Follow up: Cry Pushers and Bookshelves.
1. I think the response regarding Cry Pushers was interesting.
Mainly, I was curious about the response regarding men crying. Now, this is just an observation on my part and not solely limited to the observations made from the comments…but it seems like, in general, women don’t mind a guy who cries over death or a real life dramatic event – and tearing up in a movie is okay – but outright crying over general stress or outright crying from a movie is unacceptable. Is that right? I find that very interesting.
Personally…I never cry over my own situation. Or, at least, I can’t remember the last time I did. I just feel I have very little to be upset about. It isn’t that my life is all butterscotch and whiskey, it’s just …well, it’s pretty darn good and I’m pretty darn happy and I consider myself very, very lucky.
But there is something that does make me cry, almost without fail – well, maybe not cry outright but I tear up and get upset. If I see my mother or my sister cry, it makes me feel lousy. Just lousy. It’s the worst. How could anyone stand it? Ugh, that’s misery, seeing someone that hurt.
The other odd thing…I don’t really cry when upset but I do definitely have a bad physical reaction. Twice in my life, I’ve received news that upset me very badly. My reaction? I threw up. I just walked into the bathroom and got sick. Then I walked out and took care of business. Weird, huh? Throwing up is the new crying.
2. Okay, I took more pictures of books and included a random fact with each picture – some more revealing than you’d typically see from me. Oh well. Since I’m now posting body parts, what’s a few random facts? They are behind the cut to spare you.
You can click to enlarge any of these. So…here’s the first picture. You may have been able to tell from the previous picture I posted that I studied medical ethics. Random Fact: I have a biology degree and a philosophy degree. Seemed like a natural merging of the subjects.
I love travel and I love languages. Next trip is either to Southeast Asia or Egypt with Bev and Chris. Random Fact: The little black book next to the Rosetta Stone Spanish was given to me by Besos and teaches me how to say bad things in Spanish. Languages FTW!
Random books, many covering interviews by Bill Moyers. Random Fact: I was fortunate enough to attend the opening of Annie Leibovitz’s Women at the Corcoran in Washington D.C. almost exactly 10 years ago. I remember walking in to a huge picture of L’il Kim. Fantastic female forms.
BigLittleWolf – this one is for you. Random Fact: The Prophet was a gift from a woman. And Still I Rise was a gift from a woman. The Wasteland was a gift from a woman. And I bought the Neruda Love Sonnets because of a woman. heh.
Random assortment of books. Random Fact: The Magic Mountain made me notice a woman’s hands.
Law stuff. And Bibles/Theology readings. I believe you can not consider yourself truly well-read of Western Literature unless/until you (have) read the bible. There is so much of its influence in literature today. I do not practice any religion. Random Fact: I have a Theology degree. Apparently, I spent a portion of my life collecting degrees for which there was no real income potential. Well, okay, the law degree – that panned out well.
Another random assortment of books below. @Sandra – there is your dog training book. Also…my job mainly entails a lot of negotiation. Random Fact: Little Filthy has not learned a thing from that book despite how many times he’s read it.
Books used when I created my website as well as books on photography. Random Fact: I have taken a picture of food that was used on the front page of Epicurious.
Random mix below. Random Fact: The thin book to the right of The Da Vinci Code is a Playboy magazine I picked up in Germany. I decided that I would start a collection of Playboys from various countries to which I traveled. I started with Germany. I ended with Germany. Let’s just say that German Playboy …well, yeah. Need I say more?
So, yeah, that’s it. What’s it say about me?
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Just a random attorney writing about daily life with Little Filthy, my rotten dog.
October 12th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Butterscotch and whiskey, eh? Throwing up is the new crying, eh? [shaking head] You crack me up, RE.
Interesting collection of books, for sure. I think they say you are well-read, educated, and mysterious (or maybe just confused).
October 12th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
1. Have you read all those books? Every single one?
2. Why do you have a shelf of law school books? I have not had a law school book on my shelf since about a day after my last final. They serve no purpose so you should fill that shelf with something else. And don’t give me no ‘I use it as a reference’ crap. Cause you know that’s crap.
