06Jan

Orange is the New Back Takes on Twitter

orange is the new black season 2

If you’re impatiently waiting for season 2 of Orange is the New Black, you're not alone.  A quick jump on Twitter and a glance at hash tag #Ask Orange will make you feel a lot better. The show is using a smart PR firm who has every single member of the show’s cast tweeting and they gather them regularly to talk candidly with their fans.  They don’t talk specifically about what’s going to happen next season or about what’s taking place during the filming of the show (which is happening right now at Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, New York ), but they Read More

02Jan

Girls HBO: Questionable Goods

girlshbo

About two weeks ago, I came home to find a large box on my doorstep. It was right around the holidays but was still a bit of a mystery of whom it was from. When I opened it, this is what I found. Okay, pretty amazing.  I was actually expecting something to arrive from the TV show, GiRLS, on HBO, after an unexpected tweet from their handle a few weeks prior via direct message, but I wasn't sure what would come. First came the letter, which called me the voice of "A" generation.  I liked the wording. I'm not at all the age bracket of the girls on the Read More

30Dec

My Favorite Posts of 2013 and Hello, 2014

2013 recap

  It's my annual tradition to look back at the year in review.  When I started to think about 2013, I thought I had nothing to write about.  It hasn't been my best year, but somehow along the way, I managed to get more accomplished than I realized. Rather than bore you to tears with a long post, I'm going to give it to you in small chunks. My most popular posts: A visit to the set of Orange is the New Black seems to have hit a nerve with my readers and also happens to be have been my favorite blogging experience of the year.  I interviewed Read More

29Dec

Thinking About the Dark Side of Social Media

twitter logo

Last week when the Justine Sacco saga hit Twitter, I, like everyone else, was mortified by her tweet.  For 12 hours, I sat riveted by the hash tag created specifically for the episode: #HasJustineLandedYet. We all knew she was still in the air on a plane, venturing from England to South Africa, and we were also completely aware that she had not learned of the status of her tweet and its impact on the twitter community whilst traveling. In case you’re new to this story (which I doubt you are, since you’re reading my blog and are clearly social media Read More

29Nov

Giving Tuesday with Mommy Nearest

mommy nearest

I've written about a lot about advocacy and how helping others is an important part of my family life. I once read that it’s important to start teaching how to give back at a very young age, as young as age 3, and that it’s best to treat the act of helping as a family activity. I actually started to encourage the act of volunteering when they were both less than a year old. Every week we would go to an old age home and play on a rug in the middle of a roomful of the elderly.  It filled my heart with pride knowing how much our presence was appreciated Read More

25Nov

Passports with Purpose: Supporting Education

Passports with Purpose

Two years ago I participated in a travel blogger's fundraiser called Passports with Purpose.  The goal was to raise money for Room to Read, an organization I have close attachment to as I work for them in my local chapter. The program funded the establishment of two libraries in under-served communities in Zambia.  The program put books in the hands of kids that don’t have them and it was very, very rewarding. Last year I wasn't involved, but they raised money to build wells in Haiti with Water.org. Not only did they exceed their fundraising goal of Read More

23Nov

Defending GoldieBlox and LEGO Loving Girls

goldieblox

My daughter and I just watched the new ad for GoldieBlox toys (click above to watch) together and I asked her to tell me what she thought it was trying to say at the end. Her response, direct from her mouth: "Girls want more than pink toys.  Girls can do anything they want when they grow up. Oh, and we have a brain!" Amen! What better message is there out in the world for my 10 year old daughter than this? As a staunch feminist, I try my best to encourage her to do and be anything in the world that she wants, but right out of my womb she wore pink Read More

21Oct

Are You Lost in Suburbia?

lostibsuburbia

Join us for a twitter party to celebrate the launch of Lost in Suburbia Stories, a new site that celebrates the challenges of being a mom. Are you lost in suburbia? It's much more than needing directions when you get off the Turnpike.  It happens to a lot of women after having kids, and it's easy to think you're alone. But you're not.  Talk to any mom after she's given birth and you'll find we all have a similar story. One that involves a changing identity, a new waistline and new challenges. Tracy Beckerman, the author of Lost in Suburbia: A Read More

16Oct

A Two-Faced Martha Stewart

marthastewart

I just went through my inbox and counted nearly half a dozen pitches that I've received from Martha Stewart's people over the past few years. Over and over, I have explained to her publicists that I'm a culture and travel writer and that my niche does not include anything remotely domesticated or crafty. But their pitches keep coming, with constant requests to attend events and this question is asked of me regularly: "Can I send you hi-res images and you can post about the line?" Since these people are associated with the Martha Stewart brand, I've been Read More

14Oct

A Twitter Party to celebrate SOME NERVE

somenerve

  One woman's quest to conquer her fears and embrace life - and to inspire others to do the same. Fears.  We all have them.  Some we carry through our whole lives. Others we face head on, but the road to get there is never easy.  At age 39, author Patty Chang Anker decided it was time to face the fears that had taken root like weeds in her life.  She learned to dive into a pool and surf in the ocean and faced fear of losing control, bodily harm and being seen in a swim suit.  It became her mission to help others do what they couldn't before, Read More