so i've been reading Blink, by malcolm gladwell [whom i adooooreee], its about practicing and training your mind so that you are able to make quick decisions that are good decisions, honing into your unconscious ability to make snap judgements when necessary, and making this a part of your everyday decision making process. he calls it thin slicing. now this isn't quite the same thing, but its a concept that i feel is kind of related, it also could be seen as similar to the figure of speech, synecdoche, when a part is used to represent a whole.
okay. so lets get into this. in the past few days i noticed books in the rooms of two of my male friends and was immediately drawn to them. i went over and checked them out and had different positive reactions to each collection. then i thought about another guy whose book collection i've noticed quite a bit and i started thinking that i might be able to tell not only a lot about the guy and his personality, but also what he could give to me in terms of our relationship, strictly friendship or more, either way. check it out.
guy 1.
the books: proust, a history of armenian genocide, tolstoy, sarte, holy bible
about the books: all of these books are extremely well know works of literature, they are aguably a bit difficult to read, but undeniably intellectually stimulating.
the guy: super smart, very cultured, supportive, understanding, conscientious, but also a bit of a mess, last minute with details and schedules
the connection: this guy is incredible, he is an amazing catch, smart, talented etc, he is like one of these lauded works of literature, its like he has the whole package. but have you ever really tried to read the bible all the way through, have you ever tried to read proust?! its so confusing! you dont understand half the words, or the grammar is so outdated that you have to read things over and over again. this guy can be similarly confusing, nebulous at times. similarly, the last minute scheduling stuff (drives me crazy) i think this could be related too. how long did it take to write these things?! the authors weren't worried about meeting deadlines, they were writing works of art. this guy is concerned about big picture things, as i'm sure these authors were, and the details sometimes just get in the way. however in the end, it seems like it must have been well worth their time, these books are the best of the best. should i give the benefit of the doubt that this guy might be too?
guy 2
the books: Sweet 'Stache: 50 Badass Mustaches and the Faces Who Sport Them & about six books from author Carl Hiaasen
about the books: the guy reads hilarious fun books! carl hiassen is stuff I read when I was younger, and when i picked up these books on guy 2's desk i was immediately nostalgic and wanted to know about the newer ones. but here's the thing, hiaasen comes from a background of investigative journalism. while he is giving his audience funny crime thrillers with absurd characters he is also engaged in social commentary that talks about things like greed, corruption, and environmental activism. similarly, i expected to see a lot of funny pictures when i picked up sweet stache, but when i looked through it there were quizzes, short histories, movie quotes, celebrity quotes, famous literary figures and characters.
the guy: super artsy, super fun, super gorgeous
the connection: there are fun books and a fun guy. all of the books have bright colors, are graphically appealing, and guess what. guy 2 is a graphic designer. these books also look one way on the surface, but are a lot deeper once you get into them, without losing their fun playful side, from what i know of guy 2, this is totally him. always a ball to be around, definitely visually appealing, and there is a lot going on under the surface. my thoughts on him based on the books, don't sell this one short! this is a book/guy i want to keep around for awhile, can read over and over, and really enjoy the experience. hmmm...
guy 3
the books: financial advising, books about how best to communicate ideas to customers, outliers by malcolm gladwell (yeh, i borrowed this one!)
about the books: pretty self explanatory i'd say. most of them are interested in self improvement in the working world, being more convincing, more effective. outliers is actually called Outliers; the story of success. it explores why some people succeed and others dont.
the guy: suave, smooth, flirtatious, successful, polished
the connection: this guy, just like these books are about the business. guy 3 is always on the grind, but he likes his job, he's good at what he does, and he still finds time to hang out. he's a laid back kind of funny and though he is busy he has no problem going a bit out of his way for people. he's always meeting a friend, having a friend in town, picking up a friend, dropping off a friend, lol, i guess he's got a lot of friends. he's also someone who is extremely charming, he plays to his strengths, is conscientious of his appearance, and to be honest i think knows how to make himself come off as even more attractive than he is, because he is a good looking guy, but he somehow puts a distinguished spin on it. he's so obviously just like these books! but that also raises a red flag for me, is he overly focused on this appearance, on knowing how to talk a good game, on putting up appearances? im not sure, but its something i think ill keep an eye out for.
so far, i am thinking i could really be onto something. maybe i should have guys bring their favorite couple of books to any first dates i go on (since i go on soooo many of those -__-)! one thing i think i know for sure is...if I see no books at all. i think i should go heading for the hills asap, get out while i still can, that is just scary! you are about nothing?! nothing!?
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