Useless Conversation

[Yegolev]

As fascinating that that conversation track promises to be...

We are thinking that Post-Olympic London will be all cleaned up and great to visit, so a 2013 trip is a high possibility.  Now it seems that there are Olympic events out in the boonies (Glasgow, Cardiff) so I'm wondering if there would be any incentive to add that to the itinerary?  Probably we will find plenty to do in London, but I kinda liked Glasgow.  If it gets a washing, I might like it even more!

[ghost]

So Ironwood might agree with you and stick an knife in your belly all at the same time?   

I've always said that Scotland is the Kentucky of the UK.   

Serious answer-  yes.  Absolutely.  Scotland is badass.   

[Abagadro]

Oh, and JWIV, I've heard from a couple of different sources that if you flat out tell the missionaries that you are a committed atheist and not to bother you, they tend to drop you off the visitation rolls (doesn't even have to be true!). For some reason it kicks you into a different category in the record keeping. This could be apocryphal/anecdotal, but if you want a little less hassle than going through the removal process you could give that a try.

I've managed to avoid talking to anyone officially affiliated with the church for 20 years (well about my participation anyways, I talk to them all the time in my job) although I know for a fact we are assigned to some people in the ward here. We're friends with them enough to where they just don't bother.

[IainC]

So Ironwood might agree with you and stick an knife in your belly all at the same time?   

I've always said that Scotland is the Kentucky of the UK.   

Serious answer-  yes.  Absolutely.  Scotland is badass.   

Scotland is more like the Texas of the UK. Mostly empty and always talking about secession.

[Ironwood]

I wish I could disagree.

Good eating, some lovely scenery and some unique drink.  The people are also mostly nice, so it might be worth a visit as long as you don't mind changeable weather which changes from nice and sunny to Utterly Pissing Down in the space of an afternoon.

Your choice.  Bring a brolly.

[Murgos]

I liked Edinburgh, Glasgow didn't leave a great impression though mostly because we were only there part of a morning and then a very tired afternoon after hiking 20 some miles along Loch Lomand.  We did get to wander through the Necropolis for an hour or so but the Cathedral was closed that day and we were too tired to do anything that night (Sorry Ironwood).

[Ironwood]

Loch Lomand is incredible.  If you walk enough, you get to see the Loch Mess Manster.

 

[ghost]

Edinburgh castle was an awesome sight.  I didn't find the people in Edinburgh too accommodating as compared to London or other areas of England, but maybe they just didn't want to deal with drunk college kids getting the piss beaten out of them in their pubs. 

[Ingmar]

Scotland is definitely on my list, I'd like to see it for the whole 'this is where we came from' angle. Supposedly my Scots ancestors were essentially run out of the country for being criminals/bandits/cow thieves or something. I'm told there are parts of the country where you still get the evil eye for having our last name, but that sounds like typical American hurf-blurf-our-family-was-interesting-before-they-came-over bullshit to me.

[IainC]

Scotland is definitely on my list, I'd like to see it for the whole 'this is where we came from angle'. Supposedly my Scots ancestors were essentially run out of the country for being criminals/bandits/cow thieves or something. I'm told there are parts of the country where you still get the evil eye for having our last name, but that sounds like typical American hurf-blurf-our-family-was-interesting-before-they-came-over bullshit to me.

Unless your last name is Trump I doubt that you need to worry.

[Ironwood]

Scotland is definitely on my list, I'd like to see it for the whole 'this is where we came from' angle. Supposedly my Scots ancestors were essentially run out of the country for being criminals/bandits/cow thieves or something. I'm told there are parts of the country where you still get the evil eye for having our last name, but that sounds like typical American hurf-blurf-our-family-was-interesting-before-they-came-over bullshit to me.

No, that's essentially true.  We fucking hate Clan Ingmar.

[Ingmar]

Yeah honestly I don't know why we do that sort of thing here. Do other immigrant countries (Australia, say) have that whole obsession with perpetuating we're-special-honestly family stories or is that just a dumb American thing?

