Sex Talks

In one month I will celebrate one year a full-time writer, so I should probably have a handle on how it works. To some degree, I'd say that I do. I know that I need to wake up by 7:30AM, latest, for maximum morning productivity, so I usually pop out around 8. I know that working out, even for 20 minutes, is the best way for me to start the day, so I do 30 minutes every other day. I've found that one cup of coffee is just right, two cups is way too much, and three is just right. I've determined that if I wear anything that looks or feels similar to pajamas, I will get absolutely nothing done but wearing slippers all day makes me golden. And I know that I go stir-crazy if I don't leave the house for at least a few hours during the day...to buy something.  The thing I still can't seem to figure out is how to not feel guilty/weird/wrong/lazy any time I'm not working during the work day. It's like some former full-time worker PTSD. Case in point: last week I got ...

R and I have decided to buy an abandoned church. Yes, that abandoned church you see above, or better yet, this abandoned church you can read all about. I thought about keeping the identity of our church a secret, but I decided the chances of you also wanting this abandoned church are slim to none, plus if you do decide to sneakily buy it out from under us, you're welcome to the world's worst karma - church stealing karma.  R and I first saw our church when we were visiting our wedding venue (a property we do not aspire to own, at this time), which is in Hudson, New York . Our church was sitting right next to the NoLiTa coffee shop and across from the gas station-turned vintage furniture store - a gorgeous stone building against a perfect blue sky. "This church is for sale," I said.  "Can churches be for sale?" R asked.  "Guess so," I said, and then we marveled at the wildly gorgeous architecture for a minute. I'm sure R tried to open the fr...

(from ShowKnows.com ) The last thing I wrote about my upcoming wedding was this list of the Top 10 Weirdest Things About Being Engaged and this way-too-long essay on how to find a wedding dress. Those were both written almost three months ago - a time when I was still totally and completely consumed with the planning process. I spent more hours per day than I'll ever admit (fine, 5-6) scanning Brooklyn Bride (amazing but typically too Brooklyn-y), Style My Pretty (amazing but typically too costly), and Save On Crafts (juuust my speed). Then in August R and I visited our wedding town (yes, we're taking over the entire town...) and crossed everything from venue contract and welcome party location to man-who-will-marry-us, DJ, florist, photo locations and all guest accommodations off our list. Oh, and duh R and I walked the entire town to pick which special spots we'll list on the hand drawn map my friend Carly is creating. And then the minute we got home, we stopped. And...

Like many writers of blogs and would-be TV shows, I too have a freelance writing gig. Mine is writing fashion reviews for an entertainment website. These are not to be confused with fashion culture pieces for the Sunday Styles section. My hard-hitting investigations have titles like, "Rack Report! Taylor Swift Showcases Some Unexpected Side-Boob!" And no, that's not a fake example. My not-so-secret secret is that I love this freelance gig (which I've decided to keep under wraps because I've always made it a point to keep my employers off this blog. Also, I write under a nome de plume - because how cool is that?! - so it wouldn't matter anyway). I am paid to wake up every morning and troll the Internet for pictures of celebrities wearing gorgeous, super expensive clothes that I then get to pass judgement on in 200 word articles as if I a. know what I'm talking about and b. don't shop exclusively at Marshalls! If that's not the American dream then ...

There's a fantastic website out there called Rumors On The Internets where you'll find a fantastic podcast called Fortnights On The Internets , where you'll find a brand new episode featuring my actual voice! Hosts Alpine, Alison and I talk about everything from why I almost stopped writing this blog (but didn't) to whether or not I think our generation is lazy and entitled (which I don't), and we did it all in 20, listener-friendly minutes. Check it out, and if you like what you hear (or rather when you like what you hear), go "like" the FOTI page on Facebook . I think it's also worth mentioning that we recorded this podcast using the coolest Skype call reporter widget that I both downloaded and implemented successfully - a complete and total miracle.

