| Edition |
First edition. |
| Description |
vii, 307 pages ; 22 cm |
| Note |
"Portions of essays in this book have appeared on Live wire! radio and Back fence PDX, in Portland monthly magazine, Oregon humanities magazine, and on GoLocalPDX"--Title page verso. |
| Summary |
The veteran host and head writer of "Live Wire" traces her lifelong battle with anxiety and the year she spent challenging herself to face her fears in remarkable ways, with hilarious results. |
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"The story of one chronically anxious woman's hilarious yearlong quest to change her own timid nature by seeking out the kinds of experiences she's spent her life avoiding. For most of her life (and even during her years as the host of a popular radio show), Courtenay Hameister lived in a state of near-constant dread and anxiety. She fretted about everything. Her age. Her size. Her romantic prospects. What she should say to the guy chatting with her at this party and whether or not people noticed her sweating and how likely it was that she would get hit by a bus on the way home. Until a couple years ago, when, in her mid-forties, she decided to fight back against her debilitating anxieties by spending a year doing little things that scared her--things that the average person might consider doing for a half second before deciding: "nope." Things like attending a fellatio class. She did that. She also spent an afternoon in a sensory deprivation tank, got (legally) high in the middle of a workday, had a session with a professional cuddler, braved twenty-eight first dates, and (perhaps scariest of all) actually met someone who might possibly appreciate her for who she is. Refreshing, relatable, and pee-your-pants funny, Okay Fine Whatever is Hameister's hold-nothing-back account of her adventures on the front lines of Mere Human Woman vs. Fear, reminding us that even the tiniest amount of bravery is still bravery, and that no matter who you are, it's possible to fight complacency and become bold, or at least bold-ish, a little at a time."--Dust jacket. |
| Contents |
Introduction: Getting plucky -- Stepping down : wherein I unknowingly plant the seeds for a series of tiny adventures -- The sensory deprivation tank : in which I spend a terrifying ninety minutes in a bath of warm water -- Casa Diablo : in which a stripper's vagina and a blind chihuahua cause me to send a monumental text -- A little bit of background : wherein I attempt to explain my dating situation -- Adventures in dating I : winter, spring, and how Microsoft Excel turned me into an asshole -- A Brazilian in Portland : wherein I discover a border I'd rather not cross again -- Adventures in dating II : summer, the season of underboob and back-of-knee sweat -- Getting legally high : in which I learn that some people just shouldn't smoke pot -- Dating the polyamorous I : in which I develop an aversion to soccer equipment -- Dating the polyamorous II : in which I learn who the boss is, and it's not Judith Light -- Build-your-own-burrito-night at the sex club : wherein I am disappointed by public sex and tortillas -- An hour with a professional cuddler : wherein I learn not to hate affirmation... as much -- Water aerobics : in which I learn how to make myself feel (relatively) young and attractive -- Adventures in dating III : winter is coming -- Fellatio class : wherein I learn that there are ways in which my oral fixation makes me an overachiever -- Adventures in intimacy : wherein I test the boundaries of affection and my bladder -- The MRI : wherein I go on a medical adventure of my own making and it is louder than expected -- One last leap : wherein I do the thing I should've done years ago and try not to wallow in regret -- The epilogue that's really just another chapter : wherein I attempt to tell you why you just read this whole fucking book. |
| Subject |
Hameister, Courtenay.
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Anxiety disorders -- Patients -- United States -- Biography -- Humor.
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Anxiety disorders -- Case studies -- Humor.
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Anxiety -- Humor.
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Anxiety disorders -- Alternative treatment -- Case studies -- Humor.
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Phobias -- Case studies -- Humor.
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Fear -- Humor.
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Anxiety. (OCoLC)fst00810950
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Fear. (OCoLC)fst00922034
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HUMOR.
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Form.
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Essays.
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Self-help techniques.
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Anxieties & Phobias.
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HEALTH & FITNESS.
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Women -- Health and hygiene.
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| Genre/Form |
Humor. (OCoLC)fst01423696
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Biographies.
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Humor.
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Essays.
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| Added Title |
OK fine whatever : the year I went from being afraid of everything to only being afraid of most things |
| ISBN |
9780316395700 (hardcover) |
|
0316395706 (hardcover) |
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