Illustration: John Ritter
What does O columnist Lisa Kogan do in her free time? She answers life's big (and not-so-big) questions. For even more of where this came from, pick up a copy of her debut collection, Someone Will Be with You Shortly.
O: What's the quickest legal route to joy?
Lisa Kogan: Darlene Love singing "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)."
O: What makes you still?
LK: Have you ever watched golf on TV? Forget still, it's as close to catatonic as any human being should ever get.
O: What words do you live by?
LK: "Fast, Cheap, and Good...pick two. If it's fast and cheap, it won't be good. If it's cheap and good, it won't be fast. If it's fast and good, it won't be cheap." Jim Jarmusch said that, and he gets proven right almost every day of my life.
O: What's the hardest truth to tell?
LK: My first instinct is to say, anything that you know will bring pain to someone you love. But if I'm really going to tell you the hard truth...it's probably my dress size.
O: What makes a person fearless?
LK: Stupidity, naivety, or a sense that there's nothing left to lose...take your pick.
O: What's left on your to-do list?
LK: Clive Owen.
O: What do you ask yourself most often?
LK: "Why am I eating this?"
O: Best piece of advice you've ever been given?
LK: An old friend once told me that you've got to "get in the way of chance." I think that's exactly right.
O: What thought last kept you up at night?
LK: Ironically, I just kept thinking that if I don't get to sleep soon, I'm going to be miserable in the morning.
O: What's the most daring thing you've done?
LK: The most daring thing I ever did was have a baby.
O: What's the most daring thing you wish you'd done?
LK: The most daring thing I wish I'd done was have a second baby.
O: How do stay calm in a tense situation?
LK: A good, full-bodied Cabernet and a long walk with an old friend usually do the trick.
O: What are you an expert at?
LK: Well, I don't like to blow my own horn, but I do possess an almost uncanny ability to pick a ripe cantaloupe. I'm not great with honeydew, but my cantaloupe selection skills are truly a gift.
Someone Will Be with You Shortly
Read our review of Lisa Kogan's debut collection!
Lisa Kogan: Darlene Love singing "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)."
O: What makes you still?
LK: Have you ever watched golf on TV? Forget still, it's as close to catatonic as any human being should ever get.
O: What words do you live by?
LK: "Fast, Cheap, and Good...pick two. If it's fast and cheap, it won't be good. If it's cheap and good, it won't be fast. If it's fast and good, it won't be cheap." Jim Jarmusch said that, and he gets proven right almost every day of my life.
O: What's the hardest truth to tell?
LK: My first instinct is to say, anything that you know will bring pain to someone you love. But if I'm really going to tell you the hard truth...it's probably my dress size.
O: What makes a person fearless?
LK: Stupidity, naivety, or a sense that there's nothing left to lose...take your pick.
O: What's left on your to-do list?
LK: Clive Owen.
O: What do you ask yourself most often?
LK: "Why am I eating this?"
O: Best piece of advice you've ever been given?
LK: An old friend once told me that you've got to "get in the way of chance." I think that's exactly right.
O: What thought last kept you up at night?
LK: Ironically, I just kept thinking that if I don't get to sleep soon, I'm going to be miserable in the morning.
O: What's the most daring thing you've done?
LK: The most daring thing I ever did was have a baby.
O: What's the most daring thing you wish you'd done?
LK: The most daring thing I wish I'd done was have a second baby.
O: How do stay calm in a tense situation?
LK: A good, full-bodied Cabernet and a long walk with an old friend usually do the trick.
O: What are you an expert at?
LK: Well, I don't like to blow my own horn, but I do possess an almost uncanny ability to pick a ripe cantaloupe. I'm not great with honeydew, but my cantaloupe selection skills are truly a gift.
Someone Will Be with You Shortly
Read our review of Lisa Kogan's debut collection!
From the April 2010 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine
