I'm opening the grotto early

[TrogL]

Sorry, no cabana boys or girls, they don't get here 'til later.

It's kinda dark in here 'cause I don't know where the switches are (update found them), but the hot tubs are hot and I broke into the bar so the drinks are wet.

Where the hell is everybody?

[leftist_rebel1569]

1. uhhh....actually,

I think you just opened it an hour late...I think it's supposed to open around 10 EDT?

Eh, who cares...I need a back massage, school sucks...any takers?

[TrogL]

2. I can do that

just lean back and relax :evilgrin:

[TrogL]

3. found the cabana girls and boys

messin' around in the parking lot (naughty naughty)

We'll have this place up and running in a few minutes.

Anybody know where the Tabasco sauce is?

[VelmaD]

4. Thanks Trog...

sorry short bus and I haven't been around much the last few days to do the Grotto thing. You can pick up your check on the 1st of next month over in payroll. (It's in the back between the Dungeon and the ladies restroom.)

Things have been a bit hectic here what with my parents visitng and the Will Pitt stuff here in Austin. But maybe life has slowed down for a bit and I will be around a little more.

I'm exhausted - haven't slept in days - so y'all have fun tonight and I'll see you all tomorrow. I promise to be a better hostess once I've had a little sleep. :-)

Darth Velma

[TrogL]

5. Did you want me to tuck you in?

:evilgrin:

[Aristus]

6. Coffee and doughnuts are now being served in the Grotto!

Must have been a slow night last night. Place is pretty clean.

Well, whether you spent some time in the warm wet embrace of the Grotto last night, or sought your entertainment elsewhere, I'm here to make your morning a little brighter. Or at least a little more sugary.

I have the finest dark aromatic Arabica coffee, steaming hot. And a selection of eclairs that would make a French pastry chef weep with pride.

Also, for you morning tipplers.......Irish cream! Have fun!

:donut: :donut: :donut: :donut:

[VelmaD]

7. Mmm...eclairs...

Not sure who's gonna enjoy this more...me eating them or you watching me do it. ;-)

DV

[Aristus]

8. *gulp*

Okay, Vel. Exactly HOW do you eat eclairs?

Feeling rested at all? You HAVE been busy lately, haven't you? I enjoyed our chat yesterday; let's talk.

[VelmaD]

9. I really tried...

to get to bed early last night but it just didn't work out. Had one of those nights where the body was exhausted but I just couldn't get the brain to shut up long enough to go to sleep. *enormouw yawn*

Gee honey, I wonder what eating an eclair could possibly remind a boy of. *rolls eyes* ;-)

Anyway, whaddya wanta yack about today? I may be too tired to tell anybody no today so ask me anything. :-)

[Aristus]

10. Tell me about Austin.

Last time I was there was in 1981 for a wedding at the Driskill Hotel.

Is the city a bastion of (relative) liberalism in a sea of B*sh-worship? What kind of arts community to you have there? Where are the good places to eat and drink?

[VelmaD]

11. Well...

yes Austin is a bastion of liberalism in a sea of Bush worship. Ok, maybe it isn't quite that bad. There are other pockets of resistance in TX. It's just that it's a lot easier to be a liberal in Austin than anywhere else. I mean hell, our city motto right now is "Keep Austin Weird". :-)

I'm not really into the arts community but we are the "Live Music Capital of the World". Hee. You can always catch a good band here. And there's been a lot of public space art it seems like this summer. Somebody went around painting summery pics on a lot of the intersections near downtown. Ice cream cones and watermelons - it was all too cute and makes me smile every time I pass one of them.

As for good places to eat - too damn many to list them all. I love Chuy's for mexican food. Their queso rocks. Mekong River for Thai and Vietnamese. Scholtz's, Ruby's, Stubb's, and Salt Lick for barbq. And there's an amazing local pizza place called Saccone's - yumm. And Marble Slab Creamery makes some of the best ice cream you'll ever put in your mouth.

I'm not much of a bar hopper but I did learn about two new places over the last couple of days. Mother Egan's and The Dog and Duck were both lovely pubs. The stuffed jalapenos at Dog and Duck were quite good.

I'm a country girl at heart but I do like living in Austin. People leave you alone to live your life for the most part. And it's fun to be here where I can keep an eye on the legislature. I got to go testify on redistricting 3 or 4 times and may do so again if I can this week. Wouldn't be able to do that if I didn't live here.

Ok. Your turn. Tell me about your current location. :-)

[Aristus]

12. Well, my guided tour yesterday pretty much sums it up.

Puyallup is the anti-Austin: a stagnant pool of reich-wingnuts in a sea of Birkenstock-wearing, tree-hugging liberals. There are probably just as many pickup trucks with Bush\Cheney stickers on them per capita here as in Texas. I used to live in Tacoma. Tacoma is a working-class town still shrugging off the label of Seattle's unattractive, unpopular little brother. Not true, though. Tacoma has a booming arts scene, including professional and community theater without parallel.

