-Update on how you’re doing. What have you been writing?
-What is this teaching you, this being kept in place…. What shelter is it providing for your writing, your ideas?
-What did you write about Lawson, in your typed response?
-Lawson thoughts…. I’m dying to hear where you are feeling her intentions, and why she writes the way she does?
-How does she use the idea and reality of family differently than Sedaris?
-Lawson sells herself, her charm and style as a writer, but how? What exactly is her pitch?
-Post passages from her book that taught you something about her, what she wants, or maybe what she wants for us as readers?
BREAK
-How are you using your journal?
-Any new writing habits that you want to share? Anything you can teach us about writing habits, and the practice and maintenance of that writing habit?
-Reading your own work… what’s that like?
-What do you want to talk about? What do you want to write about? ……… What would Jenny Lawson do?
-Back to your writing….. How have you developed since the semester’s inception?
Homework: FINISH JENNY LAWSON – TYPE AND SUBMIT A PROPOSAL FOR YOUR NEXT ESSAY…. LAWSON, SEDARIS, OR BOTH?? Who is/are…. (I’LL EXPLAIN)
#professormikey 
Honestly, I’ve been a little stir crazy of late, but the episodes don’t last long. I have so many projects and keep coming up with new ones that I don’t have time to really fixate on where I am. If anything, the “quarantine” has been liberating in ways that regular life is NOT.
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My thoughts now are freer, from this shit….
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Sheltering-in-place has been kind of nice now that I moved into my new place. It’s more open than the last place I was living at and has a lot of natural light that puts me in a good mood. I also have a basketball court across the street that I get to go to. This has been crucial in me keeping my sanity. The shelter-in-place has been interesting for my writing. My world has become very small. It’s been really fun and interesting to re-read the things I’ve written down that stem from my imagination and from my small living space. My notebook is always near me and now it feels like an itch when something interesting happens and I don’t write it down.
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Good to keep pages with you, always!!
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I feel it too. I’ve had to sit with myself for so long at this point that I’ve gotten to know myself pretty well and have befriended myself. I’m all I have sometimes to keep myself entertained. Along with this I have been able to actually pay attention to what is going on in my head rather than be distracted constantly by the daily rat race.
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Befriending yourself is really interesting. I hope everyone in quarantine will be able to do this in some form.
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For tonight’s page…. Simplicity is sensible and saving. We need near nothing!!!
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The education I’ve finding from this is taking more time to get to know ME, and see that life is fragile, and to be valued even when it gets tough. Thoughts, colleagues?
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Same, and time to find a purpose and a goal to be achieved after quarantine is finished.
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I’m writing jokes daily, about how crazy my kids are… you should see my Snapchat account…. Jesus, they’re out of their minds.
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I’ve totally come to that conclusion also! I made a goal on a Post-It note to reach out to people and let them know I’m here for them if they ever need anything
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Anything you want to share with the colleagues?
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I love the Post-It idea. That relates to Jenny Lawson as well, but in a kind way. Instead of bitching about towels on the floor. 😉
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Lol funny you should mention stir crazy as that is exaclty how I have been feeling the last couple of days. I really enjoy being alone generally but I also still enjoy having the option to catch up with friends and catch some live shows. I even miss working. I was really close to finishing paying off my student loans and it really bums me out that I have to wait on that now. Walking my dog Zippy has been my saving grace. Total highlight of my days. I was behind on work today so I had to miss out on her walk, but I very much look forward to tomorrow’s walk. I’m learning how to make goals for myself and really force myself to take an assertive role in my life which can be challenging at times.
I think Lawson writes the way she does because she had a rough upbringing but it doesn’t benefit anyone to harbor on the negative expressions so she harnesses the humor in her life. She views her life in such a unique way. She recognizes the absurdity but doesn’t swell on it at some people might. I’ve really been wanting to employ that strategy in my perspective of this whole covid quarantine.
In my typed response about Lawson I mostly wrote about her way of processing her childhood experiences, led her to her comedic viewpoint. I explained the little things she does in her writing such as including side tangents and being brutally honest make her writing extremely relatable.
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Harshness… interesting. I do feel that it’s harsh, but I would qualify it as …. Human?? 🙂
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I couldn’t agree more. It seems very human. My whole paper was about how relatable her writing is because of her whole connection to humanity.
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And what is that connection??
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I guess just the human expereince. I feel misery loves misery is at play to a certain point. Life isn’t always rainbows and butterflies but it is the perspective you take when the shit storm begins. I think she takes these real life absurd situations and presents them in a positive manner. We have all had our fair share of crazy times and times when we felt no one would understand because it was so absurd, and she’s saying “hey you aren’t alone. Why don’t you look at it from a different perspective and it could turn that frown upside town. Haha sorry I’m full of corny cliches today
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All good!! Appreciated!!!
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I don’t know where my answer vanished off to, so I will try again. I think the way she explains her negative stories in such a comical light,really helps the reader feel like their stories aren’t as bad as hers and helps them feel comfortable changing their perspectives on their negative stories and starting to view them in a more positive comical way as well
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It does help the reader. And, it endows us with new perspective and tools to help ourselves!
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I am still doing well, but at this point in quarantine I am just going back and forth between being bored, sad, and bored with some complimentary sadness. I’m sad because I absolutely hate being alone, but I am also sad because even if i wanted to text or call my friends at this point, there is nothing left to talk about. The fact that I also do not have a TV or any sort of movie/show platform is, to say the least, a huge hypothetical punch in the face, but other than that this is great! This quarantine situation is teaching me patience, and how much I miss being impatient and getting away with it. At least I will be able to tell my grandkids that I survived a pandemic only at the cost of my temporary, and very expendable, sanity. Okay onto Lawson.. In my Lawson response I talked about her unique, self deprecating, sense of humor that allowed her to turn very real problems, such as anxiety, into things that both her and her audience can laugh about. In addition, I spoke about her complete randomness that allowed for a lot of jokes and situations to catch the reader off guard. The unexpectedness of a lot of it, such as her zombie apocalypse survival kit, is exactly what makes it funny. I feel like Lawson’s intentions are to be as real and uncensored as possible. She uses her often inappropriate sense of humor to bring light and laughter to many things that other authors steer away from. This makes her writing incredibly humane.
