In 2010, I will...

...Continue to live a healthy lifestyle. I will eat more healthy foods and sip less cocktails. I will go to the gym and try to get a solid 6-7 hours of sleep each night.

...Put my Nook to good use.

...Finish a big project that I've been working on for quite some time.

...Spend my money carefully. Indulge in moderation.

...Work on my insecurities. I hate that I shut down in large groups of people (parties where I don't know many people, my dad's side of the family) and only speak when spoken to. I don't know if I can change, but I will try to improve!

...Make new friends and keep the old. I will rely less on people who cannot offer me what I need. I will focus on the wonderful women in my life.

...Commit time to Kappa, NYJL, and JGIWC and be grateful for the many amazing creative outlets I have.

...Not look for a nice guy, but will be open to one finding me.

...Write thank you notes, laugh too much, surprise my parents with something great, take my sister shopping for a prom dress, and remind myself daily that though I get frusrated and there will be dark days, I am one hell of a lucky girl.

Happy Horoscope

Greetings from the Sunshine State! I'm on my way to Bal Harbour, where I spent much of my childhood, for lunching and shopping. I want to share my horoscope with you.


Congratulations on making it through some tough times this year, Aquarius. While you may not have attained all you hoped for in 2009, the coming New Year holds a lot of promise for you and yours. Don't despair about failed dreams or dashed plans, because all that happened to you and around you had a purpose. You will soon see how great, by contrast, your life can be. A special someone may be expecting to be dazzled by you at midnight on December 31st. If you really want to share time in the future with this person, make your plans for the night a priority.


Pray for me that this holds truth!

Holiday Card Round-Up, Part II

There have been new additions to the holiday card wall since last week!

And, here's one from me to all of you...



HAPPY HOLIDAYS, READERS!

Shoe Spotlight

You know, from time to time I question my street cred. I am, after all, the Jewish Girl in Wasp's Clothing. Shouldn't we (I) be talking about fashion pertaining to my namesake just a bit more?

There are things in this world that fall right on the line that I tiptoe across every day - things that are equally Jewish and Waspy. The Hamptons are a perfect example. Sure, you have the Jews in East Hampton while the Wasps are in Southampton, but everyone plays quite nicely in the metaphorical sandbox (Newton Lane).

Anyway, back to my point. (I go off on tangents a lot. Sometimes I feel like a walking episode of Family Guy.) Some people consider the consummate preppy shoe to be the Sperry. Others, the Belgian slip-on. For me, it has always been and will always be the Gucci loafer.




I actually own this exact pair. Bought them with mad money on my 21st birthday at the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. But, these weren't my first. My Godmother gave me a hunter green pony haired pair when I was in the 7th grade. It kills me that I have absolutely NO idea as to what happened to these. I think they got lost in the shuffle from Miami to Dallas. I also have a black pair with a gold horse bit, a blue suede pair (I think these may be my favorite), and black pony hair stilettos with the silver horse bit. (Technically, these aren't loafers but they have the look of them with a sassy heel. Great combo. Someday, I'll wear these alongside my handsome husband in his black and silver horse bit pair. KISMET.)

Men who wear these are classic and women who wear these are daring - because they are a masculine shoe and it takes confidence to pull these babies off. I find few things sexier than a man in Gucci loafers. This to me says three things: his mother raised him right, he appreciates the finer things in life, and he's not afraid to shell out the big bucks for luxury. Gucci loafers dress up denim and look sleek with a suit. Any Mensch in Madras worth his grits owns at least one pair.

I don't get as much use out of mine as I'd like because I refuse to wear them with socks, which cuts out a big chunk of the year here in NYC. Come Spring, I look forward to once again sporting them with jeans and cable knits. Perhaps by then I will have lassoed a lad with the same affinity for the classic Gucci horse bit as I.

Miami, Miami, You've got style...

We've discussed before that I am THE WORLD'S WORST PACKER. Luckily, a dear friend recently gifted me the above Godsend. I will certainly be using this handy notepad while packing my pink and green suitcase for Miami!

