Did I mention I updated the Beyond Harry Potter list for the first time in three years?

It don't rain but what it pours, am I right?

nth read = the whichever number of times I’ve read it
collection = all stories by one author
anthology = stories/articles by different authors
c = set in our current time
ed(s). = editor(s)
gn = graphic novel/comics
h = horror
hi = historical
alt hi = alternate history
nf = nonfiction
f = fantasy
sf = science fiction


Mainstream—Adult

Aravind Adiga, BETWEEN THE ASSASSINATIONS; THE WHITE TIGER (c India)
Martin Booth, HIROSHIMA JOE (hi)
Kathleen Cambor, IN SUNLIGHT, IN A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN (hi)
Barbara Cleverly: 4 hi mysteries, India, early 1920s: THE LAST KASHMIRI ROSE, RAGTIME IN SIMLA, THE DAMASCENED BLADE, & THE PALACE TIGER
Anita Diamant, DAY AFTER NIGHT (hi)
Barbara Hambly, RAN AWAY (Benjamin January hi mystery, 1830s New Orleans)
Barbara Hamilton (a pen name for Barbara Hambly), two Abigail Adams mysteries: A MARKED MAN and SUP WITH THE DEVIL
Charlaine Harris, SWEET AND DEADLY (mys)
Karen Maitland, COMPANY OF LIARS (hi)
Sharyn McCrumb, THE DEVIL AMONG THE LAWYERS (hi mys in the Appalachians)
Robin Oliveira, MY NAME IS MARY SUTTER (hi)
Robert Parker, SCHOOL DAYS (c)
Jodi Picoult, 19 MINUTES (xth read)
Marge Piercy, SEX WARS (hi, 1890s)
Erich Maria Remarque, ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (hi)
Kathryn Stockett, THE HELP (hi, 1960s)
Indu Sundaresan, THE TWENTIETH WIFE (hi, India)
Sarah Waters, AFFINITY (hi, 1880s)
Farad Zama, THE MARRIAGE BUREAU FOR RICH PEOPLE (c, India)

Thrillers—adult

James Lee Burke, IN THE ELECTRIC MIST WITH CONFEDERATE DEAD
William Diehl, PRIMAL FEAR (3rd read)
Lisa Gardner, LIVE TO TELL, THE NEIGHBOR
John Grisham, RUNAWAY JURY (xth read)
John Hart, THE LAST CHILD
Susan Hill, THE WOMAN IN BLACK (hi, ghost story to star Daniel Radcliffe)
Tami Hoag, NIGHT SINS
Elmore Leonard, PRONTO, RIDING THE RAP, WHEN THE WOMEN COME OUT TO DANCE (collection)—these star Deputy U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens, the main character of TV’s “Justified,” though this Raylan isn’t as handsome!
Chuck Logan, AFTER THE RAIN (xth read), HOME FRONT (xth read)
Robert McCammon, GOING SOUTH (c)

SF&F—Adult

Joe Abercrombie, BEST SERVED COLD (h)
Daniel Abraham, THE DRAGON’S PATH (f)
Sarah Addison Allen, GARDEN SPELLS, THE GIRL WHO CHASED THE MOON (c, f)
Ilona Andrews, BAYOU MOON (f)
Galen Beckett, THE MAGICIANS AND MRS. QUENT (f)
Beth Bernobich, PASSION PLAY (f)
Holly Black & Ellen Kushner, eds., WELCOME TO BORDERTOWN (anthology)
Edgar Rice Burroughs, A PRINCESS OF MARS (sf/f)
Mike Carey, THE DEVIL YOU KNOW (2nd read, f)
John Connolly (I re-read all of his Charlie Parker books one week this year): BAD MEN; THE BURNING SOUL; EVERY DEAD THING; NOCTURNES; THE DARK ANGEL; THE DARK HOLLOW; THE KILLING KIND; THE UNQUIET; THE WHITE ROAD
Rowena Cory Daniells, THE KING’S BASTARD, THE UNCROWNED KING, THE USURPER (f)
Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling, eds., THE COYOTE ROAD (anthology)
Kate Elliot, COLD MAGIC (f)
Pamela Freeman, BLOOD TIES, DEEP WATER, FULL CIRCLE (f)
Neil Gaiman, AMERICAN GODS (xth reading)
Barbara Hambly, BLOOD MAIDENS (h, vampire)
John Horner Jacobs, SOUTHERN GODS (h)
N. K. Jemisin, THE BROKEN KINGDOMS, THE ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS (f)
Diana Wynne Jones, DEEP SECRETS (F, 2nd read)
Alma Katsu, THE TAKER (f)
Stephen King, 11/22/63 (time travel), THE RUNNING MAN (sf, xth reading)
Michael Koryta, THE CYPRESS HOUSE (h)
Mercedes Lackey, FIRE ROSE (f)
George R. R. Martin, A Song of Fire and Ice: A CLASH OF KINGS, A FEAST OF CROWS, A GAME OF THRONES, A STORM OF SWORDS (2nd read, f)
Robert McCammon, BOY’S LIFE, MR. SLAUGHTER, MYSTERY WALK, THE QUEEN OF BEDLAM, SINGS THE NIGHTBIRD (f)
Elizabeth Moon, KINGS OF THE NORTH (f)
Rachel Neumeier, LAND OF THE BURNING SANDS, LAW OF THE BROKEN EARTH, LORD OF THE CHANGING WINDS (f)
Daniel Polansky, LOW TOWN (f)
Michael Stackpole, TALION REVENANT (f)
Mary Stanton, ANGEL’S ADVOCATE, DEFENDING ANGELS (c, ghost, f)
Michelle West, THE HIDDEN CITY (f)


