themselves. (Seems to be true, in my experience.)

And please, no-one try to convince me otherwise. This is one of the beliefs I need.

Okay?:)

(Understand– this a thing I'm hypersensitive about... and actually, have wanted to get off my chest for a while.)

[Eönwë]

I believe that the 'her' that he was referring to was me... If that makes any sense.

Yes. OK. I see it now.

[Lindale]

That I have to write my undergrad thesis on a piece of German (or Germanophone in general) lit. Or, rather, that our library has a dearth of contemporary European or Asian lit. And the Goethe Institut is far away. :(

[Lhunardawen]

That I have to write my undergrad thesis on a piece of German (or Germanophone in general) lit. Or, rather, that our library has a dearth of contemporary European or Asian lit. And the Goethe Institut is far away. :(
Urgh, thesis hell. I thought you were two batches younger! Anyway, I wish you well! :)

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Yes. OK. I see it now.Good.

[Laurinquë]

I'd like to assign kids.

I agree with you completely. Most kids are most bothersome, I can think of only one exception to that rule.

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

I agree with you completely. Most kids are most bothersome, I can think of only one exception to that rule.
I can think of one particularly annoying child. He's worse than Alien, and so is his cousin.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Rain on a night I'm supposed to be dressed formally, and had intended to wear my hair straight.

People who use other people.

Saying goodbye to somebody you love.

[Gwathagor]

I'd like to assign kids.


If we are going to assign ill-behaved children, then we ought to also assign their parents.

[Mithalwen]

People who send you text messages about what a lovely trip away they are having as you clear up the mess they have left...

[Gwathagor]

Wow, a text message? That's even worse than a phone call to the same effect. That's like saying, "I'm having a great time AND I don't care enough to actually call you!"

[Mithalwen]

Admittedly they were on a cross channel ferry - but this is my sister who has full citizenship of Planet Me and may indeed regard herself as centre of the Universe.

[Rikae]

People who think all behavior on the part of children can be blamed on their parents. Have they never heard of children from the same family behaving differently? :rolleyes: Because I know two excellent examples...

[Isabellkya]

People who misread what I wrote. ;)

I like kids. They are fantastic.
It is their not-fully formed immune systems which I assign to Mordor. xD

[Gwathagor]

Have they never heard of children from the same family behaving differently? :rolleyes:

Obviously not.

[Mithalwen]

People who think all behavior on the part of children can be blamed on their parents. Have they never heard of children from the same family behaving differently? :rolleyes: Because I know two excellent examples...

Of course this presupposes consistent parenting. I am not talking about conscious unfairness rather that with the first child everything is new whereas when second child reaches that stage they have more experience but less interest. Yes I may be a biased younger child (though I do appreciate that younger ones may benefit from having space to do their own thing) but I have also observed my contemporaries with their kids). The first child is a little god with hot and cold running parents on tap ... when the second one arrives the start saying " well it is the toddler that needs the attention"... :rolleyes: .
Birth order is fascinating psychologically ....

[Pitchwife]

I'd like to assign foxes - especially the one who visited our garden last night and lynched all but three chickens. May it be taken to the Houses of Lamentation (whatever that is), where it shall be stripped of its stinking fur, its flesh devoured, and its shrivelled mind (if it has such a thing) be left naked to the Lidless Eye forever!

[Oddwen]

I'd like to assign foxes - especially the one who visited our garden last night and lynched all but three chickens. May it be taken to the Houses of Lamentation (whatever that is), where it shall be stripped of its stinking fur, its flesh devoured, and its shrivelled mind (if it has such a thing) be left naked to the Lidless Eye forever!


Also in the same category are loose dogs, raccoons, possums and mink.

Especially mink.

[TheOrcWithNoName]

British terrestrial TV station "ITV":(

Absolutely shocking channel, that has really gone down the pan over the last 20 years.

Dumbing-down, quiz shows, dire comedy shows, reality progs and anything to do with celebs & ratings is all this bankrupt shadow of its former self can offer!

I reckon even the Witch King would be screaming for a quick death after just an hour watching that tat!

[Aiwendil]

Wow - as an American, I'm familiar with ITV only as the maker of such great shows as Agatha Christie's Poirot, Inspector Morse, and Foyle's War, and I've always had this image of it as some kind of glorious, high-budget PBS. It's sad but somehow strangely comforting to hear that actually it shows the same sort of rubbish as most of the channels here.

[TheOrcWithNoName]

Wow - as an American, I'm familiar with ITV only as the maker of such great shows as Agatha Christie's Poirot, Inspector Morse, and Foyle's War, and I've always had this image of it as some kind of glorious, high-budget PBS. It's sad but somehow strangely comforting to hear that actually it shows the same sort of rubbish as most of the channels here.

I share your views, and yes the programs you mention are of very high quality, but were made years ago, and are often repeated on ITV to give the channel some credibility that it offers "quality drama" when in actual fact they're just showing repeats

[Thinlómien]

Being in a hurry.

Studying.

Having no self-discipline whatsoever.

:D

Aieeeee! ^that smiley!!! or, in other words, my apparent carelessness about my situation!

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

Catching a cold from your best friend, who says it's just allergies. Right.

Having the cold depress your immune system enough so that just when you think you're getting over the cold, you catch the swine flu from some clerk who shouldn't've been back at work yet. Lovely.

Having the flu pass, but leaving in its wake a secondary bacterial infection in about 75% of your respiratory system. Just peachy.

Having THAT finally begin to pass (we're now well into week three of illness, here, coming up on four), and realizing that your stuffed head is clearing, but your sense of smell isn't really coming back, and the bacteria are threatening to proliferate, again. Time for the hated antibiotics.

And dang it all, the lilacs are beginning to bloom in earnest -- and I can't smell a darned thing! Bad enough that food has little taste. Grumble.

Here's hoping this is all over with and my nose is working properly again by the end of the month, when we're going on vacation. Sigh.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

The phone rings.

Fea, not recognizing the number, answers it, hoping against hope it might be an employer contacting her about a job.

"Hello?"

"Hello. May I please speak to Susan?"

Fea, whose name is not Susan, who lives with no Susans, and who, in fact, only actually knows two Susans off the top of her head, neither of whom other people tend to know, and both of whom live at least a hundred miles from here, says, "I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong number."

The woman asks, "Is this [she reads Fea's phone number one digit at a time]?"

"Yes," Fea responds with infinite patience, "However-"

The woman interrupts. "Well I have this number in front of me, and it says it is Susan's, so it must be Susan's number."

"That is my number," Fea responds, rolling her eyes at Nienna, who is giggling, "but I am not-"

And then the line goes dead, leaving Fea to hope the woman realized that Fea was not lying when she said there was no Susan to be found in her vicinity.

Whoever you are, madam, I hope you find your Susan and stop calling me.

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

I hope Susan isn't an absentee slumlord. One of our previous numbers had been pulled out of thin air and given to the tenants of some crook who didn't want to be bothered to fix their apartments. Those poor people refused to believe we weren't him, and I can't blame them for being angry, but we got tired of the late night calls and the swearing.

Having a number that was one digit off from a local cinema was much better. Though people did get annoyed when we couldn't tell them what time a movie was playing.

[TheOrcWithNoName]

Cold callers & junk mail advertising junk food, shoved through our letterbox every friggin' day

[Eönwë]

Having to revise for tests- they aren't even important! They're just made by the school to prepare us for our mock GCSEs.

[Mithalwen]

British Telecom's fault report "service" line.

Landline is out of order. You can hear it ringing if you dial in but it doesn't ring in the house.

I followed the instructions in the phonebook - tested the line with 3 phones to be sure the problem was not with the equipment. And then I rang the number indicated. 3 times the automated service told me that there was no problem on the line. Forutht attempt it suggests I call another number or check a website..

The fifth time it admitted there was a problem and then hung up on me because I didn't enter my mobile number for a sms update quickly enough.

I try later and it says there is a fault but they are waiting for more information from the line user .... how they are going to get that I don't know because the system didn't ask before it hung up on me.

Try this morning and actually get through to a real person. Yay! Point out that system is spectacularly unhelpful though appreciate that this is not their individual fault. Point out that elderly, frail father is alone in house, can't use mobile, isolated without landline. Give mobile ot get update.

Still would like to get someone by throat and explain that if you phone is not working it is not very helpful to have a system that requires multiple phone calls and internet. You are either using someone elses phone or a mobile, or god help you a call box.

Oh and the phone still isn't working. *head desk* .

[Lindale]

My schedule for the next semester, which dictates that I have to be in school from seven in the morning to six at night on Wednesdays and Fridays. Why some of my subjects just aren't available on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays escape me. And my Cheerleading p.e. class. As if my hell-sent sched isn't enough, the only thing I managed to get for p.e. was cheerleading. :(

[Nienna]

The train that decided it was a good idea to sound it's whistle/horn for a solid five minutes at 8:30 am.

[Inziladun]

I assign this entire week. It's brought a house repair issue, stifling humidity, and illness to everyone in the house.

[Eönwë]

Pages and pages of coursework so late in the year.

[Kath]

Losing at Nationals after all that hard work because your coach accidentally put an illegal (level 5 instead of level 4) stunt in the routine.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Waiting to hear back from someone who has an awful lot of control over the next five months of your life.

[Kath]

When your television, that has always got pretty good reception, now suddenly ha a bad signal and no amount of fiddling with the arial seems to be helping!

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Finding yourself inexplicably surfing YouTube when you have a really lot of homework to do. :eek:

[Laurinquë]

Brothers who get themselves in serious trouble. And college application essays.

[Lindale]

An inferior son of a b----- who made no significant contribution (hell, not even just one decent film or comics) to Philippine art but got named National Artist. A fellow by the name Carlo J. Caparas. Sorry for the cuss, but as a denizen of the artistic community I have to let this out.

Oh, also a third world president who wined and dined at Le Cirque and had a $20,000 bill. Incidentally it was also this president who named the Caparas fellow a National Artist.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Today!

I had to say goodbye to Kath, Nogrod, Greenie, Lommy, Aganzir, Volo and Legate. (did I forget someone?)

Only I did not get to say goodbye to Legate, due to miscalculation of travel times. Then at the airport Finnair wanted my backpack to go as oversized bagage, eventhough it has traveled as normal bagage 20 times or so. After getting through security I realised that my flight was boarding and it was final call, so I ran confused through Helsinki airport attempting to locate my gate, whilst trying to get my belt on.
Back in Copenhagen I could not figure out wether to wait at the normal bagage belt or the oversized one. . . also I did not know how long it takes oversized bagage to be delivered. . . Basicly I sat in the airport for an extra hour before accepting that Finnair had lost my bagage. Apparently alot of people on the flight had lost their bagage.

[Nerwen]

Artiste (http://redwing.hutman.net/~mreed/warriorshtm/artiste.htm)-types who set themselves as experts on something on the net– say writing a blog on art or literature. They're typically in the early stages of a degree. They're not professional, but they're not children, and they seem to have some idea what they're talking about. Why, they even say they want constructive criticism.

So– noticing a mistake or something that could be improved, you very politely draw their attention to it. (Not talking about picking their work apart, you understand. I'm talking about pointing out something totally peripheral, that you wouldn't think they'd care about.)

Bang! Next thing you know you're the recipient of the nastiest message you've ever got in your life, in which your entire character gets ripped to shreds, for the sin of sort of implying that some 19-year-old student might not know everything there is to know about everything in the entire world. I mean, it's really not much different from the spoiled-brat fan-fic writer's response– only they're not all that good at being bitchy. These ones I'm talking about are older and smarter and leave you quivering.

Seriously, I've got into internet debates with Neo-nazis and they can't get to me like these girls can. I think it's because I'm never prepared for the onslaught. I mean, you're trying to help,and think they're going thank you the way normal people do (even if they secretly think someone's annoying), and instead they go for your throat. Really, it gets to me every time. It's always so 0ut-of-the-blue I'm never prepared for it, you see.

Right, well, I just needed to get that out.

~Nerwen the Quivering.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

The US Healthcare System.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Stupid unchecked bureaucracy, who not only cannot do what you asked from them, but they tell you that only just before the DL when you actually would have had plenty time to do it in different ways, if you only knew that you needed to.

[Laurinquë]

Universities & Colleges Admissions Service. It's vile. I will say no more. :mad:

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Limited battery life on laptops. I don't want to go inside, but I lack plugs outdoors, and what I was doing doesn't work without a computer to do it.

*mope*

[Formendacil]

Heat.

Particularly the second week of real summer heat you've had ALL summer, the same week that you moved into a one-storey retirement home (aka. greenhouse). Compounded by having conferences in a room JUST big enough to hold 33 guys, with all 33 guys present, and then sitting there... occasionally thrusting extra heat into the place by all standing and singing.

Also lack of showers.

Especially with said HEAT, 4 showers between 33 guys does not quite cut it. Okay, we're technically up to 6 showers now that the bathtubs have been given shower curtains, but--really!-- those guys working on the additional six showers in the basement could speed things up any time.

And speaking of putting in additions...

I'll be a much happier camper once the Internet wireless actually reaches my room. Not having Internet in the comfortable confines of my computer, near my books where I needn't feel guilty of hogging time would make a wonderful difference. You can tell I'm younger than I let on, because I get twitchier when I don't have Internet than when I don't have showers.

So... to recap:

I assign to Mordor: too much heat, too few showers, too little Internet.

[Mnemosyne]

I assign to Mordor: too much heat, too few showers, too little Internet.

...That is astonishingly canonical.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Side effects of medication.

What's the point of taking something to make you feel better if it makes you sick and gives you insomnia?

[Nerwen]

...That is astonishingly canonical.

Indeed:

"Hard and cruel and bitter was the land that met his gaze. Before his feet the highest ridge of the Ephel Dúath fell steeply in great cliffs... across a wide lake of darkness dotted by tiny fire, there was a great burning glow... nowhere in that accursed realm could he see the least sign of a shower or a computer terminal..."

[A Little Green]

I have to assign being such a stupid and lazy person that I'm faced with three horrible Swedish writing assignments to do, deadline tomorrow, and I'm awfully tired to start with. :( And, with matriculation exams coming up and all, I really really didn't need this additional bit of stress.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Coughing so hard it triggers your gag reflex. Something spilled in the oven last night. The house filled up with smoke. My lungs filled up with smoke. My body really doesn't like smoke.

:(

[Lindale]

Losing really big time on collegiate basketball. Our university team just landed on a 3 win, 11 loss situation this year; last year, 2-12; the year before that, 0-14. The last time my school won the championship was 1986.

But if we were living in Europe, we'd be rejoicing. We are the defending champion in football. The academically best university in the Philippines should be relocated to Europe, or at least a football-loving country. :mad:

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

Finding out that in a month, your husband may be out of a job because his firm (for which he has worked for 31 years) has decided to outsource his department, and will only have four jobs for seven people. Seniority will not count, and if he isn't one of the four, he'll have to spend the month of October training the people to whom he's losing his job, and then will have to go out and start over, trying to find a job in bad economic times at the age of 55. This REALLY stinks, especially since I can't work outside the home because of injuries and poor health.

[Pitchwife]

For whatever it's worth, Ibrin, you have my full and heartfelt sympathy! A firm that treats its employees like that after profiting from their work for 31 years deserves to be assigned to Mordor, it's the only fitting place for them.
I've got a bit of first-hand experience of what it means to look for a job once you're middle age or past, especially if you would like to go on working in the profession you were trained in and are good at - decades of experience and know-how somehow don't seem to count very much in today's economy (another thing that deserves being assigned to Mordor).
Miracles do happen sometimes, but they tend to take time you don't really have. So I hope your hubby will end up among the chosen four and no miracle will be necessary. All the best, and I'll keep my fingers crossed for you two!

