(no subject)

Dear Oprah:

Why, oh why can't you pick a cheerful book for once? I mean, yes, Faulkner, good writer, stood the test of time, classic, blah blah blah, but you know what? There are plenty of good books out there that aren't about depressed people doing depressing things, and you are doing a disservice to literature as a whole when you keep spreading the belief that depressing=classic. There are a lot of impressionable people out there, Oprah, who believe everything you say, as evidenced by the fact that people are buying Faulkner books right now. Why not use this influence to market the books that are well written and thoughtful and actually have humor and a happy ending?

I have read a few books that you've pushed in the past, Oprah, and while I won't deny their literary qualifications I found many of them to be heavy-handed with the whole 'life kind of sucks' symbolism.

So stop it. It's annoying.

(no subject)

Dear Oprah:

Why, oh why can't you pick a cheerful book for once? I mean, yes, Faulkner, good writer, stood the test of time, classic, blah blah blah, but you know what? There are plenty of good books out there that aren't about depressed people doing depressing things, and you are doing a disservice to literature as a whole when you keep spreading the belief that depressing=classic. There are a lot of impressionable people out there, Oprah, who believe everything you say, as evidenced by the fact that people are buying Faulkner books right now. Why not use this influence to market the books that are well written and thoughtful and actually have humor and a happy ending?

I have read a few books that you've pushed in the past, Oprah, and while I won't deny their literary qualifications I found many of them to be heavy-handed with the whole 'life kind of sucks' symbolism.

So stop it. It's annoying.

So, here's the thing about me

I've always had a tendency to try to blend into whatever group I happen to be around. I think it stemmed from my trying desperately to be liked and popular in grade school and junior high. That, coupled with the fact I had zero self-confidence (what little confidence I had got blasted away by my psychotic 4th grade teacher) turned me into a sort of chameleon. I would basically take on the traits of whatever group I wanted to be a part of; thus, for example, when I hung around briefly with an older girl who was into drugs, I was all about the drug culture. And the Grateful Dead. Despite not really being interested in either.

Ultimately I do think this trait helped me be a decent actress, and, coupled with my innate nosiness curiousity, it helps my writing as well.
( the reason I'm bringing this up that might be filed under TMI )

I was on the elevator today, and had a polite conversation with the woman who I held the door for, and the conversation was about the weather. (gosh, can you believe how hot it is? etc) and, not for the first time, I thought about how people will have conversations about the weather as a way to make small talk.

And you know what? It's all good. It's a nice way to make contact with a stranger, and naturally you can't bring up something that isn't universal; as you don't know what that person's opinions are. I'm pretty sure saying something like 'So. George Bush. What a total dickhead, am I right?' might not go over with every single person.

Although it ought to.

So, here's the thing about me

I've always had a tendency to try to blend into whatever group I happen to be around. I think it stemmed from my trying desperately to be liked and popular in grade school and junior high. That, coupled with the fact I had zero self-confidence (what little confidence I had got blasted away by my psychotic 4th grade teacher) turned me into a sort of chameleon. I would basically take on the traits of whatever group I wanted to be a part of; thus, for example, when I hung around briefly with an older girl who was into drugs, I was all about the drug culture. And the Grateful Dead. Despite not really being interested in either.

Ultimately I do think this trait helped me be a decent actress, and, coupled with my innate nosiness curiousity, it helps my writing as well.
( the reason I'm bringing this up that might be filed under TMI )

I was on the elevator today, and had a polite conversation with the woman who I held the door for, and the conversation was about the weather. (gosh, can you believe how hot it is? etc) and, not for the first time, I thought about how people will have conversations about the weather as a way to make small talk.

And you know what? It's all good. It's a nice way to make contact with a stranger, and naturally you can't bring up something that isn't universal; as you don't know what that person's opinions are. I'm pretty sure saying something like 'So. George Bush. What a total dickhead, am I right?' might not go over with every single person.

Although it ought to.