blog me tender

“Lenny Hearts Eunice” by Gary Shteyngart

See, I haven’t lost sight of posting stories!

http://www.newyorker.com/fiction/features/2010/06/14/100614fi_fiction_shteyngart

This piece was featured in The New Yorker’s “20 under 40” issue and is adapted from Shteyngart’s novel “Super Sad True Love Story,” which comes out this July.

It’s an (eventually) endearing and funny piece of speculative fiction set in the unspecified future where books aren’t read and employees are publicly rated based on their moods/attitude (“not a team playa”). But, even in such a sick sick world the love an awkward older Jewish man for his petite Asian lady cannot be squashed.

At first I wasn’t too enthusiastic to read about such a pervasive and personally unpalatable type of infatuation (okay, typical gross old white man love for small Asian lady named Eunice..how much more stereotypically Korean- American can her name be? Why does he have to mention how she is Asian and small sooo often?), but eventually I was “ROFLAARP-ing” (Rolling of Floor Looking at Addictive Rodent Pornography).. at least by the story’s own standards. Thankfully, Eunice has her own agenda and an edge to her.

Chuck Palahniuk “Guts”

this post was originally sucked into the mysteries of interweb land…

“Guts” by Chuck Palahniuk

**Somewhat disturbing & very disgusting

http://chuckpalahniuk.net/features/shorts/guts

Readings of “Guts” have consistently caused fainting amongst audience members.

“The Guts Effect” by Chuck Palahniuk

http://chuckpalahniuk.net/features/essays/guts-effect

And, of course, the auditory experience. It’s interesting to listen to the audience’s reactions. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a complete version with video as well :(

Part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0ln9ZQY_V4

Part 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZJhtxZPvWo&feature=related

Part 3:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs-qBsXAt_U&feature=related

“The Lady with the Little Dog” by Anton Chekhov

http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/ac/jr/197.htm

“The Secretary” by Mary Gaitskill

I’m sure a lot of you have seen the movie “The Secretary,” featuring Maggie Gyllenhaal as Lee Holloway, the sexually submissive secretary of sado-masochistic attorney, E. Edward Grey, who is played by James Spader.

But, you may have not read the short story, which the movie is based off of, and that’s okay, but you might be missing out.

Unlike the move, it’s definitely not a romantic comedy “quirked up” with BDSM.

http://www.nerve.com/fiction/gaitskill/secretary/index.asp?page=1

“This kind of thing kept occurring all week. Each time, the lawyer’s irritation and disbelief mounted. In addition, I sensed something else growing in him, an intimate tendril creeping from one of his darker areas, nursed on the feeling that he had discovered something about me.”