Advice

MFA applicants, I feel your pain. It was not so long ago that I was one of you, sweating the math section of the GRE, trying to figure out the perfect submission length (22.25 pages?), wondering what on Earth I was doing. If only there had been one professor from a respected MFA program to tell me exactly what they were looking for, it would have been so much easier. There is: If you're applying now, or in the future, this is for you. Brian Evenson , whose books include "Fugue State" and "The Open Curtain," is a professor of literary arts at Brown . He has recently been posting on Facebook while reviewing students' creative writing MFA applications.

Running the L.A. Marathon? Here's your chance to ask experts from the Keck Medical Center at USC how you can prepare for the race and recover from it as soon — and as gracefully — as possible. Three USC physicians will be available for a live chat at 4:30 p.m. Pacific time on Monday. To join us, click here: http://lat.ms/XQC7cV.

Why, you might ask, take advice from Mariel Hemingway and her partner Bobby Williams about how to live? It's true that they've lived a lot - singly or as a couple facing mental health problems and suicides of loved ones, exploring all sorts of physical adventures, marriage and divorce, parenthood, Hollywood celebrity, the run of diet and wellness pursuits. And now they have "The WillingWay," a book out this week with a title that plays on their names and their philosophy: Where there's a will, there's a way. ( http://www.thewillingway.com )

SACRAMENTO - GOP operative Karl  Rove had blunt words Saturday for California Republicans, who are trying to claw their way back to political relevancy in the state. “My message is this: get off your ass,"  Rove told nearly 500 Republicans gathered for a convention luncheon at a downtown hotel. “Get back in the game and fight. Don't give in to what the other side wants.” The gathering is taking place as the state GOP is at a crossroads. A Republican politician has not been elected to statewide office in seven years, GOP voter registration has plummeted, and the party is mired in debt.

Advice to the Republicans--hire Willie Brown as a political consultant. PAUL DERGARABEDIAN Mission Viejo

My advice to President Bush on this Saddam Hussein thing: Hit or get off the despot. DAVID PECCHIA West Los Angeles

Got Medicare enrollment questions? Of course you do. Experts will be on hand during a Newport News Daily Press Web chat from noon to 1 p.m. EST (9 to 10 a.m. PST) Wednesday to help seniors with Medicare enrollment. The enrollment period opened Monday and continues until Dec. 31. In the meantime, here’s a tool at Medicare.gov to determine whether you’re eligible to enroll and a Medicare Guide from the South Florida Sun Sentinel that can help you get a jump on signing up.

Advice on how to pick a therapist How do you know if your provider is right for you? Professionals from both sides of the debate offer some tips: Bruce Wampold, University of Wisconsin: "Get referrals from friends. Give your therapist a reasonable amount of time. If you feel connected and trust them, and they have a reasonable plan, stick with them. If not, get somebody else." John Norcross, the University of Scranton, Pa: "When selecting a therapist, by all means ask if they're familiar with the best available research to reach treatment goals.

Add Sen. Harry Reid to the list of prominent Democrats who aren’t rushing to Rep. Anthony Weiner’s side. Asked at his weekly news conference about the Twitter-tarred congressman, Reid replied, “I know Congressman Weiner. I wish there was some way I can defend him, but I can't. The Senate majority leader, a Democrat from Nevada, demurred when asked if the New Yorker should resign, saying, “I'm not here to defend Weiner.” Reid was asked what advice he would give Weiner.