Happy Monday! Today is the eighth day of the 30 Tweets to 30 Peeps challenge and my task is to address a favorite "internet friend."
Sweet! When I first moved to San Francisco I knew literally no one, except my boyfriend and this horrible girl who I don't talk to anymore (long story short-- we were friends for a while, not close friends, but she was someone to party with. I realized she was completely self-absorbed and would do anything to get her way, but only after giving her too many chances and getting burnt by her ire, oh well), so I spent a lot of time wandering the city alone and looking online for jobs.
I eventually found solace and a sense of community once I joined the restaurant-reviewing site, Yelp. I made friends on the message boards and eventually met them in real-life through events and parties.
This may sound incredibly dorky, but I was really happy that I was finally meeting people.
I wouldn't call myself an introvert, really, but I can be shy and the idea of just going out and trying to make friends on the street didn't seem sensible to me. I really appreciate technology for helping me connect with peers with similar interests and equally sick senses of humor.
So this tweet isn't to anyone in particular, but more of an open letter to all the nice and crazy friends I've met, or am yet to meet, through the internet.
Making a wacky face and holding up a photobooth shot of me with some Yelp friends.
Okay, so this is absolutely prejudicial and I know it, but I'm going to say it anyway. I have no intention of wasting my time reading the book, nor will I watch the film with Julia Roberts (*gag*) and I'll tell you why. Feel free to call me out on this, I could be completely wrong in my assumptions, but I have formed an opinion on Eat, Pray, Love solely based on the commercials and all the crap I've been hearing about it from other people.
I dunno about you, but I reject the notion that one has to travel around the world in order to "find yourself." Sure, traveling is awesome and if you can afford to take a trip every once in a while, then you should do it. However, I do not want to read what some frigginsuper-rich financial planner privileged yuppie has to say about finding inner peace. I simply don't care to hear her opinion, and I can take a walk around the block if I'm seeking self-reflection, thank you very much.
Not everyone has the luxury to up and leave the country for several months of leisure time, which is my other problem with this book/film. A lot of us have jobs and responsibilities that prevent us from embarking on such a long vacation, and I highly doubt that the majority of people who love Eat, Pray, Love are Wall Street bankers with millions in their pockets to burn, or have publishing companies funding their extended vacations.
I feel like I'm going to get a lot of hate mail about this post, but it's how I feel about it. The whole part about going to Italy and making a big deal about eating "carbs" is just so fucking stupid to me, and honestly I don't need this woman's watered-down take on spirituality-- if I want to hear white people blather about Eastern religions I'll read a Beat novel.
Again, I don't really know anything about the story, I'm just making wild assumptions, so don't hate me too much. I'm sure it's a nice beach book, I just don't think it deserves all the attention it's getting. As for the movie, the only reason to see it is because James Franco is in it, but then again I think he kisses Julia Roberts at some point which is too nasty for me. Ugh, Julia Roberts. I cannot stand your forehead vein.
Also, I'm aware that I have no soul. I am a ginger, duh :)
Sweet! When I first moved to San Francisco I knew literally no one, except my boyfriend and this horrible girl who I don't talk to anymore (long story short-- we were friends for a while, not close friends, but she was someone to party with. I realized she was completely self-absorbed and would do anything to get her way, but only after giving her too many chances and getting burnt by her ire, oh well), so I spent a lot of time wandering the city alone and looking online for jobs.
I eventually found solace and a sense of community once I joined the restaurant-reviewing site, Yelp. I made friends on the message boards and eventually met them in real-life through events and parties.
This may sound incredibly dorky, but I was really happy that I was finally meeting people.
I wouldn't call myself an introvert, really, but I can be shy and the idea of just going out and trying to make friends on the street didn't seem sensible to me. I really appreciate technology for helping me connect with peers with similar interests and equally sick senses of humor.
So this tweet isn't to anyone in particular, but more of an open letter to all the nice and crazy friends I've met, or am yet to meet, through the internet.
