Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster: A Review

I finished the above book last night buried in the bed with the dogs and cats. For a while, I was reading lots and lots of memoirs and I read her first one - Bitter is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, or, Why You Should Never Carry a Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office which I thought was hilarious and enjoyed immensely. The first book had Jen getting fired and tumbling from her yuppie life in Chicago into practical adulthood.

I grabbed Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest to Discover if Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big, Or Why Pie is Not the Answer from Barnes & Nobles along with another memoir (The Sharper the Knife, the Less You Cry) right before Christmas while I was "Christmas shopping" (hey, I always get something for myself - and I have a Barnes & Noble discount card). Jen has always been okay with her weight and size, but when she goes to the doctor's office after a health scare, she realizes, "what good [is it to] finally being able to afford a pedicure if I lose a foot to adult onset diabetes?"

There was one part in the book that I laughed out loud, and could not stop laughing for about 5 minutes. I disrupted the two sleeping boxers next to me (Maggie under the covers, Trouble squashed next to my hip). Trouble managed to look annoyed and disinterested at the same time. I, however, had to go back and read the same chapter again which led to more minutes of laughing in bed.

If you like reading memoirs, a woman who has no apologizes for who she is, and a book about the reality of attempting to lose weight for health reasons (not to have society drool over her size 2 dress), then this book is for you.

News from the Weekend

Let's see, some friends from work took me out to lunch to Paradiso Restaurante in Springfield, VA which was yummy. Thanks friends!

On Saturday I did a dog run from Fredericksburg, VA to Laurel, MD with 5 adorable chow puppies, 4 black lab-mix puppies, 4 medium size puppies, and 1 smaller female dog names Meris. I didn't get a chance to take pictures of the puppies, but I did get some photos with the camera phone of Meris and Jack (a tri chi/jack russell terrier/feist male) who sat on the seat next to me. Actually, one of the bigger brindle puppies sat on my lap. He kept sneaking out from the back of the 4Runner.

Meris is looking into the camera.


Meris is looking into the camera again.

Jack sleeping peacefully.

Jack (right) and Meris (left) while I'm driving to Laurel, MD.

Ending the dog run in Laurel worked out well since I met up with my friend Stephen to see The Spirit. Now, the movie was released on Christmas, and within 2 weeks, the movie was relegated to late night showings at most of the theaters in my area. Not a good sign. A woman at work said that visually The Spirit was good, but the dialog and plot were stupid. With some trepidation, I plunked money down and saw it in the theater.

The best way to enjoy The Spirit is to watch it as a campy, not serious movie. Which I enjoyed immensely. I do have a few beefs. Gabriel Macht apparantly learned from the Christian Bale School of Superhero Dialog and graveled his way through the movie. I also never saw Gabriel Macht without his mask, and after seeing him play Johnny in Because I Said So (Gabriel Macht's character was the only good thing in the movie), I think we should have seen him more with out the mask. Sure, it would have detracted from the movie, but that's just a small wish on my part.

Sunday I had a phone conference for 3 hours, met up with some folks interested in getting a Young People's bid for something started (they decided in NECYPAA) and talked with the sponsor for a few hours.

All in all, a busy weekend, and now I'm back at work. Yuck.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay: A Review

Finished the first of three books the Showtime series is based off of last night, and in one word: Excellent. The ending in the book has some serious differences than the ending of Season 1, but I can appreciate both forms of media separately. The wry humor, the self-awareness, and the dread Dexter faces when confronting old memories are mixed with a suspenseful plot. Loved it.

After reading the book and watching Seasons 1-3 on Showtime, I have a better appreciation for Michael C. Hall as Dexter. He does a great job nailing the contradictions of Dexter and still keeps me wanting to watch to see what happens next.

I've already delved into the second book, Dearly Devoted Dexter and have the third one, Dexter in the Dark on my waitlist at the library.