Uncle Duke and Gonzo

I swear, this will be my last post on Hunter S. Thompson for a very long time. I thought I might string them together as I am becoming obsessed and want to record/share this information that I have just encountered since reading Gonzo.

Two big comments in this post: the origination of "Gonzo" and Uncle Duke in the Doonsebury cartoon.

First, those familiar with Hunter S. Thompson know that he created a new style of writing, Gonzo journalism, and that he wore and sold Gonzo merchandise. In his first big hit as a book, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, his sidekick character, Dr. Gonzo, a character based on his attorney who accompanied him on the trip, shows the word in his name.



But where did Gonzo originate?

In the book Gonzo, a detailed explanation is given. Basically, there are three different explanations. First, Hunter stumbled across the word from the R&B song "Gonzo" by James Booker. Hunter played it over and over, becoming obsessed with it. It's purely an instrumental song. Gonzo, the song title was "Cajun slang that had floated around the French Quarter jazz scene for decades and meant, roughly, 'to play unhinged.'" To play unhinged, definitely Hunter's writing style.

Since Hunter played the song over and over, he received a nickname as 'the Gonzo man.' Hunter's friend who deemed him the title, Bill Cardoso, said that his Kentucky Derby piece was pure Gonzo journalism. He then stated, "the term was also used in Boston bars to mean 'the last man standing.'" How would that apply to Hunter? The last man standing?



Next, I wanted to briefly talk about how Hunter was inserted as a character into the Doonsebury cartoon as Uncle Duke. Again, from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Duke comes up because of Hunter's character, Raoul Duke. But Hunter was so big that he was characterized. At first he was angry stating that if he ever met the cartoonist in person, he would light him on fire. In later years, he seemed to like the character and cartoon however.

Wikipedia describes Uncle Duke as such: "He was portrayed as a happy-go-lucky, congenial stoner and alcoholic journalist who struggled to meet his deadlines. Once he became solidified as a main character rather than a recurring character, his personality gradually morphed to make him into a sociopathic con artist whose drug abuse and drinking took on a darker, albeit gallows humor, tone." Even further into Hunter: "When first introduced, Duke was working as a writer under Jann Wenner for Rolling Stone magazine, much to Wenner's chagrin and aggravation over Duke's inability to meet deadlines and/or maintain coherence within the confines of his articles, which were often written with the aid of controlled substances." That defines Hunter to a T when he was working with Rolling Stone.



I will insert some comic strips here. Check them out. It's interesting to look at them as Hunter. The one above is so interesting because it's a tribute to Hunter's passing. Very cool.



That must have been crazy to be so famous that a cartoon creates you as a character. Even more, Hunter had such a distinct personality that it was fun and easy to insert him as a character in a cartoon. One can't really say that about too many people, even famous people or artists. Hunter had the costume, the personality, the drugs, the writing style and behaviors--it's just perfect to impersonate. It's also what makes him iconic and hard to forget.

Last note: Hunter always used the phrase "fear and loathing" throughout all of his articles and books he wrote. He did not come up with the phrase on his own, however. He stole it from a section of prose from a Tom Wolfe novel. Interesting tid bit of information.



Anyway, what do you think about Gonzo, Uncle Duke, or Fear and Loathing?

Hunter's Words

I finished Gonzo over my spring break, and let me tell you: what a read. It was a long book, since Hunter S. Thompson knew and influenced so many people that so many people had to comment on his life, but it goes by pretty quick. It's very interesting to see all the different perspectives that people interpreted of his life and personality. All very similar, all very interesting.

The facts that interested me were just that he totally controlled his life. Even when he died, he needed to control that too. He started to phsyically wear down, and he had been this dominant physical presence his whole life. So when he was becoming an old man who needed help functioning, he knew that was it, so he ended it himself with a gun in front of his typewriter.



After they discovered his dead body (after he pulled the trigger when his son and family were in the house to visit), they found this note in his notebook from four days prior to his suicide:

"Football season is over

No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun--for anybody. You are getting Greedy. Act your old age. Relax--this won't hurt."

Crazy huh? He knew he was going to do it. He was just planning the right time without letting on when it would be. That must be crazy--deciding when you will die. Too much power, too much control in my opinion. Too scary.

They didn't mention launching off his ashes in the giant Gonzo tower constructed by Johnny Depp though. I didn't realize how strong their relationship was. Before they made Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Johnny lived in Hunter's basement, interviewed him constantly, and just hung out with him talking, watching sports, shooting guns, etc. Friends commented that he got Hunter so down to a T that it became pretty frightening. It would be since Hunter was so insane. Insane is brilliant though, brilliant, insane.



Now Depp will star as him again in The Rum Diaries, the next book on my to-read list. Apparently this was in the works before Hunter died, but his death kind of got in the way. Excited for that to come out.

The last bit I wanted to comment on was a question that Hunter posted in his kitchen that he reflected on every day:

What is the desired effect?

I think it's so interesting. You can apply it to whatever you're doing, especially when it comes to creating, like he did so constantly. I am going to ponder on that one, sit on it, if you will, and see if it brings me anywhere new or special.

Below, I am going to paste a tribute to my good friend Paul who dressed up as Hunter for Halloween about two-three years ago. Awesome costume. He had the personality to fit it too. And to my surprise, a lot of people knew who he was. Quite impressive.





Does anyone remember when they heard Hunter S. Thompson died? Any interesting memories or stories you heard about him? Do you like/dislike him?

Cruise Staff

I feel bad for the staff members who work on cruise boats. For those of you who have traveled on a cruise before, you know the staff I'm talking about. I mean the men and women from a different country other than the US who work seven days a week, ungodly hours, and who put in tons of effort into each shift.

These crew members must think that we Americans are so greedy and indulgent. I mean, that's what a cruise is, isn't it? Pure indulgence and instant gratification. It's that one week that a person can relax, be waited on, eat as much as he/she wants, and do whatever he/she wants when he/she wants to. We stuff our faces (even at the midnight buffet after wolfing down a 4 course meal), drink ridiculous amounts of booze at every hour, lay out until we're red and brown tan, spend insane amounts of money on artwork, massages, jewelery, booze, etc., or push each over in line as we wait for food, drink, entertainment, or boarding.

I mean, just think of the outsiders' perspective: They're working on these cruise boats because it's better money than they can make back home. They overwork and get big checks (for them) that they can send home to better the lives of their loved ones, despite the long separation that they cannot have. And every day they watch family reunions, honeymoons, anniversaries, etc. They're surrounded by togetherness and happiness when they must feel so lonely. We eat large meals, throw out a lot of it. They must think we are so pompous and indulgent. You know, I can't even imagine what they think because I am trying to put myself in their shoes. I have no idea how it feels to be in their shoes. I have never lived in a third world country. I am an American. I am one of the people on the cruise boat that is being catered to left and right. But I do have sympathy for these poor staffers.

And we come in by the loads every week. We all must be the same to them. We stroll in with our lousy vacation t-shirts (you know, those ones dads wear with that ugly Hawaiian print) and American bills wadded up in our hands. We're ready for a vacation every week of the year, and we'll throw our money at anything just to relax and break away from the stressful work life that consists America. But they don't know that life either. It's probably a better life than they know, but the cultures clash so much. It's just so strange to see them juxtaposed together. Simply strange.

And they'll work their butts off just for that tip that we're supposed to give them at the end of the cruise. But not all people leave tips--and not all people leave generous tips. That must be such a downer when they put in their effort (not knowing how much they'll be tipped) and they end up with a lousy couple of dollars. Each cruise line is different, but I know that some of them work harder for their money than they should.

That's my two cents.

Has anyone ever cruised? Has anyone swapped stories with one of their staffers on the boat that really effected them?

