One is the loneliest number, but it's nice to write alone.

About the time that my marriage dissolved, there was a deluge of other things. My nest emptied, and the birds flew far and wide. I moved out of the nest and let Mr. Ex and the Little Missus have it (since she'd already slept in my bed.) Three of my best friends moved away. My agent gave up on my book. Then last summer my mom got cancer. This September one of my dogs and one of my cats died. I realized that in the great infinity of possible bad things, this isn't so much, really. And I feel weak and indulgent when I find myself struggling. So then I buck up for awhile until I decide to have a bottle of wine for dinner. Which has struck me as really stupid recently. So this past week I went to bed extra early on the nights when the man who loves me wasn't around. And lo! And behold! I awoke yesterday morning with an idea for an essay, and I fired up my computer instead of crawling to my espresso maker. Imagine that. An idea that I didn't have to pay someone to wrench out of me.

Blah, blah, blah

I had my friend Suzanne over for dinner last night. We talked about many things. Politics and the upcoming election. Her job. How the plans for building her house on a lake in Montana are on hold. The menu for the Thanksgiving dinner we are planning to cook together.

And we talked about my divorce. Again.

Let's talk about something else.


I'm over at   again today.


http://thesmartlyla.com/?p=851

Smartly

I'm over here today.

http://thesmartlyla.com/?p=830

My Friend Lauren's Book

I have amazing friends, and Lauren Ward Larsen is one of them. This Saturday night I was her date for a shindig at UCLA where she was celebrated as one of the most distinguished alumni to graduate from the Anderson School of Business MBA program during its 75 years of existence.
Oh--and she wrote a book. Not a business book. A memoir that is chilling and brutal--and also delightful and funny. If you know anyone who has suffered a devastating illness, anyone who wants to seize life like there's no tomorrow, tell them to read it. Pre-order before November 15th and Lauren will donate 100% of her royalties to either blood donation, preeclampsia research, or clean water wells in Sudan.
www.laurenwardlarsen.com