Wednesday, July 30, 2008 Digging for Happiness POST A COMMENT I've been trying to keep up with reading one book a week - although, it usually turns into two books a month. This week it's about the trappings of fame, from Playwright Theresa Rebeck -(known for her black comedy)... In her first novel: Three Girls and Their Brother — 'which has been described as "a fizzy satire of celeb-obsessed NYC about flame-haired teenage sisters who get photographed for The New Yorker and soon become megastars...." The book has annoying-first-person points of view from four-of-the-most-annoying self-absorbed teenagers imaginable -- think Paris Hilton but void of any humanity; or a really bad episode of that aw full CW show "Gossip Girl." The story starts off with a picture of three sisters and an article in the New Yorker declaring them the “It Girls of the Twentieth Century” - It has very little description and almost all dialogue...so, it moves very very fast if you can get past the annoying characters that is. The only thing that saves this book is the writer's bits of humor...I mean these Three girls pretty much live in this empty-bubble of blah and then get seduced by "fame"...and still remain dead inside. It's one thing to look at tabloid pictures of Paris Hilton being famous for no reason at....'but can you imagine living in her head for more than a minute? But, like the rest of us slobs these characters keep-on digging for happiness...albeit, in a shallow, brainless kinda way. ** Speaking of digging for happiness: Here are a few happiness tips - (from Hesketh Pearson’s The Smith of Smiths): ** In a letter dated 1820, Smith wrote to an unhappy friend...and offers tips for cheering up 1st. Live as well as you dare. 2nd. Go into the shower-bath with a small quantity of water at a temperature low enough to give you a slight sensation of cold, 75 or 80 degrees. 3rd. Amusing books. 4th. Short views of human life—not further than dinner or tea. 5th. Be as busy as you can. 6th. See as much as you can of those friends who respect and like you. 7th. And of those acquaintances who amuse you. 8th. Make no secret of low spirits to you friends, but talk of them freely—they are always worse for dignified concealment. 9th. Attend to the effects tea and coffee produce upon you. 10th. Compare your lot with that of other people. I like think we can find happiness -- outside of fame -- and keeping busy, comparing your lot with that of others seem like good tips for a muggy summer day. Source: The Happiness Project Labels: The Happiness Project, Trends, what I'm reading posted by Henry Cruz at 3:01 PM 0 Comments: Post a Comment << Home     ARCHIVES October 2005 . November 2005 . December 2005 . August 2007 . September 2007 . October 2007 . November 2007 . December 2007 . March 2008 . April 2008 . May 2008 . June 2008 . July 2008 . August 2008 . September 2008 .