Nonfiction, graphic novels/comics, poetry

Karen Abbott, SIN IN THE SECOND CITY: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America’s Soul
John M. Barry, RISING TIDE: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America
Holly Black, Bill Willingham, Alisa Kwitney, Louise Hawes, Todd Mitchell; ill. By Rebecca Guay
A FLIGHT OF ANGELS (graphic novel)
Martin Booth, GOLDEN BOY (autobiography)
Frank Cammuso, KNIGHTS OF THE LUNCH TABLE: The Battling Bands (graphic novel)
Robert Graves, GOODBYE TO ALL THAT (autobiography)
Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones, eds., DEAR BULLY: 70 Authors and Their Stories
Eric Larson, IN THE GARDEN OF THE BEASTS: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin
Deborah Lipstadt, THE EICHMANN TRIAL
Lyn Macdonald, ed., ANTHEM FOR DOOMED YOUTH: Poets of the Great War
Daniel P. Mannix, MEMOIRS OF A SWORD SWALLOWER (autobiography)
Cameron McWhirter, RED SUMMER: the Summer of 1919 and the Awakening of Black America
Daniel Okrent, LAST CALL: the Rise and Fall of Prohibition

Better late than never? Yeah, that's what I thought. The adult list follows.

Books are Young Adult/Teen unless marked otherwise
Series books are in alphabetical, not publication, order


YR = Young Reader/Intermediate/Tween
nth read = the whichever number of times I’ve read it
collection = all stories by one author
anthology = stories/articles by different authors
b = male lead character/theme
c = set in our current time
ed(s). = editor(s)
gn = graphic novel/comics
h = horror
hi = historical
alt hi = alternate history
nf = nonfiction
p = paranormal
f = fantasy
sf = science fiction
v = novel in verse

Mainstream YA

Tara Altobrando, DREAMLAND SOCIAL CLUB (c)
Laurie Halse Anderson, FORGE (hi, b)
Olivia Bennett, THE ALLEGRA BISCOTTI COLLECTION (c) & WHO WHAT WEAR (c)—YR (so what if they’re silly?! They’re fun and they’re about fashion!)
Esther Friesner, THREADS AND FLAMES (hi)
Nancy Garden, ENDGAME (3rd read, c, b)
Gail Giles, DARK SONG (c)
Mary Downing Hahn, STEPPING ON THE CRACKS (hi)
Eva Ibbotsen, A COUNTESS BELOW STAIRS (2nd read, hi)
John Klassen (writer & illustrator), I WANT MY HAT BACK (picture book)
Kimberly Marcus, EXPOSED (v)
Kathy Ostlere, KARMA (v, c)
Cheryl Rainfield, SCARS (c)
Trent Reedy, WORDS IN THE DUST (c, set in Afghanistan)
Todd Strasser, GIVE A BOY A GUN (3rd read, b)
Mo Willems, DON’T LET THE PIGEON STAY UP LATE! (picture book)

Fantasy/SF—ya

Pam Bachorz, DROUGHT (sf)
Paolo Bacigalupi, SHIP BREAKER (sf, b)
Beth Bernobich, FOX AND PHOENIX (f)
Kendare Blake, ANNE DRESSED IN BLOOD (h, ghost story!)
Eric Buchanan, SMALL MAGICS (f)
Meg Cabot, CODE NAME CASSANDRA & WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES (first of the 1-800-WHERE-R-U series; 2nd read)
Sarah Beth Durst, DRINK, SLAY, LOVE (para); ENCHANTED IVY (f)
Alison Goodman, EONA (f)
James Gurney, DINOTOPIA (b) (a new release)
Mary Downing Hahn, LOOK FOR ME BY MOONLIGHT (f)
Jackie Morse Kessler, HUNGER and RAGE (f)
Caitlin Kittredge, THE IRON THORN (f, a female engineer)
Sophie Littlefield, BANISHED (thriller)
Melissa Marr, THE GRAVEMINDER (c, ghost story)
Melinda Metz, GIFTED TOUCH & HAUNTED (1st of the Fingertips series, 2nd reading)
Mike Mullin, ASHFALL (sf, b)
Sharyn November, ed., FIREBIRDS RISING (2nd read, anthology)
Delia Sherman, THE FREEDOM MAZE (time travel, f)
Sarah Smith, THE OTHER SIDE OF DARK (ghost)
Maggie Stiefvater, THE SCORPIO RACES (f, b)
Patricia Wrede, ACROSS THE GREAT BARRIER (alt hi)
Moira Young, BLOOD RED ROAD (sf)

Anything else I had to say about the Criminal Minds season finale is subsumed in ZOMG Reid knitted it himself!

He makes a pretty good Four.

