Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 105

#Poetry #Book Now In #Audio - My Old Clock I Wind By Kevin Morris

The following was sent to me by fellow poet, Kevin Morris, and I am delighted to share it with the poetry fans among my readers:

I am pleased to announce that my collection of poetry, “My Old Clock I Wind and Other Poems” is now available, as an audio download from audible.co.uk and audible.com.

“My Old Clock I Wind” derives its title from the clock which sits, in pride of place, on the bookcase in my living room. The title poem reads as follows:

“My old clock I wind
And much philosophy therein find.
I can bring
The pendulum’s swing
To a stop with my hand;
Yet I can not command
Time to default
On his duty and halt
The passing of the years.
He has no ears
For our laughter and tears
And his sickle will swing on
Long after we are gone”.

About The Author
I was born in Liverpool in 1969, a year best known of course for my birth. Well no, actually it is better known for the moon landings which certain peculiar
conspiracy theorists still maintain never took place (the moon landings that is, not my birth!).

It was from my grandfather that I derived my first love of literature and I have many happy memories of him reading to me. As I grew older I learned to
read Braille which opened up the world of independent reading and I still remember how amazing it was to me, as a young boy, to be able to sit with a book
on my knee reading for myself.

I attended school in Liverpool and later went on to read history and politics at university. Having obtained my BA, I went on to gain an MA in political
theory.

Since 1994 I have lived and worked in London. I find that I cannot write with background noise, other than the singing of birds, and am lucky that my home
overlooks a large garden and an historic park in Crystal Palace, famed for it's steep hills and fresh air.

Where to buy “My Old Clock I Wind”
Audible (UK) - https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Arts-Entertainment/My-Old-Clock-I-Wind-and-Other-Poems-Audiobook/B077VYT3X6/
Audible.com - https://www.audible.com/pd/Drama-Poetry/My-Old-Clock-I-Wind-and-Other-Poems-Audiobook/B077VS5CTN/
Amazon (US) - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0735JBVBG
Amazon (UK) - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0735JBVBG
Moyhill Publishing - http://moyhill.com/clock/
The royal National Institute of Blind People (braille edition) - http://shop.rnib.org.uk/ or call 0303 123 9999, quoting order number 25870603.

#Writing Wednesday - December 6th 2017

Did you participate in NaNoWriMo this year? If so, how did you do? Let me know in the comments.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I didn't participate in NaNoWriMo. I did participate in another author interview recently though, which you can read by going here.

In other news, and just in case you missed my posts about it:

My Battle of Hastings story, "Eadweard - A Story Of 1066" is now in audio, narrated by Danny Letham, who you can get to know more about by reading his recent narrator interview.

And...

"Asha's Big Adventure" is now available in audio, narrated by Patricia DeBruhl.

The audio editions of both books can now be purchased via Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. Links for those - as well as the main links for the eBook and paperback versions - can be found in the posts linked to above.

By the way, I still have several free copies available of the audiobooks for my Toby's Tales series, Degu Days Duo, and Kero's World series. So feel free to still enter the giveaways for those. As a general rule though, here's why your favourite author probably can't give you a free book.

Finally, here are a few thoughts on Optimistic Authorship, and here's some advice for when you feel like your writing is going nowhere.

HOW FAR I'LL GO - DISNEY'S MOANA (COVER BY 4-YEAR OLD CLAIRE RYANN) - #Music

When I first heard this song, I hadn't yet seen the movie it's from. I have since watched "Moana" - having recently got it on DVD - and really loved it. However, though I loved the movie, and really enjoyed the version of this song that's in the movie, I love this version more. I mean, there's just something about listening to an adorable - and talented - little one singing something that makes even the most beautiful of songs that much more beautiful. Don't you agree?

Well, whether you agree or not, I hope you enjoy listening to the song I'm sharing with you today.

Tori's November 2017 #Book #Reviews (LBE)

It's time to take a look at what I read in November.

Before we do though, I just thought I'd share this post that lists 7 unexpected benefits of being a bookworm

Anyway...

As with the previous posts like this one, if you want to know more about the book, or the author, click on whichever it is you want to learn more about, and it will take you to the appropriate page on Goodreads. Clicking on my rating should take you to my actual Goodreads review for the book in question.

Don't forget: the format I've reviewed may not be the format I read. Also, please remember that I read across multiple genres and age ranges, so you should always check if a book is suitable for the intended reader, especially when children are involved. Sometimes reading the book's description on its Goodreads page will be enough for this, but other times you may need to check elsewhere to figure out the genre and/or recommended reading level.

OK... On to the reviews!

Ghostly Writes Anthology 2016 by Claire Plaisted
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Like with most anthologies of this sort, there were stories I enjoyed more than others. Some of the stories were really good, some of them were just OK, and others might have appealed to me more if they hadn't ended with the words "to be continued" and a cliffhanger. Overall though, this is a fun and creepy read.

The Pirate Spy: The Journeys of Nathanial Durant by Steven Allan Pease
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It took me a bit to get in to this one, and the plot is quite slow paced throughout, which is something many readers may not like. The book has an interesting plot overall though, as well as a great cast of characters. Unfortunately, the author does have a habit of switching from past to present tense randomly, which is what stops me giving it the full five star rating.

The Dangers of the Tallest Snow, The Adventures of Rocky and the Bear Claw Club: The Legend of the Pirate Blackbear's Lost Gold Pinecone by Steven Allan Pease
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
First of all, if you haven't read the first book in this series, you should make sure to do so before reading this one. It would be best to read the prequel before this one too. Anyway, like the first book in this series, along with the prequel, this is a slow paced read, but an enjoyable one, with an interesting plot and a great cast of characters. I struggled to decide on a rating for this book ,since it suffers from the same issues as the first in the series: I don't like cliffhanger endings, and the author tends to get his tenses mixed up. However, since there's obvious improvement as regards the tenses thing, and the ending does feel more neatly wrapped up than it did in the previous book (despite still being left wide open ready for the next book in the series) I decided to award it the full five stars, since I never do half ratings, and there is obvious improvement when compared to the earlier books.

The Book of Pirates by Howard Pyle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
An interesting read. I enjoyed reading some of the pirates' tales more than others, but that's usually the case in books with multiple tales to tell.

The Coral Island by R.M. Ballantyne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
For the most part I felt this book was a great read, which was a fun adventure that was sometimes educational. However, there were parts I felt were rather more detailed than you would expect in a book for this sort of age range, and other parts where I thought the book got overly preachy about God, especially in the last quarter or so of the book. I also felt the ending had a serious case of Deus Ex Machina, and was disappointed that the boys didn't have anything to do with the solution that got them out of the situation they were in.

Lifemarked by David Estes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is an awesome read in its own right, and a totally awesome end to the series! The plot is so gripping that every time I had to put the book down was torture. The characters feel like real people, and watching them grow as the series developed has been a wonderful experience. Also, the writing itself is fantastic! Even though the ending was so well done, I didn't want to leave the world, so was glad of the chance to linger a little longer via the epilogue stories.

The Case of the Missing Cell Phone by Janice Spina
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
An entertaining and well-written book, which was a fun read. I look forward to reading more of the boys' adventures.

The Case of the Mysterious Black Cat by Janice Spina
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A magical mystery that is an excellent read.

Pathfinder Legends 3.1: Curse of the Crimson Throne - Edge of Anarchy by David Bryher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed getting to join these characters on their adventures again. This is a great one for fans of the Pathfinder roleplaying system, as well as for fans of fantasy themed adventure stories in general.

The Case of the Magical Ivory Elephant by Janice Spina
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is a great addition to this series, and an enjoyable read in its own right. I love these magical mysteries!

The Case of the Brown Scraggly Dog by Janice Spina
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a well-written and excellent magical mystery story.

The Case of the Sad Mischievous Ghost by Janice Spina
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is another excellent addition to this magical mystery series, which has a great cast of characters.

Pathfinder Legends 3.2: Curse of the Crimson Throne - Seven Days to the Grave by David Bryher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I didn't enjoy this one as much as the others with these characters. I mean, there were parts of it I thought were great, but I felt like we were just getting started on this part of the adventure when it was over, and the ending felt too sudden even for an adventure like this. So, I enjoyed it, but didn't love it.

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A beautiful and touching story, which will tug at your heartstrings.

#Furkid Friday: Joshua The #Degu's Letter To #SantaPaws

Dear Santa Paws,

I've been a very good degu this year. I'm even trying really hard to trust the human caretakers again, and almost let the Mummy human pick me up several times. The trouble is, the thing I most want for Christmas is something the human caretakers say you can't bring me, and - since you didn't bring it when it was what I wanted last Christmas too - I'm going to have to take their word for it.

The thing I most want is to have my brothers back. I miss them so much. I try to be happy, and there are times when having the cage to myself is great. But mostly I miss my brothers. I especially miss them on cold nights when we would have been curled up in our nesting box together. The human caretakers make sure I have plenty of hay to snuggle with, especially when the weather gets cold like it has been lately, but it's just not the same.

Like I said, that's the thing I want most of all. Apparently you only deal in nibbles and toys though. So, since you can't bring me what I want most, I'll be happy with whatever nibbles and new toys you want to bring me. Just please, Santa Paws, don't forget your little degu Buddy.

Squeak soon,
Joshua

#Writing Wednesday - The Kero's World Post Round-Up - #KidLit #Pets

Not only were there some posts last week on my own blog about my "Kero's World" series to celebrate the fact they're now available as audiobooks, but several wonderful bloggers - many of them authors themselves - have taken the time to post stuff for me on their own blogs recently. When I sent the posts to each person, I tried to make them different enough that you can take a little something new away from each post. So, if you missed any of them, you might want to check them out. With that in mind, here's a round-up of the posts:

Posts from my blog:
#KidLit #Books - The Kero's World Series By @VictoriaZigler Now In #Audio! Plus A #Giveaway!
#KidLit #Pets - Kero The #Westie
#Writing Wednesday - A Kero's World Teaser - #KidLit #Pets

Posts from around the web:
Sunday Surprise: An Interview With Kero
Kero Audio Promo
Kero’s World by Victoria Zigler Now in Audiobook
Series Spotlight – The Kero’s World Series
Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Author Update – Victoria Zigler, V.L. McBeath and Sacha de Black
KERO, The West Highland White Terrier – Guest Post by, Victoria (Tori) Zigler
Victoria Zigler – Kero Audiobook Promo!
Guest author: Victoria Zigler – Kero’s World
Kero’s World – now in audio book

Thank you to those wonderful bloggers who gave me a spot on their blogs, as well as to those people who took the time to share any of the posts that appeared on either my own blog or someone else's blog.

The #Writing Ritual Tag (FD)

A couple of weeks ago, I saw this post on Rachel Poli's blog, and thought the writing ritual tag looked fun. So, I'm joining in. I'm not tagging anyone though, so just join in if you feel like it, and - as Rachel says in her post - leave me a link in the comments section if you do, that way I can check out your post... I'd really love to be able to read your answers if you play along.

Of course, with my lack of routine, my writing habits do change a bit from time to time, so this is just how things stand at the moment, or what the answer generally is. Anyway...

1. When do you write? (time of day, day of week)

I try to write every day, whether it be just a few words, or several pages. As for when... Well, that depends on what my sleep schedule is like at the time, what else is going on, and when the furkids - especially our little Westie pup, Lilie, who can be quite demanding - will allow me to do so. At the time I'm writing this post it seems to mostly be late morning or early afternoon, but that could change at any time.

2. How do you seclude yourself from the outside world?

I don't really. But since I don't socialize much, it's mostly just family - furry and otherwise - or the postman who could potentially disturb me most days anyhow. Actually, if I'm honest, it's mostly Lilie, who thinks regular puppy playtime breaks are essential, and doesn't understand my desire to have longer gaps between said breaks.

3. How do you review what you wrote the previous day?

I technically don't. I usually only read the last paragraph or two, just to be sure of where I left off, which isn't really reviewing what I wrote the day before. At least, I don't think it is. I don't review the whole thing until I'm doing the next draft, unless it's been a very long time since I worked on the project in question, which I'm assuming wouldn't be the case if I worked on it the previous day.

