Super Heroic Minimalism.

I dunno, I file baths with other girl-things that I do not get. I genuinely don't find it all that comfy and pleasant. It's a slightly nicer sensation than a hot shower, but only briefly.

Actually, I suppose I'm just not a water person, since I'm not big on beaches/lakes/swimming pools, either. Hm. I hadn't made that connection before.

Super Heroic Minimalism.

Heh. Poor Iron Man.

I always take a book to the bath, but I never read it. If the water's hot enough and the tub is deep enough, I just zone.

My favorite bathtub ever was the one at the Planet Hollywood hotel in Vegas. Huge, deep, soaking tub made of glass. I could practically float in it, it was so deep.

I agree with the first two points but not the third. Employees need to fit into the corporate culture, no matter what that is. In the law firm I worked in, you had to be willing to work 80 hours a week to make partner. They expected you to work late and every weekend. Woo woo or positive upbeat enthusiasm would have gotten you thrown out the door. If you were not serious and work-obsessed, it was not the place for you. If you go to work at a place that wants upbeat, cheery people, don't sign on if you can't be (or fake) it.

And the cancer stuff is even more depressing.

She was spot on with the whole positive attitude, pink stuffed animals, sappy aphorism part, which I found more appalling than some of the treatment. (I yelled profanities at the nice volunteer who tried to give me a pink stuffed bear and asked her if men with prostate cancer got blue stuffed bears.) Ehrenreich unfortunately had a completely erroneous understanding of risks and percentages with regard to treatment.

I, on the other hand, love water. Not swimming. Just wallowing.

There was one tub in a hotel in downtown Chicago with a TV on an extended arm--the tub was long enough to stretch out in and I could watch basketball. It was the heaven.

Barbara Ehrenreich

She tends to grate on my nerves. In Nickel and Dimed I really thought she was ao black and white on things and at times I felt she pushed things in her situation to fit the point she wanted to make.

With the caveat that I have not read the book, I think it is problematic to refer to people who believe in positive thinking as being happy about things. Being a member of the church where "The Power of Positive Thinking" was written, what I hear much more of is along the lines of "You can choose how you look at things." or "Life can be extemely hard and there is no doubt suffering, but it does not have to defeat or define you." I think the constantly "cheery" people are not really getting the message.

if men with prostate cancer got blue stuffed bears

Actually, not a bad idea, as far as it goes. But also not a substitute for realism and substance.

With the caveat that I have not read the book, I think it is problematic to refer to people who believe in positive thinking as being happy about things.

She does point out that "positive thinking" doesn't necessarily lead to being happy about things, because if you try "positive thinking" and you don't get what you want (e.g. your cancer doesn't go away) then it's all your fault. So to employ positive thinking is to constantly examine your thoughts and feelings in an attempt to purge any negative thoughts.