@FaveInternetFrenz: Thanks for being awesome and not psychotic. Seriously, you're fun and you rule and thanks for taking care of my drunk ass that one time haha
Making a wacky face and holding up a photobooth shot of me with some Yelp friends.Okay, so this is absolutely prejudicial and I know it, but I'm going to say it anyway. I have no intention of wasting my time reading the book, nor will I watch the film with Julia Roberts (*gag*) and I'll tell you why. Feel free to call me out on this, I could be completely wrong in my assumptions, but I have formed an opinion on Eat, Pray, Love solely based on the commercials and all the crap I've been hearing about it from other people.
I dunno about you, but I reject the notion that one has to travel around the world in order to "find yourself." Sure, traveling is awesome and if you can afford to take a trip every once in a while, then you should do it. However, I do not want to read what some friggin
Not everyone has the luxury to up and leave the country for several months of leisure time, which is my other problem with this book/film. A lot of us have jobs and responsibilities that prevent us from embarking on such a long vacation, and I highly doubt that the majority of people who love Eat, Pray, Love are Wall Street bankers with millions in their pockets to burn, or have publishing companies funding their extended vacations.
I feel like I'm going to get a lot of hate mail about this post, but it's how I feel about it. The whole part about going to Italy and making a big deal about eating "carbs" is just so fucking stupid to me, and honestly I don't need this woman's watered-down take on spirituality-- if I want to hear white people blather about Eastern religions I'll read a Beat novel.
Again, I don't really know anything about the story, I'm just making wild assumptions, so don't hate me too much. I'm sure it's a nice beach book, I just don't think it deserves all the attention it's getting. As for the movie, the only reason to see it is because James Franco is in it, but then again I think he kisses Julia Roberts at some point which is too nasty for me. Ugh, Julia Roberts. I cannot stand your forehead vein.
Also, I'm aware that I have no soul. I am a ginger, duh :)
19 comments:
So yeah, I totally agree. I can't stand Julia Roberts to begin with (never ever NOTICED the forehead vein - ick), so that alone turned me off the movie AND the book. Italy is molto bella certainly, but to go there for food alone? "Eat Pray Love", you get a big 'F' for FAIL on doing research.
-Annie
Right, well, I'm one of those who highly disagrees with your post. Mainly because you are making assumptions off of Hollywood and that's never ever a good idea. I read the book long before the movie was announced. When I first heard a movie was coming out my reaction was, 'how will they make that book into a movie? It's too abstract.' Then I thought about it and there is a perfect hero's journey in the book to turn into an adventure/romantic/comedy thingie, naturally staring Julia Roberts (gag). But I enjoyed Pretty Woman, and I love James Franco and I just adored the book, so yes, I'll netflix this movie.
You should really read the book before shooting it down so hard. The book is all about spiritually-which is an extremely open idea, so to say the author has no soul is such an idiotic-uneducated assumption it makes me wonder if you have a soul of your own.
If you don't want to take the time to educate yourself by reading the book before reviewing it- why not take 19 minutes out of your time to watch Elizabeth Gilbert's (the author of the book, I somehow doubt you knew that already) Ted Talk.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html
And hey! You're an aspiring writer and she actually is a writer, so perhaps there's some bitter jealousy going on in your post here? You might benefit from hearing her speak.
No hard feelings, just look before you leap. As far as the the movie goes- I don't have any high expectations for it. Hollywood ruins almost all written work, imo. But I'm not going to assume that it's a large stinky pile of shit just yet. I'm going to watch it first and see what Ryan Murphy (director/writer on several episodes of Glee, including the awesome Madonna episode, and Nip/Tuck) came up with, regardless if America's most hated/loved actress is staring in it.
Julia Roberts = puke. Eat Pray Love = double puke. I totally agree with what you wrote.
So I started reading the book thinking it's usually better than the movie and after about 60 pages (60 pages too many) I wanted to punch the girl in the face. She whines about her spirituality. I don't know. There's this voice to the book that I can't stand. I just can't take it. There's definitely something annoying about the fact that she can just travel without problems - what a freakin' luxury. But, yeah, it's just annoying and I can't put a finger on it.