4. What song is your go-to when you’re feeling uninspired?

I can't say I have one. There are songs that speak to me, but I wouldn't say I listen to a spacific song when I'm feeling uninspired. Actually, I've not been listening to much music in general lately. When I do listen to music though, it's usually either country music, pop/rock (the lighter side of rock) or - if I'm in the right mood for it - a piece of classical music.

5. What do you always do (i.e. listen to music, read, watch youtube, etc.) when you find yourself struggling with writer’s block?

I'll either go work on another writing project, take a furkid play break, or go do something like read or watch TV and try again tomorrow. Either that, or I'll decide it's probably that I'm tired, in which case I'll take a nap.

6. What tools do you use when you’re writing?

Microsoft Word to do the actual writing, and JAWS to know what I'm writing (JAWS being my screen reader, without which my computer would just be a box with buttons and wires to me, since I wouldn't be able to tell what was on the screen).

7. What’s the one thing you can’t live without during a writing session?

I'm not sure there's anything. As long as I have a way to write, and a way to read what I just wrote if I want/need to, I'm good to go. I do like to have a drink to hand while I write, but I could write without one if I needed to, so I wouldn't say that counts.

8. How do you fuel yourself during your writing session?

As mentioned above, I usually have a drink on hand, be it tea, pop/soda, or juice - sometimes both a hot drink and a cold one. Snacks vary though. Sometimes I have them on hand, sometimes I don't, depending on if I fancy something. If I do have snacks, it would be either cookies/biscuits, crisps/potato chips, dried fruit, nuts, chocolate, or some combination of those things.

9. How do you know when you’re done writing?

With stories, I know when I'm done because the story feels like it's finished. I don't worry about word count or anything like that while writing. I just write, and stop when it feels done.

It's basically the same with poetry, except I get to that point where it feels done much quicker.

Celebrating My Birthday 2017 (FD)

I had a birthday.

Well, actually, I've had several birthdays, what with being in my 30s and all. But I'm talking about the fact I had one recently. Two weeks ago, to be exact.

We'd planned on celebrating by going out for lunch at Oscar's (the new Southern style place that opened on the seafront earlier in the year). Unfortunately, it seems they've closed for the season, so that wasn't an option, and it was too cold to go to one of the places where we can sit outside with Lilie (Lilie is actually allowed in Oscar's, so it being cold wouldn't have been an issue). So we ordered pizza instead. Then we went in to town the next day so I could have a McDonalds milkshake. I'm not a fan of the food at McDonalds. They don't have much in the way of options for vegetarians, my choice is limited even more by the fact most of their vegetarian options are far more spicy than I like, and I don't think what they do actually do that I'll eat tastes all that great. However, I absolutely love their milkshakes. So Kelly grabbed us a milkshake each, and we sat and drank them somewhere else while enjoying burgers - or, in Lilie's case, a hot dog - from a place in the middle of town that does a veggie burger they call a "crunchy veg" that I really enjoy. It was still pretty cold out, but the outside tables in that area were more sheltered, so it wasn't quite so bad. Plus, McDonalds milkshake...

Anyway, I had absolutely loads of birthday messages, phonecalls, etc... Thanks for those, by the way. I had a few cards too.

These two are from my Dad and my Nan (Dad's Mother):


The one from Nan is the one with the stitched writing on it, and the butterfly one is the one from Dad. My Dad did both the writing and the butterfly on his card with a cool new toy he has. It's a special pen that works something like a combination between a 3D printer and a normal pen, so it makes tactile writing or shapes out of a sort of plastic stuff. Really cool in general, and very useful for him for making cards for me and my brother, Carl (since both of us are blind).

With these next two, the one with the birds on it is from our friends, Lorna and Andy, and the other one is from my Grandma (Mam's Mother) and her Yorkshire Terrier, Jayde Bramblerose:


As for these last two, one is from my Mam, the other is from Rita and her kitty, Annie:


As for what I had for my birthday...

