First and Last Words: Yesterday’s Pirate Nano Addergoole

Jan21

First Line of Yesterday (And last line of the night before) –

He offered her a bright smile and hoped that worked.

It seemed to. She smiled back, at least.

Last line of yesterday:

Somewhere in this room, there had to be a predator she could use as a blind.

I wrote 1554 words of Addergoole and 0 words of “Other” yesterday,
bringing my Addergoole total to 21,655 (goal-to-date 21,250)
and my Other total to 10,490 (goal-to-date 10,200). Right on track!

Well, on adjusted track, from when I took this from 20 days to 23 days. Note to self: break days are a good thing.

How’re you all doing?

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/640525.html. You can comment here or there.

Well, no Wonder My Jeans Don’t Fit Right: the beginning of a weight-loss blog

Jan20

Okay, so, my original goal (when I thought the scale was going to say 166 or so when I stepped on it) was to get to 140 by my father’s birthday, July 15.

My current goal is to get to 150 by July 15 and to 140 by October 1st. (Data point: I’m a broad-shouldered five foot eight woman.)

So, I’d been noticing for the last week that my jeans were uncomfortably tight, and finally stepped on the scale – 176.6 lbs. Um. That’s a bit higher than I’d been expecting. That’s a bit higher than it was last year at this time. 🙁

I’m not going to panic, however. I am NOT going to panic.

What I am going to do is try to go at this like I did when I had over 50 lbs to lose.

I’m going to track everything. Everything. I know I’ve been mindlessly snacking on pretzels at work, and I’m going to count them now.

Exercise: I joined the gym again last week. 2x a week in the gym, 3x if I can wrangle the time, and something physical at total of at least 6x a week.

I am not going to panic.

I’m still pondering /what/ weight-loss/food tracking system to use. Using Weight Watchers worked for me; using Weight Watchers new-system with someone else figuring the points didn’t work nearly as well. So do I go back to old system? Do I buy a membership? Do I try something free?

Food tracking is only half of it; I’ve discovered that I need concrete numbers and limits. And, of course, I need to remember to stay active.

Here we go. 26(ish) weeks, 26(.6) lbs. Let’s go.

Note: Please do not suggest or tell me 1) I don’t want to get down to xx weight, 2) xx is not a healthy weight, 3) anything else suggesting I don’t know what weight I might want to get to/look good having reached.

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/640138.html. You can comment here or there.

Another School, Another… (an AU of Addergoole)

Jan19

This is to [personal profile] rix_scaedu‘s prompt to this card, for [community profile] trope_bingo. It fills the “au: college / highschool” square.

As such, this is decidedly AU, with characters from my Addergoole ‘verse.

Mike was lost. He straightened his cuffs in tie, checked his reflection in a trophy case (yay, tie, double yay, trophies), and wondered where he was. The school was new, sure, but how could he have gotten this lost before he’d even made it to a class.

“Hey, you the new guy?” They face coming into view up the stairs looked familiar; a quick glance back at the trophy case told Mike why. Broad nose, glower, short no-nonsense haircut, check. He was a lot shorter in person, though.

“That’s me, The new blood.” Mike shifted posture, trying to look shorter. “The dumb one who got lost before my first class.”

“Mike, right?”

“That’s the short form, yeah.” There was absolutely no point in alienating the jock faster than he had to. “And you would be… Luca Hawk?”

“Call me Luke.” Call-me-Luke tilted his head at the stairs. “Professor Storm sent me looking for you. You’re late to class.”

“I think I took a wrong turn at Albuquerque.” The thing was, Call-me-Luke wasn’t glaring any less, but Mike didn’t think it was directed at him in any way. The jock just seemed to be generally glare-y.

“That happens. Other new kid got lost, too.”

“So, will you show me to.. Professor Storm’s class?”

“That’s what I’m here for.” The guy actually cracked a bit of a smile.

Mike was in trouble. When Luke smiled, he was absolutely stunning. He swallowed and let himself be led into class.

The teachers – Ms. Storm and Ms. Kalonimos, Mr. Garcia and Mr. Petros – were far too good looking to be in a school, certainly all in the same school. It didn’t matter. His classmates – Regine and Laurel, Shira and Sang Ki – they were all beautiful, delicious, and even Regine, the school genius, smiled at him. It didn’t matter. The jock had smiled at him.

The guy was helpful, he was friendly, and he was distracting. Mike tripped and fell in gym; Luke caught him and set him on his feet. He got lost three days running, and Luke found him. It would have been brilliant, if Mike was doing it on purpose. If he’d been doing it on purpose… and if had been working.

Shira liked him. He kind of liked Shira, too, scary as she was. (Mike wasn’t one to throw stones, not with his glass house, but he was pretty sure the girl was feral. At least it was a nice-smelling sort of feral). She liked him, and had been very clear on exactly how much she’d like to like him somewhere behind the bleachers.

