Singular Existence
Because It's Better to Be Alone Than to Wish You Were!
Singular Existence "a zesty case for happy aloneness":
Leslie Talbot looks critically at the forces and fads and media persuadings that whoosh women toward marriage. Hand on figurative hip, she takes a giant-right-angle turn, proclaiming, "Hey! It's not worth it!" Her fast-talking and very funny commentary looks at the boobs and boars who just can't be responsible or can't commit, building up to the guy who weasels out of the wedding because he's "just too busy at work," and she lists the reasons they're "Big Fat Ass------." Talbot excoriates the "sizzling heap of crap" that is the Mars and Venus empire of John Gray, mocking Gray's suggestions to women on how to catch a man and proposing frisky "Dependency Tips" of her own. To scare him away, Talbot suggests: "Ask him to help you take your cat to the vet." As for that mother of a single mother who held a lawn-side auction to find her daughter a guy? Tack-ee! In her refreshing and irreverent way, Talbot recalls her own boyfriend "Larry the Loser," studying the heartbreak and waste such faithless guys bring on and finds fresh air in not having them around, remaining without illusions. Single, droll.
- Mopsy Strange Kennedy -
"Leslie Talbot's "Singular Existence" is a wickedly funny, smartly written, shrewdly realistic compendium of observation and advice based on her own dating experiences as an unmarried woman in a culture that prizes women getting married...If you are single and looking for that special someone, if you are single and have given up looking for anyone at all, or if you are married and wish you weren't – then read Leslie Talbot's "Singular Existence"!"
"If you've ever suffered as your well-meaning mother/nosy Aunt Kathy/married-with-kids best friend poked and prodded you about settling down, you'll appreciate Leslie Talbot's ruminations on singledom...Her witty, tough-love, no-holds-barred style makes the book a fun read even if you're coupled up."
"Ms. Talbot makes a powerful case for that group of singles who know full well they should stay that way....Sporting a wicked way with words, she is going to bring much laughter and peace of mind to the women who read her book. And men too will identify with it."
"Wickedly funny. Leslie Talbot's observations on the single life will have you laughing out loud while nodding in recognition."
Chuck Leddy,
book reviewer,
The Boston Globe
"A smart, savvy reality check"
Bridget Harrison,
author of
Tabloid Love
"Talbot calls bullshit on stats, theories, studies and even your best friend's rationale about why life's better on the other side of single. Ms. Talbot, your invite to my next dinner party is in the mail ... and there won't be a screaming child in sight."
Kristina Grish,
author of
Addickted: 12 Steps to Dumping Your Bad Boy Habit
"Hilarious, reassuring, and cut-with-a-knife sardonic all at the same time. If you're single, you'll laugh; if you're married, you'll laugh--and if you don't laugh, then you don't deserve to read it!"
Randy Susan Meyers,
co-author of
Couples with Children
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Recent Reflections on
My Singular Existence
From "I Sizzle" to "I Fizzle" in one short month.
Water Nazis everywhere...
The 51% revolution.
Let's do lunch. On second thought...
And that's just what I do.
More tales of Singular Cowardice.
On the road...again. Sigh.
If you can't take the heat...
Just another Saab story.
When you're flush out of luck.
Just me'n my boyfriend.
Or, how to succeed in government without really trying.
Take two scoops and call me in the morning.
Every picture tells a story, don't it?
Hey, Cingular Wireless - can you hear me NOW?
Read Me Again For
The
First Time!
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Frustrated with life?
Tired of waiting for me to get off my ass and post something new?
Hey, I'm busy, okay? I've got a book to promote!
Click on the red folder to visit my Singular Archive!
Read an Excerpt...
or three
And we're just not into that.
Dr. John Gray: Well-meaning pundit or Antichrist? You decide!
We, the single people...
Look for me in the following locations this summer:
Friday August 3
7:30 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
3600 Stevens Creek Blvd
San Jose, CA
408-984-3495
Saturday, August 4
4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
Fisherman's Wharf
2550 Taylor St.
San Francisco, CA
415-292-6762
In other news...USA Today interviews Yours Truly and lives to tell about it!
