“Those weeks before diagnosis can be among the most torturous times. Th...” — David Rakoff Quote

Those weeks before diagnosis can be among the most torturous times. There is a reason you're called a patient once the plastic bracelet goes on.

There is nothing so cleansing or reassuring as a vicarious sadness.

At least three times a week, I am overwhelmed with a wave of gratitude to New York City for providing me with a life. Not that my life is so great, although I think it's pretty nifty: I don't mine coal; I get paid to write.

My salvation lies in time spent alone with an X-Acto knife and commercial-grade adhesive.

If you don't have your experiences in the moment, if you gloss them over with jokes or zoom past them, you end up with curiously dispassionate memories.

I now wear a Jawbone. This is a bracelet that keeps track of how I sleep, move and eat - transmitting that information to the cloud. It allows me to track and maintain my health much better.

Pomellato Jewellery makes such timeless pieces. I have a chunky gold bracelet that goes with everything.

I have rings of many different sizes and designs, mainly hip-hop, and an extensive bracelet collection.

If I put my pinkie to my thumb, I can cover my wrist all the way to the knuckle. When I get a watch, I always have to go and get extra holes put in or get a special bracelet that's adjustable.