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Where do you see this uncensored way about her?
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Lawson jokes and speaks a lot about problems such as depression, infertility, and anxiety, while I haven’t read many other pieces that talk about these things. It makes it feel uncensored and real in my opinion.
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Wiatte,
You make a great point about the unpredictability of Lawson’s writing and her stories. I enjoy the way it keeps you on your toes. It makes her work lively and human!
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Thank you Ava Burk Powers! Couldn’t agree more.
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Yes!! Keeps a writer more engaged!!!
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Still doing ok! Finding new things to do to relieve boredom and actually have been more productive because of the quarantine! Been furthering my guitar skills, dancing skills and trying to pick up a new language. I’m kinda used to the quarantine because I’ve mostly stayed home for the time I’ve been in college. On the topic of writing, I’ve just been thinking about Lawson and how the quarantine compares to her story. Craziness but still normal to those who are used to it.
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Crazy and normal are interesting words, aren’t they??
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You’re right, like what defines crazy versus normal? Habits? Similar vs. Different? Human nature?
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Yeah!!! Craziness could also be liberating, and renewing!!
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Idea to entertain for tonight’s page…. Sanity is conceptual, and that’s it.
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starting to just be able to sit down and write with very little work interruptions which is something I have started to enjoy. Idea wise the shelter-in-place just has me sitting with my thoughts and start to branch out into a side gig I want to start. For Lawson, in my paper I wrote about some main concepts that stood out to me. Like Jenny’s dad bringing home dead animals, how she felt her family was different from others, aspects of poverty like lack of sanitation in the water that Jenny brought up a few times. Lawson vs. Saderis around reality and idea of family. Lawson to me used more direct language than Saderis. I got more of a bold feel from Lawson. Saderis to me used more direct language towards other people but not his family. I love Lawson’s style of writing, I find it down to earth as she has a loud voice with her writing. One example that stood out to me on this was “Call me ‘that-weird-chick-who-says-“f**k a lot” (page 1). I found this to be the first noticeable use of direct language besides her directly naming the chapters.
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Can you change your username so we know who you are??
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I probably can’t describe sanity, but I can feel when it’s slipping away.
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Interesting!
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For my writing on Lawson, I mostly touched on her ability to use language that is informal and more common in daily conversation. Her ability to write as if she isn’t trying is what I admire. It’s almost like drawing a perfect circle. It’s such a simple shape but nearly impossible to do. She has an effortless way about her that doesn’t come off a arrogant. Her writings have been easily digestible for me thus far.
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Yes.. very conversational in her page presence and approach.
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Things have been looking up as of late for me. Not because i’ve come up with anything special, simply by changing my mindset and trying to make the best out of what i have, instead of focusing on what i miss. I suppose that is also a lesson i am learning as i read Lawson.
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Are you guys able to see the first part of my post, my comupter said it posted but I don’t see it on my end
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Think you may have been cut off…
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Similarly to Lawson, I have been writing about all of the tragic things that being under quarantine has helped happen. Truly, I have never wanted a locked door more than this week. Never thought it mattered that much. I changed my mind. Your brother walking in on you dancing to Come On Eileen and doing laundry without pants on does that to a person. Changes your mind I mean. About having a locked door. I’ve never wanted to ship him back to Irvine more in my life. The box would be expensive I’m sure, but it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than the therapy I now need.
As for Lawson’s charm, I think it’s her self deprecation and utter absurdness. As I discussed in my response, I think her crazy draws you in a bit, makes you feel at home and gives no sense of hierarchy between reader and author. The best way I was able to put it was that Lawson is like a beautiful disaster that you can’t take your eyes off of. A flaming dumpster fire if you will, but the flames are purple and the dumpster is actually quite nice. Her nuttiness reminds you that we’re all crackpots in our own way, and that’s not a bad thing, some of us are just better at hiding it than others.
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Great thoughts here, Dasha…. How would you further describe her charm?
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Thank you! I think her charm is just in the way she writes. It’s very human in the purest form the word. She’s very blunt, honest, and unapologetically so. She makes you feel like you aren’t reading a book, but having a conversation with a friend. I think the cursing adds to that. It made me laugh anyway.
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Agreed!!!
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Dasha,
I couldn’t agree more. My sister is my best friend, but I am about ready to tear my hair out. Funny how too much interaction with the same person can get to you!! It’s only entertaining and funny for so long before it becomes obnoxious and invasive. Hahaha! Best of luck to you and your brother!
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I think I’m going to need a lot more than luck. But thank you. Feel free to donate to my GoFundMe so that I can rope in a therapist to Zoom me so that you guys don’t have to hear about my problems 😉
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Look at you, with this atomic comedy…. better be writing these jokes down!!!! 😉
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I understand what you mean Dasha, I would be embarrassed getting caught doing that too. I would also describe her humor as self deprecation, but I think she might use making fun of her own misfortune as therapy?
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That’s funny that you say that. I was thinking that she uses humor and writing as her therapy too, it seems like recounting these stories in a new light helps her. I think I might want to try that.
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I’m doing ok. Starting to worry about my son’s education. I know that the school is trying the best they can to teach with distance learning, and I appreciate that these are unprecedented times, and I am grateful for their attempts to hold it together. However, my son has ADHD and 2 separate households, and it has been difficult to keep him on task. I know that last week I talked about attempting to home school, so at the risk of repeating myself, this is hard! I do also understand, however, that all i can do is my best, and I feel like I have been doing my best.
