Lea's Life in 100 Words

Lea Lane

Location: Florida, USA
Birthday: August 26

Title: freelance writer/editor

Bio: “I’ve discovered the secret of life,” Kay Thompson, the eccentric entertainer and “Eloise” author, once said. “A lot of hard work, a lot of sense of humor, a lot of joy and a lot of tra-la-la!” And that's been my life: As a travel writer for over 30 years, I've been around the block (more like around the world), and I write true stories about interesting people and places. I've lived an unconventional life in conventional trappings. Been a corporate VP, worked with foster kids, acted in an Indie ("Nurse 1"), was on Jeopardy!. I've been managing editor of a travel publication, written for the Times, and authored books. OS is my home, but I also blog on The Huffington Post, and I've contributed (mostly anonymously) to everything from encyclopedias to guidebooks. Married young, divorced late; married late, widowed early, I dated lots in-between -- and survived a scary illness. After being happily, peacefully solo for many years, I'm now happily married again. I founded and still edit www.sololady.com, a lifestyle Website for single women. I'm truly grateful for each precious day, each well-earned wrinkle, my family, my cat. Truth, laughter, friendship, late love. And this blog -- on this wonderful site!

MY RECENT POSTS

A Sad Parallel: Reflecting on the Suicide of Mary Kennedy
May 17, 2012 11:26PM
Wild Hair on Wild Hatch: A Sassoon Moment
May 09, 2012 10:38PM
Two Dog Years
April 18, 2012 03:04PM
Bits & Pieces
March 28, 2012 02:56PM
Bandstand & The Headband
April 19, 2012 08:34AM

MY RECENT COMMENTS

Lea Lane's Links

LINKS: -MY SON'S MEMOIR, THE ZEROES, Now in Paperback; -CLICK HERE TO AID FAMINE VICTIMS IN SOMOLIA; -MY WEBSITE FOR SOLO WOMEN
Favorite THINGS posts: -A-Z Travel Tips; -My Last Meals; -Poem:This Golden Moment; -Scars; -Eating Blind; -I'm a Mad Men Gal; -The Anniversary I'll Never Forget; -My Son Lost His Shirt and Found The Zeroes!; -10 Books in a Blink; -How Unrelated Symptoms Saved My Life; -Yeats/Torture; -Is Empathy a Pejorative?; -Media Vultures on Death Watch; -Has America Jumped the Shark?; -Why I Stay Here; -A White-Knuckle Landing; -15 ways to Cut Back; -Birth & Death: The Circle of Life; -Fear of Flying & My Near Misses; -Waiting for the Blood Test; -When a Post Goes Viral; -25 Things About Me; -I Don't Celebrate Christmas; -A Scary Dream; -Racing at 150 mph!; -Quarantined on Thanksgiving; -Musings, 3 am; -Remembering Racism; -Problems with August; -Losing a Dream, Losing a House
Favorite FUN posts: -Why My Cat Sits Joins Us at Dinner; -Five Ways to Keep Mad Men; -The Weirdest Meat I Ever Ate; -"Independents" Day!; -Real Lessons from The Real Housewives; -Another Husband for a Minute; -Joan Walsh, Where are You?; -Monkey Business!; -10 Unexpected Bonuses from Health Reform; -About My Bidet; -What Happened in Vegas?; -No Sex & 9 Other Ways to Spring Ahead; -To Suzy: It's Over; -Valentine Poem for Sweetie; -Why Bill Maher is Angry; -iPuke? iPeek?; -The Embarrassing Things in My Purse; -Resolutions I Will NOT Make; -Ode to My Tweezers; -Ode to a Groundhog; -My Reality TV Addiction; -I Got Published in the New Yorker; -Broccoli Obama; -101 Words: He Never Calls, He Never Writes; -I'm Not Who You Think I Am
Favorite PEOPLE posts: -The Reality of Ramona; -Happy First Anniversary, Love; -Messages from the Donald; -The Bellman With Tourettes; -Elvis Trivia; -The Woman Who Slept with Rohairmoo; -Chelsea Clinton & Moi; -What Fay Vincent Told Me about Steinbrenner; -Why I Didn't Love Daddy; -A Play Connects to Famous People I've Known; -Remembering Rue McClanahan; -My Son Just Married Me!; -Rick Died & I Was There for Him; -For Nathan, Who Was only Two; -Unexpected Lovers at Passover; -Six Degrees of Separation; -Porn King, Coke Prez, Murderer; -My 2000 NYT Interview; -My Man in Rio; -You Caught Me, I'm in Love; -Dumped By Answering Machine; -My Best Friend Ended Her Life at 37; -to lea at 17; -Phyllis Schlafly Drooled on Me; -Best in Show? Not This Lover; -The Man Who Met Einstein; -The Sahalis: Symbol of a Decade?; -To My Sister, On a Big Birthday; -My Birthday/Blogiversary; -Mad Men: When My Bosses Were My Lovers; -Julia (and Other Famed Chefs); -A Nice Jewish Girl Named for a Racetrack; -A Conehead at the Fair: A Summer Tale; -Anne Frank Would Have Been 80; -Did I Really Just Tell You That?; -Becoming Invisible; -Elizabeth Edwards, Joan Rivers: Two Moms; -My Surprising Talk With a Naked Actor; -Why I'm Alone; -Kate Winslet and Other (Drama) Queens; -My Valentine Lover, 2006; -My Life in 100 Words; -One Snowy Dud, One Sexy Stud; -My Gender Bender, Victor-Victoria Cruise; -How I Wound Up in Claus Von Bulow's Apartment; -To Odetta; -My Late-in-Life Love; -An Ugly Duckling OS Tale; -To My Neighbor Hillary; -OJ: You're Finally Juiced; -On Being Single; -Wisdom from a Hooker; -The Seeing-Eye man; -Two Weddings and a Funeral; -Ted Kennedy's Brave Fight, and My Husband's; -Dinner with Hill and Bill; -The Abuser
Favorite PLACES posts: -Four-Part Antarctica Series; -Keukenhof garden, Amsterdam; -Belgian Spring; -Mugged in Stockholm; -A Life Along I-95; -A Magic Invite to Firenze; -On New Zealand's Milford sound; -Honeymoon Blip on the Black Sea; -Eat, Pray, Scratch in Bali; -Americana: Mohonk Then & Now; -Scary Journey on the Norwegian Ferry; -The World's Most Colorful Neighborhood; -The Magical Slot Canyon; -The Other Ground Zero; -India Life Lessons; -Wild Dogs in Romania; -Flutterbies in the Amazon, & Leo; -Blue Lights in Barcelona; -Crossing the Atlantic; -Two Faraway Thanksgivings, & What I Learned; -Sabrina's Walk of Remembrance in NYC; -South Beach: Hot & Cool; -Watching Greenland Melt; -Carnaval in Colombia; -Alone on a Cliff; -An Irish Ramble; -Dramatic Polar Photos; -Argentina: Penguins, Penguins, Penguins!; -New York's High Line