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Continuing along the same lines:

My mother just lost her job. . . or rather it is moved another part of the country, so she got the choice between "move or get fired". I am quite confident she won't move.

My mother is just so unlucky, no matter where she works they always move the location or they outsource her department. Most of them have tried to re-hire her later on though.

This could also mean that she has to cancel her(the whole familys) trip to visit an old friend in San Francisco and to see New York, she has always wanted to visit another continent and now it might not happen.

[Lindale]

ROTC double training overnight. It's bad enough that they made us run around one of the Philippines' largest universities without warm-ups in less than three hours, but they just had to make us run fast under horrible monsoon rains, having us drenched to our very souls. After a tiring day, they just had to drag us out at three in the morning, after a two-hour "sleep", force us back to our soaking wet fatigues and squishy wet boots, and have us "escape" from the top floor of a building, through the tall wet grasses and foliage, out to a place we almost could never have reached without a map. Not to mention the disgusting tradition of boodle fights: The officers had much viand--tuna chunks--on their end of the table, leaving us lower classes burnt rice and shreds of tuna.

Why did I take ROTC in the first place?

[Bêthberry]

parochial cell (mobile) phone technology

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Parents who bring their small children into the gift shops of zoos (or other such places) and look around, and then say, "We're not getting anything. Don't touch."

Okay, yeah, keep your kids' grimy hands off the merchandise, but how can you possibly think it's fair for you to drag a tired and hungry four year old into a room filled to bursting with toys and then say, "You can't have any of it."

Why would you tease a little kid like that? If you're not willing to spend any money, don't drag your kids into toy stores!

:mad:

[Groin Redbeard]

Why would you tease a little kid like that? If you're not willing to spend any money, don't drag your kids into toy stores!Aww, poor babies.:rolleyes:

Lindale, I know just how you feel with what you are experiencing with ROTC. However, I certainly would not assign it to Mordor. If anything, it should be assigned to Orthanc. You don't improve on anything unless you are challenged, and although ROTC might be tough, when you complete it you will be a tougher individual. No pain, no gain. Hang in there and stay tough!:)

[Lindale]

Lindale, I know just how you feel with what you are experiencing with ROTC. However, I certainly would not assign it to Mordor. If anything, it should be assigned to Orthanc. You don't improve on anything unless you are challenged, and although ROTC might be tough, when you complete it you will be a tougher individual. No pain, no gain. Hang in there and stay tough!:)

Thanks Groin! Indeed, I did not know I could run like a maniac until ROTC. And now that I think of it, boodle fights are a savage but oddly satisfying tradition.

[Thinlómien]

Facebook stopping working and thus forcing you to start working. :rolleyes:

[Inziladun]

I assign having a week's worth of rain, with more on the way. Not too far from me they've seen more than a foot over the past few days.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

The theater consert "Come Together".

It is currently running at "Gasværket" and is the first time a theater has gotten permision to use and intepritate beatles songs, but some of the interpritations are just rubbish. . . talk about a let down.

Also I assign the fact that I have to get up in 3 1/2 hours.

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

The theater consert "Come Together".

It is currently running at "Gasværket" and is the first time a theater has gotten permision to use and intepritate beatles songs, but some of the interpritations are just rubbish. . . talk about a let down.

Also I assign the fact that I have to get up in 3 1/2 hours.
Oh, that sounds like rubbish! I would love to hear interpretations of Beatles songs, but not if they are not done well.


I assign this poem that I am working on at the moment. I am writing it on a Tolkienesque subject, which is good, but I just can't find the right words. My current problem is finding a word that describes Merry, but also rhymes with time... Blasted thing!:(

[Inziladun]

I assign this poem that I am working on at the moment. I am writing it on a Tolkienesque subject, which is good, but I just can't find the right words. My current problem is finding a word that describes Merry, but also rhymes with time... Blasted thing!:(

Sublime, maybe? He somewhat qualifies.

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Sublime, maybe? He somewhat qualifies.
That's the on that my father suggested. I used it, and it works.

[Lalwendë]

Parents who bring their small children into the gift shops of zoos (or other such places) and look around, and then say, "We're not getting anything. Don't touch."

Okay, yeah, keep your kids' grimy hands off the merchandise, but how can you possibly think it's fair for you to drag a tired and hungry four year old into a room filled to bursting with toys and then say, "You can't have any of it."

Why would you tease a little kid like that? If you're not willing to spend any money, don't drag your kids into toy stores!

:mad:

Don't I know it...he's had umpteen new toys over the past fortnight - Waybuloo toys, a Very Hungry Caterpillar, a puppet, Play-Doh (this was more for me, though ;)) and a table and chairs!

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Joint pain.

The only thing I don't like about summer's transition to a damp and chilly autumn is that the weather change makes me ache like an old sailor.

[Thinlómien]

The fact that more or less all my muscles have been stuck (if you can phrase it that way) and thus causing headache apart from other aches for the past two days and stretching and massage don't help and I don't even know why they're stuck because I definitely haven't been excercising or anything...

[Nogrod]

I don't even know why they're stuck because I definitely haven't been excercising or anything...Might that just be the reason? :rolleyes:

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Might that just be the reason? :rolleyes:

I was just about to say the same :D

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Don't I know it...he's had umpteen new toys over the past fortnight - Waybuloo toys, a Very Hungry Caterpillar, a puppet, Play-Doh (this was more for me, though ;)) and a table and chairs!
A Very Hungry Caterpillar? That was one of my favourite books when I was little!

[Thinlómien]

Might that just be the reason? :rolleyes:But I'm always just as inactive! :D

[Lalwendë]

I assign Peter Mandelson and ironing to Mordor! Good riddance to ye!

[Mithalwen]

But Lal... The Prince of Darkness would be only too happy in Mordor... more a reward than punishment.

I assign dopey marathon marshalls who meant it took an hour to get out of my hometown yesterday, roadworks and so forth which delayed me another hour :(

[Lindale]

I assign the terrible cyclone that hit our country terribly, and reduced the middle classes of the Southern Tagalog area to nothing... terrible floods everywhere last weekend, it's only now that I had a chance to open my computer.

On the lighter side, I also assign the two snakes that almost made it into our house in the height of the tempest. My bro and my dad whacked them with our bolo used for cutting grass... I suppose we're lucky, we here in the suburbs near rice fields got floodwaters from the mountains and ricefields, contaminated by nothing more than snakes, frogs, and dead poultry, but in the urban places they got trash in the flood...

[Lalwendë]

I'm assigning the headache produced by having just spent two hours (TWO HOURS! :eek:) indulging in looking at extravagant, strange and just plain desirable property on the net - I've found medieval tower houses, Cheshire mansions, Yorkshire Gothic, seaside idyll and a stonking massive headache because of being covetous (or however you spell it) :(

[Inziladun]

I assign nasty gastrointestinal viruses. Mordor is too good for them, though.

[Lindale]

I assign computerized registration before enrollment. The subjects I want to take are all on the same time, and subjects I don't want to take fit perfectly in my sched! Off to Mordor, whoever made the schedules!

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Mistaking the due date of 30-40 pages of writing.

Somehow my brain read, "Let's change your deadline from October 10th to October 7th," but only retained, "October 10th."

Guess who is two days late on a deadline and still has to write an essay on a book I'm not done reading.

I guess this means I'm not going to have time to write a new story to send in with this packet.

:(

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

I assign printers. I assign them not working and printing out things that are totally unrecognisable! I also assign projects that you misunderstood the due dates for, I thought a project for my poetry class was due next Friday, turns out it's due tomorrow, so I have to rush to get things done.

I also assign having two eight page papers due in a week that you haven't even started on yet due to nobody willing to take you to the library except on days it's not open due to budget cuts... Oh! And having $30 worth of library fines for overdue books for the last time you wrote a paper... for the same teacher. And, having the library want to send you to Collections for said fines.

