Are you almost there?
A lot of writers laugh indulgently at the pile of rambling grammatical errors that is their first book, and try hard not to think too hard about whether or not their current work in progress will be just as eye-rollingly embarrassing a little while down the track. For those who’ve been around the traps for a while, here is an article on some signs that actually you HAVE made progress. The Intern (who knows her stuff) reckons these are strong indicators that you’re close to success (“close” being a somewhat relative term). Here’s one I think is particularly pertinent (given my plaintive cries to the world of, “If you don’t enjoy writing, DON’T WRITE”):
“The Farthest Shore” by Ursula LeGuin
I’m sorry to say that this is the weakest book of the trilogy. There is a fourth book that is weaker still, that I’ve chosen not to re-read. The rest of this review is at Comfy Chair, where I get paid for it.
Flap!
As previously advertised, CJ and I went to a live music gig at The Front Cafe Gallery in North Lyneham (yes, near Tillies). We took Louisette – it’s not like it’s even her first gig. The cafe gallery is all pretty small, and the main room was (rather close) standing room only – so we mostly hung out in the gallery section. A number of gorgeous and highly breakable artefacts were on display, which added a certain element of risk to proceedings, and it was convenient for Louisette’s future hearing that the gallery room was much quieter.
CJ and I both dressed up for the occasion, and spent a little time waltzing about with Louisette strapped to my chest and giggling.
I confess it was awesome to go to a gig and still be able to sit in a couch.
Flap! was awesome. They’re a jazz group with an almost circus feel – slightly manic, very brassy, and VERY fun. Here‘s a youtube clip of one of their songs (not even in the top three of my favourites). If you go here, you can listen to two of my favourites – “Down Down Down” and “Poor Man” for free.
There was one person at the gig who didn’t seem that impressed – she just grabbed a beer and then passed out. Typical.
In sickness and in health
As expected, breastfeeding is now over (for this child). It’s been about 24 hours. I don’t and won’t have any of the usual weaning hassles, because I never did produce enough milk, and lately it’s been maybe 10mL a day (what an adult would consider a sip). Some people lose weight when they stop breastfeeding (presumably because the body finally realises it doesn’t need to hold onto that pregnancy weight any more). It’d sure be nice if I was one of them. I have actually weighed this much before, but it was differently distributed. Perhaps my giant pregnancy belly will shrink a LITTLE now that the pregnancy is truly, finally over. If I suddenly drop several kilos, I’ll let you know. (Other people gain weight when they stop, because breastfeeding burns calories.)
It occurs to me that a lot of my deep pathological hatred of breastfeeding is probably due to the myriad issues Lousiette has had that have caused me to associate her pain cry with any kind of feeding activity (including, unfortunately, solids – so now I have to man up to face eight feeds a day instead of five). That at least means I MIGHT be able to breastfeed just fine with the next child. Maybe even not hate breastfeeding like I do right now. We’ll see.
A little part of me is sad to have lost that unique connection – but mostly I just dreaded it five to ten times a day for four and a half months. So I’m glad Louisette finally cast her own vote on the matter.
Right now CJ, Louisette and I are all sick – the classic nightmare for any household. CJ is by far the worst – he came home from work yesterday and won’t be going in today. I skipped a couple of minor outings over several days and I seem to be mostly fine by now. He and I have some kind of stomach bug, while Louisette has a cold. She’s only been mildly ill – enough that I certainly notice changes in her behaviour but I don’t feel freaked out or completely destroyed by the experience. She’s past the worst of it, and I’ve had a nice gentle introduction to infant illness. She’s been a little grumpy; a little clingier; has had a few arsenic hours (which she normally doesn’t have); is dopier when awake and sleeps for shorter periods; more mucus and sneezing of course; she’s much hungrier (she had a couple of days’ regression to six feeds a day instead of five – plus the three daily servings of solids). She’s also been sleepily rubbing her face in a completely adorable manner. I subtitle the below picture: “There’s a live aardvark in my fridge again? Hah! I KNEW I’d forgotten something. How EMBARRASSING.”
Potato Salad
I had one of those moments today – you know the kind – where a lightning bolt struck my brain and I thought, “Egad! That food that I love so much – I can make it!”
After a brief sortie into Google Land, I had a potato salad recipe. Between being thrown up on, doing washing, getting covered in pulped zuccini, taking baby photos and videos, and making potato pulp and bean pulp for Louisette’s near future, I made potato salad for the first time. The ingredient list sparked wildly out of control, and I ended up with something only tangentially related to the recipe I’d found. The meal began around 3 in the afternoon, and wasn’t done until 8pm. It was exquisite.
Yes, I know that photo makes it look like it’s already been eaten. It hadn’t at the time, I swear.
I like the way the vegetables are cunningly disguised so there’s barely a hint of green.
