Tagged on the Farenheit 451 Book Meme
When I found myself tagged by idyllopus on Meanwhile Back at the Ranch, I realized had no clue about memes.
In true investigative style, I attempted to traced back who tagged her (The Heretik and spelunked around some more until I found what I thought was the origin of the tag (Pharyngula but wasn't) and decided that many memes, like colds, can't be traced to their point of mutation, let alone find their orign.
Since I find this one kind of fun, here's what I have to say:
You are stuck in Farenheit 451. Which book would you be?
Hard choice. I'd be either Joyce's Portrait of the Artist or Valley of the Dolls. If I have to dress like the book, I might like being the former than the latter, as to be the latter would require a huge amount of hairspray and bad Pucci print dresses, of which I look awful in.
Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character
No. But I have hated many.
What is the last book you bought
The Radical Writer because it seemed to have some interesting tips for freelance writing--some of which I've already implemented. (Yes, I've started putting together a plan to be a freelance journalist rather than a fiction writer. I'm tired of futzing around. I have to be like Nike and Just Do It.)
What are you currently reading?
French Women Don't Get Fat--The Secret of Eating for Pleasure. I agree with alot of what the writer says about the American relationship with food--specf. American women's relationship with food. I once read an article in Glorious Oprah's magazine about women and food, and all the women profiled were wearing black and had expressions on their faces that would make our Puritan Forefathers quite proud. I felt amazingly sorry for these women and realized that in America, every aspect of our life is equated to work--there is no relaxation and no joy. No wonder we are a country of extremes! I am finding much of the easy advice in this book--such as keeping junk food out of the house--are things I already do, and I'm very curious about some of the more culture-specific advice (although I think, like the author, it can be followed here as well).
What 5 books would you take on a desert island?
The aforementioned Artist and Dolls, along with Thomas Merton's New Seeds of Contemplation, Art Through the Ages a classic art history text with many pretty pictures and interesting stories, and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt just to remind me of how funny people can be.
Now, I know that people think of memes like talking sticks, but, in a sense, they are more like chain letters--the letter gets passed to you, sometimes reluctantly because, like chain letters, the person passing it feels a necessity to do so but might not want you to feel a huge responsibility to pass it on further. So, in an effort to annoy others, I will pass this one on to Jeff (if he hasn't done it already), Terry (if she has time for it) and anyone else who feels like they might want to do this kind of a fun little extercise. I'm never one to stand on ceremony, so why limit the passing on to just three? Then, maybe, like the apocryphal results of chain letters, I'll either receive thousands of dollars or hundreds of dishcloths.
My luck it'll be dishcloths.
In true investigative style, I attempted to traced back who tagged her (The Heretik and spelunked around some more until I found what I thought was the origin of the tag (Pharyngula but wasn't) and decided that many memes, like colds, can't be traced to their point of mutation, let alone find their orign.
Since I find this one kind of fun, here's what I have to say:
You are stuck in Farenheit 451. Which book would you be?
Hard choice. I'd be either Joyce's Portrait of the Artist or Valley of the Dolls. If I have to dress like the book, I might like being the former than the latter, as to be the latter would require a huge amount of hairspray and bad Pucci print dresses, of which I look awful in.
Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character
No. But I have hated many.
What is the last book you bought
The Radical Writer because it seemed to have some interesting tips for freelance writing--some of which I've already implemented. (Yes, I've started putting together a plan to be a freelance journalist rather than a fiction writer. I'm tired of futzing around. I have to be like Nike and Just Do It.)
What are you currently reading?
French Women Don't Get Fat--The Secret of Eating for Pleasure. I agree with alot of what the writer says about the American relationship with food--specf. American women's relationship with food. I once read an article in Glorious Oprah's magazine about women and food, and all the women profiled were wearing black and had expressions on their faces that would make our Puritan Forefathers quite proud. I felt amazingly sorry for these women and realized that in America, every aspect of our life is equated to work--there is no relaxation and no joy. No wonder we are a country of extremes! I am finding much of the easy advice in this book--such as keeping junk food out of the house--are things I already do, and I'm very curious about some of the more culture-specific advice (although I think, like the author, it can be followed here as well).
