two more

(see also: bad movie)

two more entries from Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal which had me laughing:

encouragement, exercise video instructor who tries to give
when the instructor on an exercise video says great! and good job! and yes, that's it!, it's so patronizing. she can't see me, how can she possibly comment on my performance? are we humans that pathetic and praise-thirsty that an instructor spewing generic affirmations to an invisible audience is considered helpful, effective and believable? i put on one such tape and felt not encouraged but rather enraged by the unfounded compliments. when her fifth yes, there you go! elicited an under-my-breath shut the fuck up, i knew it was time to turn off the tape.

encyclopedia spine
i was talking with my friend marie-claude shortly after finishing the first draft of this book. she said, speaking of encyclopedias, i have to tell you this unreal but true story. you know my friend ----, right? well, she used to work at encyclopedia britannica. she was working on a new edition. and i've actually seen this at the library, so i promise you i'm not making this up: on the spine of volume eight, it says Menage-Ottawa. that was her doing. the editors apparently never picked up on it. i ran to the library to see for myself.