Day Five: Six things you wish you’d never done.
Day Six: Five people who mean a lot (in no order whatsoever)
Day Seven: Four turn-offs.
Day Eight: Three turn-ons.
Day Nine: Two images that describe your life right now, and why.
Day Ten: One confession.
I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do this one. Certainly I've done things that were stupid, or things that made my life more difficult. Or that made other people's lives more difficult. But as I've said before, if I say 'I wish this hadn't happened, or I hadn't done this'...I can't know what else I'd be changing. Maybe I read A Sound of Thunder too many times when I was younger.
So...six situations I wish I could've handled differently, maybe.
1. In retrospect, covering all the cadavers with shaving foam was not the best idea. It was a lot of fun (and a lot of foam) but since our class ended up cleaning them off the next day during the time we were meant to spend revising...at the very least, we could've timed it better.
2. I had a new nurse who vomited on a patient during an evacuation flight. It was, obviously, not a good situation. However, he probably didn't deserve everything I said to him afterward.
3. I wish I hadn't ignored my physical therapist's instructions for a year and a half.
4. I slightly regret packing as much as I did today to carry up the mountain. Ow.
5. I wish I had handled the end of my last relationship before Lestrade better. She broke it off, but I could've been less of a bastard about it.
6. A friend of mine once asked me to do a hike with him from Lake Baikal to Vladivostok. I still think he was mad, but I sort of wish I'd tried it. (I just tried to look it up on google maps to see how far it was, but apparently google has no information on that part of the world. It's a very long way though.)
Day Six: Five people who mean a lot (in no order whatsoever)
Day Seven: Four turn-offs.
Day Eight: Three turn-ons.
Day Nine: Two images that describe your life right now, and why.
Day Ten: One confession.
And now we're back at the B&B. I told my parents Sherlock needed time to calm down before bed, which is true, but I think it would be equally true tonight to say that I need time to calm down before bed.
187 comments:
You can talk to me, anytime, you know?
Not sure how I'm going to do today's either.
Bad evening, John?
I found this question *really* difficult. The couple of things I can point too and say "I shouldn't have done that" are really very private. Lots of things I should regret more than I do, because I've managed to take something away from most situations, even if it's just not to do that again. All that bad stuff helped me be who I am now, so I struggle to regret it all as much as I should. So, with all those caveats, and taking a deep breath:
1. When I was at college, I had my first really bad breakup, my first experience of living in constant debt, and my first experience of living on my own, all at the same time. It's fair to say I could have handled it better.
2. A very bad day, too much alcohol, a nasty viscious argument with someone I loved, and... I could have handled that better too.
3. I wish it hadn't taken me so long to understand that I was the one building barriers. I'm finally doing stuff now that I should have been doing in my twenties and thirties.
4. There are definitely times I should have said no and didn't.
5. I should never have dated the 21-year-old virgin with an attitude problem who told me he was going to die if I broke up with him.
6. I wish I hadn't let my Mum's very traditional views on gender roles screw with my head as much as they have done.
I try to subscribe to your theory of not changing things John I think its a good one until you're asked a question like this. ;-)
I hope you're ok John I know its been a tough time but I hope its served the purposes you wanted it to :-)
Mountain climbing will hopefully have tired everyone out and bring good sleep following relaxation :-)
Anonybob
That...doesn't sound like things went as smoothly as you hoped it would tonight. I know what it's like to feel like you'be failed your parents somehow by not living up to their expectations, but the truth is, we will all disappoint our parents at one time or another -- for most families that doesn't change the fact that you love them or they love you. It just means that everyone needs time and space to adjust to the new status quo.
I hope you let Greg thank you for his lovely .... reminder tonight with a nice message and an early bedtime.
Also, no matter what you read on here, I firmly believe that you're a loving, smart and fit guardian/parent for the Holmes boys. All parents figure things out the best they can and most of us turn out all right in the end. :)
-A from NW
John - So I think my first comment was eaten by the Internet. *sighs* This is the post, again, in short hand.
I think we all disappoint our parents by not living up to their expectations at some point in our lives. What matters, though, is if our parents recognize that we are our own person, and that we won't live their dreams for them. We have to pursue our own. I am sorry that this trip is as stressful as it has been for you.
