Hug a newspaper today

Like a lot of families, Rigel and I have had to find ways to cut our expenses during the past year. There were some necessities I absolutely wasn't willing to let go of, like my uncontrollable Starbucks habit or HBO -- I didn't see the point of going on if I couldn't have my double-cappuccinos and True Blood. But there were a few things I thought could be wiped from our budget, and after a lot of thought we decided we really could live without the daily delivery of Kobe beef and our live-in masseuse. We were sad to see Olaf go but he did get a nice severance package and a Tupperware full of ribeyes before he left.

One of the other luxuries we decided to cut back on was our subscription to The Los Angeles Times. Since we get most of our news online now, sometimes at the end of the week we'd just end up with a stack of unopened papers. But we weren't willing to give it up altogether, so we decided to still have the paper delivered on Thursday through Sunday. Also, I liked the illusion of being well-read that the paper sitting in our driveway gives us. Shallow, I know, but if the only time your neighbors saw you was when you were taking your kids school in your pajamas, a little culture PR could go a long way.

Besides helping to impress our neighbors, the Times is also where I can find one of my favorite columnists, Chris Erskine. His 'Man Of The House' feature is really one of the only reasons I get out of bed on Saturday, and without it Rigel would have to go back to leaving a trail of bacon pieces leading out of the bedroom.

And sure I could always read it online, but then I'd miss the pleasure of sitting down with a cup of coffee and paper in hand to read things like this:

I have never seen so many sober moms in one place as at the end-of-the-year school carnival the other day — a frightening and unexpected sight. Usually, to assemble a gaggle of women of this caliber, you need to be serving adult drinks. Some of these women haven't had a beverage in years that didn't have a salted rim. Others wear wine on their lips like Chanel. When you kiss them hello, it's like kissing Tuscany full on the mouth. Bottoms up. Yum.

Listen, I'm not being judgmental, for the warmer months are upon us, and doctors say it's important to keep your fluids up. 

That even made my Tuesday much better.

But there are other reasons for hanging on to our subscription, like being able to see my niece's byline in this magazine every week. Also, with many saying that newspapers wll be all but gone in the near future, I like to think I'm doing my small part to keep them alive -- I hate the thought of my future grandchildren not being able to wake up to a newspaper waiting for them on the front step.  And that right there is almost worth giving up my daily steak and backrub.
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tags: los angeles times | chris erskine | man of the house

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Totally Unsolicited Review of a Book That I Paid Full Price For

On Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, we were all pretty much useless. Wiping up mashed potatoes and cleaning thirty-people's-worth of dishes can really take it out of you, and I had vowed to declare it Stay In Your Pajamas All Day day, to which Rigel replied, "Well, just Saturday to you." Why, if I wasn't so exhausted I would have slapped him with that pie pan I had I just finished licking clean.

But he finally convinced me to get dressed by luring me out with the promise of a cappuccino, so an hour later we found ourselves at Barnes and Noble, sipping coffees and keeping an eye on the pervy-looking guy hanging around the teen section where our girls were. You know the one - bad skin, wearing a plaid shirt and trying to look interested in that book he's holding in his calloused hands. Mister, I don't know who you think you're fooling but there is no way in hell you're reading Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

(I swore up and down that I wouldn't buy any new books, since the stack of unread ones next to my bed is five feet tall. Hey look - there's this great new book called Shogun I've been meaning to read!)

But then I came across Carrie Fisher's new memoir, Wishful Drinking, and after perusing the first few pages I decided I had to buy it. She talks about her life as a child of Hollywood royalty, and this little bit is my favorite: It's about how her dad Eddie Fisher cheated on her mom, Debbie Reynolds with Elizabeth Taylor (who was married to Mike Todd at the time):

"...Mike Todd took off in a private plane in a rainstorm, and the following morning Elizabeth was a widow. Well, naturally my father flew to Elizabeth's side, gradually making his way slowly to her front. He first dried her eyes with his handkerchief, then he consoled her with flowers, and he ultimately consoled her with his penis."

You can see why I absolutely had to have this book, and I highly recommend that you get a copy for yourself. Or, I can lend you mine when I'm done - I need to make room for this other new book I've heard is great - Moby Dick.

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tags: carrie fisher | wishful drinking | books i like

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