Holiday Comments Section

[Just Old Al]

And all it took was a look under the bonnet.

Decisions have hinged on smaller things than a logo or a random comment.

[Warrl]

And all it took was a look under the bonnet.

Yeah - that's generally more informative than looking in the boot.

(deposits a gift certificate from a western-wear store in the pun jar)

[lake_wrangler]

And all it took was a look under the bonnet.

Yeah - that's generally more informative than looking in the boot.

(deposits a gift certificate from a western-wear store in the pun jar)

Whose hat did Al look under? And why would looking at footwear make any difference? I thought he was into cars, not a clothing aficionado...

Meanwhile...
So, should Al feel privileged, to have been the first to receive a whipped cream chaser, after his pie?

[Just Old Al]

Meanwhile...
So, should Al feel privileged, to have been the first to receive a whipped cream chaser, after his pie?

Hey - if one can truly inspire people it's an honour...

[lake_wrangler]

I also have to add that I am quite impressed with the resolution to this situation. It does not feel contrived in the least. It's nice to see that while Al may have felt the need to needle the pump guy a little (pointing out the logo specifically), he didn't go out of his way to prove anything or embarrass anyone, and the pump guy had enough of a good head on his shoulders to figure it out.

And like Ialin said, it took a lot of courage for the mayor, the sheriff, and his deputy, to come out and make things right, rather than let things slide and hope no one ever speaks of it again... They panicked, but they're not dumb. Sounds like a decent amount of character and fortitude in this bunch, after all. When they're not in panic mode, that is...

It's also interesting to see that the notification on the plate turned out to be a double-edged sword, after all. It got him help in New Hampshire, and got him coffeed, pied, and whipped creamed in Lockehaven...

[lake_wrangler]

One thing kept bugging me, but I couldn't quite figure out the fix at first, so I didn't mention anything... Until now. You see, I already read the Engineered Solution post twice... The first time, when I came across the second introductions

"M'sieur-"

"Al, please. Mister in any language isn't my favorite word - I work for a living."

"Bien sur. Je suis Armand, et les autres sont Andrew et James."

it jumped at me and grabbed me, shaking my sensibilities silly ( )

That sentence is, as far as I can tell, a literal translation of "I'm Armand, and the others are Andrew and James." It doesn't quite work, in French. But I couldn't quite get the right fix: "Je m'appelle Armand, et ils s'appellent Andrew et James" would be right, but they already introduced themselves a few paragraphs back. You could also say "Moi, c'est Armand, et eux, ce sont Andrew et James.", in a more colloquial tone. Then again, if they speak French in Nova Scotia, they are most likely of Acadian descent, so they could be saying it differently. For instance, I learned a few months ago that Acadians will say "paré", instead of "prêt" (ready). So who knows. So, I left it alone for now.

It was only once I was on the "throne" that the answer came to me (never let it be said that the bathroom is not a place of inspiration for men... )
It occurred to me that they are replying to Al's "just Al, not sir" comment. Consequently, instead of saying "I'm Armand, and the others are Andrew and James.", they should probably say something like "in that case, call me Armand, and you can call them Andrew and James."

So, the equivalent in French would be as such:

"Bien sûr. Dans ce cas-là, appelez-moi Armand, et vous pouvez les appeler Andrew et James."

(Notice the accent on the 'u' of 'sûr'... )



Of course, I hope you read this post in the spirit in which it was written: my small contribution to making an already excellent text even better.

[lake_wrangler]

Oh, and I can definitely see the wisdom in keeping the comments separate...

[Sgt. Howard]

One thing kept bugging me, but I couldn't quite figure out the fix at first, so I didn't mention anything... Until now. You see, I already read the Engineered Solution post twice... The first time, when I came across the second introductions

"M'sieur-"

"Al, please. Mister in any language isn't my favorite word - I work for a living."