I hope that you let Greg thank you for his lovely...reminder tonght with a message and an early bedtime that involves sleeping. ;)
Also, no matter what you read on these blogs, I believe you are a loving, smart, and fit guardian/parent for the Holmes boys. All parents muddle along as best they can, and most of us seem to turn out all right as functional, social human beings.
~A from NW
Thought I'd jump on board with the lists. Obviously, I didn't do the first few, in part because I'm sort of new here. But also because I couldn't think of things for some of then (in particular day 1 and day 3 -- day 2 and day 4 would have been easy enough, I guess).
For day 5, I'm going to borrow John's interpretation of "things that I wish I had done differently" because, frankly, I seem to wish that a lot.
1. I wish I had kept playing tuba when I started college
2. I wish I had majored in music
3. I wish I had stuck to it and kept the weight off the last time I managed to lose it
4. I wish I had gone to Germany the summer after I finished college like my German prof said I should, even if I had had to borrow money to do it
5. I wish I had listened to my 9th grade self when she said "I am never going to be a teacher"
6. I wish I had been nicer to my mom when I was in high school
I have a much better relationship with my mom now than I did back then, but I still have this knee-jerk reaction of interpreting everything she says in the worst possible way. It is hard work to change long-standing patterns like that even when both sides are trying.
Out of curiosity, how are the music lessons going for Sherlock and Mycroft? Has Greg been practicing his guitar much? I ask because I just started learning how to play the violin in mid-April and had my lesson today.
ryo
(who was sad that Djokovic beat Federer and who also wishes the women's field was as interesting as the men's)
Sorry, it was in the spam.
Thanks, guys. I don't know if it was bad. Just...long day.
L - I wouldn't mind a shoulder rub if you felt like it.
Its only really when you get home and settled and allow yourself time to think about it all that you will know the good or bad of the trip John. Stood right in the middle of it you can't possible see it all clearly.
I hope the trip home is swift and uneventful (but enough fun to keep Sherlock and mycroft entertained) and that walking back into your own home with your three wonderful boys makes you smile :-)
Shoulder rub coming right up.
This... This is going to be hard. I don't believe in regret. Everything I've done in my life makes me who I am, and I appreciate those experiences, both the good and the bad. But looking back, there are some things I wish I had done differently. So, here goes.
Day Five: Six things you wish you’d never done.
1) I wish I hadn't backed out of getting my Top Secret in Korea, when it was offered. If I had finished the process, I would probably have been able to accept the job at the White House before I was injured, and my life would have been entirly different.
2) In some ways I wish I had never dated Lucky. Although we had some good times, I'm still working on the damage that relationship caused. Then again, if I hadn't gone through what I had with him, I wouldn't be the person I am today.
3) I wish I'de never tried daikon raddish. Yuck!!
4) Without going into detail, I wish I hadn't slept with some of the people I did. Just... bad decisions in that direction, for various reasons.
5) On too many occasions to remember I wish I had kept my mouth shut. As my mom always cautioned, words said cannot be unsaid. And there are many I wish could be unsaid.
6) Looking back on my high school pictures, I wish I had never made some of the fashion choices I did! OMG, how could people let me walk outside looking like that?
The women's field must have had someone worth watching, because my co-worker had a match on his screen every time I walked past today. (Then again, I think he runs bets on the side.) But it was the last Saturday until fall, so I didn't fuss.
Six things I wish I'd never done.
Hm. I think I can manage it as "sometimes wish".
1. I sometimes wish I'd never left Colorado.
2. I sometimes wish that I'd never remembered how to count to fourteen on a certain night with a certain gentleman of my far-too-short acquaintance.
3. I sometimes wish that I'd never agreed to that second thyroid surgery.
4. I sometimes wish that I'd never left the Air National Guard.
5. I sometimes wish that I'd never buckled down and finished college (it was so much more fun being an eternal student!)
6. I often wish that I'd kept my mouth shut and never spoken up -- but the occasions this one applies to are far too numerous to be enumerated here!
(And I read "The Sound of Thunder" too many times to really want to change the past too. *sigh* I'll miss Ray Bradbury.)
Oh, and according to this, it's a little over 4000km from Lake Baikal to Vladivostok:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/shop_pickandmix/previews/trans-sib-rail-3-baikal-preview.pdf
And now I want to go. But by train, not hiking.
(Why yes, I do have "librarian" stamped on my forehead.)