Ginger liked him. Ginger wanted him to take her to the Homecoming dance. Regine… offered to help him with his homework, which Mike took her up on because he was pretty sure she actually meant it.

But Luca Hawk, Mr. Call-me-Luke… Mike twisted an ankle coming out of class because he was looking the wrong way, slipped, and fell right in front of Luke. Again.

As the jock was helping Mike up, again, he muttered something in Mike’s ear.

He couldn’t have… he didn’t… he… Mike went limp.

I’m flattered, but I’m not into guys.

Mike’s school life had just gotten a whole bunch longer.

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/639834.html. You can comment here or there.

Chilly Spring, a 100-word fic of Stranded World

Jan18

To [personal profile] meridian_rose‘s prompt to my other bingo call.

Content warning: grief.

The air was still crisp, this far north. The sun was bright, the sky clear, but it was still in the mid-forties.

Spring had missed proper spring, proper weather, and now she was back for all the wrong reasons. She strode blindly, her fur coat and her anger tightly wrapped around her.

All things pass, Spring What words to end on. All things go around. She was left with that.

Tears were streaking hot down her face. Above her, the cherry blossoms declared it was Spring. Her time. She pulled them into the air, a transient dance. All things pass.

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/639534.html. You can comment here or there.

Supply Exhausted

Jan18

This is to [personal profile] thnidu‘s prompt to my [community profile] dailyprompt here.

This fills the “exhaustion” square in the January Bingo Card.

Names from Fourteen Minutes‘ random name generator.

Warning: this might be a bit creepy.

“How can we be running out?” Shadde-Reston had that high-management refusal to accept numbers that Basia knew far too well; one had to work around it with charts and graphics and, if possible, displays that invoked all the senses.

“Let me show you, Se.” When one is the bearer of bad news, be as deferential as possible. One didn’t want to end up being the next bad news.

“I don’t want more charts. Do you understand what this means, Basia? If we run out?”

“Se, I know that we are running out. I know that this will have huge effects on the economy. I know that it will cut the luxuries market by over a half. I know that it will cut the food market by more than that. People will starve.”

“It’s the end of an era!” Shadde’s voice was trilling upwards. Basia responded by keeping a completely level tone of voice.

“It is certainly going to require some changes. The most efficient plan would be to pare luxuries down to the very minimum, curtail euphoric production, and, of course, cut back on imports until we can restructure our economy.”

“I still don’t understand how this could have happened.”

“If you’d let me show you the demonstration, Se?”

“Your demonstrations are always so dreary, Basia.”

“That is my job, Se Shadde-Reston.” When one wasn’t being listened to, sometimes one had to resort to high formality. “This one’s job has always been to distill the facts for the Supervisors. And this one must do one’s job.”

“No displays. No demonstrations. No charts. Just tell me how we could run out? How do you run out of workers? They’re a renewable resource. Leave them alone and they make more of themselves.”

Basia coughed. “That would be the problem, Se. They, ah, stopped making more.”

“What did they do?” Shadde leaned forward over the 100-years-extinct-hardwood desk. “What did they do?”

Basia was going to have to spell it out. “Se Shadde, they stopped breeding. They stopped having sex.”

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/639467.html. You can comment here or there.

Omens and Ill, a story for the Bonus Round

Jan17

To [personal profile] lilfluff‘s prompt for here, my [community profile] dailyprompt prompt “getting your feet wet.” Also fills “Holy Place” on my January Bingo Card.

New setting? Might be in the same world as the oracle whose god got irritated. (here)

This REALLY feels like a draft of a novel beginning to me.

There were a few blind nay-sayers who took it as an ill omen when the temple of Orestin flooded.

Since most of the rest of the city and the surrounding land were also flooded, the majority of citizens were far less concerned. Their temple held a decent piece of land on a well-known street; the place was well-lit of the night time (when the city was less flooded) and well-trafficked during the day. But it was not on the city’s one hilltop

A few scholars and that sort suggested that it could be a sign that the temples themselves were places of worship, not the homes of the gods. Thus had been suggested since time immemorial, but there was still no agreement on the matter.

The acolytes of Orestin had no time for that debate. They were wading through ankle-deep water to prepare for the morning devotions; they were cleaning out unused space (from a time of greater prosperity; the acolytes of Orestin saved everything, including real estate) for those whose homes were unlivable, they were baking flatbread and pressing cheese, running the ovens full of whatever they could roast just to combat the damp.

An Acolyte of the Mulberry Ring, Tremmin, was currently knee-deep in water at the base of the temple stairs, herding the faithful (or those willing to pretend, at the moment, for a dry place to perch) up the stairs and through one of the three entrances. A citizen caught her eye and smirked, looking as exhausted as she felt. “You’d think it was a Quarterly Festival, wouldn’t you? You’ve even got the back door open.”

