Live and Let Di

Six-Pack Abs

I guess everyone wants six-pack abs. I'm relieved that my son his this six-pack:

rather than this one:

Di

And now, introducing...

As a veteran blogger, 2nd 5,492,832nd only to...well, I can't really name them all...I feel it is my duty to give a boost to new bloggers who are trying to build their readership to the 78 or so readers I get each day. So, in combination with my recent fawningly positive review of Wishful Drinking, I would like to introduce:

Carrie Fisher

Carrie probably doesn't know it yet, but she is my soul sister. Yes, we are so much alike that it's scary. Except for the fact that when she and I were in our teens, I was hanging with my friends drinking warm beer from Matt's Beer Balls and she was starring in a revolutionary and now iconic movie. (We both made questionable hairstyle choices at the time.) Oh, and her mother is Debbie Reynolds. And she was smoking pot with Harrison Ford when I was...yup, back to the warm beer.

When I heard that she was going to start a blog, I hoped that it wouldn't be just another self-serving, ghost-written celebrity blog used to promote her latest book. What a pleasant surprise! It's not!

Here at Live and Let Di, you can read about the silly exploits of Marcy, Kim, Pilar, Tony, etc., at the Cantina. On Carrie's site you can read about the silly exploits at one of her recent parties...only her friends are people like Sean Penn, Ewan McGregor, Gus Van Sant and Bruce Cohen. And, like Kim, proprietress of the Cantina, her door is open to the random people who drop in unannounced, like Mick Jagger and Paris Hilton.

And Carrie doesn't think she's too cool to accept comments! Take that Dooce!

So, my loyal readers, let's give Carrie a big welcome to the blog world (don't you kind of hate the "word" blogosphere?) and click here now!

Di

E-bay International

I recently tried my hand at selling on E-bay. I've bought many things over the years. You would be surprised what you can find there for MUCH cheaper than retail. This is going to gross some people out, but I actually bought "slightly used" shoes on E-bay.

They are Chinese Laundry, a brand I really like and I ended up winning them for $.99 and paying $9.80 shipping. They appear to have been worn once or twice with nary a scuff on the bottom of the shoes. So, you truly can get anything on E-bay.

Since selling is a much different process than buying, my friend Tony has been serving as my E-bay consultant. He's a "Power Seller," a position I can't even aspire to. So, last week when I was selling a Nike+iPod Sport Kit (I really thought someone in  my family would use it!) and I got a question from a bidder asking if I would ship to Israel, I immediately turned to Tony. Here is the exchange that ensued:

***Please note that the following exchange takes no position on the issues in the Gaza strip and as is fairly obvious, makes no indication that either participant really has a clue of what is going on there.***

Tony:

I would discourage all international shipments period.  It turns into a huge mess.  Israel?  That just seems odd that there is a war going on there practically, and a guy wants a nike ipod thingy.  Guess he's tired of the bombs exploding around him all day and wants to stay in shape?  While jamming?  Got it.  Or wait...somehow this thing CAN MAKE A BOMB!!  Way to go Di, way to go.

Di:

OK...I sent him a message on e-bay that said:
 
My friend Tony said that you are going to make a bomb with this item and that you should probably be more worried about the war in your country instead of staying in shape...while jamming. Due to my pacifist mentality, I cannot, in good conscience, send this to you as I would feel responsible every time I read in the paper that someone got killed by a bomb in Israel. Unless it's a bad guy who gets killed. I'm not really sure who the bad guys are. Or is it like Dave Mason said, "There ain't no good guys, there ain't no bad guys, there's only you and me and we just disagree." Please respond as soon as possible to clear this matter up.

Tony:

That sounds good.  I'd let him know that earbuds have also been the cause of hearing damage, and he may want to look into the Bose Noise Canceling Headphones (you know, the ones that they advertise on planes). That way, while he is on his morning jog, he can listen to Peter, Paul, and Mary in peace while at the same time monitoring his heart rate, etc.  Seems logical.  Your response to him seems condescending though.  I would at least let him know that everyone's idea of a bad guy is different and in no way is it meant to discourage him from getting in shape. He could be an honest guy who likes jogging in Israel. But on another note, turbans and bose headphones may not work either, so he may be screwed unless he runs with like a docking station up to his ear.  I wish I had all the answers for you Di, but even I get stumped sometimes.

