MALLORY'S BIRTHDAY + Book Review: "Yes Please"!

It's my FAVORITE HUMAN'S BIRTHDAY! And I really couldn't think of anyone to say better what I'd like to say about you, Mal, than Leslie. Because I've only just realized that you're the Ann to my Leslie (because you're a nurse and beautiful, obviously..and I'm the hyper, over-loving crazy woman! Yay haha)

Happy Birthday - I love you!

AND - that Leslie Knope segway brings me to my second part of this blog entry - my review of "Yes Please!" by none other than Leslie Knope herself..AMY POEHLER!

"Do you want to get to know the woman we first came to love on Comedy Central's Upright Citizens Brigade? Do you want to spend some time with the lady who made you howl with laughter on Saturday Night Live, and in movies like Baby Mama, Blades of Glory, and They Came Together? Do you find yourself daydreaming about hanging out with the actor behind the brilliant Leslie Knope on Parks and Recreation? Did you wish you were in the audience at the last two Golden Globes ceremonies, so you could bask in the hilarity of Amy's one-liners?

If your answer to these questions is "Yes Please!" then you are in luck. In her first book, one of our most beloved funny folk delivers a smart, pointed, and ultimately inspirational read. Full of the comedic skill that makes us all love Amy, Yes Please is a rich and varied collection of stories, lists, poetry (Plastic Surgery Haiku, to be specific), photographs, mantras and advice. With chapters like "Treat Your Career Like a Bad Boyfriend," "Plain Girl Versus the Demon" and "The Robots Will Kill Us All" Yes Please will make you think as much as it will make you laugh. Honest, personal, real, and righteous, Yes Please is full of words to live by."

- via Barnes and Noble

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I'm going to do these together, because I have a LOT to say about some quotes! 

But first - I LOVED IT. So wonderful, so hilarious, and so right. Amy just shines throughout this book (except at the end when there's a full paragraph on porn..I skipped it. No thanks.), and it definitely came at a time when I needed it. 

Essentially I "live-tweeted" quotes that I liked so I wouldn't have the pain of looking them back up - you're welcome self! High five! Here's some of my favorites (and why I think they're important)::

1// "People who are committing and taking risks become the king and queen of my prom."

Amy is all about taking a chance. You'll find that within the pages of "Yes Please", you'll figure out quickly that Amy's rise to fame wasn't as easy as we all think that fame will be. That you get discovered in the mall one day and skyrocket all the way up - no, that's not quite it. She started by joining comedy groups - and the rest was history. 

This quote is important because I want to be the queen of Amy's prom. (*did I say that out loud?*) Ha, really life is a risk. Any situation you come to has risks, even if it's the most safe thing in the world - but taking the bull by the horns is better. At least that's what Amy says..and Amy = truth.

2// We can all live in peace thinking out way is the best way and everything else is cuckoo."

 

Everyone else IS cuckoo. Preach, Amy, preach.

3// "The pressure of "What are you going to do?" makes everyone feel like they haven't done anything yet."

SERIOUSLY. I may be the only one in this boat currently (not), but I want to scream that any time someone asks me what the next plan of attack is. I'm trying my best, and while your question may be out of curiosity or genuine concern - it's loaded. It's nosy. It's a comparison to someone's daughter or niece or grandson who's rocking the stock market, living in a high rise apartment and has the perfect boyfriend/girlfriend/wife/husband + 2.5 kids. We're the exact same age and you're comparing my journey to theirs. Not all who wander are lost, friend. Not all.

4// "Watching great people do what you love is a good way to start learning how to do it yourself." 

I love creative people. I love sitting with someone and essentially seeing the wheels in their head turn. It makes me more creative, more open to new things, and better. A better artist, a better writer, a better person. It's practice for life..life, life and better life.

5// "If you can surf your life rather than plant your feet, you will be happier."

I read that and thought "woah, that's HUGE" - because I'm a huge foot planter. I have my way of doing things and it's not always the best. I stomp, I cry out, I fight - that's what I do..instead of letting life go. Letting things go - and seeing the benefits of that instead of letting God take me. God's plan is better (how many times have you heard that? A million.), but I don't always follow. Or I do, and it's more like this:

I'm Sadness 100%. (also, another Amy Poehler plug - go see "Inside Out"!!) There's a new adventure ahead and God doesn't need me as a map, but He needs me. And has to drag me all over sometimes, but eventually I stand. And one day, very soon, I'll stand up and I hope to be a life surfer - not a foot planter. We're working on it.

It's good advice. Plain and simple. And it's funny as hell. It's one of those books you should read when you're in your 20s because you're looking for anything and everything that will make this time easier. That will make you feel less alone.

Go read and go see. 

They're both magic,

C