I always thought that if I was popular I must be doing something wrong.

My mother wanted me to understand that as a woman I could do pretty much whatever I wanted to, that I didn't have to use sex or sexuality to define myself.

My intellect has always been more responsible than my emotions for how I respond to the world.

When I was pregnant, I felt filled with life, and I felt really happy. I ate well, and I slept well. I felt much more useful than I'd ever felt before.

Girls are crazy and mean. They don't fight fair.

So you eat, you sleep, and then this wonderful child comes out, but you don't feel like you have any control over that process, over her, over her character and who she is.

I still feel conflicted because I don't always get to spend as much time with my daughter as I'd like, given my work.