I promise your day will be greatly enhanced by reading this nonagenarian's take on life - just like her second husband's "ding dong"! The interview appeared in Esquire but is actually ,"from writer ( The Every Boy ) and Oscar-nominated filmmaker ( Murderball ) Dana Adam Shapiro�s You Can Be Right (Or You Can Be Married) collection of interviews with divorcees. Now out in paperback. It was hard to pick, but I think my favorite part of the whole piece is this -  Question: What made [your third marriage] so good? Answer: "First of all, you have to be sexually compatible. That�s very important. If anyone tells you different, they�re nuts. And he was extravagant; he liked living the way I did. We used to dance, which I love to do. We used to drink, have a few cocktails. And he had a lot of friends. I met them all. They were all cheaters. Most men are cheaters�you know that, don�t you? I could meet a cheater tomorrow if I wanted to. But I�ve had enough me...

Have you seen this clip of Julie Chen from The Talk ? It's all over the Internet thanks to Upworthy . I'd watch it for the full effect, but here's a synopsis. News anchor Julie Chen had plastic surgery very early on in her career because she was told by agents that widening her eyes was necessary to advance her career. In her words: "This big time agent said, 'I cannot represent you unless you get plastic surgery to make your eyes look bigger.' And I did it."   Julie shared the before and after pictures of herself - see above.  The hosts of The Talk responded to the side-by-side image of Julie above like this: Sharon Osborne: "Fabulous!...It was the right thing to do." Sheryl Underwood: "You didn't give into the man, Julie. You made a choice that was good for you....Don't look back." Sara Gilbert: "I think you were beautiful before, you're beautiful now, and it's whatever makes you happy."   And then the aud...

I've touched on the issue of infertility before - or rather fears of infertility. It was in this post about an episode of New Girl where CeCe finds out she has so few eggs left that she essentially needs to get pregnant yesterday if she wants to have kids. I wrote about being frustrated that the show didn't explain the testing process for finding out this critical info. They essentially scared the beejesus (sp?) out of an audience of 20-something women (and men maybe?) with shotty and incomplete info. At the time, I didn't even know you could have your viable egg count assessed. And - shame on me - I didn't go digging for the information. I'm sure that's the result of some mental block - like if I continue on not knowing if it's possible to be tested then I don't have to think about ever having the test! But a few weeks ago I got contacted by someone organizing a forum around infertility issues in conjunction with a documentary film by Irina Vodar. The ...

I've been binge-watching episodes of The Wonders Years because A. it's an amazing show B. it's on Netflix Instant and C. I'm working on a project that involves voice over. Yesterday I made it to the episode where Kevin "falls in love" with Lisa-something and makes the massive mistake of telling Paul. Paul suggests he find out if Lisa likes Kevin back by asking Lisa's neighbor, who doesn't know but asks Lisa's friend, who doesn't know but asks Lisa herself . This entire exchange takes place through a chain of not-so-discrete whispers in a crowded cafeteria as Kevin (and I) watched in horror.  Poor Kevin is so humiliated that he fakes a sore throat to stay home from school the next day. But then, owing to the most mature mind a kid has ever had on or off television, Kevin decides that the way to figure out how Lisa really feels about him is to just call her up himself!  ... Except it turns out that move is not as easy as it sounds the first ti...

John Scalzi I am in the very early stages of an idea of mine becoming a TV show...I think. I know that I have an idea. I know that it is intended to eventually end up a TV show. Exactly what stage I am at in this process remains somewhat of a mystery to me and a total mine field to my poor family back east who desperately want to understand the different between a production company, studio and network and how somehow all three of these entities can be the most important entity in the entire project...maybe? To give you a further sense of just how confusing it can be - I wrote a post five months ago about preparing for my first TV pitch . That is the exact same idea I'm still working on today but with a totally different group of people! It is endless, and yet it also follows a very strict seasonal calendar...sort of.  Here are the steps I believe are involved in making your original idea a TV show. For every single "rule" there are a thousand and one exceptions, but thi...

