Today's Happy WTF But Kind Of Sad Too

I was searching for the correct kanji for the word "sakka," which means writer/artist.( Kanji are Japanese ideograms adopted from Chinese characters.) I clicked on "images," and this was one of the first pictures to pop up:

Kitty!

This is obviously hysterical, and my first reaction was "Kitty!" My second was "Nimoy!" My third was "Nimoy with a kitty!" Pretty awesome pic, even as a kanji search result.

And then I got sad, because he died earlier this year, and I really enjoyed having him on the planet. But I'm happy I have the internet to unexpectedly remind me that we still kind of have him.

Three Celebrity Memoirs That Are Worth Your Time

In the previous post, I expressed hope but skepticism about Shonda Rhimes' upcoming book, Year Of Yes. I really want it to be good and honest and engaging and not consumer-driven "inspirational" claptrap. But I do have hope, because I have read memoirs by celebrities that are elegantly written, insightful, and tell a great story.

Here are three of my favorites.

Unbearable Lightness by Portia de Rossi

De Rossi honestly and poignantly recounts her life in the business of modeling and acting (and why she changed her name). The main thread of the book is her struggle with body image and eating disorders. It's wonderful reading because she captures the narrative within the frame of the dysfunctional mind. She's a subtly unreliable narrator when it comes to her body.

One revealing example occurs while de Rossi is being photographed for a magazine. The photographer complements her body, saying how beautiful and healthy she is, adding that he sees a lot of sick bodies in the studio. Hearing this, de Rossi thinks to herself: I gotta get me one of those sick bodies.

From the Los Angeles Times:

In prose as simply elegant — and as powerful — as a little black dress, De Rossi weaves together three themes — the impact of a loving, but lonely girlhood as the child of a single mother, the corrosive effect of constant doubts about her appearance and the internal struggle over her sexuality