Honestly, I’m an introvert, and the sheltering in place hasn’t dramatically effected my life significantly. But my time at my office is becoming increasingly less, and more work at home (going to 2 days a week working at home to every other week working the whole week at home) and I haven’t really experienced the full effect of stir craziness. Not yet, at least. For which I am grateful. I did notice though that last week I only changed out of my pajamas 3 times. . . Depression creeps in slowly sometimes. The shelter in place is teaching me that I need to practice more self care, which has been difficult in the past.
My ideas come in the form of dreams, not so much ideas to act on, but more in terms of what is going on in my subconscious. I have had dreams of houses, different ones, and buildings, partially I am assuming because I only go to two places a week, a business building and my house, but I learned somewhere that houses in dreams represent our conscious and subconscious mind, and they have been less than ideal (flamethrowers and people locked in rooms, etc.) Dreams are really crazy!
In terms of Lawson, in my response/reaction paper, I wrote how much her style emulates my own thought process, and how much I appreciate reading an author who goes on tangents, because I feel like the thought process behind the story really says something. I wrote about how I connect and relate to her anxiety, there is a passage in the chapter “Jenkins, You Motherfucker” (FABULOUS title by the way) that talks about how she would hide under her aunt’s table from the “sheer panic of being around so many people”. I have LITERALLY hid (not under the table, but in my back bedroom) because of the amount of people in my house. As in, last Thanksgiving, what 5 months ago? I also wrote about how I relate to her working in HR because that is the field in which I currently work, and the way she describes people choosing to work in HR is perfect.
I feel like Lawson writes the way she does because she really wants to connect with her readers, while actually writing for herself. When I read her writing, it makes me feel like she has this NEED to get her thoughts onto paper. She wants readers to feel like they are not alone, and that people share similar thoughts, feelings and reactions, even if their stories are different.
I love her realness and authenticity, because I feel like that is missing a large part of the time in today’s society.
So that’s a lot. 🙂
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This is great!!! Thank you!! Colleagues…..?
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I agree with you that she wants to connect with her readers and have that strong reliability. She invites the reader to come into her life so they’re not alone while reading. She does a great job of this at the beginning of the book by breaking the fourth wall right off the bat to acknowledge the reader is there and is a real person. Like you, Theresa, this has helped me enjoy the writing more.
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I also see her as someone who doesn’t want to put too much energy or emphasis on a single thing, perhaps to protect herself?
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I totally agree about her realness. Especially now, Larson seems like a shining light of truth and trust.
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Lol about the only changing PJs 3 times. I noticed I was starting to slip into that pattern too and have since been making it a point to get dressed and have some semblance of normalcy in my day to day life. I also agree about being an introvert and enjoying the time. I think the hard part for me is that I’m sharing a room so there is no true privacy during the days. I couldn’t agree more about what you said about Lawson wanting to connect with the readers. That stood out for me too. There’s just such a deep rooted sense of relatability in her writing. I really enjoy it 🙂
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Glad you enjoy it, Rizz!! And I too make myself get dressed!! On running days, I would go for the run and come back and get back into pj’s… but no more!!!!!!
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Stir crazy is a great wording for it. It’s a huge adjustment.
Stephanie Neeley
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Yes!
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Hey friends!
I am slowly, but surely losing my marbles without human interaction, and I for one am grateful for books, art, and film right now! Being a busy body has made isolation difficult, but my house sure is clean. Hahaha! I have been journaling, dancing, listening to new music, and making an effort to FaceTime family and friends. We had a number family birthdays and a big anniversary (50 years!!!) over the last week so it has been a mostly happy time:) Lawson has been a crackup and a nice escape from reality. Although not everything about reality and the world right now is bad. The news should really start broadcasting the positives. I read that you can now see the stars in many more Japanese cities. The earth is healing and that’s something we should all be discussing!! I for one am thrilled by that. As discussed in my 3 page review, I would love to see her read her book in person. It reminds me of how a musician produces a music video, essentially showing us their vision for the piece. I would like to experience her wit, her humor, and her expressions first hand in order to experience her vision for her work. She intertwines humor and darkness, real life pain with comical breaks. I think her writing is electric to say the least. She’s approachable and relatable in her writing. I really want to read her book Furiously Happy next!
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What else, Ava? Welcome back!! How does she compare to Sedaris’ page presence, for you?
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Thank you!! I’m glad to be back 🙂 She and Sedaris both use writing as a form of coping I believe. They discuss personal events with laughter and light-hearted banter. It keeps the novel human, light, and relatable. We have all had strange or uncomfortable or painful childhood experiences, and both Sedaris and Lawson were able to channel this pain through art. Both of them have big personalities and lots to share. I think there is something unique about her writing, conversational even, without the choppiness of Sedaris’ writing.
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Agreed!!! Keep this in mind for the essay coming up!!! 🙂
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To me, the book already feels like she’s telling it to me, almost whispering her crazy ass stories. That comparison with the music video fits perfectly.
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Ava: I would also love to hear/see(?) her do a book reading in person. Tone and facial expressions fill in the blanks that may be missing. Although I get the impression that there’s not much she holds back. 🙂
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Would be so awesome… there are some clips on YouTube!!
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Couldn’t agree more, Theresa!!
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Id recommend getting an audio book from audible if you do the free trial you get a free book. The audio book is also her reading the book and it’s really cool especially because her shifts in tone and the fluctuations in her voice really make you feel like she’s right there telling you the story. It helps that she also brings a lot of energy in the audiobook.
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I recommend reading along while she reads!!!!
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Reading and and listening together offers a completely different immersion not saying that just reading is bad but they’re both good in their own ways.
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Welcome back, Ava! I too see Lawson as a pleasant escape from reality, and am very happy to see that pollution is much lower than before. There is always a plus side!
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Escape, or embrace??
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Hey, everyone, I’m doing just fine and hopes everyone else is as well. The shelter in place is making me think of things to fill the day because of how much more free time I have from school etc. It’s been really rough because all I end up doing is sitting in front of my computer for half of the day and I’m constantly thinking of things to do that I’ll enjoy. I have been playing tennis these past few weeks but I feel that the amount of time I spend on the computer outways the time I spend outside.
