AEther Salon: Clausology! (Unedited Transcript)

[2013/12/15 14:10]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Is everyone ready for the Boiler Elf?

[2013/12/15 14:10]  Myrtil Igaly: Yes, bring him on!

[2013/12/15 14:10]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): /me cups a hand around his ear

[2013/12/15 14:10]  Professor Parx (treloar.parx): Is he ready for us?

[2013/12/15 14:10]  Jon Chen (jonchen): I am, to be sure!

[2013/12/15 14:10]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): A little enthusiasm, bitte!

[2013/12/15 14:10]  Jon Chen (jonchen): /me applauds!!!

[2013/12/15 14:10]  Bookworm Hienrichs: I believe we'll get started. *smile*

[2013/12/15 14:10]  Solace Fairlady: me cheers!

[2013/12/15 14:11]  Myrtil Igaly: /me applauds

[2013/12/15 14:11]  Jimmy Branagh: /me applauds

[2013/12/15 14:11]  Solace Fairlady: /me cheers, even

[2013/12/15 14:11]  Bookworm Hienrichs: Welcome to this month's Aether Salon, in which we celebrate the season with the Boiler Elf!

[2013/12/15 14:11]  Jimmy Branagh: Yay, it's the Boiler Elf!

[2013/12/15 14:11]  Mosseveno Tenk: Merry Christmas Everyone!

[2013/12/15 14:11]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): /me applauds

[2013/12/15 14:11]  Annechen Lowey (annechen.lowey):  `*.¸.*´ APPLAUSE `*.¸.*´APPLAUSE `*.¸.*´

[2013/12/15 14:11]  Solace Fairlady: /me  Hooooooooos!!!

[2013/12/15 14:11]  Vic Mornington (victor1st.mornington): /me was goona boo but claps instead

[2013/12/15 14:11]  Mosseveno Tenk: /me waits for a response

[2013/12/15 14:11]  Beryl Strifeclaw (gager): /me purrs

[2013/12/15 14:11]  Breezy Carver: ✰·.·´` Claps Very Loudly!! ´`·.·✰

[2013/12/15 14:11]  Jimmy Branagh: Merry Christmas Mr. Elf!

[2013/12/15 14:11]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): Oh look.. it's ....eh.. the Boiler Elf...

[2013/12/15 14:11]  Jon Chen (jonchen): Merry Christmas!!!

[2013/12/15 14:11]  Flea (dreams.requiem): /me claps.

[2013/12/15 14:11]  Bookworm Hienrichs: Before we proceed, some housekeeping reminders:

[2013/12/15 14:11]  Myrtil Igaly: Merry Christmas to you too!

[2013/12/15 14:11]  Bookworm Hienrichs: 1) To ensure you can hear the speaker, stand or sit on the patterned carpet.

[2013/12/15 14:11]  Bookworm Hienrichs: 2) If you do not have a wearable chair and wish one, please contact Baron Wulfenbach.

[2013/12/15 14:11]  Mosseveno Tenk: For those that did not get a chance last night, you may touch my sticking and it will give you something festive to wear

[2013/12/15 14:11]  Rebecca Skytower (ruvean): Marry Christmas

[2013/12/15 14:12]  Bookworm Hienrichs: 3) Please remove all lag-feeding whatevers you might be wearing.

[2013/12/15 14:12]  Bookworm Hienrichs: 4) A tip jar is out for our speaker, to my right by the group sign. Do please show your appreciation!

[2013/12/15 14:12]  Vic Mornington (victor1st.mornington): ohhhhhh *toasts marshmallows on my hat*

[2013/12/15 14:12]  Bookworm Hienrichs: 5) Any tips to help support the establishment will also be welcome - just click on one of the support signs!

[2013/12/15 14:12]  Bookworm Hienrichs: 6) If you're not a member of the AEther Salon group, there are signs that will let you sign up. You'll be most heartily welcome!

[2013/12/15 14:12]  Bookworm Hienrichs: 7) Edited and unedited transcripts of these proceedings will be posted at aethersalon.blogspot.com.

[2013/12/15 14:12]  Bookworm Hienrichs: And now, to introduce our speaker, here is Baron Klaus Wulfenbach!

[2013/12/15 14:13]  Jimmy Branagh: /me applauds

[2013/12/15 14:13]  Myrtil Igaly: Yay!!

[2013/12/15 14:13]  Jon Chen (jonchen): /me claps...

[2013/12/15 14:13]  Rebecca Skytower (ruvean): thank you

[2013/12/15 14:14]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): The Boiler Elf comes every year to help Steam Santa work through a line of Urchins and adults, determining by his steely gaze if they are naughty or nice.

[2013/12/15 14:14]  Mosseveno Tenk: /me looks slooooowly around the room

[2013/12/15 14:14]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): He has an uncanny knowledge of all the citizens of this city!

[2013/12/15 14:14]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): Oh my.

[2013/12/15 14:14]  Vic Mornington (victor1st.mornington): /me hides

[2013/12/15 14:14]  Jon Chen (jonchen): Gosh!

[2013/12/15 14:14]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Today, he has taken time out of his busy schedule with Santa to tell us of some of the workings of the Christmas season. The Boiler Elf presents - Clausology!

[2013/12/15 14:14]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): /me applauds

[2013/12/15 14:15]  Jimmy Branagh: Yay!

[2013/12/15 14:15]  Zantabraxus (zantabraxus.aristocarnas): /me applauds

[2013/12/15 14:15]  Annechen Lowey (annechen.lowey):  `*.¸.*´ APPLAUSE `*.¸.*´APPLAUSE `*.¸.*´

[2013/12/15 14:15]  Jon Chen (jonchen): /me applauds

[2013/12/15 14:15]  Jimmy Branagh: /me applauds

[2013/12/15 14:15]  Solace Fairlady: /me applauds!

[2013/12/15 14:15]  Mosseveno Tenk: Everyone get a chance to take something from the stocking? its getting heavy

[2013/12/15 14:15]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): /me notices and is not sure what is more piercing. Those eyes or those brows. Wonders if she's been nice enough

[2013/12/15 14:15]  Mosseveno Tenk: Merry CHristmas everyone!

[2013/12/15 14:15]  Professor Parx (treloar.parx): I thought he'd be taller

[2013/12/15 14:15]  Mosseveno Tenk: /me listens for the response

[2013/12/15 14:15]  Gabrielle Riel: Bah Humbug

[2013/12/15 14:15]  Rebecca Skytower (ruvean): Merry Christmas

[2013/12/15 14:15]  Jimmy Branagh: Merry Christmas Mr. Elf!

[2013/12/15 14:15]  Bookworm Hienrichs: Merry Christmas!

[2013/12/15 14:16]  Jon Chen (jonchen): Merry Christmas!!!!

[2013/12/15 14:16]  Beryl Strifeclaw (gager): /me nods

[2013/12/15 14:16]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): Happy Holidays to one and all.

[2013/12/15 14:16]  Mosseveno Tenk: All merry christmas, eh? interesting

[2013/12/15 14:16]  Beryl Strifeclaw (gager): Giftmas?

[2013/12/15 14:16]  Mosseveno Tenk: not one happy holiday. good for you

[2013/12/15 14:16]  Stereo Nacht: /me waves around with an apologetic air for her lateness

[2013/12/15 14:16]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): eh...

[2013/12/15 14:16]  Mosseveno Tenk: if there's one thing i can't stand its using state mandated greetings at a time when we should be most sincere

[2013/12/15 14:16]  Professor Parx (treloar.parx): May the Yuletide log slip from your fire and burn your house down.

[2013/12/15 14:16]  Annechen Lowey (annechen.lowey): Crăciun fericit!

[2013/12/15 14:17]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): /me smiles at the Vice Consul.

[2013/12/15 14:17]  Jimmy Branagh: Joyeux Noel!

[2013/12/15 14:17]  Mosseveno Tenk: i say merry christma becuase it is my traditon

[2013/12/15 14:17]  Breezy Carver: aww he put down his stocking frowns

[2013/12/15 14:17]  Mosseveno Tenk: and i've got a bit of a pet peeve about this....

[2013/12/15 14:17]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): Uh oh.. is this the n00b hazing ceremony?

[2013/12/15 14:17]  Nathan Adored: oO

[2013/12/15 14:17]  Mosseveno Tenk: i would prefer that everyone use the greeting of their own tradition. and have the grace to accept one different than your own

[2013/12/15 14:18]  Mosseveno Tenk: now i know you are not allllllll christians in here

[2013/12/15 14:18]  Mosseveno Tenk: so lets' try this again

[2013/12/15 14:18]  Jimmy Branagh: ((Jimmy detests politically correct anything))

[2013/12/15 14:18]  Breezy Carver: /me grins

[2013/12/15 14:18]  Flea (dreams.requiem): /me smiles.

[2013/12/15 14:18]  Mosseveno Tenk: and show some spine this time!

[2013/12/15 14:18]  Mosseveno Tenk: MERRY CHRISTMAS!

[2013/12/15 14:18]  Annechen Lowey (annechen.lowey): Crăciun fericit!

[2013/12/15 14:18]  Jon Chen (jonchen): Happy Yule!!

[2013/12/15 14:18]  Solace Fairlady: Merry Yule, Mr Elf:)

[2013/12/15 14:18]  Gabrielle Riel: Joyeux Noel!

[2013/12/15 14:18]  Breezy Carver: Merry Merry :-)

[2013/12/15 14:18]  Jimmy Branagh: shouts: MERRY CHRISTMAS MR.ELF!

[2013/12/15 14:18]  Flea (dreams.requiem): Happy Jul.

[2013/12/15 14:18]  Bloodfang TS Clawtooth (bloodfang.clawtooth): Namaste

[2013/12/15 14:18]  Mosseveno Tenk: there we go!

[2013/12/15 14:18]  Stereo Nacht: Joyeuses fêtes! ;-)

[2013/12/15 14:18]  Mosseveno Tenk: much better!

[2013/12/15 14:19]  Nathan Adored: is this going on by voice? because if it is, I'm not hearing anything

[2013/12/15 14:19]  Rebecca Skytower (ruvean): ok, MARRY CHRISTMAS YOU SMALL MAN!!!

[2013/12/15 14:19]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): I'm a Happy Holiday kind of gal, always have been. So I'm stickin to it and mean it too.

[2013/12/15 14:19]  Bookworm Hienrichs: ((No, not voice, Nathan. Just text.))

[2013/12/15 14:19]  Stereo Nacht: No, local chat/texté

[2013/12/15 14:19]  Mosseveno Tenk: now this is the time of year where i get about 50 thousand facebook memes from my pagan friends tellign me about the real meanings of christmas symbols

[2013/12/15 14:19]  Nathan Adored: kk

[2013/12/15 14:19]  Rebecca Skytower (ruvean): (smiles)

[2013/12/15 14:19]  Mosseveno Tenk: some reasonable, some just make me want to send up a flame

[2013/12/15 14:19]  Mosseveno Tenk: then i think

[2013/12/15 14:19]  Mosseveno Tenk: wait a minute

[2013/12/15 14:19]  Mosseveno Tenk: part o what's realy cool about this time of year

[2013/12/15 14:20]  Nathan Adored: Hmmmmmmm... I know a good few pagans....