E-bay, provider of endless hours of entertainment!

Di

Indecisive

Are there really people who are so indecisive that they would actually click on the second option?

Di

American Wife

I called Amy (my best friend since college who reads even more than I and should have her own blog) a few weeks ago to tell her that somehow technology and my focus on writing have combined to thwart my reading habit. Reading was not a habit that I wanted to kick. I told her that I needed a book to give me a jump-start. I wanted a book that would pick me up, throw me onto the couch and force me to read, kind of like Fieldwork did last year.

Among some other books, Amy recommended American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld (who is female, by the way), so it was off to Quail Ridge Books where I bought it and three or four others which I snuck into the house while my husband was caught up on a conference call and put on my bookshelves like they had been there forever. (To those who are new to Live and Let Di, Quail Ridge Books is the best independent bookstore ever, located in Raleigh, and worth every mile that you drive past every big-box bookstore in the area. At Quail Ridge, you will find employees who are well-read and an owner, Nancy, who might just wander the stacks with you to help you find the perfect book. If you are not local, I strongly recommend subscribing to QRB's newsletter which comes weekly and combines reader recommendations with store events, making you want to read more and more and more.)

It's no secret that American Wife's main character, Alice Lindgren from small town Wisconsin, is slightly more than loosely based on Laura Bush. When I started reading the book, I wanted to know what parts were "true" and what parts were fictionalized. After just a few chapters, I didn't care. Alice grew up in a traditional midwestern small town, living with her parents and her paternal grandmother. She was a typical, bookish teenager whose life was ruled by the manners, respect and discipline that were expected at the time. Her life lies before her, mapped out with the expectations of a career in teaching, marriage and children. Her aspirations go no further.

A tragic turn of events turns her life upside-down when she inadvertently runs a stop sign while predictably, carefully driving the speed limit, and kills a boy on whom she had a crush who happened to be driving the opposite way in the intersection at that time. This is based on a true event in Laura Bush's life. In the wake of this life-changing event, Alice reacts in unexpected ways while still maintaining her focus on family and community expectations and her natural desire to make others feel comfortable.

Alice is the most non-confrontational, frustratingly compliant protagonist you will ever love. Her story is told in a narrative that unfolds based on her address at various points in her life. To some she embodies the caricature of the spinster librarian. But eventually, the meekish librarian (who is, incidentally, a Democrat) meets Charlie Blackwell, the privileged son of a wealthy, politically ambitious family. Charlie is a party guy. He'd rather play golf and tennis than show up at the family business to do his job. He's the life of the inevitable cocktail parties and family gatherings that pepper their lives.

They marry and their lives move them eventually to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Throughout their marriage, Alice is mostly accommodating to Charlie, his habits and underachieving. But she surreptitiously continues to indulge her compassion and liberal leanings through her actions and contributions.

Amy told me, before I read the book, that when she read it she WANTED Laura Bush to BE Alice. And who knows, maybe she is. Maybe the more Mamie than Hillary First Lady has a rebellious side that remained hidden in deference to the office her husband held. Maybe as she waved getting on that helicopter, she was joyously planning her life as a private citizen and mentally shaking off the shackles of her role. Time will tell.

If you want to read a book review of American Wife that puts mine to shame, click here. The New York Times has a habit of having famous writers do book reviews. This one is by Joyce Carol Oates, a favorite author of mine, and is terrific. This is not always a good thing as this review by Jay McInerney, proves. It's nothing more than a plot summary of The Garden of Last Days and McInerney's status as a published author does not make it worth the columns of newsprint it wasted.

