First Person Singular by Wendy Braitman

End of Valentines Day Zen

from a sidewalk in San Francisco

I Don’t Think So.

I’m doing fine. How about you?

Sid Caesar, RIP

I watched clips of Sid Caesar today and laughed. Despite such talent and success, he spent decades suffering from substance abuse. Caesar eventually found his way back, and later in life, he said:

“Everybody wants to have a goal: I gotta get to that goal, I gotta get to that goal, I gotta get to that goal. Then you get to that goal, and then you gotta get to another goal. But in between goals is a thing called life that has to be lived and enjoyed — and if you don’t, you’re a fool.”

Ladder to the Moon by Georgia O’Keeffe

Do You Need a Partner to Dance?

I saw Gloria over the weekend, a wonderful Chilean film about a single woman who loves to dance, and who has become my new hero. Check it out.

Photo taken in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, from newyorkshitty

Who Gets the Valentines Day Chocolate?

Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond to our Contest. I found your comments invigorating and empowering, and I admit to travel envy. Our winner not only has a birthday on Valentines Day, but an opportunity for transformation and a spirit that leaps off the page. I’m hoping the gift of chocolate will be the perfect accompaniment to SM’s momentous week.

SM writes:
Valentine’s Day is my birthday. Always despised having to feel some tinge of a reminder of my solitude on the day of my birth — year after year. But this year the focus will definitely be different. For the first time in more than a year of job searching, I’ll finally be interviewing for a position in a part of the country that I’ve always wanted to live. My interview is only a few days before my birthday. After a very long time, it will be my first real opportunity to leave my current deeply unsatisfying life/work situation, transform my life completely, and head towards a real sense of fulfillment and promise. So…. my gift to myself will be: Best. Job. Interview. Ever.

Card by Rock Scissor Paper

Fully Awake and Living the Good Life

Happy weekend!

Is it Obvious that I’m Single?

On the street yesterday, a stranger approached to pet my dog (who is adorable, so I can understand) and said out of the blue, “is she your Valentines?” Must have been the outfit.

Card from Rock Scissor Paper 

Cloak of Invisibility

This must sound preposterous to those of you in the midst of a winter storm, but here in L.A. it’s in the mid-fifties and I’m bundling up. I just came in from walking the dog wearing tattered Uggs, a North face fleece jacket and a wool beanie. I’m quite a sight. I walk fast and keep my head down hoping none of my neighbors catch a glimpse.

Illustration by Franco Matticchio

How’s That New Year’s Resolution Going?

Illustration by Ben Wiseman

RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman

It’s odd to feel such deep loss over the death of someone you never personally knew. But my heart is breaking. I’ve loved Philip Seymour Hoffman’s work since the beginning of his prolific career. I’d see anything he was in and it was always worth it. My favorite quote about his extraordinary talent is from Mike Nichols after directing him in Death of a Salesman,  “Again and again, he can truly become someone I’ve not seen before but can still instantly recognize…” I can’t help wondering, does greatness come at a price?