Posts by Nat
Attention Employers: Please Look Past the Pedigree
Up until several months ago, I could count on two hands the number of interviews I’ve had in my life. Every few years, there’d be something: college visits, a new job but, thankfully, I usually passed the proverbial test the first round to avoid additional probing. That all changed when I recently left my job…
Read MoreWriting in the Digital Age: Beware of Bullies
I started blogging for HuffPost three months ago. My first post was about shoes. I knew they were slightly controversial at the wedding I went to but when it comes to writing, I’m always surprised if anyone besides my mom reads my stuff. A few days later, AOL picked it up and put it on their home…
Read MoreMaking Friends Part 2: Is It Easier Come Parenthood?
Last week I wrote a piece about the challenges of making friends post-twenty-something that sparked quite the dialogue. I received more comments and followers than with most blogs thus far. (I also received many a friend request.) And, unlike the others, almost all of the comments not only agreed with me, they were positive and kind. (I…
Read MoreMaking Friends Post 20-Something Is Harder Than Meeting a Mate
I moved out to Los Angeles a little over a year ago, knowing I would take a hit in the friend department. It was my choice to move. I dreamed about it for years. I wanted to experience West Coast living, trade my winter coat for a wetsuit, pick up my tennis game, spend the…
Read MoreDon’t Forget Who the Real Victims Are
I didn’t go to Penn State. But I know many who did. I’m from Pennsylvania and plenty of my friends and some of my family spent four years or more in State College. Growing up, I knew who “JoePa” was before I could read and, in my teens, sported frayed and faded Nittany Lions boxers…
Read MoreAttention Ladies: Prince Charming Doesn’t Exist– Neither Does Christian Grey
The other night, I stumbled upon a bad reality dating show. Not far in, an attractive girl sobbed, “I wanna be with someone that I know is my Prince Charming.” The following day, Carrie Underwood’s “Good Girl” came blasting through my car speakers. “Hey, good girl… You want a white wedding and a hand you…
Read MoreWhen is the Right Time to Have Children?
I’m sick of myself. I am. I talked a big game about waiting to have children in order to live my life. And I have. I’ve checked numerous items off the bucket list, climbed the proverbial corporate ladder, traveled extensively and indulged (a.k.a. partied) enough for a lifetime or two and I enjoyed every minute…
Read MoreLetter to My 18-Year-Old Self
I recently returned from a ten-day trip back east to spend quality time with some quality people. As is ritual now, my mom and I cleaned out yet another part of the house together. My parents, nearing retirement, are in “downsize mode,” causing my mother to purge, well, everything. I imagine on my next trip,…
Read MoreThe Best Laid (Wedding) Plans
Calligraphy, shoes, pillows, linens, note cards, makeup, processional timing, seating chart, songs… Those were just some of the elements of my wedding that went awry. The ones I remember, at least. The one I recall that went right? We had fun. And, after all, that’s really what matters. My recently engaged friend called to catch…
Read MoreFifty Shades of Frustration: My Grievances With E.L. James’ Provocative New Novel
I’m a little late to the Fifty Shades game. I was going to opt out altogether, but at dinner with my friend the other night, I revealed that my husband was going on a weeklong business trip. “I know what you should do,” she light up, “read Fifty Shades of Grey!” Intrigued by the hoopla…
Read MoreAre You a Rachael or a Martha?
“I’m a better baker than cook.” That was my go-to party line while dating when asked about my kitchen prowess. I imagined myself a Martha: all cakes and confections. Talk about delusions of grandeur! Upon leaving my job and out of work for the first time in years, I was faced with the age-old question:…
Read MoreThe Offer
“You can invite as many people as you want as long as they stop at McDonald’s on the way.” That was my dad’s response to me when I begged him 12 years ago to include my friends at my older sister’s wedding. (The man had a point. Weddings are expensive. He couldn’t feed everyone.) He…
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