His Growing Empire Is All About Partying, Women and Remaining Uncommitted

As reported on DT, stand-up Aaron Karo's (W'01, Pennfest 2006) multimedia empire seems to be growing rather quickly.

Thus far, Aaron's achievements include:

• 2 books 
• live performances through the US
• a hot website dedicated to everyone's "Ruminations"
• a great appearance on "The Craig Ferguson Show"
• An itunes comedy Top 10 CD: "Just Go Talk to Her"

And today, his empire grows some more...


Aaron's 3rd book, I'm Having More Fun Than You drops today and celebrates the fact that although Aaron has turned 30 he remains on a "quest to party like a rock star, get laid with abandon, and silence his critics in relationships with the rebuke “I’m having more fun than you."

Per the jacket cover,

“Happily married people and perpetually single people are similar: We’ve both given up on dating and have merely chosen different exit strategies.” So begins Aaron Karo’s hilarious exploration of bachelor life, from the alcohol-fueled pursuit of chicks in bars to sophisticated advances on defenseless bridesmaids. As his thirtieth birthday approaches, Karo observes the women around him growing increasingly desperate to tie the knot and finds himself equally determined – to remain uncommitted. ... Irreverent, insightful, and relentlessly funny, Karo offers a unique glimpse into the world of guys who defy convention, morality, and their moms in order to preserve their independence.

Why did he write the book?  Aaron tells me:

"When I realized almost all of my friends were married except for me, I decided to write a tribute to modern bachelorhood. If you’ve ever gone to a wedding where even the singles table had couples at it, this book is for you."

Check out Aaron's video above to get a flavor for Aaron's clever comedy.  (Watch the whole video above which builds up to his great last sentence!)

DT CATCHES YOU UP ON AARON KARO

• Check out my other posts about Aaron Karo
  
• Click to read how Aaron got his start as a stand up 
• Check out other Penn stand up comedians

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His Complete Gourmet Recipe Updates in a Tweet

It seems like a guy who wrote a book about fatherhood should also know a thing or two about how to cook.

Craig Boreth (C‘91), author of How to Feel Manly in a Minivan: The Desperate Dad's Survival Guide has a new project he's wants you to follow.

That is, to follow on Twitter.

Check out Craig's "Recipitos: A Complete Gourmet Recipe In A Tweet" where you'll find some of Craig's favorites including:

• OLIVE OIL GELATO: Whip 4 yolks & 1/2c sugar 5min til very pale. Beat in 1/2c olive oil, then 2c milk, 1c cream. Freeze in ice cream maker.
  

• SEA URCHIN (UNI) CEVICHE: Plate pieces of uni (from good Asian mkt.). Lots of olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper. Good bread for dipping.

• BACON DATE BOMBS: Wrap dates in bacon. Pack snugly on cookie sheet, seam down. Roast at 400 til browned, ~ 12 mins. Turn, cook 10 min more.
  

• TIRAMISU: Whip 1.5c cream, 2tsp vanilla, 1/3c sugar. Fold in 1lb mascarpone. Layer boozed-sugared-espresso-soaked ladyfingers, cream, cocoa.

And Craig is no stranger to cooking. A few years back he also published The Hemingway Cookbook and went on to become a food writer for the Boston Globe and elsewhere.  The cookbook is a culinary bio of Hemingway, featuring more than 120 recipes from his life and writing.

Per Craig,

"I started the book after traveling to Paris and Spain after graduation. It started as a travel guide to The Sun Also Rises and morphed into a cookbook."

Favorite recipes include:

• Cochinillo (Roast Suckling Pig) +/-
  
  
• Bloody Mary +/-
  
  

On a food related note, Craig has been been developing a story about three fictional meetings between Hemingway and another famous foodie, Pablo Neruda (first in Paris in the 20s, then Madrid during the Spanish Civil War and finally on the coast of Chile in the 50s).  Per Craig, "Food, obviously, will play a key role in their tempestuous encounters."

Delicious nuggets from my "Penn Foodies" series HERE

More posts about Penn alumni authors HERE

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READ MORE - His Complete Gourmet Recipe Updates in a Tweet

From Blogging At Penn to Publishing 200 Gourmet Recipes For Any Budget

In continuing my "Penn Foodies" week, after yesterday's story about this restaurant entrepreneur, today I bring you a post about yet another set of Penn alumni working together. 

Great story here. Two friends (and now dating!) write blog at Penn, get approached by publisher and now have book!

Continue Reading...

