Tater Tale

So I heard this great story over the weekend, and I thought I would share it with you.

The book above was written by a local guy, who created, "The Adventures of Pat The Potato" to explain to a young family member about the size of one's heart and what can happen when a young potato finds the courage to succeed. It is a story about a very small, second grade potato who leaves home to get away from the ridicule of being the smallest potato in town. Written for his young family member who was struggling with peer pressure, the book became family lore and was then accidentally introduced to a publisher.

Mr. Gannon, flabbergasted that someone found his children's tale interesting enough to publish, was overjoyed to learn that not only did his tale about Pat sell, but the book was quickly adopted by the Potato Museum in Idaho as their pseudo "mascot" book. The sales of the book from the visitors of the museum and the sales on Amazon.com have been good and Michael Gannon couldn't have been more surprised.

Mr. Gannon relayed how amazed he is every month when he opens his small royalties check from book sales. The publisher has since asked Mr. Gannon to write another book. He has declined, of course, because the story came from an idea he had to help a young family member to understand that it's ok to be small and that sometimes being small sometimes has it's advantages. Never claiming to be an author, Mr. Gannon decided that Pat the Potato would be his only literary effort.

An effort like that, it seems, is no small potato.

Too Bad The Tux Was Rented

So have you seen this?

Kevin Cotter, a man whose high school sweetheart and wife of 12 years left him in July of 2009, turned his devastation and despair into success. A box salesman from Tuscon Arizona, Cotter, had been with his wife for more than half of his life and had two children with her when she walked out leaving her life and her wedding dress behind in a keepsake box in the closet. She told him to do "whatever he wanted" with the wedding dress and that's exactly what he did.

Cotter and his brother Colin started brainstorming about ways to use the wedding dress. They decided it would make a great grill cover, yoga mat, scarecrow, complete with a Darth Vader helmet and punching bag. Cotter then stared taking pictures and posting them and the wedding dress chronicles on myexwifesweddingdress.com. Instantly a Internet star was born.

People could relate to his pain and by using comedy, this type of therapeutic fun struck a chord with his fans. His ex wife wasn't exactly pleased, but for Cotter his brother reports that while they were taking pictures for the blog he began to see "his first real laugh" since the divorce.

Cotter turned his blog into a book deal and says that the book, "101 Uses for My Ex-Wife's Wedding Dress", is about so much more than using a wedding dress to strain cooked pasta. Along with the hilarious commentary on his ex's dress, he poignantly writes about dealing with devastation of life alone and reflects on divorce, children, life and moving on.

Cotter has moved on. He married a woman he met on match.com in his backyard. “She said earlier in our relationship that if it worked out and one day we were to be married, it would have to be a beach wedding and she would wear a thong bikini,” Cotter said. “She said she would not risk leaving me with any amount of material for a sequel." She didn't though, in the end she wore a dress, and one that I'm sure is under lock and key away from Cotter.

Too bad my ex wore a rented tux. I think it could have made a New York Times best seller.

Despicable Doesn't Begin To Cover It

Sorry about the confusion over Friday's post. As my friend, Mrs. Hall explained so eloquently on Friday's post in the comment section, yes it was judgement day for my EX ASS, meaning my asshole of an EX-husband. Thanks to Mrs. Hall and I apologize to you bloggers for my quick, crap post, as it was literally thrown together on an iphone as I sat in a court house. (I thought the picture was brilliant, though)

Funny, but after listening to the lies of the EX-ASS, and the lengths he would go to to save his own hide, I went on about my day only to come home that night to catch ABC's news program 20/20.

How ironic.

The topic was Andrew Young, ex-aide to John Edwards, tell all book about the despicable John Edwards and the cover up of the decade. It would seem that this was the day for me to sit mesmerized by tales and lies and the lengths that people will go to, to cover up the truth. Of course, not everything we read, see or hear is the absolute truth and Mr. Young is just as despicable as Mr. Edwards, but whoo boy, I couldn't help but wonder what the HELL John Edwards was thinking.

Seems Edwards was in the midst of his run for the White House and the American Presidency, when the shit hit the fan and the fan was on high. Edwards, seen by the media as the dark horse in the race against Hillary and Obama, was the possible front runner in the pending Iowa Caucuses. Around the same time Edwards wife of 30 years, Elizabeth, was diagnosed with breast cancer, and she valiantly and publicly urged her husband to continue his presidential bid. What we, the American people, didn't know was also at the same time Mr. Edwards VERY PREGNANT mistress Rielle Hunter, was about to give birth to his illegitimate child. And that there were lots of people willing to lie, finance, and cover up this fact, to get Edwards into the White House at all costs. But lucky for us, we have the National Enquirer, who's sole purpose it is to expose scumbags of all race and class and political party.

The National Enquirer was hot on Rielle Hunter's trail and Edwards had to make a move fast. What's even more ironic is that Edwards didn't seem to be worried about loosing his presidential bid as much as he was worried about his wife finding out about Rielle and the baby. In stepped trusted aide Andrew Young to save the day. This boob had his nose so far up Edwards ass that he actually made a public statement, claiming paternity of Hunter's child. Young, married with three children, moved Edward's preggers hussy into his home, with said family, and fell on his sword for Edwards. Motivated by what could only be an unlimited bank account, Young, his wife and Hunter went into hiding while they waited for the birth of the child.

