Is Honesty Always the Best Policy?

Okay, so this isn't based on anything in particular. Seriously. I tend to evade questions that I don't want to answer. I don't tend to lie. But that's totally irrelevant.
The point is, is there a good time to lie? I mean, if your life's in danger, that would seem like a good time to lie. But is it?
Is it okay to lie when telling the truth is going to hurt someone's feelings?
Is there such a thing as a "white lie," or is it al the same?
If it is okay to tell a lie, what are the conditions?
Not terribly practical for any immediate problem, but it is an important question. Or rather, series of questions. And, mainly, I don't want Laura to hurt me. :)

bob's your uncle (and mine, too!)

I just wanted to let you all know that Melanie and I are coming up with a new code. We decided that sometimes, being girls, we get in moods where we don't really want to talk to anyone. We'd rather they just know what we're thinking or know what we're saying while we are using the smallest number of words possible. And so... drum roll, please... a new code is emerging from the Isle of Great Britain! Bob's Your Uncle Code!!! This, of course, is working title. For those of you who are unaware, in Great Britain 'Bob's your uncle' is an interjection used to describe, sort of, how easy something is. For instance, that snazzy guy on the infomercial might say, "And now when you order this pair of steak knives we'll give you this hob and grill blooming free! A £35 value, absolutely blooming free! That's right... Bob's your uncle!"

Now some of you are aware of a previous key. This "Boyspeak Key," if you will, has followed me to England and is now posted on our lovely bulletin board. This, along with our slight frustrations with one another, has inspired The Bob's Your Uncle Code. Bob's Your Uncle, though, uses a combination of letters and numbers for initial remarks and a word and number as a response. I just thought you all should know. I'll leave you with a few examples. Enjoy.

Initial Remarks:
A5 What you're doing is slightly annoying just now... Shh!
B5 Do you want to get out of bed and turn off the alarm?
C5 I'm scratching my butt at you. : ) : )
[This one is for all of you in the pod. If you're not in the pod, don't think less of us(And we are, just so you know...)!]
D5 I hate how my belly fat hangs over my pants.
E5 It's cold; plug in the heater. (Useful in our drafty top floor room)
F5 What you're doing right now makes me feel a little sad.
G5 I feel like you don't like me.
H5 What you're doing makes me smile (precursor to C5... see above).
I5 Can I use this book?
J5 Do you need that light on? (This means... Turn It Off!)
K5 How long have your dishes been there? Eww.
L5 Laura is amazing.
M5 Melanie is amazing.

We thought the last two worked out really well, so we stopped there for now...

Response:
Bob1 Yes
Bob2 Heck Yes
Bob3 No
Bob4 Prolly not
Bob5 Terribly sorry, old chap
Bob6 True that!
Bob7 Drats.
Bob8 Huzzah
Bob9 Hot dog!
Bob10 Good grief.

I know this is all very deep, and you may feel too intimidated to comment. Please, this is to be (as Mimi Bernard likes to say) a Low Threat zone. Hopefully this will stimulate High Risk comments and questions. This is a great set up for learning! : ) Let us know what you think or if you have suggestions. I'm kind of thinking of threatening people on Facebook... WATCH OUT! : )

in the footsteps of... a prominent british writer and theologian

It's official. Melanie and I have now launched into an amazing world of patrons. Patrons of a pub I've wanted to visit for as long as a I can recall (at least since I knew what a pub was). Our first supper in Oxford was just consumed in the very same establishment where the Inklings gathered not so long ago. I was thinking about C.S. Lewis being in the very same room I was standing in, and I realized it really wasn't that long ago that he and his colleagues were here. Strange.

We've also done some other fun things. A walk around University Parks. A stop on the Rainbow Bridge. On to the City Centre. Grocery shopping. I got some really great pineapple juice, by the way.

Also a highlight... Melanie already tried to burn down our room. We were sitting in our room trying to get our Internet connections up and running. Something started to smell like burning plastic! We thought. We thought. Thought some more. "Melanie," I said, "Is that your computer?" Indeed it was. She'll have to elaborate if she so chooses. It was pretty entertaining. We had to open the window for a bit.

Just wanted to give you an update. Someone should post something real on the blog so we can discuss! : ) Peace, friends.

I Hate to Hog the Spotlight....

Okay guys, does everyone know what time it is?
Come on. We need to pick a new book for this semester. Comments? Suggestions? I've been looking and haven't fallen in love with anything yet. But we've got like 2 weeks until school starts and we need to have something picked by then. Let's start talking about this kids...