I have however found myself doing a lot more self-reflection thought just because of the amount of time I have to kill during the day. This has helped in understanding myself a little better. I find this to be really valuable for me in the long run.
As for Lawson’s book, I find that I am, for the most part, enjoying it. I personally wrote a lot about how much she goes off topic but I also seem to enjoy the nonlinear approach to storytelling as I am exploring her ideas in a constant roller coaster of thoughts.
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Examples?
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The story of her running into a dead body of a deer and somehow ends up talking about her husband and the time when she didn’t want to talk to her husband because of a vomit bowl
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I feel you Markus Ong. I’ve been doing a lot of self reflection because what else am I going to do?
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That’s all you need to do, one could argue!! 🙂
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What’s up guys, sorry I missed last class. I celebrated my 16th birthday mostly indoors yesterday with my family, which is a package of words I never thought would be a part of my story. It was fun; I enjoyed my new records, played basketball with my sister. I also kept reading Larson’s stories. As of now, I like Sedaris more…but I’m sure that’s bound to change with more time with Larson. She is just a stream of energy, and her perspective on life is just nothing I could ever expect. I never considered how they butcher deers. Now, I know too much, but it’s great. Larson opened up this window to Wall, and it entertains the same part of me that Tiger King did. In my typed writing, I also mentioned her language and the way she masterfully arranges information to send the reader into laughter.
I’ve also just been writing lots of questions. I have about 20 a day, and some repeat. I start to answer some, but I come up with more questions. I think I’ll just make a large pool of them, and pick one daily to answer in writing. Might as well start planning my writing for the future, some events in August are getting canceled already…. 😦
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Happy belated, Pasha!! Talk to us more about her language!!
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She uses repetition very well. An excerpt from my typed response:
Whenever there is something the reader has to truly digest, Lawson has a tendency to continue stressing how far off her story is. “Arm stuck up a cow’s vagina” isn’t a phrase I had ever imagined, and after reading it countless times, I can understand how badly Lawson had never wanted to imagine it herself, let alone experience it.
It became funnier every time I read it. Enough said.
Another aspect of her language is her connection with the audience. She tells her secret stories, as an entertainer, and gains the trust of her readers by being intimate. By using italics and sharing personal language (clean the goat) instead of conforming, Lawson is able to use her words to make people laugh. The joke is her perspective on the funny stories, and she executes it so well.
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Great post here, Pasha… Cheers.
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I’m trying to change my username. It shows on my end as Stephanie Neeley. I’m working on it
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It says your name, now!! All good!! Thank you!!!
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Hey everyone, I’ve been doing well, just trying to change it up every day. I’ve been writing a lot about my days and describing how they went whether they were boring or something interesting happened. I think this shelter in place has taught me to be more appreciative of what I had before it started. It made me realize truly how important seeing and interacting with friends are for your mental health. The shelter in place for me has turned some of my writings towards writing about moments in the past that made me happy as those bring back happy memories. In my typed response about Lawson, I wrote about how relatable of an author she is and her style of comedy. I talked about how she is welcoming as an author as she shares funny yet embarrassing stories about her life that others would never share. So far I’ve enjoyed Lawson’s book. Its funny, entertaining, but it also continues to surprise me with how candid and honest it is at times. Lawson, when compared with Sedaris in their depictions of their families, took the uniqueness of her family and used it as a comedic device while Sedaris was a little more critical of his father. Like I said earlier I’m using my journal to write like a paragraph about my day towards the end of it and writing about happy moments in my life to stay positive through all the negative news. I’ve also continued tow rite about nature and doing creative writings with that genre which I enjoy. I think throughout the semester my writing has stayed mostly the same as I’ve stuck mainly to creative writings and narratives. I really only bring out the formal “essay” style of writing for formal assignments. I’ve just found creative writing especially about major aspects in my life to be fun and relaxing.
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What about her makes her “welcoming?” Explain a little further!!!
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She is welcoming because she acknowledges the reader. One example is her breaking the fourth wall at the beginning of the book by challenging the reader, asking “Will you just stop after hearing the word of the book, or keep going?” She also includes the relatable, awkward moments that everyone faces in their lives, whether it be to make new friends, fighting with your spouse, or even tan awkward bathroom experience liken her in the part “The Psychopath on the other side of the Bathroom Door.” She tells the reader it is okay to laugh at those moments and those are moments you can learn from. She also shows that the reader is not alone in experiencing embarrassing moments because everyone has those moments no matter who they are. She shows that people aren’t alone.
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Adding on to Andrew’s idea, she welcomes readers to get real up close and intimate. To her, why write the book if your readers can’t understand where you’re coming from? She has to be welcoming in order to establish that connection.
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Agreed.
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I have been doing well getting used to this adjustment I call/ text friends and family everyday not much to talk about at the moment. I get to socialize with my roommate, her boyfriend and the dog to play with. The dog is now bored hanging her head off the couch and falling off of it.starting to just be able to sit down and write with very little work interruptions which is something I have started to enjoy. Idea wise the shelter-in-place just has me sitting with my thoughts and start to branch out into a side gig I want to start. For Lawson, in my paper I wrote about some main concepts that stood out to me. Like Jenny’s dad bringing home dead animals, how she felt her family was different from others, aspects of poverty like lack of sanitation in the water that Jenny brought up a few times. Lawson vs. Saderis around reality and idea of family. Lawson to me used more direct language than Saderis. I got more of a bold feel from Lawson. Saderis to me used more direct language towards other people but not his family. I love Lawson’s style of writing, I find it down to earth as she has a loud voice with her writing. One example that stood out to me on this was “Call me ‘that-weird-chick-who-says-“f**k a lot” (page 1). I found this to be the first noticeable use of direct language besides her directly naming the chapters.
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Thank you for sharing!!
