For the moment - liquids - water, diet soft drinks, coffee or tea (with or without artificial sweeteners). Note: a teaspoon of sugar in your coffee actually is a "free exchange" - (that is if you put the calories in your slider they will come out to zero exchanges). The reason this is demphasized is a teaspoon of sweetener can make you hungrier instead of less hungry.

Maybe the gift shop has oranges? A big one is only one exchange, and a small one is zero exchanges.

I got a few small pieces of candy and some gum to tide me over. Trust me, there was NOTHING that could be called a nutritious choice in the gift shop. I think they figure the cafeteria and the ridiculously overpriced coffee shop/bistro that closed half an hour ago cover that base.

I've been drinking plenty of liquids in general, but I, um, try to avoid them during the latter half of the afternoon. Smallish bladder, bus commute that normally isn't that long, but gets caught in a traffic nightmare a couple of times a month.

Sorry Susan, out of suggestions.

I'll live. I was looking for more cheerleading than suggestions, anyway, because there really aren't a lot of options around here if I don't bring them in myself.

Well I do have confidence that you can hold out. And I'm sure you have lots of options once you get home.

A glass of water is definitely your friend, Susan...

Question for the hivemind:

I'm trying to come up with precise translations for a list of transitional phrases, i.e., something that will give the gist of how you use the expression and not just a bunch of howevers and therefores.

The expressions in question are "par contre" and "en revanche", which have come to mean the same thing in French (although the French equivalent of the Buffistas would surely disagree on that point). Both of my (very complete) French/English dictionaries here give "on the other hand" as the only translation.

1) Can you use "on the other hand" without "on the one hand"? I think you can, but one of my authors says no.

2) Do you see "however," "nevertheless," and "on the other hand" as equivalents?

1) Can you use "on the other hand" without "on the one hand"?

People absolutely do. And I'm not getting into the whole prescriptivist/descriptivist thing on that one!

2) Do you see "however," "nevertheless," and "on the other hand" as equivalents?

Not immediately, but on second thought, maybe? I would say so, but on the other hand, maybe not. However, maybe not. Nevertheless, maybe not. OK, I think not "nevertheless."

I agree with Jesse

Timelies all!

Have a headache and various aches and pains. So of course, there is nothing in the house for pain relief. Bleah.