[Sjofn]

All I know is, Ingmar's clan almost certainly stole from my clan. So fuck that guy!

[Merusk]

     

 

[Sjofn]

 

[Ironwood]

In fairness, my Clan was stopped by Comstar at Tukkayid, so what do I know ?

[Mrbloodworth]

Original spelling of my name was "McIlwraith".

[Ingmar]

Original spelling of my name was "McIlwraith".

[Mrbloodworth]

 

[proudft]

It's ok, they can easily be defeated by Clan McPkunk.

[Abagadro]

Heh.  This is why I dig this board.

[Yegolev]

[Bunk]

Yeah honestly I don't know why we do that sort of thing here. Do other immigrant countries (Australia, say) have that whole obsession with perpetuating we're-special-honestly family stories or is that just a dumb American thing?

Who knows - trying to get anyone in my family to talk about or heritage is like pulling teeth. Most of what I know about my Grandmother's side, I learned at my Great Grandmother's funeral. My other Grandmother would never even acknowledge who her mother was (the family consensus is because she was native, and not married to my Great Grandfather).

I know I have some Scottish roots, by trying to narrow down much about the name MacDonald - yea. 

[Salamok]

Yeah honestly I don't know why we do that sort of thing here. Do other immigrant countries (Australia, say) have that whole obsession with perpetuating we're-special-honestly family stories or is that just a dumb American thing?

Pretty sure Aussies do not do this.  No one wants to hear about your high school once you've joined the frat.  Closest thing I have seen to this is the Melbournites are quick to point out that they were never a penal colony.

[Reg]

Hah, my uncle was the family historian and constantly tried to romanticize our Irish heritage. He always claimed that we were "driven out of Ireland" because we were thieves and murderers. 

I'm sure it's all nonsense but it made a good story.

[ghost]

My wife's family has a relative that was on the Mayflower that was a thief and pretty much incorrigible.  He apparently spent most of his time in the stocks. 

[Ironwood]

He should have diversified his portfolio.  Stocks can fall as well as rise.

[ghost]

These kind of stocks, you weirdo.   

[Lantyssa]

One of my grandmother's cousins tracked us back to John Alden and Priscilla Mullins.  He made barrels for the rum.

[Chimpy]

So, I am sitting in the waiting room at the VW dealer in StLouis and they have the news on. One of the big stories is that there is a fire at the Kingsfird charcoal plant about an hour away.

I chuckle a bit every time they mention it.

[WayAbvPar]

I hope someone has an emergency truckful of hot dogs en route.

[MuffinMan]

Marketing stunt.

[Ingmar]

One of my grandmother's cousins tracked us back to John Alden and Priscilla Mullins.  He made barrels for the rum.

We might be related then, my mom's side has a crapload of 1600s New Englanders that she traced back recently. Not as Irish as she thought.

[Sjofn]

See, my family got to the US very recently, big-picture-wise. My father's grandparents were all Polish immigrants (his parents both spoke Polish, my father knows like three words of it), and my mother's parents were both immigrants (one from Canada, which according to Ingmar doesn't even count, and one from Scotland). So they don't super-romanticize it. My grandfather left Scotland because he wanted to leave (he hated his father), then after he married my grandmother, they moved to the US because the US merchant marines got paid better than the Canadian ones. ~Romance~.

I don't even know why the Poles left Poland, besides the obvious "it was Poland" sort of reasoning. Honestly, the coolest thing about my ancestors from that side that I know about is my grandmother's dad ran a speakeasy and made both his daughters finish high school and go to secretarial school so they wouldn't HAVE to get married until they felt like it. Feminist. My grandmother totally took that to heart, too, she didn't get married until she was 29. Madness.

[Sky]

One of the big stories is that there is a fire at the Kingsfird charcoal plant about an hour away.

A real man would have set a forest fire.