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How about how Lawson approaches/deals with the idea of family??
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She accepts the craziness of her family and see’s the craziness in a positive light.
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Haven’t gone crazy in quarantine yet. If I do end up going crazy the first thing i’ll do is probably give myself a buzz cut. My brother on the other hand already went crazy so … rip to his hair. What I’ve been up to in quarantine has just been trying to do as much of my school work as possible. Also takin a few midterms here and there. When I’m bored usually what I’ll do is just drop by every member of my families room and just annoy them just to have a little fun. At least every day what I’ll do is walk my dog for an hour and a half and load up a podcast.
Hardest thing about being in quarantine and attending class has been getting up usually before the quarantine I’d wake up and go to school. What I’ve learned form this is I just gotta get up and not let this quarantine mess up my work ethic.
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I’ve been doing okay. Been feeling a lot more bored as time passes, which has been kind of rough. I had been trying to remain positive, but on top of the gloomy weather the past few days, it’s been hard to do. I had been going on walks around my neighborhood, but even that got boring and repetitive. I’ver been writing a lot more this past week, probably because I can’t seem to find anything else to do, and being stuck at home with just your thoughts results in a lot of writing.
In my typed response, I mainly focused on the things I’m struggling with while reading Lawson. This includes the long ramblings, the exaggeratedness, and just the feeling of the book being all over the place at times. It’s a good read, but it’s also a lot all at once.
I think she writes this way because it’s a good reflection of the type of person she is. She’s had an interesting and unique childhood, regardless of if her stories are slightly embellished, and it must be cathartic for her to have written this book.
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Any Lawson passages to support this thought?
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I think the scenes where she’s getting married and when they move to Houston would be cathartic experiences for her. In both of these scenes she’s filled with worry over major life decisions (getting married and moving to a completely new place) and by the end of both of these stories she’s come to accept that things are just the way they are supposed to be. In the part where she’s moving to Houston, she comes to realization that although her “home” is no longer recognizable, her real home is wherever she is with Victor. All this stress and worry and feelings of being homesick kind of go away at this point, to which she admits is “a terrifying and an enlightening realization (117).”
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Great quote here…
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Hi!!
Work has been hectic and they are becoming much stricter on the rules about interacting with customers and other employees. I’m grateful for the Starbucks caring about their employees and supporting us as much as they can, but I will admit that it does make it harder to work and induces more stress. Unfortunately I had a small panic attack yesterday while trying to handle the endless cars in our drive through, but thankfully I have amazing co-workers who were there to support me and make me feel better. After the incident they let me take an early lunch and I used that time to write. I wrote about what was causing me so much stress and it was definitely therapeutic. Writing has always been my safe place and has helped me through so many hard times.
When got home I re-read Jenny Lawson. Her stories are so enjoyable and humorous, it helped to remind me that everyone goes through hard times and everyone gets through it. I knew I was going to be okay. Lawson’s book is carefree and is trying to show people that they don’t need to be embarrassed by their past, there their childhood trauma doesn’t define them as a person. Reading Lawson’s book reminded me of the book The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, both girls came from rough childhoods and came out better because of it. Lawson just chose to go through with a more humorous approach than Walls.
Lawson is honest and straightforward about everything she talks about. She wants everyone to know that her stories are true and real. Her occasional photos for proof add a nice touch as well and really helps bring the writing to life. Her quirky personality mixed with her carefree attitude is her brand
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Sorry about that attack!!! Glad you’re finding something comforting in Lawson!!
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Hope everyone has been safe. I have recently been writing about how exciting it is to have a new puppy in the house. His name is Bodie and he is not mine (he is my housemates’ pup) but I get to play with him and don’t need to scoop up his poo. It is a very similar dynamic with my little nephew actually.
Being kept in place has taught me patience and appreciation for my girlfriend. Discussions with my girlfriend have gone across the spectrum from enjoying very simple things in life to the more deep and life perspective type discussions. Having some more time indoors and in my mind has also allowed me to
I really enjoyed Lawson. I felt as if her comedic twist on her journey throughout life can help others who are going through tough times process them with a new perspective. I found myself thinking back to my life experiences when reading her work.
I have been using my journal to jot down quick thoughts in the moment or a reflection of what just happened. I have gotten used to jotting down a few thoughts per day in the journal.
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Did you finish Lawson’s book? Where do you see this helpful edge to her?
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I haven’t finished the book yet. I’m currently at the chapter titled ‘Stabbed by Chicken.’ The tough times reference was mostly from the chapter ‘If You See My Liver, You’ve Gone Too Far.’ She’s diagnosed with a condition that makes it very difficult to carry a fetus to term.This is a very heavy topic and she was able to bring some humor to the entire situation. I felt that my sister-in-law (who had her own difficulties through gestation) would have appreciated the section. Most of the other chapters that I’ve read so far don’t touch on such a heavy topic but I still related to the chapter where she doesn’t know the proper couch protocol.
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During this time of quarantine I’ve been feeling relatively the same as any other time of year. I’m a pretty introverted person, and my hobbies mainly keep me inside and on a computer, so really the only difference for me lately is the large influx of my friends that are always online, wanting to play a game or just hang out and talk. In this sense, this time of quarantine has been relatively nice for me, to be able to connect and reconnect with friends new and old. Experiencing a worldwide quarantine has been quite surreal though, despite the positive parts for me. Its taught me and shown how people react in a state of worldwide panic and frankly I think humans are taking this quite well. From stories and media we are almost taught that in a pandemic humanity would flail its arms and panic, likely turning on each other. I think while anxiety is quite high, people have refrained from excessive violence and evil which i find to be incredibly impressive.
In my typed response about Lawson, I tried to focus on the charisma that she brings to her work. From just one book, I can already tell just how charismatic of a person Jenny Lawson is, and how she is able to masterfully craft a story that can shock and leave the reader painfully laughing with her strong charisma. I feel like Lawson writes in such a playful and interesting way just because that’s how she has experienced the world. Shes experienced these absurd stories firsthand, and her intention is just too share them with us, as she obviously finds humor and positivity in them too.
