Laurie Sandell's Blog, page 369

The biggest issue with writing a memoir

[image error]I have to say, I've been pretty lucky with this process so far. The reviews have been largely great (and by largely, I mean every review I've read except one.) The press has been phenomenal, and so has the reader response. I've gotten wonderful, revealing letters from people with subject lines like, "I'm the impostor's daughter, too." The one thing I've managed to avoid so far is the type of review that takes issue with me as a person–but today, I got one of those. You can read it here. The r...

A rainy 9/11

[image error]It's been eight years since that day, which is hard to believe. Back then, I was working at CSFB as an assistant to one of the heads of the bank. My desk was on the trading floor, so I was surrounded by televisions. I remember walking back from the cafeteria with my breakfast in my hand, and seeing an image of one of the towers with a smoking hole in it. Like everyone else, I thought a small plane had crashed into the tower. Then everything unfolded in real time, and it was absolute mayhem...

Today's author spotlight: Carole Radziwill

[image error]Let's not get suspicious of my intentions, here. Yes, I plugged AJ Jacobs yesterday. Yes, he blurbed my book. Yes, I am plugging Carole Radziwill today. Yes, she blurbed my book, too. But this is more a function of the way my Aquarius mind works–did you know Aquarius is considered the "Genius of the Zodiac?"–rather than some sinister insider author trading thing. I thought of AJ because his book was coming out; that made me think of Carole. Anyway, Carole wrote one of my all-time favorite...

Do y'all know about AJ Jacobs?

[image error]My friend AJ's new book comes out today. It's called The Guinea Pig Diaries, and it's about how he became a "human guinea pig" in an effort to "understand the mysteries of modern life." Here are some of the hilarious things he did, over the course of a year:

I Think You're Fat:
I became a temporary convert to the Radical Honesty movement, which teaches that you should never, ever lie. But more than that, you should say whatever's on your mind. You should remove the filter between your brain...

Kayaking on the Hudson (and other assorted activities)

[image error][image error]Who knew? Over on the West Side Highway, at Pier 40, there is an all-volunteer operated boathouse that provides free kayaks to the public for use. So yesterday my friend Paul and I headed over there, signed waivers, donned lifejackets and cruised around on the water for a few hours. (Normally there's a 20-minute limit, but if the boathouse isn't too crowded you can stay out as long as you like.) One thing not mentioned on the site is that you get wet–like, soaked. That second photo is of the ...

Back home in Brooklyn

[image error]Well, we were thwarted. On the way home, we missed the exit to Storm King and decided not to backtrack the 20 or so miles we would have needed to drive to make the trip. Had a very mellow evening at home, catching up on episodes of (mumble millionaire matchmaker) and watering my sparse collection of plants–to be exact, one orchid and a tiny potted jade. I used to have more, but one by one they died of neglect, so I decided I'm not allowed to have more until I can prove to myself that I'm not ...

Relaxing in Rhinebeck

[image error]Got into Rhinebeck yesterday and hung out by the pool, then Rob cooked the most ridiculous from-scratch Mexican dinner: Chicken enchiladas, homemade refried beans (made in a slow cooker), guacamole and hand-ground chili powder. For dessert, Emma made Mexican coffee pudding–you haven't lived until you've tried this stuff. Later today we're going to Storm King; a sculpture garden about an hour's drive from here, where we will also attempt a bit of geocaching. Even though my life as a...

Headed up to the country

[image error]I'm heading up to Rhinebeck, New York, to visit my friends Rob and Emma Tourtelot, along with Genevieve Field and Ted McCann, and their two boys. It was a last-minute plan, but I'm glad we made it, because I wasn't too keen on the idea of staying in New York over Labor Day.  We're going to hang out in Rob and Emma's badass new house, and watch the sunset from their front porch, and rent a movie. My idea of heaven.

By the way, I didn't hate The Time Traveler's Wife. Dare I...

I'll be on E! tomorrow night

[image error]Just got a note from the producer of the E! Channel that the two-hour special I contributed to about Christina Aguilera will air this Wednesday at 9:00 PM ET/PT. This isn't the first time I've gone on television to talk about a celebrity for Glamour, but so much time has passed, I can't remember a thing that I said. I do vaguely remember one cringe-worthy line…about the "sky being the limit" for her? Help me, Rhonda! Luckily, I'll be onstage at Joe's Pub that night, reading from my memoir, and I

An exciting mention (for me, anyway)

[image error]Just to get this out of the way…I'll be blogging about other things, but I've been doing nothing but thinking of Adam Goldstein, and it feels a bit uncomfortable to move on to other topics. I've been watching his old videos and listening to his audio clips, and thank God for the Information Age, because the guy is everywhere at the click of a button. That said, this blog isn't the place to memorialize him–and it's not like I was one of his closest friends. But I had to put that out there because