She wanted to say something clever, but Tremmin had been awake for, to her count, three days and four bells, although it could have been four days and three bells. The speaker rescued her with a tired smirk and an irreverent thump of the marble. “Orestin, I suspect, does not mind. Nor his is holy place less holy for the work you are doing today. Blessings, Acolyte, and may you find the place you are most proper in.”

“Blessings, Citizen.” The words came out of her mouth without bidding. “May your proper place be waiting for you.”

“I have already found it.” He breezed past, leaving Tremmin, still knee-deep in water, with the uncomfortable feeling that she’d just missed something very important.

She had no time for ill omens, however, so she turned to the next citizen. “Welcome, and may Orestin comfort you in this time of trial.”

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/638673.html. You can comment here or there.

Mid-January Summary and a Challenge

Jan17

(In which I post a lot)
The Last Summary

Reiassan (Steam)
End of an Era, for Bonus Round, a story of steam changing things.

New/No Setting:
Sleep When You’ve Lost, fantasy/medievalesque – friendlocked as I may polish for submission, for January OrigFic Bingo
Unforgivable, modern setting, for the January OrigFic Bingo
Time of Testing – Is she a witch? For the January OrigFic Bingo

Aunt Family
Securing One’s Own Legacy, Aunt Zenobia as a child
Then and Now, Radar and his kitten

Space Accountant
Taking Chances Genique takes one

Addergoole
Home Turf Luke and Doug, Year 19, for Bonus Round
Bribery (unknown years and characters), December Card
Unwelcome Guests (Baram’s House Elves)

Stranded
A Favorite Place Summer and Autumn

Dragons Next Door
Team D Do they know what they’re getting into?
Victimization (after Team D) – They didn’t know what they were getting into
Hands-on-Knowledge, Jin and Audrey speak about Bianna

Science!
Romance was Never This Convenient to Handle
Alibi! What if the defendant was both here and there?

Story Sale:
Holy Places, for the January Bingo Card – Sci/fi/future/space

Cards and Prompts – your response requested
Trope Bingo Card
OrigFic Bingo Card January
* First Column Fill
December’s Card – Feel free to prompt any square, even if filled.
* Column “O”
* Column “G”
Daily Prompt “Bonus Round”
Daily Prompt “Bonus Round”
This One’s Just Sitting Here Doot doot

Signal Boost
Allbingo Community opening
Itsamellama’s Icon Day – who do I want an icon of?
Reading Bingo!
Stories Written to my prompts
Lilfluff’s Bingo
Cool Stories written by other people

Homesteading
Woodburning Stoves
Project!
Preliminary Project List

And a challenge: pick something from the list of prompts and prompt to a neglected setting. I’ll make the first four of such prompts my priority in bingos etc. next week.

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/638400.html. You can comment here or there.

Friday Show-And-Tell

Jan17

Shamelessly copied from [personal profile] jjhunter:

Friday, every Friday, I invite you (yes, you!) to share with me key Dreamwidth (or LJ, or Tumblr, or anything else) posts from the last week. They can be one or more of your own posts, posts of others you’d recommend, interesting discussions, linkspams, tiny delights, whatever stands out to you from the last seven days that you’d like to highlight. Assume that I’ve been away and pining too true and catch me up on what matters to you.

In return, I will make a point of commenting on at least one post of those you share, and I encourage others to do the same.

Newcomers, lurkers and long-time commentators equally welcome

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/638006.html. You can comment here or there.

End of an Era, a story of Steam!Reiassan for Bonus Round

Jan16

To [personal profile] clare_dragonfly‘s prompt for here, my [community profile] dailyprompt prompt “end of an era.”

This is set in the Steam Era of my Reiassan setting, with new characters.

The Icon (in DW) is of another character in that setting/era, an artificer/Engineer, Diryid.

“It’s not the way things have been done.” Lebboozh stared at the engineers and workmen standing at the edge of his goat-field. “Barges and carts, Tinryo, those gave my father business, and his mother, and her father, back as long as there have been people on this mountain.”

“It’s the end of an era, Leb, that’s all it is.” The wagon-maker patted his shoulder. “It happens, you know. Remember your father when they made the new goat-harnesses?”

“That’s different.” Lebboozh grumbled because he did not want to think about his father’s face, all those years ago – either when he’d first seen the new harnesses that balanced the load more efficiently, or when he’d seen how much happier the goats were in the new gizmos.

He did not want to think about what Tinryo’s father had said then, either.

Remember what your mother said, when they started to put springs in the wagons?

“It’s the end of an era,” he muttered. “Let’s see where they’ll fit the goats in to it, why don’t we?”

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/637896.html. You can comment here or there.