I'd also like to assign taking a class at another, larger, abominable school. They have the strangest schedules and the rudest people I've ever seen. Seriously, if you glance at them sideways they would beat you up right then and there!:eek:


I also assign having a nice cold that started up today. I have no idea where my nose has gone, it started running and I haven't seen it since. I also have this nassty cough that could go to Angband!

Two more things, having the new choir music that you have been waiting for for weeks not coming yet, and having to wake up in seven hours.

~TheGrumpyElvenWarrior

[Laurinquë]

Ono! Poor TheGreatElvenWarrior! I didn't think those we're due until December, good thing I don't have to do them huh? Wait, what are Collections? :eek:

I however, assign my 10-20 page research paper I have to write. And the 2,000 notes I have to take and turn in for it. Worst of all is that I am not interested in the subject and that I am behind on all of this work due to being sick with the most devilish illness that is still, most unfortunately, haunting me. I also assign cheese. And waking up at four in the morning. And the Spanish language for it's silliness and over-use of the word 'que'.

[Loslote]

I assign the SAT. It starts way too early in the morning. And coughs that will not go away, even when the rest of the cold is long since over.

[Hakon]

I assign almost all male teachers that love football. I have a great relationship with all of them but I cannot discuss football with them since I am not a fan of the sport and don't watch it. Entirely ruins the idea of having teachers that you can trust enough to email with them.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I assign almost all male teachers that love football. I have a great relationship with all of them but I cannot discuss football with them since I am not a fan of the sport and don't watch it. Entirely ruins the idea of having teachers that you can trust enough to email with them.

You should have been in my old prof's office the day I was sitting on his floor reorganizing his bookshelves (I was getting paid for this) and we were chatting when a few other students (male students) stopped in. They started talking about some Brett guy who apparently retires a lot and my prof turned to include me politely in the conversation.

"What do you think about it?" he asked.

"Um... which sport is this?"

They thought I was kidding.

I went back to the Goya books.

Speaking of, I assign my lack of art books. I have one small Magritte book, and a miscellaneous collection of gallery publications, but it's just not the same as having easy access to color prints of all the major works of all my favorite artists.

And I assign my lack of bookshelves. Too many books, not enough space.

[Thinlómien]

I assign being ill. And I don't know whether it's some sort of inflammation/infection, the swine flu or another huge boil forming in my throat. :(

[Nerwen]

I assign being ill. And I don't know whether it's some sort of inflammation/infection, the swine flu or another huge boil forming in my throat. :(

Hey, that's no good...:(

[Laurinquë]

I assign the SAT. It starts way too early in the morning. And coughs that will not go away, even when the rest of the cold is long since over.

You have all my sympathy. It is indeed a vile and nassty test but at least we don't have to take A-Levels! Now to re-take my test!

Speaking of the SAT, I assign bad maths scores. 580 is not good enough for some places apparently. :(

[Loslote]

I assign waiting for new books to come in the mail...right not, John Howe's Lost Worlds. :rolleyes:

[Hakon]

I assign power hungry people that keep trying to get you killed in a game that you are better at and know more about.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I assign power hungry people that keep trying to get you killed in a game that you are better at and know more about.

Hungry Hungry Hippos?

[Loslote]

I assign headaches caused by quadruple reveals. :eek:

[Hakon]

Hungry Hungry Hippos?

That is just mean. The game is Tribal Wars.

[Lindale]

I assign being ill. And I don't know whether it's some sort of inflammation/infection, the swine flu or another huge boil forming in my throat. :(

Don't worry, from my experience swine flu is quite mild, if very annoying (because even my own family ostracized me). I contracted this at the height of the h1n1 scare.

I assign the flu. Icky icky stupid disease.

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

I assign being bloated. It really bites.

[Pitchwife]

That is just mean. The game is Tribal Wars.
Greetings from my wife (who has played this for the last year or two), and she suggests you find a real good tribe to join.

[Hakon]

She really plays? I am in a pretty good one right now on world 39. I started on world nine in February of 2008 but I quit and came back this past summer to world 39. I have a link to the tw stats page under the my website thing.

Let me add I found a player on a different world that I play who uses the name Boromir of Gondor. Boro, is that you or just a coincidence?

[Pitchwife]

She got rid of her estates (by permanent holiday proxy or whatever you call it in English) two weeks ago in order to have more time for RL (and is now complaining about her WW-addicted hubby again). Before that, she played the German version, called "Die Stämme" - same game, but not linked in any way with the anglophonic worlds, I think.
And judging from the names people give their villages, there seem to be not a few Tolkienistas among the players - probably a lot of movie fans among 'em, but maybe a few who should be recruited for the Downs, who knows?

[Hakon]

She got rid of her estates (by permanent holiday proxy or whatever you call it in English) two weeks ago in order to have more time for RL (and is now complaining about her WW-addicted hubby again). Before that, she played the German version, called "Die Stämme" - same game, but not linked in any way with the anglophonic worlds, I think.
And judging from the names people give their villages, there seem to be not a few Tolkienistas among the players - probably a lot of movie fans among 'em, but maybe a few who should be recruited for the Downs, who knows?

The duke of my tribe on world 39 is friends with this Boromir of Gondor guy. The German version is no overrun by Brits. The new German world had an invasion of all these Brits from the UK server. Next time I talk to some of these Tolkien fans I will bring up the downs.

[Lindale]

Islamic fundamentalism. Not in the way you probably think... it's just that I can't think of what to write about them, not after practically living in the Institute of Islamic Affairs in school for days, not after scouring the internet... I, with all my Western education and stuff, just don't get it enough to be able to write about them without saying what I really think of them.

[Boromir88]

Let me add I found a player on a different world that I play who uses the name Boromir of Gondor. Boro, is that you or just a coincidence?

I'm assuming it's the dude who happens to have my AIM screen name? If you are assigning him to Mordor, must be my alter ego? :p Anyway, It's not me. I've never heard of Tribal wars until now.

Speaking of hungry hippos, I definitely assign them to Mordor. Big mean nasty brutes that they are. Which also reminds me of an article about dolphins that was shown to me about a week ago. I'm sure Mythbusters was correct when testing they will protect other things from sharks, but dolphins are also really perverted. Therefor I also assign Hayden Panettiere to Mordor, who is not that great of an actress, as well as her defense of dolphins.

[Mithalwen]

I assign being ill. And I don't know whether it's some sort of inflammation/infection, the swine flu or another huge boil forming in my throat. :(

Quinsy.... not nice but a splendidly medieavalsounding ailment.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Knowing you're getting sick.

Because sometimes it's easy to tell the difference between allergies and your body trying to fight something off.

Just hoping it's not bad, and that it comes and goes quickly.

[Loslote]

Wind. As in, 60mph stead wind and 80mph gusts. We get it every year, but it still is annoying. :rolleyes:

[Hakon]

I assign family to Mordor.

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

I assign family to Mordor.
I second that!

I also assign going to the dentist and having him say that you need to brush your teeth three times as long because you have gingivitis, why? Because you have a metal mouth, and brushing your teeth the way that normal people brush them just isn't acceptable. Plus my mouth really hurts from having said metal tightened. The things people do to have nice teeth!:mad:

[Hakon]

Braces? I never minded braces since that tiny bit of pain was that pleasure pain that is so rare. I am going to shut up now.

I also agree with assigning dentists to Mordor. I also assign cavities to Mordor. I had four and only 2 have been filled. My dentist keeps screwing it up by not filing down the damn fillings.

[Boromir88]

Well we all know that the best dentist (http://images.hugi.is/tolkien/143988.jpg) has set up business in Mordor.

[Mnemosyne]

Well we all know that the best dentist (http://images.hugi.is/tolkien/143988.jpg) has set up business in Mordor.

They used to have the best manicurist, too, but Saruman persuaded him to come to Orthanc with a significant salary raise.