Click here for other recent media coverage.
From the Desk Of...
To: You Know Who You Are
From: The Center of the Universe
Re:
Noises Off
Noises OffKindly permit me to call your attention to the following news item, courtesy of our own Boston.com:
A day after being at the center of what’s become known as "The Brawl at Symphony Hall," one of the men who says he was involved in the fight the opening night of the Boston Pops wants to press charges. Matthew Ellinger told the Globe this afternoon that another concertgoer hit him in a balcony at Symphony Hall after he asked the man to stop talking during the performance.
I am sure you are wondering why I am taking time from my very busy day to share this particular tidbit with you. I am doing so because I believe it is illustrative of the depths of rudeness to which our society is sinking – a rapid plummet which each of you, in your own special way, appears to be doing your part to hasten.
Therefore, I would greatly appreciate it if those of you called out below would kindly hone to certain common courtesies that will make our short time on this earth far more tolerable to us all:
Attn. Annoying Guy Three Cubes Down: I realize I am a newcomer to our floor. And, on the whole, I am quite enjoying my new work arrangement: a brisk morning walk to the office, reasonable work hours, enjoyable assignments, and all the free Diet Coke I can drink. What could be better?
My bliss, however, has been sadly marred – much the way the unfortunate Mr. Ellinger’s first trip the the Boston Pops was also sullied – by your evident forgetfulness that we are in a shared space and that you are not the only person who comes here to get work done.
Annoying Guy, telephones have handsets for a reason. They are there to be picked up and held to one’s ear so as to listen to the voice on the other end of the line. In fact, it is even possible to pick up the receiver and hold it to one’s ear before beginning the dialing process. And there is no need to increase the volume the moment the ringing and/or busy signal commences. If I, working in my otherwise peaceful cubicle at the end of our row, can hear the other phone ringing and/or beeping its busy signal, I do not doubt you can as well. I suspect you might even hear it particularly clearly if you were to listen to it through a handset held closely to your ear. Perhaps you should try this technique. You might be surprised.
Attn. Exuberant Start-Uppers in Adjacent Conference Room: The prospect of an audit is undoubtedly quite frightening. I would not want to undergo one myself. But, while I can certainly empathize with your anxiety, as well as your understandably human compulsion to fret about the upcoming visit from your accountant, I do not need to be privy to the sordid details of your financial operations. I do not want to know what your travel expenses totaled in 2006. I am uncomfortable overhearing your salary information. I do not care what you spent on toner during the month of May. Furthermore, I do not think I should know these things. For all you know, I could be a spy for your competition, eagerly scribbling down all that I hear so that I can use this information for my own nefarious purposes at some point in the future. So, please, for your own sake as well as mine, I beg you – close the conference room door during your meetings. Your business may very well depend upon it!
Attn. Annoying Guy Three Cubes Down: Mobile telephones now come with a vast array of pleasant, melodious ring tones – the most pleasing being, of course, the one known as “vibrate.” Your chosen ring tone, the one known as “shrill jangly nightmare,” is not one of the more popular selections on rockyourtones.com. You might consider switching.
Attn. Insanely Wealthy Next-Door Neighbors With Nothing Better to Do With Your Money: Your townhouse was quite lovely before you purchased it. I know this because I have been inside it. Nevertheless, If you wish to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a complete gut renovation of your million-dollar brownstone, it is your prerogative to do so. However, given that you appear to not mind squandering your savings in this manner, perhaps you could implore your contractors to begin work at a more reasonable hour – say, an hour that is not 7 a.m.?
And, finally, lest I forget:
Attn. Annoying Guy Three Cubes Down: The revolting noises emanating from some unidentifiable location south of your larynx? Please. Enough, already.
I do not relish being the local crank. I never in my wildest dreams envisioned myself as some cross old woman shaking her fist and railing about “those damn kids” and their “crazy rock and roll.” It pains me deeply to have to point these transgressions out to you. Nevertheless, as a matter of public safety, I urge you to take this advisory to heart.
After all, Matthew Ellinger would be my hero but for one small fact:
He did not throw the first punch.