Here are some things I will definitely be putting on that list...


The Lilly Pulitzer Lee Cardigan in White. The little gold buttons that spell "Lilly" are really what sold me on this.




The J. Crew Bijou top. I've been eyeing this for quite some time, and yesterday my mom bought it for me to bring to MIA!




The Prada Scrunch Ballet flat. The perfect travel shoe. These are very easy to pack and great to run around in.




My KEP Large Enamel Flower Earrings. I can't wait to debut these on my trip!


I also can't forget my sunscreen, sunglasses, and my favorite Prada wedges. And thanks to my "Pack This!" pack list, I probably won't! VIVA LA 305!

(Bonus points if you can "name that tune" and tell me where my title is from.)

Photo of the Week - Happy Hanukkah!

Here I am with Cousin C as he opens his Hanukkah gifts from my parents, sister and I. I can't believe Hanukkah is over and Christmas (MIAMI!) is only 5 days away...

Friday Five

I'm sorry for being such a total Negative Nancy on Monday. Sometimes the best way for me to snap out of it is to go the complete opposite direction. Maybe my MOMD/MIM (check the Glossary, people) really IS out there. So this week, my Friday Five is... (drum roll please)...

The Five Things A Guy Should Know Before [He Attemps to] Sweeping Me Off My Feet


1. If my family doesn't adore you, you're not going to make the cut.


2. I know girls who get into a relationship and take on their boyfriend's social life as their own. This works for them. It will not work for me. Between my friends, my sorority, soon-to-be Junior League, and whatever else I fill up my plate with from the social buffet of life, I have a good thing going on and I refuse to give it up for anyone. I require a certain amount of "me time". I will love you, adore you, and spoil you beyond belief, but we will not be attached at the hip. You need your BNOs as much as I need my GNOs, and I will encourage that. We will not BlackBerry Message/talk on the phone/text/G-chat excessively and you will not what I'm doing at every moment of every day. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt, and it just doesn't work well for me. I need a little mystery. It's sexy.


3. I am as dependent as I am independent. I am emotional and passionate. I had a boyfriend who couldn't watch me cry and got up and left at the first sign of a sniffle. Don't do that. I need and want to be adored and sometimes, a bit babied. You will get the same from me in return. Take good care of me and I will take very good care of you.


3.5 And on that note, don't say anything that you don't REALLY mean. If I had a dollar for every time a boy told me, "You're the one and I'm going to marry you someday" and then ran off with the next hussy he saw, I'd have, like, five dollars.


4. You need to know my position on sports. I love the NBA and am often frustrated living in a city where it is very underappreciated due to a lagging team (coughKNICKScough). I am a die hard Miami Heat fan. DIE. HARD. Cried tears of joy when we won the championship against my second favorite team, the Dallas Mavericks, in 2006. I do not understand football and don't pretend to, but I will always cheer on the Miami Dolphins, the Dallas Cowboys, and the New York Giants. I went to a university that did not excel in athletics and therefore I much prefer professional sports to college sports. Actually, I don't give a hoot about college sports with the exception of Texas football, Miami football, and March Madness as a whole (though I've never filled out a bracket because I don't like doing things that I'm clueless about). I love tennis and try to go to the US Open every year. Golf bores me and I never liked Tiger Woods. I am NOT a Yankees fan. I am NOT BY ANY MEANS athletic. I like to play softball and tennis. I'm terrible at both but I look cute in the outfits.


5. My favorite thing is to be surprised, and I'm a tough person to shock. Pull it off and you will be rewarded. I may seem high maintenance, but the truth is that it doesn't take much to make me happy and the littlest things often mean the most.

Holiday Card Round-Up, Part I

Here are all of the holiday cards I've received thus far! Do you see yours up there?

Teddi's Favorite Lines, Lyrics, and Quotes: Volume I

I can't believe I've never done this before! As a writer, I've always believed that the best thing I can do is to say as much as possible in as little as possible. You've probably noticed that while I can be rather wordy, most of the time I try hard to be concise. So many great artists, authors, musicians and other prominent people have done this, and we speak these immortalized words again and again. I have MANY of these to share with you, but for now I'll start with the following.


"I'd never join a club that would allow a person like me to become a member." Woody Allen (one of my favorites) quoting Groucho Marx (another one of my favorites). By the way, I got accepted into Junior League!


"You never really know a woman until she writes you a letter." Ada Leverson said this, and I couldn't agree more. The next time I fall in love, I'm going to write lots of letters. Are you listening? They won't be Rachel Greene style, 18 pages front and back. But they will be good, and they'll even be juicier than JGIWC.


"It's times like these you learn to live again, It's times like these you give and give again, It's times like these you learn to love again, It's times like these, time and time again." I love this song. Foo Fighters. I watch music videos while I'm working out, and this came on last night at the gym. I shut my eyes, sumo-gripped the handles, and pounded the crap out of the elliptical. I guess I was thinking about my own "times like these", because when I opened my eyes I realized that I had been crying. How dramatic!


"Life is what happens while you're making other plans." Aw, John Lennon. You are so right. If you told me 3 years ago that I'd be single now and that the guy I thought I'd marry would be engaged to a girl he once deemed as "unattractive at best", I'd have laughed in your face. Oh, irony! You get me every time. I always say this (even though it sounds uber-religious - and I don't mean my religion): Maybe God has a bigger plan for me than I had for myself.


"The pen is mightier than the sword." Edward Bulwer-Lytton. I don't intend to use mine for bad, but remember: Anything I gain from you is subject to being material. That's what you get for associating with/dating/pissing off a writer, SUCKAS!


I'm sick in bed so that's all for today. More to come!

25 on the 25th

This year is my golden birthday. I am turning 25 on January 25.

Any birthday is a big birthday in my house, but a milestone birthday that also happens to be my golden birthday? Blowout.

I told my parents that I don't want gifts and requested that they not give me anything. They rolled their eyes.

The truth is, all I want is to be happy. And most days, I think I'm there, but then I have days like yesterday and I am reminded that there is always work to do and improvements to be made. Some of you long-timers may remember what a mess I was this time last year. I never explicitly said it, because for so long I hoped people who read this blog would hold me in some high esteem, but we all know that I'm far from perfect. My state of unhappiness was clear from my writing. I wear my heart on my sleeve. I slept through most meals and dropped 11 pounds in a month. I wasn't myself. This year, I'm content just to be out of that dark place.

Twenty five. I always thought I'd be further along by now. Married. Have a book published. The optimist in me is yelling to celebrate what I do have, which is a lot. Last year, I swore that I wouldn't let myself be single at 25, but that was a naive thought. Promises that can't be kept should never be made.

As for the celebration, I'm really not sure. The plan has been to ignore it and stay home. Maybe my friends will drag me out and we'll toast to the future.

I bought Kate Spade party invitations just in case I change my mind.

JGIWC: CLOSED TODAY

Today is one of those days in which I'm actually starting to believe that I just may be single for the rest of my life. I'm going to spare you the pity post and catch you tomorrow instead.

Photo of the Week - Happy Holidays!

Celebrating the season at a holiday party with MMM, JDS, and BEH.

Friday Five

After last Friday's Wonder Years post, I was inspired to start a weekly Friday Five feature, in which Friday's post centers around, you guessed it, the number five.

This week I'm going to tell you about my five favorite magazines.

Now, this is no easy feat. I used to be THE Magazine Queen. Total mag hussy. I bought them all, read them all. Lately I've cut back a ton, for several reasons being a) I've been devoting a large chunk of my "reading time" to actual books and b) magazines get expensive and they take up a lot of room.

I have to make a disclaimer before I announce the winners. VOGUE did not make the cut. You're shocked, I know. Especially because I interned there (WHILE reading The Devil Wears Prada - total out of body experience). Don't get me wrong - I have a HUGE amount of respect for this publication, and crazy stories to share from my time there (Like being sent down to the lobby to retrieve a bag from a man in a hat. No words were allowed to be spoken. I got back in the elevator and peeked in. There were $200,000 worth of diamonds in that flimsy plastic sack. You've probably heard that one before, but it bears repeating because it's a damn good story!). VOGUE is fabulous and interning there was an honor. It's just not Top Five material.

Without further ado...

FAVORITE WOMENS MAGAZINE (Overall)

Real Simple
TA-DA! Are you surprised, really? I can't say enough good things about Real Simple. It's lighthearted and effortless, with great editorial and relevant features. I literally jump for joy when I open my mailbox and see the latest issue. This magazine brings decorum to my little world. Real Simple is pleasant, fun, and makes my life, well, real simple!



FAVORITE WOMENS MAGAZINE (With a focus on fashion)

Marie Claire
Tough choice. It's often a toss-up between this and Glamour, which I really do love. But I gotta say, MC takes the cake every time. It's clever, edgy, and witty with both fashion and features about serious issues. I feel like I can look at beautiful clothing AND gain knowledge on issues while I'm flipping the pages, and I like doing double duty. I think Marie Claire is totally underrated in the magazine world and I hope it stays above water while so many great books are getting the ax. The last page (The Good, The Bad, The Ugly) never fails to make me laugh out loud.



FAVORITE FASHION MAGAZINE

In Style
I love IS for pretty much the opposite reason that I love MC. This is pure indulgence. The content is always fresh and always light, not dramatic like some other high fashion books (coughVOGUEcough). I love that the fashion spreads are silly rather than severe. I love that Rachel Bilson (who has fabulous taste) has her own column. In Style can really do no wrong in my mind. They hit the nail on the head every time.



FAVORITE LIFE STYLE MAGAZINE

Town & Country
This wouldn't be a list written by yours truly if there weren't one truly Waspy contender. Town & Country is classic and modern all at once. It is timeless. I love reading the monthly etiquette feature, and the people behind this publication have also executed some really great books pulled from magazine material.



FAVORITE WEEKLY

People
I could lie and tell you it's The New Yorker and make you believe that I am as intellectual as I wish I were. I do adore New Yorker, but on Friday evenings when I want to kick back with a good mag before gussying up and heading out for the night, this is always top pick. It's easily digestible, and, let's face it, pretty mindless. Sometimes, that's just what I need. I've been reading it since high school and have to be loyal.


So, there you have it! What are your five favorite magazines?

Wishes for a wonderful weekend, my dear readers.

TAG does a tag

My favorite mermaid has awarded me with the Happy 101 award and I'm thrilled. (Thank you, kind sea creature!) It's not often that I am tagged, and I've been thinking all night and all morning about the ten things that make me happy. Here goes!

First and foremost, this show is brought to you by the letter T, and of course, my parents. My father hangs the moon in my little world and my mother is my number one cheerleader and confidant. Thank you for giving me life and thank you for making it good My family makes me happy every single day. Life has only gotten better since we decided to add one more to the mix. Perri, you are the most precious thing in my world and I would truly do anything for you.

A close second is the wonderful women in my life who aren't related by blood, but certainly by spirit. The amount of happiness they add to my life is immeasurable. I am so fortunate to have both my best friend from childhood (CRJ) and my best friend from college (AEG) in NYC with me. My three sorority "big sisters" (SNG, RAT, AMH) will never know how important they are to me. My Sex in the City Foursome (MMM, BEH, JDS) are truly 'the loves of my life'. The many wonderful Kappas I have met in NYC (MAM, EAB, SAB, LBF, & many more) ALWAYS make me smile. I miss my Lilly girls (ACP, ALB) every day. My Official Family Kappas (AKM, NC, LMG, EDP, so many more) are who make me count down the days between each KKG trip. So many blogging friends have become "real" friends (SNR, ACZ, PGE, JTW, HFG, & many more) and I am so glad. I'm always excited to get back in touch with some of my Miami girls (JNS, EJL, SR). It's a long list and I count my blessings every day. I am really so lucky.

