It's like swimming, underwater, this whole year. I just close my eyes. hold my breath, and keep kicking.

Worrying was painful .... but compared to the alternative, a privilege

I always found Louise Brooks interesting. She was an icon of the silent - film era, and I knew she'd grown up in Kansas, and that she was smart and rebellious and sharp - tongued.

You could push people away, past their limits, even accidentally, and then it was just too late to get them back

Someone needs to give the Pope thirteen babies. Just for a week or so. See how he likes no birth control then.

I don't think I've ever tried on a corset, though a certain bridesmaid's dress did require a torturous bustier that will stay forever burned in my sensory memory.

This life is mine because of good luck. And because I reached out and took it.