Two Photos of Interest from LosCon
Posted on November 30, 2008 Posted by John Scalzi 59 Comments
Both once again courtesy of Tom Suter:
Look! It’s Bacon Cat! In anthropomorphic form! You can’t see it well here, but this young lady’s nametag actually says “Fluffy.” I was deepy amused.
And here is Wil Wheaton and me, posing with the infamous “Velvet Wesley,” which as you’ll recall I had commissioned. It was quite literally the centerpiece of our Wil & Scalzi Happy Fun Time Hour, which, I assure you, you are very sad to have missed.
Yes, we are having fun at LosCon. Why do you ask?
Also: When I get back to Ohio, I’m going on a friggin’ diet, because this middle aged pear-shape crap has got to stop. That said, I have at least two more Double-Doubles to get through before that happens. But after that comes the diet. I swear.
Yes, a diet of double-doubles will do that to your waistline, too (I don’t have those here in Minnesota, but BurgerKing will provide a double meat, cheese Whopper, which is probably even worse!) You could change to double-single, as I understand their language, and probably not notice in the taste.
John, do you ever just stop now and then and think, “this BaconCat thing is getting out of hand?”
Other than that, my advice to you is to lose weight before you hit 40. Trust me. After that, it’s impossible. In fact, I think I put on ten pounds when I woke up on the morning of my fortieth birthday, and I’ve been busting my hump trying to get rid of it.
Yes, that was a pretty amazing panel – moreso because you and Wil play off each other so well it felt like you rehearsed that even though you didn’t. Great stuff.
And believe you me, I understand about the pear shape. My diet starts after the new year.
Good seeing you and chatting yesterday. I always enjoy smaller cons because they allow for those informal meetings and conversations which really make them memorable.
Ahh, so the true purpose of the BaconCat thing has been revealed at last – to get a hot young woman to dress up in a costume! Genius.
BaconCat Cosplay. Never thought I’d live to see the day. This really is the New Golden Age. You realize, of course, this means that civilization has peaked. It’s all downhill from here.
I’m guessing the wife probably wouldn’t fall for the old, “She followed me home; can we keep her?” line.
Isn’t there a veggie Double-Double?
Well, okay, I didn’t think so…
So, now we see why you needed permission from you life before you started taping bacon to a cat. My own spouse would not like me putting my greasy hands on that feline.
Silly as it may seem, leaving out the bun really is the way forward. The bun isn’t actually filling or satisfying at all and has almost exactly the nutritional content of a tablespoon of sugar.
My wife calls it the “panda bear” look. Fortunately she thinks it’s adorable.
@Dan 2, it hit me at 35. All of a sudden the ol’ bay window appeared and I’ve found I can’t get rid of it. It’s genetic; my dad and granddad both had bay windows. The fat collects in the belly, so I look fine until I go into profile, and then bleh. No more admiring glances from the ladies.
Order it “Protein Style” to substitute lettuce for the bun. Or, in my case, “Carnivore Style” – Protein style + Animal Style.
BTW, I may know the bacon-wrapped minx in the photo.
It would be much less traumatic (& probably more successful) if you were to hold off going on a Diet & exercise regimen until After The Holidays. Also more Fun.
But yeah, starting January 2nd, certainly. Face it, you _are_ getting pudgy, and that’s not consistent with long-term good health.
Wow, bacon cat is cute! (Does that sound terribly, terribly wrong?)
You realize you’re confirming the many rumors about you and the Furries, John, right?
Seriously though, that’s an awesome concept. Good on ya, Fluffy!
U Wants Burn Calories? Dance Fool, Dance.
Wasn’t there supposed to be a bunch of Dance Dance Revolution in your daily life?
Welcome to middle age, moi frere. Get used to the weight. It does not go quietly.
Yeah, I realised I have to do something about my calorie intake vs. output when I looked in the mirror the other day.
It was the dotted line at about nipple height labelled “Tropic of Cancer” that gave it away.
Fluffy is adorable. You may have won the Best Fan Contest.
Where did she find such a huge slice of bacon? That’s one humongous pig that came from!! :-)
I really like Fluffy’s costume, too bad she doesn’t know how to spell it! She even got the coloring just about right. I want to rub her belly! It *almost* makes up for the lack of Ghlaghghee pics lately. What have you done with her, John?
Hmm. I wonder what the real Ghlaghghee has to say about that picture? Probably is wondering about the bacon and how to keep Kodi away from it.
*SIGH* I wish someone would commission a a black velvet painting of me. That’s, like, the best gift EVER.
And I have to concur with all the pervs. Fluffy is pretty cute. Good thing Krissy doesn’t seem to be the jealous type.
Chicks Taller than Self > Chicks Shorter than Self. Also in desperately short supply if you’re 6’4″. *grump* Stupid terran height averages.
Yeah, Fluffy is hawt.
You know you’ve made the Geek Major League when you have attractive female strangers dress up as your Internet memes. That’s almost more bragworthy than a rocket trophy.