Alanna Kaufman (C'08, DP, City News Editor, Kite and Key Tour Guide, Big Brothers Big Sisters Mentor) and Alex Small (C'08, DP Photo Editor) published a new book called The Frugal Foodie Cookbook: 200 Gourmet Recipes for Any Budget which features high-quality recipes at low costs, and is aimed at cooks at any skill level (or no skill level!).  The idea for the book stemmed from their food blog, Two Fat Als, which they began writing while at Penn.  Both the blog and the book include anecdotes about their experiences cooking at Penn and in Philadelphia.

How did they get started?

Per Alanna,

"After finishing our editorships at the Daily Pennsylvanian, Alex and I had a lot of free time on our hands, and we began cooking.  Though our kitchens were tiny and poorly equipped, we starting making dinner each night and recording our dishes on our blog, Two Fat Als.  The blog was designed to show other college students that it was possible to create tasty and sophisticated dishes on a low budget.  Alex has always been a great chef -- his Colombian mother and Jewish father put him to work in the kitchen at an early age -- so he taught me basics and we continued to develop our skills together. 

Cooking for the blog moved us to explore different food markets in Philadelphia (the farmers markets, the Italian market, Redding Terminal), and we would often have friends over multiple nights per week for dinner. 

After a literary agent found the blog online during our senior year and suggested that we write a book proposal, we found Adams Media and The Frugal Foodie Cookbook was born!"

Alanna and Alex's favorite meals for friends at Penn which they served pre-Walnut Walk their senior year (from their book):
Apricot Brandy Baked French Toast +/-

 

Per Alana, "The day we first heard from our literary agent was the same day as our Walnut Walk during senior week. We were hosting a huge pre-walk brunch for our friends -- we made the apricot brandy baked French toast from the book, as well as cinnamon buns and an asparagus frittata. That was one of our favorite meals for friends at Penn and everyone stuffed themselves in preparation for a long day."

And one of Alanna's favorite recipes (from their book):
Black Bean Soup +/-

 

...And this isn't the first Penn alum who wrote a blog about saving money as a student at Penn and then got discovered.  Remember THIS Penn alum whose blog got turned into a book and then was hired to write on "Scrubs"?!

Get in touch with Alex and Alanna! twofatals at gmail.com

Delicious nuggets from my "Penn Foodies" series HERE

More posts about Penn alumni authors HERE

Other money saving tips from my "Pinching PENNies" series HERE

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Her Hollywood-Optioned Book Is Now in Paperback!

During this year, I've done posts about Allison Winn Scotch's (C'95) book The Time of My Life and how it was optioned by the Weinstein Brothers, was reviewed in People Magazine, made The Today Show's top 10 books for the fall, and made the New York Times Best Seller List! (#31).

Now news that last week, her book came out in paperback!

The Time of My Life (per Allison) is about an unhappy housewife who has been “whisked seven years back, back to her old life, her old self, back to the moments in which she made decisions that charted her future course. And now that she’s back, she’s faced with the same roadblocks and obstacles, only this time, armed with hindsight, she can choose a different path and finally lay to rest all of her "what ifs.”

Read a full synopsis of The Time of My Life here...+/-

“From the outside view, Jillian Westfield has a pitch-perfect life. Her cherubic 18-month old daughter, her wildly successful investment banker husband, a four-bedroom, five-bath, lemon-scented home with landscaping and neighbors to match. But that doesn’t stop her from mulling over the past, from pushing away the "what ifs" that haunt her when she allows them to seep into her consciousness. What if she hadn’t married Henry? What if she hadn’t abandoned her job at the first sign of pregnancy? What if she’d never broken up with Jackson? What if she answered her mother’s letter? Because underneath the shiny veneer of her life, Jill waddles around in a faltering marriage, brewing resentment, and an air of discontentedness.

But after an ethereal massage in which her therapist releases her blocked chi, she wakes up to discover that she’s been whisked seven years back, back to her old life, her old self, back to the moments in which she made decisions that charted her future course. And now that she’s back, she’s faced with the same roadblocks and obstacles, only this time, armed with hindsight, she can choose a different path and finally lay to rest all of her "what ifs."

Much more than a story about a real life desperate housewife. Instead, it speaks to so many of our tiny, lingering doubts, the same doubts that send us googling old friends and exes or wistfully pulling out pictures of days gone by. And through Jillian’s journey, in which she rediscovers the mother who abandoned her, reacquaints herself with the strengths she once deemed important, and may literally rewrite her future, we all get a chance to peek inside the windows of our own "what ifs," and consider if the path we took was the one that has granted us the most happiness.”

