Archived comment by Matt:
How about 3 Suggestive Sayings points?

I want to name my band Rogue Llamas now.

Archived comment by someguyintexas:
Joe--Rogue Llamas would make a great name for a band.

And what kind of points do we give mars mom for using the phrases 'don't tell me its all protien', 'I'd never eat my new friend' and 'bad, bad momma' in the same post?

Archived comment by Noyock:
I'd love to be able to do that to somebody, but unfortunately my Anglo accent is still too strong. Everybody can pretty much tell I'm still learning.

Last year someone spray-painted "Anglosaxophones go home!" on the wall of our dorm. We were never able to decide if they were serious, illiterate, or both.

Archived comment by ParU:
Noyock - you mean the French are snobs about their language??? Quelle surprise!

Years ago a friend of ours was from Quebec and she told us about being in a French Restaurant in 'The City' (San Francisco) and speaking French with the waiter. He was falling all over himself to be nice and then he asked, 'What part of France are you from?' and when she replied 'Montreal', he got all huffy (as only the French can) and left.

Archived comment by Noyock:
*grin* Shoulda seen that one coming...1 ethnic slur point to ParU. Actually, I'd be surprised if speaking Quebec French started influencing my behaviour, since according to my friend from France, joual (sp?) is "just barely French" anyway.

(I'm still lobbying to get Quebec francophones to call themselves Freedom-Canadians, though; that'd be cool.)

Archived comment by TheEileen:
Trent, Jon,

It's not your problem... it's THEIR problem. When that's happened to me, if the person on the nearly invisible phone gives me one of those "I'm sorry I freaked you out" looks/shrugs - I give them an "I forgive you, it's an easy mistake to make" look/smile.

If they give me a "who are you talking to because *I* am on the phone - can't you SEEEEEE that" look - I give them the "you absolute idiot" look/sneer. Since I'm thinking "you arrogant p***k", the look comes easy.

grin

Archived comment by Jon:
I had an equivalent experience earlier today. I was leaving the elevator, and a young woman was entering it. Before the doors closed, she said, "Hello" and I turned to reply - that was when I saw that she was talking into her phone. Mea culpa.

Archived comment by Trent:
Man, I was going to do homework before class.

*sigh* Why do I ever tell myself I'm going to be productive in those little half-hour time intervals? I know better than that...

Archived comment by Trent:
My current complaint about cell phones is the hands-free device that so many people use. I can't tell you the number of times (well, yes I can, it's four or five) someone I am acquainted with (but not really friendly with, per se) has walked toward me, talking, & silly me, I think they're talking to me. So I talk back, but when they give me that strange look I realize they're actually talking into a tiny headset that is covered by their long hair.

So what to do in that situation? I pretend I'm talking to something other than them...a headset of my own if I'm tricky enough, a telephone pole if my hair is up. =)

Archived comment by Joe Napalm:
*Watches ParU run into the wall...looks down...*

Nice try, big guy.

*Grin*

-Jn-
Efreeti Sophist

Archived comment by ParU:
Noyock - your voice raises when you speak French? Do your arms go up too?

runs and hides behind Joe

Archived comment by Inuki:
Speaking of phones (still), I heard somewhere that they carry bass slightly better than treble. So your friend, Kat, may actually be more difficult to understand over the phone because her voice is higher-pitched over the phone. *shrug* Just a thought, but I'd ask if she has to repeat herself more frequently on the phone than in person.

Archived comment by Joe Napalm:
What Mia is describing is called a side-band. It's built into the phone for just that reason...so you can hear youself speak. I'm pretty sure cell phones have side-band, too...though they may be less effective due to the lower sound quality, background noise, etc.

-Jn-
Erstwhile Telephony Guru

Archived comment by Noyock:
I find my voice rises about an octave whenever I have to talk to a sales clerk or other store-working-person, or whenever I'm required to speak French. Never noticed it until a friend pointed it out, but now it seems like I do it all the time. I suspect it correlates to shyness, but I don't know why it would have that effect.

Archived comment by Kat:
On the subject of phones, but not a cell version:

I have a new girl at work and her job is to answer phones and I have had a great time teasing her about her "Barbie" voice. Nothing funnier than listening to a person go from a normal octave to one about three higher just because they pick up a company phone. Hee! I've teased her so much about it now that she has brought it down to "female, but not helium induced".

RE: Pizza. I worked for Pizza Huts (yes, plural) for many years as a young person and those Pazones they have now were originated (I swear, but I can't confirm) by just about any PH worker. When you eat that much pizza, you find many different ways to make it less nauseating. The BEST job I've ever had for many reasons. The closeness of the co-workers, the PH parties, the management was a hoot, the job wasn't hard.... but mostly the people. Fun times.

Archived comment by Inuki:
I think Mia's got it with the phones... Though it may also be because cell phones are much smaller than normal phones, and the microphones on some of them are only at the level of your cheek. People have a hard time realizing that something that small really can pick up a normal tone of voice, so they speak louder to compensate. I'd rant about microphones, pickup patterns, noice cancellation, and all that stuff, but I think my frootbat would pull all my hair out.

