Robin Writes

Yep, as a writer—or a human being—we’re all called upon at times to deal with the pettiness of daily life. Sometimes, that can seem ever present, ever constant, and PUBLIC. The truth is that it’s really none of those things.

A couple weeks ago, I received an email from that strange site, Goodreads. The one that is supposed to be about readers sharing their opinions of books but has, sadly, become a huge advertisement. I was pretty excited a couple years ago, when I finally created an account there. But then . . .

First, Goodreads allowed someone who had NOT read my first book, Reduced, to rate and review it. It was pretty obvious that she hadn’t read the book, and so I complained; I was positive this was someone who had been bashing me personally, on and off, for a few weeks before the book was released.

Goodreads removed the review, but not the rating. I complained a second time when someone marked a book as having one star AND as on his or her “to read” shelf. How can you rate a book if you haven’t read it? Again. Goodreads finally got back to me and said that some members “rated” books as to how BADLY they wanted to read them. Um, okay. Whatever.

Once, I had “librarian” status there; then it disappeared. Goodreads never could tell me why, they just kept saying to re-apply; never heard anything else.

And every time I log on, I have at least 25 invites to “events” in which I have zero interest. Online “events.” Ugh.

So, not a fan.

Back to the email, and the point of this whole thing: Goodreads said that I had to “disclose” that I had published some books, according to the FCC, any time I rated or reviewed them. I had not done so. My bad. If anyone wanted to know WHO I was, they could click on my name and go right to my profile. It says there, in plain English, that I own Rocking Horse Publishing. Duh.

[I could also add a comment about how the US Government concerning itself with book reviews is just plain ridiculous, but that’s probably better left for another day and another topic.]

So this morning I have a message from an author about an anonymous blog post talking smack about RHP and the author and me. It was related to this “disclosure” mess, but led back to a review on Goodreads that was POSTED OVER A YEAR AGO.

The reviewer had said there were “errors.” I asked if she could send me a list, so they could be fixed. Truthfully, there were a few, but mostly it was formatting. The problem was that she didn’t SEND me a list, but added her response to the review thread itself. I was astounded, and pointed out, nicely, that I had expected a PM.

Here’s where it gets weird: someone else recently added to that year-old thread and said I shouldn’t have complained. Complained? I was just surprised that the reviewer had posted publicly instead of PMing me. And again, A YEAR AGO. I’d forgotten all about it.

And THEN—someone anonymously blogged about the thread. What? Zip back up to my title: Idiocy.

Here’s the thing: give it all five minutes of your time and move on. Consider the source—in this case, anonymity, a janky website, and something that happened A YEAR AGO. In Internet time, folks, that’s like a decade.

Oh, and Goodreads? If someone wants to know who I am, tell them to click my name. Look me up on Facebook, or Google, or Twitter, or wherever. And anonymous bloggers? Get a grip; you’re really not that important. Especially when you’re “anonymous,” your Goodreads profile is “private,” and you have nothing better to do than troll around, looking for something to cause trouble.

Why, then, am I writing about you? To show everyone how ridiculous you really are. And to laugh at you. Yes, I said that. And I’ll stand by it. We used to have a word for you, but I’m sure it’s no longer PC to use it: shit-disturber.

Writers, there are a lot of these folks hanging out online—I suspect they used to hang out in their mothers’ basements before the Internet came along. Now we have to deal with them. Yay.

How do you prep for the cold? The usual ways, I imagine: heat sources, warm, layered clothing, adequate food and hydration, shelter from the elements.

What about toughening up a little?

First, of course, you should be in shape—and NOT the round shape so often touted. Strength and endurance are, and will be in a SHTF situation, imperative. But, second, you need to suck it up, Cupcake!

Sure, some of you undoubtedly turn down your thermostats to arctic levels, from time to time or on a regular basis. But some of you also may conveniently nudge that dial when things get a bit chilly. Or throw another log on the fire. Or grab an extra quilt.

But what if you can’t?

No thermostat. Firewood used for cooking and to keep you from actually freezing to death—not to provide a certain comfort level. Oh, the quilt? Maybe someone else is using it, maybe you cut it up for bandages, maybe it’s part of your shelter.

Now what?

If you’re in shape, if you have adequate clothing and food and shelter and water, you have a much better chance of resisting cold. If you limit your activity away from fire and shelter to shorter bursts, you can also resist the cold more easily—think about how, if you’re cold at home, you might step outside to grab a couple logs for the fireplace. It’s not so bad, right? But if you had to walk for a while, then chop those logs, then carry them back to the house, the cold digs right into you. And stays for a while.

Believe it or not, some of it is mind over matter. Don’t you feel warmer when the sun’s out? I know I do—the thermometer says it’s 11, but looking outside at my neighbor, shoveling his driveway, I can see pavement. I won’t say it makes me feel toasty, exactly, but it certainly LOOKS warmer out there.

Cold is painful, yes? Other things, like medical procedures, are painful too. You know how those docs always tell you “just relax” and you’re thinking, “oh, sure, right, no problem?”

Just do it. Seriously. It works for cold, too. Take a deep breath, relax your muscles, and embrace the cold. Remember, though, to breathe through your nose; this warms the air you’re taking into your lungs and is less of a shock to the system.

Cold weather, like any other survival situation, can be tolerated. Notice I’m not saying “enjoyed.” There’s cold, and then there’s Canadian cold . . . But you CAN prepare for and adjust to almost any type of weather. It’s just another component of prepping.