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At first, I thought it was UPS leaving a package, but the ringing was insistent. I opened the door to see my neighbor, Evie, who was gesturing at me in obvious distress. 911 came within minutes, they took her to the hospital (leaving her beloved dog behind) and Evie’s now slowly recovering. A group of us who barely know each other except to smile on the street, immediately banded together, exchanged phone numbers for texting, arranged a schedule to take care of the dog and make hospital visits.

Los Angeles is experiencing unusually high winds, and last night we were one of many neighborhoods that lost power. I pulled out my massive lantern with its detachable light panels, prepared dinner, poured a martini and watched Rachel Maddow streaming on my cell phone (using a backup charger). All things considered, it was a pleasant evening. Update: 24 hours later, the winds are still howling and I’m grateful, as I write this, to still have power.

For the last several years, I’ve automated my eating habits. Every weekday morning I have (homemade) granola for breakfast. Saturdays are my splurge day for a sweet pastry. For Sunday breakfast, I chow down on an onion bagel smeared with cream cheese (and add a sweet tomato in the summer).

This week, New York Magazine is doing a deep dive into marriage. Forty-five percent of all Americans 18 and older are now single, and more than half of Americans surveyed said that getting married wasn’t an important part of becoming an adult, according to a 2017 Census Bureau report. Moreover, research suggests that single people are more involved in their communities than married people are, exercise more, are generally healthier, and have more friends than married people do. Even the idea that married people live longer than single people do has been thrown into question: It turns out married men live longer than single men, but married women don’t live as long as single women.”