Read Allison's insider's advice on how to become a published novelist

Get The Time of My Life (paperback)

Get Allison’s The Department of Lost and Found

Other Penn authors!

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This Spoken Word Artist Has A New Book, A New Love and a New Target Named Bernie Madoff (VIDEO)

I've said it once and I'll say it again.  I LOVE these Excelano Project undergrads and alumni. Their form of art, the spoken word, is loaded with emotion and passion.

Back in 2007, I reported on Caroline Rothstein's (C'06, Excelano Project) powerful "They Call Me Granola" performance.

Now almost 2 years later, Caroline's still on fire...and I want to share with you 2 of her pieces that moved me!

1) If you're a New Yorker and have spent anytime on the subway, then you'll relate to Caroline's poignant poem called "Love Letter to the A Train"

Click here to expand +/-

Love Letter to the A Train

Usually, you serenade me in your Manhattan arms
But tonight, you hold me in Brooklyn
Like you were waiting for me
With your open doors

I’m not afraid that you will leave me if I cry too much

Because even at night
You ride on the local C track
You’re that reliable
Hold my torso on your bench
I’ve only had to stand once
There’s always an open seat for me

You are the only thing in my life I’m not afraid to depend on,
Other than myself; even though sometimes you’re late

I still know that you will catch my salty tear drops the way
Buckets catch ceiling leaks when bathtubs overflow

I am a pool of anguish tonight

I whisper in your sultry ears in springtime and
Don’t even have to ask permission

I’m afraid that a human would leave me if I cry too much

You remind me of myself
The way your open doors
Let strangers walk on uninhibited
And tell you their stories

I am chapters of open notebooks
And pages of hidden diaries
Filled with secrets because everyone
Rides me for my reliance

I hold messages in the cracks and crevices
Of my brain synapses
The way your dim lights
Flicker at dusk

Your train cars bound by chains of dependency
I feel like you will always catch me – unconditionally

You’re the only one I trust to bear my burden without
Having to take your needs into consideration

I will see you on Sunday

I hope my tears are gone by then
And I look forward to our two hours together
The one uptown into Fort Washington
And the one back downtown into the West Village

I could linger in our routine for decades
I never expected that an East Village girl like myself –
So happy on the Lexington line I ride on my own side –
Would find comfort in you:
Knight of the West Side highway, 8th Avenue,
And tracks deep enough to soak my tears

2) And check out this impassioned, chilling piece Caroline did called "For Bernie Madoff" at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York City, during a Friday night slam. Enjoy this as Caroline holds no punches!

If you like the above, then you'll be interested to learn that Caroline recently released a new *chapbook called "This Book Wrote Itself" (her "For Bernie Madoff" piece is in this book). She had a release show which took place in an Off-Broadway theatre called the Tank where she did a solo show featuring pieces from the new book.

Keep up with Caroline and get her new book on her blog HERE

*A chapbook is a book of poetry. It's typically a book that a poet puts out on their own, so mostly self published/printed, etc.

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If You Went to SleepAway Camp, You'll Want to Check Out Julie Kraut's New Book

Julie Kraut (C'04, Bloomers)'s new book SLEPT AWAY comes out today and if you went to sleepaway camp, I'm sure you'll relate to/appreciate this.

This is Julie's second book since HOT MESS: SUMMER IN THE CITY and it fits into that "chick lit" category I covered with another Penn alum author HERE.

Check out the synopsis below and note that the camp in her book "Camp TimberTrails" sounds like a conglomerate of camps "Camp Timberlake" and "Trails End"...2 very popular sleepaway camps for Long Islanders like myself..(although I went to Camp Wayne!):

"Laney Parker is a city girl through and through. For her, summertime means stepping out of her itchy gray school uniform and into a season of tanning at rooftop swimming pools, brunching at sidewalk cafes, and—as soon as the parents leave for the Hamptons—partying at her classmates’ apartments.

But this summer Laney’s mother has other plans for Laney. It’s called Camp Timber Trails and rustic doesn’t even begin to describe the un-air-conditioned log cabin nightmare. Laney is way out of her element—the in-crowd is anything but cool, popularity seems to be determined by swimming skills, and the activities seem more like boot camp than summer camp.