[2013/12/15 14:20]  Mosseveno Tenk: is we are allowed to set aside our skepticism

[2013/12/15 14:20]  Mosseveno Tenk: and believe

[2013/12/15 14:20]  Mosseveno Tenk: and even further

[2013/12/15 14:20]  Mosseveno Tenk: make stuff up

[2013/12/15 14:20]  Mosseveno Tenk: and believe it!

[2013/12/15 14:20]  Mosseveno Tenk: after all

[2013/12/15 14:20]  Jimmy Branagh: Yeps!

[2013/12/15 14:20]  Myrtil Igaly: Oh I can do that all year long

[2013/12/15 14:20]  Mosseveno Tenk: we were programmed as children that if we wouod believe in a big fat man that would break into our house on christmas eve, we'd get nice presents!

[2013/12/15 14:21]  Annechen Lowey (annechen.lowey): /me nods.

[2013/12/15 14:21]  Mosseveno Tenk: so why not

[2013/12/15 14:21]  Vic Mornington (victor1st.mornington): :D

[2013/12/15 14:21]  Nathan Adored: /me gets a goofy, lopsided smile.

[2013/12/15 14:21]  Professor Parx (treloar.parx): Believing in made up stuff - like peace on earth and goodwill to all

[2013/12/15 14:21]  Beryl Strifeclaw (gager): Hehe

[2013/12/15 14:21]  Mosseveno Tenk: now i got a whole stack of mail this year asking me

[2013/12/15 14:21]  Mosseveno Tenk: is santa claus really odin

[2013/12/15 14:21]  Mosseveno Tenk: ?

[2013/12/15 14:21]  Mosseveno Tenk: hmmmm

[2013/12/15 14:21]  Mosseveno Tenk: well

[2013/12/15 14:21]  Mosseveno Tenk: asm a noted clausologist, i think this needs examining

[2013/12/15 14:21]  Rebecca Skytower (ruvean): odin? hmm...

[2013/12/15 14:21]  Mosseveno Tenk: beause while we can believe whatver we want

[2013/12/15 14:22]  Mosseveno Tenk: its also good to do some research, eh?

[2013/12/15 14:22]  Jimmy Branagh: Oy ain;t 'eard th' Odin angle before

[2013/12/15 14:22]  Beryl Strifeclaw (gager): I thought Thor had the girth and the goats

[2013/12/15 14:22]  Flea (dreams.requiem): There was the belief that if you left a treat for Sleipnir, Odin would leave you a nice gift during the Jul Hunt.

[2013/12/15 14:22]  Solace Fairlady: More likely a form of Jupiter if you must go that far back

[2013/12/15 14:22]  Mosseveno Tenk: ah yes, thor did ride a goat cart

[2013/12/15 14:22]  Annechen Lowey (annechen.lowey): /me blinks, "That is a new one to me."

[2013/12/15 14:22]  Flea (dreams.requiem): Which fell... around the 25th.

[2013/12/15 14:22]  Mosseveno Tenk: but odin rode sleipnir, a horse with 8 legs

[2013/12/15 14:22]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): and a red nose?

[2013/12/15 14:22]  Jon Chen (jonchen): Didn't Odin have a many legged horse which rode the wind?

[2013/12/15 14:22]  Mosseveno Tenk: which somoene told me was where the 8 reindeer came from

[2013/12/15 14:22]  Jon Chen (jonchen): Ah.

[2013/12/15 14:22]  Mosseveno Tenk: /me tugs his beard

[2013/12/15 14:22]  Rebecca Skytower (ruvean): yep, thats right

[2013/12/15 14:22]  Mosseveno Tenk: hmm

[2013/12/15 14:23]  Nathan Adored: So, Thor and hid goat fell outta the sky around December 25th? :D

[2013/12/15 14:23]  Nathan Adored: Oh, wait....

[2013/12/15 14:23]  Nathan Adored: /me giggles and chortles

[2013/12/15 14:23]  Mosseveno Tenk: lets look at some european versions of santa claus

[2013/12/15 14:23]  Mosseveno Tenk: /me points to his postcard collection

[2013/12/15 14:23]  Mosseveno Tenk: here is the english father christmas

[2013/12/15 14:24]  Mosseveno Tenk: the dutch sinterklaas

[2013/12/15 14:24]  Professor Parx (treloar.parx): /me squints to see the pictures

[2013/12/15 14:24]  Mosseveno Tenk: and someone that is close to the german wienachtsman (christmas man)

[2013/12/15 14:24]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): /me thinks Frau Benelli is ironic today.

[2013/12/15 14:24]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): /me grins

[2013/12/15 14:25]  Mosseveno Tenk: hmm, lets see if we can find odin, eh?

[2013/12/15 14:25]  Cutea Benelli: Weihnachtsmann.

[2013/12/15 14:25]  Cutea Benelli: (spelling)

[2013/12/15 14:25]  Mosseveno Tenk: yes, i would say weihnachts man is much like odin

[2013/12/15 14:25]  Breezy Carver: /me waves adorable authentic Christmas German puppet Dollie and smiles

[2013/12/15 14:25]  Cutea Benelli: lol breezy

[2013/12/15 14:25]  Bloodfang TS Clawtooth (bloodfang.clawtooth): Hey, I know that toy.

[2013/12/15 14:25]  Breezy Carver: /me blushes

[2013/12/15 14:25]  Mosseveno Tenk: he comes out of the forest an peeks in the windows to see how you are doing, much like odin would come down to midgard to see how things were going

[2013/12/15 14:25]  Cutea Benelli: "authentic"

[2013/12/15 14:26]  Mosseveno Tenk: but no sleipnier or reindeer

[2013/12/15 14:26]  Breezy Carver: /me nods nods

[2013/12/15 14:26]  Gabrielle Riel: Peeping Santa

[2013/12/15 14:26]  Mosseveno Tenk: father christmas is much like bacchus, or the holly king of celtic tradtion

[2013/12/15 14:26]  Bloodfang TS Clawtooth (bloodfang.clawtooth): ((NSA))

[2013/12/15 14:26]  Mosseveno Tenk: he is usually shown with a crown of holly

[2013/12/15 14:26]  Professor Parx (treloar.parx): The traditional Christmas drunk

[2013/12/15 14:26]  Mosseveno Tenk: and sinterklaas, wears the robes of a bishop, his is most like the catholic st. nicholas

[2013/12/15 14:27]  Jon Chen (jonchen): The Holly King has a short reign...

[2013/12/15 14:27]  Mosseveno Tenk: but we do have the great horse which runs arcross the rooftops

[2013/12/15 14:27]  Mosseveno Tenk: so maybe he is a bit like odin

[2013/12/15 14:27]  Mosseveno Tenk: and he does have a long white beard flowing in the wind, as hwere nicholas would wear a short bishop's beard. so maybe there's more odin to him then we expect at first look

[2013/12/15 14:27]  Cutea Benelli: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pcWlyUu8U4

[2013/12/15 14:27]  Mosseveno Tenk: but still no reindeer

[2013/12/15 14:28]  Mosseveno Tenk: hmmm

[2013/12/15 14:28]  Nathan Adored: /me gets a sudden image of Sinterklaus as the computer of the Red Dwarf.

[2013/12/15 14:28]  Mosseveno Tenk: then we have the american santa claus

[2013/12/15 14:28]  Mosseveno Tenk: now i will maintain

[2013/12/15 14:28]  Mosseveno Tenk: that santa claus has very little to do with thise three characterrs before me

[2013/12/15 14:28]  Nathan Adored: Ah, someone else was thinki ngof that NSA spot, LOL!

[2013/12/15 14:28]  Mosseveno Tenk: you may think that he migratd to the new world with the dutch in new amsterdam

[2013/12/15 14:28]  Mosseveno Tenk: but that's not likely....

[2013/12/15 14:29]  Mosseveno Tenk: becuase that happned during the protestant reformation

[2013/12/15 14:29]  Breezy Carver: aha !

[2013/12/15 14:29]  Mosseveno Tenk: and fi there's one thing those guys were good at, was purging all things pagan and catholic from thier lifestyles!

[2013/12/15 14:29]  Cutea Benelli: didn't the dutch have sinterklaas and zwaarte piet, which are rooted in dec 6?

[2013/12/15 14:29]  Jimmy Branagh: ((Wasn't American Santa Claus a commercial invention?))

[2013/12/15 14:29]  Mosseveno Tenk: so where did santa claus come from?

[2013/12/15 14:29]  Mosseveno Tenk: aha!

[2013/12/15 14:29]  Gabrielle Riel: mmhmm - no Saints

[2013/12/15 14:29]  Bloodfang TS Clawtooth (bloodfang.clawtooth): ((coca cola version?))

[2013/12/15 14:29]  Mosseveno Tenk: mr branagh is also a clausologist!

[2013/12/15 14:29]  Jimmy Branagh: /me smiles and pats his own head

[2013/12/15 14:29]  Professor Parx (treloar.parx): I think the Massachusetts colony banned Christmas at one point

[2013/12/15 14:30]  Jon Chen (jonchen): Bravo Jimmy! :)

[2013/12/15 14:30]  Mosseveno Tenk: lets go back to our grim forebearers

[2013/12/15 14:30]  Gabrielle Riel: Capitalism, ho ho ho.

[2013/12/15 14:30]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): /me chuckles at Herr Jimmy

[2013/12/15 14:30]  Myrtil Igaly: /me pats Jimmy's head for him

[2013/12/15 14:30]  Mosseveno Tenk: /me waves his hand to make his picturs appear

[2013/12/15 14:30]  Mosseveno Tenk: here we are in merry old england

[2013/12/15 14:30]  Breezy Carver: ohhhhhhhhhh

[2013/12/15 14:31]  Mosseveno Tenk: but wait, who is that fellow in the black suit?

[2013/12/15 14:31]  Mosseveno Tenk: why,... its one of those fun busting protestants!

[2013/12/15 14:31]  Breezy Carver: /me grins

[2013/12/15 14:31]  Jimmy Branagh: Cotton Mather?

[2013/12/15 14:31]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): with his finger in the authority of morals position?

[2013/12/15 14:31]  Mosseveno Tenk: at this time, the saturnalia was still in full effect.

[2013/12/15 14:31]  Solace Fairlady: Cromwell

[2013/12/15 14:31]  Jimmy Branagh: ((Pic is very dark))

[2013/12/15 14:31]  Professor Parx (treloar.parx): Vincent Price

[2013/12/15 14:31]  Mosseveno Tenk: if you were of orthodox tradtions, you would be fasting for advent

[2013/12/15 14:31]  Jon Chen (jonchen): lol

[2013/12/15 14:31]  Gabrielle Riel: /me laughs

[2013/12/15 14:31]  Cutea Benelli: one would

[2013/12/15 14:31]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): and his book?

[2013/12/15 14:31]  Mosseveno Tenk: but the rest of us, were having a fine roman holiday!

[2013/12/15 14:31]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Ah, way up there.

[2013/12/15 14:32]  Mosseveno Tenk: but... these grim men in black succeeded

[2013/12/15 14:32]  Mosseveno Tenk: in banning

[2013/12/15 14:32]  Mosseveno Tenk: christmas

[2013/12/15 14:32]  Mosseveno Tenk: /me frowns

[2013/12/15 14:32]  Mosseveno Tenk: but

[2013/12/15 14:32]  Bookworm Hienrichs: /me tsks.

