Review of Amy Poehler’s “Yes Please”

August 10, 2015September 14, 2015 ~ Hannah Kate ~ 1 Comment

Hook: It didn’t really take much to sell me on purchasing Yes Please. I loooove Amy Poehler and her humor, and wanted to get into the head of one of my favorite funny people. Plus, the cover was cool and all the other bits that are supposed to sell you: the description on the inside of the book jacket, the back of the book, etc. were Smart and Funny, and written in Amy’s (hilarious) voice. So I was sold.

Line: I enjoyed the book from the first page, but what really got to me was a line that crops up a few times in the book that really sold me.

“You do it because the doing of it is the thing. The doing is the thing. The talking and worrying and thinking is not the thing.”

This really struck home with me because I want/need to be doing more of thing, which for me is writing (hence this blog).

Also, there’s these wonderful gems of wisdom on two-page spreads with primary color backgrounds and block text.

Some examples:

Source: Yes Please by Amy Poehler (Images by Me)

Sinker: On the inside book jacket it essentially says that “In a perfect world we’d get to hang out with Amy Poehler.. but because she is so busy she can’t hang right now. However, this book is the solution to that problem”–and it really is. There were parts that made me laugh and cry and feel all the Feels, just like I imagine hanging out with Amy would be like. It’s brilliantly and candidly written with stories and advice and side notes. I didn’t realize how much this book would help me understand myself, it’s like a self-help book you don’t have to hide the cover of when you’re reading on the subway. Amy is a Smart Woman and she decided to share her years of wisdom and life lessons with the world. So go ahead and treat yo’ self to Yes Please.

10 Reasons Why I Love “The West Wing”

August 5, 2015September 14, 2015 ~ Hannah Kate ~ 1 Comment

It’s really well written, like really well written. It makes you wish, “Wow, I wish I was this clever and smart, and was able to come up with a witty retort on the spot.” But it isn’t pretentious, it sounds like real conversations.

Character development. C-h-a-r-a-c-t-e-r development. It makes sense. The characters are real and grow, and make mistakes. They are people. Their reactions are real and unique, and none of them can be place squarely in a box. Sure, there are a few “common” aspects of their personality, but that’s just because they’re human.

The relationships are messy and real and true. It’s not always peaches n’ cream between all of the characters. There’s tension and scenes fraught with all kinds of emotions.

Donna Moss. That is all.

It reflects a time period. Accurately. It’s interesting to see the subtle shift in technology, mindset, and actions of America.

But—at the same time there’s a certain sense of timelessness to the series. I watched it in 2015 (yes, all seven seasons) and there are still issues that are still relevant.

It had a good ending. Although, I wish there was a season eight, nine, ten—it ended, as it should. There was a sense of completeness to the character’s journeys, but there was still enough wiggle room to keep the viewer wondering. If I were going to be really clever, I would say it ended with ellipses…

Good ol’ jokes. Laughing through the tears and crying from laughter.

Symmetry and logic. There wasn’t a rushed feeling to the show, everything developed at a logical pace. Information was revealed on an as needed basis and only when necessary. I think the only way to explain what I’m talking about is by using an example. So, for example in Season 2, Episode 2: In the Shadow of Two Gunmen Part II, Josh is thinking about how he and Sam reconnected to be part of “Bartlet for America”: with the interrupting of the meeting at a Very Important law firm and Josh’s lack of a poker face. And five seasons later, after a very pronounced lack of Sam Seaborn, in Season 7, Episode 19: Transition, we see the same thing again. See? Symmetry.

It made me realize that all those kids who say they want to be President probably haven’t watched this show. Because it’s like a lot of work. Like a lot, a lot. I’ll just stick with my fantasy of marrying royalty, thank you very much.

Please read…

August 5, 2015August 5, 2015 ~ Hannah Kate ~ Leave a comment

The idea for this blog came to me because I think too much and I just wanted to have a place on the Internet to record those things. At first, I was just going to call this blog, “hannah says…”, but 1) I thought this name would already be taken (spoiler alert: it was) and 2) I decided that I am more than what I say, I’m also what I think and feel.

WordPress suggested that I use this post to tell you what you’ll find on my blog. I guess they know what they’re doing, so I’ll try to map out a general plan. (In case you haven’t noticed, I’m kind of winging it). I have several pages, like “Culture” and “TV/Movies”, and all the rest (I’m sure you’re capable of reading them yourself) where I will post things relating to said topics. I’m a very passionate person with a lot of thoughts as I already stated, but the frequency and amount of posts to each page will vary on my mood.

I’m going to try to boil down the philosophy behind each of the words I’ve chosen for the title of the blog just to rationalize it for you:

Say: It’s a statement I’m making and I won’t post anything here that I don’t mean. I mean what I say.

Think: These are just my opinions and may not be backed-up by real evidence. So please try not to get offended, I’m not trying to offend anyone.

Feel: Sometimes I think the Internet forgets that people have feelings, and since I’m a person, I have feelings, so try not to hurt them, ‘kay?

That’s all for now. You can go to my About page where it will probably be some iteration of this post to learn more about my blog. But really that’s all for now, as you were.

hannah says/thinks/feels

i am more than what i say.

Review of Amy Poehler’s “Yes Please”

Please read…