for almost two years, i’ve lived the organic lifestyle. 75-80% of my groceries are organic and 100% of my cleaning products – Ecocover, Earth Friendly, Mrs. Meyers and Target’s Method line – contain biodegradable ingredients, have not been tested on animals, and are non-toxic, free of dangerous, dehabilitating chemicals (note: Martha Stewart Living’s Jan [...]

in short, what rocked the fuzzy socks off my feet in 2006…
books that made me choke on my oatmeal they were so good: Field Notes from a Catastrophe by Elizabeth Kolbert, A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, A Book of Common Prayer by Joan Didion, The [...]

after surviving my beat-down in yoga today (am i sore? you betcha) – atonement for the homemade apple crumb pie and four-cheese lasagna debacle that was dec. 25 – i suddenly found myself missing my father. and no doubt if i called my dad post-yoga, he would be home, watching Gladiator or Troy or some [...]

from Drop Dead Gorgeous by Daniela Edburg. For anyone who has eaten the whole box, or bag, or carton the photographs in this series make light of our secret binges. Here, the consequences of indulgence are tabloid or monster movie deaths. Daniela Edburg’s Drop Dead Gorgeous both mocks and satisfies our cravings.
click here [...]

one friend is sending me the amy sedaris book. another friend gifted me white bowls with lovely etching. another friend gave me austere blooms. my best friend slipped me an i.o.u for a blender. others wrapped shiny new books in tissue paper. but one friend, one from the old days, gave me cocaine.
yes. you heard [...]

my desk is festooned with gift baskets from zabars, bottles of wine and homemade christmas cookies and fuzzy stuffed animals. this morning, i noshed on my day-old birthday buttercup cake (thank you, fellow coworkers for giving me the most divine cake and office bday party around!) and let us not forget, please, the goddamn [...]

we sat around a table giddy because there was a winter fruit tart – fresh creme toppled with pomegrante seeds, lush raspberries and bitter blackberries. we cut into the crust with vigor. there were the cupcakes with cream cheese swirled frosting reminding me of carvel ice cream cones in tepid july. egg-nog cheesecake and [...]

From Good magazine:
Blue State shopping, you see, is more than just acquiring items. It Makes a Statement, it Reflects Personal Style, it Helps Save the Planet.
Had I taken my kids and their Spend jars to a Nature boutique, the store’s intercoms might have been playing a relaxing Sounds of the Sea CD. A toy shark [...]

it’s friday and i’m wearing a dress. and shoes. and hoisery. what does that mean? you guessed it…the holiday party. tonight, i’ll be attending my company’s holiday party, which, from what i’ve been told, is a display of insane decadence. be sure to spot me shoving a cake or some such pasta dish [...]

i’ve read a great deal of books this year and am privileged to gather some wonderful recommendations from friends, so i’d love to share some of my finds with you!
i learned of this gem from the lovely alex, whose always got a keen eye when it comes to finding the chicest lifestyle and home [...]

from my almost religious experience at target (because a girl could go occasionally mad for superstore shopping) yesterday (two words: wet jet) which included purchasing multiple scented candles, eco-friendly cleaning products and a kitchen aid knife set (i’m near tears) to receiving bottles of expensive wine (bring on the regifting) at work to learning that [...]

yoga saved my life – really. four years ago i was lying my way through therapy and battling a two-year cocaine addiction. at first, i swore it would be only a twice a month thing, a weekend thing, and at one point, while i had a nosebleed during a project meeting, i vowed it [...]

mr. diperna knows how to throw a party. new yorkers are jaded and to pack a house for a book party, you need all the magic you can muster. last night’s soiree celebrating molly crabapple and john leavitt’s new book, was nothing short of a smash success. from sexy burlesque dancers (was every [...]

great roundtable discussion at jewcy with writers who are jumping head-first into novels after having written stories…
aaron hamburger on short stories vs. novel writing:
For me, the experience of writing a short story collection was like writing ten novels, only I had to fit each one within the space of about 20 pages. Even when I [...]