Spring Leave

I will be absent from the computer for a week or more since I will be traveling. I will return. Enjoy what I have so far. Much more to come.

Enjoy the warm weather--don't be a hermit. And smile.

Gonzo

Here I go again on Hunter S. Thompson.

Well, I'm in the middle of Gonzo, a compliation of commentaries from those who knew Hunter while he was alive. The book chronicles his entire life, and it is filled with rich stories about the crazy stunts he used to pull. I will probably blog at least once more on my new discoveries.

What I would like to post here is an address he wrote while he was very young. He was probably in his teens when he wrote this. It's called "Open Letter to the Youth of our Nation" and was printed in 1955. Let's see what you think.

"Open Letter to the Youth of our Nation"

Awake from your slumber of indolence and harken the call of the future!

Do you realize that you are rapidly becoming a doomed generation? Do you realize that the fate of the world and of generations to come rests on your shoulders? Do you realize that at any time you may be called on to protect your country and the freedom of the world from the creeping scourge of Terrorism? How can you possibly laugh in the face of the disasters which face us from all sides? Oh ignorant youth, the world is not a joyous place. The time has come for you to dispense with the frivolous pleasures of childhood and get down to honest toil until you are sixty-five. Then and only then can you relax and collect your social security and live happily until the time of your death.

Also, your insolent attitude disturbs me greatly. You have the nerve to say that you have never known what it is like to live in a secure and peaceful world; you say that the present generation has balled things up to the extent that we now face a war so terrible that the very thought of it makes hardened veterans shudder; you say that it is impossible to lay any plans for the future until you are sure you have a future. I say Nonsense! None of these things matter. If you expect a future you must carve it out in the face of these things. You also say that you must wait until after you have served your time with the service to settle down. Ridiculous! It is a man's duty to pull up stakes and serve his country at any time, then settle down again.

I say there is no excuse for a feeling of insecurity on you part; there is no excuse for Juvenile Delinquency; there is no excuse for your attitude except that you are rotten and lazy! I was never like that! I worked hard; I saved; I didn't run around and stay out late at night; I carved out my own future through hard work and virtuous living, and look at me now; a respectable and successful man.

I warn you, if you don't start now it will be too late, and the blame for the end of the world will be laid at your feet. Heed my warning, oh depraved and profligate youth; I say awake, awake, awake!

Fearfully and disgustedly yours,
John J. Righteous-Hypocrite

How much is this still true today, over fifty years later?



Hunter wrote another essay during this time called "Security." Here are two questions from the essay that consider some thought and attention:

"Is security a utopian goal or is it another word for rut? ...Where would the world be if all men sought security and had not taken risks and gambled with their lives on the chance that, if they won, life would be different and richer?"

"Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived, or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?"



What answers do you have for these questions? Comments on his writings?

The Sunscreen Song

Everybody's free to wear sunscreen.

Sound familiar? Anyone who listened to popular radio or music during the late 90s (1999 to be exact) is aware that this line is from "The Sunscreen Song," an adaptation of an essay that was turned into a song by Baz Lurhmann. This song was changed from an essay originally titled "Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young" by Mary Schmich and published in the Chicago Tribune in 1997.

A friend of mine randomly put this song on, and so many memories piled into my mind. I had totally forgotten about this song. It takes me back to early high school where I ate up every word and copied some lyrics on a folder. It was an innocent time. Years later, here I am, looking back on the words to remember how true they are and which ones now seem more important or that I understand more now that I am older and more experienced at life. These lyrics seem to be aimed at a high school class (as the song addresses the audience as the class of 1999), and now that I am out of high school, I can better appreciate the lyrics.

Here they are.

Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

Now I ask you, why does he insist on the sunscreen factor? Even though it's so obvious, I never really dissected it before. Is it because he didn't care for his skin when he was young, and sunburns cause wrinkling which is unpleasant with age? No young person thinks that much ahead. We all think we're invincible. What do you think?

Which lines have you learned from after high school? Which do you think aren't so important?