"Bien sur. Je suis Armand, et les autres sont Andrew et James."

it jumped at me and grabbed me, shaking my sensibilities silly ( )

That sentence is, as far as I can tell, a literal translation of "I'm Armand, and the others are Andrew and James." It doesn't quite work, in French. But I couldn't quite get the right fix: "Je m'appelle Armand, et ils s'appellent Andrew et James" would be right, but they already introduced themselves a few paragraphs back. You could also say "Moi, c'est Armand, et eux, ce sont Andrew et James.", in a more colloquial tone. Then again, if they speak French in Nova Scotia, they are most likely of Acadian descent, so they could be saying it differently. For instance, I learned a few months ago that Acadians will say "paré", instead of "prêt" (ready). So who knows. So, I left it alone for now.

It was only once I was on the "throne" that the answer came to me (never let it be said that the bathroom is not a place of inspiration for men... )
It occurred to me that they are replying to Al's "just Al, not sir" comment. Consequently, instead of saying "I'm Armand, and the others are Andrew and James.", they should probably say something like "in that case, call me Armand, and you can call them Andrew and James."

So, the equivalent in French would be as such:

"Bien sûr. Dans ce cas-là, appelez-moi Armand, et vous pouvez les appeler Andrew et James."

(Notice the accent on the 'u' of 'sûr'... )



Of course, I hope you read this post in the spirit in which it was written: my small contribution to making an already excellent text even better.

You have an amazing skill at grooming- I have often appreciated you keeping names straight for me

[lake_wrangler]

You have an amazing skill at grooming- I have often appreciated you keeping names straight for me

Well, I do have a confession to make:
There have been a number of instances where I caught some typos, but didn't say anything... Mostly because I was so caught up in reading whatever instalment I was reading, that I would forget to go back and point out those typos afterwards...
And yes, we're talking about stuff that's obviously a typo, but not necessarily easy to spot, and not just some unclear text, or anything like that. You guys are churning out some first-rate stuff, here.

[jwhouk]

Of course, that means that Glytch is going to get cream pie'd when he gets home...

[lake_wrangler]

Of course, that means that Glytch is going to get cream pie'd when he gets home...

Why? Is he the one who advised Al on the French stuff?

Oh, you mean Glytch the character, not Glytch the author... Of course: the double-edged sword of the Tag Notification...

[GlytchMeister]

Of course, that means that Glytch is going to get cream pie'd when he gets home...

*awkward cough*

About a decade of Internet citizenship and occasionally being stuck listening to people's raunchy jokes has forever made my mind irrecoverably dirty.

I sincerely hope you didn't know about the double entendre in there when you wrote that...

[Sgt. Howard]

Meanwhile...
So, should Al feel privileged, to have been the first to receive a whipped cream chaser, after his pie?

Hey - if one can truly inspire people it's an honour...

I can soooo play with that...

[Just Old Al]

Of course, that means that Glytch is going to get cream pie'd when he gets home...

*awkward cough*
I sincerely hope you didn't know about the double entendre in there when you wrote that...

Uhhhhh, no. Al likes Glytch, but not that way...Nooooo, not at all.

[jwhouk]

Nope. Not in my mind. At all.



o:)

[Dave]

With that, the two trotted off down the path, both happy to be out and have someone to share it with.

I won't say it.

Very much enjoying the story. Curious as to how many other para species (aside from centaurs and ursamorphs) might have colonized that part of Canada. Might there be mer-folk or selkies among the fishing families?

Pretty much all of the "canon" look at paras in a human society has been in a big-city environment. I imagine that the Masquerade would usually be harder to pull off in a small-town-and-village environment... as the mayor acknowledges.

cf the novel "Changer" and the difficulty that Sasquatches, Yetis, and other folks like that would have in interacting with mundane society. If they can't form-change and pass as humans, they have to live in concealment and interact only at a distance... Internet chats and email, snail-mail and Amazon purchases, and so forth.

[FreeFlier]

And, BTW, if that scene at the diner is subtle . . . I'd hate to see them being unsubtle!

--FreeFlier

[Just Old Al]

With that, the two trotted off down the path, both happy to be out and have someone to share it with.

I won't say it.

[Just Old Al]

And, BTW, if that scene at the diner is subtle . . . I'd hate to see them being unsubtle!

--FreeFlier

For Mavis, that's subtle. Also, as was revealed later, that's not the first time she's done that to someone. The whipped-cream chaser, however, was all new.

Alan

[jwhouk]

And here I am dealing with centaurs in horse racing, the paranormal equivalent of Formula 1...