Lawson sells herself to the reader with her comedy. Through making us laugh, she is incredibly skilled at hooking in a reader and showing them that “your going to want to read more.” just by making them laugh and feel uncomfortable with her outlandish stories. I think Lawson wants the reader to just enjoy themselves with her writing. As with any other comedian, the main goal is to make people laugh, but sometimes people get offended and i think she puts this into words nicely in the introduction, “I apologize in advance for offending you, because your going to get halfway through this book and giggle at non sequiturs about hitler and abortions and poverty… but then you’ll read one thing that offends you and everyone else will think its hysterical” Even with the underlying resentment towards those that are too sensitive to comedy, this passage is really just Lawson telling us to enjoy the book and the stories, and i think thats what she wants most from the readers.
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This is great, Noah… thank you!! Keep these ideas close with the essay coming up!!
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I’ve been thinking about what Lawson said about homesickness, you’re homesick for a place that doesn’t exist. I can totally she what she is talking about. Sometimes I imagine a place or home that I have never seen in my lifetime, but I feel a warm feeling inside. A place that I have fond memories of, but has never existed.
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Yes… cool to think that way..
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Alexander:
I can totally relate to this as well. Homesick for a place that doesn’t exist. And which one is worse, homesick for a place that never existed, or homesick for a time that was once home. I love her perspective on homesickness.
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That was a great section to read!
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To me Lawson approaches the idea of family as it’s just inmate family her mom, dad and sister. I’m half way through the book and while reading I get the sense her Idea is negative nothing positive stated just mainly comments about her dad and the dead animals.
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In my response for Lawson, I wrote a little bit about why I think she writes in the first place. In the very first chapter, “I Was a Three-Year-Old Arsonist”, she was talking about how she would be waiting in the line to a liquor store and she would talk to other people in the line. “ I’ve found, though, that people are more likely to share their personal experiences if you go first, so that’s why I always keep an eleven-point list of what went wrong in my childhood to share with them” (10). Yes she was specifically talking about when standing in lines of a liquor store, but I took that as why she wrote this book, this memoir. She knows it is not easy to share stories and personal experiences whether happy or sad or embarrassing, so by telling hers first, she is almost inspiring others to go out and tell their story too. She is allowing people to relate, laugh and find a little humor in the bad experiences (because the humor can balance the intensity and bring light to a dark situation), and kind of look at them in a different perspective, which I found pretty cool.
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I love your analysis and I think it’s very accurate. She has a way of making herself approachable in terms of what she’s suffered. She really reminds me of the phrase “there is strength in vulnerability.” Thank you for sharing and great use of quotes!
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I agree! She’s telling us that our stories cannot and will not be more embarrassing than hers. She’s setting a low bar in a way. (Comment went to the wrong place)
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She provides a space for so many types of people, where we can all feel comfortable, and assured.
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Cool, and valuable as a perspective!!!
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I like that idea that you bring about her telling her story in a lighthearted manner so others can tell theirs!
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I’ve found that during the quarantine I’ve been more proactive than I usually am. Online school has definitely reduced stress for me as it is easier to keep up with classes. On another note, I worry about health workers so I’ve been my sister help make cloth masks for our neighbors and family. I see this as a way to help out without leaving my house. Writing in my journal has really helped me release the tension from the horrible news in the paper and online. I find that the quarantine has made me value myself and others more than I normally do. I want to restore friendships and keep up with friends I can no longer see. I want to put myself out there a little more and test myself.
In my typed response, I noted how Lawson uses writing to free herself from her anxiety. (Note the line about her winning the Pulitzer). She is critical of all her embarrassing moments, of which there are many, but it allows her to be stronger and believe in herself. While I haven’t finished the book, I see her family as sources as irony, with Jenny constantly trying to victimize herself in the situation. The irony is that she becomes the aggressor when she reflects on herself.
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I agree! She’s telling us that our stories cannot and will not be more embarrassing than hers. She’s setting a low bar in a way.
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Adding on, I also find that by doing so she also finds a way to relate to the reader even though she has these crazy outlandish experiences.
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Awesome, Kyle!! Great perspectives, especially with the thing we’re all going through!!
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Kyle,
This is great to read! It’s a breath of fresh air to hear about some positivity and the ways people are able to help without endangering others or just donating money! I too have felt productive, although I have had off days of motivation-less tv watching. I’m glad your online classes have been a success!
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Just gotta keep moving!!!
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What makes her writing so unique and appealing is her unfiltered thought process. For her it may be a curse in social interactions, but when it comes to writing it is a goldmine. In my reaction i talked about how her style of writing reminded me of my high school friends and watching them ramble on about nonsense while they were stoned out of their minds. Half of what they said made no sense, and then the other half bordered on a fine line between wisdom and stupidity. it was always fun to watch because there were no limits and no hesitation, it all came out without a single thought being filtered. Lawson has that same crazy, chaotic vibe to the way she delivers her lines. You never know whats coming, and i am sure neither does she.
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Oh my gosh! Love this very accurate analogy. She is so unpredictable and that’s what makes her brilliant. Wisdom and borderline stupidity make this beyond an entertaining novel.
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The lack of predictability in her writing is the very LIFE and BEAT of her thoughts, identity!!!!
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Kyle, you have a great point! most of what she tell a lot of people would hide. It makes me wonder if she had peers at school ask her questions and how she responded to them then.
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Maybe, if she didn’t want to talk to people then (being a self declared emo), so she’s writing now to share to the world. I like that question Stephanie
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I also appreciate her sneaking little life lessons into her writing. At the end of the Jenkins chapter, she talks about how you should accept who you are, flaws and all, because if you don’t a turkey (or life 😉 ) is going to shit all over your facade so you might as well be who you are.
