Slog - Comments on Reading Tonight

Comment by Paul Constant

Paul Constant — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:09:17 -0800

That's some fine work, Exelizabeth. I'd like to second the Marcom reading. I have a friend in Oakland who takes a class that she teaches, and she sent me a text last night telling me I should go to the Marcom reading because she is "beautiful and terrifying" and also that "She is my horrible and holy dictator." That's some sort of great endorsement.

Comment by tsm

tsm — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:11:56 -0800

I tried following Shamu's example and letting out haunting moans all winter on the corner of Broadway and Harrison to attract women. It was very, very successful.

Comment by exelizabeth

exelizabeth — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:15:30 -0800

You know, I bet "She is my horrible and holy dictator" could also work for the Shamu book.

TSM: sounds hot.

Comment by Giffy

Giffy — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:18:32 -0800

To be fair, like Shamu, I tend to stand erect at the scent of raw fish.

Comment by ahava

ahava — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:23:15 -0800

I think I read something by the Shamu lady in the NY Times a couple of years ago. Intriguing, but my husband won't cooperate -- even with the promise of sardines and krell.

Lois Lowry was great on KUOW and now I feel compelled to go see her in person.

Comment by David Schmader

David Schmader — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:27:22 -0800

Hurrah for you, very well done. (And if the secret subtext was "Remember this if Paul Constant gets crushed by a bus or hired by Harper's," point taken.)

Comment by Paul Constant

Paul Constant — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:30:55 -0800

@Schmader, I don't think those two options--the bus and Harper's--are mutually exclusive: When Stephen King got hit by a truck, he wound up finally being published by the New Yorker, in what was the literary equivalent of a pity fuck.

Comment by Ruby

Ruby — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:37:45 -0800

I read about the Shamu book a year ago, and it didn't seem particularly hetero or women must train men or women and men can't communicate. She tried training techniques on her husband (because he was conveniently there) and they worked, and then when she explained it to him, a couple of weeks later, he used the same technique to 'train' her. She used it on her kids too.

Comment by Nora

Nora — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:42:46 -0800

Actually...

The whole point of positive reinforcement training (i.e. clicker training) is to ignore behavior you don't want and reward behavior you do. This also teaches YOU patience and how not to sweat the small stuff.

BTW, this is also the theme of an odd little 1962 flick called "If a Man Answers", with Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee.

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:48:23 -0800

The only thing I learned from Shamu is that a large warm wet tongue is helpful, but when you bite, bite down hard and rend.

I don't think it's working.

Comment by jewritto

jewritto — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:56:21 -0800

I read The Giver at least twice a year. One of the best YA books ever published.

Comment by hairyson

hairyson — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:04:29 -0800

@7
Stephen King had a few stories in the New Yorker in the '90s, pre-hit-by-van-man-with-dogs.

Coincidentally, Paul Constant, did you know that Stephen King constantly addresses his reading audience as "Constant Reader"?

Comment by Paul Constant

Paul Constant — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:18:49 -0800

@hairyson: I didn't know that. I thought the NY did a better job of keeping the riffraff out. But Stephen King didn't really get the critical approval until he got hit by the crazy man. (He still doesn't deserve it.) And I did know that he refers to his audience as Constant Reader, but we are all of us in the shadow of Dorothy Parker, godblesser.

Comment by picky

picky — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:31:18 -0800

Not to be a twit, but I'm guessing that the publishers got Amy's last name right on the cover of the book. But maybe they messed up and you're using her real name?

Comment by hairyson

hairyson — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:34:54 -0800

@Paul Constant: I'd say he's gotten some praise but not much approval. I enjoy a lot of his stuff. I don't know Dorothy Parker. But after millions of NYer words on olive oil and metal recycling, some occasional humor, in addition to Anthony Lane, is welcome.

Comment by exelizabeth

exelizabeth — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:47:54 -0800

@14, whoops, point taken! I've emailed them to ask them to fix it. I'm going on about 3 hours of sleep right now, so expect more and even more egregious errors.

And David, my not-so-secret subtext is generally just, "I am awesome" (though prone to types), but if people translate that into giving me jobs, I have no objections. But I wish no ill towards Paul Constant.

Comment by exelizabeth

exelizabeth — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:49:13 -0800

Erm, "typos," not "types." Though I think I illustrated my point.

Comment by ali

ali — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:12:12 -0800

amy sutherland was on npr a week ago talking up the shamu theory, and while it's my tendency to ignore women talking about men as though they're animals to be molded by their significant other, she did have some good things to say about the importance of letting people know what you want from them and not being too distracted to react positively when someone does something you like. makes sense.

Comment by jackseattle

jackseattle — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:51:01 -0800

@18 yes I agree.
psychology is the science of common sense