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Off on holiday~

Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 9:24 pm
by Sugami
Tomorrow I'll be leaving for America and I'll be touring some of the west coast for 16 days so you won't hear much from me in a while :)

{Excitement!}

Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 9:26 pm
by Keavy
So if I see a gray-haired catgirl with a British accent should I wave?

Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 9:37 pm
by Eviticus
Mid west is where it's at, fo rizzle.

Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 11:40 pm
by Ambrey
Eviticus wrote:Mid west is where it's at, fo rizzle.
Nothing like seeing corn as far as the eye can see :P I live in Illinois too Evit. :D

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 3:59 am
by Fiye
Come to Vegas....

Self explanatory.

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 5:15 pm
by Alya Mizar (Tsybil)
Ambrey wrote:
Eviticus wrote:Mid west is where it's at, fo rizzle.
Nothing like seeing corn as far as the eye can see :P I live in Illinois too Evit. :D
For me the midwest and the far west exist only to give added travel time between the coasts, the only interesting parts of the country.

I might make an exception for Chicago, but Kansas and Texas have GOT to go.

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 6:19 pm
by Keavy
I agree, we could do without Texas and Kansas hasn't released a decent album in years.

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 9:11 pm
by Eviticus
"It's not windy in Colorado, Kansas Sucks!"

But really, I live in the St.Louis metro area. It's the only thing that's -not- corn as far as the eye can see for a few hundred miles in any direction.

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 9:25 pm
by Pheonixhawk
Enjoy your trip kitty. :D

Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 1:04 am
by Okuza
I swear that food quality is inversely proportional to your distance from a coast. Midwest? <shudder>

Then again, isn't Sugami Brittish? ^~

Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 4:21 am
by Alya Mizar (Tsybil)
Eviticus wrote:"It's not windy in Colorado, Kansas Sucks!"

But really, I live in the St.Louis metro area. It's the only thing that's -not- corn as far as the eye can see for a few hundred miles in any direction.
Way too true. Both statements.
Okuza wrote:I swear that food quality is inversely proportional to your distance from a coast. Midwest? <shudder>

Then again, isn't Sugami Brittish? ^~
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

And true on midwest food. But what they do to coffee is worse.

Besides they don't ruin food in the midwest the same way they do in England.

And don't tell anyone I ever said this but there are some things that they cook well in the British isles. Hagis, however, is not among them.

Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 4:22 am
by ScarlettPheonix
I agree, especially Seafood. I learned right quick when I first arrived in Texas that eating seafood = not pleasant when you're 400+ miles from the nearest seacoast.

Enjoy Sug! Take lots of pics and share them when you get back^^

Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 5:07 pm
by Eviticus
Hey-hey-hey. That's -only- true for seafood. My county happens to be the largest producer of Horseradish in the world. We export more of it to Germany and Japan then you'd believe.

And ironicly enough, they turn that horseradish into sauces and pastes and ship it right back to the US. >.> Funny, that.

Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 4:15 pm
by Sugami
Buenos dias, c*ckbites. I'm back!

I mainly visited LA, Vegas, San Fran, Grand Canyon and Yosemite with small stops inbetween them.

I stayed at the Stratosphere in Vegas for those of you who know the strip :P I went up and ate lunch "at the top of the world" (revolving restaurant) but I didn't go on the rides because heights scare the bejesus out of me :P

Sorry no pics :P
1) I don't have a camera
2) I don't like having my picture taken
3) No way in hell I'd put my picture on the net :P
However my bro took a few scenic ones, I may post a few of them if I can be bothered.

Hey I object to the food comment! We have great food over here, just happens that most of it is Chinese or Italian or something :P Can get a good steak from a nice restaurant.
I ate in a famous steakhouse in the middle of nowhere, it has a slide... ring any bells? Good steak :D I also ate onboat the Tahoe Queen on Lake Tahoe and that was pretty bad :oops:
Food was hit or miss really. Denny's did a good steak too :)

P.S. your currency sucks! All your coins look almost identical and you have nothing higher than 25 cents! Also pennies are useless! I left them piled up in the hotels :P

Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 5:12 pm
by Keavy
Sugami wrote:Also pennies are useless! I left them piled up in the hotels :P
Just as a note: I hope you didn't leave them there while you were staying at the hotel. If the maids found them they might have assumed that was their tip. Leaving pennies as a tip is viewed as an insult. One penny means that you found the service absolutely horrid.

Oh, and there are 50 cent and dollar coins but no one uses them. And no, 50 Cent is not on the 50 cent piece. If he was, they might get more use.

Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 5:22 pm
by ScarlettPheonix
They do look different. A bit anyway- well, ok no they don't- but they are different sizes! :lol:

Some cities are actually promoting the use of the Sacajawea (I know I probably spelt that all wrong) dollar coins- at least in NE somewhat- Boston in particular uses them as the change from their Charlie ticket machines for the T system.


Welcome back :D

Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 6:55 pm
by Alya Mizar (Tsybil)
The only time I see our 1/2 dollar coins or our 2 dollar bills is when I get them as change from our local ferry system.

American pennies are a joke, but the Republicans don't want to admit we have had any inflation since WWII, so we continue to mint pennies and print $1 bills.
Food was hit or miss really. Denny's did a good steak too


:shock: DENNY'S??? :shock: :o The steaks in England must be horrid.

Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 1:06 am
by Leane
Sugami wrote:Also pennies are useless! I left them piled up in the hotels :P
interesting note: a penny (worth 1 cent for those who may not know) costs 1.2 cents to make

the penny literally isn't worth the metal its made of

Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 5:26 am
by Keavy
Well, when Arcades peaked in popularity the Quarter was worth 39 cents.

Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 12:36 pm
by Sugami
Keavy wrote:Just as a note: I hope you didn't leave them there while you were staying at the hotel. If the maids found them they might have assumed that was their tip. Leaving pennies as a tip is viewed as an insult. One penny means that you found the service absolutely horrid.
Gratuities were covered by the tour operator so the pile of pennies was a bonus for anyone that found them :P

A quarter looks just like a nickle, which is really annoying. I was looking through my change to try and find the right amount then just got fed up and paid with bills. Another instance I accidentally gave 16 cents instead of 36 cents, luckily I was able to fish out another two dimes quickly.

Coke machines would usually accept nickles, dimse and quarters, which meant at each hotel I'd unload all my change into those :lol: they also accept $2 bills apparently but I guess they're being worked out of circulation or something. 50 cent and 1 dollar coins wouldn't be accepted by machines too.

Yeah your pennies should be removed from circulation and change everything to 5 cent incriments. BTW why are they called "pennies"? Penny comes from pence or 'p', which is British and you guys don't use. Should be called "cennies" or something :P

We have 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1 and £2 coins and I can tell what is what without having to read the damn thing!
Tsybil wrote:DENNY'S??? The steaks in England must be horrid.
Maybe you've just been to crappy Dennys or I found a good one :P Think I've had enough steaks to tell the difference between a good and bad steak :P Had it medium; was succulent and tender and a little pinky. Not chewy at all, no fat, just a good steak :)

Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 1:47 pm
by ScarlettPheonix
You must've found a good one :lol:

Nickels are smooth edged, quarters aren't- its how I sometimes have to remember which is which :)

No idea why we call them pennies- its probably just a hold over from "pence" that has no real meaning anymore for us.

When I was in Korea and Pheonix may have seen it in Okinawa- but the military powers that be banned all use of pennies on the Peninsula in any of the shoppettes and base facilities.

Didn't really change anything and was very easy to get used to- so much so that it was a bit of culture shock to be handed exact change with pennies when I did come back to the states finally :lol:

/comfort Sug- currency is considered one of the hardest things to get used to in another country I believe, especially when it makes no sense to the natives too :lol:

Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 4:12 pm
by Alya Mizar (Tsybil)
Sugami wrote:BTW why are they called "pennies"? Penny comes from pence or 'p', which is British and you guys don't use. Should be called "cennies" or something
We used to be a British colony you may remember. Out first pennies were as big as your old 1p pieces and had a silver center. But they had a purchasing power greater than today's $10 bill. I can only thank the founding fathers that we did not keep the pound.
Tsybil wrote:DENNY'S??? The steaks in England must be horrid.
Sugami wrote:Maybe you've just been to crappy Dennys or I found a good one.
You found one of the good ones. And there are no crappy Dennys, just blah ones. Most of us here in the states denigrate mass market restaurants, and with good reason.

Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 5:16 pm
by Keavy
For the most part, places like Denny's and IHOP are where people go when traveling or after a long night. Like when I was headed home with my dad and girlfriend after the Rush concert. We stopped off at an IHOP for dinner because we were able to get full dinners for the same as we would have paid for hot dogs and sodas at the event.

The IHOP we went to was very good, though. I only go to those kind of places for breakfast foods, anyways. Pancakes, omelette's, that kind of thing.

When I want a steak I'll go to either Cattlemen's or Ruth's Chris.

Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 6:47 pm
by Sugami
ScarlettPheonix wrote:Nickels are smooth edged, quarters aren't- its how I sometimes have to remember which is which :)
That's silly :P I don't have time to inspect the edge of my coins or try feeling which one is smoother :P
Tsybil wrote:We used to be a British colony you may remember.
Well it was before my time but yeah I'm well aware of where you yanks came from :P
You found one of the good ones. And there are no crappy Dennys, just blah ones. Most of us here in the states denigrate mass market restaurants, and with good reason.
Guess I got lucky then :lol: if you're ever in Vegas try out the one outside the Stratosphere and see for yourself :P
Keavy wrote:When I want a steak I'll go to either Cattlemen's or Ruth's Chris.
Can't say I ever saw or heard of those places when I was over there :P

Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 10:19 pm
by Alya Mizar (Tsybil)
Sugami wrote:
Keavy wrote:When I want a steak I'll go to either Cattlemen's or Ruth's Chris.
Can't say I ever saw or heard of those places when I was over there :P
Pity Cattlemen's has excellent steaks and the ones at Ruth's Chris' melt in your mouth, even blood rare like I like them.

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 11:55 am
by Sugami
Euw, medium is nice but I wouldn't want it bloody :oops:

Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 11:56 pm
by Fiye
I can actually tell the difference of Quarters and Nickels now for some odd reason. Maybe they've finally fixed that issue in the latest U.S. Mint patch :P

Either way, its not to hard. Quarters are thinner than Nickels after all.

Odd how it took me a good number of years to get this kind of ability.

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 1:57 am
by Alya Mizar (Tsybil)
The human body is a precise measuring instrument when properly trained. An experienced machinist (engineer to you Brits) can cut to 1/10,000 of an inch by eye. That kitties is the diameter of a dime at like 32 Ft., 10m.

I was handling a LOT of change when silver coinage was going out of circulation. After a while I could tell the difference between American 90% silver dimes, Canadian 80% Silver, American clad, and Canadian alloy ones by WEIGHT!!!

I was shocked when I realized I was sorting them without looking.

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 2:46 am
by ScarlettPheonix
Wow, that's pretty impressive Tysbil. I knew it was possible to eyeball measurements for a lot of things~ I do it all the time with cooking measurements but nothing that precise.

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 5:10 am
by Keavy
Sugami wrote:Euw, medium is nice but I wouldn't want it bloody :oops:
My ex-gilrfriend Sandra, no joke, would take a raw steak, put it in a hot pan for 30 seconds each side, then eat it.