Also, I'm glad they did the Emily thing the way they did the Emily thing; it's good to see Will but he should have known better; I'm pretty sure that UNSUB plan fails on usual the Evil Mastermind overclever subroutine of relying on a coincidence they could not have known about in advance; I bet that's Kevin's cousin; Penelope needs a Stern Talking To of the variety she just gave Morgan a few weeks back; I'm still the only person in this fandom who likes Strauss, but dammit I still like Strauss; and FASTER JJ KILL KILL!

Discussion in comments of parallels between JJ in Hit/Run and Hotch in 100 is open for business.

Holy crap, Donna Summer died. Her music was a huge part of my childhood and I'm saddened by the loss.

*cues up Hot Stuff on the iPod*

*

People keep talking about an Ant-man movie, and wanting him on the Avengers, and I just don't understand why. Even if you take away the heinous wife-beating bits from Ultimates, he's just not interesting. Hank Pym, I mean. I don't even find Scott Lang interesting, though he does give us Cassie, who I like. Just, of all the superheroes people could be clamoring for a movie for, Ant-man is like, not even on the list. (Jan, on the other hand, I would enjoy seeing, but can't see how it would work without looking really cheesy.)

Of course, I also don't understand why we got a Hal Jordan Green Lantern movie when EVERY OTHER GREEN LANTERN is more interesting and likeable (yes, I would probably even have preferred a movie about Guy Gardner - at least he knows he's an asshole and is hilarious about it), but I've already been made aware of how little DC wants my money.

Speaking of DC, apparently they're cancelling the rebooted Blue Beetle, which is no surprise, because it took everything that was AMAZING about the original Jaime Reyes run and RUINED IT. Ugh. The whole awesome thing about Jaime is that he is not your typical angsty brooding teenage superhero. His family and best friends know he is a hero, so he doesn't have to be an asshole who lies to everyone who loves him or play stupid identity tricks to keep them in the dark like other heroes, and he's just so SENSIBLE and SWEET. I still want him to hang out with Peter Parker and Anya Sofia Corazon and Miles Morales. These are buggy superheroes I would pay to see on screen. Not Ant-man. Bah. (Of course, you know what they're going to take from this is that Latin@ superheroes don't sell, not that the writing was shitty.)

I also saw that Miles is going to be meeting Captain America soon, and my gut response to that was NO RUN THE OTHER WAY HE GOT PETER KILLED BECAUSE HE IS A GIANT DOUCHENOZZLE. I don't think I will ever get over how vile Ultimate Cap is (that is actually my tag for him on tumblr "#ultimate cap is vile and I hate him"). It's worse with him than the others because how do you take Steve Rogers and make him awful? WHO DOES THAT AND THINKS IT'S GOOD⁺? [as an aside, I love the speech Brubaker gives Steve about the French Resistance in vol. 5 - I can't remember the issue - because it's such a refutation of that awful, awful "Does this A on my head stand for FRANCE?" bullshit in Ultimates.]

Anyway, the Avengers I would most like to see appear in the second movie are Carol Danvers, Luke Cage, Danny Rand, and Jessica Jones. (I also have hopes for Sam Wilson in Cap 2.) Keep your Ant-man nonsense. Pfui.

⁺Yes, I know, Mark Millar. You can be assured I have been avoiding his name elsewhere.

*

In other news, I reread Guardian of the Horizon, the one where the Emersons go back to the Lost Oasis, mostly because I couldn't remember what had happened with Ramses and Daria, and I discovered that there is an Amelia I haven't read, so I am reading it now. It features the possibility of the Ark of the Covenant, which I find really interesting in a meta way, because my understanding is that Emerson was some influence on the characterization of Indiana Jones (Crocodile on the Sandbank came out in the 70s, so it would have been fairly new then). And so far Ramses is on his own so there's no annoying pining for Nefret or jealousy about her behavior.

Man, I am never getting over Falcon at the Portal, am I?

*

This entry at DW: http://musesfool.dreamwidth.org/466462.html. people have commented there.

Do you have a Doctor Who community or a journal that we are not currently linking to? Leave a note in the comments and we'll add you to the who_daily reading list.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Because of the high posting volume and the quantity of information linked in each newsletter, who_daily will no longer link fanfiction that doesn't have a header. For an example of what a "good" fanfic header is, see the user info. Please note, the fic must have the header with the fic, not just in the link post, in order to be added to the newsletter. Thank you.


Off LJ News
Doctor Who has returned to Finland! All new Who episodes are scheduled for transmission
Doctor Who News have an article about Amy and Rory's final scenes/the filming of
TARDIS Scanner has Today in the Whoniverse
Doctor Who News reports that the BBC are looking for suggestions of which famous historical person the Doctor should meet - a short story will then be commissioned from a popular Who writer
TARDIS Scanner links to a Doctor Who comic 'Fade Away' by Pau; Hanley and Shawn Van Briesen
Radio Times has an article about how Doctor Who is beating Dexter, True Blood and Glee in the US iTunes chart
Doctor Who Fansite has 'A Voyage to Nowhere' Part 2: Domino Effect
io9 has 'You CAn't Handle Doctor Who's In-Your-Face Politics!'
BBC America - Anglophenia has Craig Ferguson's top Doctor Who moments
BBC Things to Do has a post about a Doctor Who Family Sleepover in Manchester
David Tennant News has a copy of his recent interview with Virgin Media Magazine
Blogtor Who reports on the present of Doctor Who costumes on 'Criminal Minds'
The Doctor Who podcast reviews some recent Eighth Doctor audios
The Doctor Who Site has Department Six Doctor Who Concept Artwork
RedBubble.com has a River Song t-shirt
WhoFix has a scan of a Dalek 'rub down' transfer set
Siskoid's Blog of Geekery reviews 'The Abombinable Snowmen' p2
The Edwardian Adventurer reviews 'Spearhead from Space' p2
The Daily POP reviews Companion Chronicle: The Wanderer
TARDIS Scanner has an introduction to 'The Eternity Clock'

