So today was one of those days where I woke up a tiny bit blue – just a tiny bit – and thought “I need to find something pretty or inspiring or hopeful to uncover my shine and glitter.” I blamed the tiny bit of blue on the weather. It was just a bit cool when I left the house and I’m SO ready for everyday to be hot and sunny that I just can’t bear another cool breeze.
I came to work and hoped to find inspiration in some fabulous and complicated regulatory issue.
And I came close, but that wasn’t quite it.
Then I heard a great quote by some psychologist on CNN. Her fabulous and oh-so-wise advice after a quite contentious debate with other professionals from differeing fields was: “Don’t have 14 kids.”
I’ll let you figure out what they might have been debating.
So I went back to focusing on regulatory issues. I pondered European definitions of data. It was deep.
And then, while checking the Washington Post online, I saw an icon that begged me to click it. It was really quite strange because I’ve seen it so many times that I don’t pay attention. It was an icon for Dear Prudence, an advice column in Slate that I hardly ever read. Morever, this icon promised an answer to a question about wedding gifts. Now I promise you, I definitely don’t rush to read advice about either weddings or gifts, much less wedding gifts combined.
But something said to click – swear to God, whatever he or she might be.
And so I clicked, kind of a blasé click, mostly just expecting to find the usual Slate palate with another dull advice story.
But no!! Guess what I found!
I found Slate V – Slate’s online videos! Now I’m sure it’s been there forever, but it’s new to me!
And that’s not all! Right there in the second row of videos was Mary Gaitskill, my absolutely favorite – hands down favorite – contemporary female writer in the whole wide world. She’s interviewed on Slate.com Open Book.
So this Open Book thing is quite neat. It's officially called "Open Book: Writers on Writing" and it's a collaboration between Slate and the Creative Writing Program in the School of Arts & Science at New York University. Two very cool chicks, NYU's Deborah Landau and Slate's Meghan O'Rourke, interview writers!
I've heard Mary Gaitskill talk before and she's JUST AS FABULOUS AS ALWAYS in this little interview. She's so ridiculously cool. She's bawdy but calm and balanced and reserved and honest and humble and really serious but not so serious - all at the same time.
And so, it is not even mid-afternoon, and I’ve once again got my glitter and shine.
WHEW.
Good thing because I was about to try finding it in yet another bottle of Diet Coke and I’m pretty sure it’s not there.
Go listen to Mary Gaitskill. And then pick up one of her books. My favorite is still Bad Behavior even though she's written so much since that collection of short stories. I think it just reminds me of a time when writing really affected me to my core - not that it still can't. It's just different now.
And while you're hooked on Mary Gaitskill, here's a very cool interview with her from Nerve - great first line.
xoxo, d
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