bittermuch?

yeah, Julia Roberts is almost disappointingly normal. Saw her live and in person once and never would have thought someone who looked like that could clean up so well, much less pass as a glamorous movie star. I used to hate her, in part because I thought she was overrated, but also because I saw her speak at a screening of one of her movies (might have been Flatliners? I don't remember now) at UCLA when I was a sophomore. She was totally clueless, impressed with herself, and a complete bitch. I think it was right around the time she did Hook, when she was getting very bad press for being a flaky cokehead diva. She seems to have become more level-headed and down-to-earth over the years, or maybe she's just more savvy in how she presents herself. And I kill plants.

Just finished A Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg. Meh. Kinda superficial and disappointing, because there were some characters and relationships that had the potential to be interesting. Moving on to Atonement by Ian McEwan.

Ok, so for a while I was being really good about my compulsive book-buying. Mostly because I was (and am) boycotting Amazon.com. But about a month ago, I broke down and started looking on barnesandnoble.com whenever I heard about a book that sounded interesting and AAAAAAAA. Yesterday I ordered no only An Illuminated Life but also another book by the same author that also sounded interesting. I need a support group or something twelve-step.

I give her extra points for dressing not just as Joan of Arc, but as Joan of Arc from The Smiths' song.

Hmmmm I notice MTV is airing it again this Saturday night. Wondering if I should skip it and wait until I can see it live.

Anyone seen this?

Finished Out. Really liked it, although I'm iffy on the ending at the moment.

So far, I'm not scared, although I was a bit queasy ...

At soho's recommendation, I started Natsuo Kirino's Out on a couple of flights over the weekend. I'm about halfway through and think it's a great read.

um...cellular regression?

Ooh, good to know. I have read mixed reviews.

This is going to sound bad, but basically once Weiner had a kid in real life her books fell off. JMO, of course. See Jennifer Weiner's blog

I did not like Goodnight, Nobody, either (although I practically read it in one sitting). Don't give up on Weiner, though - Good in Bed and In Her Shoes are both worth reading. I'm reading Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood. Seriously, I never drank as much as she does in the book, but some of her behavior and thought-processes are uncomfortably familiar (especially when she describes moving into the dorms).

Ben Stiller most certainly is a giant douchebag, but I am sure he didn't "fire" Owen Wilson. I'm sure they simply had to go forward without him.

I think this is the case with a lot of professional women, particularly ones working in traditionally male-dominated fields. One woman I know basically dresses most days like a poorly-dressed man - polo shirts and too-big khakis. I tend to think it's somewhat calculated - she wants to be judged on her merits, not on her appearance or her gender, so she dresses in the way many of the men working in her field dress. A lot of young professional women, particularly petite ones, are also concerned with looking older and thus having more credibility. I remember preparing for trial on a very sensitive case as part of a trial team led by an extremely seasoned trial lawyer. A couple of days before the first day of trial, the lead lawyer held a meeting where he actually instructed us on what not to wear. No clothing that looked too expensive or flashy. Minimal jewelry for women. Conservative, plain suits, exposing minimal flesh. Nothing distracting - everything clean, pressed, mended.

Seriously. My lunch is usually either leftovers from dinner the night before or something I prepped quickly on Sunday afternoon after grocery shopping. I hate wasting time, money and calories on mediocre food when I can bring my own! I think some people are lazy or just don't like cooking or shopping, and exploit somewhat valid excuses (like children, busy jobs, etc.) beyond all reason. Something has to be cut from the daily agenda, so they choose the things they don't like rather than cutting TV time, other recreation, etc. I know I find it really easy to postpone cleaning my home office and dealing with bills. With some people, some what seems like "laziness" could be a manifestation of chronic depression. Other people just flat out do not have taste (e.g. the woman who insisted on dressing like she was 21).

I have very similar experiences - most of the female attorneys in my office dress VERY casually and frumpily when they are not going to court (when they dress in frumpy suits). And I've been the recipient of the "gee, wish I had the time / money to dress nicely" or the "wow, you are so dressed up" comments. It doesn't help that boyfriend's ex is an absolutely horrifically bad dresser - although she always has something new - and that she and the pseudo in-laws always comment about my apparent spare time / spare money. Bleh. But if I nominated her for "What Not to Wear" (in her case it should be what TO wear: a damned bra!), I'd be the bitch. Sigh. Of course, I also get the "wish I had the time" comments when I pull my lunch out of the work fridge, so...

There was a very interesting article in EW a week or so ago about Sean Young, and how, had it not been for James Woods and everyone else being out to get her, she would have been Julia Roberts. The accompanying photos are good, but unfortunately she looks like a man in drag in most of them.

Just finished The Memory Keeper's Daughter. Very readable, fairly satisfying. Could be sappy and irritatingly simplistic at times, but overall I thought relatively good and worth reading.

Timberlake's Arco concert postponed Justin Timberlake will not be performing at a concert tonight at Arco Arena. Timberlake's 2007 FutureSex/Loveshow World Tour was scheduled for 7:30 p.m., with Good Charlotte opening the show, but the show has been re-scheduled for Sept. 25. According to a press release, the pop star has postponed his concert tonight at Arco Arena due to "a doctor mandated several day vocal rest prescribed to the artist to repair vocal strain inflicted during his MTV VMA performance and months of rigorous touring." Timberlake won an MTV Video Music Award for best male artist in Las Vegas on Sunday night where he was the picture of health. Timberlake also postponed his San Jose concert, which was set for Wednesday. That show's been pushed to Sept. 23. -- Chris Macias

Not to mention I'd cut the bitch who airbrushed my boobs smaller.

Gorged on books this weekend - finished An Innocent Man (very good but very depressing), then read The Dive from Claussen's Pier (pretty good) and The Rest of Her Life (started out meh but got a lot better).

No, I haven't. I'll have to look for that this weekend. Thanks!

What Atwood would you particularly recommend? I have loved all the books of hers that I've read - Alias Grace, The Robber Bride, The Blind Assassin, Handmaid's Tale, Cat's Eye - but it's been a while since I've read them and I'm not sure which of her other books to pick up next. (Gosh, it's been so long since I've read most of the ones that I listed that I probably could go back and read them again).

Just started that John Grisham book The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town and am about 80 pages in. So far, very involving.