(news via blogtorwho, tardisscanner, og_news, among others.)
(For additioanl news please visit [Unknown LJ tag])


Discussion and Miscellany
radio_sonic has a podcast about the pros and cons of fannish production</a>
kat_of_rafters is looking for recs of fics where Eleven meets Martha
honorarydoctor has pictures of the series 18 Four shirt group run
rosetyler87 has photos of their cosplay
eversome96 has a suggestion for Amy in LKH nail varnish

Fan Fiction

Complete
Interlude by betawho [Eleven | G]
Genesis and Revelations by chaostriplex [Ten/Simm!Master | R]
Getting to Right by sdrana [Donna, TARDIS, Eleven | PG]

Works in Progress
Wolf Son (1/?) by isilienelenihin [Nine/Rose, Amy/Rory, Jackie, Mickey, Lynda, Donna | PG-13]

You can reach us in the comments or at whodaily@gmail.com

It's been a while since I've written anything, and I decided to change things. I used to have a blog called Nothing Temporary About Love, about the lessons I've learned over the years taking care of kids (my younger brothers, cousins, kids I babysat, etc). I deleted the blog, but wish I hadn't. But instead of harping on the loss, I decided I'd use the journal I have already and the motivation of unofficially signing up for the 100 Things Blogging Challenge to get my journaling mojo back. Needless to say, I'm going to be writing a lot about the various kids in my life. True stories of loving them and at times, the challenge of taking care of them.

Last weekend, Tara and I began a new adventure, babysitting two new kids. They are seven and four, and they are fantastic! I'll call them Adam and Hailey. Both are cuddly and sweet, even upon waking in the morning. They ate breakfast and then we played a marathon game of Play-Doh. Hailey was the pet store, and Adam was the bank. I don't recall what I was but we were really into it. Creations included: a bumblebee in a bed with a flower to eat, a river teeming with marine life, and books, skillfully made by Adam!

Tara took Hailey outside to play, while Adam and I kept playing inside. Apparently, Hailey had big adventures in mind. While riding her bike around the driveway, she said, "I'm going somewhere and you can't come!" When Tara asked where, Hailey clarified, "Vegas. It's where you are." Okay then. So funny.

We finally cleaned up the Play-Doh just before lunch. We watched part of a movie and did puzzles. Then we had lunch and I went out with the kiddos to play. Adam asked, "Can you play catch?" I assured him I could, if I was on my knees. His response? "Okay. I'll be on my knees, too." So, we played catch, then bowling, then blew bubbles. Then Hailey came out and decided they wanted to dig for all the different sizes of worms under a particular tree. We talked about treating the tree nicely, and Hailey said, "Because the tree is growing. The tree needs to focus on growing." They pushed a stuffed monkey in a stroller around the driveway, until Tara took over, then both kids wanted stroller rides, which was fine with us. When Hailey got the monkey it was interesting because she came in and asked Adam if it was okay. He cautioned her not to go under his bed and I assumed it was because there were toys he didn't want her touching. Instead, he was being a protective older brother. So sweet.

Adam and I came inside, and I told him there was an extra puzzle we brought if he wanted to work on it while I ran to the bathroom. I decided scooting down the second set of stairs would be more efficent, and Adam hung around and watched me. The novelty of watching someone walk with crutches still hasn't worn off. So, I just narrated as I went along, telling him that was how I got down stairs when I was a kid. He said, "Oh, I do that all the time! It's so much fun!" When I told him it was probably more fun when I was a kid than it was now, he added, matter of factly, "It would probably be funner if you were lighter." So true!

Then there was more puzzles, and we played the Wii, which was completely foreign to me. I'm a child of the '80s and therefore only familiar with the Nintendo Entertainment System and two games on Sega Genesis. I found the Wii overstimulating and couldn't find my character on screen because there was so much action. But Adam was patient and eventually switched controllers with me, saying, "Here. You can be the big monkey, so you can see yourself." Ha!

Then it was outside, where we played zoo. Adam tossed stuffed animals off the deck for Hailey to catch. They brought them to the zoo (beside a particular tree,) and we played that for a while. Then it was into the house, where we played hide and seek. I'm a terrible hider, but Adam is a champ. Hailey is still learning the game, so it was fun to watch Tara teaching her.

It was a great time. They were so good. Can't wait to go back in a few days.

The following contains discussion of fitness, health, and weight issues. If that is triggery for you, please page down now!

Ob. Disclaimer: I absolutely support anyone's right to live in their body as they choose, at any size they find comfortable. This is entirely about me, and my efforts to reclaim my health and strength after half a decade of abusing and neglecting my poor body.

---

Well, I'm wearing a pair of jeans that, based on the brand and cut, must date back to 1987 or so.