Okay, that might’ve seemed like the universe’s most shallow comment ever, I’m just jealous of Scalzi for being out-ceilinged by his spouse. It’d just be great to look up at someone, just once, into their eyes and full lips and not then say….
“Yeah, Dave. Can you bump the texture res on that?”
Just once, people. Just once.
Exercise with that diet–and I don’t just mean just calorie-burning cardio. ;-)
The Wil, JS and velvet painting picture is awesomeness.
I think you should bring Wil Wheaton back to Ohio with you!
Diet really doesn’t do as much as people expect, it’s the combination of diet and physical activity that trim one down.
John, do you have a rock gym or something similarly entertaining and muscle-building nearby? As Kendall points out, aerobic activity is great, but it stops burning calories much faster than anaerobic (hence my climbing suggestion). It’s gotta be something that makes you sweat, but it’s also gotta be something fun enough that you’ll stick with it.
John:
You don’t need to lose weight, just frame the photos better. Surely the guest of honor can specify that all photos will be taken directly facing the camera. Then you just keep your hands on hips like in the top photo. (Or maybe the lesson from that is have a pretty girl with a cat-ear headband in all pictures of you henceforth.)
@Hugh57 in 18
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hogzilla
Oh, Bacon Cat was brilliant!
ST @ 26
The velvet Wesley is much like the Grand Canyon – you can see all the pictures you like but when you see it in person it truly takes your breath away.
May I suggest that you consider having some T-shirts made with the famous bacon cat picture? Or maybe with the “demotivator” poster based on that picture? You could probably sell 500 next time you are raising money for a good cause. I know I would buy one. Just imagine looking out into the audience during one of your con panels and seeing 100 bacon cat shirts!
What John Scalzi didn’t negotiate for with LOSCON 35, but got as a double-double bonus. A double-sonic boom this afternoon, of a type that my wife and son and I had heard/felt before, but might have been new to Mr. Scalzi, and it was as reported thus:
Double-sonic booms blasted through the Mojave Desert as Endeavour dipped below the speed of sound for the first time since its November 14 launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA had hoped Endeavour would land there as well, but bad weather spurred flight controllers to divert the crew to the Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Commander Chris Ferguson steered the shuttle through in a series of sweeping curves to burn off speed before gently guiding the 100-ton ship onto a runway at 4:25 p.m. EST (2125 GMT) to complete NASA’s fourth and final mission of the year.
[news excerpted from spacenews.com]
John,
If Fluffy has any interest in a printable file of her picture with you, I can send you the full-size file to forward to her – assuming that she sends you her address.
With best wishes,
– Tom –
John, I recently lost 25 pounds in 25 weeks via weightlifting, some treadmill, and a bit of cutting calories (mostly cutting the junk calories and switching to uber healthy stuff). I did not starve myself by any stretch of the imagination, I didn’t even feel deprived. (And I’m 53 and fighting post-menopausal hormonal fat.) So it is possible!
Please do not try to lose weight by dieting alone! That way lies madness, metabolism slow-down, and the dreaded Return of the Fat Plus 10 More Pounds for Good Measure, whilst weightlifting will burn calories PLUS speed up your metabolism (via after-burn effects + more muscle = higher base metabolism), which means you’ll burn more calories while you surf the web. And when you write! (Slow and steady wins the race here, though.)
Also, baconcat? Totally adorable.
My doc recently prescribed losing 25 pounds. Apparently being 40 and overweight leads to all kinds of fun things like diabetes, heart trouble, difficulty getting chicks (my wife has more say in that matter, but I digress).
I will make this goal next year. Dare I challenge a certain Ohio writer to do this as well? He has one advantage. He’s already hooked on the zero calorie Coke. I only drink the real thing.
Welcome to the middle-aged-spread club, John, we’ve got jackets.
And slacks. Expandable waistline slacks.
Getting old isn’t for the timid.
John,
You know the diet I went on. You were there the night it commenced. Might I suggest that a certain aural release gives you the perfect set of circumstances to follow in my footsteps. We fat bastards can lose 50 lbs.
Bill
For motivation watch “Run Fat Boy Run”
Speaking as someone who is (or was) a pear shaped 45 year old, I started walking every day in July of this year. (I refer to myself as “Fat Man Walking” rather than “Dead Man Walking” which it would have been if I didn’t get off my lazy butt!!)
I’ve been doing the walking thing every day for about 3 miles. Don’t know how much weight I’ve actually lost, but by belt is now two notchs tighter and I’m sleeping much better.
Diets alone suck, you need the exercise to really make it work.
So, get going, stick with it and it will work!!
(John, as extra motivation, why not add a “fat-o-meter” to this site so we can monitor your progress and help provide you with extra “motivation” when you need it?)
Good luck.
OK, someone actually dressing up as a cat with bacon is just fricken hilarious awesomeness.
