I’m not September’s biggest fan. Something I’ve noticed: A certain manic, rushed, multi-tasking, half-distracted energy permeating so many of my interactions. On Saturday I had an acupuncturist who was asking about my writing and spitting out memories from the years he spent as a medical scribe while putting needles in me, and cups on other clients, rushing back and forth between us and dropping things and apologizing and guffawing at his own jokes. It is a skill, and it is truly a gift, if you can let everything fall away and focus quietly on the one multifaceted person in front of you and the matter at hand.
TV Rec: I really got in to The Sopranos doc series, Wise Guy, on Max. Aside from being a treasure trove of memories for Sopranos super fans, the series has a lot of genuinely interesting things to say to say about writers and actors and scumbags. And how a show went from writer heaven to writer hell. I could have watched hours more of it; I sensed much was left out.
Book Rec: I am riveted by Sebastian Junger’s slim, intense memoir In My Time of Dying about a near death experience he had early in the pandemic on the Cape. Few writers can compare to his poetic capacity in nonfiction, and he’s long lived a brave, rigorous life; it’s an exquisite combo on the page and with this material he’s got a great bone to gnaw on.
Star Pupil: My stupendously talented memoir class student Janel Moloney has published a charming and delightful personal essay in AirMail about what it’s been like all these years to have been Donna Moss on West Wing. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Janel as a developmental editor for the past year and a half and I can not wait for the world to start discovering what a gifted humorist she is.
Stack Rec: Emily Sundberg’s look at Ozempic in NYC and the proliferation of these drugs on the black market as well as through dubious beauty companies is a great read. How is this sustainable? It’s ghastly.
Auto Immune Disease Update: I finally have a diagnosis, Severe Inflammatory Morphea, for the mysterious disease that has crept its way into my skin for many many months. I’m being treated with prednisone and methotrexate; I’m not in any pain and the meds are already making subtle improvements. I’m fine and I’m going to be fine. Much more to say about this in the future; I’m still processing. But my biggest mistake was accepting a three month wait time to see a rheumatologist and then another three month wait time to see an auto immune dermatologist. There aren’t nearly enough rheumatologists, or dermatologists with auto immune specialties, even here in one of the great cities in the world for medicine, and I should have paid whatever it cost out of pocket to see one of those boutique docs for the .001% so I could have been biopsied early and treated before the disease became so severe. If you have auto immune skin symptoms - don’t do what I did!
Lizzie Simon Channel
Sadly I had a really rough first week on the auto immune drugs and I wasn’t feeling well enough to attend and speak at Kira and Mark Greenfield’s Hearts in Harmony benefit to support Dr. Michael Ackerman’s research into Long QT Syndrome. But I recorded a piece for them instead, which I’ll share here.
Thanks for reading and thanks especially to my paying subscribers!
I will leave you with this gem - I’m taking my daughter to see her at MSG in October.
xo Lizzie
Love your talk for the people at Hearts For Harmony fund raiser.