As you may know, I run a monthly storytelling show called SUNDAY NIGHT SEX TALKS at Bar Lubitsch in West Hollywood.  Think of it like The Moth , except all the topics have to do with sex, love and relationships. As you boys who post on my Facebook page about coming in drag seem to know, it's strictly NO BOYS ALLOWED. Only once has a man stepped foot inside the show, and that was for a very special circumstance that even the performer he was there to see didn't know. So to answer the question, let's see how convincing your drag is, and then we'll talk. But for now, I thought I'd do a monthly recap of the lessons learned inside our very special sanctuary of storytelling. This is for those who don't live in LA, those who couldn't make it, and those who haven't had the chance to join us yet. And yes, for you guys too. Obviously names are concealed and stories are paraphrased to protect the brave performers who tell all at each show. We're really not kid...

If you have an extra 15 minutes this weekend between eating brunch and watching football, I implore you to watch Tavi Gevinson 's TEDxTeen Talk "Still Figuring It Out" embedded below. If you don't know who Tavin Gevinson is, I implore you to spend an extra 5 minutes figuring that out. Unfortunately that will probably turn into an hour and a half reading her blog The Style Rookie and her 2-year-old online magazine Rookie Mag , so better just factor in an hour and 45 minutes total. And if you still need more after that (and you might), check out the Ted Radio Hour episode that I happened upon while driving home from a brunch en route to watch some football. I caught the middle of "The Next Greatest Generation" , which featured Tavi's talk, which I'm 30-years-old-enough to say made me tear up somewhere between La Brea and Fairfax on Melrose. I'd blame the heat, but why lie? My hero Tavi Gevison certainly wouldn't. Enjoy this and the rest of yo...

People have been talking about these things "infographics" for awhile now, so I thought I'd get into the game with one on the 7 Types of Millennials from Mint.com . I like it because it's really colorful in a vintage, east-side Los Angeles way and therefore looks like something I'd hang on the wall of my eventual office.  I don't like it because when I embed it inside the blogger tool it comes out either that small, or WAY too big. So, below is my very first attempt at including an infographic. If you click on it, it takes you to the proper, full-sized site. Below THAT is the screenshot of how I think it's supposed to look... Apparently I'm the kind of millennial who is three years late to the game and still mostly clueless?  

Guess that movie reference!* I realize that's a bold statement, but it's true so stay with me. This past Saturday, somewhere between 2PM and 2AM I put together all the pieces of my former flirting self's life and determined exactly what that idiot was doing so wrong. Here's how. Over Labor Day Weekend, R and I took a trip to San Francisco to see Northwestern (his college football team) play Berkeley (another college's football team). We joined three of R's closest college friends on this mini break - all of whom are males. To be specific, there were other people in attendance of the female variety, but the majority of my social time was spent among these fine gentlemen. I feel I should point out that none of them were gay because A. it's relevant to the story and B. it's rare that I'm in a group of men that isn't at least 50% gay. Now, I am perfectly comfortable spending hours if not days on end as the only chick at a sausage fest (slant pun inte...

In lieu of my own words today, I'm posting the incredibly moving writings of my good friend Meghan. Her journey through the discovery, diagnosis and understanding of depression is something everyone should connect with, no matter their personal struggle. For me, this is not a piece about the fact that Meghan has a disease and is now making her triumphant march toward a more stable life. This is a piece about Meghan accepting her reality, getting the right help and being brave enough to share her story with others. I hope you'll learn as much from it as I did.    Dear world, Here it is: I suffer from depression. At the risk of sounding petulant, or whiny, or emo, or�worse than all those things�like a blogger , I have decided to publish a somewhat detailed account of my experience with this horrifying illness. And this isn't, as (arguably) many works writers produce are, a way for me to purge myself of lingering thoughts and feelings on the subject, at the sake of reader...