[2013/12/15 14:32]  Cutea Benelli: do NOT blame GRIM PEOPLE!

[2013/12/15 14:32]  Darlingmonster Ember: tsks

[2013/12/15 14:32]  Beryl Strifeclaw (gager): /me nods

[2013/12/15 14:32]  Mosseveno Tenk: this was merry old england

[2013/12/15 14:32]  Myrtil Igaly: hehe

[2013/12/15 14:32]  Gabrielle Riel: They were such a riot!

[2013/12/15 14:32]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): /me laughs

[2013/12/15 14:32]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): The barman in the doorway is not too happy about it

[2013/12/15 14:32]  Professor Parx (treloar.parx): "War on Christmas"?

[2013/12/15 14:32]  Mosseveno Tenk: and it didn't take long for the english to to want to put the merry back in england

[2013/12/15 14:32]  Cutea Benelli: rofl Professor

[2013/12/15 14:32]  Gabrielle Riel: /me chokes on her wine

[2013/12/15 14:32]  Breezy Carver: /me smiles .

[2013/12/15 14:32]  Stereo Nacht: Not the German Grimm, Ms. Benelli! ;-)

[2013/12/15 14:32]  Mosseveno Tenk: so someone said

[2013/12/15 14:33]  Blair Andrews (blairandionrivalionis): What do you expect of people who banned pie?

[2013/12/15 14:33]  Jimmy Branagh: Not poy!

[2013/12/15 14:33]  Mosseveno Tenk: hey... remember those guys we sent to virginia and roanoake half a centry ago?

[2013/12/15 14:33]  Bloodfang TS Clawtooth (bloodfang.clawtooth): Banned pie?

[2013/12/15 14:33]  Jimmy Branagh: Oh th' 'orror.

[2013/12/15 14:33]  Mosseveno Tenk: didn't they all die?

[2013/12/15 14:33]  Gabrielle Riel: LOL

[2013/12/15 14:33]  Jimmy Branagh: Yes

[2013/12/15 14:33]  Mosseveno Tenk: maybe we can get thise idiots to go to america too'

[2013/12/15 14:33]  Blair Andrews (blairandionrivalionis): Cromwell did, or so I was told.

[2013/12/15 14:33]  Mosseveno Tenk: and they'll all die

[2013/12/15 14:33]  Free Radar HUD: /me v1.1 by Crystal Gadgets

[2013/12/15 14:33]  Solace Fairlady: no coz someone foolishly gave them turkey!

[2013/12/15 14:33]  Mosseveno Tenk: so we can be merry old england again

[2013/12/15 14:33]  Breezy Carver: /me gasp !

[2013/12/15 14:33]  Mosseveno Tenk: and that's what happened.

[2013/12/15 14:34]  Breezy Carver: what a happy ending :-)

[2013/12/15 14:34]  Jimmy Branagh: Croatoan

[2013/12/15 14:34]  Mosseveno Tenk: but by this time the dutch had got there too, and the swedes, and the french, and enough eirupean diseases had got loose on the natives to thin the herd

[2013/12/15 14:34]  Mosseveno Tenk: so

[2013/12/15 14:34]  Mosseveno Tenk: they survived

[2013/12/15 14:34]  Breezy Carver: /me whew

[2013/12/15 14:34]  Mosseveno Tenk: and became the first grumpy new england liberals

[2013/12/15 14:34]  Stereo Nacht: :-/

[2013/12/15 14:34]  Breezy Carver: /me grins

[2013/12/15 14:34]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Heh.

[2013/12/15 14:34]  Annechen Lowey (annechen.lowey): /me eyebrows.

[2013/12/15 14:34]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): Lent for rememberance and temperance but put the jolly back into the pubs?

[2013/12/15 14:34]  Jimmy Branagh: /me chuckles

[2013/12/15 14:35]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): Oh that's better

[2013/12/15 14:35]  Mosseveno Tenk: and gues what

[2013/12/15 14:35]  Breezy Carver: ???

[2013/12/15 14:35]  Mosseveno Tenk: they still didn't like christams

[2013/12/15 14:35]  Breezy Carver: laughs

[2013/12/15 14:35]  Stereo Nacht: /me kinda thinks the Americas would be a lot more fun if those hadn't survived... :-P

[2013/12/15 14:35]  Mosseveno Tenk: look at that guy

[2013/12/15 14:35]  Flea (dreams.requiem): Buggers.

[2013/12/15 14:35]  Solace Fairlady: how liberal of them:)

[2013/12/15 14:35]  Mosseveno Tenk: chastising th musicians for makeing merry at the tavern....

[2013/12/15 14:35]  Mosseveno Tenk: for the sake of his religious freedom

[2013/12/15 14:35]  Mosseveno Tenk: /me frowns

[2013/12/15 14:35]  Jimmy Branagh: Woy dint they just roll 'im on th' spot?

[2013/12/15 14:36]  Mosseveno Tenk: well, things moved on,

[2013/12/15 14:36]  Stereo Nacht: (You know, French colonists all over, living half the native way? ;-) )

[2013/12/15 14:36]  Mosseveno Tenk: we had a revolution

[2013/12/15 14:36]  Mosseveno Tenk: and everyone startes speaking english

[2013/12/15 14:36]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): /me grins at his French colonist.

[2013/12/15 14:36]  Mosseveno Tenk: and the cities got bigger as folks started moving in

[2013/12/15 14:36]  Mosseveno Tenk: consider new york city

[2013/12/15 14:36]  Bloodfang TS Clawtooth (bloodfang.clawtooth): It's more fun being English

[2013/12/15 14:37]  Stereo Nacht: (No colonist here, Sir: just undercover! X-D )

[2013/12/15 14:37]  Mosseveno Tenk: just the very tip of lower manhatton was popuated in 1778

[2013/12/15 14:37]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): /me chuckles

[2013/12/15 14:37]  Mosseveno Tenk: that's when thomas clement moore lived there at his chelsea country estate

[2013/12/15 14:38]  Mosseveno Tenk: but by 1831, with all the irish and italians coming in (both catholic, btw)

[2013/12/15 14:38]  Gabrielle Riel: /me gasps

[2013/12/15 14:38]  Mosseveno Tenk: the entire island had been put in street grid

[2013/12/15 14:38]  Professor Parx (treloar.parx): There goes the property values

[2013/12/15 14:38]  Mosseveno Tenk: so lets fast forward to 1810

[2013/12/15 14:38]  Mosseveno Tenk: the saturnalia is back in force

[2013/12/15 14:38]  Mosseveno Tenk: people love christmas

[2013/12/15 14:38]  Jimmy Branagh: ((gah brb))

[2013/12/15 14:38]  Beryl Strifeclaw (gager): 1910 or1810?

[2013/12/15 14:38]  Mosseveno Tenk: and they are all over the streets, al night long

[2013/12/15 14:39]  Mosseveno Tenk: loveing christmas

[2013/12/15 14:39]  Mosseveno Tenk: 1810

[2013/12/15 14:39]  Mosseveno Tenk: and letting evryone know about it

[2013/12/15 14:39]  Mosseveno Tenk: now you have to know

[2013/12/15 14:39]  Annechen Lowey (annechen.lowey): Loudly.

[2013/12/15 14:39]  Mosseveno Tenk: that back then

[2013/12/15 14:39]  Gabrielle Riel: They partied like it was 1899.

[2013/12/15 14:39]  Jon Chen (jonchen): lol

[2013/12/15 14:39]  Mosseveno Tenk: what we could call carolers

[2013/12/15 14:39]  Mosseveno Tenk: were much more obnoxious

[2013/12/15 14:39]  Mosseveno Tenk: if you didn't open the door to them

[2013/12/15 14:39]  Stereo Nacht: (I'd rather say "people love to have fun, and find any excuse for it!" ;-) )

[2013/12/15 14:39]  Mosseveno Tenk: they would break the windows and let tehmslves in

[2013/12/15 14:39]  Jon Chen (jonchen): weren't there ordinances against carolling, wassailing?

[2013/12/15 14:39]  Blair Andrews (blairandionrivalionis): Charming.

[2013/12/15 14:39]  Mosseveno Tenk: and when you did let them in

[2013/12/15 14:40]  Mosseveno Tenk: they would help themslves to the best you had

[2013/12/15 14:40]  Beryl Strifeclaw (gager): That would get you shot back then?

[2013/12/15 14:40]  Mosseveno Tenk: because this is how it worked.

[2013/12/15 14:40]  Myrtil Igaly: ooooh we should go carolling

[2013/12/15 14:40]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): /me frowns

[2013/12/15 14:40]  Flea (dreams.requiem): why do we no longer do violent carolling?

[2013/12/15 14:40]  Mosseveno Tenk: and after they'd drunk all your brandy

[2013/12/15 14:40]  Gabrielle Riel: /me grins at Myrtil

[2013/12/15 14:40]  Professor Parx (treloar.parx): They moved it to Occtober

[2013/12/15 14:40]  Mosseveno Tenk: you'd have to pay them to leave!

[2013/12/15 14:40]  Jon Chen (jonchen): Here'a we come a-wassailing....

[2013/12/15 14:40]  Mosseveno Tenk: because it was that bad

[2013/12/15 14:40]  Myrtil Igaly: /me has got new rolemodels

[2013/12/15 14:40]  Mosseveno Tenk: so there's this guy in NYC named John Pinter

[2013/12/15 14:40]  Mosseveno Tenk: its new years eve

[2013/12/15 14:40]  Rebecca Skytower (ruvean): hmm good resin to go caroling then

[2013/12/15 14:41]  Mosseveno Tenk: the most obnoxious party night of the year

[2013/12/15 14:41]  Flea (dreams.requiem): /me does, as well, Myrtil.

[2013/12/15 14:41]  Mosseveno Tenk: and he's thining abotu the nice quiet family holiday he was going to have the next day

[2013/12/15 14:41]  Mosseveno Tenk: but

[2013/12/15 14:41]  Mosseveno Tenk: he can't sleep!

[2013/12/15 14:41]  Mosseveno Tenk: becuase these street bands won't quit.. and it went on all night

[2013/12/15 14:41]  Mosseveno Tenk: so he thinks to himself

[2013/12/15 14:42]  Mosseveno Tenk: maybe the catholics and the pagans were smarter than we thought

[2013/12/15 14:42]  Mosseveno Tenk: we need to give the rabble some festivals

[2013/12/15 14:42]  Mosseveno Tenk: hmmmm....

[2013/12/15 14:42]  Mosseveno Tenk: so they can let off some steam

[2013/12/15 14:42]  Darlingmonster Ember: mmmmm.... steam

[2013/12/15 14:42]  Breezy Carver: lol

[2013/12/15 14:42]  Jon Chen (jonchen): mmmmm Coal!

[2013/12/15 14:42]  Gabrielle Riel: /me grins

[2013/12/15 14:42]  Mosseveno Tenk: so he starts writing a whole bunch of letters and broadsides, moaning about the christmas celebrations of his youth

[2013/12/15 14:42]  Wildstar Beaumont: :)))

[2013/12/15 14:43]  Mosseveno Tenk: and how we all needed to go back to having a nice old fashioned christmas like it used to be

[2013/12/15 14:43]  Jimmy Branagh: ((kback))

[2013/12/15 14:43]  Nathan Adored: /me gives a lopsided smile.

