L'oversimplification
Mar. 25th, 2008 05:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
penfield"There is a saying in the entertainment industry: 'Faster, better, cheaper -- you can only have two." Unfortunately, the same principle applies to romantic partners, with the corresponding categories of sexy, smart and sane. The tendency of some (me) is to go for the first two and damn the torpedoes. The consequences of doing so, however, can be more emotionally nightmarish than an H.P. Lovecraft story, crossed with a Manson Family acid trip and directed by David Lynch."
- Todd Hanson (Former head writer of The Onion), Things More Majestic and Terrible Than You Could Ever Imagine, from the book Things I've Learned from Women Who've Dumped Me.
I recently heard -- by which I mean "read" via audiobook -- the book Things I've Learned from Women Who've Dumped Me, a collection of humorous entries edited by former Daily Show producer Ben Karlin.
Actually, they aren't all humorous. Some of them are downright stupid (like the one about the guy and his newborn daughter, or the one about the guy and his cat) and some of them are too tragic and visceral to be funny (like the one about the fat kid, or the one about the guy's girlfriend and her tutor). But some of them are genuinely funny, in a gimmicky way (like the partially redacted one) or in a starkly revelatory way (like the one excerpted above[*]).
I should also note that while there is a faint undercurrent of misogyny throughout, the book is generally respectful -- if not grateful -- to the women who inspired its contents. Had I been asked to contribute my own story to such a volume, I'd like to think that I would take the high road, reflecting on my experiences with grace, perspective, maturity and kindness. But, more likely, I would have simply submitted this story. (More than three years later, it still holds up, although I'll tease you by telling you that one of the women in this script is indeed my current roommate.)
The excerpt above about "sexy, smart and sane" intrigues me, not because I think it holds much more than a glimmer of truth (I do, truthfully, think my beloved is all three) but because it's one of those brain teasers that gets us to think about what we truly value. And there are no wrong answers. So answer the question (girls can play, too):
- Todd Hanson (Former head writer of The Onion), Things More Majestic and Terrible Than You Could Ever Imagine, from the book Things I've Learned from Women Who've Dumped Me.
I recently heard -- by which I mean "read" via audiobook -- the book Things I've Learned from Women Who've Dumped Me, a collection of humorous entries edited by former Daily Show producer Ben Karlin.
Actually, they aren't all humorous. Some of them are downright stupid (like the one about the guy and his newborn daughter, or the one about the guy and his cat) and some of them are too tragic and visceral to be funny (like the one about the fat kid, or the one about the guy's girlfriend and her tutor). But some of them are genuinely funny, in a gimmicky way (like the partially redacted one) or in a starkly revelatory way (like the one excerpted above[*]).
I should also note that while there is a faint undercurrent of misogyny throughout, the book is generally respectful -- if not grateful -- to the women who inspired its contents. Had I been asked to contribute my own story to such a volume, I'd like to think that I would take the high road, reflecting on my experiences with grace, perspective, maturity and kindness. But, more likely, I would have simply submitted this story. (More than three years later, it still holds up, although I'll tease you by telling you that one of the women in this script is indeed my current roommate.)
The excerpt above about "sexy, smart and sane" intrigues me, not because I think it holds much more than a glimmer of truth (I do, truthfully, think my beloved is all three) but because it's one of those brain teasers that gets us to think about what we truly value. And there are no wrong answers. So answer the question (girls can play, too):