There is tremendous cultural diversity in Tacoma, with solid communities of Russians, Vietnamese, Chinese, African and Hispanics. The west end of South Tacoma Way is called "Little Korea" bcause of the multitude of shops, businesses and restaurants catering to the Korean-American community.

Politically, Tacoma leans just slightly to the left, and is very pro-union. I'd still live there if I hadn't got such a damn good deal on a house here in Puyallup.

[VelmaD]

13. You live in...

"a stagnant pool of reich-wing nuts" and yet you still have 4 Starbuck's (and that's just the ones I know about from yesterday's little tour). Wowee. *snort*

Anyway, anything else you wanta know? (See Velma avoid working) :-)

Oh, and pass me another eclair wouldya. This one was good but I've just about sucked all the filling out. ;-)

[Aristus]

17. h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-hOh boy! Um...............just a sec..................

Okay, here's another eclair for you, Vel. That was UNFAIR! :-)

I'm tryin' ta be good!

*eclair, on a silver salver engraved with 'DU Grotto'*

Starbuck's may have a 'green' rep, but believe me, they are just another ultra-super-mega-giganto-corporation looking to take over the world, one neighborhood at a time. Tacoma used to have the neatest little coffee crash-house called "Temple of the Bean" Really low-rent, sub-Salvation Army decor, but wonderful coffee and company. You could see tattoos of every kind there, and hair of every color of the rainbow. Great bohemian hangout. Gone, thanks to Starbuck's.

[VelmaD]

19. I'm sorry...

I'll be good. Promise. Cross my heart.

*licks chocolate frosting off lips and proceeds to suck the filling out of yet another eclair* :evilgrin:

And yes, Starbuck's is evil. It's the Wal-Mart of coffee shops. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting one around here either. Blah.

[Aristus]

22. Yeah right, you'll be good.

I noticed you edited something. You temptress, you. Probably something really 'cattivo'.

*ahem* Okay, onward! If Starbuck's and Wal-Mart got hit with a few more dead cats, they might tone down the 'take over the world' program.

How's this? Two of the Starbuck's here in Puyallup are right across the street from each other! How much sense does that make? Wouldn't one of them lose money? Making the building of the store a moot point?

*shakes head*

[VelmaD]

23. Nope, just edited for spelling...

swear to gawd.

Re: "Yeah right, you'll be good". Was that a snarky expression of disbelief or an order? ;-)

Have you been throwing dead cats at Wal-Mart? 'Cause if you have I wanta play too.

[Aristus]

24. Both.

I'm not leery of ordering you around if I need to. ;-)

(dang woman! Gotta teach 'er s'm ruh-spayect!) *Texas accent*

Seriously though. At one time, Montgomery Ward, Gimbel's and other retailers were the tops in the business. Now, they're gone. Nothing lasts forever. How can we topple Wal-Mart and other 'big box' stores? Or are we on an irreversible track to total corporate domination?

[VelmaD]

26. I know...I'm mouthy

Was a lot easier to get respect before you eschewed that paddle. ;-)

My solution is to go blow them up. (Really, just joking Mr. Ashcroft...really ;-).) Seriously, my solution is not to shop at Wal-Mart unless I absolutely have to and I rarely "have to". I do go to Target a lot just so they have some competition.

[Aristus]

28. Well, I can always order someone else to paddle you.

;-) :-) :D :P


I never shop at Wal-Mart,and I'm holding true on my boycott of Borders Books and music, too. Power to the people!

[VelmaD]

30. Go for it.

You gonna holler at me in German while they do it? ;-)

Boycotting bookstores is getting harder as all the little bookstores get run out of business. *sigh*

[Aristus]

31. Shop at Alibris.

They outsource a lot of their book searches to little Mom and Pop bookstores, so I buy a lot of stuff from them. Help support the small business people! I love Alibris! Dieses website hat mir sehr gern! :-)

[VelmaD]

33. Cool.

They got a website or anything?

So, translation? Was that "visit their website" or "want me to send you my favorite porn website"?

[Aristus]

40. No. It simply says, "I like this website very much!"

You ought to check it out. I love it. They also sell music and movies, too.

[VelmaD]

43. This isn't nearly as much fun...

as the German lessone used to be. *pout*

[Aristus]

45. Tut mir leid, schatz. Ich muss ganz sauber bleiben.

I'm sorry, sweetie. I have to keep it clean from now on. God, I guess sex aside, I'm really a dull guy. Shucks.

[VelmaD]

48. I was just...

yanking your chain honey. ;-)

Believe it or not even I have interests outside of having my ass smacked.

[Aristus]

49. Right.

That's not what sbp and TrogL say. ;-)

[VelmaD]

52. yeah...well...

I suppose they would know. *sigh*

I'm such a slut. :-)

[Aristus]

54. Well, we all need love.

I remember sowing my wild oats. The good times make up for the bad times, but the bad times make me glad I'm married now. God, the interpersonal minefields we tiptoe through just to get some warmth and affection from another human being!