Though mentioned several times in the above paragraph, this deserves it's own section. My sorority has made me who I am today and I AM SO HAPPY THAT I AMMA KAPPA KAPPA GAMMA.

Productivity makes me happy. Completing tasks, even if they fall into the categories of 'mundane' or 'every day', always brings me satisfaction.

They just don't make songs like they used to, and although there are several artists today which I hold in high regard and have a ton of respect for, the music of yesteryear (The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Bob Seger, Billy Joel, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Hall and Oates, Simon and Garfunkel, the list goes on...) never fails to make me smile.

Coco Chanel once said, "Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury." My parents have taught my sister and I that life is short and you may as well splurge! I am thankful for a closet full of designer clothes, shoes, and handbags. Living a life of luxury makes me happy. I may not have love, but I have labels baby!

My positive attitude, optimistic outlook, and unwavering faith all make me very, very happy.

I love reading and watching great blogs, books, magazines, television, movies and all other media. Experiencing creativity makes for a happy Teddi.

Writing "Jewish Girl in Wasps Clothing" and being a part of something bigger than myself has brought me more happiness than I ever thought possible.

And last but certainly not least, the promise of a future. The possibility of finding The One (Not sure if we've yet met but I know you're out there!) and all of the wonderful things that will follow. Things may be tough now, but God is good and I know it'll all get better. I may get bitter and frustrated and sad, but... Waiting for a star to fall makes me happy.

Hotel Teddi

As I currently have a house guest and have had many in the past, I thought I would pen a list of dos, don'ts, and etiquette rules for staying with someone. I've been lucky to have mostly great guests. Lots of us are young and either don't have the money to stay at a hotel or don't want to spend it, so be sure to consult this post before sleeping in someones guest room (or in my case, on an air mattress on my floor). Remember, YOU want a happy host.

Give as much advance notice as you can when requesting accommodations. This goes without saying.

Be aware of the fact that I live in a 450 square foot studio and I am used to having my own space. I get cranky. Last night I came home, greeted my guest, and didn't speak for about 20 minutes. I changed and went to the gym to work out my frustrations. Upon arriving home she said, "I'm glad you went to the gym. It seemed like you needed it." She was right, and I appreciate the understanding and honesty.

If you're staying with me, you must understand that I am crazy. I am prone to panic attacks and dizzy spells. These don't happen often, but sometimes I'm under a lot of stress. (Once I had two girlfriends staying with me and I freaked out at 2 in the morning. I went to the corner and chain smoked for 20 minutes, and I'm not even a smoker. I just have a flair for drama. The girls were very understanding.)

Also know that I'm very generous. If I let you stay with me, it's likely that I'm more than happy to lend you my Prada bag for the evening (or almost anything else in my closet!)

On the same token, you need to know that I have a lot of crap. Most of this crap is clothing, and it does not all fit in the closet or dressers. It is not unlikely for me to have around 30 pieces to dry clean at once, and it is not unlikely that they will be scattered around my apartment. I only make it to the dry cleaner several times a year. (I use Dryel for the majority of my clothing, but I also run out of this often and don't always feel like walking the 5 blocks to Walgreens to buy it.) Smile and roll with it.

Ask before using. I'm (probably) glad to have you, but there are still things I am particular about. My vanity table is probably the one thing in my apartment I ask that you don't utilize. It's messy but it's mine, and I'd rather not share.

If you go on my computer (which is probably fine, though it's always nice to be asked) PLEASE log out of your Gmail/Facebook/etc. accounts before departing. This is not that big of a deal, just a bit annoying. This is more for me than it is for you. I am oblivious and it will take me several minutes to notice that I'm on your Facebook account and not on mine, and then I feel guilty and as though I've snooped. This ALWAYS happens when my sister comes to stay with me since we have many of the same friends.

