reading rainbow

poshdeluxe book club meeting #4 (?): steve martin

attention everyone! i’m starting the meeting!!

WALK AWAY FROM THE REFRESHMENT TABLE!

ok, now that we’re all here, i’d like to tell you about not one but TWO amazing books by steve martin. special props to trish for letting me borrow both of them. trish, if this meeting was happening in real life, i would give you a sticker. instead, you can have it virtually:

unfortunately, you can’t really scratch it on yr computer screen. sorry.

anyway!

both of these books are amazing and i will tell you right now, up front, that i give them BOTH four out of four pants:

that is a lot of pants you guys!! but they are well-deserved.

the first book is steve’s autobigraphical account of his years in stand-up comedy:

i’ve always been a fan of steve martin, but after reading about his *incredible* dedication and years (and years) of hard work, i’m totally a superfan. i mean, the guy’s a genius, so you would think his fame came to him easily, but it really REALLY didn’t. i esp. loved reading about his teenage employment at disneyland, esp. when he worked in the magic shop!

but this book is more than just a collection of stories about his career. it’s also full of advice and hard-won wisdom, and i recommend it as a valuable resource for anyone looking to go into show business (or, really, anyone trying to pursue their dreams). steve martin’s clean, concise prose delivers a subtle punch of emotion behind each story and piece of advice.

here are a few of my favorite lines:

Despite a lack of natural ability, I did have the one element necessary to all early creativity: naivete, that fabulous quality that keeps you from knowing just how unsuited you are for what you are about to do.

*

Through the years, I have learned there is no harm in charging oneself up with delusions between moments of valid inspiration.

*

I felt as though every part of me was working. Some nights it seemed that it wasn’t the line that got the laugh, but the tip of my finger.

* * *

seriously, it’s a fascinating exploration of one man’s incredible talent, expressed through one of his many *other* talents. how often does that happen?

now on to the second book!

oh man, i loved this book. it’s a fictional account of a man, daniel, who tries to live a somewhat normal life in spite of his many, many idiosyncracies (caused most likely by autism, or maybe OCD– it’s never clear). the book chronicles the few relationships he develops over the course of a year… friendships with neighbors, unrequieted crushes, a penpalship with his grandmother.

the writing style reminded me of another book about a person with autism, “the curious incident of the dog in the night-time,” but the story is uniquely moving… sweet but never sugary.

it’s really a gem of a book, like a little curio that i want to put up on a shelf to admire and dote upon.

here are a few of my favorite passages:

(this one is about clarissa, his therapist)

She asks me how I am, and she always remembers something from last time that she can follow up on this time. If I told her that I planned to call my mother with the new phone card, she remembers to ask how the call went. Problematic for me, because when I say I’m going to call my mother I am lying, as my mother has been dead– is it six years now? Problematic for her, because Clarissa knows my mother is dead and feels she has to humor me. I know I’m lying and not fooling her, and she thinks I’m crazy and fooling myself. I like this little fib because it connects us at a much deeper level than hello.

*

My fear represented the failure of the human system. It is a sad truth of our creation: Something is amiss in our design, there are loose ends of our psychology that are simply not wrapped up. My fears were the dirty secrets of evolution. They were not provided for, and I was forced to construct elaborate temples to house them.

*

Over the next few hours, I experienced emotions for which there were no names. I felt like a different kind of pioneer, a discoverer of new feelings, of new blends of old sentiments, and I was unable to identify them as they passed through me. I decided to name them like teas, Blue Malva, Orange Pekoe Delight, Gardenia Ochre Assam. Then I worked on new facial expressions to go with my newly named emotions. Forehead raised, upper lip puffed, chin jutted. Eyes crossed, mouth agape, lower teeth showing.

* * *

like i always say: read it. i KNOW you’ll love it!

now, who’s next? oh, you don’t need to raise yr hand. just spill it!

LINKS

you guys!!!! I HAVE TOTALLY MADE IT. seriously. this is even bigger than my internet security modeling gig. lil ole poshdeluxe was featured on cupcakes take the cake, THE cupcake blog of the internet. I’M SO EXCITED!! this is MAJOR.

bookmark this video for the next time you’re having a bad day… i guarantee you will end up crying while feeling completely overwhelmed by pure, unadulterated love. seriously. special thanks to j. for making me cry at work.

meet my new favorite little girl. elmo doesn’t stand a chance against some national air time, esp. when such a talented tongue is involved.

mail puzzles! super fun! although i can’t believe these got delivered while i’m still waiting on my amazon package…

have you guys seen the trailer for “sunshine cleaning“? this is the latest movie to feature the sarah subtitle, “OMG I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE THIS!”

this high speed photography will blow yr mind like a bullet through some yoplait.

micael posted this super cool video that looks like miniatures in stop-motion but is actually real. can someone make a video like this for a hostess factory? cos that would be amazing.

another update from winston, my favorite kitty.