http://monicatrasandes.com/media-appearances

I’m currently in the process of creating a media room where you can access reviews of my book, profiles, plays, columns and essays by Monica Trasandes, excerpts, and media appearances.

http://monicatrasandes.com/media-room

Some of these short essays offered what I thought was an interesting look at the experiences and perspectives of others, especially “How to Know When to Quit” by Elissa Schappell, author of Blueprints for Building Better Girls:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/04/life-skills-ivanka-trump-thich-nhat-hanh_n_2341108.html

What an honor it is to be recommended like this by the editors at oprah.com

http://www.oprah.com/book/Broken-Like-This?editors_pick_id=41039

“Altitude”

By Monica Trasandes

When the stewardess came around, I decided to go ahead and have a scotch. The college boy two seats away said “I’ll have the same,” then smiled at me. By Ecuador, we were good and plowed.

Soon a small, soft hand was lying very still, under my skirt. He was afraid to have sex in the bathroom. I told him only drugs got you into real trouble.

“Turbulence only made it better,” he said afterward. I wanted to say something funny, but didn’t.

He fell asleep. I climbed over him and found an empty seat in the back, and drank water, like you are supposed to on airplanes.

Eventually, the pilot came on the overhead sound system and said, in his best good father voice, “Folks, it’s time to buckle up.”

The little window slid up easily and baby blue sky was everywhere, but that was just the altitude, not the weather. It was summer where we’d just been, but winter where we were going.

“Why can’t we forget about landing,” I asked the little blonde stewardess. “Just keep circling and circling?”

“Fuel,” she said and smiled like she owned the world.