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Lawson definitely took that lesson to heart. She doesn’t try to make me think that she is someone that she is not. She also doesn’t hide behind her writing but puts it all out there for us to enjoy or judge or relate to.
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LET’S POST SOME PASSAGES, Y’ALL!!!
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Same, but in middle school. There was this one girl that talked the same. I don’t think she had a filter, but unfortunately she wasn’t stoned. There are a lot of things she said that I wished I never heard.
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Like?? This is what you want to write about!!!
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Her reaction to people versus her reaction to herself is quite interesting. And, quite similar… Not saying she freaks herself out, but she’s a bit uneasy in her own pulse…. No?
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Right, she sees herself in different perspectives. Perspectives of her own, of other people, and of her ideals.
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I feel like she knows who she is but is concerned about how she comes across to certain people. Like when she talks about her in-laws and about the couch cushions. And how they seemed uncomfortable around her. Polite and kind, but baffled. “It was as if their son had unexpectedly shown up with a neck tattoo that read “MAKE ME SOME BASKETTI”. (I’ve read that part repeatedly, and can perfectly visualize this feeling/tattoo)
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She doesn’t freak herself out but she spirals when she is in her thoughts. Like when she wrote Victor all those post-it notes that began with a wet towel in the bathroom floor that then ventured over to her stabbing him and finally her leaving him with the cat and the dog.
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Being stuck indoors changes absolutely nothing about my life. Other than the occasional visit to my Grandparents home, the weekly trip to the store, the semi-regular open mic, the dismal meeting among friends, the biweekly writing group, the twice-a-month walk, the once a month hike, and the once a year handshake, life indoors has been fantastic. I may have lost my job and, yes, unemployment might have disconnected the phones, but being without income has really given me perspective. With a new pair of eyes, I can really see how crap my previous job was and hopefully, I’ll move toward a new pizza joint to supply me with pennies by the hour.
With so many people kept indoors, online discussion has been a real joy. So many new perspectives on our systems here in America as well as abroad. The chance to knock of some movies and shows on my ‘To Watch’ list has been fantastic as well.
Regarding Lawson, I wrote mostly about how uncertain I am with her work. I’m not sure what the takeaway is. The raw material, the stories of her life and characters therein, are fantastic. She works in a similar genre to Sedaris but it feels to me like she’s utilizing a different aisle of emotions. The humor hasn’t really landed for me, something I blame on a juvenile overdose of George Carlin. I believe she writes to entertain and share among those who follow her blog, another source of my disconnection with her work.
I’m very interested in seeing what everyone else thinks, the blog format here is great for that.
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I’ll start…. Yes, I agree she wants to entertain, but I as well think that she needs to her herself say what she’s saying/write what she’s writing. Therapy, yes, I guess… but something else… what, I don’t know.
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Word. I think we’ve seen that recounting through writing can be a powerful tool in all the books we’ve read. Through his varied stories of pain, embarrassment, and hilarious vanity I think Sedaris created his identity through his writing. A sort of, “This is who I am” and occasionally “This is who I was” without a particular point of growth. If I remember correctly, the stories were out of order and occasionally touched on similar points- clearly it wasn’t written in a way to see an improvement of character overtime. Just an awareness to write about the less flattering parts of his life with humility and comedy.
It might just be the nature of a memoir if they start from their childhood, but the chronological order of her life gives more of an examination of ‘This is who Lawson was’, and I’m hoping throughout the book as she grows older I’ll reach the point where she examines “This is who I am now”. A clear change over time, a present which is better because of the past.
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My favorite thus far. This is right up my alley when it comes to humor. It’s a fitting thing to write near the front of the book. To me it says that you can lie to yourself to make yourself feel better or you can face the fact that life is cruel and disgusting sometimes. It also told me that she wasn’t going to hold any punches in the book to pander to an audience or try to save someone’s feelings.
“Cleaning a deer” for people who are sensitive members of PETA
You get some warm water and tearless shampoo and gently massage the deer. (Lather, rinse, but don’t repeat, even though the bottle says to, because that’s just a ploy to sell more shampoo.) Blow-dry on low heat and hot-glue a bow to his forehead. Send him back to the woods to meet a nice Jewish doe. Go to the next chapter.
“Cleaning a deer” for curious, nonjudgmental readers who really want to know how it’s done (and who aren’t PETA members who are just pretending to be curious, nonjudgmental readers, but who really want to throw blood on me at book signings)
Cleaning a deer consists of tying up the arms and legs of the deer to a clothesline-like contraption, making it look as if the dead deer is a cheerleader doing the “Give me an X!” move. Then you slice open the stomach, and all the stuff you don’t want falls out. Like the genitals. And the poop rope.
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And then the follow up: judging people who don’t know what it means, even though I had to put down the book after imagining it. I love how she includes her own perspective on everything, and how she can cater to practically everyone
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Yeah I agree Pasha, her universality makes her so fun to read. It’s different from authors like Hunter S. Thompson that write about experiences that are mainly unique to them and not common among others.
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I agree with Lawson not holding back for the sake of other peoples feelings. After all its her book. And by not holding back the writing feels a lot more authentic and more human because she’s expressing her self in the writing as she is not as something that we want her to be
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I did like how Lawson brought up the culture to where she lived at the beginning to give us some additional information “escaping this tiny country town, and that’s pretty much how my entire life went for the next twenty years” (8). It provides the atmosphere of hey everyone know everybody including everyone’s business in this small town.
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Yes! I like that as well… Where she lived was defining. That tiny town gifted her a BIG personality!!
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And an imagination. Even as a kid she was thinking up all the different ways that Wall was quite an enticing destination. Or how to convey that to people, as no one really believed her, not herself, and certainly not her mother. She didn’t seem to like her story about how the founder invented walls quite as much as I did. I think this was good practice for becoming a storyteller though, no?
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Yes!!!
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In my journal Ive just been writing about how life in quarantine has been like as well as my thoughts on the book.