Or maybe they just have the volume turned down, or can't figure out how to turn it up. I've had that happen when I use friends' phones (cell and otherwise) - I can't hear the other person as well as I'm used to, so I raise my voice unconsciously.

My personal medium of choice for long-distance conversation is the Internet. Cell phones are obnoxious.

Archived comment by Mia:
I forgot what I was going to say about cell phones. The reason people speak louder is because they can't hear themselves echoing. On a regular telephone line (a land line, my friends say) your voice comes back to you through the receiver�it reverbrates as it travels, or something like that. Because you catch the echo, you can judge the volume of your voice. Cell phones being what they are (with digital, satellite factors I don't understand for certain), you are deaf to what goes in the mouthpiece. Your voice is relayed differently, and therefore you don't get the...playback, I guess. In a nutshell, you talk louder because you can't hear yourself speak. People who grasp this can monitor themselves, but others just go about gabbing for all its worth at the top of their lungs.

If you have ever been on headset as an ASM or stage manager (or other various theatre tech positions) you know how hard it is to relay instructions to your crew. You cannot really judge the level of your voice because an entire ear is blocked off by the earpiece. Unless you hit the button that runs your voice into the headset, you have to be really careful not to shout. Alleviated by lifting the earpiece away, but that becomes annoying after you resettle it for the third or fourth time.

I really need to go study.

Archived comment by Mia:
Papa John's makes a kind of sweet pizza. I have been ordering stuffed crust (only cheese, I know) from Pizza Hut for so long that I got a little sick of it. I decided to call PJ's, but once I got the delivery box I almost couldn't eat it. The dough was too sweet (I cannot think of a more accurate word at the moment) and the crust was burnt. Not nearly enough olives for my taste. -sigh- Perhaps I can get a jar from the store. Green with pimentos, not the black I like on pizza or in salad.

I'll do it after I finish studying for finals. Which follows dinner...chicken Ramen Noodles. I still have not figured out why they don't carry the chile flavored noodles here in Huntsville. Hmph.

Archived comment by Saint:
"Or, you could always watch Toy Story or Toy Story 2."

I think the Mad TV skit, Sex Toy Story, would be more up Monk's alley, Jon.

Archived comment by slugbuggy:
I also grew up in an area with a population heavily weighted with Italians- so much so that you literally had to pay for your pizza in lira.

Thin, charred crust, relatively small amount of cheese, wood-burning brick oven baked only, not so much sauce either.

On the other hand, the Italians hadn't the slightest idea of how to make a hamburger, so there's that.

Archived comment by steff:
perfect catch, monk... whatta team. *grin* i set 'em up, you knock 'em down.

and, i would have, but i lost your number. i didn't want to just drive around town asking for you. i'm brave, but i'm not THAT brave.

Archived comment by Lynne:
Thanks marinerd! can I wrap it in my old dancing bears shirt (I can't knit)? For breakfast we'll have cold (NOT frozen! >:P) pizza and beer. You know, the breakfast of Champions!

Archived comment by ParU:
Sorry guys and gals - gotta do it -

1 Innuendo pt to Monk

Archived comment by mars_mom:
Thanks for the froot bat. Don't tell me its all protein... I might get really hungry sometime. Just kidding, I'd never eat my new pal.. gotta come up with a name now.

For everyone lamenting their lack of good pizza places, the only place we have in this town is good ol' PH... :(

Joe.. I use "go ask your father" all the time.. anytime I don't want to be the bad guy and I know that he'll give the same answer that I would.

*slaps own wrist for being a bad, bad momma*

Archived comment by Jon:
I think non-IP Matt might have something to say about that, steff...

Or, you could always watch Toy Story or Toy Story 2.

Archived comment by Monk:
*shaking head*

steff, steff, steff, steff....

i miss woodys

I told you to come visit.

Archived comment by steff:
papa murphy's, NOT papa john's. ick.

i miss woodys. *grin*

Archived comment by marinerd:
Sure, Lynne, here's your froot bat. Maybe you'd better knit it a sweater or something. Or feed it leftover frozen pizza.

Archived comment by Paul:
The best I can get here is Papa John's.

Damn I gotta learn how to make it myself.

Archived comment by Apple:
Chicago-style pizza for me, please!

I used to work in a little pizza place up North. I can make a damn good homemade dough, if I do say so myself. Although, I've never heard a complaint from Mr. Man. Maybe he's too lovestruck to say it's bad or something.

*grin*

Archived comment by FuzzyOne:
Damnit I want pizza for dinner now....*sigh*
On the + Side I DO live in NY, so Good pizza is just a hop skip and a jump away!
One large pie coming up (yes I'll order it on my cell phone, so THERE!)

Archived comment by TexasGirl:
Speaking of cell phones being like the new smoking . . . . have you noticed how when a crowd of people leave a no-cell-phone area (like a plane) that they immediately flick open their phones. Just like people used to hang out with a cig and a lighter in their hands, twitching to light up. Now they can't wait to dial in. Some giant fear of being disconnected.

Archived comment by Lynne:
yeah, but nothing beats a fresh Pepe's pizza, right out of the brick oven! And that may be the ONLY good thing about living near New Haven or New York.

