Home stretch! Yipeeeeeee!

So I got another essay in tonight and it is BEAUTIFUL--so great to have gathered so many amazing essays in one place, for one project. And FUN! My book is due December 1st, and this is what I have left to do:
1) waiting to get and edit 2 essays that are being revised
2) Waiting for 2 more first drafts
3) write up author bio page
4) do final, final polishing
5) figure out order of essays

This last is a tall order. This book, which is about sex in real life--what really goes through women's heads, the gap that so often exists between our expectations and reality--has convinced me that quality of sex does not necessarily have a relationship to a woman's age; sex can be very different for the same person depending on the partner, where they are in their life, how they feel about themselves. You can have boring sex in your 30s and amazing sex in your 40s; older does not equal sexual decline. So, that's a long way of saying that when it comes to organizing the book, I don't want to do it by age. Any category--sex and singles, married sex, post-divorce sex, etc.--feels artificial. I was thinking of organizing the book by the tentative subtitle: getting it, giving it, loving it, missing it, but as time goes on, I'm liking that less and less. And it doesn't work as an organizing principle; I've tried it.

So I am going to try and organize the book in an organic way--like a "playlist" as one of the contributors and a friend, Val Frankel, suggested: You want to start off extremely strong, then have a nice rhythm where the tension builds, then there is some levity, then it builds again, then finally there's a knock your socks off ending. It's going to be a challenge, but I'm hoping to just get in the groove and go with my gut, which seems to be working pretty well, vis a vis this project, so far.

It would be so nice to feel as sure of my gut when it comes to romance as I do when I'm editing something. It's amazing how once two human beings are interacting, there's suddenly room for a wealth of interpretations and possibilities. Speaking of, dating is a whole new thing these days. I'm really loving it. I never thought I would say that. Everything feels lighter and more fun--and I feel lighter, too.
Buona notte--
Paola

By the time we got to Woodstock...

We were half a dozen strong (or so). Spent the past weekend in the Catskills, in the coolest of Catskills towns, though there's something decidedly, uncool-ly touristy about it, too. The farmhouse we rented was a bit lopsided, but had two porches, a good kitchen and plenty of comfy places to sit and sleep. We hiked, walked, sat on the lawn, watched the kids play, searched for foliage, discovered orange mushrooms and salamanders, traded exploits, complaints, confidences, banalities, intimacies. Nice to have a close group of friends as an adult that (for the most part) trusts one another and knows each other's quirks--and still chooses to vacation together! I feel lucky.
So, it may be time to re-enter the wild and wooly democracy of CL. Stay tuned.
Ciao!
Paola

Who, exactly, are the off-road girls?

Well, that's a good question. It's a term Mary-Pat/MP/Mia coined to describe the trio she, Caroline and I have formed over our many years in and out of magazines, relationships and boroughs. We gather periodically (even now that MP is mother to a 1 year old and lives in Andes!) and drink and dissect every detail of our careers and romantic lives. My book was born of this group--we stoke each other's ambitions and give each other permission to act totally debauched for an evening. Evidence to that effect above. Last night, we met in honor of the imminent betrothal of Caroline to John, drank martinis and retired to my place for champagne and chocolate ganache cake to talk about the usual subjects: money, love, fame, fortune and sex!!!! (not necessarily in that order.
Paola
P.S. If you're confused about what I'm trying to do up there, don't worry--so was I!

Atoning for sins

Had a nice Yom Kippur with the family; no one atoned, exactly, but everyone at least played nicely, adults and children included.


I will devote the rest of this blog to cute photos of my nephews from the holiday weekend in the Berkshires.

Parlo Italiano

Life after the ex is good. I've gone on some dates with a nice uomo milanese and I must say, I like the Italian style. Courtly. Polite. With a touch of machismo. And sweetness.
Ciao.
Paola

Live the fantasy!

That's a cheesy travel ad for some Carribean island, but lately, I've been living my fantasy life: loving my job, writing a book that somehow comments on the culture (which is something I've kind of inarticulately wanted to do since I was 11), living in Italy, dating, getting in shape....again, all I have to say is: KANA HARRA!

Okay, got that out of my system. For the purposes of increasing the chances that yet another fantasy will be realized, I've decided that I will record it in this blog, and put it out into the world. The fantasy is this: My book becomes a best seller, and I earn enough money to buy a 400 square foot trailer on the beach somewhere in Montauk or Napeague. The trailer will have a skylight, a deck (with a screened in portion), an outdoor shower, a hammock; a small but functional kitchen in steel with a half-stove/refrigerator combo, sink and island; living room/bedroom with an Italian sofa, very minimalist, in burnt orange/red, that converts to a bed, and a coffee table that serves as the dining table. Can't you just picture it all? And of course, guests will be very welcome, even if you have to sleep on the screened in porch on an aerobed.

I like to make my fantasies doable. This could be.
Ciao--
Paola

I'm dating...and actually enjoying myself.

Remember that long-ago post where I mentioned that I was dipping my toe in the dating world, then arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! for several lines? Well, scratch all that. I was wrong. Dating is really, really, REALLY fun. I am meeting cool, interesting, sexy, smart seemingly available men who are attractive and my age. What gives?! Life is too good right now. Kana harra!
Ciao amici
Paola