Ive been reading the book and listening to and audio book of it as well. Jenny Lawson is the one reading aloud the book and using this tool really helps with the tone because the author of the book is reading her stories.
In my response I wrote about how in the first chapter I thought I wasn’t gonna like her her going off on tangents because it made the story a little hard to follow. But by the second chapter I really appreciated the little tangents because of how engaging the little tangents were to the reader. As someone who often tells stories to others I thought that Lawson’s process of story telling couldn’t be any better. I really liked the story about the girls reading the Playboy. I felt like her grandma in some way was similar to mine (not the Playboy part) in the sense that she’ll act like she doesn’t know what she’s doing is bad but as soon as my aunts or parents leave she’ll continue going along with what she was originally doing.
I feel that Lawson wants to connect and have fun with her readers by not just writing words on a paper but by writing freely and sharing her emotions, thoughts and reactions without holding back. Part of what I think makes this successful are her little tangents that sort of represent her little inner thoughts.
Comparing Sedaris and Lawson I’d say they both truly to channel and make the best of there upbringings. However I think what makes Lawsons writing a bit more charming is how her writing is a bit more conversational that Sedaris’d which at times seems a bit choppy
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Where’d y’all go????? WHAT is Jenny Lawson?? I think she’s a source of perspective, and tenacity… meaning, a reader can lean on her if feeling a little weak, or not that into what they’re doing. Don’t think about it so much… just laugh, find the comedy and the composition in what you’re doing. Thoughts…..?
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Lawson makes me not take myself too seriously. There can be comedy in most moments if I look hard enough.
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Agreed, Chris!!!!
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Jenny Lawson is the repressed thoughts you’re not supposed to think. She’s definitely dependable: anyone who laughs at themself is asking for people to look at them for a friend. She is true to what she feels needs to be said, so she is honesty without suppression. She doesn’t care at this point, and she’s very freeing
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She definitely has me thinking of just letting more out, expressing self more freely and without fear of reaction!!!
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What’s everyone thoughts about her relationship and ideology around her dad/
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Similar to Sedaris, but with more weight and pressure, I think… colleagues??
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She accepts his weirdness and craziness and sees it as his way of welcoming and kindness. Unlike Sedaris who thought of his father as angry and abusive.
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Yes… and I think he motivates her to consider life as she does!!!
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Yes, exactly!
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She appreciates her dad’s efforts to entertain her but also is a bit bittersweet that her childhood was consumed by her father’s image. I see no evidence that she harbors ill feelings towards her father.
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Agreed.
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I feel like her father, in a vague way, is similar to Sedaris’ father. That he cares deeply for his family, yet doesn’t have the best ways of showing it? I think that he, like Lawson, knows who he is, but he on the other hand REALLY doesn’t seem to care what others think of him. I know that I personally would be MORTIFIED if my father ever threw a live bobcat on a boyfriend. 🙂
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Theresa,
I completely agree. There is a tension there, perhaps not as evident as Sedaris, but a sense of discomfort or lack of resolution in her writing in regards to the relationship with her father.
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Lawson acknowledges her father for trying to do the best to be engaged in their lives considering her upbringing. Even if his way of expressing himself was a bit unusual, he made the effort to be involved Whereas with Sedaris he’s more critical about his father even though deep down he knows his father was like that for a reason. He reminds me of Red Forman from That 70’s show ( something we talked about last class) .
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Lawson definitely has humor! I find in her writing depending on how to i read it out lout can also come across as sarcastic.
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All of I’ve gotten so far is that her father seems like a fun guy and she didn’t know that he was not a typical father figure until later in life. I may not be far enough into the book yet.
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I get the feeling that she laughs at herself more than anyone else laughs at her.
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I think that’s the best way to be. 🙂 I feel like in life, I definitely need to laugh at myself more. It’s not all so serious!
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In my journal I have spent time writing about (virtual) interactions with loved ones, as well as interactions with myself (if that makes sense). I have always kept a journal, or attempted to. It’s not always very stable, it can be choppy and random updates, but I like to escape through writing. I have recently had a very heartfelt talk with my best friend, whom I often write letters to. Hearing from him before he enters the Marines in a few months was relieving. We usually talk daily, but it’s typically on a more shallow level. He opened up to me about mental struggles he’s dealt with recently, and overall it was a very good and productive talk. I’ve had a lot of internal conflict regarding his choice to enter the service, but journaling about it has become a sense of therapy for me. I love journaling about family and friends, whether it’s good or bad. It’s nice to release how you’re feeling. In high school I had a class where four pages of journaling was due every week no matter what. I loved that assignment. He counted your four pages and didn’t read a word, but allowed you to keep your thoughts to you personally. It was a great escape.
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I think she has a lot in common with her father, and i am not entirely certain of whether that is a good thing or not. They are both bad-shit crazy in their own unique way. She has no filter to her thoughts and he has no control over his actions. She doesn’t think before speaking, and he doesn’t think before acting. It is a strange dynamic that works wonders when it comes to story telling, and specially towards the end where she becomes obsessed with taxidermy, which she once hated as a kid. Slowly but surely, she is becoming her father.
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Interesting…
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I’m half way thought the book and the main person I noticed she talks about is her dad, kinda comes across mom is just in the background to her…
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The first thing I noticed was the father was major character, like in some of Sedaris’ writings. I would conclude that she got her sense off humor from her dad.
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Her mom seems like an enabler, while her dad is more of a force, making him have the most impact.
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That’s a good way to think about it, Pasha!
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Yes. And, something to augment and accent the significance of the father!!!
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Lawson is definitely great for not taking life so seriously and being able to poke fun at yourself sometimes. She’s funny, absolutely, and her writing reads as if you’re having a conversation with someone as she tends to go off-topic and into another story. A great author if someone is looking for a laugh because even during the more serious stories, she still throws a bit of humor in there.
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Exactly how I’m feeling too.
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This is a good way of thinking of Lawson and the book.
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Agreed.
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