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Braces? I never minded braces since that tiny bit of pain was that pleasure pain that is so rare. I am going to shut up now.

I also agree with assigning dentists to Mordor. I also assign cavities to Mordor. I had four and only 2 have been filled. My dentist keeps screwing it up by not filing down the damn fillings.
It usually doesn't bother me, but this time it really did! Thankfully, I've never had any cavities, but I think I'm coming close. The bad thing about dentistry now, is that my dentist left my dentist's office, and the office was sold to other people, so all of the years of having one dentist, it changed!
I really did like going to the dentist at one time, I think it was because my teeth felt clean for once, I guess if I kept better care of my mouth then I wouldn't have these problems.:rolleyes:

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

Getting sick while on vacation. With the flu. After I'd been vaccinated three weeks before.

But to add insult to injury, the flu was very likely gotten from a hair cutter (I will not dignify her by giving her a professional title) who coughed all over her station, and her customers, and gave me the worst haircut I've had since my mother hacked off my hair with a dull pair of scissors just before my First Communion. Bad enough I want to go around wearing something over my head to cover the horrific hack job on my hair, but then to pick up the woman's bug, and have it manifest on our last day of vacation.... :mad:

People really need to learn to stay home when they're sick. Really.

[Hakon]

It usually doesn't bother me, but this time it really did! Thankfully, I've never had any cavities, but I think I'm coming close. The bad thing about dentistry now, is that my dentist left my dentist's office, and the office was sold to other people, so all of the years of having one dentist, it changed!
I really did like going to the dentist at one time, I think it was because my teeth felt clean for once, I guess if I kept better care of my mouth then I wouldn't have these problems.:rolleyes:

No cavities? You are lucky. What is your secret? I have had 9 cavities my whole life. 3 of those teeth were baby teeth.

[Oddwen]

Getting seven cavities drilled out at once wasn't fun. And neither are the uneven fillings afterwards.

I assign weird dizzy spells to Mordor. Off with ye! Or is it that way...?

[Lindale]

The laundry. :cool: I wonder how many times the laundry's been assigned to Mordor.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I love doing laundry. Dishes though? Dirty dishes are the worst thing ever.

[Hakon]

I assign walking several city blocks in the rain. I love the rain but not when I have to walk about 5 blocks in the pouring rain and I have no umbrella.

[Pitchwife]

Speaking of rain, I assign hitch-hiking in the rain and not getting a lift for hours because you're soaked and dripping and nobody wants to get their seats wet. (Happened to me once upon a time, when the world was younger...;))

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

I assign walking several city blocks in the rain. I love the rain but not when I have to walk about 5 blocks in the pouring rain and I have no umbrella.
blocks? I thought you where from Norway. . .

[Hakon]

I live in a small town about an hour north of New York City. I was in the city today and it was pouring rain.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

fair play. . . I gues I just associated Hakon with the norwegian name Håkon (Haakon).

[Hakon]

I had no idea Hakon was a real name until after I joined this site. Hakon was the main characters real name in a story I tried to write. After I joined this site I looked it up on google and found out that it is a real name.

[Lindale]

I love doing laundry. Dishes though? Dirty dishes are the worst thing ever.

dishes. another thing assignable to Mordor. but laundry? totally assignable to Mordor, especially if your washing machine isn't the type that you put dry dirty junk in, you get clean and dry junk out.

[Loslote]

especially if your washing machine isn't the type that you put dry dirty junk in, you get clean and dry junk out.

Or if your dryer isn't the type where if you put wet and clean clothes in, you get dry and clean clothes in. I don't think it actually heats anything... :rolleyes:

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Evil E-mails!

Today I recived an e-mail saying something like "Would you like cheap flight tickets for New York or Boston, with Icelandair?"

I actually answered by saying "Yes, please" out loud.

Of course these cheap flights where only on dates, of no use to me.

[THE Ka]

... Snow, already. :(

It just thought it'd come before thanksgiving and nobody would notice, but I did. Stupid, stupid, snow. :mad:

fair play. . . I gues I just associated Hakon with the norwegian name Håkon (Haakon).

Lol, same here. I kept misreading it as Haakon. *sigh* I'm so silly.

~ Ka

[The Saucepan Man]

The prospect of this man becoming President of the European Union ... :eek:

Happy Halloween ... and don't have nightmares ... ;)

[Pitchwife]

The Blair What Project???:mad:
I hereby officially deny any sort of complicity with that man, and will sue anybody who mentions my name, or abbreviations thereof, in connection with him for calumny!

[The Saucepan Man]

Sorry Pitch. It was the only word rhyming with 'Witch' I could think of that vaguely fitted. :o

No association with your good self in any way intended, of course. :)

[Pitchwife]

Hey, I was kidding!;):D
The photo is great, by the way. If I ever saw a grin that deserved the epithet 'wolvish', this is it.
++Tony Blair

[Eönwë]

Hey, I was kidding!
The photo is great, by the way. If I ever saw a grin that deserved the epithet 'wolvish', this is it.
++Tony Blair

You're voting for him!? :eek: :p

[Pitchwife]

For the noose, not the captaincy, obviously!

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

The horrible little kind of bug that hovers in front of your face no matter how vehemently you slap at it.

It's November. In CNY.

Die already.

[Hakon]

Aging laptop screens. My laptop is only about a year and a half old but it already is falling apart. I know for one it is not the most durable version and that I have not taken the best care of it but still it is dying. Although my applecare plan might be able to cover a new screen, I will have check into that.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Aging laptop screens. My laptop is only about a year and a half old but it already is falling apart. I know for one it is not the most durable version and that I have not taken the best care of it but still it is dying. Although my applecare plan might be able to cover a new screen, I will have check into that.
That sounds rather extreme!
My laptop is from 2004 and is working just fine. . . of course it takes its time starting and such.

[Hakon]

Mine works fine but the screen is falling apart. It has a splotch or two on the far right side and down the center it has a line. I would say the laptop has another few years in it.

[Loslote]

I assign school computers that block almost everything, including the 'Downs. I had basically nothing to do for two hours and I sat, staring at the computers, wishing I could get on the Downs...:mad:

[Hakon]

My school blocks the forums here but not the downs website. I found a loophole in the schools block system though. Nothing big but it works here and there.

Lostole, you could have used a proxy or gone on your email and emailed random downers that you happened to have email addresses for.

[Loslote]

What's a proxy? They block email, too. :rolleyes:

[Hakon]

Proxy is a site that generates a different IP address and lets you get through blocks and bans. Just google proxy. There are a few I know by memory one is something like silent predator and another is hide my donkey. The real word there is starred out so just switch donkey to the word that should be there.

[Loslote]

What's an IP address? :confused:

[Hakon]

An IP address is an internet protocol address. It goes by internet connection meaning every computer in your house has the same IP address and every computer in your school has the same IP address. You can figure out someones general geographic location since the numbers go by location. In the area I live all the IP's have either 69 or 67 as their starting numbers.

[Laurinquë]

I assign the radio. Just when you've finished work after six hours of mind-numbing boredom and terrible music and you think you have finally escaped, you go home to find that the worst songs on the radio are still running through your head without end. Even though you weren't even listening to it properly at the time somehow two hours later you can recall every hideous lyric. Please tell Taylor Swift to just leave me alone! :(

I assign school computers that block almost everything, including the 'Downs. I had basically nothing to do for two hours and I sat, staring at the computers, wishing I could get on the Downs...

You poor thing! At least my school district lets me access the Barrow-Downs! And I thought I had it bad having to live without Facebook and LiveJournal during school hours . . . :rolleyes:

[Lindale]

I assign school computers that block almost everything, including the 'Downs. I had basically nothing to do for two hours and I sat, staring at the computers, wishing I could get on the Downs...:mad:

Poor you, only Facebook is blocked on our school computers and wifi systems. I particularly enjoy playing in the Downs whenever I'm in our ROTC lounge :D

Though our online journal subscriptions aren't always updated. There were two months when I couldn't access JSTOR--it almost affected my thesis.

