The Friday Wrap-up, which is only 50% book related

I’m sure you’re ready for me to leave the subject of books,  book publicity, book signings, and selling books, and I respect that.  Although, I will just throw this last thing in there:  I went to Barnes & Noble in Santa Monica on Wednesday (I know you’re going to think I was looking for my own book, and I totally wasn’t—I went in there for something else, but believe what you want), and I happened upon this “writer’s dream come true” discovery—yes, folks, Barnes & Noble on the 3rd Street Promenade has 14 copies of Hollywood Car Wash, and they are turned out on the shelf, so casual adventurers into the fiction section can see them.  Yowza!  Here is a picture of that, because I am a dork and took one.  If I could have taken a photo of myself “This Guy-ing” that shelf, you know I would totally have done it.  Come to think of it, maybe I will have Stephan go with me this weekend and take that very photo.  So, thanks to everyone who has bought the novel (or the website book! Let us never forget about the other book!), has written to say nice things on Facebook, or who has generally been supportive.  As I’m sure I might have mentioned once or twice, it is pretty hard to write two books and get them published, so every nice thing or thought means something to me.

Oh, also—this is important as well.  I was asked to write a music playlist for Hollywood Car Wash for the completely awesome music blog “Large Hearted Boy,” and am happy to tell you that you can now see that at:  http://www.largeheartedboy.com.  I’m super excited to have been included in this program, which has also seen the likes of Bret Easton Ellis, Augusten Burroughs, and Mei-Ling Hopgood.    This gave me a chance to combine my two favorite things—music and writing—so you know I was all over that.  Go over there and read it—I think you will like it, and the site is a great find (lots of cool people, good music, and free downloads).  Bookmark it!

And now, on to the next topic—the real reason I went down to the Promenade (besides to see if my book was on the Barnes & Noble shelf, because you think that anyway) was to try on a pair of shoes that I’d read about, but that I was afraid would take away all my irony if I purchased them.  They are called Shape Ups, and they are by Skechers, and yes—they totally look like Frankenstein shoes, but, I bought them, and I’ll be damned if they aren’t totally toning my legs.

Let me back up.  I don’t have a gym membership because gyms kind of gross me out, with the germs and the sweaty people grunting, and the music, and the having to wait in line for machines.  Also, in Los Angeles I find that there is a tacit and not so healthy competition among women at the gym, and this really detracts from the reason you would exercise in the first place.  So, my primary source of working out is walking, which I do for four miles, every day, with the dog, outside.  Luckily it’s usually pretty nice outside, but I have been known to do this in the rain, when it’s really cold, and in the dark.  Once I really started the walking habit, now I can’t stop.  But, when I read about these “Shape Up” shoes, I thought—“wow, maybe I could add another layer to my four miles,” so I went to go try them on, and liked them so much I made the investment.

That’s not to say that they’re not dorky-looking, because they totally are.  I am compelled to wear long jeans to try to cover over them, because otherwise I would laugh at myself if I looked down.   The basic concept behind these shoes is that the soles are curved, so while you’re walking it simulates you walking on a soft surface like sand, which works out your legs even more.  I have to say, they actually work really well, and I am already noticing a difference.

But, back to the irony, or lack thereof.  Stephan has already invented a name for them—“THE GROOVE SHOES,” and he must yell this every time he sees me in them.    They do look a little like shoes you would wear if one of your legs was longer than the other, actually, or like the kind of shoes that Shaggy from Scooby Doo would wear.  And, like I said, I have been compelled to cover them up with pants for fear that someone (maybe myself) will see me in them, think I am not aware of how they look, and laugh at me, which I would too if I saw someone just cruising down the street wearing these shoes.

The people at Skechers, bless their hearts, have come up with a brochure that I think was intended to ease you through this process by showing other people wearing their Shape Ups in normal settings, but I have to say, for me this had the opposite effect, and now I just feel bad for the people who are in the ads.  Also, the shoes come with a DVD, which I ACTUALLY WATCHED, about other exercises you can do if you’re wearing the shoes but not actually in the middle of walking, like rolling back and forth on your toes.  The people in that video also look like models and I’m certain they are—in fact, I will mention at this point that in the early nineties (while paying for college), I appeared in several of these “training” type videos, one of which was for “what to do if you get robbed while working in Taco Bell.”   During the filming of videos like this, I don’t know why, but they always put a ton of makeup on all the actors, like “we’re going to make you as pretty as possible, then put you in training-type situations.”  The overall effect is strange and distancing, both if you’re appearing in the video or just watching it to learn how to work your brand-new shoes.

And with that, have a wonderful weekend!

• Category: What I'm Up To, in Case You're Wondering