What have you learned after high school that you would include if you wrote your own address?

Crazy Marley

I've waited a little while before I posted on Marley again. Marley is about four and a half months now; she's still as spunky and aggressive as she was as a kitten. Well, she still is a kitten, but she's a little bigger and a little longer.

This little girl is just so high and low. When I'm up and walking around, she's darting around my feet, not wanting to a miss a thing. When I sit down to use my laptop, she HAS to sit directly between me and my laptop. She always needs to have her attention, and I give it to her. I love when she lays with me. She's a great sense of warmth.

I am going to post a series of pictures of this adorable little girl. From these pictures, you should be able to tell her rambunctious behavior and her crazy little personality.

Enjoy.







Marley has crazy play dates with the little heart bean bag that my brother made me for Valentines Day one year in the 1990s when he was in elementary school. She beats this guy to death. It's a strange relationship. Look at how angry she gets!









And then after her vicious play sessions, she passes out.



And then she finds a new trick... a new place to climb...



And then passes out...





Or she passes out like this...



Last but not least, the crazy girl.



Comments?

Walk at Forts Ferry

It's that beautiful time of the year again in New York: it's almost spring. Last week was filled with melting snow, high winds, and cold temperatures, but this week might be the week to turn straight to spring with no turning back. No random snow storms (fingers crossed).

It feels like spring because of the warmth. It smells like spring, that grassy, outdoor smell that fills you on a nice walk. It's wonderful.

I miss taking walks like this. We used to take beautiful walks like this once a week back at Cortland. Central New York had gorgeous areas to walk through on a nice spring afternoon. I need to find some nice spots out here in Upstate New York. Does anyone have any recommendations for me?

Since the weather is so nice, I can't keep myself inside too much without feeling guilty. I went on a nice walk yesterday, and I would like to post some of my findings. Let's see what you think.



















What do you think?

MENSA Tests

Is anyone familiar with the MENSA intelligence tests?

I came across them when I was watching Conan O'Brien; he does a series of jokes with them just like he does "Celebrity Survey." I decided to take some myself and see how I matched up. It got pretty addicting. It's pretty fun to rack your brain to see what you know. Try to take a test here.

Here is an example:

24 H in a D = 24 hours in a day

Try some of these examples from Test #1 to see if it interests you:
(These are the examples I got correct. I couldn't get them all.)

26 L of the A
7 D of the W
18 H on a GC - 18 holes on a golf course
3 B M (S H T R)
32 is the T in D F at which W F
3 W on a T
100 C in a D
12 M in a Y
13 is U F S
29 D in F in a L Y
365 D in a Y
52 W in a Y
9 L of a C
60 M in an H
12 S of the Z
90 D in a R A
15 M on a D M C

Answers:

26 letters of the alphabet
7 days of the week
18 holes on a golf course
3 blind mice (see how they run)
32 is the temperature in degrees fahrenheit at which water freezes
3 wheels on a tricycle
100 cents in a dollar
12 months in a year
13 is unlucky for some
29 days in february in a leap year
365 days in a year
52 weeks in a year
9 lives of a cat
60 minutes in an hour
12 signs of the zodiac
90 degrees in a right angle
15 men on a dead man's chest

What do you think of MENSA? Try to stump me.

UPS Commercials

I must admit: I am a huge, huge fan of the UPS commercial guy. I needed to get that off my chest.

Watch a commercial here. Or check out the whiteboard website here where he is surrounded by his whiteboard drawings on the website. Sidenote: If you search YouTube for these commercials, there are so many spoofs. I wonder if any are even worth watching or are funny...

My admiration lies in his ability to draw such creative little pictures with perfectly straight lines, and they start from just a simple shape and turn into something crazy like a UPS truck or a flight going to Paris! Not to mention the cool music that accompanies his drawings either...

