Jorvik: A Land of Snow & Ice

Game Master DSXMachina

... and today we learn that when the fora keep crashing, they can apparently mess up your notifications. Been posting in all my games but this one, which I've not seen any progress for, but now that I'm here, the tab for Gameplay says 28!!! new messages.

Will catch up over the weekend, add thanks for the PM DSX.

Just a note to say thank you all for letting me play in this game with you all. I know it is shard to tell when I sometimes post seldom or randomly, so I wanted to let you know! :)

And, since it is 11:52 where this elder wizzie sits,...

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOO,... ZZZzzzz,....

;P

Thanks for the warm wishes, Rags. And I totally echo the sentiments.

Yeah merry Christmas to all, sorry for the inconsistent pacing but I enjoy playing the game with you all. Hope you had a lovely Christmas and a wonderful New year.

AND I have returned from the netherworld!

AKA, Oklahoma.
(To be fair, I USUALLY refer to Lousy-anna, where I live, as the underworld, so,...) ;P

I also have enjoyed our game! I look forward to many more slow then suddenly hectic posts! :)

And belated Happy New Year to all!

Sorry, had a not very good last couple of weeks with my cat dying. I'll get this back on track soon

So sorry to hear that DSX.

Take your time, :)

Sympathies, DSX. And no rush, you've got at least three of us who don't seem to be going anywhere. ;)

Sorry folks, I've been really blah about posting here. I've been having trouble crawling into Edwyn's head and really finding his voice. Which makes it harder to mingle and do detective stuff, which sucks, because he's a detective. :/

No worries Mahor,

I've noticed a lot of posting drag lately. Mostly from myself! :P

What Rags said. ;)

Happy birthday, Rags!

Thank you Treppa!
:)

Thank you Treppa!

:)

Hope you had a lovely birthday. :)

Thank you all, Much appreciated.
The birthday itself was good.
My family got me nerd-games for my birthday (various versions of Munchkin)
:)
They know me SO well. ;)

Sadly, one of my best friends in the world is dying from cancer and organ failure right now. I have been busting my hump all week trying to get my ducks in a row at work so I can leave my student workers in charge and go see him.
I will be flying to OKlahoma tomorrow to be there with the rest of our friends and spend his last few days by his side.
(There are 4 of us who have been together since we met in college. No matter how far away we move, we stay in touch and always seem to drift back together, no matter how briefly.)

So, no matter your personal beliefs, i would be very appreciative for any and all prayers, well-wishes, positive thoughts, etc. you could send his way.

Thank you all,

Sending all the positive vibes I can muster, Rags.

And Happy Belated.

Thanks Tilnar.

And thank you! :)

My personal belief is to do all the good possible in this world, because the next can take care of itself. Sounds like you're acting on those lines. Good vibes to you and your friends.

Your gang sounds like my original D&D group, which still stays in touch no matter what (the living ones anyway).

I also have 2 friends with cancer and am pretty pissed off about it. Cancer truly sucks.

Travel safely and see him off well.

Hope everything has been better with you Rags, good vibes to you; your family and friends.

And of course for everybody else too.

PS. Brawn = Newkie Brown = Newcastle Brown Ale (rather than 'Brawn' being pate from the head of a cow/sheep)

Thx much,
I'll survive, although with all of the stress at work and friends,... I am wondering where, exactly, did February go?!?!?!?!
O_O

LOL, I'm not much of a beer drinker, so while I did recognize the 'newcastle brown ale', I had no idea about the nicknames!

Yorkshiremen don't speak English anyway.

ROFL<

Neither do Americans, or so I'm told,... ;P

EDIT- I HAVE been told that I have a 'lovely BBC British accent', by a lady from the north of England.
;)

Depends which part of the US, Rags -- because (often) the lot of you aren't speaking the same language as each other, let alone the rest of the world.

Depends which part of the US, Rags -- because (often) the lot of you aren't speaking the same language as each other, let alone the rest of the world.

Also true,

I just recall the line from the musical "My Fair Lady"

-"There are even some places where English completely disappears! Why in America they haven't spoken it in years!"

;)

I also found it funny that i was told I had a decent "BBC British Accent" by a lady from the NORTH of England, :)

We were at Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and she and her husband were retired, and came to N.O. for Mardi Gras, and ended up sitting behind us (My wife and kids and I) in the viewing stands. And we talked for a while. (And when I talk to a person with an accent, I adopt that accent. I can't help myself, 3 degrees in theater and THAT'S what I got from it) ;P

At one point I made sure to apologize, explaining that I wasn't mocking them, and she said that was quite alright, that I had a 'Lovely BBC British accent', but I wasn't speaking like HER,

She explained that she was making herself speak 'BBC' English as well, because being from the north, supposedly no one would understand her if she spoke naturally.

I looked at her husband, who shrugged and said, "Dont look at me mate. I can't understand a thing she says when she talks like that."

That was one of the Best. Mardi Gras. Ever. :)

Accents are funny and lovely things, aren't they? I've heard DSX on Skype during gaming sessions, and he's got a perfectly "normal" English accent, but he can do broad Yorkshire. In fact, he complained that reading the James Herriot Yorkshire Vet books was making him speak "more Yorkshire." :D

I slip into local accents like you do, Rags. Seems to be natural for some people, while others have their accent nailed on tight. I'm just a natural mimic, so if I learn a language by immersion, my accent is right on. At the beginning of 2 weeks in Germany, everyone knew I was an American with my 6-week Berlitz German, but by the end, I sounded pretty Bavarian - just limited in vocabulary, like a child.

Quebecois do NOT speak French, at least not the Parisian French I was taught. Like an Englishman in the deep American south, I could barely understand what they were saying. They could understand me just fine. One of them told me not to worry. His brother from Paris complained about the same thing every time he visited. I never could pick up on the Montreal French accent, so maybe second languages aren't so easy to adapt after a while? I dunno.

I do know that when I went shopping in Salzburg, spoke German with the shopkeeper, went outside and spoke French with a gaggle of lovely ladies window shopping, then the rest of my party came up and spoke in English to me, my language center had a total meltdown. I couldn't understand English at all, and couldn't speak anything for about five minutes. And after a couple weeks in the rural Black Forest area, it took me a few minutes to realize that the couple in front of me at a tourist spot was speaking English. I was having fun trying to place languages, and that one escaped me for a minute. (The Italians were too easy. With all the shouting and hand-waving, you didn't even need to hear the words.)

Temper has something to do with it, too. I grew up with my Scottish grandparents (my dad recorded me at 3 saying "drive the red truck" with the r's rolling as lovely as you could want with him laughing in the background), but lost most of the accent since they died in my teens. Still, a linguist or trained ear can sometimes tell (can't say the word "three" without rolling to save my life), and if I lose my temper, the rolled r's come tumbling out again.

If you enjoy that sort of thing, read up on code switching. We all switch between vernacular and formal, at least, and some people make a lot more switches.

Rags, have you watched the "Technique Critique" channel on youtube? I love watching that dialect coach break down the accents in the movies. It's surprised me how many actors do a laudable job with non-native accents -- the less said about Hunt for Red October, the better.

LOL,
Thats great!

I'm a mimic to be sure.
I can't ALWAYS do it on command, as on stage, but I'm pretty good.
But while Talking to people from elsewhere? I can sound very much like them very shortly.

Sadly I never learned another language. I've only ever despaired of that once, on a college-age trip with my college choir, we did the Rhine River tour. (About 40 countries, some the size of a postage stamp)

Our tour guide (a young man mid-20's) already spoke a dozen languages fluently. And told us he was learning 5 more at that moment! He said once you get the first half-dozen, everything else is based off of those and they all come much easier. :P
(I'll take his word for it)

I actually got lost on that tour, Female choir member and I were walking back to the hotel and got lost in whatever city we were in. Went into a chocolate shop, (Store that sells ONLY chocolate! Brilliant!) and tried to ask for directions. NO one spoke a smidge of english, and we didn't speak german. (We were in Germany that day) >_<

So, I broke out my trusty pocket-sized tour-guide book, which had ONE tiny page of german verbs & questions (where is?) etc, and One tiny page of nouns, (hotel, store, restaurant, etc)
I managed to growl out "where is the Hotel Three Kings?" in passable german, and the shop ladies immediately began babbling happily.

I signed a time out, and indicated they should point. They cheerfully pointed the right directions, holding up fingers to indicate how many blocks we should go each way. (Turned out we were only a couple of blocks off.)
I "Danke'd' a lot, bought us a couple of large (SUPER-AWESOME-DELICIOUS) chocolate bars, and we walked to the hotel with no trouble.
:)

I dont do a lot of You-tubing, so Ive never heard of that channel.
Red October?
Well, as much as i LOVE Sean Connery, you have about as much chance of taking the Scottish/english accent away from him as you do taking away his title of 'First/Best James Bond'.
:P

Oh aye, I streaming with a friend at the moment. But my accent came slip into theirs too.

