I've read a lot of books that I've enjoyed, but I've never felt so compelled to share with the (female) world what an enjoyable experience I had while reading this book. Every night while I would read it before going to bed, Dylan would remark that he couldn't wait for my next laugh out loud moment. Few things make me LOL, but Mindy is hilarious on a variety of levels. A true creative genius. And I don't just love her because she is a minority female killing it in Hollywood (which is almost reason enough to love her), but she is real, she has good stories to share and she's LOL hilarious.
A couple of excerpts and/or descriptions to guide your judgment on whether or not this book might also be a good fit for you.
- "Luckily, I was not born a white man.*"
*This has never been said before in the history of humanity.
- An entire chapter of email correspondence between the Mindy that Mindy imagines she would have become if she stayed in New York and that Mindy's colleagues. Specifically, this Mindy is a Latin teacher at a private school in Manhattan, and she sends mildly inappropriate emails on her work account, and it is just the best.
- A detailed description of how chasing a crush who was a member of President Obama's staff played out over several months. Also, she met the Obamas. She went to the State Dinner and a handful of other White House events.
- A Day in the Life chapter, with an hour by hour recap on her incredibly grueling schedule as both a comedy writer and the star of the show. She takes cat naps in the writer's room and eats McDonald's. She's so unashamed about her love for McDonald's, and I love her for that. For the record, I've sworn off McDonald's, and I understand that it is gross and really bad for you...but deep in my heart I still love it and find an excuse to eat it a couple times a year. I love her for loving it shamelessly.
- A whole chapter on the body image thing and the praise that she receives for being a regular-sized person, which she thinks is kind of weird. She's fine with how she looks, but she's not completely at peace with it because she is, in fact, a product of modern society. (And I totally get that. I'm a full-blown feminist-love-your-body-type-person, but I think that being as skinny as a movie star would be awesome...and that is wrong on multiple levels.) Anyway, her point is that though she'd like to be skinny, she says, "I cannot imagine a life more boring and a more time-consuming obsession than being preoccupied with watching what I eat." I hear you, sister. Live your life. Rock on.
- This diagram of what's on her mind.
- Her Harvard Law School Class Day Speech in its entirety.
- On being asked about how girls, especially young girls, can be confident like she says: "The truth is, I have never, ever, ever met a highly confident and successful person who is not what a movie would call a 'workaholic.' We can't have it both ways, and children should know that. Because confidence is like respect; you have to earn it." Ugh, I've spent so much time lately trying to be mindful, making a point to enjoy quiet moments, and trying not to let life pass me by while I'm caught up working (at a job, or otherwise). And now, Mindy says I have to work harder. Great. Seriously, though, I get what she's saying. If I ever stumble upon a job or just a hobby that I'm passionate about, I will work very hard to feel good about it and good about myself. I don't have much leftover energy by the end of the day to feel passionate about anything right now, though. Except maybe blogging. Sometimes.
Okay, I guess that about wraps up the book review. This was her second book, actually. I saw it on a reading list. I can't decide if I want to try out some fiction before I read her other book. Usually I alternate between the two. Anyway, it's just a book suggestion...take it or leave it!
And as far as a family update, Gavin's last sick day was Sunday, and he's been mostly back to normal ever since. Graham still demands to be held a lot, but he's got more personality in his tiny body than I ever knew was possible.
Our organizer was here all day on both Monday and Wednesday. The bathroom and closets look amazing, and she did have time to clean out one kitchen cabinet, too. The truth? It was grueling and kind of awful, and I didn't even have to be here for a lot of it. It forced me to get rid of SO MUCH STUFF. Like, two minivans full of stuff went to the dump or was donated. In the end, it was worthwhile, and she definitely knew a lot of organizing tips and tricks. I know that living in a clean, uncluttered space is supposed to work wonders on the soul and peace of mind. So far, I find that to be true. But we have so much house, and so much more stuff, and the thought of doing more organizing is painful. Also, our goal was to minimize and declutter in preparation for moving in the next year or so and also to make the house look nice so we could put it on the market. So...having our toiletries neatly organized under the bathroom sink isn't actually ALL that important right now. We just have to really commit to decluttering the rest on our own. And whatever doesn't look good, I will just shove in a cabinet because right now, I don't care about drawer dividers and things being neatly folded and arranged by category. When I'm somewhere more permanent, I'll care more, but right now I'm just focused on getting out of here. I can't imagine you're even still following me right now.
So, I'll begin the wrap-up process by posting a few photos.
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| Three days later, he found the golden egg! |
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| Gavin's own extended straw invention. |
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| Craft time. i.e. making a gigantic, annoying mess while I worked on the kitchen with Rachel, the organizer. |
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| This can't be a safe play thing, but a cute pic nonetheless. |
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| My mom's birthday dinner at our house tonight. |
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| After Graham finished his dinner in the high chair, he just put himself right in the mix with the cousins. Guy just wants to be part of the action. |
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| Cousins and besties. |
One day left till the four-day weekend. It's amazing what a dramatic decline my enthusiasm for work has taken lately. I don't even know what is behind that. Seriously, anyone can do anything for just two days a week, right? But honestly, I'd prefer to be digging a ditch for eight hours than talking to 125 different people on the phone. #dontcallme
Kind Regards,
Trying to Buck Up
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