Lessons Learned from a Lauren Conrad Book Signing

1. It is probably not worth it to attend a Lauren Conrad book signing unless it is taking place next door to your house or you are a Lauren Conrad superfan.  This particular book signing was at The Grove, which is not near my house.  (Incidentally, whenever I am at The Grove, I think I am going to run into Katie Holmes because I feel like I am constantly seeing paparazzi photos of her and Suri at American Girl Place. They seem to really enjoy it there.  I have yet to see Katie Holmes at The Grove, but I know it will happen someday.)

I am also not an LC superfan.  In fact, while I wanted to blog about this thing, I thought of framing it like “Oh, I happened to be at The Grove and happened into this signing…”  But, no.  Let’s be honest here.  I went on purpose.  My reasons for doing this are as follows: a) I wanted to see what Lauren would be wearing, b) I’m curious about her book, and c) I had nothing better to do.  One’s standards for how one spends one’s time drop quite a bit when one has no job.

I do like Lauren, though, and I like her more as the years go on mostly because she is one of the few “reality” stars who stretches herself and does things that are worthwhile instead of just appearing on “I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here” and the like.

However, going to The Grove takes forever during rush hour.

2) People LOVE Lauren Conrad.  When I arrived at the Barnes & Noble, there was a line completely around the block.  It was reminiscent of the line I waited in to attend a taping of “The Price Is Right,” which gave me some post-traumatic stress flashbacks.  Most of the fans were girls around 19 or 20 and they had styled themselves to look a lot like Lauren.  How amazing it would be to have that kind of influence that legions of young women imitate you.  They were all SO EXCITED, too.

Upon seeing the line, I gave up on the idea of getting the book signed because while I am bored, I am also lazy.  But I went inside to check out the scene which brings me to:

3) The paparazzi community is pretty interesting and weird.  One parazzo started heckling another paparazzo and they all seemed to have a love/hate relationship with one another. While they were competitive, they also had a kind of rapport between them and were comparing notes about other events.  (“This is way bigger than the Mario Lopez signing!”)  It did make me reflect on the fact that while we all think they are pretty heinous and annoying, they are just people like the rest of us who probably hate their jobs.

4) In person, LC really does look like a Disney princess.

5) The people at Barnes & Noble do NOT care about what I am buying.  I can be sort of insecure and whenever I am buying something embarassing, I always comment on it to the cashier.  I need to stop because they don’t care and my commenting on it just makes it worse.  The guy’s ringing me up and I’m loudly like, “Haha! I can’t believe I am buying this! It’s for my little sister, actually! I’m reading something way smarter!”  and he just stared at me blankly.  I actually looked around to find an intellectual book to buy, as well, in order to save face, but realized that was stupid.  Why do I care what B&N employees think of me?!

6) I am actually really glad I bought a copy of “L.A. Candy.”  It looks awesome.

Status Update

A few months ago, when I was still working full time and not sporadically in my pajamas, I thought to myself, “Self, you are spending too much time on Facebook.”  And I’d set little goals for myself in order to decrease my time on the site.  I’d wait until after lunch to check it, try to stay away from it when I got home from work, etc.  However, then I found myself unemployed, and all of my positive Facebook-related intentions went out the window.  The first thing I do when I get up in the morning (besides brew a pot of coffee) is check my email and check Facebook.  I often just leave it open while I am doing other things, as it sort of allows me to pretend that I’m in a social space. (I miss having an office to go to.)

I have recently started telling stories to friends and family members that begin with, “So on Facebook today…”  It has become less a website and more an actual place where things happen.  Which I suppose it is, really.  I can say “hi” to former coworkers, friends, family members; I can participate in topical discussions and share things that I think are amusing.  Facebook is essentially a way to participate in the public sphere without ever leaving my laptop.  In some ways, engaging in social media sites like Twitter and Facebook is more “social” than going to hang out at a coffee shop.  The things I say on Facebook  reach an audience of almost 200 people, after all.

I had intended to make this sort of a funny post about my Facebook addiction, but it’s actually made me think a lot.  Now that I am unemployed/working from home, I spend a lot more time alone than I used to.  I don’t mind spending time alone; in fact, I like it.  However, isolation can be sort of depressing, and the Internet has really helped me counter this depression-of-too-much-isolation.  Because when I’m online, I’m engaging with other people.  I’m feeling like people care about me (even in a shallow Facebook kind of way), and are interested in what I have to say. Though I do feel sometimes like we’re all a little too connected,  I think the way social media increase these connections is ultimately emotionally healthy for us.  (Although, yes, sometimes I do feel like I have a bit TMI about casual acquaintances.)

Is it an illusion?  Maybe a little.  I certainly don’t think that “online” time is as valuable as “in person” time with real friends and family.  And I certainly look forward to having somewhere to go when I wake up in the morning again.

“And though we may not be alone in the universe, in our own separate ways, on this planet, we are all alone.” – Jose Chung

Stuff I am watching on TV

I’ve gone awhile without updating for no particular reason.  Things are good.  I visited Monterey. I saw “Star Trek.” I went to bars and paid too much for cocktails. I rode my bike some more.  I celebrated my birthday with a night of karaoke followed by a day of Disney characters, and I actually felt really good about turning a year older for a change.  Usually on my birthday, I tend to feel a little panicky about all I have not achieved yet at my ever-advancing age, and this year, I just felt like I still have a lot to look forward to and that I am on the right track.

So, here’s what I’ve been watching on TV now that it’s summer and there’s no more Lost in my life:

Dexter - I just started watching this show and I am really enjoying it.  One of the reasons I decided to check it out is my mom’s recommendation (although I don’t think she’s as picky about television as I am because she raves about Cold Case).  The other reason I decided to check it out is Julie Benz, and on this show, Darla she is not.  But she’s really talented and though it seems cliche to say this, I honestly feel like she’s like a breath of fresh air. There’s something very pure and refreshing about her.  Michael C. Hall is also absolutely fantastic and, like, really attractive.  Dexter doesn’t seem like a bad guy to date, right?  Maybe not…

I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here - I tuned into the first episode out of some morbid curiosity and found it terrible and vowed I’d never watch it again.  I tuned into the second episode and witnessed Stephen Baldwin baptizing Spencer Pratt and felt like it may not be so terrible, if only because it will give Joel McHale good fodder for The Soup.  However, it’s on every night.  Even I, an ardent Big Brother fan, cannot commit to watching a crappy television show every single night of the week. I feel like the fact that this show may have sucked me in is some mean sentence for some past life misdeeds. It’s also quite likely making me stupider.

So You Think You Can Dance – This is the antidote for all bad reality TV, as it is just awesome.

The Hills – I actually watched the Speidi Wedding Special (I know), and Brody commented that he hoped Spencer and Heidi’s children have “creepy, flesh-colored beards.”  Funny, Brody! Incidentally, why was Justin Bobby at this wedding?  And Stacie (the Bartender)? I think that Lauren Conrad actually seems like a nice girl and that it’s good for her career and life that she has extricated herself from this absurdity.  I don’t know if I can deal with watching a season sans Lauren of Kristin Cavallari and Audrina making no eye contact with anyone, ever.

Any recommendations for me?  Beyond Dexter, I’m really starved for quality.