A note from the GOACA sickbed
Excuses in advance if things are a little slow this week: I had a bunch of posts conveniently prepared in advance before I got sick, but am now working to bring myself up to speed while still not feeling 100%. Meanwhile, this picture of Natalie Wood pretty much sums up the last week at GOACA HQ: just nonstop glamour with me and the dogs, fine china, and very strong antibiotics. Tell me, because I’m craving entertainment: what the most exciting thing that has happened to you so far this year?
Valentine’s day special: Tales of very bad dates
I have been working on the chapter of my book in which I discuss dating, and having to face all of my romantic misadventures in one place has put me in a rather cynical state of mind vis a vis love. The truth is, I’ve only had a handful of truly bad dates (although, somehow, many bad boyfriends) and they were bad in pretty boilerplate ways—men who wouldn’t stop talking about their ex-wives, or stop talking, period. I realize this might sound rather bush league by some standards, so please, bring me your absolute worst.
What are are you loving on TV?
I ask because I inhaled seasons one and two of The Crown, and then watched Victoria—also quite good—but now I have to wait for new episodes of that (I have never been a big fan of the monarchy or period dramas, but now I can’t get enough. Go figure). Right now I’m catching up on season four of Broad City but not loving it as much as I’ve loved previous seasons. Suggestions?
What is a fact about you that nobody would guess?
True story: I was once fixed up with Anthony Weiner by a mutual friend. This was pre-scandal, pre-Huma, when he was just a very ambitious Congressman (the mutual friend no longer speaks to him, as you might imagine). The friend threw a dinner party, the sole purpose of which was to get us together. It did not go well. Your turn.
Week of requests: On living alone

The #1 weapon in the fight against loneliness
“This may be completely off the mark, but as someone who is recently divorced and living alone at 43, I would love to see a `Best things about living alone’ sort of thing, writes a reader named Jenn. I find this not at all off the mark, Jenn, and imagine you are not alone in the GOACA community. I’ve been on my own since I left my marriage in 2004, which is by now a long time ago. And I don’t give much thought to the fact that I live alone because I am just so busy doing it. And yet sometimes I feel triply marginalized in this culture—I am single, childless, and nearing my mid-50s, and often this makes me feel badly out of step with my friends and even, in certain ways, my family. But dwelling on that will get a person absolutely nowhere, so I try to focus on the things I like about going through life uncoupled. Like the fact that I can do whatever I choose when I choose to do it, and I never have to cook if I don’t want to. I find that one key to being on your own is to always be open to new friendships, something we naturally just stop doing once we reach a certain age. But, like Jenn, I’m very curious to know: those of you who are single, please share your favorite things about your current life in the comments (and to those of you who are coupled: what do you most miss about being on your own?)
Week of requests: What was the best thing you spent money on in 2017?

I spend a lot of time in this room
A reader named Dakota suggested that I ask this question of the GOACA community, and I’m very curious to hear your answers. Was it a big-ticket article of clothing that suddenly makes your whole wardrobe come together? A vacation? A visit to the dermatologist for fillers? Your divorce? As for me, the best cash I spent last year, hands down, was on unlimited classes at my yoga studio.