Di
***If the New York Times links don't work, I apologize. I have an on-line subscription, so I'm not sure they will work if you don't have that.***

Don't Mess with the First Mom

Besides re-introducing chartreuse (while looking fabulous in it, I might add), what were we expecting of our new First Lady during her first week? While every First Lady seems to pick various causes to support, Michelle Obama's first action was to align herself with mothers everywhere by extending her Mama Bear claws to protect her children.

TY is the company which was known for introducing Beanie Babies. Beanie Babies turned into collectors' items which left generous aunts aghast as their nieces immediately ripped the tags off their Princess Diana Beanies. (Can you tell that this actually happened in my family, my daughter being the ungrateful wretch who was more interested in playing with her toy than eventually profiting from it?) Collectors, determined to profit from their perfectly preserved, originally tagged, cutely named beanbags, were eventually left with tons of inventory and no demand.

TY has now decided to introduce its newest Girlz, "Marvelous Malia" and "Sweet Sasha." But Maternal Michelle isn't going for it! (If I were to become First Lady, my cause would be to eradicate the use of  "Z" as a letter with which to make words plural in an effort to add a little "gangsta" panache to any word.)

Okay...maybe most of us don't have to worry about someone taking our children's names and likenesses and trying to profit from them. But we share a discomfort when someone we don't know is taking pictures at a kids' park. We cringe when we see 5-year olds made up like Vegas showgirls to compete in "Little Miss" pageants. Many bloggers use pseudonyms for their children for fear that using their real names might somehow allow them to be exploited. And many Moms avoid potentially limiting adjectives to describe their daughters, hoping that they don't miss the opportunity to be "marvelous" because they have been labeled "sweet."

Michelle, I'm sure that during your term(s) as First Lady you will make us proud by adopting issues and causes that are critical to our country and complementary to your husband's agenda. But I, for one, applaud your first action...to protect your family. Yes, you can! And yes, you will! And yes, we all can.

Di

In the job summary?

This was part of an advertisement for a technical writer for a US based, international company.

Here's the deal. This company really has three choices, as I see it.

1. Go with the politically correct "his/her."

2. Fly in the face of political correctness and go to the grammatically correct (well, at least 30 or 40 years ago) "his," giving your audience credit that they will understand that you are using it in the universal sense. Nah, nobody will go for that.

3. Wimp out and avoid the whole his/her thing by changing it to "well rounded professionals," but that wouldn't really work because there is only one position available.

BUT DON'T PUT A NOUN AND A VERB THAT DON'T AGREE IN NUMBER IN THE FIRST LINE OF A JOB SUMMARY FOR A TECHNICAL WRITER!

Di

What is wrong with this picture?

I know I'm being a bit of a grammar bitch lately, but come on. The largest words on the box and you couldn't run spell-check on them? This is for real...not something I found on the internet. This is at the Cantina as we speak. See the little fingers in the lower right hand corner? Those belong to my friend Marcy.

No they can't...have such utter disregard for the English language. No they can't!

Di

 

It's Melting....

I think there might be nothing sadder than melting snow...well, in North Carolina anyway. As we were catching snowflakes on our tongues in New York City, snow was falling in Raleigh. SIX INCHES. To my readers in Europe (there are surprisingly quite a few), that is like 15 centimeters. I'll pause while they snicker in Germany, Belgium, Wisconsin and British Columbia.

Naturally school was closed on Tuesday. Of course school was also closed on Wednesday. And today school is operating on a two-hour delay. We are not wimps here...well, maybe a little. It has to do with infrastructure and snow plows and stuff.

Here it was:

Hurley took this when it was really coming down.

Quoth Toby, "WTF is this stuff? There is no way I'm walking out there. I can hold it until it goes away."

"This is just wrong. I'm a Florida dog. Whose idea was this?"
Kind of charming, huh?

I just love the look of snow on Adirondack chairs. It's kind of the antithesis of the covers of all those summer beach reads.

Beautiful!

Di

Casey is feeling MUCH better

She looks 500% better than she did in the hospital when we got there on Sunday! She's out of the hospital and "recuperating" at her grandparents' home in Long Island: