Nice People Thread Number 11 - A Treasury of Nice People

lostinrates

michaels wrote: »

NP advice time.

DD1 and 2 are to do a scholarship auditon for the local drama school and have been asked to prepare a monolgue up to 2 minutes long. Any suggestions? They coudl obviously both do someithing cutsey from Matilda or similar but I'm thinking it might make more impression if they did something less 'type-cast' for cute girls.

Any suggestions?

What do they identify with and want to do? I'd avoid anything that shouts 'stage mother will pay' too, which anything they are asked about further and don't have familiarity with risks suggesting.
.

chewmylegoff

tomterm8 wrote: »

Um, I've now down 80lb from my highest recorded weight ( over quite a long period of time) ; I'd lost around 20lb I think before that but I can't be sure. I've got around 30 lb to lose to get to my target which is simply to get out of the obese category and onto the 'overweight' category by BMI. Despite what the labels say, 'overweight' is probably the category with the best health outcomes for most people.

My motivation is solely health; I've had two blood clots in my lung and sooner or later if I don't get into the overweight category I will certainly have another in the next fifteen years or so with no reasonable chance of living through it. In fact, I think the weight loss I've already done is probably the reason I'm alive today.

Good work!

BMI is a nonsense, I would have to lose about 2 times the amount of body fat that I actually have in order to get to the middle of the so-called 'normal' band (and that isn't because I spend all my time eating whey protein and lifting weights either, I am a weakling).

tomterm8

chewmylegoff wrote: »

Good work!

BMI is a nonsense, I would have to lose about 2 times the amount of body fat that I actually have in order to get to the middle of the so-called 'normal' band (and that isn't because I spend all my time eating whey protein and lifting weights either, I am a weakling).

Thank you.

BMI can be wrong for individuals, it's true. If you are an athlete or unusually tall, or for half a dozen other reasons. In general it's much more accurate if you're a man than a woman as well.

However...

I'm not one of those exceptions, at least at the moment, and if I think that at any point I have become one of the exceptions I will of course change my plans. But I know I'm still not at the best healthy weight; I can see it in the mirror, and using a tape measure.

And BMI is a useful tool for setting goals, although outcome goals are generally much lower priority for me than process goals. You can't guarantee any particular outcome but you can, e.g. buy and ride a bike, reduce your calories, or go for a walk.

Generali

michaels wrote: »

NP advice time.

DD1 and 2 are to do a scholarship auditon for the local drama school and have been asked to prepare a monolgue up to 2 minutes long. Any suggestions? They coudl obviously both do someithing cutsey from Matilda or similar but I'm thinking it might make more impression if they did something less 'type-cast' for cute girls.

Any suggestions?

To show vocal dexterity:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3T3hLiHUrY

An Effervescing Elephant
with tiny eyes and great big trunk
once whispered to the tiny ear
the ear of one inferior
that by next June he'd die, oh yeah!
because the tiger would roam.
The little one said: "Oh my goodness I must stay at home!
and every time I hear a growl
I'll know the tiger's on the prowl
and I'll be really safe, you know
the elephant he told me so."
Everyone was nervy, oh yeah!
and the message was spread
to zebra, mongoose, and the dirty hippopotamus
who wallowed in the mud and chewed
his spicy hippo-plankton food
and tended to ignore the word
preferring to survey a herd
of stupid water bison, oh yeah!
And all the jungle took fright,
and ran around for all the day and the night
but all in vain, because, you see,
the tiger came and said: "Who me?!
You know, I wouldn't hurt not one of you.
I'd much prefer something to chew
and you're all to scant." oh yeah!
He ate the Elephant

It works perfectly well as a poem rather than as a song.

neverdespairgirl

Nikkster wrote: »

Edit: I have never referred to myself as a stick insect/ waif etc - and I don't expect I'll ever be able to do so

I should hire myself out as a public service at the moment, then - standing next to me and bump will make you feel like Kate Moss!

tomterm8 wrote: »

At this stage I think that I'm really basically learning how to ride again. My prior experiences were on a very much more basic bike with different (wider) tires and no gears to speak of, and even the mounting style you need for this bike is a different style than I am used to.