Rags is lucky to live in Loozyanna. That Cajun accent is like a tub of warm butter.

ROFL!

If that warm butter was liberally sprinkled with 'Tony Chachere's'
;P

Just an FYI, Saraya is just insulting Ray's drink saying it is river water. Not drowning or hurting him.

But she COULD, if she wanted too,... ;P

Just as a head's up, everyone, but it's not that I'll be ignoring you, it's just that I'll be away for 8 days starting Wednesday (the 8th), to get away from the depressing snow and ice and soak some sun and probably indulge in at least 3 or 4 drinks too many. :)

I'll be back the following Thursday and should be able to pick things up then. In the meantime, Kenneth will keep trying to resist his nature and not flirt with Saraya... too much, at least, and will continue to gently pick on Danny to give him something to focus on other than the comely redhead. ;)

LOL,
ONE of these posts we'll need to do a flirt-off between the two, (not on one of our friends, but perhaps to get info out someone? Kind of like that one scene in Kingsman 2) :)

If nothing else, that scene will make ME laugh!
;D

Safe travels Tilnar, enjoy the warm!
Currently wet and cooling rapidly for Mardi Gras. (Still better than our northern neighbors are getting!)

We have it all - tons of sun AND snow. What more could you ask for?

Enjoy! I have forgotten what beaches and umbrella drinks even look like.

Meh, I have A love/hate relationship with beaches.

I Luv the beach, I HATE the fact that the friggin' sand gets every where.

EVERY. WHERE.
;P

I once square-danced on a mountain covered with snow. :)
Long story. :P
Short story, we were all bundled up when the clouds were out, when the sun came out, the layers came off, when the clouds came back, the layers went back on!

;D

Mmmm, drinks with little umbrellas in them,... :)

;) I'll raise a glass for each of you.

Have fun, Tilnar & enjoy the good weather (& drinks).

I'll take 2!
:)

Enjoy!

Hey, I like La Croix!

Weather was beautiful, drinks were mostly ok, though I was assuredly overserved Kamikazes on Sunday evening. (Got two more when I ordered soft drinks to try to prevent that).

Sadly, came home to a blasted snowstorm in the winter that will never end. Rather took the shine off the warm happy weather... and, honestly, traveling with a 19-month-old is a mite less relaxing than traveling with a 5-month old, or no wee beastie at all.

I was afraid you wouldn't make it back through this messy weather. Our airport was shut down for a good day, and there were penalties of $1,000 for trying to drive in some counties. Glad you got home safe. And it'll get easier traveling with the little one once they don't need a bunch of special gear and food and and and...

Also, it's not possible to be overserved Kamikazes. They are amazing... one of the few delicious drinks out there.

Hah!
Well I'm glad your safe, and had drinks!

I'm not sure I'm thinking of the right drink, but kamakazies or Hurricanes, I'm with Treppa.
Not possible to have too many! :)

Traveling with a wee beastie is an adventure in itself. Without the snowstorms.

But enjoy! Because in a few years you'll be like me and dealing with the teen-ager version.
(All of the aggravation, and a lot less adorability.)
;P

Welcome back! :)

Hey all,

Sorry I havent been chatty recently, been busy.

I'm still here! Just plowing away at work, and waiting for us all to get back together again!

Talk to you all soon(ish) Have a good week! (End)
:)

With a +1 you get a good price on the kukri, Sal. It's not a super bargain, however both sides feel like they've come out of the transaction well.

Whoops, forgot that Edwin finished up with the gnomes and was talking to you guys. Is my face red!

S'okay, I haven't exactly been posting a whole lot. So to call it "talking" might be a bit too generous.

Apparently Edwin is a quiet drunk.

Edit: Whoops, Edwyn. Must be Welsh.

LOL,
Long as he doesn't Welsh on a bet!
;P

Oi yeah, Ive been out of it for too long, I think I broke my punner,...

>_<

Ooooh thanks for the recap Sal, of course that's given me an idea!

Traveller Camp? (Yeah, the original might be preferable - but you guys probably have heard it more.)