Book Promotion, Your Brain is Fat, and A Thought on Nose Blowing

Sarah Prineas has an excellent series of posts discussing the impact of self promotion. To read the first post and comments, click here.

In other news, yesterday's Parade Magazine ran the Ask Marilyn column, in which Marilyn states that the human brain is 66% fat. So don't go on a diet--you might lose brain cells! And if the other thing is true--we only use 10% of our brains--that means we are only using 10% of 33% of our actual brain. That's only three hundredths of our gray matter! I guess there's no laughing at the dinosaurs and their peanut-sized brains now.

Also, there's a guy who makes $25,000 as a competitive eater. We could be making money for something we already do.

And finally, our paper's food critic says what I've been telling people for years: "If you must blow your nose, leave the table to do it."

10 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

That story about using only 10 percent of your brain is a myth. Not that we use 100 percent of our brain for every activity, but we use all 100 percent at various times for various activities.

Brenda said...

And if you leave your table, please do not go stand behind someone else who is eating and blow your nose! Argh!

I hate when that happens...it never fails, when my family goes out to eat, someone will stop behind my dad and blow their nose...it sort of ruins dinner for everyone...sigh...

Mary Witzl said...

In Japan, blowing one's nose at the table is the height of rudeness. It always amuses me to see the Japanese watching in horror as Americans cheerfully pull out hankies and honk away at dinnertime.

After living so long in Japan, I can't do this anymore. I am now physiologically incapable of blowing my nose when people are dining in the same room. I still bow when I jay walk, too.

Mary Witzl said...

Ooh, and thanks for that brain fat tip. Catch me passing up ice cream now.

Anonymous said...

I liked Shanna_S's comment in Sarah P's post about self promotion. Interesting read.

Travis Erwin said...

I'm going to start telling people, I'm not fat, I'm just big brained.

And congrats on the short story placing third. Way to go!

Danette Haworth said...

Charles, I guess we have no excuses then!

Brenda, I know! Nose blowing at table=gross!

Mary,
I'm so grossed out when people blow their nose at my table. I won't get too graphic here, but there's something about that liquidy snorkeling sound that really puts off my food. EEW! (and grotti)

Courtney,
A good, useful post, right? I'm still not sure what I'm going to do, but I know I want to do all in my power to get the book out there. Someone in that post said, "Bookmarks don't sell books." So true. But I think we make them because it's like, "Oh! I can do that!' We know how to go to Kinko's or order off the Internet.

I try to think of what an author could do to interest me in her book: Great title (I love yours.) Good jacket copy. Catch me in the first three of so pages and random pages to which I might flip. First person--BONUS POINTS!!You are in! With no contact from the author, I have purchased her book!

Ha! Travis! Good one, and thanks, BTW

Anonymous said...

I just absolutely LOVE you!! I can always count on you to put a big smile on my face!

My 9 yr. old still can't seem to blow her nose properly (she can't get anything out). I guess I won't have to worry much about her table manners as far as blowing out of her facial orifice in the company of others is concerned.

XOXO CJ

Write2ignite said...

Snot and supper. lovely thought. :)

As for the 10% brain functions... how do they know? I've seen pics of folks brains when they are put under stress (you know, on those discovery channel specials) and there are tons of things lighting up! Looked like way more than 10% to me.

Sheri Perl-Oshins said...

Interesting about he brain thing. So I guess when you call someone a fat head, you are actually correct.

And my husband's number 2 pet peeve - blowing your nose at the table (I got over that when I taught kindergarten for years) His number 1 pet peeve, you might wonder... eating loudly. Oh well, we all have our issues...