There's a heck of a learning curve at the moment for me, that's for sure, but it should be worth it at the end of the day

Cycling is great fun, though, once you do get the knack again. You really do feel your inner 8 year old rejoicing in the freedom of whizzing along, I reckon.

chewmylegoff wrote: »

Good work!

BMI is a nonsense, I would have to lose about 2 times the amount of body fat that I actually have in order to get to the middle of the so-called 'normal' band (and that isn't because I spend all my time eating whey protein and lifting weights either, I am a weakling).

I think "nonsense" is a bit strong - it definitely has limitations, and people who are exceptions and so forth, but it's not completely useless.

Some people are heavier or lighter than they appear - OH must have ribs of lead, because he actually weighs about 12 stone 10lb, which is at least 2 stone heavier than you'd guess from his appearance. He's 6 ft 1, and slim, very little body fat, very fit but not massive muscles, he's just not built like that. At the moment, with the marathon training, he's got a 40 inch chest and his waist is just over 30 inches.

I have the opposite, at a healthy BMI of 25 I'm still overweight for me in particular, if that makes sense.

GDB2222

michaels wrote: »

NP advice time.

DD1 and 2 are to do a scholarship auditon for the local drama school and have been asked to prepare a monolgue up to 2 minutes long. Any suggestions? They coudl obviously both do someithing cutsey from Matilda or similar but I'm thinking it might make more impression if they did something less 'type-cast' for cute girls.

Any suggestions?

They're siblings. Just tell them it's okay to fight for two minutes.

lostinrates

GDB2222 wrote: »

They're siblings. Just tell them it's okay to fight for two minutes.

That wouldn't be monologue, or, in the nature of many sibling relationships, might be only sufficient as audition for one.

vivatifosi

michaels, do they have a favourite film they could act a short segment from? They'll find it easier to get into character if they know it well.

silvercar

:wave: from Chicago!

GDB2222 sorry for your loss, wishes of "long life" to your wife. hope the family are all coping.

Gen, please take things easy. I set myself back twice after minor ops by trying to convince myself I was well and not letting myself recover.

Niks, glad the heating is fixed. Freezing here in Chicago, walking between coffee shops to keep warm.

Michaels, I would suggest dressing them up in whatever part they are reading, it should help them feel in character and look like a good effort to the judges. Is this for entry to a drama school or a subsidised/ free place?

Yorkie1

lostinrates wrote: »

This.

Generali, some days I am so !!!!!!! angry I feel very, very destructive. This is with the benefit of a lot of time and less responsibility than you have, and a partner who is more able to support me in a way best suited to me than Mrs gen is managing atm.

I don't know how you could expect not to feel angry.

Cheap supermarket mugs are quite good to break if you have an area you can sweep up safely for feet little and big alike. Or ones in sets with ones missing that bug you but you are too sensible/tight too replace. :o.

Fundamentally I feel anger is sometimes what pushes through difficult times of health sometimes though.

I think you are amazing, you remain one of my heroes. If I had keyboards to send you to break I would do so.

What a wonderful post but particularly the bit in bold. It embodies all that the community on these NP threads is all about.

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

The thing I find about housework is that if you leave it, it waits for you. Doesn't run away or anything!

Actually, I find that if you leave it long enough, it goes away (i.e. you stop noticing, at least with things like dust )

lostinrates wrote: »

Excellent idea. Can I just say, I don't personally buy mugs to break, I just opt for the cheap mugs I own, or broken sets, rather then the nicer ones I have.

I especially like breaking things I hate living with but feel obliged to. . DH has two mugs I really don't know how they have made the distance. All I can say is I must love him VERY much. I hate those mugs.

It has never occurred to me to deliberately smash things. Strict upbringing and all that. How superbly liberating :T