When I first heard R.J. Julia Booksellers was bringing Kate Hudson to Madison for a book signing, I was all over it. I hoped for a biography but was disappointed to find out it was about healthy living. I’m not really a self help book sort of gay. However, in my gay opinion, it was worth $30 to be able to say I met her. I bought a ticket to the event which guaranteed me a seat to hear her speak and a signed copy of the book.
Madison is a higher class town than I’m used to. Once there I didn’t know where to go so I followed two women in fur (damn it, I left my blood-red paint in the car) coats. I knew they’d head straight to the event because there’s no way they’d walk far in those heels. I got there a little before the doors opened and the line was already 100 women deep. I was stuck in the freezing cold in my Old Navy outfit listening to two women behind me debating which Louis Vuitton (I thought he was a Roman emperor) purse design is best. The crowd was me, like 5 other guys, 500 rich white women, and one woman of color. At least I think she was a woman of color, she could have had a deep tan. Oddly enough for mid February in Connecticut, most of the women had tans.
This was the smoothest run book signing I’ve ever been to. It started on time with Kate greeting the audience and then she sat down with a moderator to answer a few of her questions. The signing followed and the rules were simple: #1 Don’t come up unless our letter was called. Luckily I was the first group called so I didn’t get confused. #2 We’d be handed a pre-signed book because there were too many people to get every book signed personally but to make up for it we were able to get a photo with Kate. #3 When getting our photo we needed to realize that “this is not your 15 minutes of fame with Kate, this is your 5 SECONDS of fame.” I got it, don’t hold up the line. It was like Kate and I were speed dating. I just hope it was good for her because it was for me.
I did read the book, although I am not the intended audience, it’s specifically written by a woman for women. It’s not the self help book I was expecting, it’s a motivational book but without any set motivation. The book is based on the four pillars that Kate lives by: listening to your body, eating right, exercise, and mediation. She won’t tell you what’s right for you because it’s something you have to figure out for yourself. What the book does have are quizzes to find out what type of person you are, structure to help create a “Drawing Board” which is a journal system to help you to know your body better, and recipes to help you do a cleanse. The book has helpful hints throughout but it’s not a program, it’s for women who are already on a path and need some guidance. If you’re like me and prefer structure and instructions, this isn’t the book for you.
What did Pretty Happy teach me? #1: I should eat less processed foods. Kate is good at reminding you about things that you know you should be doing. #2: Kate dresses in a red “Kiss Me” crop-top t-shirt, skimpy heart covered shorts that look like a diaper, and woolly boots when she feeds chickens. #3: If you’re a Vata person (you can take a quiz to find out if you are) with “light-colored, foul smelling stools that are soft and bulky. Stools are difficult to flush and may float or stick to the sides of the toilet bowl” then you have a fat deficiency. But it’s better than having a sugar deficiency because then you have to deal with “explosive diarrhea.”
I guess it’s true what they say, you learn something new every day!