'Will she....?'

'If he.......?'

Being single can be brutal. Wear a cup.

[VelmaD]

56. I'm lucky...

I have several friends I've known for years who are always there when I need warmth and affection from another human being.

I'm actually enjoying being single again. The ex was boring and I lived a quiet little life with him. Not doing that any more. I opened myself back up to meeting people and the universe has seen fit to add all sorts of interesting to my life.

But trust me, I use protection. ;-)

[GOPisEvil]

34. Hey - need a copy of Will's War In Iraq?

We dropped by Book People yesterday, and he signed their 3 remaining copies. :7

The lemon-blueberry coffee cake was good too! Independent book stores rule! :thumbsup:

edit - emoticon stupid!

[VelmaD]

36. Yes I do need a copy

I'm buying his first 2 books as a birthday present to myself. Have to snag myself a signed copy. Shoulda done that while I had him handy. *smacks self on forehead*

[GOPisEvil]

37. They said they would order a few more "Sedition" copies too.

They sold THE ONE they ordered. :eyes:

[TrogL]

14. Sounds like Edmonton when I go there to visit

It's a vibrant, liberal city (with plenty of arts) in a vast sea of redneck, slack-jawed Freepers.

They're just spending 2 million dollars to rebuild the city square to better host jazz and other music festivals. The arts barns (transit sheds converted to theater space) just got an uplift.

Dianne Bish (of the Joy of Music) visited recently and said Edmonton has one of the finest concert spaces and pipe organs in the world.

[TrogL]

15. could we turn the heat up?

It got kinda chilly last night.

*puts his towel down on a bar stool*

Coffee please, with Irish Creme.

[VelmaD]

16. Well, if you'd wear something...

under that towel you might not be so cold honey. ;-)

This is not a complaint mind you ;-)...merely an observation.

[TrogL]

20. Sorry, personal policy

Nothin' but a sittin' towel and a smile for me in the grotto.

[VelmaD]

21. That's fine honey...

but it means you've got 3 options for dealing with the cold.

1. Suffer
2. Bribe the Grotto manager to turn up the heat ;-)
3. Do something to generate body heat :evilgrin:

[TrogL]

25. and what would be an acceptable bribe?

:evilgrin:

[VelmaD]

27. Take your pick...

money, alcohol, sex, chocolate...

I'm easy. ;-)

[TrogL]

39. hmm, let's see

*balances liqueure chocolates on his whatsit*

[VelmaD]

42. Wow...

you can do that? That takes talent. I'm impressed.

*snap snap* Manuel...turn up the heat in this joint. I'm getting all goose-bumpy. ;-)

[TrogL]

44. Too late

*sneezes* *coughs* *sneezes*

I caughb a colb.

[VelmaD]

46. Poor sick baby...

come curl up under the blankie with me. We'll work the honey, lemon, and whiskey cure on ya...heavy on the whiskey. ;-)

[Aristus]

47. *snap-snap* Mattias, bitte, kommen Sie hierher!

Whiskey for the sick man, please. You wanna nice blend or are you a single-malt kind of guy?

[TrogL]

50. Brandy for me

Where's a St. Bernard when you need one.

*is getting tipsy*

[Aristus]

51. Okay, first Irish Cream, then Brandy?

Sounds like you're headin' for a mid-day mixed-liquor bender, Trog. That's baaaaaaad news!

[VelmaD]

53. Maybe it'll work though...

gotta sterilize him from the inside out. Kill all those nasty cold germs.

[TrogL]

55. *sneeze* huh? wha?

pash the branby *cough*

[Aristus]

18. Coffee with Irish Cream for my friend TrogL.

Here y'go.

:donut:

And put that towel back on. Yer willie is gettin' chilly!

[short bus president]

29. good morning, all!

And thanks, TrogL, for opening the joint last night. I've been busily preparing for Isabel, who now appears to be screaming "BENT OAFER!" in my ear with increasing ferocity.

Just don't let the house blow away with me in it. That's all I ask.

And, er... anyone got a cup of coffee and a fresh Krispy Kreme (aka "Lard Lad") glazed for me? I need sugar and go-juice.

[VelmaD]

32. Good Morning Sunshine

Come cuddle up with me and we'll eat eclairs and torment Aristus. :evilgrin:

You can scream "BENT OAFER" in my ear if you wanta. ;-)

[short bus president]

35. Hrm... a shortbus sandwich

btwn. Deevee and Furious Isabel... I'd have chosen a better third for us if I could've hon. ;-)

[VelmaD]

38. I'm almost scared...

to contemplate who you have in mind.

But I'm thrilled you've finally now agreed publicly to a 3some. And I have witnesses and everything. ;-)

[Aristus]

41. Okay, I'm back! My stepson was hanging around, and wanted

to use the computer. What did I miss?