The rest is history, as they say, Edwards tanked in Iowa, then New Hampshire and pretty much suspended his campaign after that. Ya think? How the hell this guy did not have an anxiety attack during all of this is amazing. It just reinforces the fact that he is most certainly a pathological, self absorbed, despicable liar who will ruin, destroy and crush anyone in his path. I mean, did he really think he could become president with THAT skeleton in his closet?? I will never understand how terrible people manage to get away with terrible things.

Andrew Young is not without fault. He has fallen in the graces of his colleagues for a man who promised to take care of him forever, only to find himself now unemployable. A man who told Andrew he will always be family, and today will not take his calls. A man who abused Andrew's trust, his wife's trust, his mistress' trust, this country's trust and for what?

Today, they are all sitting in their own stink and despicable doesn't begin to cover it is a mere understatement.

I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell

I was at the local Barnes and Noble about two weeks ago. I made my purchases and was walking out of the store, gloves on and keys in hand, when a book on the table closest to the door caught my eye. It's title, "I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell". I picked it up and turned it over where my eyes were met with the first words on the back, "My name is Tucker Max and I am an a**hole." Immediately, I was hooked. I then opened the book and started reading through it. Much to my delight, I quickly realized that this was a book full of previously posted blog entries. A blogger done good! I could hardly believe it. Of course, I had to buy it.

"The runaway New York Times best seller" is described as "highly entertaining and thoroughly reprehensible". They weren't kidding. Tucker Max, author of the blog posts, parlayed his hilarious, completely offensive, sophomoric, outlandish life experiences into blog posts on his wildly popular web site, TuckerMax.com, and then into a best seller in 2006. A twenty-something law student at the time of most of the posts, Tucker's tales of his complete and uncautionary abuse of both alcohol and women are in one word-unbelievable.

If his book is correct, it's a miracle that Tucker still has the use of his liver and has not, at this point, succumbed to the dangers of a sexually transmitted disease. With titles like, "Tucker Tries Butt Sex; Hilarity Does Not Ensue, The Night We Almost Died and The Worst Tucker Story Ever", the book is both engrossing and repulsive.

And I am recommending it to you.

I couldn't put it down. I laughed hard, was utterly repulsed, questioned it's authenticity at times, and was offended, but I can't say I wasn't entertained. It was an easy read and I admire his style of writing. The boy can tell a story.

Since the book was published in 2006, I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell has been made into an independently financed movie and his book has been revised and expanded with new material. You can follow all the movie's comings and goings on ihopetheyservebeerinhell.com. It's just about the only place that Tucker himself blogs regularly, when he is not on tour for the re-release of his book.

The Tucker Max book tour hit Boston last night and I had to see this guy for myself. The line to see Tucker snaked throughout the entire book store and his fans were rowdy. Let's just say that his fans are made up of 20-25 year old college guys and young ladies looking for a, er, um, a good time with Tucker the man. When I met him he looked spent. Maybe he had overindulged the night before and Tucker, 33 now, is no spring chicken anymore. This was not the Tucker in the book. I get the feeling he is more serious these days. He wanted to talk about the movie and how good it is, his pride showing, as it should be.

Funny, Tucker's way of greeting me with a smile was this, "It's really nice to see an adult here."

I'm not quite sure how to take that.

It was almost like he was resigned to his plight in life.

Regardless, he still signed my book like this:

Which reads: "Candy, I'm awesome Tucker Max"

A Book Review:How Starbucks Saved My Life by Michael Gates Gill

I read a great book I just so happen to pick up at the book store while buying birthday cards for a friend. The title caught my eye and I picked it up thinking it was a biography about the founder of the international coffee chain. A rags to riches type story. When I turned it over to read the back I was immediately hooked upon learning that this story was just the opposite. A riches to rags story subtitled, "a son of privilege learns to live like everyone else." I immediately, (in the bookstore) opened to the first page and begun reading. The author, Michael Gates Gill, born to a prominent family and educated at Yale, grew up in the toniest of New York suburbs, Bronxsville. His father, Brendan Gill was a prominent writer for The New Yorker for 60 years, a best selling author and an insider to New York's elite. As was his destiny Michael graduated from Yale, was hired right out of college at one of the worlds largest ad agency's and was making a solid 6 figure income for some 20 odd years. Then, at the age of 53, he was fired from his executive position and his life spiraled out of control. Not only was he failing miserably trying make ends meet with his own consulting business, but his extra marital affair was exposed ending his twenty year marriage. With five children to support, his life in shambles, Gill takes us back to the day when his happenstance meeting with a young woman at a Bronxsville Starbucks changed his life.

Gill credits the simple pleasures of a job well done, the support and respect of his co-workers and his children for helping him turn his life around. His job at Starbucks really did save his life. Gill says he is the happiest he has ever been in his life and the success of a corporate title and a big salary aren't the components he defines himself by any longer. Despite all of this, monetary success did manage to find him. His memoir was a New York Times best seller and of course Hollywood followed. Tom Hanks has bought the rights to his story and will star as Gill in the film. This will no doubt bring his income level back into the six figure neighborhood, as will the inspirational speaking engagements and book tours he will be doing promoting his message. Gill says he has no plans to leave his barrister job at Starbucks.

I loved this story about humility and the lessons that it teaches. It's never too late to begin again, find redemption in menial tasks and be happy. Gill himself says, "I'm so much happier serving than I ever was being served."