I just finished writing Year of the Dog ! It had a massive plot hole that I had to fix which turned out to be more work than I expected. Here’s a snippet: “Hey, Auntie Nell.” He wrapped his arms around her, bussing her on the cheek and breathing in pikake flowers and shortbread cookies. And suddenly he was nine years old again, and her solid presence had made his chaotic world stable once more. “What are you doing here?” He usually took her to dinner on Wednesday nights, but today was Tuesday. The edges of her smile faltered a little before brightening right back up again. “What, I can’t visit my nephew?” She angled around him to enter his home. “Is this your new house? Looks lovely.” Which was a blatant lie, because the fixer-upper was barely livable, much less acceptable to a neat-freak like his aunt. She also left four matching pink and purple floral suitcases on the stoop behind her. Only then did Ashwin notice the cab driver standing slightly to the side of the walkway. “Can ...
Captain's Log, Stardate 10.23.2007
I love Bear Grylls. He’s the “presenter” for the show Man vs. Wild, and I’m shamelessly hooked.
He used to be in the British Special Forces, but now he gets stuck in harsh survival situations for his TV show. Since he has a film and crew with him, (although they are barred from helping him unless it’s a serious life or death situation), he’s able to take a few risks in order to show unusual survival skills, like what to do if you fall into a crevasse or into icy water.
(Like it’s highly probable I’d ever need the skills to survive on an Icelandic glacier or a barren desert.)
My husband and I are always impressed by some of the things he teaches. For example, last night he had to survive on a glacier, so he looked at the 50-mile-an-hour-winds and detected snow being blown off the edge of a rise. The snow falling would ensure soft enough texture for him to dig a hole, plus it’s in the lee of the wind. Then he dug a deeper basin in his shelter for the cold air to settle, since cold falls.
That just seemed so neat to me. Maybe it’s my biologist side coming out.
Then last week, my husband got a package. He’d ordered a Swedish Fire Steel (a flint) from eBay so he can start fires with just the flint and a knife.
I asked, “What do you need this for?”
He shrugged. “Just in case.”
“We don’t go camping.”
Silence.
I demanded, “Did you order this because of Bear?”
Guilty as charged. It must be a guy thing. Although to be fair, it’s probably influenced by the fact Captain Caffeine also watches Survior Man, another survival TV show.
I still love Bear, despite the fact he is inducing delusions of survival in my husband.
I love Bear Grylls. He’s the “presenter” for the show Man vs. Wild, and I’m shamelessly hooked.
He used to be in the British Special Forces, but now he gets stuck in harsh survival situations for his TV show. Since he has a film and crew with him, (although they are barred from helping him unless it’s a serious life or death situation), he’s able to take a few risks in order to show unusual survival skills, like what to do if you fall into a crevasse or into icy water.
(Like it’s highly probable I’d ever need the skills to survive on an Icelandic glacier or a barren desert.)
My husband and I are always impressed by some of the things he teaches. For example, last night he had to survive on a glacier, so he looked at the 50-mile-an-hour-winds and detected snow being blown off the edge of a rise. The snow falling would ensure soft enough texture for him to dig a hole, plus it’s in the lee of the wind. Then he dug a deeper basin in his shelter for the cold air to settle, since cold falls.
That just seemed so neat to me. Maybe it’s my biologist side coming out.
Then last week, my husband got a package. He’d ordered a Swedish Fire Steel (a flint) from eBay so he can start fires with just the flint and a knife.I asked, “What do you need this for?”
He shrugged. “Just in case.”
“We don’t go camping.”
Silence.
I demanded, “Did you order this because of Bear?”
Guilty as charged. It must be a guy thing. Although to be fair, it’s probably influenced by the fact Captain Caffeine also watches Survior Man, another survival TV show.
I still love Bear, despite the fact he is inducing delusions of survival in my husband.
Comments
Next time your captain is cast-away on a deserted island, and you're safe at home with both his knife and flint, you can say, "See? See???"