Splattered with tie dye fall out, stripped of her cell, and going through Diet Coke withdrawal, Laney is barely hanging on. Being declared the biggest loser of the bunk is one thing, but when she realizes her summer crush is untouchably uncrushable in the real world, she starts to wonder, can camp cool possibly translate to cool cool?

Summer camp might just turn this city girl’s world upside down!"

What inspired Julie to start writing?  How did the Kelly Writers House help her?  And what advice does she have for you...?  Find out from her HERE!




Get SLEPT AWAY

Other Penn alumni authors and their advice! HERE




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Two Successful Alumni Authors Back on Campus Tomorrow, Celebrating Their Reunion Weekend

Earlier this week, we saw videos from Laura Mac (C'89) who will be celebrating her 20th reunion this weekend.

Two more alumni of note (authors!) will be back on campus respectively celebrating their 25th and 10th reunions.

• Penn Alum and author Marie (Busterna) Lamba (C'84) will be back on campus this weekend celebrating her 25th reunion, as well as doing a book signing for her young adult novel WHAT I MEANT... this Saturday May 16th from 2-:4:30 pm at the Penn Bookstore (3601 Walnut Street)
  

WHAT I MEANT, which Publisher’s Weekly has called “an impressive debut,” is set in Doylestown and Philadelphia and is about a 15 year old girl, her mysterious guy, her Indian dad, her American mom, her evil aunt, and tons of drama and laughs.

Marie says she owes much of who she is today to her time at Penn. “I took tons of writing courses in college, and that, combined with my experiences as a student there, really helped shape me as a writer, and it influenced my novel as well.” The Philadelphia scenes in What I Meant… are drawn from her freshman year at Penn. “My teen character winds up stuck in Philly at night, completely lost and shook up. Kind of like me in my first year of college. I, too, was a small town girl who had a lot to learn about cities and about myself.”

Find out HERE how Marie got her start, got published and her advice to you on becoming an author!

Marie's website HERE

• 
  Rachel Skerritt (C'99, GSE '99) will also be doing a signing and discusion of her book WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN at the Penn Bookstore on Saturday 5/1 at 3:30 pm.
  
  Read my post I did about Rachel HERE and learn how she leads a double life as a high school principal and novelist!
  
  What inspired Rachel to start writing? ...Which famous Penn alumni have been mentors to her? ...And what are her tips to YOU? The answers got me chuckling... Find out more here!
  
  

Other Penn authors HERE




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You'll Thank Him for Teaching You How to Make the Least of What's Left of Your Career

Jason Seiden (W ’95) will unleash your career potential and he’ll entertain you in doing so.

Jason’s latest book “How to Self-Destruct: Making the Least of What’s Left of Your Career” isn’t your traditional business book. ...Why you ask?

Per Jason,

“If traditional business books worked, Corporate America would be nirvana. If they were interesting, people would turn off "The Daily Show" to read them.  Look around: Corporate America is the opposite of nirvana, and 75% of Americans don't read.  Enter How to Self-Destruct: the wisdom you need, the entertainment you want. Expect to walk away feeling genuinely good about your position, feeling validated as a human, and feeling in control of what to do next.”

In addition to being an author, Jason is a consultant who helps Next Generation professionals navigate the minefield that he knows is ahead of them. How to Self-Destruct is a roadmap of that journey. He also works one-on-one with Next Gen professionals to do what he fondly refer to as "cranial/rectal extractions." ...What does this mean?

Per Jason,

"What holds people back in their careers usually isn't the challenge confronting them, it's the energy they waste stressing about the challenge in front of them. People know this.  Still, they knowingly feed their stress, embrace tunnel vision, and allow themselves to get overly emotional. We walk around with all the potential in the world, unable to use it because we've got our heads up their asses. What I do is help people regain perspective so they can get back to more success-oriented routines."

The tactics Jason sees people using to find new jobs seem almost guaranteed to result in failure. In the spirit of "How to Self-Destruct", per Jason, here are 5 easy ways to "job proof" your recession:

"1. Change your Twitter bio to read, “Looking for a job.” This is analogous to going to a bar wearing a shirt that reads, “Looking for a spouse.” We all know how this story ends. Like Van Halen said: “Jaime’s crying.”

2. Apply to millions of jobs. Why take the time to find the one job that’s right for you and put your passion into that, when you can put minimal effort into scores of applications and whiff them all?

3. Adopt a bad attitude. Because I bet interviewers just love it when candidates coming in dripping with resentment. Seriously, which is more bitter, you or your coffee? I hope it’s you.