I thought of Sherlock as I was having my supper, btw, because I was approached by a small boy who said "Hi" and then announced that he didn't talk to strangers. We proceeded to have a conversation for about twenty minutes while his mom was waiting for her fish. (His name is Isaiah, and he's not three anymore he's four and he likes spiders.)
FWIW John, I think you're doing great; it's normally just a couple of hours for me with my Mum before I'm crawling up the walls (and I'm not trying to mediate between her and anyone else, like you are with your parents).
I hope the shoulder rub leads to a fun and relaxing rest of the evening for both of you :-)
RSF - please don't feel under any obligation at all to answer, but I'm puzzled by your reference to "counting to fourteen". I'm guessing it's a US/UK translation thing?
Like I said, please don't feel you need to elaborate at all if you prefer not to.
RSF - it's a little over 4000km from Lake Baikal to Vladivostok
...Yeah, at this point in my life, I would take the train. Have you ever read a book called Off the Map? It's about a group of people bicycling across Siberia. Very interesting.
Nameless - thanks. The night's going pretty well so far. And the hike was good.
Anon, it was a question of timing. As in, potentially really bad timing, since the gentleman wasn't equipped with any ...er... protective equipment, and I hadn't planned on being in a situation where timing would matter so hadn't taken any precautions of my own.
But he was a gentleman, so when I got startled by the headlights from a passing car and recovered my math skills, he took it with grace and humor and said he'd just decorate the ceiling later. Given how many five-month first children there are on my maternal line of descent, I was grateful at the time, but I will confess to a degree of regret now!
I haven't read "Off the Map", but I just added it to my list of things to hunt down.
Travel books fascinate me. I got home today to find "A Sense of the World" by Jason Roberts in my mailbox. It's about a guy named James Holman who travelled alone during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century although he was blind. Something for the nights when I can't sleep.
RSF - ah, I see; I thought it might have been a euphemism I'd not heard before :-)
You do get notifications on old posts don't you John?
Unless Blogger decides they're spam, yes. We both do.
I'm glad.
Day Five – Six things you wish you’d never done.
This one is really hard because, like John, I tend to work on the principle that even the really bad decisions I’ve made (and the decisions that weren’t bad in and of themselves, but had bad consequences) are part of who I am, so I can’t really wish them undone. So I’m reduced to thinking of things that weren’t life changing, but were very unfortunate at the time.
1. I really wish I hadn’t stabbed my brother with a fork for giving my Cindy doll a radical haircut. The consequences for me were immediate and almost as painful as being stabbed with a fork.
2. I wish I hadn’t got totally rat-arsed and threw up on a lecturer during a uni field trip to South Wales – couldn't look him in the eye for the rest of term.
3. I wish I hadn’t let boyfriend-of-the-moment take me home on his bike on a wet Friday night in Newcastle – spent the rest of the night in the RVI A&E and still have faint gravel scars on one leg.
4. I wish I hadn’t taken so long to make up with my Mum after she stopped speaking to me when I married husband #1.
5. I wish I hadn’t stopped exercising when I got sick – if I’d just pushed through it then I wouldn’t have to start from scratch again now.
6. I wish I hadn’t got engaged the second time – it took a lot of grief and emotional energy to get out of actually marrying him, and I didn’t learn anything I didn’t already know – and I know I hurt him (although he was married to someone else within the year, so obviously it wasn’t too traumatic).
And John, I hope you had a restful night. Juggling children and parents and feeling responsible for everyone getting along and being happy is always a tricky and stressful undertaking.
Eh, I'm in the same boat as you John. There are loads of things I wish I never had to experience, by my choice or other. But I really wouldn't be me if I hadn't had them.
Bah, here goes.
1. I wish I had been a bit less of an ass to my teachers during childhood. It wasn't their fault everything in school was boring.
2. I wish I kept in touch with people I've met over the years. I got to know some exceptional people, and I am sh*t at staying in contact.
3. I wish I handled my first breakup better than I did.
4. I wish I never killed my finances by taking out that student loan and studying away from home....but I'm really glad I did.
5. I wish it was easier to talk about being an abuse victim...I had a couple a chances to help people by sharing experiences, I regret not being brave enough to help, even a little.
6. I wish I hadn't piled allll the whole wheat flour underneath the metric ton of white flour a day before the sale. I think I lifted 1k lbs last night...owie.