I wish I could draw like this guy. The commercial is such a good idea--I give it a lot of credit because it hooks me. Other commercials, in my opinion, just get annoying, boring, redundant, or are just plain non-creative. And, I must mention, this is a smart move for UPS because it looks like a very cheap commercial to film over and over again. Props to them. I don't know what it is about this commercial, but every time it's on, I stop what I'm doing to watch.

However, I do have some criticism. Recent UPS commercials have started incorporating animation, so the drawings he does actually come to life and scurry across his whiteboard. Not a big fan. The best part of the commercial was in the awe that he could draw like that. Making them animated takes away that freshness that he's creating something so cool with just a marker and a whiteboard. I don't even bother watching those. It's going too far with a cool idea. Just keep it the same and change it every so often!

How many takes do you think this guy does before he gets the picture perfect anyway?

Do you like these commercials? Which are your favorite? Do you like the new animation they use? What commercials do you like then if this one doesn't interest you?

Pasta Hut

I've fallen for a giant April fools trick, and I feel pretty foolish.

Has anyone seen the new Pizza Hut commerical? The commercial shows the original Pizza Hut building being sucked up and recreated, but when they mount the new building, they replace the name with Pasta Hut. Then they say "Pasta Hut, coming soon."

Alright, I totally bought that Pizza Hut was changing its name to Pizza Hut. I jumped right on the internet and googled Pasta Hut, and when I went to the Pizza Hut website, they advertise Pasta Hut in the same font as Pizza Hut. I couldn't believe they were pulling such a stunt!

So anyway, after telling a lot of people about it, as if I was informing them about some new phenomenon in American culture, they were shocked as I was. Then I come home and discover through reputable souces (AKA The Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune) that the advertisement of Pasta Hut was an April Fools prank to create chatter about their new menu of pasta. This promotion entirely worked. I was talking to everyone about it! I've never been such a sucker for April Fools.

Check out Pizza Hut's website and see if I'm actually crazy.

So if Pizza Hut actually changed its name to Pasta Hut and served pasta primarily (with pizza still of course), what would your reaction be? Was anyone else fooled by this stunt?

Notes of a Native Son

It must seem like I have a lot of time on my hands because of the amount of books I am blogging this week. I just finished another book by Mr. James Baldwin called Notes of a Native Son. It's part of the autobiography/memoir kick I'm on.

Notes of a Native Son is composed of small autobiographical essays/sketches of Baldwin's life as an oppressed black homosexual male in Harlem, and also after his escape from oppression to France. I am just so blown away of the strength Baldwin has--to write in this breathtaking way about being a minority when bigotry and racial/homosexual hatred was at an all-time high (during the 1940s and 1950s).

When Baldwin speaks of becoming a writer, which was against which his father wanted of him, it speaks to me; his father wanted him to become a preacher. His thoughts on writers (very moving, in my opinion):

"Any writer, I suppose, feels that the world into which he was born is nothing less than a conspiracy against the cultivation of his talent--which attitude certainly has a great deal to support it. On the other hand, it is only because the world looks on his talent with such a frightening indifference that the artist is compelled to make his talent important.

So that any writer, looking back over even so short a span of time as I am here forced to assess, finds that the things which hurt him and the things which helped him cannot be divorced from each other; he could be helped in a certain way only because he was hurt in a certain way; and his help is simply to be enabled to move from one conundrum to the next--one is tempted to say that he moves from one disaster to the next. When one begins looking for influences one finds them by the score" (2).

As he also says, "the business of a writer is to examine attitudes, to go beneath the surface, to tap the source," another great point about writers. Writers portray what they see. They react to their enviornment. They write their hurt/help situations, as mentioned above, that human experience that we all have, but they put it on paper perhaps to make sense of the experience or aid/inform the public in some way.

What do you think of his comments on writers?



