I notice a lot of veteran jellies happen to be on now - nice! Fluther is in the foreground - what's going on in the background of your home/work right now?

Having suddenly listened to the voice in my head that says to get on the treadmill, I am about to do just that.

Now that I’ve retired from the mainstream job bank, my life centers around the home and family. I am a stay-at-home dad for a seventh grader. I have a long list of DIY projects around the house, and look forward to the warmer weather when I can get my garden going again.

Waiting at the doctor’s office to see endodoc. Just got poor results from my annual bone scan.

Disney Channel. I have a sick child at home today. I’m also waiting on a new water heater that will be installed. Good times.

Yesterday was shopping day, so today is cooking day. I am cooking up 8 pounds of pork chops, four and a half pounds of hamburger and repacking 6.8 pounds of sliced, smoked roast beef into meal size packages. I’m making 3 bean casserole to pack with them, along with a pot of rice. I have to slice the bell peppers and onions to cook with the ground beef

Sitting at my desk waiting for someone to make use of my services.

It’s approaching 9:30pm here in england town & I’m sitting with the wife about to watch Mrs Brown’s Boys…which is nice.

Grading papers for my composition class. Seven “F“s sure doesn’t make one feel great. My class needs a wake-up call on the importance of citations. Thank goodness I don’t have reason to believe the plagiarism was intentionally done or else I would have to file several cases to judicial affairs.

I hear the tap tap tap of the cane of the blind guy who works down the hall. The woman who works alone in the office next to my shop is singing church music, probably unaware that anyone can hear.

As I finished writing that, two coworkers came in and dumped a design job on me with, as I’ve come to expect from them, almost none of the information I’ll actually need to do a decent job. Instead of one well-designed piece of equipment, I’ll be expected to supply two or three half-assed variations to cover the various contingencies they failed to nail down.

The singing next door stilled when my coworkers came, but has now welled back up, though with less gusto. Maybe she realized that if she could hear our conversation, then I could probably hear her.

Since I’m not a veteran, I guess I’m not qualified to answer this question. So you’ll never know what’s going on in the background, will you?

Am I a veteran?

I’m “working” – just can’t get motivated today. I had a really bad weekend and kind of need a do-over. And it’s goddamn cold in here.

I’m reading a web comic I found over the weekend called Questionable Content.

(Enjoying my few hours of peace while my father is at dialysis.)

I’m winding down my workday. Have been since I arrived this morning.

Vegging out after being drained by a dizzy headache last night and this morning.

I’m making a cup of tea.

I wonder how many questions zen has asked that contained the word “veteran”. Anyone really bored and want to do a count?

I’m very busy running from the computer to the laundry room to the bedroom trying to get everything ready for my trip to Honolulu tomorrow.

Getting ready for a annual banquet.

I’m eating leftover hot and sour soup, delicious, in the silence. I just finished The Monkey Wrench Gang and am in awe like one usually is after finishing a good read.

Nothing. Just rain beating against the window.

Writing call schedules while sitting in my third meeting of the day.

Good to see you all in one thread.

@future come here. A little closer. Smack!

I’m having steamy hot sex with Sir Patrick Stewart. He gave me a quick breather to let you all know about it. Man’s got some stamina; he must’ve eaten his Wheaties this morning!

Engage.

We’re settling in for the evening having just cleaned up the kitchen for dinner, kids are relaxing, I am listening to TV while alternating between Fluther and Facebook.

Jujitsu Go with a twist of Alice.

Just flagged someone for asking for tumblr followers…

I’ll tumble 4 u

Not too much now. Earlier there were lots of tradespeople here. Then my beautiful daughter visited. Now we (me, dogs, cat and fish) are on our own again until someone else comes home.

Late night TV on in the background while I Fluther and Sudoku :)

A couple of my colleagues are having a conversation but I can’t hear what they are saying really, it’s just dull background noise that I hear every day but never really pay attention to.

Hang on….I did just hear someone mention a hot tub.

I’ve been looking out my window watching a car on the highway that is on fire. No one is hurt, thank goodness, but the car is a loss. This is crazy. I’ve never seen a car on fire before.

Welcome @ChazM. :D

Who are the oldest active flutherers? I guess other than the founders. We all know @gailcalled, you are one of them, but are there any others?

Been here since May, 2008.

^ Jan and Wunday, Jeruba, Lisa and Marina and a few other from 08 – then the wis.dmers from beginning of 09. Then Abers from late 09… then Cancerbag and other refugees… ;-)

There are many more than a just a few others from 08 who are still active, @zensky. just sayin’ =)

True… – some more some less active. A few is more than a couple – but where does a few end? Jeruba?

Right after a close call…phew!

To me “a few” is an unspecified small number larger than a couple. A couple is supposed to be just two, but I admit I use it loosely.

I also regard “few” as very relative: if I’m doing errands and have a few stops to make, that might mean three; but a few potato chips could be a whole bowlful, and “a few more minutes” sometimes stretches to hours, depending on who says it.

What about “several”?

Ah. “Several.” Well, in my head—and I don’t claim anything for this view beyond idiosyncrasy—“few” is the result of a subtractive process and “several” of an additive. Something comes down to a few and builds up to several. You might end up with the same actual number, and in many instances the terms might be interchangeable. But I would never say “only several,” whereas “only a few” is meaningful.

“Do we have any tea?”
“We have several kinds. Which would you like?”

“Are there any cookies left?”
“Only a few.”

I’m going to eat several cookies this evening. There are 50 boxes sitting in my kitchen right now. Hello Thin Mints and Lemonades. I guess I can share a few if anyone would like some.

:)

^^^ Several cookies? Hahahahhaha. In a couple of minutes you will be staring at at least three empty boxes. Do not start down that slippery slope. It will take more than two EMTs to rescue you.

I have several things going on right now. My children are confusing sibling love with sibling murder, my cats are both bathing on my bed, American Idol is on, and I can’t concentrate on any of it because I’ve been waiting all day for my best friend to deliver her baby. And I just ate more than a few almond and poppy seed mini-muffins.

I’m going to nosh on a few doritos. Ha. But I love @Jeruba ‘s explanation. * SIGH *