1. I wish I'd never bitten into that slug.
2. I wish I'd seen more while I was still in England.
3. I should have taken time to plan better. It all turned out okay, but could have been smoother.
4. I wish I'd been able to speak up.
5. I should have jumped again.
6. I wish I'd never have taken that hiatus. Had taken? I never took?
6a. I wish I was better at grammar.
Another tough one. So some of these are things I only sort of wish I hadn't done.
1. I wish I hadn't messed with the timer in my friend's house that weekend back then.
2. I wish I hadn't upset that other student in that creative writing class in college.
3. I sort of wish I hadn't gone in for Politics in grad school, since it turned out to have been no practical use to me. (But on the other hand, I really enjoyed myself, so...I don't know.)
4. I kind of wish that hadn't stopped short of that Ph.D. (But, on the other hand, there were good reasons, financial and emotional, for not defending the dissertation, so...I don't know.)
5. I somewhat wish I hadn't let those people I'm thinking of drift out of my life.
6. I wish I wasn't so afraid of sharing my feelings with people.
DW--a SLUG?!?!
Survival training, RR. Slugs are filled with the same slime they leave behind in trails, which coats your mouth and is disgusting.
Sherlock, check it out. Chocolate skulls:
http://chocolateskulls.com/
Ick! (The slug, not the skulls. The skulls are cool. :))
I'm not really sure where else to post this, but apparently my #2 from today has been stalking me online and just contacted me after reading my list of wished-I-Handn't. I'm a bit freaked out, so might go a bit silent until I'm sure he isn't going to jump out of the bushes one night. I didn't want to post this on my journal because that's where he found me. Sorry, I don't mean to highjack this or anything.
Oh, Pip. Be safe, yeah? And let us know if we can do anything?
I will, DW. I'm probably being paranoid, but he's stationed only 3 hours away, and he's surprised me before. So until I know where he is I'm just going to try and play it safe.
Oy, Pip. What DW said. (Also, there are anti-stalker laws for a reason, so don't hesitate to use their protections if you feel the least bit threatened.)
*hugs Pip*
If you have a way to contact him, would it make sense to tell him, "please don't come to see me?" You know his personality best, so you know if that would make him do the opposite. But you may need to be able to say that you had asked him to stay away in order to invoke legal protection. I don't know the rules in your state. (But you might want to find out.) Good luck.
If he's in the military, the UCMJ has an article on stalking. And he can be issued a "no'contact" order by his commander or senior enlisted under certain circumstances, which then would make the punishment even more severe than "just" stalking.
Thus ends my barracks room lawyering.
Pip, know that we're thinking of you. Please be safe.
Stay safe, Piplover. Having been there, I completely understand how completely unnerving it can be.
I hope he stays away, and you can find ways to feel safe and secure.
And it might sound selfish, but I'm sure that some of us would be grateful if you could check in sometimes, so we know you're okay.
Eep, Pip. Stay safe, OK? And seconding Lestrade's request that if you can, it would be good to know that you're okay.
I'm guessing you're already half-way to London, gents, but have a safe journey. Not sure if I should be wishing you few or many yellow cars :-p
There aren't many yellow cars and it was raining before but now it isnt as bad and it's easier to see yellow cars again and hopefully we'll stop soon because Lestrade is yawning so he'll want coffee.
You see the evidence and deduce! Well done Sherlock!
Well-observed, Sherlock! And maybe it will stop raining enough that you and Mycroft can give the dogs a bit of a run before going on.
Are you playing anything other than yellow car during the drive?
He always wants coffee so it's not really hard to know he will.
The dogs do need to run around more but at least they aren't howling.
Ha! Very true. (About the coffee. Although, the dogs needing to run around more is ubdoubtedly very true as well.)
When is this holiday over--do you and Mycroft go back to school tomorrow, or do you have another week off?
Everyone has to go to school or work tomorrow and I want more holiday but I also want to see the tadpoles so I want to go in too.
Tadpoles are a really good reason to go to school--especially as there could have been a lot of change in a whole week. (And also the newts. :))
Are you likely to be back in time for Lestrade to watch the football this evening? I'm guessing maybe not, it's a long drive, isn't it?
Sherlock, you've probably seen these before but I can't resist posting a picture:
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m54ubsDZRn1qcbo9lo1_1280.jpg
Pip - sorry I didn't get a chance to say something earlier, but please take care of yourself. I'm sorry he's bothering you again. Let us know if we can do anything, though I know that's unlikely.
