Ok, got a few COMMworthies. In Natter, after a conversation about the merits of 8 minute dating:

John H: OK all these posts, and not a single buffista's going to do the "what really scares me is that new trend: 8 Mile dating"?

Jesse: I'd do 8 Mile dating, too. As long as I didn't have to be skanky like the Brittany Murphy character. Or go out with Eminem more than once, because while I'd like to meet him, I don't want to be killed in a rap song.

Beth's DH, giving John H suggestions for wedding thank-you notes:

One proper form of etiquette for notes of thanks is to simply go so over the top [esp for those folks the attendance of whom you couldn't recall if your life depended upon it] that you can claim that it's literary:

Dear [person], most marvelous [friend, blood relative, catty ex-girlfriend, daft great-aunt, other relatives too distant to fully understand the genetic connection, etc]

Thanks for coming to our wedding. Your presence was a shining beacon of light amidst a sea of stars. We shall long recall that you saw fit to bless our union with your august person, and will try to conduct our affairs such that we might be worthy of the attention you so graciously bestowed upon us. We shall remember your support to sustain us when in difficulty in the future, where the recollection of your gentle smile will give us strength to carry on...

(snerky comments to spouse during writing of same is contextual. Similarities to the royal "we" is not incidental -- unless you're Elizabeth Rex, this is one of the few times in your life when you can get away with using "we" like this...)

Thanks for the Platonic example of the [thing you gave us]. It was the epitome of its kind, and [something nice about their gift]. It will occupy pride of place in the [kitchen/living room/dining room/bathroom/bedroom/garage/dungeon/other gift-appropriate locale]. We will treasure it [forever/until it is consumed/until the subscription runs out/until it's superseded by new technology/other].

With great joy at your having deigned to notice us,

[Your names here. Her name first]

And, finally, Steph in Bitches:

That will be my one act of self-control for the day. From now on, it's all swearing and taking my clothes off.

[Your names here. Her name first]

that's the funniest part

billytea, re: proscribed cows for breeding, which would be Highland cows:
These are shaggy long-horned beasts from Scotland with an ornery attitude that says "In the end, there can be only one".

shrift:
Cownor MoocLeod of the Herd MoocLeod?

billytea:
Who, in a climactic battle scene, faces and defeats the Kowgan.

shrift:
I see. The very same highlander mentored by Juan Cowchez Villa-Cowbos Cowmirez.

And Betsy with the topper:
at least there'd be all-leather, all the time.

edited for a variety of reasons, mostly because I'm a git.

Hee. If I may make a suggestion, it'll probably help with the context to include the bit that these are highlander cows.

Um, Jewish Heresy has killed the thread.

It's like the Grinch who stole Christmas, with the Grinch being the first monotheistic religion and Christmas, one of the major holidays of the monotheistic religion with the highest number of believers (I think) being the Natter thread.

Nilly, in Natter, proving once more that she's as funny as she is smart, and she's pretty freaking smart. Also, a verb.

Why I Love Fay, in the Fanfic Thread:

Michele T.: NaNoWriMo is 50K words.

FayJay: Ah. So I'd have hit the target if I'd just written that extra 49,990 words, then? I thought it was only 39,990 I was short.

Betsy in Natter, about 60s music:

Yeah, Teen Angel was a total nitwit. The song should have been called Teen Darwin.

And there's all those people who seriously love those songs, and get upset if one answers the question, "Where oh where can my baby be?" with, "On the short bus to hell for being stupid."

......Madrigal making me hack up a lung from laughing.

Nutty: I have to say, existence of books in Middle-Earth notwitstanding, archiving procedures are pretty much of the suck.

• They let Gandalf into the Great Minas Tirith Archives without white gloves on.

• With a fricken open fire source in his hand.

• And let him touch actual historical documents that are 3000 years old (and by rights should have turned to dust the moment he touched them).

And, AND, he had food & drink with him!!

To say nothing of the complete lack of indexing and proper document preservation procedures. I ask you! Denethor, where are your priorities?!

In Dude,

Vonnie K:

I have a couple of Tolkien geeks over to my house to watch the DVDs, and we are kind of fixated on finding out which book Aragorn is reading in the hall at Rivendell (when he has the conversion with Boromir re. the shards of Narsil.) We paused the DVD and squinted at the book cover, but we still can't make out what it says. Does anyone know?

Betsy:

"How To Maintain Consistent Stubble", by Don Johnson.