[2013/12/15 14:43]  Satu Moreau: ((Wb))

[2013/12/15 14:43]  Beryl Strifeclaw (gager): /me purrs

[2013/12/15 14:43]  Mosseveno Tenk: and this is one of his tracks

[2013/12/15 14:43]  Myrtil Igaly: ((welcome back!))

[2013/12/15 14:43]  Breezy Carver: /me nods nods (( wb wb wb ))

[2013/12/15 14:43]  Jimmy Branagh: ((thxthx))

[2013/12/15 14:43]  Mosseveno Tenk: being new york city used to be new amsterdam

[2013/12/15 14:43]  Nathan Adored: Ah, the Good Olde Days That Never Really Were. :D

[2013/12/15 14:43]  Mosseveno Tenk: there was asome antiquarian wealthy men

[2013/12/15 14:44]  Mosseveno Tenk: who set about to reclaim there 'dutchness'

[2013/12/15 14:44]  Mosseveno Tenk: becuase they believed that during dutch colonial times,

[2013/12/15 14:44]  Mosseveno Tenk: it was serene, and quiet,

[2013/12/15 14:44]  Annechen Lowey (annechen.lowey): People just liked it better that way.

[2013/12/15 14:44]  Mosseveno Tenk: and everyone had nice filial christmas celebrations at home

[2013/12/15 14:44]  Mosseveno Tenk: now when pinter was a lad,

[2013/12/15 14:45]  Mosseveno Tenk: he could have gone visiting eveyrone in new york for christmas and drank on the doorsteps of each house

[2013/12/15 14:45]  Max Islay: Wow! Lot of babbagers here!

[2013/12/15 14:45]  Mosseveno Tenk: becuase there wre not very many people there

[2013/12/15 14:45]  Mosseveno Tenk: but by 1810

[2013/12/15 14:45]  Mosseveno Tenk: not a chance

[2013/12/15 14:45]  Mosseveno Tenk: too many people

[2013/12/15 14:45]  Mosseveno Tenk: remember i said Moore lived here too?

[2013/12/15 14:45]  Mosseveno Tenk: one day the city declared eminient domain and dug 9th avenue right through the middle of his country estate

[2013/12/15 14:46]  Mosseveno Tenk: !!!

[2013/12/15 14:46]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Unpleasant.

[2013/12/15 14:46]  Darlingmonster Ember: ouch

[2013/12/15 14:46]  Mosseveno Tenk: which realy pissed him off, eh?

[2013/12/15 14:46]  Gabrielle Riel: That kinda sucks.

[2013/12/15 14:46]  Jimmy Branagh: Gad

[2013/12/15 14:46]  Jon Chen (jonchen): Unfortunate!

[2013/12/15 14:46]  Blair Andrews (blairandionrivalionis): to put it mildly.

[2013/12/15 14:46]  Nathan Adored: /me *FACEDESKS*

[2013/12/15 14:46]  Mosseveno Tenk: he went on to write A visit from st nicholas

[2013/12/15 14:46]  Mosseveno Tenk: which we know as the night before christmas

[2013/12/15 14:46]  Mosseveno Tenk: but before that

[2013/12/15 14:46]  Mosseveno Tenk: we need to look at another writere

[2013/12/15 14:46]  Mosseveno Tenk: washington iriving

[2013/12/15 14:46]  Gabrielle Riel: mmhmm

[2013/12/15 14:47]  Mosseveno Tenk: who was working with the NY historical society to "create" a pseudo-dutchness

[2013/12/15 14:47]  Mosseveno Tenk: which was desireable to the elite

[2013/12/15 14:47]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Heh.

[2013/12/15 14:48]  Mosseveno Tenk: in 1809 he wrote the Knickerbocker History of New York

[2013/12/15 14:48]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): /me takes note

[2013/12/15 14:48]  Mosseveno Tenk: which mad no less than 25 references to the dutch Saint Claas

[2013/12/15 14:48]  Mosseveno Tenk: Sinterklaas

[2013/12/15 14:48]  Professor Parx (treloar.parx): Never let the truth stand in the way of a good history

[2013/12/15 14:48]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Indeed.

[2013/12/15 14:48]  Mosseveno Tenk: which definatley had not made it across the atlantic with protesant colonists!

[2013/12/15 14:48]  Annechen Lowey (annechen.lowey): Print the legend.

[2013/12/15 14:49]  Tepic Harlequin: gotta watch out fer Black Pietr!

[2013/12/15 14:49]  Stereo Nacht: (Probably short for Saint Nicolas/Niklaus/Nicholas/etc.)

[2013/12/15 14:49]  Mosseveno Tenk: Irving also wrote the Bracebridge Hall stories in 1819

[2013/12/15 14:49]  Flea (dreams.requiem): Its a shame we didn't get th Christmas Cat instead.

[2013/12/15 14:49]  Mosseveno Tenk: which created the image of the dutch family christmas...

[2013/12/15 14:49]  Mosseveno Tenk: and like any good author

[2013/12/15 14:49]  Mosseveno Tenk: he was making it up

[2013/12/15 14:49]  Mosseveno Tenk: but it was so good

[2013/12/15 14:49]  Mosseveno Tenk: this chrisms that never happened

[2013/12/15 14:50]  Mosseveno Tenk: it was soo soo good

[2013/12/15 14:50]  Darlingmonster Ember: /me smiles

[2013/12/15 14:50]  Bookworm Hienrichs: /me grins.

[2013/12/15 14:50]  Max Islay: Bah Humbug! giggle

[2013/12/15 14:50]  Mosseveno Tenk: now in 1821

[2013/12/15 14:50]  Mosseveno Tenk: we Pinter is stil writing his letters

[2013/12/15 14:51]  Mosseveno Tenk: urging for a sober at home christmas

[2013/12/15 14:51]  Mosseveno Tenk: in 1821 we get our first look at Santa CLaus

[2013/12/15 14:51]  Mosseveno Tenk: and there he is

[2013/12/15 14:52]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): /me wonders why more builders don't make more copper kettles for fires( like seen in that 1810 pic)

[2013/12/15 14:52]  Gabrielle Riel: The steady friend of virtuous youth

[2013/12/15 14:52]  Mosseveno Tenk: and we also get our first reference to the reindeer here

[2013/12/15 14:52]  Mosseveno Tenk: "Olde Santa Claas with much delight

[2013/12/15 14:52]  Mosseveno Tenk: "His reindeer drives this frosty night

[2013/12/15 14:52]  Mosseveno Tenk: "O'er chimney tops and tracks of snow

[2013/12/15 14:53]  Mosseveno Tenk: "And brings his gifts

[2013/12/15 14:53]  Mosseveno Tenk: one reindeer

[2013/12/15 14:53]  Mosseveno Tenk: which does fly!

[2013/12/15 14:53]  Solace Fairlady: /me  Hooooooooos!!!

[2013/12/15 14:53]  Max Islay: wait what was it that started the tradition of santa down the chimney?

[2013/12/15 14:53]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): He does look jolly

[2013/12/15 14:53]  Mosseveno Tenk: but i'm not seeing odin or sleipnir here...

[2013/12/15 14:53]  Mosseveno Tenk: this was still a bishop character

[2013/12/15 14:53]  Mosseveno Tenk: at the end of the poem he warns that he will bring the birchen rod to punish the naughty

[2013/12/15 14:53]  Gabrielle Riel: Kinky

[2013/12/15 14:53]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Oho, echoes of Krampus.

[2013/12/15 14:54]  Solace Fairlady: jolly!

[2013/12/15 14:54]  Max Islay: Eep! Santa's revenge?

[2013/12/15 14:54]  Jimmy Branagh: Thet's wot they used at th' orphanage Oy think

[2013/12/15 14:54]  Nathan Adored: ouchies

[2013/12/15 14:54]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): /me moves his chair back

[2013/12/15 14:54]  Myrtil Igaly: one of them yes

[2013/12/15 14:54]  Mosseveno Tenk: now a year later

[14:54] Mosseveno Tenk: Moore, who was also one of these knickbockers

[2013/12/15 14:54]  Max Islay: giggle

[2013/12/15 14:55]  Mosseveno Tenk: who had 9th avene dug across his estate

[2013/12/15 14:55]  Mosseveno Tenk: joined the fray by writing A visit form St nicholas

[2013/12/15 14:55]  Mosseveno Tenk: this changed everything

[2013/12/15 14:55]  Mosseveno Tenk: 8 reindeer

[2013/12/15 14:55]  Mosseveno Tenk: no birchen rod

[2013/12/15 14:55]  Cutea Benelli: /me wonders where the krampus obsession comes from

[2013/12/15 14:55]  Mosseveno Tenk: no punishment

[2013/12/15 14:56]  Cutea Benelli: /me also wonders why there is no reference to KNECHT RUPRECHT

[2013/12/15 14:56]  Beryl Strifeclaw (gager): Germany

[2013/12/15 14:56]  Bloodfang TS Clawtooth (bloodfang.clawtooth): Krampus looks like the Jersey Devil

[2013/12/15 14:56]  Jon Chen (jonchen): Or strumpfelpeter...

[2013/12/15 14:56]  Willow Leafstorm (zoelass): I saw an episode of Grimm last week with the Krampus.

[2013/12/15 14:56]  Mosseveno Tenk: Santa starts out as a we fellow

[2013/12/15 14:56]  Cutea Benelli: i know where krampus comes from, i wonder where tenk's obsession comes from:D

[2013/12/15 14:56]  Darlingmonster Ember: heh

[2013/12/15 14:56]  Nathan Adored: ã‹¡

[2013/12/15 14:56]  Mosseveno Tenk: here he is in 1848

[2013/12/15 14:57]  Jimmy Branagh: This is very interstin' history

[2013/12/15 14:57]  Cutea Benelli: it is1

[2013/12/15 14:57]  Cutea Benelli: is! even

[2013/12/15 14:57]  Mosseveno Tenk: the knickerbockers had hit paydirt.

[2013/12/15 14:57]  Satu Moreau: /me nods

[2013/12/15 14:57]  Solace Fairlady: they gloried?

[2013/12/15 14:57]  Mosseveno Tenk: in 1821, Pinter's dutch St Claas had produced reactions among the children

[2013/12/15 14:57]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Herr Elf, might you full-bright your other displays for visibility, bitte?

[2013/12/15 14:57]  Mosseveno Tenk: they went crazy for the gifting

[2013/12/15 14:58]  Mosseveno Tenk: he wrote more letters

[2013/12/15 14:58]  Mosseveno Tenk: labout how seeing the joy of children with thier gifts

[2013/12/15 14:58]  Mosseveno Tenk: was like returing to the goldenn age of yore

[2013/12/15 14:58]  Mosseveno Tenk: and this is important

[2013/12/15 14:58]  Mosseveno Tenk: because previously, christams was a time when the weathly gifted their servants

[2013/12/15 14:59]  Mosseveno Tenk: the emphasis from now on

[2013/12/15 14:59]  Mosseveno Tenk: was to the children

[2013/12/15 14:59]  Mosseveno Tenk: Moores poem was huge

[2013/12/15 14:59]  Tepic Harlequin: yep, very important, yer want ter see the joy on children's faces when yer give em a present!

[2013/12/15 14:59]  Mosseveno Tenk: in 1870's santa started showing up at department stores

[2013/12/15 14:59]  Jon Chen (jonchen): I am at the end of my day, but I shall look forward to the transcript of such an interesting history!  My Thanks :)

[2013/12/15 14:59]  DinahLiddell: keep the wealth in the family

[2013/12/15 14:59]  Mosseveno Tenk: lets look at how he changes over time

[2013/12/15 14:59]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): (this is going nicely with my beef and mushroom stew)

[2013/12/15 15:00]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): Carry on, Mr.. I mean Elf

[2013/12/15 15:00]  Mosseveno Tenk: Nast is the most famous of the santa illustrators

[2013/12/15 15:00]  Bloodfang TS Clawtooth (bloodfang.clawtooth): Later Jon

[2013/12/15 15:00]  Mosseveno Tenk: here is his first santa, a civil war satire

[2013/12/15 15:00]  Mosseveno Tenk: and here he is again, in moores poem

[2013/12/15 15:00]  Mosseveno Tenk: still a small fellow

[2013/12/15 15:00]  Mosseveno Tenk: with a long dutch pip

[2013/12/15 15:01]  Mosseveno Tenk: pipe

[2013/12/15 15:01]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): /me sees the pattern to the brightness and nods

[2013/12/15 15:01]  Mosseveno Tenk: 1867, another nast, in harper's weekly

[2013/12/15 15:01]  Mosseveno Tenk: 1881, teh most famous of the Nast images

[2013/12/15 15:01]  Mosseveno Tenk: santa is definaltey getting bigger

[2013/12/15 15:02]  Mosseveno Tenk: now noice the pipe from 1848 to 1881

[2013/12/15 15:02]  Mosseveno Tenk: teh short pipe was used by the working class, like those irish immigrants in the slums

[2013/12/15 15:02]  Mosseveno Tenk: while the long pipe, is a dutch relic, a symbol of the old money

[2013/12/15 15:02]  Mosseveno Tenk: hmmmmm

[2013/12/15 15:02]  Mosseveno Tenk: interesting

[2013/12/15 15:02]  Mosseveno Tenk: lets move on

[2013/12/15 15:03]  Mosseveno Tenk: 1883

[2013/12/15 15:03]  Mosseveno Tenk: still a small elf

[2013/12/15 15:03]  Solace Fairlady: get the immigrant workers to spend their cash in the shops owned by the faux dutch elite!

[2013/12/15 15:03]  Mosseveno Tenk: he looks a lot like belznikle,or santa in furs, who still is seen in the parts of the upper midwest that still speak german

[2013/12/15 15:03]  Bloodfang TS Clawtooth (bloodfang.clawtooth): Now that's marketing

[2013/12/15 15:04]  Cutea Benelli: seltsam!

[2013/12/15 15:04]  Mosseveno Tenk: by the turn of the centry, the red suit is becoming a standard image

[2013/12/15 15:04]  Professor Parx (treloar.parx): Ladies love the beard

[2013/12/15 15:04]  Jimmy Branagh: Oh, they wos waitin' for 'im!

[2013/12/15 15:04]  Mosseveno Tenk: this is an australian image, so he was getting around

[2013/12/15 15:04]  Rebecca Skytower (ruvean): Hello Santa

[2013/12/15 15:04]  Darlingmonster Ember: santa ambush

[2013/12/15 15:05]  Stereo Nacht: (Or they love men who can provide for their children? ;-) )

[2013/12/15 15:05]  Bloodfang TS Clawtooth (bloodfang.clawtooth): Naughty list now

[2013/12/15 15:05]  Mosseveno Tenk: 1914

[2013/12/15 15:05]  Professor Parx (treloar.parx): Santa knows where all the bad girls live

[2013/12/15 15:05]  Mosseveno Tenk: IMPEIAL JAPAN!

[2013/12/15 15:05]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): Santa as the ladies man? You give and you get? Marketing indeed.

[2013/12/15 15:05]  Mosseveno Tenk: how did he get there?

[2013/12/15 15:05]  Satu Moreau: 0.0

[2013/12/15 15:06]  Bookworm Hienrichs: /me waits for the Boiler Elf to tell them...

[2013/12/15 15:06]  Darlingmonster Ember: wow

[2013/12/15 15:06]  Mosseveno Tenk: Norman Rockwell, the famous illustrato of the Saturday Evening Post, started doing santas in 1922

[2013/12/15 15:06]  Mosseveno Tenk: now somewhere along the way he's become a human

[2013/12/15 15:06]  Mosseveno Tenk: Rockwell was a very humanizing painter,i'm sure he added a lot to that

[2013/12/15 15:06]  Mosseveno Tenk: and look, now we have elves

[2013/12/15 15:06]  Mosseveno Tenk: its hard to say where the elves come in

[2013/12/15 15:07]  Stereo Nacht: (Christian missionaries, I'd believe.)

[2013/12/15 15:07]  Mosseveno Tenk: but somehow, santa moves out of the ranks of the elves, and has become something more

[2013/12/15 15:07]  Jimmy Branagh: A shill

[2013/12/15 15:07]  Cutea Benelli: it's interesting, for all i know there are no elves in germany still (except for when we import amerikan schtuffs)

[2013/12/15 15:07]  Mosseveno Tenk: 1931, the coca cola ads

[2013/12/15 15:07]  Jimmy Branagh: /me chuckles

[2013/12/15 15:07]  Mosseveno Tenk: now he's full size!

[2013/12/15 15:07]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): /me chuckles at Herr Jimmy

[2013/12/15 15:07]  Mosseveno Tenk: and a bit disturbing..

[2013/12/15 15:07]  Mosseveno Tenk: to think somethign that big is sneaking around my house at night

[2013/12/15 15:08]  Bookworm Hienrichs: /me chuckles.

[2013/12/15 15:08]  Bloodfang TS Clawtooth (bloodfang.clawtooth): The Irish had the Leprachauns

[2013/12/15 15:08]  Jimmy Branagh: An' drinkin' yer Coke!

[2013/12/15 15:08]  Satu Moreau: XD

[2013/12/15 15:08]  Mosseveno Tenk: ah, for got this one.

[2013/12/15 15:08]  Tepic Harlequin: sneakin, in wellingtons!

[2013/12/15 15:08]  Cutea Benelli: haha I'd stalk him!

[2013/12/15 15:08]  Mosseveno Tenk: here's father christmas in 1686 during the christma ban

[2013/12/15 15:08]  Professor Parx (treloar.parx): And thus was born the myth of coke creating the red suit

[2013/12/15 15:08]  Mosseveno Tenk: where he survived as a character in the street mummers

[2013/12/15 15:08]  Mosseveno Tenk: until christmas was restored

[2013/12/15 15:09]  Mosseveno Tenk: looks like i'm out of time

[2013/12/15 15:09]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Only if you have to go, Herr Elf.

[2013/12/15 15:09]  Mosseveno Tenk: perhaps i would be invited back next year, and we can continue with th elves

[2013/12/15 15:09]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): /me applauds

[2013/12/15 15:09]  Mosseveno Tenk: and teh characters that survived from pagan times intact

[2013/12/15 15:09]  Professor Parx (treloar.parx): OK, THAT one is disturbing

[2013/12/15 15:09]  Cutea Benelli: /Me claps

[2013/12/15 15:09]  Flea (dreams.requiem): /me claps.

[2013/12/15 15:09]  Mosseveno Tenk: like this guy..

[2013/12/15 15:09]  Stereo Nacht: That would be nice! And the holly, and other symbols...

[2013/12/15 15:09]  Solace Fairlady: /me cheers and applauds!

[2013/12/15 15:09]  Mosseveno Tenk: this is one of the yule lads

[2013/12/15 15:09]  Satu Moreau: Ooh

[2013/12/15 15:09]  Beryl Strifeclaw (gager): /me purrs

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Solace Fairlady: The Icelandic ones!

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Garnet Psaltery: Oh, it's Boiler Elf

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Solace Fairlady: trolls!

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Beryl Strifeclaw (gager): Thanks for giving the presentation

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Jimmy Branagh: hehe

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Bookworm Hienrichs: /me applauds.

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): I shall put you on the calendar today, Herr Elf.

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Darlingmonster Ember: /me applauds

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Flea (dreams.requiem): /me chuckles, was just reading about the yule lads before coming here.

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Mosseveno Tenk: who is really disturbing.. but perahps, with the barons' indulgence, we can save that for next year?

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Jimmy Branagh: /me applauds

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): As you will.

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Darlingmonster Ember: /me applauds

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Stereo Nacht:  `*.¸.*´ APPLAUSE `*.¸.*´APPLAUSE `*.¸.*´

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Solace Fairlady: /me applauds

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Jimmy Branagh: Yay!

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Garnet Psaltery: ***** APPLAUSE *****

[2013/12/15 15:10]  DinahLiddell: /me claps

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Vic Mornington (victor1st.mornington): yay!

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Jimmy Branagh: Exc ellent presentation!

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Cutea Benelli: /me stalks the tenken hard

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Anyone else wishing to express your appreciation to our speaker, the tipjar is to my right against the wall.

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Satu Moreau: /me applauds

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Nathan Adored: yes, very good

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Stereo Nacht: Is there a tipjar for today's presenter?

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Jimmy Branagh: /me applauds

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Mosseveno Tenk: now under the couch i have placed my collection of postcards

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Stereo Nacht: Ah!

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Mosseveno Tenk: some are from my real life collection

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Myrtil Igaly: /me applauds

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Bookworm Hienrichs: I'm standing next to the tip jar. *smile*

[2013/12/15 15:10]  Mosseveno Tenk: do help yourself

[2013/12/15 15:11]  Darlingmonster Ember: ooo, floaty couch that's lovely

[2013/12/15 15:11]  Satu Moreau: Ooh

[2013/12/15 15:11]  Mosseveno Tenk: and i'ld like to finish with a thought

[2013/12/15 15:11]  Solace Fairlady: fabulous presentation, thank you Boiler Elf!

[2013/12/15 15:11]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): Thank you, Boiler Elf and Merry Christmas to you and everyone else with a Happy Holidays to anyone else who is not into Christmas. Really, Be happy to all

[2013/12/15 15:11]  Mosseveno Tenk: how does one define a god?

[2013/12/15 15:11]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): If you would like to help support the Salon itself, the small airship can take your donations.

[2013/12/15 15:11]  Cutea Benelli: oh it#s my stoner couch, Ms Darlingmonster

[2013/12/15 15:11]  Mosseveno Tenk: consider this man

[2013/12/15 15:11]  Stereo Nacht: /me tries to spot it...

[2013/12/15 15:11]  Mosseveno Tenk: for the past 140 years, we have built him a shrine in our markets

[2013/12/15 15:11]  Mosseveno Tenk: we present our children to him

[2013/12/15 15:11]  Darlingmonster Ember: :D

[2013/12/15 15:11]  Mosseveno Tenk: we tell lies

[2013/12/15 15:11]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Heh.

[2013/12/15 15:12]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): I did not understand about the present but thank you.

[2013/12/15 15:12]  Mosseveno Tenk: there are men who devote the latter part of thier lives to his image.

[2013/12/15 15:12]  Tepic Harlequin: eh? lies?

[2013/12/15 15:12]  Beryl Strifeclaw (gager): Stories Tepic

[2013/12/15 15:12]  Satu Moreau: XD Well, now it sounds like a cult

[2013/12/15 15:12]  Mosseveno Tenk: some years ago i was working as a mascot whiel i was in university

[2013/12/15 15:12]  Tepic Harlequin: oh, stories bout Santa are alright.....

[2013/12/15 15:12]  Mosseveno Tenk: i got a call to go play the easter bunny at a country club up on the eastern shor of virgina

[2013/12/15 15:12]  Mosseveno Tenk: now if anyone has ever had to play a revered character

[2013/12/15 15:13]  Mosseveno Tenk: you miht know what is coming

[2013/12/15 15:13]  Mosseveno Tenk: as i was coming home

[2013/12/15 15:13]  Mosseveno Tenk: i stopped at a litter folk art gallery to get some food

[2013/12/15 15:13]  Nathan Adored: where's the tipjar?

[2013/12/15 15:13]  Darlingmonster Ember: /me smiles

[2013/12/15 15:13]  Mosseveno Tenk: there was an older man in there, white hair, but clean shaven

[2013/12/15 15:13]  Mosseveno Tenk: and he looked at me

[2013/12/15 15:13]  Mosseveno Tenk: and he said

[2013/12/15 15:13]  Bookworm Hienrichs: /me waves her hand. "By me, Nathan."

[2013/12/15 15:13]  Mosseveno Tenk: 'yo're the aster bunny!

[2013/12/15 15:13]  Mosseveno Tenk: you've just been there!

[2013/12/15 15:14]  Mosseveno Tenk: and i looked at him

[2013/12/15 15:14]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): /me raises his eyebrows

[2013/12/15 15:14]  Jimmy Branagh: lol

[2013/12/15 15:14]  Mosseveno Tenk: and knew he was a santa

[2013/12/15 15:14]  Mosseveno Tenk: and he was

[2013/12/15 15:14]  Stereo Nacht: Speaker tipjar beside Ms. Hienrichs; the Salon's one is flowting, or at the back.

[2013/12/15 15:14]  Garnet Psaltery: Hehe

[2013/12/15 15:14]  Bookworm Hienrichs: /me chuckles.

[2013/12/15 15:14]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Remarkable.

[2013/12/15 15:14]  Darlingmonster Ember: :D

[2013/12/15 15:14]  Satu Moreau: XD

[2013/12/15 15:14]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): Iconic if not ironic, no?

[2013/12/15 15:14]  Mosseveno Tenk: and we both were sharing a rare experience that canont be described in workds

[2013/12/15 15:14]  Mosseveno Tenk: i probably ever wil be able to expalin it

[2013/12/15 15:14]  Mosseveno Tenk: but

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Mosseveno Tenk: what is

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Mosseveno Tenk: a god?

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Mosseveno Tenk: thank you

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Garnet Psaltery: ***** APPLAUSE *****

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Rebecca Skytower (ruvean): Bravo!

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Bookworm Hienrichs: /me applauds.

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Jimmy Branagh: /me applauds enthusiastically

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Satu Moreau: Hehe

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Solace Fairlady: /me applauds

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): /me applauds

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Bloodfang TS Clawtooth (bloodfang.clawtooth): HOOOOOOOO!!!

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Stereo Nacht:  `*.¸.*´ APPLAUSE `*.¸.*´APPLAUSE `*.¸.*´

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Darlingmonster Ember: /me applauds

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Vic Mornington (victor1st.mornington): /me cheers

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Jimmy Branagh: Good stuff!

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Cutea Benelli: /me aplauds lazily, then stalks

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Nathan Adored: /me claps claps claps.

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): Absolutely Marvelous!

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Rebecca Skytower (ruvean): and thank you Sir Elf for this time.

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Beryl Strifeclaw (gager): \o/ \o/ \o/

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Myrtil Igaly: /me applauds

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Mosseveno Tenk: i inow wer are over time, but if any one has quiestion, fire away

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Any more donations? The Boiler Elf is a busy entity.

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Zantabraxus (zantabraxus.aristocarnas): /me appaluds

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Beryl Strifeclaw (gager): Food calls now

[2013/12/15 15:15]  Beryl Strifeclaw (gager): I put it off

[2013/12/15 15:16]  Beryl Strifeclaw (gager): /me waves

[2013/12/15 15:16]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): waves back

[2013/12/15 15:16]  Professor Parx (treloar.parx): I have one if I may?

[2013/12/15 15:16]  Satu Moreau: Heh, it reminds me of Death's speech at the end of the Hogfather

[2013/12/15 15:16]  Mosseveno Tenk: Professor?

[2013/12/15 15:16]  Stereo Nacht: And my typist is getting cold. Good night, ladies and gentlemen!

[2013/12/15 15:16]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): Good night

[2013/12/15 15:16]  Bloodfang TS Clawtooth (bloodfang.clawtooth): Later Stereo

[2013/12/15 15:16]  Satu Moreau: Night, Ms. Nacht

[2013/12/15 15:16]  Garnet Psaltery: Goodnight, Stereo

[2013/12/15 15:16]  Professor Parx (treloar.parx): With the globalization of "Santa" within the English speaking world (him now having merged with Father Christmas

[2013/12/15 15:16]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Gute Nacht, Fraulein Stereo.

[2013/12/15 15:17]  Bloodfang TS Clawtooth (bloodfang.clawtooth): Night to those leaving

[2013/12/15 15:17]  Mosseveno Tenk: /me nods

[2013/12/15 15:17]  Willow Leafstorm (zoelass): G'night every body.

[2013/12/15 15:17]  Professor Parx (treloar.parx): Do you think there's a chance he will displace the non-English "Santas?

[2013/12/15 15:17]  Willow Leafstorm (zoelass): Or perhaps good day.

[2013/12/15 15:17]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): /me puts an arm around his wife

[2013/12/15 15:17]  Jimmy Branagh: Awlroight then off ta scrape up dinner. Thenks Mr. Elf! Bye awl!

[2013/12/15 15:17]  Mosseveno Tenk: i would say that fathe christmas and weinachtsman and the rest are at risk for being assimilated, even the yule lads of iceland now wear santa suits rather than tradtional attire

[2013/12/15 15:17]  Cutea Benelli: (Weihnachtsmann)

[2013/12/15 15:17]  Garnet Psaltery: Bah humbug

[2013/12/15 15:17]  Satu Moreau: Erf

[2013/12/15 15:18]  Garnet Psaltery: Globalisation!

[2013/12/15 15:18]  Satu Moreau: Didn't they do the same to the nisse too?

[2013/12/15 15:18]  Flea (dreams.requiem): A saddening think to have.

[2013/12/15 15:18]  Myrtil Igaly: ((bedtime for me, thank you for the interesting talk!))

[2013/12/15 15:18]  Mosseveno Tenk: in iceland? i'l tell you next year. its just too horrble.

[2013/12/15 15:18]  Satu Moreau: Hehe

[2013/12/15 15:18]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Gute Nacht, Myrtil.

[2013/12/15 15:18]  Mosseveno Tenk: that's sheep sucker up there...

[2013/12/15 15:18]  Mosseveno Tenk: and he has 11 brothers

[2013/12/15 15:19]  Satu Moreau: I thought it might be

[2013/12/15 15:19]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): /me impressed with the elf's willingness to ask that difficult question at the end. Where's

[2013/12/15 15:19]  Cutea Benelli: /me things one  way of furherin assimilation is misspelling Weihnachtsmann and omitting Christkind;)

[2013/12/15 15:19]  Cutea Benelli: thinks, also

[2013/12/15 15:19]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): the oh.. I see

[2013/12/15 15:19]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): thanks

[2013/12/15 15:19]  Mosseveno Tenk: Hee, i type sloppy!

[2013/12/15 15:19]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Heh.

[2013/12/15 15:20]  Cutea Benelli: i stalk you, i stalk your typos.

[2013/12/15 15:20]  Rebecca Skytower (ruvean): beter than me, so your ok

[2013/12/15 15:20]  Satu Moreau: XD

[2013/12/15 15:20]  Bookworm Hienrichs: /me laughs.

[2013/12/15 15:20]  Mosseveno Tenk: I had to omit CHristkindl for time. i can't talk a ong time on this subject,

[2013/12/15 15:20]  Rebecca Skytower (ruvean): :-D

[2013/12/15 15:20]  Flea (dreams.requiem): /me does not remark on Tenk's similar appearance to Stubby.

[2013/12/15 15:20]  Mosseveno Tenk: so i had to narrow it down as mch as i could

[2013/12/15 15:20]  Cutea Benelli: gotta admit that christkind is a separate chapter. just wanted to sound dramatic :D

[2013/12/15 15:20]  Miss Suzanne Super Sweet (supersuz): Thank you!

[2013/12/15 15:20]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Excellent and timely. Vielen dank for offering to do this Salon.

[2013/12/15 15:20]  Cutea Benelli: it was still a very interesting talk, Herr Tenk

[2013/12/15 15:21]  Cutea Benelli: I'd start stalking you if i wasn't already!

[2013/12/15 15:21]  Mosseveno Tenk: then i will see you all on christmas eveñ”˜²

[2013/12/15 15:21]  Rebecca Skytower (ruvean): yes, thank you for coming by and teaching us Sir Elf.

[2013/12/15 15:21]  Rebecca Skytower (ruvean): have a goos, and happy trip.

[2013/12/15 15:21]  Rebecca Skytower (ruvean): a good rather. haha

[2013/12/15 15:22]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Last chance for the tipjar.

[2013/12/15 15:22]  Cutea Benelli: have a goose

[2013/12/15 15:22]  Mosseveno Tenk: gans!

[2013/12/15 15:22]  Bookworm Hienrichs: /me waves and points at the tip jar by her.

[2013/12/15 15:22]  Professor Parx (treloar.parx): Humbug to all

[2013/12/15 15:22]  Cutea Benelli: lol Professor

[2013/12/15 15:22]  Rebecca Skytower (ruvean): I amagen it may be easy to gather a goos will flying that night.

[2013/12/15 15:23]  Mosseveno Tenk: btw... anyone know where this background image is?

[2013/12/15 15:23]  Rebecca Skytower (ruvean): sevral even with a good net.

[2013/12/15 15:23]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): /me frowns thoughtfully at the image

[2013/12/15 15:23]  Mosseveno Tenk: this is korvatunturi, which is gaining crediblity over the north pole as santa's home

[2013/12/15 15:23]  Vic Mornington (victor1st.mornington): right, off to start unpacking the christmas buffet *waves*

[2013/12/15 15:24]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Interesting.

[2013/12/15 15:24]  Flea (dreams.requiem): I just see lots of fresh snow that needs to be rolled in and muddled up.

[2013/12/15 15:24]  Satu Moreau: Yes-ah!

[2013/12/15 15:24]  Rebecca Skytower (ruvean): aa, so thats where he passably lives.

