Paul Rudd - Where isn't he?

Is it just me or is Paul Rudd everywhere? Check this out (and this is just a taste of his work. He's done so much more):

I Love you, Man

Knocked Up

Monsters vs. Aliens

Role Models

Little Britain USA

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Over Her Dead Body

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

The Ten

The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show

Robot Chicken

Diggers

Veronica Mars 

Reno 911

Night at the Museum

The 40 Year Old Virgin

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

Friends (remember, he married Phoebe?)

The Shape of Things

Reaching Normal

Cider House Rules (seriously)

Clueless

I like his work. You? What's your favorite Paul Rudd film?

(photo www.thecinemasource.com)

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

When was the last time a show left you smiling? For me, it was 11 p.m. tonight. I watched the premiere of "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" and was grinning from ear to ear. For lack of a better word, the show is sweet (not a term one usually associates with a program airing on HBO). It unfurls as one might expect a long, hot day to roll out across the beautiful Botswana landscape. Slow, leisurely and with a few unexpected interruptions for good measure. It's like a spa for your overly-stimulated, television-watching mind - relaxing, soothing and highly enjoyable. 

Jill Scott is a revelation as detective Precious Ramotswe and Anika Noni Rose delights as her "wrapped-a-bit-too-tightly" secretary, Grace. Honestly, there wasn't a weak link in the cast. 

I truly enjoyed it and think I may have found a new favorite show

Did you catch "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency? What did you think of it?

Your Next Career

If you were to change careers, what would you do? I think about this quite a bit and here's why: More and more people are working well into their 60s and 70s. We could, if we slogged away from college graduation until retirement at 70, be a cog in the machine better known as the "working world" for a good 45 to 50 years. Fifty Years! 

Did you think you'd work in one career for nearly 50 years? Egads. I studied communications in college and have had a great career in public relations and marketing for nearly 20 years now (though to be fair, I spent some years working as a freelance writer, went back to school for a bit, and waited tables here and there). 

But still, if I have another 20-plus years to work, do I want to keep on this career path? Maybe not. Change is good. Learning new skills is good. Challenging oneself and mixing things up is even better. 

So, here are some things I might want to do were I to do something different:

1. Fulfill a lifelong dream and host a television show (now you see why I have Six Minute Style). Oprah Winfrey is launching her new network and looking for content - anyone have a contact for me?!

2. Be a bike tour guide in a foreign country. I love to bike. I love to travel. I love the idea of a non-desk job that involves physical activity. 

3. Become an auto mechanic. I'd study new and emerging technologies -  hybrids, fuel cells, Flintstones - and be positioned to be on the forefront of the coming shift. My husband thinks I'm kidding whenever I tell him I want to do this, but I'm not. I'm actually quite intrigued. BTW - I just learned that my friend, Bruce, was once an auto mechanic. He's now my hero. Tell me you're a doctor, a lawyer, a pharmaceutical rep and I'll nod politely (while thinking, "man, I wish had your benefits"). Tell me you're a former mechanic now computer programmer and videographer and you've got my full attention.

4. Work with young girls -  here and in third-world countries - to ensure their access to education and healthcare. This one is gaining some serious traction on my "next career" list. Check out this video for more on the importance of education in a girl's life. 

So ... what's on your "Next Career" list? 

Short Story Goliath

Just learned that my favorite short story writer has a new collection set to hit book stands on March 24. Mary Gaitskill first wowed me with "Bad Behavior," a collection of stories so powerful, so raw, so honest, so ... the words fail me. Let me simply say she writes the way I would write if I could. I can't. So I devour her work whenever possible. 

If you don't know Gaitskill's writings, you should. She's brilliant. And bold. And daring. She has such a finely-tuned sense of women and women's lives that one suspects she's merely a journalist or documentarian collecting the true (and tried) lives of the down and out females who grace her pages. Oh to be that wonderful of a writer!

Let me be clear - Gaitskill goes where many writers fear to tread - into worlds of sexual obsession, odd predilections, drug use and, quite simply, bad behavior. Hope may well be a four-letter word in her world. 

If you've seen "Secretary," then you've seen Gaitskill at work (though to be fair, the movie was Hollywood polished and a bit watered down). The film (you know, the one where we fell absolutely, madly in love with Maggie Gyllenhaal via her brilliant and nuanced performance) was based on Gaitskill's short story. Up next was "Because They Wanted To," another collection of shorts that chronicles, quite eloquently, dysfunction, tension and strangeness. 

Gaitskill has managed to squeeze in a couple of novels, but it is in short-fiction where she really soars. "Don't Cry," is her latest gathering of words. I can't wait to pick up a copy.

Have you read Gaitskill? What are your thoughts on her work? 

