Ariel Leve

Profile: Full name: Ariel Sharon Leve Area of interest: Lifestyle and Culture Journals/Organisation: The Observer | The Sunday Times Email: ariel@ariel-leve.com | ariel.leve@sunday-times.co.uk Personal website: http://www.ariel-leve.com Website: http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/ariel-leve Blog: http://arielleve.wordpress.com Representation: http://www.robweisbach.com/featured_talent.html Networks: https://twitter.com/#!/arielleve | LinkedIn profile | Facebook profile

Biography: About: Education: Secondary School: Professional Children's School; New York University Career: Features and interviews for The Sunday Times Magazine from 2003/2010; for a short time in 2005 had a weekly column in The Guardian called Half Empty, A pessimist's view of the world, from October 2005 transferred to The Sunday Times Magazine, being called Cassandra, ended January 2010; since March 2010 has written the monthly The Fussy Eater column in The Observer ariel-leve.com: Biography Current position/role: Since January 2010 Ariel has been writing The Fussy Eater column which appears in the Observer Food Monthly also writes/written for: The Guardian, Vogue, Granta Other roles/Main role: Other activities: Author Disclosures: Viewpoints/Insight: My name is Ariel Sharon - New York writer Ariel Sharon Leve on the highs and lows of having the same name as an iron-fisted world leader - The Guardian, 14th April 2003 Broadcast media: Video: The Cassandra Chronicles - Animated Short - YouTube Controversy/Criticism: Awards/Honours: British Press Awards: nominated for Interviewer of the year, 2005 Magazine Design and Journalism Awards: Winner of Feature Writer of the Year, 2008 British Press Awards: Highly Commended as Feature Writer Of The Year, 2008 Scoops: Other:

Books & Debate: 101 Damnations: The Humorists' Tour of Personal Hells, pp. 271-273 (Michael J. Rosen, Editor, Thomas Dunne Books, 2002) ISBN 0-312-28480-2 The Cassandra Chronicles (Portobello Books, UK, 2009) ISBN 978-1846272035 Latest work: It Could Be Worse, You Could Be Me (Harper Perennial, April, 2010) ISBN 978-0061864599, ISBN 0-061-86459-5 Speaking/Appearances: Debate:

The Sunday Times: Column name: Cassandra (column previously ran in The Guardian under the title: Half Empty) - ended Jan 2010, see http://www.ariel-leve.com/cassandra.html Remit/Info: Lifestyle and relationship issues - living a single life Section: Sunday Times Magazine Role: Columnist Pen-name: Email: Website: Commissioning editor: Day published: Sunday Regularity: Weekly Column format: Average length: 500/550 words

Articles: 2010 It has finally come to an end - It had to happen. This is the final Cassandra column. I’m surprised that it’s lasted as long as it did - five years - 24th January Fearless Swofties living life to the fullest - Why is it that when women get older they are of a 'certain age' whereas men are their actual age? - 17th January Frankly, I'm getting fed up with jargon - Luckily, my workplace is at home where I won’t ever have to hear someone say, 'I’m coming into this with an open kimono' - 10th January What’s wrong with eating in silence? - Whenever I see a sign outside a restaurant that says: 'Live Music Tonight' I think: who would go in there? - 3rd January