They're Chic, size 14 tall, and in high school they would have been baggy on me. Now, they fit loosely except for the waist, which is a bit snug--but then, that happened when I was sixteen, too, though the jeans were size 11 then. This is because eighties jeans were cut to fit absolutely nobody except a young Brooke Shields. They do, however, still make my ass look fantastic, a characteristic generally not shared by modern lower-rise jeans, which make nobody's ass look good. Not mine, not yours. Possibly Jessica Simpson's.

But they do let one bend at the middle without pinching one's ribcage on the waistband, which I suppose is a win.

I guess that means I am officially back in my high school clothes, generously speaking. As I also have a black bat-winged sheath dress from Chico's that I loved in high school, and have been hanging on to for sentimental reasons. I might dust it off for an eighties party later this year. If only I had some slouchy elf boots.

I suspect I will save the jeans for eighties nights at goth clubs. I think I still have one pair of slouchy socks hoarded away somewhere... ;-)

This is all prelude to saying that I'm hovering somewhere around 187, and have been for about a month now with the usual ups and downs--but I'm obviously building muscle, because I seem to be shrinking. At one point a month or so ago I noticed I had obliques, there under the slack middle-aged tummy. This week, I noticed the top set of ab muscles. Also, my thighs are no longer getting in my way during most of yoga--that stopped after scott_lynch and I walked somewhere around 40 miles in three days of NYC. I can do Hero's Pose and Lightning Pose without cheating now, and my body doesn't actually interfere with my ability to do a lunge anymore.

It's still getting in the way of twists, and my biceps interfere with Eagle Pose, but that's not new. I'm a solid girl.

I can also wear most of my beloved old corp-goth work clothes again, justifying my hoarding tendencies. Two suits are a bit tight, but they were always on the skinny end of the rack. I had to move the buttons back on a green suit I love, that I had expanded a bit when I was gaining weight. It's a size 12.

I am facing the surprising possibility of shrinking out of my wardrobe again. In any case, look for a much better-dressed Bear at conventions this summer, since I love these clothes and don't have a dayjob to wear them to anymore.

Curiously, I'm about 17 pounds heavier than the last time I fit in these clothes, which tells us about the power of rock-climbing. Muscle is heavy!

My current weight goal is somewhere in the neighborhood of 160 pounds. Which should make the same size, roughly, as when I was in high school and weighed 150-ish. I was on track and field then, and at my most muscular before now, but I'm pretty sure my upper body now dwarfs what I had then. (Shoulders! They're awesome!) Also, um. Boobs. Some cup sizes have come to roost since then. Ahem.

So I'm less than thirty pounds from my goal, which is very pleasant. My body is behaving as it should; everything physical is so much easier than it was in 2004, when I couldn't walk a half-mile without agonizing pain (now I can run five 12-minute miles back to back); and I'm enjoying the reduction in back and joint pain and the ability to sleep comfortably on my side or back again without feeling like my own belly is crushing me.

I seem to be part of a coterie of SFF writers and fans on the "get healthy the old-fashioned way; move more and eat less crap" bandwagon, which pleases me. (personally, I have been following the efforts of Scalzi, Doctorow, Lynch, Sykes, Downum, Silverstein, Connolly, Buckell, and I'm sure a few others whose names are eluding me because it's time for lunch.) It pleases me because I'd like to see a lot of these people around for a damned long time.

I'm also noticing changes in appetite, which tell me my body is adapting to its new lower caloric demands. Two whole pieces of fruit is too much to eat with lunch now; I am contented with half of each (plus some protein and vegetables and brown carbs, of course). (I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, about ten servings most days; I've finally figured out how to reach my RDA minimum of potassium, and it goes like this: a cup of fortified cereal in the morning (Special K protein plus, since I can't find Total Protein around here anymore), half an orange, a small banana, eight ounces of green coconut water, and half a sweet potato. Some strawberries or mango don't hurt either, or some beans.))

For those who are curious about how I did it (my doctor was, and she laughed out loud when I said, "Counting calories, restricting sweets and saturated fat, and getting off my ass!" She then replied, "So doing all the boring shit we tell people to do, huh?"), here's my plan, fondly called The Discipline:

It's a refined version of the Hacker Diet, which relies on good old thermodynamics to make things happen. I'm keeping my caloric intake around 1700-1900 calories a day, exercising for about an hour a day on average, drinking lots of water and not too much caffeine, avoiding refined carbs (mostly: I get 100-200 calories of "treat" a day, which could be a glass of wine or a beer, or a brownie, or... PRO TIP: Guinness is lower in calories than most "lite" beers, and tastes a fuckload better. Now you know.), eating roughly twice as many vegetables as the FDA suggests, and trying to keep my protein intake around 20% and my fat intake around 25%--and also trying to keep my protein intake above 100g a day without too much reliance on red meat, or meat at all. (I do use protein supplements--whey and soy, mostly.) I eat a lot of high-protein dairy (skyr!) and I try to limit myself to 100-200 calories a day from refined sugar, which is roughly 20-40 grams. Or, well, half a can of non-diet Coke.

Managing sodium intake is a killer. But I'm working on it.

Sleeping eight hours a night also pisses me off, but it seems to be necessary. I got six last night, and noticed the difference on my run this morning--I kept having to walk up hills I normally cruise up in second or third gear.

