Sypher - I sent a PM to you with a topic suggestion. Hope you like it.

I'm so sorry, Baglady - after asking the question, I got caught on the phone, followed by some visitors, followed by my scheduling of my nervous breakdown - 6 p.m. next Tuesday - I'll be serving Bloody Marys and everyone's invited. Bahama Mamas too - my husband thinks that should be my signature drink.
Anyway, after partsdude, I'll sneak in quick...where there's a likely spot!

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Sieze the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart.
Erma Bombeck

lol, you're forgiven, Mama. Like Ashleigh Brilliant says, "I waited and waited, and, when no message came, I knew it must be from you."

As far as next Tuesday @ 6p.m., you can definitely count me in...but why don't we have a couple of these:

Nervous Breakdown

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz Vodka
- 1 oz Chambord
- 1 splash(es) Soda Water

Directions/Comments: In a shaker with ice, pour shot of vodka, half shot of Chambord. Strain into a martini glass, splash with soda.

BL

As with all challenges....The challenged entry must be defended by the player who is being challenged...in this cas JoJo. If she does not defend her entry then you will be given the 10 points.

Sypher, I sent a PM to you with links to sites that provide information regarding the following:

* Circus Human Design: Acrobatic hand balancing
* Circus Variety Acts: Acrobatic Hand Balancing

I forgot to congratulate BrideLady on her powerful wins. BrideLady, you are a steamroller baby!! LOL

Good defence JoJo - though just because something appears on a website doesn't mean it's correct!

However, I know when to give in gracefully (even though I still can't envisage a form of hand balancing that isn't acrobatic).

Anyway there's your extra 10 points as arranged to give you a fighting chance this week. Do you think I over-did the bit about the "ruthless Snake player"?

PS: Thanks for the vodka - much appreciated!

Sounds great Baglady!!!! I'm ready. My boss is in the hospital, her boss is in NYC with his boss for analyst presentations, and I'm holding down the fort in the face of year end budget announcements and dividend releases. Just make 'em strong and keep 'em comin'!!!!

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Sieze the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart.
Erma Bombeck

JJ's entry is valid as the sites do defend her claim....WTG JJ...

HOO ROO!! I'm so hippity hop happy, I think I will do a hand stand for you right now!!

*grunt* ughhhhh! Oh no!! I think I need some help here, I'm not doing so good. lol! Oh well, my dreams of being a circus performer just went down the drain. Anyway, drinks are on me!

I've got an idea: When the subject for the week is a woolly one, how about going for the less is more concept? The person with the fewest points at the end of the week is the winner. This might put an end to the current torturing of the English language.
Say the topic was Things on a Building Site, then brick would be scored higher than baked clay construction component, and gravitationally-challenged construction workers' nether garment phenomenon would be rated lower than builders' bum. Challenge points would work in reverse as minus values, and points would be deducted for using Q,X,Y and Z.

On the subject of those particular letters, how about removing Y from the list? Lots of words end in Y although very few begin with it, which has accounted for the assault on the word yellow this week. Yellow has been subjected to such frequent and systematic abuse that it has now been placed on the "At Risk" Register!

What do others think? Is this a totally naff idea, a brainwave or somewhere in between? Would it cause an increase or reduction in the number of challenges? Would that be a good or a bad thing?

somall--it's an interesting idea. We have played some games in the past where the player with the lowest score wins. With topics that are sort of amorphous and which don't depend on verified Web sites, that's probably the best way to go--either that, or limiting the entry to a single word.
I agree with you--the English language is being murdered this week

I am NOT challenging Mama's Ringling Brothers on the grounds that it is a plural... that would be silly don't you think? It is a bit daft to post 'Ringling Brother', but don't anyone dare challenge my entry of Rippel brothers either... although I guess CB can go from the 'R', right?

Oh, go on, ren. You know you are dying to challenge Mama's entry of Ringling BrotherS Besides, it would be a little difficult to see THEM in a circus these days, wouldn't it? Are they still alive?
I did use your "R" because you amended your post.

This game is reminding me of the past Presidential election in Florida. What's valid and what's being counted is varying all over the place .

[This message has been edited by chelseabelle (edited 02-08-2001).]

But it's all the fun of the fair !!

Al Gore didn't find it funny.

Sypher, what about Mama's "Ringling Brothers" entry. Is that not a plural? Shy, quiet, demure, ren whispered it so softly I don't think you heard her.

And, Sypher, since you ruled out the word "performance" earlier this week (in one of ren's entries), how does that affect BagLady's entry of today? Without the word "performance", her entry doesn't make sense.

Baglady's entry is valid without the word 'performance' and it will be scored as such, just like Ren's entry at the start of the week.

I can't wait for this week to be over and pick a nice easy topic....Phewwwww !!

Sypher...I guess I'm missing something here. You said earlier that ""Any ACTION words or Unnessacery Decriptive words will count as INVALID."

I'm really curious how the word 'performance' constitutes either an action word or an unnecessarily descriptive word in my entry. (Any more than it did in Ren's earlier entry) The entry of 'Equestrian bareback performance' is an EVENT that takes place at the circus....and a popular one, too, as I recall.

Thanks in advance for your explanation.

BL

[This message has been edited by BagLady (edited 02-08-2001).]

I have to say that my scoring this week has been rubbish....just when I thought nothing else could go wrong, something else crops up !! Bloody typical

Anyway, after reviewing Ren's entry on Tuesday and Baglad's entry today, I will have to allow the word 'performance' as it is an act you see in the circus. Therefore it is something you find in a circus. When I disallowed Ren's entry, all I could see was the object and not the act, but with Baglady's entry...you can see the entry relates to the act. Both entries will be allowed and I apologise to everyone about my scoring this week...

Sypher, the problem is the topic--it's just too vague--that's what has made the scoring difficult.

I would stick to your earlier decision not to allow "performance" as a valid part of an entry. BagLady used it AFTER you said it was invalid--(and I do not recall BL earlier arguing that ren's use of the word should have been valid). Suppose others also wanted to use the term "performance", but they didn't because you had already said it was invalid. Almost every entry in this game could have "performance" tacked on after it. "Performance" is really an irrelevant term. I don't think the word should count.

The way this game has been going I really don't care if you disregard all the scores. I don't care whether I win. As far as I am concerned, we can stop scoring right now--and just finish playing the game in a spirit of fun--without any scores.

Hell, my system froze and I missed my time slot.

and you were doing so well JJ.....better luck next week !!

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...and I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues !!

Can I just ask a quick question on time slots?

If you just miss the end of your slot because your computer's playing up, is it still ok to post provided the next person hasn't done so yet?

Not really...considering the other person would have been searching for ages for thier word.

On the other hand...if no-one is straight after you on the time-slot you could post, as long as you post in the SnakeTalk thread explaining the slip-up !!

Basically, if you pc breaks down or your ISP is playing up...just inform the person before the time-slot you want to post and ask if it is ok to go then...so they will not be surprised.

Hope that helps !!

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...and I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues !!

LOL, Sypher.....At the risk of sounding like Al Gore or his crybaby mouthpiece David Boise, who just wouldn't let go of the U.S. election debacle, I'd just like to point out that with the possible, (maybe), exception of 1 or 2 other entries, the word performance is perfectly legitimate, is not "an irrelevant term", and can't be added to the majority of the other entries and make any sense at all. (They're either 3 words already or just plain doesn't fit)

I didn't object earlier in the week about performance being invalidated in Ren's 'Revolving Platform Performance' entry, as at the time I thought it was a legitimate call, i.e., the revolving platform can't perform. However, in my case, the 'performance' IS the equestrian bareback riding.

Just adding my two cents into the fray.

Have a much-deserved relaxing weekend!

BL

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Every great oak tree was once a nut that stood its ground.