So here’s MY recipe (minus interruptions):
Potato Salad (for a meal for four people)
4-5 medium potatoes
8 or more bacon rashers (more bacon is more betterer)
4 eggs
One-third of a cup mayo
One-third of a cup sour cream
One avocado
Fresh green beans
Mushrooms
Spring onions
Sage
Chives
- Boil water – with eggs in it from the beginning of the heating process.
- When the eggs have boiled for four or five minutes, take them out (peel one and cut it in half to check all is well) using tongs (to keep the water).
- Meanwhile wash, peel , and cube potatoes.
- Put potatoes in the hot water. Rinse eggs under cold water a few times (so there’s no dark ring around the yolk).
- When the water boils again, boil potatoes for 15 minutes and then drain them and put them into the serving bowl and in the fridge for one hour (or freezer for ten minutes) or longer. Or shorter. Or don’t use the fridge, because it’s probably bad for it.
- Meanwhile, cut the bacon into squares and fry it.
- While it’s frying, cut up all your veggies and peel and cut up the boiled eggs.
- Put eggs, bacon, and veggies in with the potatoes.
- Mix mayo, sour cream, sage, and chives together, then add to potato bowl and mix it all up. Add more ingredients if necessary, and check taste.
- Wipe the rim of the bowl if you’re that kind of person.
This takes about an hour altogether, and is fairly labour intensive. It looks better if you save the bacon and avocado (especially the avocado, which tends to vanish) and put them in a separate layer on top.
The Avengers movie
If you’re any kind of self-respecting geek, you’ve probably already seen this more than once (or, alternatively, if you’re a lady fond of her eye candy). To the delighted relief of the geekmunity (who have been burned before), this is a great film. For those who know the name of Joss Whedon (writer and director), that was no surprise, but it was nonetheless a delight.
The Avengers are QUITE a disparate group, ranging from non-altered human to demigod in powers, and from billionaire philanthropist to time-refugee soldier by profession. In a not very surprising twist, they don’t get on.
They REALLY don’t get on.
Whedon very cleverly uses the manly bickering to give us action, comedy, and backstory all at once. You really can watch this film without having seen any of the rest, and it actually works – a tremendous achievement. The writers had to balance several films’ worth of backstory and character with a veritable smorgasboard of main character types: they did it. Choosing Iron Man as the main hero was a crucial move, and solved many problems. I liked the villain, too (mostly because he looks human and his issues are very human, so I easily understood his thoughts and his motivation).
There are literally dozens of brilliant moments – extremely funny lines (some that I missed due to laughing at previous lines), good solid action sequences with enough originality and character to keep even me interested, and a few moments of blazing heroism (my personal favourite was a moment at Loki’s first public appearance – and it wasn’t by one of the Avengers).
Thematically it wasn’t all that strong – the main theme is developed through all the manly bickering, and it warms the heart to see the Avengers briefly get over themselves in order to save the planet (….we hope…..), but it’s not something that really hits the heart. There’s another, minor theme in the way the villain is convinced that what the human race really wants is to be ruled. Again, it doesn’t pack an emotional or thoughtful punch – but let’s be honest: this is a comic book movie, designed for awesome action sequences and, hopefully, a lot of laughs. It delivers both in bucketloads.
I already want to see it again.
“Hulk. . . smash!”
Giant walking steam elephant
Need I say more?
That First Chapter
Chuck Wendig at his blog says:
. . . the first chapter serves as an emblem of the whole. It’s got to have a bit of everything. It needs to be representative of the story you’re telling — other chapters deeper in the fat layers and muscle tissue of the story may stray from this, but the first chapter can’t. It’s got to have all the key stuff: the main character, the motive, the conflict, the mood, the theme, the setting, the timeframe, mystery, movement, dialogue, pie. That’s why it’s so important — and so difficult — to get right. Because the first chapter, like the last chapter, must have it all.
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I read the above just after writing this myself:
The best opening gives you an immediate and normal-life-of-your-protagonist goal that showcases the active agency of the protagonist, something of their character, something interesting (hopefully) about their normal life (eg the minor incident is harnessing a dragon). . . while simultaneously being so simple that no exposition is needed to follow what is happening. Oh, and something goes wrong in the minor incident that will lead you into the major goal of the book.
This is, of course, why novelists go mad.
The Tombs of Atuan
This is the story of Tenar, who is said to be a priestess reborn. As a result, she is taken from her family at a young age and brought up in a temple complex, taught to be the mistress and guardian of the Undertomb and Labyrinth. No-one else is allowed in all the dark places, on pain of death. The rest of this review is at Comfy Chair, where I get paid for it.
Free sample (when, at the age of six, Tenar has taken up her role as the reincarnated priestess):
The child said nothing. Manan turned around and went away. The glimmer died from the high cell walls. The little girl, who had no name any more but Arha, the Eaten One, lay on her back looking steadily at the dark.
Rating: G, and recommended for any age that likes reading.
Felicity Banks 