First Person Singular by Wendy Braitman

Catbird Seat

My dog loves to sit on the raised landing beside the steps outside my building. It’s a high enough perch that she gets to survey all the action on the street, with enough distance between her and the large dogs who walk by. She’s a happy girl, so I am too.

Illustration by Franco Matticchio

Paul Mazursky, RIP

Directed by Paul Mazursky, this movie looks quaint, almost laughable now. But in 1978, it was bold and felt like truth. Except for when she ends up with the irresistable Alan Bates, who plays a sexy, sensitive and very successful painter. I remember thinking, does that man even exist?