In Notes of a Native Son, Baldwin also describes Harlem beautifully, the destruction, decay, and suffering of the projects he lived in. He also describes France and how the American (and American minority) feels as a stranger there, not even a good escape from American oppression. He writes of his father, and his death, of the division between them because of his drive to write. He tells us an experience he had when he took bedsheets from his hotel in France where he was arrested for stealing. Now, in America that is acceptable, but this is an entirely different culture. The way he tells it is really interesting. He plays with words and uses them like a wonderful musician uses his instrument.

The most interesting part, to me, is "Stranger in the Village," where Baldwin describes his trips to a remote part of Switzerland where they had never encountered African Americans before. They gawk at him, grab his hair to see if it will melt in the son or if it is made of wire, they wonder if his face is painted on, etc. The reactions of people so sheltered from race, upon seeing something different, is just so interesting to me. It's crazy to see how some people react when it's so commonplace and acceptable among most in our society (not all; unfortunately racism is still present even after all these years. It's quite sad.)

As Baldwin writes, "People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them" (138). Well said.



Has anyone read the book or anything by Baldwin? Any comments on race or people being trapped in history? Anything on writers?

Eat Pray Love

Eat Pray Love is a pretty popular book right now, especially among women. Everywhere I go, especially in the schools, I see women chatting about the book or reading it. Whenever I go to read it in some public place, I have at least one woman stop and ask me what I think of it, and I always get the same response. "It was...alright."

Despite this so-so review I get all the time, a lot of people are reading this book by Elizabeth Gilbert. I can see why it has such an appeal and a following though; she embarks on a spiritual journey to find herself after facing trauma. She visits Italy, India, and Indonesia to center herself and to devote herself to self discovery. Sounds pretty interesting.

I had mixed feelings about it too. I liked the whole I'm-a-writer-and-will-travel bit, seeing as that is my dream, and I liked reading her discoveries on different cultures. That is always appealing to me. I felt that I learned a bit about cultures and even little snipits on a word (like "guru," "gu" meaning darkness and "ru" meaning light; thus, from the darkness into the light). I really enjoyed her time in Italy, but India was a bit dry for me. Indonesia picked up a little, but it wasn't as exciting as the beginning.

Also, the spiritual part of it I found pretty interesting. It makes me want to connect more to spirituality, which isn't always the top notch on my priorities every day. Sometimes I think we do need to just take time out to connect with some higher being. It's worth the time.

"...the appreciation of pleasure can be the anchor of one's humanity" (115). What do you think? Agree/disagree?

In order to find her identity and rid herself of the pains from her past, she clings to and heals herself through indulgence, pleasure, meditation, and religion. Do you think that each person's guide towards happiness or self-discovery is all different? Like, perhaps this works for her, and it might work for others, but everyone needs something different? What would your modes of self-healing be?

At times I was pretty envious because not everyone is as lucky as her to just take off that much time and indulge yourself in different cultures. No one has that financial means or the connections to do so. Sometimes it seemed like she was taking that for granted, but perhaps that's the inner hurt speaking through in low times. We've all been there.

And by the way, I found this on the internet: "Paramount Pictures has snatched up the screen rights to another book, this time Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat, Pray, Love". Ryan Murphy has already been hired to adapt and direct it as a star vehicle for Julia Roberts, according to Variety." Is this true? What do you think?

Check out a pretty cool review of the book from the New York Times.

Anyway, I was kind of mixed myself, but I don't want to put her down. I think it was well-written, even though I've heard some people don't like her writing voice. I think that this experience worked for her, and that's fabulous. I would write about it too, and if people criticized, then whatever. At least she knows that it was worth it and she was meant to put this out to help and inspire other people.



What did you think of Eat Pray Love? Why?

A Child Called It

I've been on a memoir/autobiohraphy kick since I'm in the middle of writing my own memoir for a grad class. Yesterday I picked up A Child Called It by David Pelzer and finished it in one sitting. I've been wanting to read it since I've heard so many people talk about it since its publication in 1995. I knew it would be difficult to read and disturbing, but I think it was worth the read.