I also exercise six days a week--usually two days of climbing (with a little yoga); three days of running; one day of yoga. I also try to get in some vigorous outdoor time when possible--kayaking, hiking, walking the dog. Walking to the store. Picking up my jump rope for five minutes on an otherwise sedentary day.

As I said, one of the most successful weeks of the Discipline recently was when Scott and I were on Manhattan, eating every goddamned thing in sight. But we also made a point of walking two-thirds the length of the island at least once (Riverside to Chinatown, with side trips), and we walked as much as time permitted, otherwise. I know it sounds like my fitness routine is crushing, and seven or eight years ago, it would have crushed me. (Hell, I had the pleasant experience recently of putting in a Rodney Yee video that, in 2006, I could do maybe fifteen minutes of, and having the full hour workout be only just pleasantly challenging.)

But remember, when I started out, I weighed 285-290 pounds and could not walk a half mile. One good habit builds on another, it turns out--and I find myself drinking more green and herbal tea because black tea doesn't taste good after the first mug, and I find myself not hungry for seconds unless the food is exceptionally good, and even then not always. There's not actually a lot of privation; I just want more of what's healthy for me.

It's okay if I have a measured ounce of cheese on my beans and rice, instead of as much as I can fit in the bowl. It still tastes just as good! Better, since it's as easy to afford small quantities of really delicious food as it is large quantities of sort of icky food. And far more satisfying.

Who knew?

Which is so different from all my old pathological ways of dealing with food and drink that it's a little croggling.

Most of this, of course, is just basic health maintenance stuff, and not too hard once you get the hang of it. And it's not like I don't give myself days off: I will in fact have two or three drinks on a night out, for example. I'm fully planning on onion rings after archery tonight when I get dinner with the Thursday Night Shooters.

Just... not too damned often. And budget for it.

It's not the extremes that set one's level of health; it's the baseline.

This cold can stop any time, please.

Here's my recap:

http://alycewilson.livejournal.com/457284.html

Who do you think should be in the finale?

http://www.bookslut.com/blog/archives/2012_05.php#018996

The publisher behind the steamy New York Times bestseller "50 Shades of Grey" is coming out swinging against libraries that have banned the book -- claiming the censorship violates readers' First Amendment rights*.

Okay, it's nice and all that someone is fighting back against these stupid decisions to pull books off of library shelves, but does it have to be this book we're rallying around? They still yank To Kill a Mockingbird, you know.

* I know that link goes to TMZ. I KNOW. I'm sorry, okay?

http://www.bookslut.com/blog/archives/2012_05.php#018994

On this day in history... well, Christ ascended bodily into heaven and that is why I can't buy milk at the grocery store.

But also, Heloise was finally buried alongside Abelard, reuniting the poor pair in death. The Daybook pays tribute.

http://www.bookslut.com/blog/archives/2012_05.php#018993

Okay, so this is what I want: I want, when someone changes their mind about something, for them not to go ideologically swinging to the far other side. I was reading some reviews of Mark Simpson's Male Impersonators: Men Performing Masculinity, and there are some of former feminists writing about it. And when I say "former" I mean "anti." We're taking PhDs in women's studies who have suddenly realized men are people, too, and they are also oppressed by our patriarchal structure, and so that means we have to wipe out decades of feminist thought, because obviously the two cannot coexist.

Someone can explain to me why this is later, I have tickets to the opera tonight and I have a feeling it's going to take a while. In the meantime, I have a Smart Set column up about Male Impersonators, Ken Corbett's Boyhoods: Rethinking Masculinities, and Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore's Why Are Faggots So Afraid of Faggots?. (Bookslut reviewed Sycamore last issue.) It's all about masculinity in crisis, why I prefer a genderly liquid gentleman, the pathologization (totally a word, spellcheck; I think) of male femininity, and why the comments sections at Men's Advocacy Groups scare the shit out of me.

Alan, in the documentary, complains about the duties of masculinity — the providing, the sacrifice, the achieving, the marriage and fathering of children. He has decided life should be more fun, that men should have other options. If you start spending some time on the websites of men’s advocacy groups, things can quickly turn anti-women, with men calling their ex-wives bitches, railing against women’s cold hearted natures, ranting about how “the system” is stacked against them and in favor of women. Simpson says to Alan, “Many all-male communities that get together and talk about common interests, activities — whether that’s fucking or surfing — is based on a kind of exaltation, a kind of worship, of the masculine and a denigration of the feminine, whether that’s the feminine embodied in women, or whether that’s the feminine embodied in so-called ‘effeminate’ men, men who, either in terms of where they put their dicks or how they dress or cut their hair, don’t conform to that masculine ideal.”

I made a trip back in time to Scotland in the late 1600s to early 1700s, then onto the American Colonies to relive the wonderful romance of Jamie Fraser and Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser in the amazing Outlander series of books by Diana Gabaldon. I had purchased the most recent book in the series " An Echo in the Bone". I hadn't  read the six earlier books in a couple of years so wanted to reacquaint myself with the characters and I'm glad that I did.