[Eönwë]

You poor thing! At least my school district lets me access the Barrow-Downs! And I thought I had it bad having to live without Facebook and LiveJournal during school hours . . . :rolleyes:

You poor thing! We get facebook and the 'Downs at my school, but lately they've blocked Gmail for some strange reason. :(

[Hakon]

I assign family to mordor or at least my own family.

[Hakon]

I assign waiting in line for close to 3 hours at a book signing and then having to run about 35 blocks in order to catch the train and all when you have school the next day.

[Brinniel]

I assign bright, talented people who die too young.

One of the theatre students at my school lost his battle to leukemia yesterday. I never met him, so it really shouldn't have much effect on me compared to others who actually knew him, but it doesn't stop me from feeling absolutely awful about it. Some of my classmates were friends of his, one didn't come to class but I later saw her in tears. It really hits hard to witness those grieving and I can't help but think about all the people he left a mark on and what his life was before this and how it should still be. One of my teachers informed us that he was signed up to be in our class but had to take a leave of absence due to the return of his cancer. My class is dance improv and is the course where I know my classmates best due to the interactions required and the intimate environment. I think my main feeling is regret that I never had the chance to know this student who was liked by so many and experience what kind of person he really was. It is in situations like this that makes one appreciate the people around them so much more. Not just friends, but classmates, co-workers, people who you may have the most insignificant interactions or brief conversations with, or even those who you simply pass by on the street or hallway everyday.

[Nerwen]

Brinn, that's so sad.:(

[Laurinquë]

Yes, that is horrible. :(

It reminds me of a girl I was familiar with at my volunteering centre. The doctors gave her an accidental overdose of anaesthetic after foot surgery and killed her. She was only 18 years old. I had never really known her at all, I might have run into her once or twice, but it was a shocking and awful experience. This girl wasn't actually very sick, her death was the sort of thing that could happen to any of us.

Dying whilst you're young and when no one is expecting it at all - that is a thing to assign to Mordor.

[Lindale]

I assign the pressure, self-inflicted and parent-inflicted, of my upcoming Law Aptitude Exam. It's on Sunday already.

[The Saucepan Man]

The office web filter, which has recently been updated and which has finally managed to work out how to block out the Barrow Downs forum. :mad:

I suspect that this may mean an end to my Werewolfing career, or at least require a major change to the way that I play ... :(

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

The American health care system. Best in the world, my foot. Maybe it's the best if you can actually afford it.

[Pitchwife]

I suspect that this may mean an end to my Werewolfing career, or at least require a major change to the way that I play ... :(
As for the former, I very sincerely hope it won't! What about your promise to help getting me Fenrissed?
But hey, you don't mean to tell us you write all those endless and witty posts in your spare minutes at work, do you? Considering it regularly takes me forever and a day to compose a few paragraphs, that would be too depressing...

[Andsigil]

The notion that the American government, which has bankrupted every other social program, is fit to run a health care system.

[Andsigil]

Also, the behavior of otherwise "normal" people while shopping on Black Friday.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

The notion that nothing is somehow better than not enough, and the idea that money is more significant than the welfare of human beings.

[Inziladun]

Modern politics on a Tolkien forum. :p

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Accessible and affordable health care is not politics, it is the right of all human beings.

[Andsigil]

The federal government has inflated the size of every one of its social programs while simultaneously bankrupting them. Without exception. Such political and financial irresponsibility is certainly Mordorian, while the notion that they're actually fit to run them is certainly spread by Wormtongue, from his base in Isengard.

[Inziladun]

I feel the foul, acorn-scented breath of the dreaded 'Chat Skwerlz'. :eek:

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

I truly assign not being able to go on the Downs at home to Mordor. To Angband, to the bloody void! My father decided that it would be a good idea to take away the last of my sanity and use his parental control powers to block out the BD and LJ! :mad: The only way that I can go on now is through other computers (like the one at my aunt's house, like I'm using right now).

[Hakon]

If you tell me what kind of computer you have and it happens to be one I know how to use really well I can tell you some ways of possibly bypassing those parental controls. I could also if I need to ask my distant friend and close acquaintance who knows this stuff really well.

[Gwathagor]

I assign wanting to jump into conversations even when I know it's a terrible idea. :p

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

If you tell me what kind of computer you have and it happens to be one I know how to use really well I can tell you some ways of possibly bypassing those parental controls. I could also if I need to ask my distant friend and close acquaintance who knows this stuff really well.Ooh. I might want to talk to my father about it before I go mad. But I've got a friend who's really good with computers and things, I could probably just ask him about it. That is if I don't talk to my father and get it worked out with him first. I might consider doing that.

[Mithalwen]

Pot holes... they have totally given up repairing the roads here (though not charging us royally for road fund licence) and the problem has been exacerbated by the weather this year. So yesterday the inevintable happened and one of the blighters trashe a wheel rim (as well as rattling my teeth).

[Oddwen]

Other people's alarm clocks.

[Lindale]

Tribal feuds culminating into a bloody massacre (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maguindanao_massacre) that involved dozens of journalists in southern Philippines. And the bigotry that erupts amongst the (Christian) majority that southern Muslims are anarchic, uneducated, and uncivilized people.

That part of our nation has always been turbulent, but it does not mean that because it's Muslim, it's instantly anarchic, women-hating, or whatever stereotypes are attached to Muslims in the West. There are many Muslim communities all over the country that manage and even thrive with the Christian majority.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Having almost finnished the first draft for your bachelor-project, but being unable to finish it just yet.

Why?

Because I am also doing a course in museology and the two lectors are not from the SAXO institute, so they did not know the deadlien for the bachelor project. . .So they placed our exam at the same time as the bachelor deadline.

Luckily I have gotten a dispensation so I have some extra time, but I still have to focus on the museology exam for the next two weeks. (first I have to hand in a synopsis and then an oral exam) First when that is done, can I focus on my bachelor project again. . . hopefully I can finish it before Yule.

[Mnemosyne]

Gas station restrooms.

Especially women's gas station restrooms that have been stocked with products for men.

[mark12_30]

Large rainstorms on the radar map roaring towards "whereIam" when I really, really want to ride my bike to work because it's balmy outside.

[Mugwump]

The mischaracterization and sanctification of legal entitlements: designating as "rights" things that require the enslavement of others to pay for. :p

[The Saucepan Man]

Especially women's gas station restrooms ...... although, to be fair, men's gas station restrooms are probably more *literally* reminiscent of Mordor. :eek: :D

[Mnemosyne]

... although, to be fair, men's gas station restrooms are probably more *literally* reminiscent of Mordor. :eek: :D

That is very true...

Although in the long term (i.e., collective living) women's restrooms are more likely to get messed up than men's (at least in the U.S.), because of all the chemicals we apply to ourselves in the name of beauty.

But though gas station restrooms deserve an assignation in their own right, it was the blatant discrimination in the vending machines that really set me off.

[Mugwump]

I'd say the maze of New York State divorce law, but that's much worse than getting stuck in Mordor.

[Mithalwen]

But though gas station restrooms deserve an assignation in their own right, it was the blatant discrimination in the vending machines that really set me off.

I recall some "hole in the floor" loos (rest rooms too far of the mark) in France and Italy that I could nominate in the literal mordor category.. caught between horror and desperation and wishing I had the camel gene. Strangers to vending machines of any kind but more pertinently hygeine and bog roll. I can't comment on the men's obviously other than that many seemed to utilise street furniture for this purpose..

[Inziladun]

People trying to hawk shoddy, inferior products no one in their right mind would want, on this forum. I'd like to consign them to Angband, in fact.

[Lindale]

People who, after you buy them lunch or dinner, leave you and don't bother to talk to you or even to thank you. The cadet officer whose meal I bought while our corps had a sort of bonding-dinner didn't bother to sit next to me, and after eating unceremoniously went away. It was embarrassing, at least to the few who noticed.

[onewhitetree]

People who get so excited when they are finally able to perform the basic function of copying and pasting text, they feel the need to dance around the office and proclaim to all within earshot, "I DID IT EVERYBODY, I DID IT, I COPIED AND PASTED!" Especially when said individuals are considered in most ways one's superior. *facepalm*

[Mithalwen]

Sleet.... I am not overly keen on anything cold and wet falling from the sky but sleet is the most depressing weather...

[Hakon]

I assign distractions from the pursuit of knowledge to Mordor.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Getting sick on Christmas, two days before a bunch of 'Downers arrive for the biggest get together in BD history, and one week before a really exhausting series of classes starts (and I can't miss any or I have to postpone my entire semester until July).

Options are: cold, bad allergies, or strep (nobody told me my cousin's kid has strep and I had her sisters on my lap for hours the other night).

Fingers crossed for allergies, please, and my apologies to everyone for the fact that I'm probably going to be fighting a hacking cough all night in a packed apartment.

:(

[Lindale]

Mosquitoes mosquitoes mosquitoes! I have no idea how they survived my insecticide spray, unless I've left my screen open again... I had some insect-repelling incense hours ago, but now that it's consumed those little vampires are trying to suck the life and brains out of poor me, who's trying to concentrate on her thesis.

I wonder, do mosquitoes survive in the temperate zone, or is it wholly a tropical affair?

[Inziladun]

Mosquitoes mosquitoes mosquitoes! I have no idea how they survived my insecticide spray, unless I've left my screen open again... I had some insect-repelling incense hours ago, but now that it's consumed those little vampires are trying to suck the life and brains out of poor me, who's trying to concentrate on her thesis.

I wonder, do mosquitoes survive in the temperate zone, or is it wholly a tropical affair?

I live in what is known as a humid subtropical area, and we have them in plenty during the summer months. No malaria though. I know that's a major concern for those in the tropics.

[Lindale]

No, thank God, Inziladun, I don't live in that part of our country. I think the only areas infected with malaria in the Philippines are the southern virgin forests... Our more concrete problem with mosquitoes is dengue, which thank heavens too, I haven't contracted since early childhood.

[Loslote]

I wonder, do mosquitoes survive in the temperate zone, or is it wholly a tropical affair?

OH yeah. This (http://www.denali101.com/images/p24_4.jpg) is a good day's hunting up here in the summer. This (http://www.orionmagazine.org/i/article_images/Seth_Kantner_feeds_the_mosquitoes(2).jpg) is a random guy. Pretty average amount, really - I couldn't find pictures of the REALLY bad swarms. Also, our mosquitoes are much bigger than normal ones.

[Lindale]

OH yeah. This (http://www.denali101.com/images/p24_4.jpg) is a good day's hunting up here in the summer. This (http://www.orionmagazine.org/i/article_images/Seth_Kantner_feeds_the_mosquitoes(2).jpg) is a random guy. Pretty average amount, really - I couldn't find pictures of the REALLY bad swarms. Also, our mosquitoes are much bigger than normal ones.


Goodness me. I've never seen so many mosquitoes on one human, let alone a jar. The mosquitoes sucking the life out of me last night were around a handful, three of which I've killed.

[Loslote]

Goodness me. I've never seen so many mosquitoes on one human, let alone a jar. The mosquitoes sucking the life out of me last night were around a handful, three of which I've killed.

We'll have events where the person to kill the most mosquitoes wins a prize. I've killed hundreds in one morning before. It's a bit insane, and I don't even live in the bad places. :rolleyes:

[Lindale]

Ok, Los, I won't complain about them Filipino mosquitoes anymore. *Stocks up Chinese incense*

[Eönwë]

Also, our mosquitoes are much bigger than normal ones.

Is this because they also can't stand the cold? :p

[Loslote]

Is this because they also can't stand the cold? :p

No, it's because they mostly eat caribou - very Alaskan of them, everything eats caribou up here. Ooh, Here (http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1238/1453438312_466e49d34d.jpg)'s another good picture of a swarm.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Having no voice for the twelfth day running. How am I supposed to sing along to my Glee playlist when I can barely manage word-resembling squeaks? Melody is not an option.

*pout*

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

Having no voice for the twelfth day running. How am I supposed to sing along to my Glee playlist when I can barely manage word-resembling squeaks? Melody is not an option.

*pout*

You have my sympathies. I'm on day six of laryngitis myself, but mine does appear to be improving. At least I can speak audibly, even if my voice sounds like that of pubescent boy hitting "the break". This is an improvement over my last bout with full-blown laryngitis nearly 40 years ago, which I got while I was in the cast of a musical and had solos to sing. The bout started a little over two weeks before opening night, and didn't end until three days before. Not much time to get my voice back in shape, but thank God it ended when it did!

Right now, though, singing is not really possible. The vocal cords won't vibrate that way, and I'm not pushing 'em. It stinks to be a singer who can't sing, and doesn't dare if she wants things to heal properly.

[Mithalwen]

Having no voice for the twelfth day running. How am I supposed to sing along to my Glee playlist when I can barely manage word-resembling squeaks? Melody is not an option.

*pout*

I think it is a side effect of meeting other Downers... I lost my voice totally when I met TGWBS, Aganzir and Kath in London ..lasted for weeks....

[Loslote]

I assign 100+ mph winds. They're scary! :eek:

[Aganzir]

Procrastination that gets out of hand. If you have several months of time to write a 2500-word paper, why oh why do you leave it till the last night, and even then spend three hours chatting with a friend?

I have 32 words.

[Lindale]

Oh I know how that feels, Aganzir! Perhaps you should blame your computer, it should have summoned you to write more often :D

[Aganzir]

Oh I know how that feels, Aganzir! Perhaps you should blame your computer, it should have summoned you to write more often :D
Somebody should just have disconnected my net once I had all the necessary web pages opened in my browser... Although I suppose then I would've resorted to solitaire. :rolleyes:

Oh and did I forget to mention that it's 4.38 am?

[Loslote]

Somebody should just have disconnected my net once I had all the necessary web pages opened in my browser... Although I suppose then I would've resorted to solitaire. :rolleyes:

Oh and did I forget to mention that it's 4.38 am?

Oh, man, that's brutal! I hate it when I procrastinate that long...not that it keeps me from doing it. I still haven't finshed the literary analysis that was due almost a month ago, but I'm homeschooled, so I just don't remind my mom I was supposed to finish it. :p

[Lindale]

I assign forgetting to print the Works Cited page. Not that I plagiarize--hell no. It's just that I use parenthetical stuff whenever citing, and I often forget to pile all authors and works up on a separate file (so as not to include it on the page numbering) once I'm done with the main body. I just got chewed again. :o

[Oddwen]

Not getting the job you applied and were hoping for. The job(s) I have now are great and all, but...dangit! Twelve dollars an hour...dangit! Working regular hours...dangit! Working hard every week to make sure everyone else gets what they're supposed to do done and then rushing to get done what you need to get done only to have to start all over again in a never ending cycle, and getting in trouble when it's not done in record time every week is extremely wearing. And then dealing with the everyday Other People's Drama can just...stop already.

I assign eight and a half years of retail exhaustion to Mordor.

[Laurinquë]

No, it's because they mostly eat caribou - very Alaskan of them, everything eats caribou up here. Ooh, Here (http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1238/1453438312_466e49d34d.jpg)'s another good picture of a swarm.

Ono! You're reminding me of my trip to the North Slope last summer. It was great . . . except for the biting insects. Mosquitos aren't really that bad at all; it's tiny biting flies that EAT you, chewing holes and such.

Procrastination that gets out of hand. If you have several months of time to write a 2500-word paper, why oh why do you leave it till the last night, and even then spend three hours chatting with a friend?

I have 32 words.

I'm so sorry! :( I do this all the time. Like right now for instance, I should be working on my current events journal, it's due in a couple of hours and all I have is the articles--which I have not read.

