The truth is that even if I have to sleep alone, I still can find my way to sleep these days, and that’s what really matters. I might never sleep great next to a warm body again. I’m mostly okay with that.

[...] The one most often spun by station managers is that lifestyles have changed: They’ll cite market research showing people are waking earlier for longer commutes and also building in time for pre-work routines such as the gym. And they have research showing these people want fresh news and information.

The more important reason is that these early risers are advertisers’ darlings. They’re usually employed, interested in what’s going on in the world, younger than news’ aging audiences and have some money to spend – whether at McDonald’s, the home decorating store or the cineplex. That’s why you’ll see big-brand advertisers all over the 5 a.m. broadcasts, while bail bondsmen and truck-driving training commercials populate 5 p.m. [...]

One day I met a man with the name of an angel. He was French. His accent was so thick, it sounded fake. We got to talking and I told him what had happened. “You’re going to be fine,” Emmanuel said right away. “Something bad always leads to something good.” He spoke from personal experience. His partner had died six years earlier. But he did not use that word died as he told me his story. Nor did he say passed away, a euphemism I had come to hate. Instead, Emmanuel said, “When my partner disappeared….” I knew this was not a case of poor English, a bungled translation. Still, I had to say something. “You said ‘disappeared’ —“

He nodded.

“That’s exactly how it feels for me, too.”

“As a social pattern, this could increase. A lot of people I know fantasize about living in the same apartment building as their husband — but in a separate apartment. That could be next.”

"I can come up behind her on a day that's not a 'sex day' and she knows I'm cuddling, kissing or fondling because I love her and want to be close to her, not because I'm trying to get her to have sex."

"The story, like the dream [...] develops a logic of its own that begins to generate events of its own accord. The author finds himself in the same position as his characters, swept along by events he can no longer control."

"A different job, a deadline, a new boss, someone in the extended family dying, all come to bed with a couple. And it affects sleeping."

"To be honest, I have never really seen the appeal of spending the whole night sleeping next to somebody. Just because I love someone and want to spend my life with them, doesn't mean I want to be in the same bed at the same time."

"Generally, if you're feeling pleasant and satisfied you're going to sleep better, and Minneapolis is a pretty stress-free city," he said. "I don't know what that says about Detroit, but I'd rather sleep in Minneapolis."