Sex Talks

I can't believe I've gone 6+ years without ever bringing up the topic of therapy. Sorry about that guys. Do I believe that "everyone should be in therapy" - no. I'm not that Woody Allen about it. But do I believe that therapy can help absolutely anyone - absolutely. I've "seen someone" (that's what we say when we're embarrassed to say, "been in therapy") for a few issues over the years, and I've always found it to be eye-opening. You think you know how to ask yourself all the right questions, but you don't. Or rather, I thought I knew how to ask myself all the right questions, but I didn't. Some friends of friends in New York are exploring that very issue in a funny web series called PsychoDrama .  In short, three actress friends start seeing the exact same therapist, and hilarity ensues. What I love most about this project is that it tackles what can be an "elephant in the room" in a really honest way. Yes, se...

I've been going on a lot of what we "in the industry" call general meetings lately. General meetings are so called because nothing about them is specific. No specific goal, no specific conversation points, no specific offer for any specific employment opportunity. Here's a little primer I once wrote on the topic, but even that is pretty general. Just think of these meetings as sessions in which the executive sitting across from you is trying to determine your level of sanity, talent and connections, in 30 minutes or less. During these meetings you, the writer, are asked many questions about your person. Questions like, "so where are you from?" or, "so what got you into writing?" or, "so what inspired that idea," or, "so what kinds of projects are you attracted to," or my all-time favorite, "so, tell us about yourself." And so for the past several weeks I have been sitting across from complete strangers in a variety of...

I'm not so bitter about being 30 that I can't pass along some helpful info on continuing to survive your 20s - at least so far... Check out this list from my friends at Greatist of the 20 Best Cities for 20-Somethings . Their criteria: "There are common factors such as cleanliness, park space, and efficient transit systems, but this year we expanded our scope: Does a city provide ethnic and cultural diversity? Can you walk in peace or are the streets packed with cars? We compiled this year�s list taking into account as many factors as we could to bring you the most accurate list of healthy cities for 20-somethings." I'll admit I'm not thrilled that L.A. is unlucky #13 (several spots below New York...), but Raleigh, NC is lucky #7 (Yay Katie & Dustin!) and Seattle is an impressive #3 (Go Clel & Mike!), so at least some of my friends know what they're doing lifestyle wise.  Enjoy, pass it on, and share your own opinions in comments.

I promise not every post from here on out when have "30-year-old" in the title, but this one seemed too obvious to ignore. I accidentally watched 15 minutes of the VMA's last night. Here are several things that I said out loud. Um, Ok Lady Gaga...you don't get to slap paint on your face sing the equivalent of a theme park parade song and call yourself avant guard...by me at least! 'Lil Kim is looking dangerously like Latoya Jackson. Wait. Do you think anyone watching this knows who Latoya Jackson is? OMG or 'Lil Kim?! I'm sorry, the One Direction movie is called This Is Us?! Who is in charge of these Yahoos? Yes, I just said yahoos. People say that!  Miley Cyrus looks like a cracked out Gwen Stefani.  THIS is Miley's big "I'm a bad girl" song?? There's nothing edgy about this! Mandy Moore could sing this! I wish Mandy Moore was signing this. No. No Miley no . Actually, no MTV no . Do they think this is cool? Oh my god is this cool?...

People warned me about the actual 30th birthday day. They said, "it's weirder than you think," and, "even if you're happy, you're sort of also sad," and, "I recommend drinking at least one cocktail with each meal during the day." I took their warnings seriously, but I didn't think I'd feel that way. I had a packed day planned, my new hair cut was finally settling in, and that very night I was flying home to the east coast for two weeks of family fun. So yes, I was cocky about turning 30. I thought I was above it all. I was all, "I feel great!" and, "I'm so fortunate!" and, "I'm exactly where I want to be!" I even threw my secret, special birthday routine (hint: it involved $29.99 and clothes made for children) out the window and wore something old for the day. "Superstitions be damned!" I thought, I'm a GD adult! Turns out turning 30 is a little weirder than you think, and even though...

We did it.  Well, I did it, but I feel like somehow I couldn't have done it without your help & support.  Today I am 30. That R.E.M song keeps playing over and over in my head - naturally? - but instead of "I feel fine" I keep singing "I feel awesome." Happy, healthy, Lucky, loved, and awesome. And isn't that how we should all feel at any age? I'll be spending today reading beside a pool that overlooks the city, lunching with one of my favorite people, getting the world's best cheap massage, and then eating all-you-can-eat mussels with my main man. After all that we'll fly on the red eye back home to New Jersey to do it all again tomorrow with all of my family. How's that for indulgent? I think just right. And then what happens after that? As the new blog header indicates - the exact same thing with a slightly different title (and soon some fun, new art). This little project has changed my life a dozen times over, so I can only assume it...

--> After 829 posts (to date) and six years of writing on the topic of how to be a 20-something, I feel like I should use this last day of my own 20's to provide some form of getting-by guide. You should know that this started as a list of thirty five items, but the more I read them over the more I realized it takes very little to end up a happy, productive, debt-free 30-year-old, and that�s coming from one who is sometimes unhappy, often procrastinating, and used to have a ton of credit card debt. What can I say? Do as I�ve learned, not as I�ve done? Nah. I had way too much fun to advise against making some mistakes. Instead I�ll say, shoot for the following standards of living, and hope that fate, luck and a really good economy handles the rest. Now, drum roll please�  �        Spend less than or equal to the exact amount of money you deposit into your bank account every month. If you just read that and thought, �Yeah. Of course. How is tha...

I woke up to two incredibly exciting e-mails - one from TIME and another from Amazon.com. The awesome team over at TIME named me one of the Top 25 Bloggers of 2013 literally three days before I'm not a 20-Nothing anymore. Talk about the world's greatest birthday gift! And if that wasn't enough, Amazon.com sent the link to my author page - 20-Nothings is officially a book ! All my favorite posts throughout the past six years are now off-line and on page (and Kindle too), and I've added ed notes to each reflecting back or looking forward for a little extra insight.  Grab a copy today so you'll have it when the Internet eventually explodes! Now please excuse me while I go jump up and down just a little bit more. !!!!!!

We've covered hooking up , dating , and body image in these last posts before the very end. Now here is everything else that I have to say about essentially everything else that matters - emphasis on "essentially." The five items every woman should have in her closet are: a perfect black blazer, a hot red dress, jeans that still feel great after a giant meal, an over-sized white t-shirt that can be dressed up to look "formal", and a completely ridiculous pair of shoes.  My favorite book is The Secret Garden and my favorite movie is Hook . I don't care that both of those works were created for kids under the age of 10.  If you absolutely detest getting your hoo-ha Brazilian waxed every four weeks, stop. The world will still go 'round, as will your relationship.  I would be more inclined to stay with a person who cheated on me by having random sex once than to stay with a person who developed an emotional relationship with another woman.  If I wasn't...