Anon - those cupcakes are amazing. I want to make them, never mind Sherlock.
I can't stay online very long, but here's a new play of the Game for you to think about along the way. Harder this time.
It's a game of toad but not frog.
It's a game of two but not seven.
It's a game of red but not yellow.
Recipe here:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Brain-Cupcakes-232941
I think the ones in the picture probably had a red glaze as well, possibly diluted strawberry jam?
I think they'd need to be served from the fridge!
Is it a game of beef but not chicken? Of shoe but not slipper?
I have to think about beef but not chicken. It is a game of shoe but not slipper, though.
It's a game of piece but not puzzle.
Lestrade says we can make the cupcakes! And he says are you talking about the Italy game? Because no we won't be home. And I can't get the new game yet.
What about pain but not hurt?
A game of comb but not brush?
I don't get the new game either. Yet. :)
(I thought I did, but then there was "red but not yellow", so I didn't.)
Lestrade is singing too loudly about a horse with no name for me to think.
Oh, I like that song!
And no one is singing here, but I still haven't figured it out yet.
That's good Sherlock, because now I reckon we're all singing about a horse with no name!
Now he's singing about more than a feeling and drumming on the steering wheel and I'm hungry for a cupcake.
Mm. Nice voice though.
And now he's singing about heaven missing angels and blowing John kisses and being really soppy
It is a game of pain but not hurt.
Mycroft I am going to say "no" for beef, but you should think about why I had to think about it, and anon, I don't think comb works either, but I'm American.
It's a game of straight but not narrow.
Sherlock is now rolling his eyes at me so hard they may stick that way...
I rather like soppy, but to each his own... :)
Sherlock, my sisters and I used to choose a word, and then we could only sing songs that had that word in the lyrics until we ran out--we'd go in turns to come up with the next song. The last person to have thought of a song with that word in it got to pick the next word.
We're listening to radio two and it's all music from the 70s and I think Lestrade likes all of them and you can listen online if you want to know what he's singing it's about smiling now.
Towed but not pulled?
Thank you, Sherlock! I can't do that right now because my mother is using my computer, but I will when she finishes.
(I like a lot of 70s music, too. I'm only a little bit older than Lestrade, so it's the music I listened to as a teenager. :))
I keep thinking I've figured out the game, except for the "red but not yellow", so I'm clearly stuck on the wrong track...
I know what you mean about red but not yellow, for all I can work out yellow not red would work better!
Is it a game of bare but not naked
Sherlock, I was mainly thinking about the Italy game, yes, but there's another game on later. I'm guessing he'll be working until after the England game tomorrow as well :-(
How's Mycroft coping with the soppy singing?
Mycroft's got a book and sometimes he asks if Lestrade can play some songs on the guitar and I want to know if my guess was right!
I want to know, too, Sherlock, because I still working on it and all data is useful, but rabidsamfan did warn us that she was busy. So we'll have to wait until she has a minute.
Woops, missed the football comments, must put glasses on!
I'm trying to root for England (trying because I'm Scottish and it is genuinely difficult to undo years of childhood indoctrination!) but they've got a bloody hard group - first game against France ffs!
It's a game of there but not then!
I'M still working on it... *sigh*
Anonymous do you think it's a game of here but not now?
I certainly do, Sherlock! Also, RR it *is* a game of red but not yellow, I finally worked it out!
Lestrade says is it a game of sun and rain but not storms, Rabidsamfan when you come back and look thank you
Of spade but not shovel?
Oh! Is it a game of blue but not green?
Bread but not butter?
Yes, it is a game of bread, blue, spade, sun, rain, here, there, bare and towed! You are all very clever!
It's a game of hail but not snow!
And right, but not correct.
So...who's going next?
I don't want to spoil anyone who is still playing, but after you've all figured it out will someone say? I still haven't a clue.
Yeah! I did it without any help at all! And we're stopping in a minute so John and Lestrade can argue about who drives and I can eat cake.
Kholly, look at the first three and then at these and maybe that will help?
It's a game of towed but not pulled.
It's a game of too but not also.
It's a game of read but not learned.
:) (For both figuring it out--faster than I did, too!--and for cake. Because cake is always happy-making!)
Kholly, if you are familiar with the Isaac Asimov short story "To the Barest", the pre-mystery discussion gives a big clue. :)
I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for the good thoughts! I'm sorry I panicked last night.
