Does This Email Make Me Look Fat?

The other night I was out to dinner with some of my friends. As to be expected, we spent most of the night analyzing (what women do best) ... life, guys, marriage, dating, jobs, and unfortunately for all parties involved - the naked guy that didn't realize there was a rooftop restaurant across the street from his wide open window. But that's neither here nor there. Point is, girls nights are a must for many reasons ... especially to reap the benefits of the sincerest form of flattery, the BFF confidence boost. Most guys will never gush about your outfit and compliment your new bangs in the same way your friends will.

But, even though you've been told your skinny jeans have never looked better, the most confident, take-charge gal can't help but feel totally insecure when faced with the preliminary email chain that goes along with dating a new guy. I remember this very unfondly, actually. One of the many perks of marriage, aside from living with someone who agrees to watch The City with me, is that I no longer have the anguish that comes along with said email chain. Because these emails are when you prove how smart, witty, adorable, charming and funny you are ... one bad typo, and it's all downhill, sister.

Once you hit send, you end up spending the bulk of your day in a cold sweat hitting refresh on the "inbox" link in Outlook, waiting for a reply. You may even venture into Crazy Town (population 1), and call the IT guy at work to see if the server is down. And the longer time goes by with no reply, the more you doubt your jokes. They must have read as creepy, not cute. Does he think you love dogs too much??? Why on earth did you tell him your grandma makes tiny outfits for troll dolls?? And clearly you should never have used so many emoticons. That has to be why he's not writing back. The wink! ;) It was just too much!)

Point is, emailing a new dude makes you feel like you're out in public wearing a shirt that's 2 sizes too small. Totally exposed. And kinda pudgy. But, take it from someone that doubted many emails (and who does in fact have a wonderful grandma that makes tiny outfits for troll dolls) ... there's definitely someone out there who will get excited when your name shows up in their inbox ... emoticons and all.

Soccer Fan?

Be honest with yourself, before The World Cup, when was the last time you gave soccer a second thought? (Aside from associating it with David Beckham underwear ads.) Now, you've become the girl who posts status updates about it every 12 seconds. But when all the hoopla is over, will you go back to your soccer-less life as if it never happened, still not really knowing what FIFA stands for? Go ahead, Google it girlfriend...

Later football, it was fun.

Best Websites for Women

As if stalking celebrities on Perez wasn't enough to keep you distracted at work ... Forbes came out with a list of the Top 100 Websites for Women. (I was super excited to see that I contribute to a couple of them - Lemondrop and Nicole Williams.)

Here are a few of my other faves from the list, check them out for some fun Friday reading!

Corporette - great tag line sums it up well: "a fashion and lifestyle blog for overachieving chicks"
Dooce - witty, clever, awesome photography
Jezebel - great for your daily dose of snarkiness
Martha Stewart - everything is just so pretty on there ... I'm this close to planting an herb garden and spending my free time making paper crafts.
Smitten blog by Glamour - great mix of celeb scoop and real life advice

What's on your must-read list?

Hats Off!

Perusing Etsy.com is a great way to discover up and coming, cool designers. And very often, you'll stumble upon something, uh, really one-of-a-kind. Like "The Utterly Unique Little Deer Hat." I don't know about you, but the chances of me spending $450 so I can sport a headband topped with a creepy deer that's been shot twice in the ass with arrows are slim to none. But I commend any fashion risk taker that has the guts to wear this to dinner.

New Music Video from Cahn & Yang

Mostly I write about bad dates, beauty products, and weddings (in no particular order). But tonight I'm sharing a music video from someone who I like to consider my brother from another mother ... Greg Cahn, of the awesomely talented group Cahn & Yang. Check it out. Sing along. Impress your friends by playing it at your next BBQ. All I know is that this video makes me want to hop around in a desert in skinny jeans. Love it.

Start-up Success: Design Divas

Check out part 2 of the web reality show I'm producing for Marriott -- featuring 2 fabulous women entrepreneurs, creators of Coverplay. Their product is part of Marriott's Tots Travel Too program, which helps make travel simpler and less stressful for families with babies and toddlers. (Here's part 1 in case you missed it.)

If you're into fashion and design - you'll love this webisode. And you'll be super jealous of Amy and Allison because shopping is actually part of their job.

New Arrivals Part 2: Design Divas
How do you make a big idea stand out from the rest? From trend research to choosing fabrics, The Coverplay ladies share style secrets and take you behind the scenes in their design process.

