This book is motivational in that it encourages positive thinking and behavior. The quotes throughout at well-chosen and inspirational.

I found myself feeling very positive after reading The Power, but there were a few parts that were, for lack of a better word…crazy. Rhonda Byrne thinks humans can live to be 400 years old, and that you can attract desired material positions to yourself out of sheer force-of-will. While I do believe that forces of attraction can work in your favor, and that it is best to think positively, and avoid imagining worse case scenarios, I do not agree that positive thinking/imagining will always bring about the material world of your dreams.

Also, this book did seem a little like The Secret (Byrne’s other book) redux Overall, I thought The Power was worth the read, if only for the pleasant mood I found myself in after reading it.

View all my reviews

The content of this book was quite entertaining, but Spitz’s style felt a little too dry and journalistic for my taste. No surprises here though, he is a music journalist, and he did a wonderful job writing precisely and informatively about Bowie and his influences, and the legions of musicians he has inspired.

Spitz’s personal antidotes concerning his experiences with the David Bowie persona are, for the most part amusing, however a few seem a little trite and random.

Personally, I could have done without the lengthy account of Bowie’s childhood, but I do recognize that this is a must for any author who wants to expose the seeds of genius. The story became much more compelling when Spitz began describing the Bowie of the 1970′s. Understandably, he seems to be much more enthusiastic about Bowie circa the Diamond Dogs era or Bowie as Ziggy Stardust. It was worth reading this 400 page plus book just for those juicy little revelations about Bowie and his 70′s pals (Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Andy Warhol, etc…)

While Spitz wrote eagerly and positively about 70′s Bowie, I was a little disappointed about some of his depictions of 80′s Bowie. Yeah yeah yeah, the Labyrinth was cheesy, and yes, some of Bowie’s 80′s adventures were a little disastrous, but as someone raised on the Labyrinth (a masterpiece of set and costume design, and movie I still absolutely adore), I felt Spitz could have been a little gentler in his treatment of cheesy 80′s Bowie–always and forever, my favorite Bowie.–

Also, just on a personal note. I cannot for the life of me fathom why Spitz kept referencing Camille Paglia. As a feminist, I think she is absolutely unbearable. I found her insensitive and ill-informed comments about gay activism especially distasteful.

Overall, this was nicely written and extensive and detailed account of Bowie’s life and music. I am so in the Bowie zone right now. All I really want to do for the next few days is watch Velvet Goldmine, The Hunger, and the Labyrinth, and listen to Low and Scary Monsters on repeat.

http://www.davidbowiebook.com/

This is an amazing webcomic about an unlucky Brooklynite who lives in Williamsburg with a host of mythical creatures. The plot line isn’t much of a stretch, as I’m pretty sure almost everyone who lives in Williamsburg has some sort of otherworldly tendency.

How else to explain the ability to acquire massive amounts of weed and a pretty sweet two bedroom on the income of a flower-seller/mime?

I stumbled upon this gem after reading a Bitch Magazine interview with the creators, Sophie Goldstein and Jenn Jordan. 

I highly recommended checking this out. There are stoner angels.

http://dcisgoingtohell.com/

I also have a few issues with the way the Irving portrays India. While I like his exploration of immigrant identities, I was a little turned off by the way he described India and Indian people. His depiction seemed a little too otherizing, typically western, and negative. (ie: India is dirty and death is no biggie there.)

You would probably enjoy this book more than I did if you aren’t as much of a romantic (I love deep and archetypal characters) and if can overlook the neocolonial undertones. After all, the book was pretty entertaining, and the plot got progressively more engaging.

The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

http://www.iep.utm.edu/

A free peer-reviewed Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Yes please.  For those nights when you just really need to brush up on some Literary Theory.

“the thinking woman’s crumpet”

“The quarterly women’s magazine inspired by the rocket science that women have brains and eyes.”

What a brilliant idea!  A ladies magazine with some nice lookin’ dudes, interesting articles, interviews, and art.

Filament Magazine is devoted exclusively to “The Female Gaze,” and “doesn’t use photography designed for the gay market.”

Finally a magazine that for once, objectifies the male body and lets us forget about the cultural obsession with our lovely lady lumps.

No women’s fashion, diets, or celebrity gossip here.

Now, when will it become widely available in the U.S?  I’m ready.

http://www.filamentmagazine.com/Home.aspx

While these two trends didn’t exactly co-mingle in the 90’s (Did Cher ever wear anything lumber-jack? Did Travis rock glitterized accessories?) The two trends DID co-exist. I think it is about time to force these two trends into a single unhealthy and indulgent fashion statement.

It’s really very simple. The two, when paired, create balance.

Flannel is like a cozy grunge ex-boyfriend (or girlfriend.) A nice flannel shirt is both comfy and reassuring, and also slacker and crazy. When you throw on an oversized flannel/plaid shirt, it should smell like some sort of smoke (campfire, cigarette, or cannabis.) The feel of the threadbare grimy cloth should remind you of that time you “insert something crazy or self destructive, or both.”  The garment should also probably remind you of Christmas…and your Dad…

Flannel- the comfort of home and drug-addled exes

Glitter, like Mariah’s movie of the same name, is cheesy, ridiculous, and when used in excess, is likely to make you very itchy and uncomfortable. NOTE: avoid glitter thongs at all costs.

Glitter is not comfortable; it is glamour and seduction in the form of foil shards. I personally like to put these shards on my eyes (urban decay eye shadow in midnight cowboy) and wear pieces of plastic jewelry covered in the stuff. You should too, it will make you cooler.

NOW try this:

Flannel=Comfort

Glitter=Hot

Here’s how:

Wear one piece of flannel: an oversized shirt or awesome flannel sneakers and pair with some basic bottoms: some jeggings or skinny jeans.