Articles: 2009 Why is it called rush hour anyway? - It’s never just one hour. Anyone who’s ever tried to get a cab at 4:30 in Manhattan knows you have to start waiting at 3 - 20th December Why mixing doesn't match - Mixing friends is never a good idea - 13th December Making a meal of it - A stressful element of dining is the relationship set-up as one person is the talker and the other person is the eater - 6th December Does everything have to be shortened? - Last week the New Oxford American Dictionary named “unfriend” as word of the year - 29th November Conversations with myself - I don’t think talking to yourself is a sign of being lonely but if it is, who cares. I’d rather have a conversation I enjoy - 22nd November Nothing good ever comes in the mail - Last week I had to go to the post office - it was on my list. I'd put it off for weeks because I find it so depressing - 15th November The long and the short of it - An ex-boyfriend said I didn’t seem small because I had a 'big personality.' I took that as a compliment until he dumped me - 8th November You must always have an exit strategy - I'm not good at managing guilt. When I want to get out of speaking to someone, I don't want to the person to feel bad - 1st November Busting the well-being myths - It’s true exercise releases endorphins, but any miserable person will tell you finding a reason to do it is the problem - 25th October I don't knit. Why is this so shocking? - I don't HAVE to knit. I can stop. No one is forcing me to finish this pathetic scarf that looks like it's been eaten by moths - 18th October The best part of a massage? When it's over - People need to feel special - so special they will pay a stranger to put their hands all over them in the street - 11th October Close-talkers - worse than neck-breathers - There will always be people who cross that invisible line, which they must know is there, and invade your personal space - 4th October I'm too tired for orgies - I have trouble staying awake past 10 o'clock and I’m guessing there aren’t a lot of people at orgies taking naps - 27th September Chance encounters are draining - When I've run into someone and don’t have the time or inclination to talk, I find it a challenge to get out of - 20th September I'm a shark when it comes to cab etiquette - If only I was half as aggressive with my career as I am with getting a taxi, I’d have a chauffer-driven car by now - 13th September Is eating alone an act of bravery? - Not only do I enjoy eating alone, but most of the time, I prefer it - I’d rather eat alone than with 80% of those I know - 6th September Creating an agoraphobic's wardrobe - Last week I decided to clean out my closet - as in my actual closet. My mental closet is still as messy as it’s always been - 30th August Having a houseguest is like looking after a child - People who work at home should never have houseguests unless there's a house or even better: a guesthouse - 16th August Difficult is interesting, what's the problem? - Finally, I’ve found an affliction I don’t have - the compulsion to be personable no matter what the consequences may be - 9th August Don't tell me I've put on weight - When telling a woman she’s gained weight, referring to how she was ‘too’ skinny before doesn’t help make it seem like it’s a compliment - 2nd August Why waiting on a friend is a power struggle - When a man is late it’s because he’s busy. When a woman is late it’s because she’s slow - 26th July I have to stop smiling at strangers - Pick-up lines are like verbal SPAM. It's hard to find a man who thinks what he says before he opens his mouth - 19th July Should I prepare a memorial shower? - It's hard getting friends to commit to plans when I’m alive, what are the chances, they’ll show up after I’m gone? - 12th July My IT guy is better than a husband - People who save lives are heroic. Doctors. Nurses. They deserve a lot of credit. But what about IT people? They save hundreds of lives all the time and in various ways - 5th July A crying shame - Asking a parent to take their baby outside? You’ll be stoned - 28th June Dressing up is false advertising - The way some women display cleavage, I display issues - 21st June Can I sample that? - There’s nothing more depressing than cubes of cheese on a paper plate without a toothpick - 14th June If you can't beat the Tweeters, join them - 7th June It was just a dream - The only dream men seem to want to tell you about is a sex dream - 31st May Hanging on the telephone - As far as I'm concerned, call-waiting is a necessity. Like breathing and drinking coffee - 24th May Can you keep it down, please! - How does it happen that certain people have no idea when they are talking too loud? - 17th May One person’s adventure is another’s insomnia - My father is about to go white water rafting on the Colorado River - 10th May What constitutes fat is subjective - There are some people who think anything over size 8 is plus-size. I do not want these people in any position of power] - 3rd May The cougar sleeps tonight - I can’t have sex with someone who has never used a rotary phone or watched a movie on a VCR - 26th April Runaway bride - Most people get married because they want to start a family. But if that’s not on the agenda, what’s the point? - 19th April Aeroplane etiquette - There's nothing worse than someone reclining their seat back in your face. You want to complain or pound them - but you don't - 12th April Hey buddy, you have to play ball - If I were the First Buddy it would be a disaster. I'd mistakenly hit 'reply all' to the top-secret email he asked me to be careful with - 5th April Twitter is for tweets - My first encounter with someone on Twitter was at a birthday party. It was in a bar and the woman was responding to the one question Twitter poses: What are you doing? I’ve always hated this question - 29th March Cassandra: hands off my dessert - Is it a surprise I don’t get asked out to dinner any more? - 22nd March Phone tracker is fast track to divorce - Google claims that a million users have signed up to phone tracker. I predict 999,999 of them will regret it - 15th March Plight of the sardines - Up against an army of predators, it’s not like you can fight back. All you can hope for is not to be eaten - 8th March Are you a frugalista or a fraggle? - I loved that we considered a budget meal was going to an expensive restaurant – and not eating - 1st March Faking your own death - The problem with faking your death is, it’s permanent. It’s not like a year later, you can change your mind and re-emerge - 22nd February The virtues of a hospital gown - I think I’m at my best when I’m in a hospital gown. As long as nobody has a rear view - 15th February Health insurance is a hazard - With the cost of birth control and waxing, a boyfriend is a luxury item - 8th February How I cheated death - How would my friends greet the news of my near-death experience? - 1st February Getting into the habit - There are things about life in a convent that would suit me - 18th January No, I didn't make it myself - Is this what it has come to? People are making things and giving them away. No wonder stores are closing - 11th January Same complaints, different day - I’ve discovered it helps to complain about things that are universal. The feeling fat complaint never gets old - 4th January

