Poor schlimiels...

Poor what?

Randy back, panting.

Shlemiel -- Yiddish term for a hapless fellow.

Shlemiel - Clumsy bungler, an inept person, butter-fingered; dopey person

Shlimazel - Luckless person. Unlucky person; one with perpetual bad luck (it is said that the shlemiel spills the soup on the shlimazel!)

http://www.pass.to/glossary/gloz3.htm#lets

Ah, hence the German word "Schlamassel." But I don't see how it applies to us. We've not been inept or butter-fingered, we've been frozen!

Yiddish is indeed a kind of low German.

In US English, shlemiel has evolved to mean any unlucky person. And I would say that anyone whose water stops running in the dead of winter is highly unlucky.

I'm not entirely sure who Oberon meant, though.

Yiddish is indeed a kind of low German.

Not exactly. German is one of the sources, but so is Herbew, and "Schlamassel" has come from Hebrew/Yiddish into German, not the other way round. There are a fair few expressions like that, though often people don't know this. Germans wish each other a "Guten Rutsch ins Neue Jahr" and generally believe they're talking about "sliding" well into the New Year. But the root of "Rutsch" is in the Hebrew "Rosh (ha shannah)" = "head of the year" =- New Year's Day.

PS: Our kindly neighbour has just offered us to come to her house for showers.

PS: Our kindly neighbour has just offered us to come to her house for showers.

That was a mitzvah! ;)

Aislynn in, still feeling unwell. I do not know what this is, but if it doesn't get better, I have to go see the doctor next week. :(

Hi, Randy, and Hi, Virtuella! I am sorry to hear about the frozen pipe. Glad that you can at least go shower at the neighbour! :)

We have no such problems here, as of yet (*knocks wood*). We will have between 10 amd fifteen degrees below zero, tonight (thats between 14 and 5 degrees F), but so far no freezing pipes, here. :)

*looks about in confusion* WTF?

Apparently, it is a sneaky fight between Clodia's Sue and her trusty retainer(s), and Inez the Evil Overlord. Who has just made Kat her minion and offered her a fine, red suit, while I was asleep and could not warn Kat about the significance of red shirts in the old Star Trek series.

Otherwise, it seems to be a slow evening, again... :(

*is in a little bit, having spent the day PANICKING TOTALLY about all the cancelled trains out of London, but nonetheless having survived the experience*

Hey, people.

Hi, Clodia! Good evening! So, you did not travel today, after all?

GREETINGS.

And I am glad to see you have handled the situation so competently, dearest Sue. Want to play foosball?

So, you did not travel today, after all?

After much shall-I-shan't-I-oh-god-they've-cancelled-another-train, I eventually travelled. And survived! and made it safely to my destination!

(My friend goes to sleep early and wakes up early. Ahaha. We were surprisingly well-matched roommates, all things considered.)

And I am glad to see you have handled the situation so competently, dearest Sue. Want to play foosball?

But of course.

And whose head is the ball?

What's foosball?

And I am glad you safely made it to your destination. :)

Er... we'll need someone with a very small head, naturally. Um.

Perhaps an eyeball would be a better bet. And I'm thinking that Supervillains really only need one eye at most. Yes?

Foosball = tabletop football/soccer if you're American.

tabletop football/soccer if you're American.

OH.

Well, that makes more sense. Uh.

*is semi-tempted to contribute the Silmaril, but... maybe not*

And I am glad you safely made it to your destination. :)

Thanks. Stressful, but oh well, I did somehow manage to book myself first class for the travelling-to-London part of it, so that was nice. :D

WE ARE NOT PLAYING FOOSBALL WITH THE SILMARIL

...because the chain would get tangled up in things.

Yeah.

No, I think Inez' eyeball will work well. The only question is: left, right, or center?

Thanks. Stressful, but oh well, I did somehow manage to book myself first class for the travelling-to-London part of it, so that was nice. :D

Was it a special offer? When I go by train, I sometimes manage to travel first class at less expense than the regular payment for second class, because the company can't sell all the tickets of First Class at the regular price and sells the remaining ones at a much lower price in special offers.

It does not make much sense, really.

...because the chain would get tangled up in things.

Well, obviously.

Also Feanor would probably claw his way out of the Void in sheer outrage, and I really don't want to have reintroducing-Feanor-to-the-unsuspecting-world on my conscious.

And which of Inez's eyeballs we use will probably depend on which one is in the best condition after being recovered from the wrong side of a collapsed mountain.

No, I think Inez' eyeball will work well. The only question is: left, right, or center?

Ewwww! *hopes Inez has a glass eye, somewhere*

FEANOR! YEAH! That's another good point. Although if I sneak into your room and take it and wear it as an earring for one glorious minute in the middle of the night, which I would never do, he might anyway. :'D

Also I suppose your pragmatism is quite right, albeit a little disappointing.

Was it a special offer?

I don't think so. I did ask for the quiet coach, though, and that turned out to be first class, so... maybe that was it? No idea, it surprised me.

And train tickets make very little sense. They rationalised the system last year -- so now, of course, fewer options are available and for some reason it's all got even more expensive. I'm sure no one could have seen that coming. *rolls eyes*

URCHIN, IF YOU MANAGE TO RETURN FEANOR TO THE WORLD, WE WILL BE HAVING WORDS.

You know my opinion on Feanor and the Feanorions. :'D

Also, I'm glad you agree with my pragmatic approach! If it's any consolation, I have a whole bagful of interesting designs for peculiar weaponry and so on -- wanna look?

Well, it's a good thing I shall certainly attempt nothing of the kind, isn't it? Dear me. Yes. That would be practically villainous behavior, all things considered.

YES.

Erm, what is wrong with returning Feanor to the world? Other than it might interfere with you keeping the Silmaril, of course?

Mr. Clodia, and by extension Mr. Clodia's Sue, is Not Fond of Feanorions.

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