- The Blankets. The dominant native animal on the planet. Blankets comes in all sizes. Some people have been killed by the larger ones. We find out in Rome's Evolution that while no particular blanket is intelligent, they are interconnected and together, they are very easy-going, even happy animals.
- Swishies. These are fish-analogs that swim in the ocean and have migrated and now thrive in the freshwater Lake Eprehem. They are a cross between eels and fish.
- Insects. Ain't got none. Bruce and I argued over this.
- Bison. For some reason, they are thriving on Deucado and are now the major source of meat for those that wish to partake. They love the threadgrass.
- Deucadons. Survivors of the Ark III that crash landed on Deucado 500 years before the story begins. I have to include them here because they are native to the planet.
I promise that in the next book, The Milk Run, I'll spend more time telling you about the ecology and wildlife on the planets and places Aason visits. I am actually looking forward to it.
Entry 1-265: September 16, 2013
A brief primer on the spine
In order for me to explain how back pain plays a large role in Rome's Revolution, it is necessary for you to know a little bit about the bio-mechanics of the spine. Nobody is reading this blog because they want to know about anatomy or physiology so I'll be brief.
The human spine is a marvelous but flawed invention by nature or a higher power to allow humans to walk upright. The shape and shock-absorbing characteristics have to be tuned just right. Here is a picture of a normal human spine.
It is not straight. It has an S-shape and flexes in all directions. Between each vertebra is a pad of tissue called a vertebral disk. Everybody has heard of a "slipped disk" but there is so much more than can go wrong. Nerves can be pinched because of stenosis. The disk can bulge or even rupture. Here is a picture of a disk.