I was in contact with a mutual friend, who assured me #2 is in Iraq right now. So although I'm thankful, I also feel like a bit of a goober now for being thankful.
Anyway, I just wanted to update, and let you know I'm sorry for worrying you. I panicked, and my first instinct was to go to ground.
I'm glad you're all having a good trip back. I don't think I figured out the game, but maybe next round I'll get it!
No apologies needed, Pip--it sounds like you have plenty to panic about, based on past actions. I'm glad all is well. (Aside from the cyber-stalking.)
Completely understandable, Piplover. I'm glad a friend was able to give you that reassuring news.
And yes, this does mean we stopped. I have coffee. And a backup iced coffee, too :)
And I did hold the keys up in the air so John couldn't reach them, but he tickled me.
I think my last comment landed in spam. I think you've all figured it out. Congratulations!
Oh, and Piplover, Kholly, the only reason I got it was because Sherlock and John were reading out the clues to me. Don't think I would have if I'd been looking at the screen. If that helps.
Pip - thanks for letting us know, and I think your feelings are completely understandable.
RSF - there were a number of comments in the spam, I've fished them out.
L - you deserved it, dangling them over my head like that!
Don't think I would have if I'd been looking at the screen. If that helps.
Finally, now I get it - thanks Lestrade :-)
Pip - I think you were perfectly entitled to have a bit of a panic under the circumstances; I'm glad you can relax a bit now.
I wish I was eating cake... *wistful*
If anyone is watching, can you tell me if the scoreline changes in the Italia vs Spagna?
Ps - didn't deserve it, and happy to help, Nameless.
John says to say that you did so deserve it. Are we there yettttttttt? I'm boredddddddddddd.
It's nil-nil at 50 minutes, Lestrade.
Sherlock, how about you start one of rabidsamfan's games? Then you can tell us when we're right or wrong, which is always fun. :)
Didn't deserve it, and when we approach a mass of traffic you can't say 'yellow car' on the assumption there might be one.
Thanks Nameless.
1-0 to Italy, Di Natale scored at 60 minutes.
I just saw the game but haven't figured it out yet. In travel mode, but I'll give it a think.
Yes!
Sherlock, do you know how to play SET? There's an online game here:
http://www.nytimes.com/ref/crosswords/setpuzzle.html
It might amuse you for a few miles.
... and Spain just equalised.
Never mind, I'm slow. Is it a game of deer but not elk? Of reed but not woodwind?
... fanny.
And yes, deer and reed, I believe.
... that should have said 'damn'. Although a suppose you Americans won't mind fanny. So to speak.
"Fanny" is a woman's nickname or a euphemism for backside here. What's it mean to you lot?
Sherlock's boredom is leading to shouts of 'yellow sign! Yellow post! Yellow building!'....
Not too far to go now. I keep telling myself...
My phone ran out of battery. Who shall I blame, Sherlock?
Fanny here means vagina. Possibly general ladygarden area...
That's definitely a different meaning! *clears throat*
Blame? The phone manufacturer, obviously...
Here's a new one.
It's a game of goose, but not duck.
It's a game of fungus, but not mushroom.
It's a game of crisis, but not disaster.
Is is a game of mouse, but not cat?
That's why I said you lot probably wouldn't mind, whereas it was slighter ruder than I intended for the UK readers.
And why we find Americans talking about their fanny packs and being swatted on the fanny so amusing.
L, fanny packs are amusing even without that... :D
It's a game of mouse but not rat!
Yes it is, RR. Do you have another one?
Yes, I think you've got it, too, Anon. Do you have another example?
Syllabus, but not lesson.
Hippopotamus but not elephant.
Whisky but not vodka?
(That's politer than the first drink-related one I thought of).
Lestrade - I'm not sure which I'm more amused by, the idea that your hone think you're more likely to say fanny than damn, or the phrase "general ladygarden area".
As the resident baking expert - do you know if I can substitute grated chocolate for cocoa powder in a cake recipe without ruining it?
BTW, the match just finished at 1-1. Duck, as my phone would no doubt think I wanted to say.
Stress but not strain?
OK, new one...
It's a game of iron and tin but not gold
It's a game of den but not nest
It's a game of dream but not vision
Nameless - I was trying to be polite about something that is not my area of expertise :)
Just remember chocolate will be much sweeter and wetter than cocoa powder.