I assign backing into a car parked behind you and causing $500+ in damage. Not that I personally did this, my mum did (a am a FAR BETTER driver ;)), but it has made me late to school today and made the owner of the car call the police.

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

I assign backing into a car parked behind you and causing $500+ in damage. Not that I personally did this, my mum did (a am a FAR BETTER driver ;)), but it has made me late to school today and made the owner of the car call the police.
Well, it's not like you missed anything anyway. We just argued a lot.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Having your blood sugar tank right before you have to leave for work.

Flaking out while driving and managing to go past the driveway to your workplace.

Getting stuck behind traffic at a red light when you go to turn around.

Having a cop car blocking the entrance to the parking lot you intended to turn around in.

Finally getting turned around in the right direction and getting stuck behind a tractor. One that was towing another tractor. Really slowly.

Hitting three red lights.

Having more cars than you've ever seen on that road decide to come down the hill while you're waiting to turn left.

Getting to work five minutes late.

Sheesh.

Fail. To Mordor, with ye!

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Having your blood sugar tank right before you have to leave for work.

Flaking out while driving and managing to go past the driveway to your workplace.

Getting stuck behind traffic at a red light when you go to turn around.

Having a cop car blocking the entrance to the parking lot you intended to turn around in.

Finally getting turned around in the right direction and getting stuck behind a tractor. One that was towing another tractor. Really slowly.

Hitting three red lights.

Having more cars than you've ever seen on that road decide to come down the hill while you're waiting to turn left.

Getting to work five minutes late.

Sheesh.

Fail. To Mordor, with ye!

Your work place fail, if it is a major problem that you turn up five minutes late. . .

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

I assign people who under the pretence of changing furniture in your student flat not only change your furniture, but steal your lamp! How wicked!

[Lindale]

I assign people who under the pretence of changing furniture in your student flat not only change your furniture, but steal your lamp! How wicked!

Oh yes, such swine really belongs to Mordor. I remember one morning back in my dormitory days, someone stole my bread, which was all the food I had left before my mother sent me my allowance. To top that off no store that accepted credit cards was open at half past five in the morning. :(

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

The sketchy conversation hearts that taste like chemical death.

I think I just ingested rat poison. :(

[Lindale]

Philosophy of Law exam. Pure evil, considering our professor never taught us, but only had "reporters" who merely summarized articles, and whom I bet half the time didn't understand what they were talking about... The professor ought to be burned in the Ninth Circle of Mordor!! :mad:

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

When you bite or somehow otherwise damage the side of your tongue and then keep biting it and/or otherwise injuring it in the same place over and over again.

So not cool...

[wilwarin538]

I'd like to assign mean kindergarten teachers who think you should already be totally awesome at teaching, when you've explained to her like 80 times that you've had no actual training on how to teach and your school sucks by putting you in the wrong grade range with little instruction and that this is a learning experience and learning experiences involve mistakes and the wonderful 4 year olds don't seem to really see the difference anyways....

To continue on that I'd like to assign my university, who even after I told them that I want to teach grades 4-10 and don't want a french placement, they decide that I must have been lying to them, or perhaps they think they know what I want better then I do, or something, so they put me in a french kindergarten class.

*sighs*

oh, and homework that I don't have enough time to do because of the aforementioned placement...

[Boromir88]

I'd like to assign mean kindergarten teachers who think you should already be totally awesome at teaching, when you've explained to her like 80 times that you've had no actual training on how to teach and your school sucks by putting you in the wrong grade range with little instruction and that this is a learning experience and learning experiences involve mistakes and the wonderful 4 year olds don't seem to really see the difference anyways....


Don't freak out too much, I had 10th grade English for my first placement, and you know I'm Social Studies...granted there are lots of similarities between those two subjects, and at least it wasn't Math. :p The teacher didn't expect much besides looking through some of her lesson plans, and checking out classroom management stuff. Although, in her theater class I played a hyper-emotional pirate for one of the groups :rolleyes:. Talk to your teacher about what you're comfortable doing, he/she should understand. :)

[Borromino]

Interesting :D

[Mithalwen]

oh, and homework that I don't have enough time to do because of the aforementioned placement...

Even though I was doing secondary I had to spend a week's "observation" in a primary school and due to staff illness I had to spend four days with a mixed year group of 6 and 7 year olds helping with their science project (obviously really helpful for a trainee language teacher). On the friday morning I was feeling the strain a little and ended up raising my voice to stop the naughty kid doing something naughty - not shouting but just not the calm voice I had so endeavoured to maintain thus far. I felt terrible but an adorable little moppet gave me a hug and said "I think you will be a good teacher!" "Because I shouted at Keith?" "Yes" she said solemnly "It's what teachers have to do...".

I thought this was really funny but when I related it in the staff room my mentor was very po-faced and said "well I think that reflects very badly on us as a profession". :cool:

Moppet was dead wrong and I was a useless teacher or at least useless at riot control which prevented much teaching from actually happening... if you want useless teacher training - I'll nominate my old college. We had two hours of lectures on classroom management which consisted of "don't use yellow chalk or green board markers, don't wear short skirts or low cut tops... " Not a great help when you end up in a school where the kids try to set fire to your hair and you have to have the classroom windows screwed shut to stop them climbing out..

But don't let me put you off.... :D

[wilwarin538]

The teacher didn't expect much besides looking through some of her lesson plans, and checking out classroom management stuff. Although, in her theater class I played a hyper-emotional pirate for one of the groups. Talk to your teacher about what you're comfortable doing, he/she should understand.

No, I'm doing all out lessons, and she helped me out a bit today and said I was doing a good job, but she freaked out at me when I wasn't prepared for her split grade class because I was planning to teach the 4 year olds and 5 year olds the same thing. :rolleyes: Since that would just be so aweful...she doesn't understand anything, it's like she forgets what it's like to be a student. And today I found out that her older sister was my kindergarten teacher, and lets just say that I hated kindergarten and this relation makes a lot of sense. :rolleyes:

Not a great help when you end up in a school where the kids try to set fire to your hair and you have to have the classroom windows screwed shut to stop them climbing out..

But don't let me put you off....

Haha, I'll try not to let it. ;)

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

The manner in which my bank account mysteriously shifted from, "Deny her the use of her card if the money isn't there" to, "Let her keep getting fined $33 for every sandwich, cup of coffee, donation to charity, etc until not even a biweekly direct deposited paycheck will cover the overdraft fees she will incur! Mwahahahahaha we are bankers!"

[Lalaith]

we are bankers!"

In England that could be cockney rhyming slang...as this is a family site I'll leave you to work it out.

[Lindale]

Having really good books for months but not the time to read them. :confused:

[wilwarin538]

Getting up at 7:30 to go to a class that you expected to be an important exam review, since it's the last lecture of the year, only for it to be "let's look at odd psychology related comic strips" time. *is bored and tired*

[Oddwen]

I assign my old, mostly worn out car hood release, which most of the time I can't pull hard enough to get the hood open. It's not good to be rattling because I'm out of oil for days at a time. :(

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

I assign my old, mostly worn out car hood release, which most of the time I can't pull hard enough to get the hood open. It's not good to be rattling because I'm out of oil for days at a time. :(

I can commiserate... I have an oil leak, and my dad talks to me about it like I understand car-talk. I hate the rank scent of dripping oil burning on my hot engine... It makes me seriously worried my truck's going to burst into flames or something.

[Laurinquë]

Large amounts of snow falling in April. Common but unpleasant. :mad:

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Large amounts of snow falling in April. Common but unpleasant. :mad:
You don't like snow? I thought that it was wonderful; a fresh layer of snow to cover the grime of break-up. :)

[deagol]

Well, I, for one, am extremely loathe to assign anything or anyone to Mordor. It's a nasssty place and how am I to know of someone's private disposition? And of their chances for repentance or something?

How about Dol Guldur though? ;)

I very much concur with this perspective. Remember your Gandalf:

"For even the very wise cannot see all ends."