Swingers
We took Elijah to visit our friends in Hermosa Beach today, because, you know, sometimes we need to remind ourselves that we live in California. Where else can you see professional skaters whizzing around while dressed, like some low-level fetishists at a Holiday Inn convention center, in "furries" costumes? I think this was for a video.
The people in my neighborhood walk around with blank, bitter looks on their face, like they just accidentally inhaled paint thinner. The people in Hermosa walk around with blank looks, all right, but the blankness comes from a different source. My favorite source.
We all went for a long walk along the beach. Sculpted stereotypes played volleyball and 1,000 dogs, including our pal Hercules, bopped along. Herc seemed especially happy. We spend most of our neighborhood walks trying to avoid the lunatic, foaming advances of dogs who haven't slept inside since the 90s. In Hermosa, where it's always 65 and the breasts are 20 percent larger, the dogs are much happier and mellower.
We stopped at one point so Elijah and I could run around on the beach. At a certain point, he told me he wanted to swing. We walked over to the set. A guy in a brown hoodie was already there, pushing his little blond three-year-old. I plunked Elijah down in the adjacent swing.
"Daddy!" the kid said. "I'm high!"
The guy looked at me and chuckled.
"Dude," he said.
"Tell me about it," I said.
That silent acknowledgment passed. A few minutes later, we got ready to leave.
"Hasta," I said.
"Adios," he said.
I briefly thought about the fact that neither of us were Hispanic. Then I realized it didn't particularly matter.
Meanwhile, Alternadad has been reviewed in the NYTBR.
Comments
Sweet Jesus, I hate book reviews. Do the editors of book reviews always assign someone who will dislike to book to review it?
Posted by: John | January 6, 2007 5:42 PM
That review seemed pretty positive to me. Then again, I may have parsed it more carefully than you did...Not like I've read it 300 times or anything.
Posted by: Neal Pollack | January 6, 2007 6:23 PM
Truthfully, I only read it once, but the reviewer seemed to focus a lot on you as the author, and not a lot on the writing itself. Like, the review doesn't really mention your wit, or your prose style, or your unique perspective -- it's almost like it was reviewing your family or maybe the publisher's summary of the book from the press release rather than the book itself -- I mean, that bit about you and Regina not wanting to grow up isn't a verbatim quote from the Random House press release, but it's the same concept. Whereas I, having read your tales of Dad-dom for years now have never once though "Oh, Neal Pollack parents as if he doesn't want to be an adult."
Maybe I just need something fermented to drink.
Posted by: John | January 6, 2007 6:44 PM
To be fair, the book and the blog are very different animals, about slightly different subjects. The book is about becoming a dad, whereas the blog is mostly about my crazy kid. As for not talking about my prose style, well, few writers get their prose styles discussed. That would be gravy.
Posted by: Neal Pollack | January 6, 2007 8:49 PM
That review is bland. A "slight" and "amusingly cranky" memoir? The review seems ungenerous. And what kid wants his first mention in the NY Times--I'm assuming it's the first mention--to be coupled with a description of him "mounting" toys and the family cat? Big favor she did E there.
It could have been much worse. At least she didn't call you a GRUP.
Posted by: D.H. Lozenge | January 6, 2007 9:51 PM
Oh, it's been worse before. Way worse. Not much to complain about here...
Posted by: Neal Pollack | January 6, 2007 11:41 PM
Not a bad review at all. Go Neal!
Posted by: GIRL'S GONE CHILD | January 7, 2007 1:14 PM
Any press is good press. I think Details Mag suggested Alt- to it's readership last month. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Posted by: Mark | January 7, 2007 1:59 PM
Indeed. It's been in lots of magazines, and has been getting lots of gratifyingly good attention. In particular, the support I've received through this site has been outstanding, and I'm really grateful. I can't wait. Publication day is almost here!
Posted by: Neal Pollack | January 7, 2007 2:18 PM
At least she didn't call you a GRUP.
No kidding. You gotta love it when journalists borrow their scripts from old Star Trek episodes. Especially when they get the metaphor backward.
I'm glad you're getting good press, Neal.
Posted by: John | January 7, 2007 4:06 PM
Jesus. My comments sound like I'm a crack-soaked cheerleader.
Posted by: Neal Pollack | January 7, 2007 4:13 PM
WE don't think you're slight, NP.
Posted by: troy | January 8, 2007 9:56 AM
Seemed like a good review to me. I think when a reviewer uses the word "hilarious" and isn't being sarcastic, that bodes well for the book.
I shall be buying it as soon as Amazon sends me my 4th Quarter earnings g/c. Hey, who can resist a John Hodgman reviewed book? Well, not I, I guess.
Posted by: Flippy | January 15, 2007 2:56 AM