NEWS! Stories and team, on a roll!

[C James]

Okay, some major news on the writing front.

 

Yesterday, I completed the writing phase of "Jake", the new novel for Premium. There is still much work to do, especially for my team (Many of who haven't seen any of it yet), but the writing is done.

 

Guess what that means? Well, I'm going on hiatus, to relax and recover, before I resume writing "Circumnavigation", which is a serial for my site. How long will this long, long hiatus last? I'm not sure, because I have to go out this afternoon and don't know how long I'll be out. At worst, I'll be back late tonight, so, worst case, the long writing hiatus between Jake and Circumnavigation will be over sometime before midnight tonight.

 

Unlike "Jake", where I decided to write it in it's entirety before posting any (or even letting my team see it) Circumnavigation will be posted as a serial, and I will be sending the first couple of chapters into Beta this weekend, I hope. Anyway, Sorry for the long gap between Changing Lanes and Circumnavigation; I'd hoped it would be far shorter than it has been.

 

Now, for some big team news! The team has a new member! Our very first Frog! MikeL has joined as a beta reader, and he's also now in charge of the cliffhanger-avoidance committee, so he's taken on the responsibility of ensuring that the chapters are cliffhanger-free (So, if anyone sees what they think might be a cliffhanger, that's MikeL's department, not mine!)

Welcome aboard, Your Amphibiousness!

 

CJ

[MikeL]

It is I...the newest member of C James's team. There are two things that I need to say at the outset.

 

1. I am pleased to be working with one of the best authors at GA and I thank him for the kind things he said about this humble amphibian on his team page. The other frogs are green with envy.

 

2. I hereby disclaim all responsibility for any cliffhangers which are found in C James stories past or future. As the author himself acknowledges on the team page, "Although the writing is very much a team effort, as the author I'm in effect the manager of the team. I'm the one who decides if something is in or out, and I decide when a chapter is ready to post."

 

 

[Conner]

That's great news, CJ!

 

I'm going to have to renew my premium content membership.

[TalonRider]

Dream on Froggy. You've got your work cut out for you. I'm half way thru Jake and I've seen some questionable content.

[Phantom]

You know... it's turning into a regular Animal Farm around here....

 

That leads me to wonder when the GA critters are gonna rise up and take over GA....

 

 

 

 

 

But I am glad to hear that everything's working out CJ! I really look foreward to reading more of your stuff... though any use of an Eric, or an Eric on tequila, or Eric like behavior must be approved by me (as it states in the Geneva Convention of 1949 Paragraph 1 Section 1 Words 1 and 2: Protected Persons).

 

 

 

Take that Goat!

 

 

[TalonRider]

You know... it's turning into a regular Animal Farm around here....

 

That leads me to wonder when the GA critters are gonna rise up and take over GA....

Who says we haven't already?

[Phantom]

Uhoh... guess it's Farm-ageddon!!!!!

 

 

 

[shadowgod]

I'm not a critter....

[C James]

It is I...the newest member of C James's team. There are two things that I need to say at the outset.

 

1. I am pleased to be working with one of the best authors at GA and I thank him for the kind things he said about this humble amphibian on his team page. The other frogs are green with envy.

 

2. I hereby disclaim all responsibility for any cliffhangers which are found in C James stories past or future. As the author himself acknowledges on the team page, "Although the writing is very much a team effort, as the author I'm in effect the manager of the team. I'm the one who decides if something is in or out, and I decide when a chapter is ready to post."

 

 

 

Now, now, Your Froggyness, let's be reasonable here... You have long displayed your skills at declaring cliffhangers, so therefor, I think we can say conclusively, you are now in an ideal position to deal with them preemptively, should any occur. Besides, we all know that I never use cliffhangers, so therefor, if there are any, it stands to reason they were added during beta, right? :ranger:

 

Dream on Froggy. You've got your work cut out for you. I'm half way thru Jake and I've seen some questionable content.