#26 Outlander-Where Jamie and Claire meet for the very first time Re-read
#27 Dragonfly in Amber-Continued adventures of Jamie and Claire re-read
#28 Voyager- Jamie and Claire - Jamie and Claire are reunited 30 years later when Claire goes back through the circle of stones to find Jamie, when she discovers he survived Culloden. Re-read
#29 Drums of Autumn-Jamie and Claire's daughter, Brianna travels through the stones to be reunited with her mother and be introduced to her birth father. She is followed by her husband, Roger MacKenzie. re-read
#30 The Fiery Cross- Jaime, Claire, Brianna, Roger and their son Jemmy traveled from Scotland to America to settle a new colony. Re-read

I am currently in the middle of the sixth book of the series "A Breath of Snow and Ashes".

Book #21 was "The Titan's Curse" (Percy Jackson & the Olympians series) by Rick Riordan. These books are a lot of fun. As with the previous two in the series, it's always fun to see what iconic American landmarks the crew will visit and what modern-day incarnations of the god they'll encounter. A bonus in this third book: I felt there was some serious character development and growth in this book, more than I'd seen in the two previous books.

Book #22 was "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World" by Haruki Murakami. I had actually intended to read one of his more recent novels but ran across this one at the library and was intrigued by the premise. It has two parallel narratives, one set in the "hard-boiled wonderland," which is a near-future Japan where "Calcutecs" and "Semiotics" wage wars over information and humans "shuffle" data in their heads to incript it. The main character is a Calcutec, one of the supposed "good guys" in the information wars. The second narrative takes place in The End of the World, the Calcutec's innermost core of though and self. The book explores themes of conciousness and self. It didn't go where I thought it was, and it's a thoroughly strange book. It has elements similar to those of Gibson and other cyberpunk writers and some hard-boiled detective tropes, but put together, it's something entirely different. I don't know if I loved it, but I'm intrigued enough to seek out more by Murakami.



( The other books I've read so far this year: )

Since it seems like there are some locals that might be interested in this, Laura LaFrate is walking in a fashion show in Schenectady,NY on Friday night! The show starts at 7:00, and is free.

The text of the article is cut below, and the link includes a short video.

( Read more... )

http://capitalregion.ynn.com/content/your_news/capital_region/584378/reality-star-to-walk-in-show-at-proctor-s/

I'm going to try to go, and will try to post some pictures here.

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/John_Randolph

"Life is not so important as the duties of life."

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Senator_Dianne_Feinstein

"Toughness doesn't have to come in a pinstriped suit."

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Elmer_Davis

"The first and great commandment is: Don't let them scare you."

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Sir_Francis_Bacon

"Man seeketh in society comfort, use and protection."

Late this afternoon, a House subcommittee will gather to hear testimony on a bill that would prohibit abortions in D.C.—and only D.C.—after 20 weeks. Both the bill and hearing are the work of Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), who has said that he is constitutionally charged with imposing laws on D.C.
As we reported earlier this week, though, one person won't be speaking at the hearing—D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who requested the opportunity to speak on behalf of D.C. constituents but was denied.
On yesterday's Rachel Maddow Show, Norton called Franks' bill a "straight-out cowardly case of bullying" and said that "abundant precedent" existed for allowing members of Congress to speak during committee hearings—even if they're not a member of that committee. She continued:

"Here you have a bill that affects only my district, no other districts in the United States, which signals out to the residents of the District of Columbia and says, 'You women will not be subject to the constitutional mandate of Roe versus Wade. You alone can have an abortion only until 20 weeks. By the way, don't talk to us about how this violates the 14th Amendment as well, which treats you differently from women in other states. Not only are we going to try to impose that on you, but we don't want to hear from the only voice you have in the house, you have no voice in the senate; we shut her up, so we don't hear from D.C. residents at all.'"

According to the hearing schedule, four witnesses are scheduled to testify: Anthony Levatino, a gynecologist; Colleen Malloy, an assistant professor of neonatology at Northwestern University; Byron Calhoun, vice-chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at West Virginia University-Charleston; and Christy Zink, a professor at George Washington University who in 2009 had an abortion at 21 weeks after she found out that her baby was "missing the central connecting structure of the two parts of his brain," according to a statement she gave in February.
Norton and Mayor Vince Gray have planned a press conference at 2:30 p.m. to argue against Franks' bill; D.C. voting rights advocacy organization DC Vote is asking residents to bring their constituent concerns to Franks' D.C. Constituent Services Day on May 23.
As she often does, Norton struck a defiant tone, telling Maddow: "[L]et me tell you something about us, we know how to fight back."
Source

( Another )
So this time they're letting a woman testify...but not the one woman that's been elected to represent the district they're foisting abortion restrictions on... stay classy GOP.
ETA: Edited to add a more complete, second source text.

OP note: This article is about: New legislation to end the strike, last night's protest, Education Minister Line Beauchamp's resignation, international coverage, and the socio-political context of the tuition issue. I attempted some selective bolding but it's basically all important.

Legislation could be introduced as early as today in Quebec aimed at quelling student protests which have rocked the province for the past three months.

While sticking to his planned tuition hikes, Premier Jean Charest said he would table emergency legislation aimed at ending the disorder that has occasionally made international headlines.

The legislation would suspend the current academic session for striking students in an effort to calm things down and could also include punitive measures.

( Read more... )

source image

People have asked for a Home Game thread for “Walking on Egg Shells”.

This is the thread.

If you are no longer in the competition/never were in the first place and want to write on this, go ahead and link your entry back here!

If you get the chance today, go over and listen/read to the Goodbyes posted by the two people who left us this week. http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/569026.html
Even if you don’t get the chance, go do it anyway. They definitely have set a new level for class.

