rolanni | In which it's Tuesday and there is no mail

. . .I hate it when the mailman gives us a miss. Even when the mail is just catalogs, at least we've gotten something. Not finding any mail in the box leaves me wrong-footed on the day, somehow.

So, a rambling kind of post while the backbrain gets on the case. I need, let's see. . .six? seven? scenes, a climax, a denouement, and a wrap up. Is that so hard? Oh, and a cast of characters. If the backbrain isn't forking over, yet, on the Actual Writing Front, I can edit the working lexicon down to a reasonable list. Thirty-five hundred words is probably a little long in the dramatis personae business. Do you guys like your Players List in the front of the book or the back?

I'd like to thank everyone who has helped in the various fundraising efforts we're presently undertaking, whether by subscribing to our Patreon account, supporting Splinter Universe, or directly supporting us, through PayPal, and by check. You guys are amazingly kind and we are humbled by your generosity. . . .Please note that I speak here for myself and for Steve. The cats aren't really on top of the whole Where Crunchies Come From thing; they leave that sort of thing to Staff.

Weather-wise, we're into our second day of rain, here in Central Maine, and the snow is, for all useful purposes, gone. As far as my eye can see, there is mud, and last year's brown grasses, and bare, grey trees. We look to have lost three buffer evergreens over the winter. Some of the maples are pushing out buds; can't really tell about the birches, or the ash. Well. A few weeks will tell. Meanwhile, the daffodils are making a valiant effort to rise tall and get the trumpets out. I fear me this will be one of those seasons when they give their all, but fall short of a win. Hopefully, they'll prove me wrong.

Given that the snow is now gone, we can see, among the dead grass, the Trash of Winter, which means that, if it ever stops raining, we'll be able to go outside and stamp around the property, picking up soda/beer cans, shreds of blue tarp, old paper bags, the occasional whiskey bottle, and who knows what else. The process by which trash gets under ten feet of snow is a mystery to me. A friend suggests that it's put there by snowmen, who are pissed off by humans sticking carrots in the middle of their faces.

Makes as much sense as anything else.

One of the results of having been stupidly ill for 'way too long back around the winter holidays, was that I lost 10 pounds. Now that it's been a number of months since I regained my health, and I haven't regained the weight, I've gotten ambitious. I like being. . .less close to 200 pounds, and would like to widen the distance by another 10 pounds, if possible. I can't say I much care for the method by which I shed the first 10, though, and, as someone who was very thin for most of her adult life (insert Ironic Theme here), I don't actually know how to go about dieting. I would go to the gym and exercise and walk in order to keep flexible and strong, but as far as I've ever been told exercise isn't really an effective way to lose weight. For now, I'm just making a conscious effort to Eat Less Food (which is tough, because, having also been, ah. . .cash challenged. . .for most of my adult life, "wasting" food is a big no-no). Now that Winter is Out and Mud is In, I'll be able to get walking again, which will be a relief all around, and I guess if all I do is not backslide those 10 pounds, then I'm that much to the good.

And now? Time to get back to the backbrain.

See you on the flipside.

: Sprite, on Author Assist

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Trooper looks fairly in the red basket. Sprite…does not, adorably.

Sprite has adorable nailed.

I can't imagine how she does it; she is not a small cat; she weighs 15 pounds, and is quite long and tall, and yet -- adorable.

That's "Trooper looks fairly DIGNIFIED…"
oops. Can't seem to see errors till they're posted.

Not finding any mail in the box leaves me wrong-footed on the day

Me too. I feel rather like the universe has decided I don't exist today, or perhaps I missed a universal memo about the day, or maybe the day is a holiday that I've forgotten and now I'm behind about doing something.

Do you guys like your Players List in the front of the book or the back?

If there is some specific instruction on pronunciation of the names, I prefer it in the front of the book. If it's a cast of characters without instruction, then either place is fine. If you do put it in the back, I'd appreciate a note in the table of contents or introduction at the beginning mentioning that it exists at the end.

