I’ve been an avid reader for as long as I can remember, and one of the writers who deserves credit for this is Judy Blume. Her characters are imperfect and made even more so by puberty in all its hairy, bumpy details. They’re confused by their bodies, relationships, and life. Blume’s characters didn’t just get me - they were more me than I’d admit.
When I’ve read her work as an adult, I’m even more impressed by how well Blume remembered what it was like to be a kid who’s equally intrigued and scared about growing up. Many people forget what that was like. Or maybe they block it.
I finally met Judy Blume three years ago, and I was babbling and tearing up. It’s hard to tell a stranger how much you needed them and how much they came through. Especially in a few minutes from your place in a long line.
Tomorrow I’ll be in majestic Connecticut with another set of people who’ve kindly agreed to take me in. I haven’t spent Thanksgiving with my own family for the last seven years. It seems like a long time, but it’s always made sense. Traveling from far away for a one-day binge of carbs and quality time isn’t really ideal. I seldom get a half-day off before, anyway.
I’m very lucky to have picked up some really kind, inspiring friends between moving to NYC and being told this afternoon by a tourist, “I know you’re from here - you’re eating yogurt on the subway!” While I’m waiting for my ride, I’ve decided to bomb some friends’ Facebook walls and such with thanks. I’m channeling Ashton Kutcher and writing an explanation, followed by “You just got thank’d!” Feel free to follow suit.
Bravo to the people at Pixar for their It Gets Better video.
The It Gets Better Project really touches me, not only because I have gay friends who struggled to come out, but because I remember how difficult it was to grow up “different.” I was far from popular during my school years in Odem, Texas. And while I wasn’t bullied outright, I was definitely called names and felt isolated. I grew to be more self-conscious and distrustful than is healthy.
Even now, I’m living some version of that - a few people whose approval I crave tell me I’m wrong and stupid. They condemn whom I choose to spend my time with, and what I choose to spend my time doing. The It Gets Better videos sometimes forget to mention that there will always be people who will tell you that what and how and who you love is wrong.
Blogging every day is the easiest sort of hard, the easiest thing to not want to do when I get home.
Skydiving was nothing like I expected, and I’m hoping to have more pictures from someone in the group before I write the official “I didn’t shit my pants” post.
It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, so I immediately said “yes” when I got an invite a few days ago. Last night, I was talking to my as-yet-unnamed-and-unabbreviated boyfriend about it.
Him: So you’re ready to go skydiving Saturday?
Me: Oh, so we’re really doing that, huh?
Him: Yep. The class is at noon.
Me: Ah, cool. Kinda early.
Him: Yeah.
Me: So we’re doing this doing this?
Him: Yeah. Ready to jump out of a plane?
Me: You know, I hadn’t thought about that part…
I was thinking about the surviving-it-and-being-able-to-say-I’d-done-it-part. The part that’s more “Wooo!” than woozy.
I love the New York Public Library something fierce. Without fail, I’m there once a week.
When I got a question on Formspring about where I get my books, I actually thought a friend was playing a joke to get me all worked up. No one will admit to it, so I guess it was legit.
I haven’t come right out and blogged it, but I’m doing some work at Hunch these days. It’s a smart, fun start-up engineered by computer geniuses from MIT and other very smart people who will kick your ass at chess. It’s kind of hard to explain, but here’s the official description:
Hunch’s ambitious mission is to build a “taste graph” of the entire web, connecting every person on the web with their affinity for anything, from books to electronic gadgets to fashion or vacation spots. Hunch is at the forefront of combining algorithmic machine learning with user-curated content, with the goal of providing better recommendations for everyone.
Hunch provides personalized recommendations on tens of thousands of topics on Hunch.com and is now partnering with other companies to power custom recommendations on 3rd-party sites and applications.
I get a lot of email through my Contact page, and I’m terrible at answering it in a timely manner. Sorry!
Instead of writing a longer, single Ask Amanda post, today I’m answering a bunch of shorter questions. If you ever want a quicker response to a short question, try me on Formspring. It’s where I talk about the important issues, like what shampoo I use and how I really feel about poodles.
Here’s a question from Jay:
I’ve written before and love all of your writing. I see from your bookshelf that your reading is pretty varied. How do you choose your next book to read? I love to read also and am always looking for a good book to download onto the iPad.
Most Noisiest Passenger readers are people who either live or have lived in NYC or people who want to someday. I love giving advice from my own experience here, but everyone’s story is different.
I moved here with a job and two suitcases. That was it - no friends or family for many hundreds of miles. I found an apartment share through a random online service that might not be around anymore. I eventually found other jobs and my own apartments through the Internet and some blend of circumstance, preparation, and good luck. Stir well.
Awhile back, I read My First New York: Early Adventures in the Big City (As Remembered by Actors, Artists, Athletes, Chefs, Comedians, Filmmakers, Mayors, Models, Moguls, Porn Stars, Rockers, Writers, and Others), which originated as a New York Magazine feature story. The coming to NYC stories from various actors, writers, and other notables are addictive. I read them, thinking, “James Franco felt exactly like I did!” (I guess there really is a first time for everything - would that it were the beginning of a beautiful friendship).