I can completely understand your view on the whole eat pray love thing. I don't plan on seeing the movie and it's because I really want to read the book. But it's true that almost EVERYONE does not have this luxury of taking time away from their responsiblities to find themselves. We need a story about finding yourself while in the midst of life. Great insight! No hate here. :)
I agree. Will not waste my time reading the book or seeing the movie. The gag factor is way too high and I just don't need another reason to feel shitty about being broke.
I'm not reading that shit either. I don't believe in spirituality, I don't believe in anything Oprah goes insane over, and as far as I'm concerned, anything this many women are in love with has got to suck. I mean hello, twilight, yuck. Not wasting my time on any more crap.
I agree with you about the carbs business. I have a tough time buttoning my pants every day - where's my movie?
LOL I never noticed the forehead vein.
Also, I have no intention of seeing this movie. Like you said, or implied when I read it, it seems very preachy, very 'holier than thou' and that just doesn't fly with me.
I'm with you, sister. Eat, Pray, Love looks like total garbage. It's inspired a blog post I have yet to make where-in I invent summaries of books that virtually every woman in America will swoon over and defend til the bitter end because it "speaks to them."
Here...I'll invent one right now, off the top of my head...
A sixteen year old girl from Kyrgyzstan loses her parents in a bloody clash between troops and rebels, and is the only person left to look after her five year old brother who has not spoken a word since the attack. The money from selling all of their possessions goes quickly on the slippery road out of war torn Kyrgyzstan, and soon she finds her only option is to sell her own body in the Russian sex trade and stow her brother away in a tiny compartment aboard a freighter to America. As she fights for survival, being drugged, and transported across borders, she meets a NATO officer who cares too much, and will do all he can to set her free, and see her reunited with her brother...but will it be enough?
I'm totally with you on the concept of the book, but like all mindless drones I'm going to read it and see the movie.
Mainly with you on this, though I did read and enjoy the book (when it first came out, before the over-hype). But a freaking movie?! Come on ...
I think our dear friend "anonymous" hit it on the head. I'm a jealous-bitch of an aspiring writer who wishes she could turn her life into a movie.
Ah well ... Love the post :)
Hey- Just came across you from "Crap Mom's" site.
I picked up the book a few years ago, because there were no other options where I happened to be. I read most of Italy, skipped most of India because it was ridiculously boring, and read the Indonesia part.
Gilbert is a good writer, in the technical sense. But I did not like the book, and I'd never recommend it someone.
It might be more real if she hadn't received a 200k book advance prior to her traveling.
I'd like to see the version where she hostels across the world, living in abject poverty in order to help another human being in need instead of focusing on her own trivial, first world problems.
Wow. I had no idea I had so much bitterness towards her.
I totally have a post scheduled on why I couldn't get through Eat Pray Love. Self-indulgence makes me vomit. BRAVO!
Do you know why I like Julia Roberts?
I love that she doesn't live in Hollywood and avoids it at all costs. That says something about her to me. I really like that.
I won't see it until it comes out on DVD and I probably will see it then because I would like to see what all the fuss is about :)
OK first of all I had the exact same expectations as you. I didn't read the book, but I wasn't about to buy into this hollywood contrived pseudo inspirational bullcrap. Somehow though, I got talked into seeing the movie and I came out even more annoyed for pretty much the same reasons that I went into it feeling.I wrote a bit about it in the ole blog yesterday. But like I said, I didn't read the book, I don't know much about the author, but I think I'm done caring about either... Maybe that makes me a negative nancy but oh well!
christ, all of you take the cake for being whiny. And narcissistic. And, well, sad.
Don't like the book? Awesome, shut up! No one cares!
Don't want to hear any of Gilbert's opinions on anything, great, me too! So why inflict your garbage on the rest of us?
I see no difference between any of you and the Gilbert you all profess to dislike.
Losers.
I love getting insulted by anonymous internet gangstas. Way to show some backbone. *rolls eyes*
Well played, well played.
HILARIOUS! You mention "the cockroach" here, and then get an anonymous comment, hmm. Good riddance to that one. Whew! Excellent review, from one who just spent many months on the Med dining, praying and loving herself- the book is weak.
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