This one is important. IF YOU KNOW YOU SNORE, BRING SOME DAMN BREATHE RIGHT STRIPS. We are sharing a very small space, and I don't have a door in between the two of us to drown out the freight train sound that is coming out of your face. Be considerate. (This happened to my best friend once in a hotel room, and she had to sleep in the bathtub to get away from the sound. When it happened to me, I punched my houseguest hard in their sleep until they stopped.)

If your host or hostess becomes ill, do your best to either find another place to stay or stay completely out of their way. Yes this has happened to me and NO I don't want to talk about it.

Last but most certainly NOT least, give a nice hostess gift. A good friend of mine just hosted a friend for almost a week (which is practically twice as long in this big city with small apartments) and was gifted $50 to Starbucks. Lovely! And much cheaper than a hotel. Your host will be thankful and will certainly have you again.

A Jew Among Wasps

Guess what I'm doing tonight?

NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION FOR THE NEW YORK JUNIOR LEAGUE!

Hanukkah came early this year!

Due to my family's crazy schedules over the next few weeks, my parents made the executive decision that Hanukkah would come early this year. So tonight we did it all - ate latkes and donuts, lit the menorah, and of course, opened gifts.

I got all I asked for and even more! In no particular order...




This Snoopy and Woodstock bit is from Hallmark. I asked for it months ago. When you "Press Here", Snoopy plays the Piano and either "Linus and Lucy" or a Christmas song plays. I needed new slippers, and these from J. Crew are exactly the ones I had in mind.




Though I'm the lone Greek in our family, my parents and sister are always really good about getting me, well, Kappa Crappa. I can't wait to hang the ornament, frame one of those beautiful notecards, use the stunning change purse as a clutch and wear that fleur-de-lis necklace!




Gift cards to two of my favorite "B's" - Barnes & Noble and Bloomingdales!




So, this Wonder Years DVD set was clearly made in someone's basement and isn't exactly the legit one that was sold in stores, but as long as it works, I don't give a hoot.




My family was in the watch business for many years, and I have a great appreciation for a fine timepiece. I've been asking for this one for years, and I'm now the proud owner of this classic Burberry watch.




This is actually the only gift I actively asked for this year (well, besides Snoopy). A Barnes & Noble Nook eReader with a Kate Spade Cover. It should arrive within the next week or so and I. AM. SO. EXCITED.




New Lacoste polos. I'd been wanting a garment-dyed one with the larger croc!




Beautiful necklace from my sister.



Hanukkah is over before it even began. So very funny, and SO my family.

Now that I've shown you all I what I got, I can't wait to see what YOU got.

I'm just a Winnie, looking for my Kevin.

Was ever there a television show more more poignant than The Wonder Years? When my family moved from Miami to Dallas, this is what got me through it. Nick at Nite played re-runs on weekdays. I showed the episode where Winnie moves away at my goodbye party and all of my little seventh grade girlfriends and I were crying.

Years later, I would cry when I read in People magazine that Fred Savage had gotten married. Yes, I really did believe he and I would end up together.

Every year my sister and I get a "pre-Hanukkah" gift (AKA we get a present before the holiday officially begins). I just got an email from my dad and this year my pre-Hanukkah gift is something I've been wanting for months... The complete series of The Wonder Years on DVD!

So, in honor of the inevitable marathon and cryfest that is sure to take place in my apartment this weekend, I would like to share with you now my top five favorite episodes of TWY.


Episode 19, Birthday Boy

This is the episode where Paul's Bar Mitzvah falls on Kevin's birthday. I like this episode for much more than the obvious reason (the Jewish factor). Kevin sits at the Pfeiffer family dinner table and listens to Grandpa Pfeiffer tell stories about his childhood. Kevin is jealous of all of the attention Paul is getting for this Judaic milestone, and upon asking his parents about their own family history, discovers he's a mutt. He tells Paul that he won't be attending his Bar Mitzvah and stays home pouting while his family gives him a halfassed birthday celebration. He has his mother drive him to the synagogue at the last minute and walks in just as Paul looks up from reading the Torah. They make up at the reception and one of my all-time favorite songs, "Bookends" by Simon and Garfunkle, plays as stills from the party flash across the screen, the last one being Paul and Kevin looking at one another and clapping. I cry every time.


