Now that I'm 50 and respectably settled in New England and markedly happier and more contented than I was in my youth, I modestly hope there's time to realize some of my youthful goals before I croak, but I'll take what I can get.

I grew up in an all-female family - two sisters and a mostly single mother - and we often bonded, in part, by disparaging men and feeling superior to them.

The male muse is an unaccountably rare thing in art. Where does that leave female artists looking for inspiration?

Chan Marshall has one of the most haunting, wrenching voices of any current singer, male or female.

Meg Ryan is a beautiful and courageous woman. I grieve the loss of her companionship but I've not lost the friendship. We talk all the time and that was what our connection was about. She has a wonderful mind and we just like a chat.

Never make friends with people who are above or below you in status. Such friendships will never give you any happiness.

You can't socialise without being faceless idiots. More people have Facebook friends than actual friends these days.

I think everyone in snowboarding is close. We've become a big family. It's not a cutthroat sport. I'm competing against one of my best friends, and I think it's cool to be at the top of the half pipe, dropping in with your competitor but your best friend, too.