[2013/12/15 15:24]  Zaros (zaros.xue): Ta ta all, thank you kindly Mr. Tenk. ã‹¡

[2013/12/15 15:24]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): I believe I heard some Canadians claiming his home as well, due to a post code of H0H 0H0?

[2013/12/15 15:24]  Rebecca Skytower (ruvean): vary lovely

[2013/12/15 15:25]  Bookworm Hienrichs: /me chuckles.

[2013/12/15 15:25]  Mosseveno Tenk: the danes claim he live in greenland, so he can be danish

[2013/12/15 15:25]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Of course.

[2013/12/15 15:25]  Mosseveno Tenk: everyone get their postcards?

[2013/12/15 15:26]  Nathan Adored: yes, even the one you have to right-click to select Buy on

[2013/12/15 15:26]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Bitte, if Fraulein Bookworm might be given a set for sharing in our aether-journal.

[2013/12/15 15:26]  Rebecca Skytower (ruvean): a few years back Rusha was calming the north pole.

[2013/12/15 15:26]  Mosseveno Tenk: true, but the north pole is not stationalry

[2013/12/15 15:26]  Bloodfang TS Clawtooth (bloodfang.clawtooth): They still are

[2013/12/15 15:26]  Mosseveno Tenk: so it will change nationality as it drifts around the arctic

[2013/12/15 15:27]  Mosseveno Tenk: i believe its still russian

[2013/12/15 15:27]  Bloodfang TS Clawtooth (bloodfang.clawtooth): In fact Canada, Russia and a few others are trying to claim the North Pole

[2013/12/15 15:27]  Rebecca Skytower (ruvean): thats right, it moves. at lest the magnetic north pole does

[2013/12/15 15:27]  Mosseveno Tenk: has too

[2013/12/15 15:27]  Mosseveno Tenk: that's hwo the factory is powered

[2013/12/15 15:27]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): /me chuckles

[2013/12/15 15:27]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Ah, Science.

[2013/12/15 15:27]  Bookworm Hienrichs: /me grins.

[2013/12/15 15:27]  Mosseveno Tenk: need optimal power, so there's a navigation room too

[2013/12/15 15:27]  Mosseveno Tenk: they show that in the tim allen movies.

[2013/12/15 15:28]  Rebecca Skytower (ruvean): Magnatesom, I thot it mite be

[2013/12/15 15:28]  Mosseveno Tenk: sheep sucker. that's just not right

[2013/12/15 15:28]  Satu Moreau: XD

[2013/12/15 15:29]  Satu Moreau: Cousin to the chupacabra?

[2013/12/15 15:29]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Sheep, goats... anything without a good shepherd, eh?

[2013/12/15 15:29]  Flea (dreams.requiem): I always heard him as Sheep Clod.

[2013/12/15 15:29]  Mosseveno Tenk: thing is he can't bend his knees

[2013/12/15 15:29]  Mosseveno Tenk: so he had to do some contortion to do the deed

[2013/12/15 15:29]  Rebecca Skytower (ruvean): and it may also explain why at this time of year, easier to see the aurora bora ails up north.

[2013/12/15 15:29]  Mosseveno Tenk: sheep clod is common too

[2013/12/15 15:30]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Ach, arthritic knees - good clank legs could resolve that.

[2013/12/15 15:30]  Mosseveno Tenk: i like sheep sucker, more descriptive

[2013/12/15 15:30]  Satu Moreau: XD

[2013/12/15 15:30]  Satu Moreau: /me holds up a drinking straw

[2013/12/15 15:30]  Satu Moreau: Bendy!

[2013/12/15 15:30]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): /me chuckles

[2013/12/15 15:30]  Satu Moreau: Solve all his knee problems

[2013/12/15 15:30]  Flea (dreams.requiem): /me laughs.

[2013/12/15 15:31]  Bloodfang TS Clawtooth (bloodfang.clawtooth): Canadians stake their claim to North Pole in rush for oil

[2013/12/15 15:31]  Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Excellent display, although I was wondering for a bit why I kept bumping into invisible prims.

[2013/12/15 15:31]  Flea (dreams.requiem): That must have taken a lot of effort to put together.

AEther Salon: Service! (Edited)

Baron Klaus Wulfenbach: We had best get this started.

Before we proceed, some housekeeping reminders:

1) To ensure you can hear the speaker, stand or sit on the patterned carpet.

2) If you do not have a wearable chair and wish one, please contact me.

3) Please remove all lag-feeding whatevers you might be wearing.

4) A tip jar is out for our speaker. Do please show your appreciation!

5) Any tips to help support the establishment will also be welcome - just click on one of the support signs!

6) If you're not a member of the AEther Salon group, there are signs that will let you sign up. You'll be most heartily welcome!

7) Edited and unedited transcripts of these proceedings will be posted at aethersalon.blogspot.com.

There, that is all the points but one - this is not the Poetry Slam, appreciation is not shown with temporary-rez ammunition, danke.

Let me introduce our speaker now.  Lisa Fargazer arrived in New Babbage--in her present state, at least--about two and a half years ago. She stayed with the urchins for a while, but early this year, decided it was time to make her way in the world. She was hired as a maid-of-all-work at the Murgam Asylum, and has been working there ever since, despite the interesting troubles that crop up there from time to time. Recently, she has even taken on a bit of a supervisory role with the new maids that have been hired.

 

Fraulein Fargazer, the floor is yours.

Felisa Fargazer: I know most of us, when we think of the English servant, have pictures of the fleet of workers in the great houses--'Upstairs, Downstairs' and 'Downton Abbey' being the touchstones.  However, since New Babbage has a distinct lack of such great estates--we're not Caledon, after all *wink*--this talk will focus more on the experience of servants in middle-class homes, which will be more in line with what would happen in New Babbage, and is at least somewhat similar to what I experience in my work at the asylum.  Of course, it being an asylum, I do have to deal with duties--and hazards--no house servant could imagine.  I hope that this will help you to begin populating the houses and streets around you with more of these unseen people--in your mind's eye, if nowhere else.

In case you doubt the ubiquitous nature of the servant, consider this.  In the 1891 census of England and Wales, the total population counted was about 29 million.  Fully 5% of that total--1.4 million--were people working as indoor servants in private homes.

zaida Gearbox: dat was 1891 didn't it used to be more?
Lisa Fargazer (fargazer): (I'm not sure, Zaida--that was the only year of information I found.) 

That total was very gender-skewed; only 4% of the 1.4 million (about 58,500) were men and boys; all the rest were girls and women.  A fair number started work young, too--over 107,000 girls and nearly 7000 boys in service were between 10 and 15 years of age.

Hysshia a'Suolla an Isala Ph.D. (hysshia): I guess not all servants where registered, as some wouldn't have been paid, especially in the country estates?
Lisa Fargazer (fargazer): (That, I don't know, Ms. Isala.) 

Many of these servants worked in the great houses and estates for the rich; most of the middle-class had to content themselves with either hiring a workhouse child or getting a charwoman to come in part-time.  As the Victorian age progressed, though, more middle-class families found themselves able to hire a servant.  Still, the fact that the household of Miss Bookworm Hienrichs includes two servants--a housekeeper and a cook--shows that, while they may not be rich, they are certainly more well-to-do than most (and more well-to-do than even their typist realized *grin*).

I may as well, though, go through the hierarchy of the different types of servants, especially those in the rich houses and estates, as those at the lower end would often try to learn the skills needed to work their way up the ladder.  Included are the average pay scales for each type in the early 1890's, to help give you an idea of how each was valued.

At the very top were the house and the land stewards--who weren't actually considered servants, but were professional employees, at or above the level of the family lawyer.  The land steward managed the estate and its farms, collected rents, and settled disputes between tenants.  He was paid anywhere between 100 and 300 pounds per year.  The house steward took care of the hiring, firing, payment of, and purchasing for the servants of the estate, and earned 50-100 pounds per year.

Next came the Upper Staff, the creme-de-la-creme of the servants, who ate separately from the rest of the staff, and were deferred to by them.  The Butler was the highest-ranking servant, and was responsible for the smooth running of the household; he earned between 40 and 60 pounds per year.  The Housekeeper was responsible for the female staff (or, if there was no butler, all the staff), as well as maintaining the house's furnishings.  Being a woman, she earned, of course, less than the Butler--usually 5-10 pounds per year less.

The Cook or Chef supervised the kitchen staff, and prepared the family's meals (undercooks would prepare the meals for the staff).  Their pay varied widely, depending on their own abilities and the size of the household, and could be anything from 30 to 300 pounds per year.  Finally, there were the Lady's Maid and the Valet, the personal servants to the mistress and master of the house.  In addition to helping them dress and caring for their clothing, they often acted as general companions, and even handled secretarial duties.  Their pay was usually 20-30 pounds per year.

Next came the Lower Staff, those who, quite often, slept at the top and worked at the bottom.  The Footmen were at the top of this hierarchy; as they were often the most visible of the servants, appearance usually took precendence over ability.  They served family meals, assisted the Butler, and accompanied the family on shopping and other outside expeditions.  Their pay was usually about 30 pounds a year.

Chamber maids and Parlor maids came next, earning about 20 pounds per year.  Chamber maids were actually ranked higher, as they were responsible for cleaning the family bedrooms, and thus were "closer" to the family.  Parlor maids cleaned the sitting and drawing rooms.

The House maids were general purpose workers, earning about 16 pounds per year.  Then there were the Tweenies--the Between maids--who would work in the house or in the kitchen as needed, and earned about 15 pounds per year.  Kitchen maids, who, of course, assisted with kitchen work, also earned about 15 pounds per year.  At the bottom of the heap were the lowly Scullery maids, who cleaned the kitchen and scrubbed the dishes, earning a mere 13 pounds a year.

New servants were generally found in one of three ways: word-of-mouth (considered the best way, as one got advice from people one knew); a registry office, where ladies could interview as many as 20 or 30 girls before settling on one; or through advertisements.  All servants, after their first job, had to have a character reference to obtain new jobs, and even with that, prospective employers often visited the previous employer to ask face-to-face about the prospective servant, inquiring about their morals, honesty, cleanliness, capability, temper, and health.  And yes, in that order.  It was very important to the Victorians that their servants not not put on airs above their station, and that they be deferential--for instance, always walking a few paces behind when attending the family on an outing.  As The Spectator put it, “...one woman cannot do happily the will of another woman simply because it is her will, without looking up to her in some degree… If domestic service is to be tolerable there must be an attitude of habitual deference on the one side and one of sympathetic protection on the other.”

(Considering the relationship between myself and my employer, Canergak… my job was obviously doomed from the start.  The doom just hasn’t arrived yet.)

For the middle-class, if they could afford just one servant, the maid-of-all-work was the key one to hire, as she would handle the vast majority of dirty and heavy work--cleaning, carrying coal and water, making beds.  (And this was, indeed, heavy work, as a coal scuttle would weigh between 28 and 30 pounds, and a jug of bath water weighed 30 pounds.)  If another servant or two could be afforded, then a cook and either a housemaid or a nursemaid were the next priorities.  Most, though, could only afford the one servant, who then entered into a life of seemingly never-ending work.

Myrtil Igaly: how much would she be paid?
Lisa Fargazer (fargazer): (Probably the lower end of the payscale I talked about before. On the level of a scullery maid or Tweenie.) 