And thanks, a draw is better than a loss, so i won't get too upset.
Before going on to the next--was my second set correct, Mycroft? Because I don't think I had the same solution as DW or Nameless...
Nameless and DW: I'm afraid not.
It's a game of moose, but not elk, and a game of ox but not cow.
I didn't see it, RR; I'm sorry. Yes, it was correct.
...And I think I've made a mistake. It should be moose and elk, but not horse.
Yay! (And yeah, I believe that correction is, er, correct. :))
Mycroft is that a new game? I still haven't figured out the last one, but I'm having a very unfocused sort of day. Not conducive to thinking games.
Kholly, the hints I'm giving are for the game that I started because a lot of people haven't got it yet, but the three I gave you in the comment earlier were for the last game, the one that RSF started. And I haven't started guessing Anon's game yet. Sorry, I feel like this isn't very clear.
Wow, just ignore me. It took me so long to type that you all moved on. This is why I shouldn't even try to play today.
Lestrade, make Sherlock stop poking me!
If he doesn't stop he wont get brain cupcakes and you can sit in the front, I'll sit in the back with him and he better sit on his hands.
Every bike we pass John looks at whistfully.
Ok more clues
It's a game of cap and hat but not bonnet
It's a game of route but not root
It's a game of rut but not puddle
I'm sorry, Anon, I'm not ignoring your game, but I have to get a mess of photos uploaded for my mother before we leave for my nephew's graduation, I don't have time to play now. Maybe when we get back!
(Graduation party. The actual graduation was last week.)
Mycroft, you've got me almost stumped. Hmm. A game of thesis but not theme? A game of lotus or rose but not daffodil?
Anonymous, I'm really stumped by yours!
And Sherlock, poking people won't make the car go faster, it will just make the driver stop long enough to give you a scolding.
Mycroft, is yours a game of box, but not bag? And of class but not style?
ryo
Mycroft, Anon, you've both got me stumped. Although, I didn't get the games yesterday either, and only got RSF's today because of Lestrade's comment.
Are you guys home now?
Nameless - nearly.
Anon - sorry, i don't have a clue, and Sherlock's sulking having been told off.
It is a game of thesis, but not of rose, and Ryo, not of box or class either.
It's a game of analysis, but not examination. Of child, but not kid. Of man, but not male.
It's clearly too obscure, sorry :)
Sorry, Anon. I haven't even started on yours because I'm trying not to get mine wrong. This is harder than I thought it would be.
I am completely stumped on all of them. Just when I think I get it, I lose it again.
I think I'll just sit back and watch everyone else guess.
Mycroft, of sheep but not lamb? Or datum but not fact?
Yes, DW. I think you have it. :)
*discards theory*
*looks at "elk" and "child" and discards two more theories*
Yup, I'm stumped. Mycroft, you are going to take this game back to Harrow and really challenge them.
Anon, your game is really challenging too. I can make some of the clues fit into an idea, but the other clues pretty much put that idea out of bounds.
:D But one of the reasons I love the game is that I don't always win!
Uh...woman, but not female? Fish and possibly octopus, but not crab or clam? Oasis but not lake?
Yes, John. I think you have it too.
If is been thinking more, Mycroft, I'd have said nova and not star. Still good?
Yes, still good.
Anon, I'm not sure about yours, but maybe letter and page, but not paper?
Aha! Mycroft, referendum, but not election? Bookshelf, but not bookcase?
I have absolutely no idea, Mycroft. None.
Just like John has no idea how being away a couple of days has produced this amount of laundry.
Sorry, Mycroft
How about
Lit but not lite
Kin but not kind
Yes, Nameless, you have it!
Ah, Mycroft is it a game of bacterium but not germ? A game of antenna but not sensor?
Yes, it is, RSF. You have it.
Anon is yours a game of plus but not minus?
Mycroft yours is stupid.
Anon, tell me more clues, I have to go to bed soon and I don't want to not know what it is!
Mycroft's was clever enough to stump me for a long time.
Are the degus glad to see you, Sherlock? And did Mrs. Hudson play with them this time?
RSF, yes!
It's also a game of butter but not bread
It's a game of grin and smile but not cry
It's a game of clot but not clod
It's not stupid just because you didn't get it, Sherlock. You'll be going to bed sooner than you think if you can't be polite.
