How had this happened? Everyone in the world knew more than us, about everything, and this I hated then found hugely comforting.

But while mum and dad were incredibly caring, it was also a very chaotic household where everyone fought about everything. So I know what it's like to internalize all that chaos.

Maybe he hadn't thought the war through. It had seemed like simple fun when he had first pictured it, with a glorious beginning, a difficult but valor-filled middle, and a victorious end. He hadn't accounted for the fact that there might not be much of a resolution to the battle, and he hadn't imagined what it would feel like when the war just sort of ended, without anyone admitting defeat and congratulating him for his bravery.

Dignity is an affectation, cute but eccentric, like learning French or collecting scarves.

You might not be able to operate your own Learjet and have an unlimited expense account, but if you have a reasonable expectation for a print-based product, whether it's a newspaper or a magazine, you can certainly exist.

All we really want is for no one to have a boring life, to be impressive, so we can be impressed. ~ on the friends we choose.

I went to Saudi Arabia in 2010, and spent most of my time in Jeddah and the King Abdullah Economic City.