October 12th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
@KissyFace – Oh man, imagine if throwing up really was the new crying. I can tell you right now, I’d never go see a bummer movie at the theatre.
@Instigator – I just had to turn and look to see the books again. I did not finish House of Leaves. Or Closing Time. For some reason, neither clicked with me. Have not read all of every book – for instance, I haven’t read all of the Thomas Merton poems or all of Gray’s, etc. As for the law books – There are there simply to fill the bookcase and because once I put them there, I haven’t much thought about them. Same thing with the bibles, really.
October 13th, 2009 at 8:16 am
I’m agree with KissyFace- you are mysterious and/or confused- but very very interesting either way!
October 13th, 2009 at 8:20 am
@kissyface and @denise – I gotta ask….how do books make me mysterious? And why do they make me seem confused?
October 13th, 2009 at 8:43 am
You really need to get on Little Filthy about finishing what he starts. You may be creating another bad habit!
You sure get a lot of stuff from women. You must be very popular!
October 13th, 2009 at 8:45 am
All my bookshelves say about me is that I refuse to get rid of books. And therefore have a somewhat odd and embarrassing collection of things. I also have three 5-shelf bookshelves in my apartment which are filled (or would be if I put away all the books laying around in my bedroom one day).
Needless to say compared to my weirdness, yours looks downright impressive.
October 13th, 2009 at 10:02 am
“Mysterious” and “confused.” Two highly underrated qualities.
LOVE your bookshelves. (I bet there are more.)
My law books are half french, half English. Go figure.
Read SHIPPING NEWS by Annie Proulx. It’s poetry. Amazing stuff.
October 13th, 2009 at 11:16 am
You are very well read RE. Great collection of books.
October 13th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
I just went and looked at my shelves.
I have some books I’m a bit embarrassed to admit I own (specifically chick lit), The Chronicles of Narnia and all the Harry Potter books, a bunch of photography books, a bunch of music books, a bunch of professional books, some religious books, and a bunch of books by Nick Bantock.
I doubt ‘bunch’ is the proper term for a group of books.
October 13th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Thank you for giving us the whole picture, although I have a feeling you probably pulled a couple of erotic books off the shelf before snapping them.
Aren’t some of your law books outdated ?
As I promised, I will get a picture of my full collection once I feel a little better. I just need to drive to storage.
I guess I am a little old fashioned, I grew up believing that men don’t cry unless it’s life or death.
Most of my crying is in private.
October 13th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Oh, and I just read the other comments, I love Instigator’s comment. I was just trying to be a little nicer about it………
October 13th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Holy Crapola. Now my books look totally lame. Lamer than before. I mean the last post was bad enough with all of your philosophy-show-off-how-smart-I-am on my bookshelf. But I’m not ashamed so you know what I’ll post some of mine anyways.
There is another surprise there too. It has to do with caramel-candy goodness.
October 13th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
#5 RE: Your books make you seem mysterious because you have such a varied collection. They make you seem confused because you have such a varied collection. The titles are all so…random. Oh.shut.my.mouth. That *is* your name. Your Randomness. Silly us.
(By the way, I agree with BLW: “Mysterious” and “confused” are highly underrated qualities. They’re not bad by any means.)
#6 Danielle: RE *is* very popular with the women-folk. He’s quite a handsome dude (in my dreams, anyway…I’ve never met him personally).
October 13th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
@Danielle – You know what women give me the most? A headache.
@Jane Wonder – I demand pictures!
@BigLittleWolf – I read The Shipping News a long time ago. I remember enjoying it but not much else. Oh, and I remember that the movie left me EH.
@Linda – You’re very kind; thank you.
October 13th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
@Phoe – I have the Harry Potter books, too. They’re on a different bookshelf – right above the liquor. No kidding.
@Sandra – I don’t own or read any erotic books. I find that women feel better in my hands than books that make me wish I had a woman in my hands.
@MissMegs – Now I need to take a picture of that eyeball. Great color. Come to Chicago!
@Kissyface – Ahhh, then I will embrace ‘mysterious’ and ‘confused’ wholeheartedly now!