4. Become one with the major job board. I know you like to talk about standing out. I also know that plan is super hard to execute when standing in the middle of a crowd of hundreds. Of thousands.

5. Really emphasize work/life balance. Employees: with so many people looking to replace you, it’s good to make it easy for them by announcing that you only want to work so hard for the money. Searchers: Ratchet down your chances by making the job hunt a part time endeavor!"

The list is continued, and anecdotes are provided at http://jasonseiden.com/how-to-job-proof-your-recession/

Check out the first 2 chapters of the book HERE +/- (click to expand)

How To Self Destruct Intro

Get "How to Self-Destruct: Making the Least of What's Left of Your Career"

More of my "Pinching PENNies" series posts

Other Penn alumni authors

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This Penn Alum Comic is Building His Media Empire

In addition to his books, touring the country with his act, a great appearance on "The Craig Ferguson Show", his new website: Ruminations.com, Aaron Karo (W'01, Pennfest 2006) just launched a new CD "Just Go Talk to Her".

Per Aaron's press relase,

"Recorded live in Boston at the Comedy Connection in Faneuil Hall, “Just Go Talk To Her” begins in a peculiar fashion - New York native Aaron Karo professes his love for the Yankees and Giants until the rabid Boston crowd showers him with boos. Those boos quickly turn to raucous cheers as Karo’s trademark brand of storytelling - fast-paced personal anecdotes about drinking, dating, and debauchery - win over even the most hardened Red Sox fans. Whether he’s divulging the secrets that all guys keep from their girlfriends or picking apart the foibles of married couples, Karo excels at taking universal experiences and turning them on their head."

Listen to his track below entitled "Chicks Love Sweatpants". You'll laugh your ass off!

Get Aaron Karo's "Just Go Talk to Her" CD (it just hit itunes comedy top 20!)


DT CATCHES YOU UP ON AARON KARO

• Check out my other posts about Aaron Karo
  
• Click to read how Aaron got his start as a stand up

Check out other Penn stand up comedians

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Her Book is Now On The NY Times Best Seller's List!

It certainly is proving to be the time of Allison Winn Scotch's (C'95) life.

Her book The Time of My Life was optioned by the Weinstein Brothers, and last week was reviewed in People Magazine and made The Today Show's top 10 books for the fall.

Now news that her book made the New York Times Best Seller List! (#31). Check it out here!

The Time of My Life (per Allison) is about an unhappy housewife who has been “whisked seven years back, back to her old life, her old self, back to the moments in which she made decisions that charted her future course. And now that she’s back, she’s faced with the same roadblocks and obstacles, only this time, armed with hindsight, she can choose a different path and finally lay to rest all of her "what ifs.”



Read a full synopsis of The Time of My Life here...+/-

“From the outside view, Jillian Westfield has a pitch-perfect life. Her cherubic 18-month old daughter, her wildly successful investment banker husband, a four-bedroom, five-bath, lemon-scented home with landscaping and neighbors to match. But that doesn’t stop her from mulling over the past, from pushing away the "what ifs" that haunt her when she allows them to seep into her consciousness. What if she hadn’t married Henry? What if she hadn’t abandoned her job at the first sign of pregnancy? What if she’d never broken up with Jackson? What if she answered her mother’s letter? Because underneath the shiny veneer of her life, Jill waddles around in a faltering marriage, brewing resentment, and an air of discontentedness.

But after an ethereal massage in which her therapist releases her blocked chi, she wakes up to discover that she’s been whisked seven years back, back to her old life, her old self, back to the moments in which she made decisions that charted her future course. And now that she’s back, she’s faced with the same roadblocks and obstacles, only this time, armed with hindsight, she can choose a different path and finally lay to rest all of her "what ifs."

Much more than a story about a real life desperate housewife. Instead, it speaks to so many of our tiny, lingering doubts, the same doubts that send us googling old friends and exes or wistfully pulling out pictures of days gone by. And through Jillian’s journey, in which she rediscovers the mother who abandoned her, reacquaints herself with the strengths she once deemed important, and may literally rewrite her future, we all get a chance to peek inside the windows of our own "what ifs," and consider if the path we took was the one that has granted us the most happiness.”

Get The Time of My Life

Get Allison’s The Department of Lost and Found

Read Allison's insider's advice on how to become a published novelist

Other Penn authors!

Join the new Dueling Tampons Facebook Fan page

New to DT? 14 easy suggestions to get started!

Friend Me Up:

Facebook MySpace Friendster Twitter Digg

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