Hello, Molly!: A Memoir

I briefly dated a software developer. We went to this wonderful restaurant a couple of times and had this delicious chicken with these diverse, tangy sauces—artichoke garlic aioli, Thai sweet chili—and we talked about whatever while I ate this chicken and dipped the pieces into the otherworldly sauces. Meanwhile I thought, God, I think I really like him. Then we went back again and had the same chicken and sauces—and I thought, God, I feel like I’m really falling for him. Then we went on a third date to a different restaurant and I suddenly realized—now that the chicken and sauces had been removed—he was kind of boring and it was just the tasty chicken that I loved. I looooooooooove chicken.

If you ever feel stuck, just go into a completely different atmosphere with different kinds of people and see how stimulating it is. There’s nothing better.

It’s okay. This is actually exciting. It’s going to be an adventure. This is a good thing that has happened, because it is going to lead us down an interesting path, so let’s just be open and see where it takes us.

Maybe you’re not right for this part but they’ll remember you later for something else. You never know. Just think, Hey, I get to meet this person.

I ALWAYS ASK Stella and Nolan, “Do I seem like a stressed-out mom or a happy mom?” And they say, “You seem happy.

When you are living in a house where guilt is alive, it leaves a mark. My dad was coping with guilt as an adult, but we were coping with it as children. And when you are living in an atmosphere of daily, ever-present guilt, what does that do to children? It changes their souls.

And then I completely changed my whole philosophy. After that, I could just enjoy being creative. It didn’t matter if I was number one or number four thousand. I didn’t have to be the best. It was a relief.

But I thought, I can do whatever I want. I can be friends with whoever I want. I'm going to be friends with the freaks and the geeks and I don't have to fit into any clique. And I'm Free! And I like that witch. And I'm gonna be friends with that witch. And she and I are gonna go to the East Village for Chinese food on Sunday night. And we're gonna bring our own bottle of wine and sit and talk, that sweet, smart witch and I. And that is that.

Rob [Muir] told me something that made a huge impression. "You know," he said, "comedy is king." I said, "Is it? Is comedy king?" "Yes, it is. The best way to get into show business is through comedy.