On authors, books and other things

Yes, even these two have a book on the shelves

All of a sudden, everyone is an author. I've already mentioned Snooki, but add to that list every Housewife of whatever city, every 16-year-old pregnant kid and every celebrity (or wannabe) blogger. Easily published "books" are the byproduct of reality T.V. I'd post an excerpt of Paris Hilton's book, but the word totally is so totally over-used that I totally couldn't stand it. I assume that there are actually a few good writers in that bunch of spotlight cravers, or a few with some good ghostwriters anyway. I don't plan to sort through either books or excerpts to find them though. Oddly enough, books written by athletes are a different story. Guess what? Some athletes can write! My brother told me about Andre Agassi's autobiography, Open. Apparently, it's well written and very interesting. It's also on my "to read" list. Of course, Lorraine Moller's On the Wings of Mercury stands out as one of my favorite books written by a runner. I admit that I haven't read a ton of running books, but I put that in my great books in general recommendations. Yes, I have a list of books that I generally recommend anytime someone is in need of a good book. I don't include all of my favorites, because I assume most people have read some of the classics I would include. I've been struggling through a few so-so books, so I am bummed that I missed the Boulder Bookstore's 25% off everything sale.

In case anyone would like part of my latest list, here it is:

Cosmic Banditos (really cute and funny)

Where men win glory (I love anything by Krakauer)    

The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao 

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole (It's for young adults but sarcastic enough for adults)  

What is the What 

Ludmilla's Broken English  (weird, but the writing is great)

I also like Seabiscuit, all the Peter Mayle books about Provence, The Tao of Equus, the Bridge Across Forever and many others as well. 

Another common theme among reality stars is eating disorders, especially when it comes to the housewives crew. It seems everyone is in a competition to be the thinnest. Of course at least half of them are also struggling with other addictions. Just like with Kate Moss, Nicole Richie and Angelina Jolie, it's hard to tell which came first- the drug and/or alcohol addiction or the eating disorder. By the way, did you know that Gelsey kirkland was both anorexic AND addicted to coke? Her autobiography has been on my "to read" list forever. What is so incredibly tragic to me is that these reality shows seem to be promoting anorexia in a way, simply by presenting these people in a glamorous light. Sure, the reality is that they have problems, but the message is clear: being center stage is AWESOME! (And if you're thin, it's even better.)

Well, what isn't so well documented is how many celebrities and athletes have died (there are plenty who have come close) due to complications related to an eating disorder. Just a few include: karen Carpenter; Anna Caroline Reston, who still got jobs as a model despite looking like a cadaver; Margaux Hemmingway; Isabelle caro, whose heroic attempt to bring anorexia to the public eye may have influenced at least a few fashion designers to think twice about hiring models who are clearly struggling with anorexia; Leila Pahlavi, the daughter of the Shah of Iran; and Christie Henrich, whose tragic death led to a new, healthier trend in gymnastics. What's upsetting to me is how taboo the topic of eating disorders still is. Nicole Richie had no problem admitting that she has a little drug habit, but no way would she spill the beans about an eating disorder! For years, Calista Flockhart denied ever having an eating disorder, even though everyone and their personal assistants knew it. Now all of sudden, she comes clean, making sure everyone knows it was in the past, just a little trip through the land of anorexia, nothing major. One that I didn't know about until recently is Elton John, who struggled with bulimia as well as substance abuse.

Before this gets any more depressing, let me switch gears. The great thing about blog posts, is that they don't have to be well thought out, well written or even make a ton of sense. I just finished a short story, so I'm not in the mood to be disciplined with my writing. I'm going to go ahead and veer left REAL FAST right now.

hang on...new topic ahead

I took a bath today! I'm still in the cast, which, sadly, has a leak. Not knowing how to handle the situation, I put my old foot brace on under the deflated cast. Taking a bath using only one foot takes some Madd Skillz. Actually, it's more getting OUT of the tub that takes some effort. Wow though; it felt really good to soak in warm water. Ahhh.

To end this post, I'd like to state all my grand plans and goals for the new year. Sadly, I can't really do it. Instead, my goal is to take one day at a time. That's the best I can do. Of course I have all kinds of dreams and fantasies about running well or even pain-free, and getting published. However, I can't get ahead of myself here. The one resolution I did state and will stick to with at least some kind of dedication is that I will NOT give up chocolate again for any great length of time. Holy cocoa bean! Can I tell you all how fucking amazing that first bite of chocolate was after 3 long MONTHS of going without? Why did I insist on taking that dare??