Diet Deliciousness

After a weekend full of bad (yet so good) food choices (beer, burgers, Mr. Yogato with chocolate chips and Cap'n Crunch ... you know how that goes) my husband and I firmly decide to go on a steamed kale only diet. Clearly, this has never gone into full effect, but just talking about it makes us feel healthier. Luckily, we've mastered eating well during the week to counter some of the diet damage over the weekend.

Here are a few of my low-fat, low-cal faves -- so good, you don't even feel like you're trying to be healthy.



Sweet Leaf Diet Sweet Tea: 0 calories ... this tasty tea kicks Diet Peach Snapple to the curb. I'm just sayin'...








Light Laughing Cow: If I was stranded on a desert island, this might be one of the 3 things I choose to take with me. (Okay, maybe not, but it's up there..) One wedge is just 35 calories and 1.5 grams of fat. Swap cream cheese for this on a whole wheat English muffin for breakfast. They have a blog, btw. Who knew?

Cool Whip Graham Cracker Sandwiches: Best. Dessert. Ever. Really. Take 1/2 of a low-fat graham cracker and top with 1-2 tablespoons of fat free or sugar free cool whip. I like to sprinkle on a few chocolate chips (and by a few, I mean 40 which kind of defeats the purpose). Top with the other half of the graham cracker, wrap in foil and freeze. Voila, you have a homemade, low-fat chipwich.


What are some of your best kept diet secrets?

Summer Style: Work/Weekend Wear

If you're in the market for a summer dress, this little frock from Anthropologie is perfect for work, weekend or a even a low key night out. I actually just picked one up myself! At only $88 (hey, these days a dress under $100 - sometimes $300 - is hard to come by), you'll rock it all season long. Here are a few things to pair it with (apparently, everything I like is gold....):
 

for DAY: flip flops or gladiators, hoop earrings (try Gorjana style below)
for WORK: espadrilles or wedges (try the gold Michael Kors espadrille below, $139.95), thin beaded necklace, short sleeve cardigan
for NIGHT: belt it (try the Ralph Lauren belt below, $42)

Glee Sing Along Saturday

Thank me now ... or after you sing Don't Stop Believin' at the top of your lungs to your dog.
I heart Glee.

Start-up Success Story

Starting your own business sounds like a dream come true. No boss, no dress code, no 50 person shared fridge packed with "salads" from last February. But in reality, running a successful company is a stressful 24/7 job. Your brand is your baby. It needs constant attention to grow. And you can't just throw in the towel when times get tough.

I learned this firsthand thanks to a cool work opportunity that came my way. Within my first couple weeks at Ogilvy, I joined the Digital Influence team responsible for creating a first of its kind social media program to generate awareness for Marriott's new Tots Travel Too program.

So, what does this have to do with small businesses? A lot...

Off I flew to LA to film a web reality series about two women entrepreneurs, Amy Feldman and Allison Costa, best friends and inventors of COVERPLAY, an adorable slip cover for playards. Marriott heard about their product, and ordered a huge shipment as part of their Tots Travel Too program that helps make travel simple for families with babies and toddlers. So after years of hard work, and tons of ups and downs ... the opportunity of a lifetime arrived. Amy and Allison's "baby" hit the big time. And now we're sharing their story online, with the help of top women bloggers  -- in a series called "New Arrivals". We're also premiering the videos at 5 networking events in LA and NYC, with Ladies Who Launch.

This is the first of five webisodes that cover launching the company to awaiting their biggest shipment ever.  I loved filming this and getting to know such fun, smart, dynamic women. And I know you'll love watching their story. So keep checking the blog for the next episodes!


If you could start your own biz, what would you do?

Day Date Dilemma

One of my friends has a huge, pressing dilemma. A guy she's casually dating keeps asking her to hang out during the day. Don't get me wrong, a glorious afternoon sipping bloody marys or BBQing is great ... but wining and dining shouldn't go completely out the window. (Does he turn into a pumpkin after 6pm?) Even though they're both in grad school and the semester just wrapped, mid-morning weekday scooter rides and CVS toiletry runs should not take the place of the romantic after-dusk dinner/drinks combo. Once you accompany someone to buy deodorant, there's no going back.

Is he slowly moving into "the friend zone?"

Is he just looking for a Price is Right viewing partner?

Is he strapped for cash? (coffee and a muffin does make for a cheap date.)

She should just tell him she's really addicted to soap operas and can't leave the house between 11 and 4 (5 if she's into Oprah).

Thoughts?