I was checking out information on Wikipedia about it, and it seems to have disclaimers tagged to it. I guess that close friends and family members are accusing him of exaggeration, saying that "David wasn't at all ostracized from the family; he was very close to me and Richard. We were the Three Musketeers. David would make up lies, to receive some attention. But David had to be the center of attention. He was a hyper, over happy spoiled brat."

Hmmm. This sounds a bit strange to me.

In the book, David mentions that his mother brainwashed all the children to think that he was a "bad boy" and that he deserved his harsh treatments. I mean, I don't know which side to believe since I obviously wasn't there, but I bet that this brainwashing had something to do with it. I don't think someone would make up such brutality of a past like that just for money purposes. Read the horrible accounts and you might know what I mean.

I think the incidents that stuck out to me the most were the diaper incident where he was almost forced to eat feces but inhaled it up his nose, the bathroom sessions where he was forced to sit in the closed room with ammonia and clorox mixed together that burned him, the fact that he had to inject spoonfulls of ammonia, burn his arm on the stove, sleep in the cold garage, not have changes of clothes, and, above all, was not allowed to eat whatsoever. When he came home from school, his mother would make him throw up to make sure his stomach was empty. When he would go through the garbage, she would sprinkle poisons in it to make sure he stopped that. It's crazy to me.

What I don't get is that he used to be treated well up until a certain point. What sparked her anger towards him since she used to love him? And, she had four other boys who she treated very well. Why single out David, the middle child? Was he the blame for all her problems? She tortured him because, inside, she needed a way to vent out the anger she felt? She felt tortured inside so she needed vengeance on an external subject, AKA David? And why wouldn't the dad stand up to the mom? I know that it would just create more problems, but your kid is dying here. Is it worth it to just give in and become a part of the abuse?

I know that a lot of abuse happens to children and adults of all ages by close friends and family members. It's disturbing, but we live in a disturbing world. I am so glad that David here got out of the situation in a healthy way where he seems to have learned from what happened instead of getting back at others for the harm done on him (which normally is the cycle that spirals and never stops). Why so much hate and not enough love?

One last thing: It seems like any memoir/autobiography that gets a lot of attention and some large financial sum is always discredited or told to be "exaggerating," just like James Frey's A Million Little Pieces. I mean, the experience is dramatic from the person's point of view, so any slight detail that meanders seems to really tick people off. It's hard to recount memories EXACTLY as they are. You try to do it. It's not easy. I think some people always just want to get back at someone successful. Or, perhaps they go against their side of the story and what's published will be more widely believed and received. I don't know. Those are my arguments. What do you think? I think it's a pressing issue and question that I am very curious to see answered.



Anyway, has anyone read A Child Called It? What did you think of it? Do you think he's overexaggerating or that he's being accurate?

Whole Living

I was going through my old notebook where I used to write poetry (always a great experience) and I found this magazine cut out that I kept for some odd reason. I wanted to share it here because it is very similar to the last blog post I did. Inspirational top ten lists to follow. Here's one I saved from somewhere around 2005.

10 Thoughts on Whole Living

1. Allow yourself to experience the first delicious moments of morning.
2. Live in tune with your body; there is no single portrait of health.
3. Deep renewal comes from resetting your rythyms.
4. Your energy doesn't run out--it gets blocked. Find ways to free your flow.
5. Bodies in motion tend to stay in motion. Keep yours moving.
6. Positive change aligns with your deepest values.
7. With each challenge comes new growth. Engage in rewarding efforts.
8. Share your strengths--and be open to others' gifts.
9. There is no substitute for rest. Get plenty.
10. Surrender your need to control; let yourself be amazed.

I don't know why there were so many italics but I wanted to keep the original document the way it was published.

I think I realize why I kept this after I typed it--I used to battle a lot with the idea of control because I like to have a lot of it. But, as I've been learning, sometimes it's better to have less control and just let things play out as they will. Sometimes it is better, as it says, to let yourself be amazed.

So, what do you think? Do you agree/disagree with these? What rules do you live by? Why?