I’m still smiling from the memory of the John and Wil show. Even though they did, indeed, make me return to Fresno…and the damn fog.
John you, and everyone else, should read the book Younger Next Year by Chris Crowley and Dr. Harry Lodge.
While this book is really aimed at those 50 years and older and how to not waste away the last 20 years of your life, but to live an active life as long as possible, it should be required reading for anyone over 18.
Everyone I know who has read this book says it changed their life.
In a nutshell your brain is hardwired to tell your body to conserve energy (get fat) when you don’t get serious cardio exercise; like when our ancestors were sitting around in the cave trying to stay warm and not starve to death in the winter when food was scarce.
It is also hardwired to burn energy when you do get at least 30 minutes of cardio a day, like when our ancestors had to run along side that heard of wildebeests for a half a mile trying to cull out the one they wanted for dinner.
So, get 30 to 45 minutes of cardio in at least four times a week and your metabolism will take care of the rest.
I don’t understand. Are you saying the Coke Zero/Double Double diet is not having the desired effect?
Maybe you aren’t properly understanding the concept of Zero in Coke Zero. This means there are 100s of extra calories to available to consume each day.
I should clarify that the “they” referred to in #42 was not, of course, John and Wil, but the machinations of the universe at large.
It was early when I wrote that comment, and I caught a cold at the con, so between the two, not all the synapses are firing correctly this morning.
Geez, I want to be famous, so I can get a hot woman to take a picture with me. Are you secretly a furry, John?
Todd, you presume that wearing fur makes one hot. Without knowing the ambient temperature, it is quite possible that she was merely comfortable. She may not have Scalzi’s extra layer of Ohio fat underneath her fur for warmth.
I’m looking down the barrel of 39 myself, but fortunately I kept Mark Twain’s advice which was to keep your vices around so, that like ballast, you have something to dump overboard in a crisis. I had a flu-thing for about two weeks and emerged on the other side having had (almost) no beer for that time. And have, since then, kept the volume down considerably from my Irish Catholic default mode. I’m off like 15 pounds in a month.
By the way, that is a really convincing piece of felt bacon.
Hey, learn to love your fat. Cut back on the calories, of course, and start the exercise thing, but once you’ve got those fat cells, they return to full trouble at the slightest provocation (one lousy ice cream cone — BOOM! Let’s not even talk of double-doubles.)
Todd, you have read Android’s Dream, haven’t you?
Everyone is saying “Lose weight! Diet and exercise!” but weight isn’t an accurate measure of health… muscle weighs more than fat! I would go for losing inches instead. And I agree with whomever said cardio+healthy diet=best plan of action. Because, for overall health, it can’t be beaten!
24. MarkHB: You could always start walking around on your knees from now on. ;)
[John, do you ever just stop now and then and think, “this BaconCat thing is getting out of hand?”]
#2 If you don’t let something get out of hand, how do you know what it will lead to?
Dave
…So now you’re taping bacon to young women?
Man, did I pick the wrong career.
I hear you on the pear shape business. We’re the same age (or thereabouts I’m 38), and after last year’s winter in Wisconsin none of my pants would fit. I ballooned up by a good thirty pounds, and I was going to be GOD DAMNED if I was going to buy new pants just because I lacked the self-discipline to exercise every day. I blame the fact that I had twin three year olds to care for.
I’m lucky though, we live within a few blocks of a YMCA. Since February I went there at least every other day, and I’ve lost near 25 pounds and gotten a lot stronger. So us old farts can do it with a relatively little time investment.
I did have to cut out the beer, wine, and cheese but for special occasions. Also chopped the dining out to a max of three times a month and no fast food, though really that was for money reasons.
There’s a lot of crap out there in the world of fitness publishing, but I’ve had great success with Edward Jackowski’s books. Low on the BS for books of their type.
Anny Mouse: The word “diet” has a warped meaning these days, but recommending diet (to me, this means eating better and eating less) and exercise, as many people (including me) are doing in this thread, is good!
I suspect for most folks, “muscle weights more than fat” doesn’t enter into it (unless going from Pear God to Muscle God, I suppose). As far as weight versus inches, I lost both; I can’t be that unusual (at least, I don’t see how you can lose inches without losing some weight).
Anyway, I agree overall health is key. Like most people, I recommend what’s worked for me (and it has): cardio + weight training, eat less (if you eat too much), and eat better. (Caveat: I don’t know that eating better’s helped my shape any, but I won’t try the reverse to test this. ;-)
Kendall, still working on my shape
If you’re serious about going on a diet, I highly recommend the South Beach Diet. It’s carb light, instead of carb free. I, a pathetic dieter who has until now never been able to stick to one, have dropped 42 pounds in an easy, breezy year where it hardly ever felt like I was dieting.
I feel it necessary to add that I’m slightly over 40 and was still able to take the weight off. I still have more weight to lose but I’m fairly confident that I’ll be down to my goal weight by next Christmas.
I’m personally a big fan of the 12 ounce curl.