Saying that you are going to keep your cool, and go out with your head high, understanding just what the experience has been about, is one thing, being able to pull it off is a completely different animal. They pull it off, like wings on a Man-Bat being tortured.

Last night also featured the new topic: http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/569110.html

And, of course, a new Work Room – where people are hard at work freaking out. ;) http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/569578.html

Ah, the sound of hair being torn out in the morning…. ;)

Judge Clears Stop-Frisk Class Action

A lawsuit alleging racial bias in the New York Police Department's so-called stop-and-frisk tactics will proceed under class-action status, clearing the way for thousands of plaintiffs to be added to the legal challenge and potentially widening the scope of court-ordered changes if the lawsuit is successful.

The decision by Judge Shira Scheindlin in Manhattan federal court also criticized the city's "cavalier attitude" toward claims that police have conducted illegal searches.

Her ruling could dramatically expand a 2008 lawsuit filed by four individuals who claimed their constitutional rights were trampled by the city's effort to combat crime through stopping, questioning and sometimes frisking those suspected of street crimes.

The lawsuit doesn't demand damages but does seek major changes in a police tactic that has come under intense criticism by some elected officials and academics but has been defended vociferously by Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration. Because no damages have been claimed, there is no need to individually identify plaintiffs, which opens it up to hundreds of thousands of people who allegedly have been unlawfully stopped since 2005.

It could also reveal the tactic to be a citywide practice, which would compel the court to impose any relief on much broader basis than a successful lawsuit brought by and individual or small group.

( Critics of stop and frisk, including the plaintiffs, have argued that the police tactic targets Hispanic and African-American males. )

A Guatemalan mother who says her child was stolen and later turned over to a U.S. couple for adoption said Tuesday that she will go to a Missouri court seeking to get her daughter back now that the U.S. State Department has said it doesn’t have jurisdiction to help return the girl.

The State Department confirmed Tuesday that it has informed Guatemala’s government that it can’t help return Anyeli Hernandez Rodriguez because the U.S. and Guatemala had not signed the Hague Abduction Convention at the time of the alleged kidnapping in 2006.

“We’re obviously deeply concerned about allegations regarding stolen children and inter-country adoptions wherever these cases come up,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement. “We consider the appropriate venue in the United States for pursuing this case is in the state courts. They’re the competent organ for holding a full hearing on the merits and the best interests of the child.”

( Read more... )

source

Syrian rebels battling the regime of President Bashar al-Assad have begun receiving significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, an effort paid for by Persian Gulf nations and coordinated in part by the United States, according to opposition activists and U.S. and foreign officials.

Obama administration officials emphasized that the United States is neither supplying nor funding the lethal material, which includes antitank weaponry. Instead, they said, the administration has expanded contacts with opposition military forces to provide the gulf nations with assessments of rebel credibility and command-and-control infrastructure.

( Read more... )

Source

"Garden of Eden" by angstytimelord
PAIRING: 10/Ianto
RATING: PG-13
SUMMARY: Based upon prompt 30: Garden.

Has just been added to Torchwood Slash and is listed on the new stories page and the Doctor/Ianto page.

Crossposted to chancesarchive

Book 54: The Bees.
Author: Carol Ann Duffy, 2011.
Genre: Poetry. Nature. War. Myth and Legend.
Other Details: Hardback. 96 pages.

Here are my bees
brazen, blurs on paper
besotted, buzzwords, dancing
their flawless, airy maps. - from Bees by Carol Ann Duffy, The Bees.

A lovely, lyrical collection of poems by the current Poet Laureate. Bees provide a linking theme in the form of bee poems or bee cameo appearances in a number of the poems in the collection. The poems touch on issues linked to nature and ecology, the landscape and history, spirituality, love, loss, war and death. A few poems also had mythic themes that I loved so much in her earlier collection The World's Wife.

I am not someone who reads much poetry yet I find Duffy's poetry very accessible in terms of both meaning and style. A book of poetry isn't really something to read at the same pace as a novel or work of non-fiction and so I read one or two poems aloud each day, savouring the beauty of her words.

Book 55: The Girl Who Chased the Moon.
Author: Sarah Addison Allen, 2010.
Genre: Contemporary. Chick-Lit. Magical Realism.
Other Details: Paperback. 261 pages.

Following the death of her mother, 17-year old Emily Benedict moves to her mother's home town, Mullaby, North Carolina to live with her grandfather. She hopes to solve some of the riddles surrounding her mother's early life. There is a subtle magic about the town which reveals itself to Emily as well as the reader. The other major character is their neighbour Julia Winterson, who had returned to Mullaby two years previously to sort out her late father's estate. She is currently running the restaurant he founded with a view to sell it once all the debts are paid and then return to her former life in Baltimore. However, her past and a long lost love resurface bringing this all into question.

I was totally charmed by this gentle tale of love and redemption. It reminded me a little of The Gilmore Girls in conveying a sense of a small eccentric community that is clearly contemporary yet with a certain timelessness about it. Despite being a generation apart both Emily and Julia are metaphorically 'chasing the Moon' and it was easy to care about them. Elements of magical realism were woven skilfully into the story in an understated way. It proved an excellent introduction to Sarah Addison Allen's writing.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon - author's page on book includes excerpt and background.