Eat, Pray...

You would have to be living under a rock to not have heard about the book (and now the movie) Eat, Pray, Love. I read it before the hype. I'm not trying to say I'm all cutting edge or a trend setter. A friend recommended it to me in November of 2007 when I was in the depths of hell with my spontaneous marriage combustion. At first I didn't identify with the book. There was no "event", she was just married to a guy that sounded really boring. My friend raved about the book so I plowed on. I don't feel like I am at risk for spoiling the book--you can tell what happens by the title (and the majority of the females in the United States have read it...it is kinda like everyone owned a copy of Fleetwood Mac Rumors in the mid to late 70's and knew the words to every song). 

When we were 12 we used to laugh at his balls...

I have been really struck by how this book has taken off. Don't get me wrong--I liked it. Still, it intrigues me that the theme resonates with so many people. She breaks up, eats, looks for meaning and then falls in love again. I am being flip (my Mom used to say, "Don't be Flip with me Missy!") I've eaten and prayed in Tampa. Shit, do I have to get on a plane and go to Bali to love? I do have a lot of frequent flyer points, but I'm not sure if I can get that kind of time off. 

I went to see the movie while I was in New York. It was at a theater where one had to go up 4 escalator flights to get to the theatre. Before the movie started there were warnings about protecting your personal belongings with a small addition at the end of the warning about fire exits. My mind kept going to what if this place lights up? All I saw were those single file escalators. Then my mind went to the bed bug epidemic in the city. Were there creepy crawlies on the head rest? As my mind raced, the guy behind me began to kick the back of my seat. At home I would have turned around and politely said, "you may not realize it, but you are kicking my seat."  Not in New York. No way. He might be packing HEAT! But I digress...

I've read lots of reviews of the book and the movie. Some criticize Elizabeth Gilbert for being self centered. I just looked at her website to see if it is titled as a memoir (sister needs to get a new Web designer--her site sucks and I hate the font...), my point being, this is about her journey. It is going to be self centered. There was a woman reading the book sitting in front of me on the plane last night. She was in her mid 50's and married. I wondered out loud to Polly if the book made her wonder about her life, marriage and if she wanted to escape. Polly replied, "Yes, and I'm sure it's not the first time she's thought about it." Is that what scares people about this book? I used to work with a guy that told me he didn't want his wife to watch Oprah because when she did she would start to think and get crazy ideas. (Yes, he was an AssClown). Ironically, the book has been featured on Oprah a couple of times, confirming the fact that all roads lead back to Oprah. Reminds me, the book has also been the butt of many jokes and even made an appearance on South Park:

From Urban Dictionary...

Queef	7435 up, 768 down
	an expulsion of wind from the vulva during coitus; a vaginal fart. Rumor has it that Thea can queef the alphabet.

This post has been all over the place, but I am sure you, Dear Reader, have been able to follow.