What 5 books would you take on a desert island?
The aforementioned Artist and Dolls, along with Thomas Merton's New Seeds of Contemplation, Art Through the Ages a classic art history text with many pretty pictures and interesting stories, and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt just to remind me of how funny people can be.
Now, I know that people think of memes like talking sticks, but, in a sense, they are more like chain letters--the letter gets passed to you, sometimes reluctantly because, like chain letters, the person passing it feels a necessity to do so but might not want you to feel a huge responsibility to pass it on further. So, in an effort to annoy others, I will pass this one on to Jeff (if he hasn't done it already), Terry (if she has time for it) and anyone else who feels like they might want to do this kind of a fun little extercise. I'm never one to stand on ceremony, so why limit the passing on to just three? Then, maybe, like the apocryphal results of chain letters, I'll either receive thousands of dollars or hundreds of dishcloths.
My luck it'll be dishcloths.
posted by Tish Grier at 10:59 PM
10 Comments:
Rats, this one is hard. But I'll give it a shot.
I think you can do it, T...you're a literary type!
I'm actually really curious to read French Women Don't Get Fat. (Of course it also makes me wonder, do they just not become so overtly "obese," or are they overall more comfortable with their bodies and their relationship to food that they aren't on either end of the size extremities.)
oh, and that last comment was me, forgot to sign.
-Soli
I always wonder about the obesity thing in France, too. But, if most of your destinations are within walking distance, chances are that most people won't be as gargantuan as some of the MallPeople.
One of the big and least-talked about contributions to the obesity factor in this country is suburban living--planned communities with no sidewalks and no grocers or basics within walking distance. Not to mention that if you are out walking at an odd hour, chances are you will get stopped by a cop (no kidding--happened to my mother in law in East Brunswick, NJ). We have every incentive here not to walk, and working out in a gym is not only boring as hell but seriously depressing.
Ever look around at all the sad, pasty faces? Because so many people have no where else to exercise, the average gym, which used to be full of buff workout guys, is now full of pasty-faced desk jockeys of both genders. Gyms have become their own little outer circles of hell.
Morgan Sprulock in Supersize Me noted that most New Yorkers, on average, walk five miles a day--between commuting and general errands. They have mass transit and don't need cars, and that contributes to alot of New Yorkers being less obese than your average suburbanite.
I hate the suburbs.
Oooh, good point about 'burb life. Reminds me again why I feel a definite blessing to where I live, because I'm near public transport and an actual GROCER. *boggles* I know all the walking for the bus and just for fun is why I've been steadily dropping, and also why my knees bother me much less now.
-Soli
as an orthopedist once told me, knee pain, unless connected to arthritis or torn ligaments, usually has to do wtih tight quads. when you loosen the quads, like in walking, the pain can go away...
Shalom Tish,
Forgive me if I'm screwing up protocol (why is it that screwing up is bad and screwing down is good? And sideways, well we just won't go there right now.) but I was thinking I was suppossed to hear from you with an email about the meme thing. Am I suppossed to just do it?
B'shalom,
Jeff
Hi Jeff...
Well, I think if you "screwed down" protocol, it would make it more permanent, but by "screwing up" you are messing with the status quo of it!
and sideways reminds me of a joke...but I won't go there either :-)
I believe you're supposed to just do it. The meme questions are the ones I listed/answered in the post. They're really kind of fun. Asking what book you might be in F451 felt alot like asking the internal 5 year old "what do you want to be when you grow up?" I got very giggly.
Peace,
T.
Shalom Tish,
After much procrastination, I've finally posted my response to the book meme at Mean Mistress Meme.
B'shalom,
Jeff
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