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JANUARY 2, 2009 9:01PM

Rate: 15 Flag

Here's my little entry for Cartouche's challenge. Perfect exercise for a Friday night.

My Life in 100 words

Gambler dada, toxic mother, roommate grammy. Survivor, just. Awards. Me? Miami Herald rookie. Mr. Wonderful’s young love = dependent. Overeducated. Atlanta, San Antonio, London, NY. Turreted manse, ta-da. Nurture sons. Happiness, mom things. Plays, mysteries, music, cui-sine, dabbling. Pampered, then ... severed. Roller coastery. Worldwide exotica. Men, tales -- many. Consultant, giggler, author, another half-degree. Limo, bus, limo, bus – surprise: Great Love. Rebbitzen, me? Tragic loss. Then cancer, too. Early. Strengthen. Fantasy travel. Books, tv, columns, blogs, website -- busy. Florida, winters. Solo again, so-so. Meowser. Aging gracefully, gratefully, liberally, celibately (recently). Friends, sibs, grandkids. Passion (still). Empathy, fun (lots), sharing, hope (always).

Author tags:

open call, life, cartouche's challenge

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Comments

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You did this with great style. Kudos.

emma peel

January 02, 2009 09:08 PM

Lea: Around your world in a hundred words: perfect. I love the style of this piece, the fragmentation and rhythm and motion. The way you are so specific and yet invite and leave room for imagination. Humbled and inspired by this!

Rick McCollister

January 02, 2009 09:13 PM

Lea, you pulled this off brilliantly. But that makes sense. You are one brilliant woman.

marytkelly

January 02, 2009 09:17 PM

sooooo well done!

Without a Paddle

January 02, 2009 09:19 PM

very nice! Can I ask for clarification, or is that rude?
"Pampered, then ... severed"

hyblaean- Julie

January 02, 2009 09:23 PM

Succinct and eloquent as always.

Oh dear, does mean I have to do this one, too??

Nelle Engoron

January 02, 2009 09:25 PM

That just what I thought you'd say!

Michael Rodgers

January 02, 2009 09:27 PM

Oooooohhh, cool style.

jaku

January 02, 2009 09:41 PM

You dig men?????????!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Would have never gotten that one Lea! xoxoxo
Your life is an interesting and intriguing one.
Love and Peace,
G

RATED!!!!

Kind of Blue

January 02, 2009 09:48 PM

Thank you all for appreciating the condensation. If you haven't tried yet, it was fun to do.

Just a couple of specifics:

hyblaean, "severed" meant divorced. The marriage was severed. Maybe I just should have said "divorced."

Greg, you must have read my studmuffin NYE! You can't blame a gal for remembering.

Lea Lane

January 02, 2009 10:12 PM

I recognize the graceful giggler. Lovely.

Ardee

January 02, 2009 10:31 PM

A lovely lady full of life
encountered love, and art, and strife
The stories flowing from her pen
for eager, reading gentlemen!

Kudos, Mlle!

Monsieur Chariot

January 02, 2009 10:46 PM

Thoughtful and interesting!

Gary Justis

January 02, 2009 10:54 PM

Thanks again all for the sweet comments on a compressed piece.

Et Monsieur, bon mots pour moi? Merci beaucoup!

Lea Lane

January 02, 2009 11:04 PM

This exercise suits your particular talents - as a woman, as a writer.

Sandra Stephens

January 03, 2009 02:12 AM

This is breathtakingly elegant Lea. Rated and thoroughly appreciated and enjoyed. Delightful.

Nada Holland

January 03, 2009 06:59 AM

Nice.

But what does "Pampered, then ... severed." mean?

Rich Banks

January 03, 2009 07:37 AM

Believe it or not, Lea, this is one of my favorite pieces of yours! It's enchanting, stylish, telling cautious (enough) and elegant. Thank you for joining and sharing - rated for all of it!

cartouche

January 03, 2009 07:52 AM

So nice to wake up to nice comments. I'm learning things at this stage, thanks to you all.

Rich, severed is divorced. Seems to not work. Was trying to make a stronger statement. I'm still debating about changing it. Every word counts in 100.

Lea Lane

January 03, 2009 09:05 AM

Emma Peel is right. You have a tremendous amount of style and creativity. (rated)