Also - I have a random addition to your FAQ due to a recent re-read. What are "pesselberries" and why would a child not like to eat them? (Reference: "Misfits" story about Ichliad Brunner)

Unless there's an underlying health issue the usual thing that works is basic healthy diet, portion control and exercise. Needs all three to work best.

If it's for long term health and so forth my personal view is never go on a diet that you can't see yourself spending the rest of your life on. And be kind to yourself. Little treats now and then are not failures.

It hopefully will be easier with the weather over there improving.

I prefer the list in the front. I always feel cheated when a book suddenly comes to the end with 10 pages still to go (or more in some cases). Ditto I don't like 'free chapter from some other book' messing up the end of what I'm reading. I can feel how many pages to go and am anticipating that much time's enjoyment. I then feel cheated when the book suddenly comes to dramatic end and I find what I thought was going to be another chapter is some appendix or other. I can easily skip past at the front when I start the book and I know it's there if want to look back or see how a new name is pronounced or whatever. By the end I've got my mental picture of names and pronunciation. At the end it is wasted. Just my opinions...

I'm the exact opposite of Gareth -- I want the list in the back. The names mean nothing to me when they're at the front, I haven't read the book yet. Having them at the back they start to actually take on meaning.

For the cast of characters - if there are so many new characters in a book that the list must be referred to often, the front is best only because there are enough pages before it that a bookmark will stay in place during reading. If in the back, the bookmark is apt to slip out. Not a big deal either way, though.

Sprite looks like she keeps the red basket well-dusted ;)

I prefer the cast in the back. Seeing a character name in a list could be a mild spoiler. But a reference in the ToC is definitely called for.

Re weight loss. I have had very good success using MyFitnessPal (iApp, android app, website) to track my food intake and exercise outlays. It is about positive reinforcement. It has also helped me embrace every day is a new day as far as diet is concerned. (Let go of guilt). And best of all, I can budget for the treats I want (chocolate) without going "off the diet". But it is a hassle to have to enter all your food, otoh, you can save meals and add your own recipes which makes it easier. Like with so many things, you have to find what works for you.

I have been on many diets since tweenhood on. Many many years later I can say I have never met a diet that I can't screw up. My beautiful daughter lost 100 (yep that's a hundred) lbs on Weight Watchers, but what's amazing to me is that 8 years later, she's kept it off. Me on the other hand...I have a new diet. It's called the diabetic diet. Now there's some incentive to not screw it up.

If the list of characters is extensive, I prefer it in the front, that way I know there is a resource without looking for it. However, if the list is relatively small, I prefer it in the back as I I can go search for it if I need it, which I usually don't.
As for dieting, the only time I was successful in the short and medium term (although failed in the long-term due to changes in life, location and others in the house) involved eating any reasonable combination of food until I was no longer hungry (this does not mean I was full - the Japanese say hachibu or 80%) and walked at least 20 minutes twice a day several times a week. I did also intentionally cut WAY down on sugar using stevia or doing without.

A help for "Eat Less Food" (or rather, two helps) from someone enrolled in a non-surgical weight loss program. One is - cut out as much fat as you can. I looked askance at my nutritionist about this and she explained, "If you introduce easily digestible fat into your system, why should your body work at burning it's own?" Made sense.

Also, since I too am from the 'waste not' generation, indulge yourself with a few small refrigerator containers and once you are past the point of hunger, set aside the rest of your meal 'for later when I feel hungry again'. Sometimes later is a mere 30 minutes away but often it is much further than that - and it helps train you into being comfortable about not stuffing in more than you really need at the moment.

(I've lost 26 pounds (but I weight over 300 so that is easy, comparatively) in two months without discomfort or a feeling of wanting. It's been wonderful and best of all, not something brought about by the 'latest' fad diet or plan. I wish you success.)

In which it's Tuesday and there is no mail

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