So Much Fun!

I'm declaring this the year of the lady book! Just five months after reading Tina Fey's book (which taught me a few things and I still recommend if you haven't picked it up), I have finished Mindy Kaling's equally funny book.

Before I get into it, I want to be clear about something: I adore Mindy in a way that I want to sit next to her on the sofa while watching bad television and shopping online and eating cheese and drinking wine. I have previously noted how brilliant she is on Twitter. Don't go calling the police. I don't want to kidnap Mindy. I just want to keep peeking into her pretty, pink, shiny world. So, please understand my dilemma here. I want to gush about how much I loved this book without sounding like a creepy stalker or crazy person.

Now that I have this book, I can always reflect on how similar we actually are. For starters, she shared some photos of young Mindy - like this one on the back of the book.

Like Mindy, I am not afraid to share my young me pictures. Here's one:

Since I can't just post that without the back story, I'll tell you the short version. This was my curly hair before the awesome arsenal of products available now. My mom fixed my hair, then sent me to preschool for pictures. She told me something like, "Everything will be fine if they don't brush your hair." Of all the things my mom has told me, that has stuck with me - probably the best advice my mom has ever given me. Picture little me standing in line waiting for my picture. Then comes the teacher with a hair brush. Before I can say anything, she has put the brush to my hair (this was also in a time when parents didn't freak out about one hair brush being used on dozens of kids). I freak out. I scream. I cry. Then, I'm slid onto the little stool for my picture. You can't tell here, but in the original, you can actually see tears in my eyes. Can you also tell this was before Photoshop? I imagine school pictures now wipe away crazy hair and pimples (you kids these days are SO lucky!).

Back to Mindy.

She shares tails of failing. At work. At fashion. At skinniness. But none of it stops her. ARE YOU KIDS LISTENING? If you think success comes from a reality show, you are bound to fail and wind up one one of those "Whatever happened to..." reality shows before a stop at Dr. Drew's rehab spa. I know failure. My recovery time is apparently longer than Mindy's. That's why I'm here - blogging about nonsensical things - and not finishing that book I started writing.

Other highlights:

• I seriously hope she's writing a screenplay called Crest Whitestrips. I would totally watch while wearing them. Plus, you'd get a happy ending - WHITE TEETH! Come on! What other movie could give you that?
• I agree with Mindy on the one night stand thing. TRUE STORY: A super annoying intern started a blog and went into great detail about a one night stand. Maybe it was her bad writing or maybe it was because I knew her, but the second I read the words "I met this great guy," I knew it wouldn't end well. Then, I (anonymously) replied that if she was going to write about such things, she should make her blog anonymous. It was sad. It as predictable. And, unless she found some way to wipe that post from the internets forever, it might turn up in a really good search by a prospective employer. Won't catch me doing that - blogging about a one night stand because I don't do that. 
• You karaoke lovers need to take note of Mindy's chapter on this. Why? Because NO ONE wants to hear you tackle a seven minute song (with a four minute music piece in the middle - unless you're going to do a well-choreographed dance there). If karaoke clubs really cared, they'd edit those out to spare us from that moment.

I have one question for Mindy: What happened to Mavis? I hope these two have been reunited and that it does feel good to have a childhood friend back in the rotation. I had a few girls I was good friends with as a kid but haven't regained contact with - not even on Facebook. It's like they're gone. Or probably married with a new name that I don't know. I'M STILL ME! FIND ME, GIRLS!

I have just one complaint about this book. It uses a word I just don't like. The C word. Not that one. Crotch. It's just an awful sounding word. It sounds harsh. It's in this weird word mystery space - not medical, not sexy. Just ick. 

One last thing. Even if you run out and buy this book (and I hope that you will), my copy is better than yours.

Yep. Autographed. I wish I could say that was from an in-person event where I said nothing but great things to Mindy, but it's not. I bought the book straight from her publisher and got that signed sticker to insert in my copy. I'm not complaining about that. Not even complaining that I paid full price for this book (no discount by the big bookstore, no coupon, no free shipping). Because this was worth it.

Mindy has scored a spot next to Tina Fey on my book shelf.