Throw on some boots for added ninetiesnes

Accessorize with some glitter jewelry OR glitter eye shadow

For your cruelty free glitter make-up needs:  http://www.medusasmakeup.com/

http://www.urbandecay.com/vegan.cfm

Now strut your hot 90’s stuff

This is why Xena is actually a lot cooler than you think:

The lezbian subtext is hot and you know it.

The show features smoking hot althletic men and women with thighs of steel wearing tiny leather dresses/man-hot-pants.

Bruce Campbell (ASH from Evil Dead) and Ted Raimi (Sam Raimi’s bro) regularly guest star.

The show was produced by Sam Raimi-The famed director of the Evil Dead series, Drag Me to Hell, and the Spider-Man films.

Xena paved the way for female action heroes in television and film:

Check out this Salon.com article on Xena’s feminist merits: http://www.salon.com/entertainment/feature/2005/09/15/xena

I bask in the awesomeness of Lucy Lawless and company and you should too.

I Don’t Care About Your Band: What I Learned from Indie Rockers, Trust Funders, Pornographers, Felons, Faux-Sensitive Hipsters, and Other Guys I’ve Dated

I’m on page 123 and I’m already sooo a fan of Julie Klausner.

Reason 1:

Page 15:

Watching th Muppet movie again recently gave me the feeling of deja vu, and not in the way you expect when you watch a movie you loved as a kid. As I watched Kermit haplessly biking down the street without a care in the world, about to be crushed by steamrollers, I thought, “Oh my God. I Know that guy. I’ve dated him.” Kermit, beloved frog of yore, suddenly, overwhelmingly, reminded my adult self of vintage-eyeglass-frame-wearing guys from Greenpoint or Silverlake, who pedal along avenues in between band practice and drinks with friends, sans attachment, oblivious to the impeding hazards of reality and adulthood. “Oh my God,” I thought. Kermit is one of those hipsters who seems like they’re afraid of me.

This book is sweet. Check out this review from Jezebel:

Read more: http://jezebel.com/5473860/i-dont-care-about-your-band-a-dating-book-we-can-get-behind#ixzz0xBzuMqr9

I Don’t Care About Your Band: A Dating Book We Can Get Behind

Julie Klausner‘s I Don’t Care About Your Band is the anti-Marry Him — a celebration of self-love in the face of laughably bad dudes.

The book is largely a chronicle of Klausner’s shitty dating experiences, recounted with broad and relatively inoffensive humor. On a guy who wanted to “share a cock” with Klausner, she writes: “like anybody’s cock is so big that you’d be like, ‘I can’t finish this! Let’s split it.’” And on an immature post-college boyfriend:

I didn’t hear back from Rob that day, but in the wake of all the soot and emotional debris of, um, 9/11, I did manage to get him to invite me over to his apartment. It turns out that Rob felt vulnerable enough, by then, to extend an invitation for me to come over. So maybe the attacks were worth it! Right, ladies?

There aren’t that many belly laughs, at least for me, but reading I Don’t Care is like spending time with that friend who makes you feel like everything is going to Be Okay. Not because you’re about to embark on some betterment program or strategy (for instance, Klausner detests The Rules), but because you’re already awesome. Klausner writes,

Follow what it is that you love and makes you want to be better, always. But don’t get yourself tied up with any kind of rock star — musician or not — who makes you feel like you’re not made of star stuff. Because of course you are. Give me a break.

It’s cheesy, yes, and it’s nothing we haven’t heard before, but it’s nice to get this kind of message not from, say, a ladymag that will go back to undermining us on the next page, but from a smart writer who’s also a pretty astute social critic. Klausner recently shared her analysis of the Muppets with Salon, but her take on The Office, and especially Pam’s character, feels even more relevant. Klausner writes,

There’s nothing scary about Pam, because there’s no mystery: she’s just like the boys who like her; mousy and shy. The ultimate emo-boy fantasy is to meet a nerdt, cute girl just like him, and nobody else will realize she’s pretty.

While she has what seems to me a slightly restrictive definition of what it means to be a man (it involves “a hearty handshake”), Klausner has identified a particular type of Nice Guy (TM) — one who wants a woman who never upstages him, even with her beauty. She continues:

Fear can be the result of admiration, or it can be a symptom of contempt. When I see squeamish guys passing over qualified women when they’re hiring for a job, or becoming tongue-tied when a girl crashes their all-boy conversation at a party, I don’t credit them for being awestruck. They’re reacting to the intimidating female as an intruder, an alien, and somebody they can’t relate to. It’s not a compliment to be made invisible.

Klausner understands that not all misogynists are blustery types who think they’re better than women. Male insecurity, too, can breed misogyny — often a subtle kind that forces women out of the spotlight with sheer diffidence. According to Klausner, we shouldn’t cater to this insecurity by being more nurturing — we should just not fucking stand for it.

Dispatches from dating hell can feel depressing, like everyone in the world is an asshole and there’s no hope for anybody. I Don’t Care, by contrast, is uplifting even when Klausner is, say, having sex with an unattractive jerk with a mysterious wound on his thigh. Every time she leaves a bad guy, there’s a sense of relief, even joy — perhaps because she seems to genuinely like herself and realize she’s better off. In this context, her reassurances feel less like empty you-go-girl-ism and more like a prescription for a happy life: if you believe you’re great, there’s only so much an asshole can take away from you. Lori Gottlieb tells women not to feel too good about themselves, lest they pass up so-so guys and “end up alone.” Klausner’s message, if she has one, is the opposite: feel great about yourself, and neither loneliness nor a so-so guy will destroy you. I know which one I prefer.