I haven't posted here in EONS (well o.k. a year or so maybe), I forgot I had this site bookmarked! Can I maybe get a froot bat? Will one survive in New England?

Archived comment by hypoxic:
oh cool! I am heading to trader hos to check it out.

Archived comment by torigirl:
Oh, Trader Joe's has awesome premade pizza dough! But it's still raw and you get to take it home, knead it, shape it, cover it with toppings, and cook it! Plus, it's only 80 cents! My husband and I have found this an acceptable alternative to frozen pizza for cheapness and almost as good as a good restaurant's pizza (which we eat rarely because of expense). He still likes to make his own dough but that takes planning because it needs a day to rise so we'd have to know 2 days before that we want pizza that night. Doesn't work for us last minute dinner planners...
Sorry for the rambling...point is try Trader Joe's pizza dough if there's one near you!

Archived comment by Jon:
There's not anything really wrong with talking on the cell phone in the grocery store per se, but the subset of them that use grocery stores near me seems to be of the loud talker variety. Your Cell Phoners May Vary.

Archived comment by Iambe:
I don't know, I think frozen pizza may be a food category in and of itself -- not real pizza, but nonetheless yummy (and convenient) in its own bizarre way. Like sliced white bread isn't *really* bread to bread-snobs, but is still a handy and tasty sandwich vehicle.

Archived comment by hypoxic:
hey I like some of the premade pizza stuff. boboli is pretty good since you can make your own pizza. I'll admit it's not as good as making your own dough but it works out ok.

Archived comment by Joe Napalm:
Okay, I can't resist...

Yes, I'm sure you have reviled in your pizza snobbery. Heh.

*Grin*

-Jn-
EFVF

Archived comment by Joe Napalm:
What I'm saying, ParU, is that there's no pizza place around here that makes anything remotely resembling pizza. The frozen stuff is better than what they claim is 'za, around here.

I grew up in an area with a strong Italian population...around here, the even the folks running the so-called Italian resturants call it "Eyetalian".

Deliver me from their culinary barbarism.

-Jn-
Efreeti Sophist

Archived comment by Matt:
I figured out that I just don't like pizza very much. Every once in a while I'll try one, on the hope that someone has figured out some new recipe and will do it better, but no one has, yet. Yes, not even Zachary's, ParU.

Almost every pizza out there is either too salty, has too much sauce, has a lame sauce, doesn't have enough cheese, doesn't have enough toppings, or has a lame crust.

I pretty much put it on the same level as, say, spaghetti. I'll eat it if it's put in front of me, but it's not the kind of thing I'd actively seek out.

Archived comment by Saint:
I used to find it annoying when I was in the middle of taking an order for a cake, and the person making the order stopped to have a conversation on his/her cell. Then I realized, I'm paid by the hour--what the hell do I care if it takes twenty minutes to get the customer's order?

Archived comment by ParU:
Poor Joe! Is there no local pizza place that you can drag your tired self to?

Cause frozen pizza is just Nast.

(Though when I was in high school I must admit that I used to eat it, but upon entering college I discovered the true meaning of pizza and have reviled in my pizza snobbishness ever since).

Archived comment by Joe Napalm:
Go ask your father!

Sorry...I've just always wanted to say that to a mom. I'm sure someone around here will give you a frootbat. I would, but PETA has been watching me ever since the incident with the rogue llamas.

Anyway - there's all sorts of places I can think of where it's annoying when people talk on their cell phones...but...the grocery store? The problem there being...? Are cell phones becoming the new smoking?

"Your second-hand radiation is melting my brain!"

Anyway.

Perhaps this person has a problem with bachelors. Since I currently reside in an area devoid of civilization (though in a city of over a million people) frozen pizzas are the only recourse for someone seeking anything even vaguely pizza-like.

-Jn-
Efreeti Sophist

Archived comment by marinerd:
Here you go, Mom, if no one has beaten me to it. Froot bats are nothing but protein! Name it and feed it points and welcome to IP!

Archived comment by mars_mom:
Actually the Atkins diet isn't too bad. I haven't peeled a potato (or potatoe for some)in over three weeks!!! My poor kids tho. They can empathize with you. They still get their sugar loaded cereal and I keep bread for them so they're not completely deprived. (I said deprived, not depraved, they don't take after their father!)

By the way, I've now de-lurked... Can I have a froot bat??

Archived comment by Xandra:
I vote he's pn the Atkin's diet. (aka the diet from HELL) My parents are both on it now, so there isn't a carb to be found in the house. ::whimper:: I just want some bread, is that too much to ask? *grin*

Archived comment by Terry:
Maybe he's on a diet and he's jealous? Or he owns a failing pizza place and sees Tombstone as his competition?

Archived comment by jaimie:
Worse are the people who are on their phones in line at coffee shops. Having worked coffee for a long time, I can tell you that there's nothing more annoying than having to wait to take someone's order because they're mid-conversation on their cell phone. Grr.

Archived comment by Jon:
I'd rather glare at people talking on their cell phone in a grocery store. Or a clothing store. I do laugh when it's satirized on shows such as "Trigger Happy TV", however.