Well, Sherlock, you haven't had enough time to be as widely read as some of us, so you might need a dictionary to see the connections for Mycroft's game, but I know you can figure it out in time. I grew up in cattle country, so one of the clues felt ambiguous to me.
Anon,
Is it a game of Ben but not Fred?
a game of plan but not schedule?
If you stop sulking, Sherlock, you can have some warm milk and you need to put the degus away now, despite how excited you are to be back with them.
Don't feel too bad Sherlock. I haven't gotten any of them all day. Maybe if I were in a quieter place I'd have had a better chance. Or maybe this is just not the kind of game I'm good at.
Will you put honey in it? You should have some warm milk too Kholly, it's nice.
J & L - I'm glad to hear that this weekend went more or less okay. Although I bet it also feels good to be back home.
Mycroft - your game was really fiendish and had me stumped for ages! But I think I have it at last. Is it a game of tooth but not booth? And of nova but not star?
(I feel as though my brain is coming out of my ears - if your answer is 'No' then I know what I'll be thinking of in my meetings at work tomorrow!)
Sherlock - I was this close to giving up on it. Are you the sort of person who likes a hint when you're trying to find an elusive solution, or do you prefer to keep at it until you get it by yourself?
There can be honey, Sherlock. And maybe a banana. But you have to calm down and get ready for bed.
And I still have absolutely no clue about Mycroft's challenge. The more I read the more confused I am.
That's right, Kate!
yes banana please.
I know Mycroft's now because I made him tell me and I got RSF's from before but I still don't know Anon's at all and Lestrade says I have to put my pyjamas on now.
Thanks Sherlock. I did just make a cuppa tea. That's the closest I'll be able to get while I'm still working.
Mmm, warm milk with honey and banana. I may have to go out to the store again now. But I would have to heat my milk on the stove or in the microwave and hope I don't scald it.
I'm not sure I have anon's game either. Because if my theory is right, then it should be a game of "lite" and it isn't. I'm hoping that's just an oops, though. No... wait... that might be because I'm American and Anon is from the UK.
Anon, is it a game of far but not away?
Waiting for Sherlock in the morning,
It's a game of ton and tun but not barrel
It's a game of not and no but not yes
It's a game of boo but not ghost
M - thank goodness for that - now I can go to bed & sleep without my brain chasing its own tail trying to work it out :) I've not yet tried Anon's as I can feel my little grey cells creaking under the strain; might come back to have a stab at it tomorrow.
S - I only got RSF's after L's comment about how you & J had been reading them aloud to him. That helped (so thank you for that L!). Enjoy your warm milk & honey, & sleep well.
the hint about being "widely read" somehow tipped it over for me. assuming I'm correct, of course.
Is it a game of alumnus but not student? and a game of matrix, but not function? (Mycroft's game)
no idea still on your game, anon.
ryo
RSF, I can't think of why it would be a game of lite
If it helps anyone I'm a bit unsure about whether it should be a game of smile after all, and RSF your plus not minus was a good example.
N'night Sherlock, sleep tight.
One last clue or at least an an amplification of an earlier one
It's a game of boo and not shoe
It's a game of boo and not page
I'll tell if anyone wants me to!
I think I'm going to have to sit down and write myself a chart of each of the games and each of their clues or I'll never even have a hope. But don't let that stop anyone from telling the answers if everyone else has got it or given up.
Ryo - Mycroft says yes, it is, you've got it. :)
Everyone else - new post up with all the clues for Anon's, as we're running out of space in this one.
Anon, if my other answers are right, then it's just a question of measurement for lite. I'd give you smile, too. :D
That is, of course, if I've figured out the right rule!
(Is it a game of hone but not sharpen?)
Oh, yes, RSF, how dumb am I? It is an American vs English spelling thing. If you are American then it is indeed a game of lite and it is as you say a game of hone but not sharpen, which may be a particularly good clue for Sherlock.
Warm milk with honey sounds extremely nice, Sherlock, and I wish I could have some right now!
(I can't because I had hotdogs and hamburgers for dinner--my nephew's graduation party was a barbecue :) --and I have to wait 6 hours after eating meat before I can have dairy.)
I hope you and the degus had a lovely reunion, and that you find the tadpoles and newtlets have done some very interesting growing while you were out having a very busy and exciting holiday! (Museum-with-Mycroft, Jubilee celebrations, Scotland, mountain climbing...yep, busy and exciting. :))
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