Articles: 2008 To know me is to endure me - People say all the time that misery loves company but only if that company doesn’t make you more miserable - 28th December 2008 The small matter of a kidney donation - Every other week it seems there’s a story about someone with kidney disease - 21st December 2008 I've been thinking a lot lately about marriage - 14th December 2008 Things I have learnt about Facebook - Everyone uses Facebook for different reasons and it’s hard to please everybody. Or in my case, anybody - 7th December 2008 Do you want to be my friend? - I know most people see Facebook as a positive thing and an opportunity to make new friendships, but I’m worried. It’s opened up a whole new world of paranoia. I always knew I had the potential to alienate people in real life but now I can drive away thousands of people in cyber space too? - 30th November 2008 You are what you do - Your job is your identity. The first question anyone asks is ‘What do you do?’ And it’s not just what you do for a living that matters but where you do it - 23rd November 2008 How old is a woman of a certain age? - 16th November 2008 Grown ups need adopting too - Brad and Angelina are talking about adopting another child. What about me? I was thinking the other day about how great it would be if I could be adopted - 9th November 2008 Does anyone really think change will happen? - Everyone’s talking about change. Obama will bring “Change we can believe in.” McCain promises “Change is coming.” Hillary stood for “Change you can count on.” But does anyone really think change will happen? - 2nd November 2008 I'm losing my hair - My hair is falling out. Not in clumps, or in patches; it's an overall shedding - 12th October 2008 Life is lonely. Especially if you're a tiger - 4th October 2008 Stay childless and save the environment - 28th September 2008 25 Things a Pessimist Should Try Before They Die - 21st September 2008 Are men programmed to cheat? - 14th September 2008 I'm not wife material - What makes a woman wife material? I was thinking about this while watching the Republican Convention. The emphasis on having a partner and children is over-the-top - 7th September 2008 Has technology really improved our lives? - 31st August 2008 I spend my entire life avoiding people from my past - After years getting over someone, reunion websites make it possible for that person to reappear in an instant - 24th August 2008 Losers are the unsung heroes of sport - 17th August 2008 No job too small or outrageous - 10th August 2008 Mothers who breastfeed other people's babies - 3rd August 2008 All male brothels for women - 1st June 2008 I have made a new friend for life - 25th May 2008 I’m all for giving up. It’s very underrated - 11th May 2008 I’m obsessed with the rubbish collections - How much does one’s trash say about who you are? My trash has hypochondriac written all over it - 4th May 2008 The dangers of al fresco therapy - 27th April 2008 I'm all for second opinions - 13th April 2008 No wonder all my friends get colonoscopies - 5th April 2008 Midair phone calls - who needs them? - 29th March 2008 I'm thinking about selling my life - 21st March 2008 The really annoying thing about Eliot Spitzer - 15th March 2008 Hillary's hour of destiny - 9th March 2008 Even George Clooney has a down side - 2nd March 2008 Iraq Veterans Against the War - After Vietnam, American veterans testified to the atrocities they witnessed. Now soldiers who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan are about to do the same - 2nd March 2008 On expressing one's emotions - 24th February 2008 On getting set up - My friend Barbara has been trying, for years, to set me up with someone. I’ve always declined her offer. Until recently - 16th February 2008 Cut to the chase! When did it become OK to say this? - 10th February 2008 Sex addiction? I wish - 2nd February 2008 One of the things I relate to the most about the US elections ...is that they are filled with despair, disappointment and crushed dreams. But we never get to see any of it - 20th January 2008 Hillary didn’t cry. She almost cried - Does crying help a woman get what she wants? - 13th January 2008 Why are women always seeing red? - Everyone is agreed: angry women are very different from angry men. But what’s fuelling that female fury in the first place? Maureen Freely, Lesley White, Ariel Leve, A A Gill and Rod Liddle vent their views - 6th January 2008 When someone doesn’t like me, I’m relieved - 6th January 2008

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Links: Wikipedia bio Ariel Leve.com archives The Sunday Times Magazine: The Cassandra Archive