Non fiction life (post #100!)

This marks my 100th post so it feels like some sort of momentous occasion. Hurrah! I will share that lately I have been feeling inspired by words and motivated to write more myself. Recently I've been interested in some non fiction books which was always a section in the library I avoided, um... boring! Maybe it's because of my year away from the Americas or the momentum of hope that the presidential election got going, or our present economical turmoil, but I really want to hear about what people are thinking and what direction we're hoping to go into. I've also been working part-time and it's been giving me more time to think and develop some ideas that have been cooking in the ol' noggin.

One book I just finished and borrowed from the library (use the public library people, it's great! They even have DVDs and video games!) is called Snark and is written by David Denby, a film critic for The New Yorker. I found out about the book from either Charlie Rose or Tavis Smiley, both great resources for non fiction books. I love that they interview authors and journalists, people who want to start discussions about all the wrong and good things happening in the world. Anyhow, this book is about the decline of journalism and how the internet is a wonderful tool that is unfortunately being abused. He talks about how journalists used to be very careful to fact-check and write in a neutral tone and that the tone in journalism today is nasty and false because that's what sells. Blogs and comments on web sites are mean and crude and it seems the way we communicate is actually declining. (It's probably ironic that I'm writing about this book on a blog, but I do try to avoid "snarkiness" when I write.) The book also brings up the quality of political comedy which I do agree has been a good alternative to all those "snarky" political "news" shows on cable. It's not a perfect book, but it's a good read and a good discussion about where we are heading with all this negative behavior.

Today also marks the loss of John Hope Franklin, an author and historian who lived through segregation and the Civil Rights Movement and became a Harvard scholar and later a Professor of history. He also worked with President Clinton to begin a national dialog about race and was rewarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. I must admit I didn't know of him until today, but I'm glad I do now because his life sounds fascinating and I plan to read his last book, Mirror to America, where he challenges us to all look at ourselves honestly to see all the negative, selfish things within ourselves and hopes we have the desire to want to improve ourselves. It also makes me miss my grandparents and wish I had more time to speak to them about their struggles and accomplishments. I think their generation also tended to keep the past silent out of respect. They never talked about the war or the prejudice they must've experienced when they came to the states. They did however take lots of photographs (my grandfather was a photographer) so I plan to go through those and rattle my parents' memories for stories. If you're lucky enough to have grandparents, get them to spill the beans before it's too late!

Being a total dork

Something very exciting happened to me this week. I've been told it is blog-worthy though it is also very embarrassing to speak about. Actually it is equally exciting and embarrassing to talk about. Anyway, here goes. At the hat shop on Tuesday, a certain renowned actor I very much admire and respect casually walked in. No, it's not Keanu, but I swear I'm getting closer and closer to meeting him (this actor was in a movie with him and I rubbed elbows with Martha Plimpton at a show once... it's going to happen).

So at first I wasn't sure if it was really him, but he definitely has a distinct face so I knew it had to be him. He browsed the shop and I nervously made some comments about our hats and then when he was close to leaving I thought to myself, you know I never talk to famous people because I feel bad about bothering them when they're just trying to live life and be normal but there's no one else in the shop and he's made eye contact with me twice so he doesn't seem to mind that I'm ogling him and he must know by now that I know who he is so damnit I'm going to say something this time not like the time I literally bumped into Steve Martin on an elevator and just stood there with my mouth open until he said excuse me and I moved and said sorry.

And after all that thinking, this is what I came up with saying, "I'm sorry to be annoying, but are you John M___?" (I'm intentionally leaving out his last name in case he or someone he knows googles this and I'm out of a job but let's just say he was in a movie called "Being John M___"). He answers in a very quiet voice, "Yes". Then I proceed to say, in my proudest moment, "You're really cool." WTF?? Man did my face turn red. Of all the things I could've said, this is what I say. Then I stepped out of his way and said (much to my own surprise outloud), "Oh no, now you'll never come back to this shop. I'm so sorry!" But he was very nice and waved his hand and said something like (he was very very soft spoken), "No, no, it's ok. I really like this shop. I'm rarely in town and when I am, I like to stop by." At least that's what I heard. In any case, I left him alone and he looked around a bit more and then waved and said goodbye to me.

I was still mortified, but I take it as a good sign that he didn't blast out of the store the second I harassed him and we actually had a sort of conversation. Now I've decided never to bother a celebrity again because I obviously have nothing good to say anyway! Though I do think there are certain circumstances when it is okay and not okay to bother someone famous. I think the elevator thing with Mr. Martin would've been really awkward, him stuck in the elevator with a crazy fan, not good. I think the John M thing was okay because we were alone in the shop, I wouldn't have done it if there were other people in the shop causing a scene. Also, when I was in high school, I went to a taping with some friends of the TV version of "A League of Their Own". The show didn't last, but that day Tom Hanks was the director and there was a monkey on set which was unintentionally funny. So after the show was over, my friends and I were all freaking out that Tom Hanks was standing right there so out of nowhere I shout out, "Hi Tom!". He turned, smiled and waved... at me! Or not, who knows, but I think that situation was also appropriate. Those are my two shining celeb harassing moments. Let's hope I can keep my pride intact in any future encounters.

Classic alternative

Yeah... I couldn't resist going up to see "U2 Way" up on 53rd and Broadway. I still enjoy the U2 and I believe the excitement around them is called for. There's something about them, they're able to create this positive energy wherever they are. It's infectious. Electrifying even. I want to be cynical about it, but I can't help but get pulled into it. I was lucky to experience it firsthand when I saw them at Madison Square Garden just a couple months after 9/11. It was the most uplifting, energetic show I've ever been to. I'd always wanted to see them having seen videos of their live shows growing up and was hoping it wouldn't disappoint. It was more than I ever anticipated. I totally cried when Bono came out! Really wasn't expecting to be that moved.


Anyway, back to the present... I had the day off yesterday and was just running errands and walking around so I made it up to U2 Way and took a nerdy pic of it (incidentally it's only temporary). I did not however stick around with all the kids anxiously waiting outside with guitars and other paraphernalia hoping they'd come out and sign after the Letterman taping. See, I'm not that bad. I did talk to a couple of high school lads who informed me of the exact, approximate time U2 was supposed to come out and that they did sign autographs on Monday after the taping except for Larry who apparently doesn't sign anymore after getting elbowed in the face by fans in the past. Thanks for the info boys. I haven't heard the whole album yet, but so far I'm feeling lukewarm. Their performance on Good Morning America was pretty amazing though.

Speaking of music from my youth, at the hat shop we've been listening to the "classic alternative" station on Sirius radio. I'm still offended that 80s/90s rock is now considered "classic" but I'm digging the station. Plus, Richard Blade DJs on it! I totally was devoted to him growing up on KROQ. It was so good to hear his voice again. Radio lives! I also hear that the new Morrissey album is pretty damn good. The Onion gave it 4 stars. I'll have to look into that.

Man, if anything good can come out of this global recession, I sure hope it's an all-out renaissance.