Some books

I've read a bunch of books lately.  Going back a few, I read Unbearable Lightness by the actress Portia de Rossi.  I've read several memoirs about eating disorders before, but this one really stood out. I hadn't expected it to; since it was written by a celebrity, it didn't have to do much to get a lot of sales. But Portia de Rossi does a great job of telling her story!

It's written in-the-moment, rather than reflectively, looking back.  Instead of saying to the reader "this is what I used to do and think, isn't it nuts/sad/shocking/etc.?" she is saying "I can't believe I just ate all these calories, I'm only supposed to eat so many [300, at one point] a day, I feel so out of control, etc." and allows the reader to feel horrified without being told to feel that way.

A lot of her pain came from her semi-closeted existence, trying to keep her employers, the paparazzi, and the public from finding out she was gay.  Working on Ally McBeal was also not a very healthy environment, it sounds like.  Any situation where you're being scrutinized for every pound you gain is not going to be conducive to stability and happiness.

I was glad that she was pretty recovered by the time she was working on Arrested Development, one of my favorite TV shows ever. (Have you seen it? Yes? No? Go watch it now!)  I was also glad I knew in advance that she's happy and healthy and married to Ellen DeGeneres.

I also read Woman Howling Creek, a collection of short stories by Sandra Cisneros.  Some were good, some were less captivating.  Ultimately, I like novels better. It was still worth reading, though.  Even if I didn't always understand her characters and their motivations, their worlds seemed very vivid.

I've read a couple more, but I'll talk about them another time.

Nail Art

I learned a new technique from Bust Magazine's website.  You can get newsprint to show up on your nails!  Here's a pic of how it worked out for me:

Here's the quick version of what to do: paint your nails, let them dry, dip them in alcohol, hold newsprint on them, peel it off slowly, apply a top coat.  It was pretty easy! My friend Connie did graphics as well as words, and those turned out cool, too!

My Borders Score

I thought I'd show off the stack of books I picked up at the local Borders before they closed (sob!).  

I'm in the middle of Woman Hollering Creek now.  It's a short story collection by Sandra Cisneros, the author of The House On Mango Street and Caramelo, two books I love.  This seems bad to admit, since I write short stories and want lit mags to publish them, but I prefer novels to short story collections.  If I find a story I like, I want it to go on longer! I want to know more!