h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've heard that theory too, Bryce, and quite frankly I like all of them. Speaking of seceding from the Union, my state, Montana, always has a bunch of nutters circulating petitions and lobbying the state Legislature to do just that. We're sort of the Quebec of the United States.

I'll admit to reading two Danielle Steels, but only because they dealt with larger subjects that I actually have a latent interest in: the Titanic and the Russian Revolution. Both had insipid characters, awful dialogue and horrible pacing. I finished Salt and am now reading some of Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins mysteries for my light summertime reading.

[{Courtesy}]

Hypatia, I can eat all the veggies I want. And I would imagine that over the next week or so I will be eating a lot more than I want actually.

[p]

Ah, the new Danielle Steel came today. "Johnny Angel" I have it in both regular and large print.

"In her fifty-eighth bestselling novel, Danielle Steel tells the breathtaking story of a mother's love and a son's gift, of the tragedy that nearly destroyed a family...and the miracle that saved them."

Run, do not walk, to your nearest bookstore.

Any news yet, Phil?

And good luck MR.

Caer, sorry about the development, its a nasty balance between the lack of housing in that area and keping some of the green bits

Marv, I tried food combining as a student, (however it's far easier when you are only feeding yourself) aparently John Mills swore by it for years. His intestinal ulcers cleared up and he lost weight.

I have been doing the low carb thing, but my weight is pretty much the same, as is my size

I'm not thinking of going the raw food, strict veggan route that a lot of food combining gurus suggest. I will stop eating protein and starch at the same meal. And eat fruit before noon and by itself.

Tonight I'm going to make some kabobs with veggies from my garden and a salad. I have to decide if I want to grill some chicken breasts to go with them or if I want rice and bread. You can still have practically anything you want - just not at the same meal.

I figure I'll invest a month in the food combining plan. If my stomach is better by then, I'll figure it works. If it isn't any better, then I'll regroup.

Most nutritionists say that the acid/alkaline balance of your meals and food combining are hooey. But so many people report good results that I'm finally going to give it a shot.

First studio photography session results -- this is the UNFINISHED world gourd: http://www.asterlil.com/ott/gourd01.htm . You can see chalk guidelines, and the ocean/continent borders aren't properly blended in. I haven't painted Hawaii yet, either.

The no-background look is intentional. Later I went out and took some outdoor shots and forgot that I had changed the white balance to indoor tungsten. All those latter photos were weirdly blue.

I also did a shoot of a painting for a local artist, but that's not mine to put on the web. Using the gourd, as well as a wine bottle and other such props, gives me a good idea of the best way to handle the lighting balance, what difference the diffusers make, and how to deal with a forest of three-legged stands and tripods in a 10 by 16 shed.

I feel tired and ragged out from the intestinal disturbances of yesterday, but at least I was able to take my mind off it by reading "The Skull Mantra" by Eliiot Pattison. The book won an Edgar. It's a Sino-Tibetan procedural. It is ~brilliant~!! Happily, Bev also loaned me another one of his books, "Water Touching Stone", and I'll start that this evening.

Looks very interesting Lil. Best of luck on your new ventures!

I think its time our other dieters checked in with their results.

{[caer]}

I think the gourd painting is quite superb although I have a personal problem with the bomb imagery.

My weight loss has stalled. But at least it isn't going the other way. I always stall at this weight.

*enters, modestly wrapped in a big bath towel, dripping sea water on the floor before drifting off towards the guest rooms*

Hypatia, the interview is next week (tuesday). It's just that I got excited getting a letter telling me about it this morning

I like the gourd but as Amy says not too sure about the bomb bit.
I've often thought about playing with tungsten balanced film for those slightly other worldy blue images you get when using it outdoors. Of course I could go and buy some filters which would do the same job, I've seen some interesting pics which use a colour conversion filter on the lens and it's opposite on a flash which would give a normal looking foreground with the background looking out (special effect, who needs computers )

Well, I know more now than I ever watned to about my condition. Causes are diet and stress. I can fix one of those conditions.

Yeah, shoot the boss and assorted cow-orkers.
Your diet might be a little trickier to sort out though

I'm not entirely sure, but shooting the idiots that I work with and the idiots mangling me would not be entirely positivly looked upon by my local constabulary.

And Prison food isn't that good for your diet...

There's been far too much of shooting cow-orkers in the news lately!

Doctors like to blame every stomach ailment on stress. Acid reflux is supposedly caused by stress too, as opposed to a generaly wonky stomach and years of bad diet. Speaking of which after my doctor told me no more caffeine, alcohol, and carbonated beverages, I am proud to say I have gone a whole 5 days without any of the above. Too bad it's been 2 weeks since I was told that.

I like the gourd, Lil.