 

Questionable?? Has the Frog been adding cliffies again?? I always suspected that he's a cliff-chirping-frog, so that fits!

 

You know... it's turning into a regular Animal Farm around here....

 

That leads me to wonder when the GA critters are gonna rise up and take over GA....

 

But I am glad to hear that everything's working out CJ! I really look foreward to reading more of your stuff... though any use of an Eric, or an Eric on tequila, or Eric like behavior must be approved by me (as it states in the Geneva Convention of 1949 Paragraph 1 Section 1 Words 1 and 2: Protected Persons).

 

Take that Goat!

 

What? Take over GA? Would I even think of such a thing?

Ummm, when the site name changes to Goats 'R Us, it'll be just a coincidence, honest!

 

Well, there isn't an Eric in Jake... But... there might possibly be one in Circumnavigation.

 

I'm not a critter....

 

Ahh, but, you are most often depicted with horns...

[shadowgod]

So are you at least 8,173 times

 

oops 8,174 almost forgot eating crow

[Krista]

Shew goat you're a write-a-holic, you must be in a hurry to reclaim your King of Cliffhangers cushioned seat... if you even lose it.

 

I can't wait to read Circumnavigation.. for some reason it just has me really really interested.. lol.. could be the title, but I don't know.. its just BAM!

[Linxe Termoil]

I take it back.

 

Me

 

 

Edited September 25, 2009 by Linxe Termoil

[shadowgod]

Hiatus?

 

Hiatus my left berry. I think he saw this sign and figured he cant fight the technique

 

[hh5]

Hiatus?

 

Hiatus my left berry. I think he saw this sign and figured he cant fight the technique

 

 

Are they all male goats??

[C James]

ROFL! Goat-milking!

 

Well, as for the hiatus; it ended up lasting about 24 hours, and then resuming for another 24 yesterday; I had a wonderful case of food poisoning, and if y'all aren't nice, I'll share the details.

 

However, the long hiatus (Hiatuses?) are now over. I'm back to work on Circumnavigation. The prologue and chapter one are drafted, but I want to get chapter two completed before I send anything out for beta... hopefully today, but more likley tomorrow.

 

Anyway, I did want to let y'all know that the hiatus (Hiatuses?) are over, and I'm working on Circumnavigation again.

[Phantom]

Hmmm... Do I smell an Eric in the midst? Or is that tequila?

 

 

 

[MikeL]

Anyway, I did want to let y'all know that the hiatus (Hiatuses?) are over, and I'm working on Circumnavigation again.

The plural of hiatus is hiatus or hiatuses. In any event, I'm glad yours is over and hope you feel better. I thought the Mexican restaurants out there were supposed to be good.

[Phantom]

I thought so too... now another thing to cross off my todo list when I travel lol

[C James]

Lol, it wasn't Mexican food that made me ill. I know that much, mainly because I hadn't had any! The Mexican food in AZ, BTW, is a mixed bag; it's sure as heck better than you'll find in, say, the Pacific Northwest, and the Pacific Northwest has better Mexican than you'll find in the UK. (yep, they have it there, and it is horrible! In the UK, try Indian, not Mexican!).

 

In my area (Northern Arizona) you get some places where I suggest never eating, like Sedona (Beware; tourist food is never good!) or other tourist meccas. In the mountain towns I suggest avoiding Mexican, as it's never that good up here IMHO. Lower down, such as the Verde valley (Except Sedona) they have some good Mexican places (and a few bad ones) but in the high country, not so much. What we do have up here are a few decent Barbecue places, but that's all I'd recommend within a hundred miles in any direction. Most of the rest is what I call diner food, yuck.

 

In the southern half of the state, as long as you're not in a tourist or retirement area and avoid all chains, you can find some decent mexican food. Better than in Mexico, which isn't really saying a lot... Having eaten Chinese food in China, Thai in Thailand, Indian in India, etc, I'm of the opinion that this is the rule rather than the exception; if you want to eat "Ethnic" food, don't do it in the country its from of you may well be dissapointed. Two particular don'ts: Pizza in Italy and Tappas in Portugal. Horrible compared to the overseas versions, IMHO. On the other hand, French food in France is pretty good, and German food in some parts of Germany, superb.

 

But, for really good Mexican food, IMHO there's only one place to go: New Mexico. Ask around when you get there, and avoid the tourist places and chains, and you'll get a real treat.

[Graeme]

There's so much in that post that I agree with Especially the Indian in the UK, though ask the advice of the locals first. There are so many Indian places in the UK that not all of them are good quality. Most are, though, at least amongst the ones I tried.

 

As for the rest, I think the truth is that what we think is 'ethnic' food is not really -- it's westernised versions of those foods. For example, I know that I can go to some Chinese restaurants in Australia where they have two menus -- one in English and one in Chinese. What's on the Chinese menu is not the same as what's on the English menu. The English menu has the English versions of the Chinese dishes. The Chinese menu has the original versions.

 

Pizza is another good example. There are a lot of variations on the concept of pizza, but they are not the original. We just don't get 'original' pizzas in our countries (unless you happen to live in Italy ). Even variations on pizzas within one country (eg. Australia) can be quite dramatic, as it's up to the individual establishment on how they interpret the concept. That's both with respect to the toppings and the dough. As an aside, there's nothing wrong with pizza from Italy (I tried it once), but I didn't think they were particularly adventurous with their toppings. I prefer more toppings than they provided.

 

Just because two foods have the same name, that doesn't mean that they are the same. I made the mistake of ordering cheddar cheese in the USA once... and it wasn't what I expected. I still think of it as a tasteless block of yellow salt

[C James]

There's so much in that post that I agree with

 

You're agreeing with one of my posts? Okay, who is this really, and what you you done with Graeme?

 

Especially the Indian in the UK, though ask the advice of the locals first. There are so many Indian places in the UK that not all of them are good quality. Most are, though, at least amongst the ones I tried.

 

As for the rest, I think the truth is that what we think is 'ethnic' food is not really -- it's westernised versions of those foods. For example, I know that I can go to some Chinese restaurants in Australia where they have two menus -- one in English and one in Chinese. What's on the Chinese menu is not the same as what's on the English menu. The English menu has the English versions of the Chinese dishes. The Chinese menu has the original versions.

 

Pizza is another good example. There are a lot of variations on the concept of pizza, but they are not the original. We just don't get 'original' pizzas in our countries (unless you happen to live in Italy ). Even variations on pizzas within one country (eg. Australia) can be quite dramatic, as it's up to the individual establishment on how they interpret the concept. That's both with respect to the toppings and the dough. As an aside, there's nothing wrong with pizza from Italy (I tried it once), but I didn't think they were particularly adventurous with their toppings. I prefer more toppings than they provided.

 

Just because two foods have the same name, that doesn't mean that they are the same. I made the mistake of ordering cheddar cheese in the USA once... and it wasn't what I expected. I still think of it as a tasteless block of yellow salt

 

Graeme, I'm shocked! Don't you know that Cheddar is supposed to be a tasteless block of yellow salt?

 

Actually, I like Cheddar, sharp Cheddar, that's from you guessed it, Cheddar, in the UK. I tried it there years ago, and what a difference! For some reason, there's little difference in price for imported cheese in my area, so that's what I get. I love European cheeses, and due to the price being not all that much different, that's what I get. Smoked Provalone from Italy is another favorite of mine. One thing I like to do (and did in Italy a few months ago) is do some of my own meals, because I like grocery shopping overseas. The cheese selections in northern Italy are the best I've found anywhere.

 

Oh, and here's on you'll love; Outback Steakhouse, an American chain, that specializes in what they call Australian food. It bears about as much resmblance to Australian food as the "American" breakfast I had in Hong Kong a few years ago (Egg rolls, pickled eggs, and tofu.) does to American.

 

I'm not sure I agree with you on Italian Pizza. The ones I had there were baked open-hearth in fires, but they were very thin crust that went crispy, which I didn't like at all (this was in rural Tuscanny, in several Trattoria). In Naples, I liked the crust a little better, but found the toppings, as you say, very lacking. For example, just tomato sauce, a little cheese, and that was it. Now, over in the Venetio, near Venice, I did have a decent one, lots of toppings, but that's the only one I can remember that was good, and that was ten years ago. So, my advice is, if you're visiting Italy, you'll probably be dissapointed in the Pizza. Better, IMHO, to try other local fare, such as Calzones and regional dishes. In Rome, you get a fair selection of Italian regional restaurants, and in Italy there is a huge variation by region, especially north to south. My own preference is Tuscan; they use more meat in the north of Italy than the south, and Tuscan cooking does wonderful things with cured ham for flavoring. I also learned to stay the heck out of "Tuscan" resturuants in the US; those were a big dissapointment to me. Another Italian regional fare not to be missed; Aostan, from the Valle De Aosta, up where Italy, France, and Switzerland meet in the Alps. It's a mix of norther Italian, German and French. But like anywhere, avoid the tourist areas (for example, I love Venice and stayed five days there last year, but my advice for eating there: don't!) and ask locals.

 

The Chinese food on your Chinese-language menus is, I'm guessing, very much akin to what I had in China. Mainly, I found it a lot plainer that what Chinese food in the US or Europe.

 

One area where I heartily endorse the regional food; Argentina. Best beef ever, period, especially when marinated and done on a rack over an open fire, as many restuants there do. Another must-try; Empanadas. They are superb there.

 

Korea... Hrmm. Mixed opinions from me there. I liked the Dim Sum, and Kimche. The barbecued ribs, in kind of a teriaki sauce, were good too. They also do Ginsing everything, some of which is very good. The one thing I remember most there; the soft drink cans. The openings are on the bottom, not the top. So, you end up drinking from what is likley to be the cleaner end (not the dusty one).

 

Turkey: Coffee! Turkish coffee. Italy has my favorite coffee, but Turkish Coffee packs a wallop. It's kind of like drinking mud, and is an acquired taste, but I loved it.

 

Russia... I was only there for a few days so don't have much of an opinion, but... If they offer Stroganoff, avoid it. They do not do it well. Vodka... Try it. They have many grades, and some of their prime is very good. Some of their standard brands are enough to make your eyes water when you do a shot.

 

And while I'm at it, Estonia... Try the Lieb (spelling?) If you like really, really thick and dark black bread, you'll love it. It's my favorite. (one thing in America; the breads here, even the "premium" or "specialty" types, are usually darn near tasteless. Prime sourdough being the only good exception that comes to mind offhand)).

 

I'm going to stop now because, darn it, I've gone and made myself hungry, and I don;'t have anything good to eat in the house.

[shadowgod]

another complaint about Outback Steakhouse. I had the fortune of going to one up near Toronto. I ordered a foster's and they had the nerve to charge me an import price

 

the stuff, while claiming to be Australian, is brewed down the street at the Molson brewery.

[Phantom]

Jeez... all this complaining about Outback?!

 

 

As long as you don't complain about the bloomin onion, we'll be okay :2hands:

 

Eric

[C James]

Sorry for being gone!

 

Fall is a hectic time for me, and I've had internet trouble which has kept me largely offline (GA, and every other site, keeps hanging due to packet loss.)

 

I have, however, been writing! "Circumnavigation" now has 10 chapters already in beta, and about 10 more in my working file, and I'm forging ahead with it. I needed to get to chapter 10 as some plot issues might have needed changes to the begining, and it's a darn good thing I waited to post; they did!

 

I hope to start posting it very soon.

[Krista]

Yay!! I can't wait.