Stem Cells

Just posted to Blogher on stem cell research. I know this is controversial territory and not the usual subject matter found on the Six Minute Style site and blog, but I'm one hundred percent okay with that. It's relevant, topical and critical. And while the SMS focus is mainly lifestyle, it's not the only thing that interests or concerns us. To assume that all our viewers care about is entertaining, traveling and green-cleaning, is to completely disregard women as multi-dimensional and complex beings. We bring to our lives myriad experiences, prejudices and beliefs that shape our opinions and expectations. I feel strongly that stem cell research is relevant and appropriate. You may not. Pro or con, I welcome your input. 

Enjoying the Simple Things

Picked up a bouquet of irises on Saturday and was thrilled at the speed at which they filled my home (not to mention my spirits) with a much-needed hint of carefree summer days, aimless barefoot (or at least flip-flopped) walks and flirty little skirts (sans wool socks, of course). Adding to the joviality, a friend brought me a bouquet of darling yellow daisies Saturday evening. We immediately added them to the vase housing the irises and Viola! A floral Om for the soul. It was as though the pale yellows and deep purples were whipped up in some faraway greenhouse with the sole purpose of coming together on a cold, gray winter day.  

It's wonderful that something so simple as a bouquet or two of flowers can bring so much joy. And to think, I paid all of $8.99 for the irises. Money well spent, I'd say. You?

Waking Up Monday

It's Sunday evening and all I'm thinking is, "I want a three-day weekend." It's not that this wasn't a fun and full two-plus days. It was. Two friends had art openings on Friday night, we hosted a dinner party on Saturday, then squeezed in a full day of "catch-up" on Sunday (bills, laundry, a week's worth of newspapers, loads of dishes and glassware, and some random/mindless television). So, why the need for an extra day?

I have a few thoughts - winter blues, time-change blahs, slight professional burnout. Given that I work for myself, I'm going to have to dig deep in the morning to fully embrace the work week (and perhaps brew a really strong pot of coffee). 

How are you feeling on a Sunday evening? How do you prepare for Monday morning? Anyone else staring down the winter blues?                                                

The Gratitude Post

In his Wall Street Journal "Moving On" column yesterday, Jeffrey Zaslow suggests "There may be a positive byproduct of our times: a decrease in the urge to complain." He presents the idea that as we move further into the throes of recession, "we're seeing a return to Depression-era stoicism and an appreciation of simpler things." It's no longer cool to complain. In fact, with rampant job losses, pay cuts, frozen bonuses, work furloughs and businesses faltering left and right, many people are taking stock and counting their blessings. Job satisfaction, he reports, is actually up. Seems it's a bit easier to be grateful for a paycheck when many are doing without.  

Zaslow closes his article with a recommendation from Dr. Sherene McHenry, a professor of counseling at Central Michigan University, who says we should "write down three things we're grateful for every day-no matter how simple they might seem." 

My "Grateful List" today includes:

1. Heat: The pilot light on our furnace went out this past weekend and for the life of me, I couldn't re-light it. While it wasn't freezing outside, it was cold enough for me to layer up and plug in my dusty old space heater. My husband returned home a few hours later and within no time, our furnace was up and running. I was so relived. The thought of going without heat, or calling in a service technician over the weekend (and paying sky-high weekend rates) was troubling. So this morning, when I rolled out of bed and, in mere seconds, adjusted our home's temperature from 59 to 68 degrees, I was eternally grateful. I took a moment to acknowledge how lucky I am to have heat, water, electricity and food at my fingertips. In many parts of the world (including parts of our own country), this isn't the case. 

2. Work - I work for myself and have the luxury - most days - of setting my own schedule. I work with wonderful clients, inspiring colleagues and talented media professionals. Today, I have a job and that's a good thing indeed. 

3. Coffee - The aroma, the taste, the kick-in-the-butt wake-up call it provides.  

I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. What's on your "Grateful List" today?

Life

I've been a bit remiss in posting. I had the best intentions when I added the blog to the Six Minute Style site, but life has a way interjecting and grabbing (stealing?) our attention. Suffice it to say, there are big changes on the near horizon that have my full attention. More on that later. For now, here are some random thoughts:

The Economy: Could it get any worse? It's nutty right now and it seems most people are feeling it in some way, shape or form. If you're not - good for you! If you are, here's what I want to know: What changes have you made to deal with the economic slowdown?

Film - Saw "The Wrestler." Is it worth all the hype? Absolutely. Mickey Rourke is flawless. The film is tight and lean (not a lot of extraneous scenes and sub-plots taking up screen time) and the photography is spot-on - simultaneously intimate and bold. See this film. Then see it again.  BTW, if you're shying away because of an aversion to director Darren Aronofsky's work, get over it. You'll be glad you did. This is a beautiful, visceral piece of art. What's your take on it?

Weather - It snows in the deep South the same day I'm out riding my bike (under warm and sunny skies) in the far, far North. Global Warming? A fluke? Or, just a really lucky day for me (in my book, heaven is all bikes, all the time). How's your winter weather treating you? Do you think weather patterns are changing?