I mostly got books and DVDs, as well as some money I used to buy more books and DVDs. Because you can never have too many of either in my opinion. But I also got these soap flowers from my Mam:


And these soaps and bath salts that Nan made when she tried out soapmaking in a craft group she was involved in for a while:


Plus, I was meant to get this cutting board last Christmas. It's made from recycled wood, and has the word "Bara" on it. Bara, for those who don't know, is the Welsh word for bread. Anyway, it was made by a friend of Dad's girlfriend at the time, but left with Dad to give to me. Except it arrived too late for last Christmas, so he sent it to me for my birthday instead. So, here it is:


He also sent me this cute little seahorse, complete with a shell for it to go in, and a starfish and dolphin to keep it company. This was one of those "I saw it and thought of you" type presents, and he thought of me because it combines my love of horses with my love of the ocean. Plus, it's cool because I like having things to play with while thinking when writing, or while listening to things; my hands sometimes get bored if I'm listening to something and don't have something to fiddle with. Anyhow, here's the seahorse and the bits that came with it:


There was cake too, of corse. Kelly picked me up one of the lemon drizzle cakes our local bakery does, which I really love. That cake is becoming my traditional birthday cake. Not that I'm complaining. Haha!

So, that was my birthday. Perhaps not the most exciting of birthdays, but I enjoyed it, and that's all that matters, right?

Oh, and... No. I don't feel any older. But then, that's hardly surprising, since I feel physically older than my actual age most of the time - we won't go in to details about my mental age. *wink*

Thank you again to those who sent me anything. Whether it was a card, a present, a birthday message, or some combination of those things. I appreciate all gestures - great or small.

November 2017 #TV Talk And #Movie Mutterings

I've missed a couple of months, partially because I haven't watched much, and partially because I've had a lot I wanted to post about as it is. But now it's FINALLY time to take a look at what I've been watching over the past couple of months.

As with the previous posts like this one, just click on the titles to go to a page where you can find out more details about the movie or TV show in question; the title links will usually take you to a page on IMDB.

Don't forget: I watch things across multiple genres, as well as for different age ranges, so you should always check before viewing to make certain something is suitable for the intended audience, especially when children are involved. IMDB will usually provide this information for you, but you'll have to look elsewhere if you can't find it on the page I link to.

OK... On to the reviews!

Ghost In The Shell (2017 movie):
I only watched this one because Kelly - who happens to be a big fan - got the DVD. I wasn't as impressed with it as he was. I think it's a pretty good movie for its genre, but I suspected it wasn't going to appeal much to me from the start, and I was right. With that being the case, I'm disregarding my personal enjoyment level when deciding on the rating for this one, and basing my rating on Kelly's reaction to it, combined with what I know is expected from a movie in this genre. So, with that in mind, I'm giving this movie four out of five stars.

The Boss Baby (2017 movie):
I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to. This was a very entertaining movie, with some touching scenes, and a great ending. I give this movie five out of five stars.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012 movie):
Not the best Batman movie, but not the worst either. I enjoyed it, but didn't absolutely love it. I'm giving this movie four out of five stars.

The Smurfs (2011 movie):
I used to watch the Smurfs cartoon as a child, but I'm not sure I'd have watched this one if I hadn't been doing so with my Mam (who absolutely loved it, by the way). Still, I have to admit this movie was pretty entertaining, with a great message to share. I give it four out of five stars.

The Smurfs 2 (2013 movie):
Like with the first movie, I'm not sure I'd have watched this one if I hadn't been doing so with my Mam (who loved this one as much as she'd loved the first, by the way). Still, I have to admit I thought this was an entertaining movie with a great message to share. I give this movie four out of five stars.

The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016 movie):
This was an interesting one, with some sweet moments, some entertaining moments, and plenty of action. I enjoyed it, though I didn't love it. I give this movie four out of five stars.

Moana (2016 movie):
Loved this movie! It alternates between being touching and being entertaining, and is well worth watching in my opinion. It also carries a great message about being true to yourself. I give this movie five out of five stars.

Other than watching the above mentioned movies, I've also been continuing to attempt to catch up on watching episodes of NCIS. That's going slower than planned, since I'm not spending as much time watching them as I'd hoped/planned to be doing. There's progress though, and I'm enjoying watching them when I get a chance to do so, which is what really matters.

