Games Without Frontiers: Fun Way to Lose Weight: Turn Dieting Into an RPG .

In about July of 2005 I went on a Diet. Well, Annette went on a diet. I joined her. I was about 13st 13lbs. The unislim diet functions pretty much like the weight watchers diet, and there’s a perverse fun to be had in trying to ‘game’ the system - ie, eat as much as possible while still staying within your points allocation. The trick to this is figuring out things like : eggs are two points. Egg whites are zero points. So you make a three egg omlette with two eggs and one egg white. And you have a bigger omlette than normal and yet still healthier than normal. That diet got me down to 12st 2lbs when Annette went off it (she’d got to her target weight). I’m back up to 13st 4lbs now, putting on just over stone since then. I liked being lighter, I felt healthier. Diet is now back on.

So, following the one objection (and my own personal preference) I’ve now removed the stream of twitter updates from the main blog, if you’re so inclined you can still read it by clicking the twitter category on the sidebar (but why would you). It’s much more fun to be on twitter and read the stuff as it’s happening.

If you’re interested in how I achieved this technological marvel… one simple line at the start of the wordpress loop:

<?php if (is_home() && in_category('twitter')) continue; ?>

Ok, I’m not ignorant to the fact that the twitter updates are probably annoying more that just Graeme. Truth to tell, I’m a little narked by the volume of them myself - but that’s down to me. I’m digging into ways to exclude the twitter stuff from the main site (unless asked), so, bare with me! 

Twitter is where I do all my thinking on the go nowdays - short stuff that’s usually too much of a pain in the backside to fire up wordpress for, and, I hate knowing that stuff isn’t being kept (which is the same reason my work room is filled to the brim with 2000ADs, scrap papers and, now, Nathan’s toys). (It’s also nice to know that the people are reading and responding to it).

Because of that, I’m trying to post either better thought out things in the blog and, as much as possible, post far more artwork than I normally do…

-pj

This used to be Nathan’s bedroom but we moved him into the larger room for him and Thomas to share (when Tommy is old enough). Now it’s my room and I’m keeping the space ship stickers, dammit…

Carlos Meglia died. If I’m honest, I’d never heard of him. But his work is beautiful and easily something right up my street. So it’s a shame. (Not that if he was a less talented artist it would be less of a shame, but, you know… it’s always a shame to lose a comic artist…)

Over at comic book resources, one of my favourite writers (Robert Kirkham) has made a video plea that some people start doing more creator owned works. I’ve a lot of mixed feelings about this - I admire the sentiment, but it’s the sort of thing a couple of blokes would yak about at a comic con as wishful thinking. I’m always wary of the idea of one person proscribing how other people should act - it suggests that other people aren’t really agents of their destiny or, at least, so fickly minded as to be persuaded by a quick video. On the other hand I think it’s a genuine heart felt plea to help make the comics industry better, and I do agree with that.

Warren Ellis has made another plea (the original over a year ago - though this time it’s getting more traction) for the idea of a ‘band‘. One writer, three artists, creating an anthology title. I think you’d really need a BIG name writer to get behind it and write the thing, and if they did, I’d love to be part of something like that. As with many of Warren’s ideas a lot of it is about format - here’s a format idea that lends itself particularly well to certain things and I get the feeling he’d love to be doing something like it himself.

Murderdrome has been submitted … I’ll let you know how it gets along, and what exactly it is for those that haven’t guessed or are still in the dark.