The day for the typical maid-of-all-work in a Victorian home would start no later than 6:00 a.m.--and often earlier.  She would go around and draw blinds and curtains, and open shutters, throughout the home (except for the family bedrooms, of course).  In the kitchen, she would start the fire and polish the range, check that the boiler had water, put on the kettle, and do other chores, such as cleaning the household's boots.

When that was done, she would wash her hands and head up to the dining room.  There, she would open the curtains, cover furniture and ornaments with cloths, fold up the hearth rug for shaking outside, and then clean the grate, fire irons, and fender--a daily, dirty chore.  Then she would clean the furniture, mantelpiece, and carpet in that room.  After that was done, she'd move out to clean the front hall, entrance, and steps, including shaking out mats and rugs, and finally empty all the downstairs fireplaces of cinders, which would be used to bank up the kitchen fire.

With the last of this pre-breakfast work done, she would go change into a clean dress and apron.  Then she would lay out the dining table, then go cook breakfast and serve it to the family.  While the family ate, she might or might not have a chance for her own breakfast before going upstairs to air the bedrooms, and strip the beds to air them (and yes, this was done daily).  She would also turn the mattresses, and empty and rinse the chamber-pots (if this was before her family got indoor bathrooms).  Three times a week during the summer (less often in the winter), she would wash the bedroom floors, which was an extremely laborious process, involving repeated scrubbings with water, soap, and vinegar.

Since her clothes were now dirty again, she would put on a large bed-making apron and remake the beds.  In this, at least, she was usually assisted by the mistress or daughters of the household.  All rooms in the house were at least dusted each day, with lamps and candlesticks taken down to the scullery room for cleaning there.  Once a week, though, on a rotating schedule, each room was "turned out" and thoroughly scrubbed and cleaned.  If the family was on the more fashionable schedule of eating their main meal in the evening, this cleaning could be done in the morning, leaving the afternoon free for other chores, including preparing the meal, and giving the maid the chance to change again into clean clothes to serve the meal.

That evening meal, of course, had to be cooked before it could be served, and the dining room had to be tidied again while the meal was cooking.  And cleaned yet again after the meal was eaten.  Then the maid could go to the kitchen for her own dinner.  Afterwards, she would wait on the family in the evening, and mend any of her clothes that needed it.  As night came on, she would close shutters and blinds throughout the house, and put out the fires and lamps.  Her last chore of the day would be to rake out the kitchen fire and lay it ready for the next morning.  All of this was considered normal, and perfectly achievable by one person, but it could be well after dark, even close to midnight, by the time she was able to go to bed.

As I mentioned above, the maid had to change clothing a few times each day, especially if she needed to serve meals or otherwise wait on the family after having done heavy cleaning.  Earlier in the 1800s, most servants didn’t wear uniforms, but simply their own plain working dresses.  At that time, the difference between the quality fabrics worn by the ladies, and the cheap fabrics worn by everyone else, was easily apparent; nor could the working classes afford the styles and touches fashion dictated.  By the 1850s and 1860s, though, new manufacturing methods and cheap cotton from India meant that the distinctions between working-class clothing and the clothing of the middle-class was less immediately visible.  To keep the servants from looking too much like the mistresses, uniforms were created, and often a maid would need at least a few sets of working uniforms, as well as a special, dark grey or black uniform for going to church.

Unfortunately, maids had to supply their own uniforms *before* they could start working as a maid.  (Most menservants were provided with theirs by their employers.  Yet more gender discrimination…)  A typical uniform for a maid included a print dress, apron, cap, stockings, and high-button boots.  A girl who wanted to go into service had to either scrape together enough from loans from friends and family, or else start work at a factory until she’d saved enough to buy the necessary outfits, which could take as long as two years!  (Thankfully, Beryl was kind enough to loan me the money I needed to buy my uniforms from a maid who’d outgrown hers.)

A tradition soon developed of employers giving fabric to their maids for Christmas so they could make or renew their uniforms.  Of course, that, too, was done at the maid’s own expense.  She did, at least, get an allowance of about a shilling per week for her own laundry needs, though she had to wash her own caps, cuffs, and collars.

Jon Chen (jonchen): Was this boxing day's start?
Lisa Fargazer (fargazer): (I think that was much earlier, Jon.)
Solace Fairlady: boxing day was for paying the tradesmen who visited, such as refuse collectors  

In fact, let's take a closer look at probably the busiest day of the week--laundry day.  This was usually Monday, though preparations would actually start a day or two before, sorting the laundry items and checking each item for stains.  Sheets and linens would be covered with lukewarm water and a bit of soda and left overnight.  Greasy cloths were soaked in a solution of lime and water, boiled for two hours, left to settle, strained, rinsed again in more lime solution, and left overnight.

On Monday, the maid would arise two hours earlier than usual to light the fire, clean the washtubs and any laundry machinery the family owned, and get through her usual housework while the mistress made and served breakfast.  That breakfast would be the only hot meal of the day, as the range and its boiler needed to be reserved for heating water.  Even houses that had a copper, which could hold and heat twenty gallons at a time, still needed to use the range for more water, as a single wash took fifty gallons.

As soon as the water was hot, the first load, sheets and other linens, were taken out of their overnight soaking water, rinsed in hot water, and rubbed or beaten with special sticks that were used in washtubs.  The sheets were then wrung out, and the water thrown away.  A bar of soap was shaved, cut into pieces, and dissolved in boiling water to form a jelly, which was rubbed through the sheets.  Water was added to create a soapy mass, and the sheets agitated by hand again.  More hot water was added, and the sheets rubbed a third time.  The water was thrown out again, more taken from the copper (if the household had one), and the linens were put in their first rinse, then wrung out.  Then they were put in the copper itself, along with one teaspoon of soda to every two gallons of water, and boiled for an hour and a half, to thoroughly remove the soap.  Once that was done, they were removed, rinsed yet again in boiling water, then rinsed one last time in cold water that had had "blue" put in it.  (Soaps of the time had a tendency to turn whites yellow; "blue" was a lump of dye, tied in a piece of cloth and mixed through the cold water, that would counteract this yellowing.  Of course, if someone was careless, the wash would come out with yellow and white streaks...)  After this rinse, everything was wrung out for the last time, and hung up to dry.

So there you have it.  Eight different processes--one soaking, two washes, one boiling, and four rinses.  And that was one load.  The easiest load.  Thankfully, the asylum has its laundry taken care of by other means.  (And if New Babbage doesn't have, somewhere, an entrepreneur with a warehouse-sized building stuffed with large, steam-powered machines to take in and clean people's laundry, then by golly, it *should.*)

With so much to do, it's no wonder turnover among the servants was high, especially in households that only employed one servant.  The average time spent at any one post was three years.  Girls entering service, especially from workhouses or from the country, would often work just for their keep in their first job, while they acquired the training they needed to work their way up the hierarchy; they also needed that all-important reference to aid them in finding a better job.

Jon Chen (jonchen): When a girl entered service, how long might her career and life be?

Lisa Fargazer (fargazer): (Jon, it varied--some did it for life, some for only a few years, if that.  It depended on a number of factors.)

And indeed, if a maid was hard-working, behaved well, and showed the desire and ability to learn, most mistresses would not only not stand in their way for bettering their position, but would actively assist.  For instance, one woman heard of a position as lady’s maid that she thought would suit her own housemaid.  She actually went to the other lady herself to further her maid’s case, she gave the maid a week off to go and learn a skill she was missing, and even arranged for her own milliner to teach the maid specialized skills that would help her cause.

Of course, if a maid behaved other than well, she likely wouldn’t last long.  Maids could be dismissed for a wide variety of offenses--drunkenness, or pregnancy out of wedlock, being obvious ones, of course.  But even something like dressing above one’s station could be grounds for dismissal, as that showed a lack of deference.

zaida Gearbox: what if dey was only dressed up for church?
Lisa Fargazer (fargazer): (Zaida--even dressing more than their usual style for church was greatly frowned on.) 

There were other, more pleasant, ways to leave service, though.  Even the busiest maids often found time to meet men--on their half-days off, if at no other time.  It was an interesting dichotomy, though; marriage, and leaving service because of marriage, was honorable.  Being courted was not.  Masters and mistresses did their best to bar “followers” from their maidservants--which only made those stolen moments of courting all the sweeter.

Myrtil Igaly: Do you mean once they're married they aren't servants anymore?
Lisa Fargazer (fargazer): (Myrtil--correct. Once a woman married, her job was her home, not anyone else's.)

I hope this talk has given you at least a basic picture of the life of the servant in Victorian times.  There is, of course, much more to it than I could cover in our time.  If you’re interested in learning more, let me mention two books that I used in preparing this Salon:

‘Inside the Victorian Home: A Portrait of Domestic Life in Victorian England,’ by Judith Flanders.  I cannot recommend this book highly enough--it contains a wealth of detail about the Victorian middle class and how they lived.  I learned so much from it!

The other book is ‘Not in Front of the Servants: A True Portrait of English Upstairs/Downstairs Life,’ by Frank Dawes.  It does focus more on the larger households and estates, and covers time before and after the Victorian age, as well as during.  A fascinating aspect about it is that it contains first-hand accounts from both servants and employers--mostly from the Edwardian age, but still interesting to read.

Thank you for attending, and I hope you enjoyed this edition of the AEther Salon.

Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): The Fraulein can answer more questions, we do have a few minutes.

Myrtil Igaly: So what about men servants, they can stay in service even if they're married, right?
Lisa Fargazer (fargazer): They could, yes.
Myrtil Igaly: But why were they less numerous, is that because they didn't want to do the job or because people would prefer to hire girls?
Lisa Fargazer (fargazer): Probably because the bulk of the indoor work was considered women's work.
Lisa Fargazer (fargazer): All the cleaning.
Lisa Fargazer (fargazer): Indoors, for men, you had the footmen, and the butler. And perhaps the cook.
Lisa Fargazer (fargazer): The outdoor work was more in line with men's work.

Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Fraulein Fargazer, when would you say this style of service started and ended?
Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Between what years?
Hysshia a'Suolla an Isala Ph.D. (hysshia): I think the Great war ended this type of living-style, Especially the big fever after it.
Lisa Fargazer (fargazer): Well, the real emphasis on deference in servants, and probably from that, the hierarchy within the servants, started around the beginning of the Victorian era.
zaida Gearbox: world war i or ii? 
Hysshia a'Suolla an Isala Ph.D. (hysshia): WW 1
Lisa Fargazer (fargazer): World War I didn't entirely end it, though it did start the upending of it.
Lisa Fargazer (fargazer): It was WWII that truly ended it.
Hysshia a'Suolla an Isala Ph.D. (hysshia): + the cheap industrialised appliences.
Myrtil Igaly: I suppose with more machines invented to help in the house, servants were less useful too?

Myrtil Igaly: yes that..

Lisa Fargazer (fargazer): The first-hand accounts in the 'Not in Front of the Servants' book went up through the 1930s.

Lisa Fargazer (fargazer): /me nods at Myrtil.

Solace Fairlady: the end of the class system meant the end of srvants

Solace Fairlady: and the explosion of work in manufacturing

zaida Gearbox: but don't some people still work as servants?

Solace Fairlady: compared to how many did?

Lisa Fargazer (fargazer): Oh, yes. But far fewer, and in much better conditions.