Oh, and my Mam brought a couple of boxes of DVDs to me when she came for the caravan holiday at the start of the month. Mostly they're Disney movies. A lot of them are ones I've seen but didn't have copies of (and wouldn't mind seeing again). But there were a few among them I've never seen. Regardless, I have a large stack of DVDs to watch now. Not that I'm complaining. Now I just need to find/make time to watch them all.

#Furkid Friday: Lilie Goes On A Caravan Holiday (FD)

Hi everyone! This is Lilie the Westie.


(The above photo was taken two days after I turned seven months old, which was almost a month ago).

I had a bit of an adventure earlier this month. I went on something the humans called a "caravan holiday" with the Mummy human, and the Nana human (who I sometimes hear talking out of the plastic ringing thing).

Caravan holidays, from what I can tell, mean a long car ride followed by a couple of days in a house on wheels that's smaller than the flat we live in, but without most of my toys and things. Although, the Nana human did bring me this new bed, which I got to use first while on the caravan holiday, and then got to bring home with me afterwards:


The bed belonged to a different dog before, and now it's mine. I don't know why it's mine now, but I had a good time sniffing at all the scents on it. I don't know any of them; whoever the bed belonged to before isn't a dog I know. I don't care though, because it's mine now, and I like sleeping on my new bed.

I got some new blankets for all my beds after we got home. I don't know why I didn't get them the same time as the bed, but they smelled different to the bed, and came in a box the postman brought instead of being brought by the Nana human. They don't smell like other dogs. I like them though. They're all purple and soft and fluffy. I'm sure you'll get to see them in a photo of me some time soon.

Anyway, back to my holiday...

I also got to get some practice in with steps, which I'm now really great at (I wasn't too good at going down steps before) and had lots of time on my long lead that means I don't have to stay beside the humans when they're being lazy and not wanting to do much actual walking while we're out for walkies. There was lots and lots of grass for me to play in:


I did have fun, but I was a bit upset about my routine being messed with. At least the Mummy human remembered to bring my special red ball for bed time, and the Nana human filled it with something the Mummy human didn't like the smell of, but which I thought tasted amazing. It was something called "liver patty" or something like that. I'm not sure who patty is, but she shared her liver with me, so she must be really nice. Mummy human and Nana human made sure I had other good things to eat too, so I guess that was OK. I was sort of glad when it was time to go home though, even though there were lots of interesting smells in that grass (actually, the house on wheels had lots of interesting smells in it too). Having a holiday in a caravan was fun, but I was starting to miss my other toys, and my Daddy human.

There were lots of those firework things while we were there. I wasn't bothered though. I don't mind those things. I've heard most dogs complain about them being loud and scary, but I don't understand why. It's not like they're drums or anything. I just sat and watched them with the humans until I got bored and took a nap. I don't know why there were so many fireworks... There aren't usually that much at a time. The humans kept talking about bones on fire though. At least, I think that's what they said, except I didn't see any bones, on fire or otherwise. Humans confuse me sometimes!

Something else that confused me was the weird thing that happened to the world right before we went home. The ground got all cold, white, and slippery. It smelled different too. The humans said it was called "frost" or something like that. I didn't really care what it was called though. I thought it was strange, but only checked it out a little bit. I mean, it confused me when the world was white and I slipped a bit when I went to run down the steps, and normally I might have been more interested, but at that moment I was much more interested in the news we were going home. There has been more of that frost stuff since then. It makes things smell different, and makes my paws a bit cold, but otherwise doesn't seem to do much. I've decided it's not anything to worry about. I'm still confused about what it's for, but there are too many more exciting things to check out during walkies to worry about it.

Anyway, back to what I was saying...

I was even more excited about going home when my Daddy human was there waiting for me. I love my Daddy human, and really missed him when we were at that caravan holiday place. He had to stay behind to look after the things in cages, which I was sad about. I wish he'd been able to come to the caravan holiday place with us. I might not have minded staying longer if Daddy had been with us, despite walkies only being on my long lead while the humans sat or stood by the steps.

Lots of licks,
Lilie

P.S. For those thinking I've grown a lot... You're right! I got weighed when I went to the vet place again last week, and I now weigh 8kilos (20lbs). That means I'm now more than four times the size I was when I came to live with these humans.