OINK, OINK

I know I have been pretty lazy with my updates recently. I don't have a good excuse. I guess I've been busy but not Obama busy so there really is no excuse. Hmmmm a lot has happened since my last update. Nothing truly life changing or worthy of blogging about. The same random craziness that makes up my life.
I had a post not too long ago about my current book club pick, One Hundred Years of Solitude , . I have tried and not been able to get into this book. I have been told it is a classic and I'm missing out, but I am just not getting it. Apparently I'm not an enlightened reader. I've been reading everything but the book I'm supposed to be reading. Here's a little something funny. See if you can follow my stream of thought. I went to see The Proposal starring Sandra Bullock a couple of weeks ago and then a little more recently I went to see The Ugly Truth with Katherine Heigle. While I could take or leave The Proposal I really liked The Ugly Truth. I started wondering why I liked one so much but not the other. On the surface they are not that different. Both are romantic comedies or chick flicks, both starring actresses I like, neither one is going to win any awards. I have concluded that the main reason I liked the second movie better than the first is because of the raunch factor. I liked that they curse and talk about sex. I like that they have a scene where the main character has an orgasm in a crowded restaurant. You'll never have a scene like that in a Sandra Bullock movie. Now as I was analyzing this my eyes landed on a book I bought some time ago. The title is Female Chauvinist Pigs:Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture. It seemed almost too perfect. So I'm currently reading this book and trying to determine if I'm a female chauvinist pig. I'm a little ways into the book and I must say, right now it's looking like a yes. I'm not broken up about it. I drink more than I should, curse more than two people should, I love to hear a good dirty joke and I know the value of potty humor. I once walked into a friend's apartment and found a room full of men watching porn. I could have turned around and apologized for interrupting their "male bonding" but I was fascinated. I swear to you, no one I know would do the things the girl on screen was doing. I felt it was my civic duty to explain to them that women didn't really like that. Sometimes men act like they don't understand that the woman on screen is getting paid to pretend she likes that crap. Plus they had pizza and booze. So I sat down in a room of 5 men and calmly ate pizza, drank beer and Jameson and discussed porn. I'm not even a little sorry I did it. I learned a lot and it was a non-sexual experience. I told a friend this story and she was horrified for about 3 seconds then fascinated. On the flip side. I go to church most Sundays, I don't sleep around, I don't dress in revealing clothes. I have never been offended when a door is opened for me, but I don't mind opening my own door. I pay my own bills every month, own my car and feel I'm a pretty independent woman. I don't get nervous going to a crowded restaurant and eating alone or catching a movie alone. I know how to change a flat tire on my SUV but I prefer to pay for Roadside Assistance. I live alone by choice, but love when my male friends come to visit and dump my garbage for me. Strange, strange, strange. I'll keep you all updated on what my final decision is. I don't think I'm the only one either. Now the discussing porn with a room full of men might be unique to me, but the other stuff is not so odd. I know many women who lead similar lives.

Book Club Recap

Last night I met up with the ladies from my book club to discuss Kindred. Our meeting was good. Just the right amount of "critical thinking" and bull shit! We sit around drink wine and eat as we discuss each book. I took a bottle of Tizzy to the meeting and it was enjoyed by all. I really love my cheap wine! I really enjoy my book club because we have a good mix of women. I've been in other groups that were nice, but I definitely think this mix of women is one of the best.
I have been trying to figure out how I'm going to incorporate books into my blog. I've decided that I'll definitely start listing my current book club selections as well as my own reviews. I should try to find one of those "what I'm reading now" widgets also. This might take me a while because I'm not very tech savvy. Ever wonder why all my pictures are in the same spot with no real formatting? 'Cause that's the only way I know how to do it baby!
The next bookclub selection is One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I have been forewarned that this is a dense book to get through. I'm reserving judgement.

My Favorite Book

I'm doing something a little new today. I have always been a big reader. I have been in love with books and the written word since I was a child. Anyone who knows me well, is aware that books take up a lot of space in my apartment and my heart. I read everything! It is not unusual for me to be in a bad mood or even a good mood and be able to trace its origins to the most recent book I read. With that said, I realized that I don't mention books or my favorite authors at all on this blog. Funny that such a large part of my life is never mentioned on here. Well it is time to change that. I'm not sure if I'll add one of those "what I'm reading now" widgets or if I'll just do a regular post on books I like. I've decided to start by telling you all about my favorite book. This is the book I give to people I really like. This is the book I grabbed when evacuating for hurricane Katrina. I forgot the last picture I took with my deceased father here in New Orleans, but I took Kindred. I simply love this book. I've read and gifted this book too many times to count. In the event of fire I would grab, Kindred, Mr. Bunny and my laptop on my way out of the door. (See almost forgot the picture again. I would grab Kindred, Mr. Bunny, laptop, and picture of deceased father) I'm sure by now you understand how much I love it. Now let me tell you why.

The name of the book is Kindred by Octavia Butller. The novel is about a modern (1976) black woman named Dana. She is transported back in time to the slavery era South to save a little boy. This boy turns out to be her ancestor. She is summoned over and over again whenever he, Rufus, is in mortal danger. She must save him to ensure her own eventual existence. Each summoning has her stay longer and longer. Each time she returns her young charge is older and more a product of his time. The book really explores love, hate, race, obsession, cruelty, forgiveness and worst of all fear. The characters are really well developed and Butler is a master when it comes to world building. Reading this book will really give you an understanding of daily life on a plantation. The author doesn't make the slave master's overly cruel or villanous. Instead her point is made in small accepted every day cruelties that made up life in that time. It makes you wonder what choices you would make in a given situation. You see the young boy grow to become a man that still reminds you of the child that steals your heart and compassion at the beginning, while making you dread the man he has become. I don't know how to explain it. Every time I read this book I want to hate him so much, but I never do. I find myself feeling sad for him and the other characters. The author does a really good job of subtly demonstrating a kind of commonality between the so-called good characters and bad-characters.

I can't say enough about how much I love this book. I highly recommend you pick up a copy of this book.