Episode 46, Moving

Like I said, I showed this at my moving party when I was 13. It's also the last episode of TWY that I ever watched in that house, which feels very appropriate. Kevin's father is complaing about the dry rot and talks about selling the house. In an ironic twist, The Cooper family decides to move out of their house across the street as it is filled with memories of their dead son, Brian Cooper, who was killed at Vietnam. Winnie will have to switch schools and will no longer be "The Girl Next Door". Winnie moves the same day that Karen graduates high school, and Kevin stops by to see her off before going to the graduation ceremony. Winnie is hiding in the moving truck and when Kevin says goodbye, she opens her fist to reveal the necklace Kevin gave her. They hug goodbye and Kevin celebrates Karen's success and feels lucky that his own family isn't going through the pain that Winnie's is. At the end of the episode, he climbs onto his bicycle and goes to visit Winnie. I cry every time.


Episode 66, The Accident

Rebelling from her parents marital problems, Winnie starts hanging out with a cool older crowd and sends mixed messages to Kevin. She acts happy to see him but when he tries to talk to her about their own relationship, she runs off to her new friends, who have their licenses by the way. Paul tells Kevin at school that Winnie has been in a car accident and Kevin runs out of school and races over to Winnie's. No one is home so he sits on her front lawn for hours. When the Coopers finally arrive home, Mrs. Cooper tells Kevin that Winnie doesn't want to see him and he should go home. Winnie is sitting in the car all bandaged up and looking very sad. He leaves... but doesn't go all the way home. He climbs up the tree and sits outside of Winnie's window, watching as her mother tucks her into bed and turns off the light. ANOTHER one of my all-time favorite songs, "We've Got Tonight" by Bob Seger, plays. She then sees Kevin through the window and he whispers "I love you". She sees the movement of his lips and whispers back, "I love you". Oh my God. I cry every time.


TIE BETWEEN Episode 85, Double Double Date AND Episode 93, Broken Hearts and Burgers

Oh God, don't make me choose. Both of these episodes center around the rises and falls of Kevin and Winnie's tumultuous relationship. In DDD, Kevin and Winnie are each taking a different date to the school dance but somehow end up doubling. At the dance, their dates are more interested in each other than them, so they find one another on the dance floor and leave together. They drive to a deserted spot that everyone knows is where you go to fool around, but they end up just kissing one another (on the eye, Kevin missed her mouth). In BHaB, Kevin gets in trouble for flirting with the cute waitress at the burger joint. As he tries to plea for Winnie's forgiveness, flashbacks of their young love play. As she's leaving, he grabs her arm and makes an off the cuff speech, telling her that she's the only girl he's ever really loved and cared about. She interrupts him, saying, "Oh just shut up" and they make out in the parking lot.


Episode 115, Independence Day

Series finale. No need for a play-by-play. Everyone has seen this one. I became really addicted to TWY in 1997, and right around Christmas that year Nick at Nite played the series finale, making a big deal of it with many commercials and taglines like, "Will Winnie and Kevin and up together?" Since I had never seen the finale, I made plans to have a front row seat in our family room that evening. I watched the episode and excused myself upon the rolling credits. I went up to my room, got in bed, and cried into my pillow for hours. It was the first time I ever really understood love.

Honestly, as I'm typing this now I'm tearing up. This show has had such a profound effect on my life. It's reminded me time and time again why I want to be a writer and it's helped to develop my signature style of raw, heartstring-tugging prose. They just don't make them like this anymore.

What's your favorite episode?

MYami

Have I ever mentioned that I had the best childhood ever? I was born on January 25, 1985 in Baptist Hospital in Miami, Florida. As Christmastime is upon us and the tree is up in NYC, I can't help thinking back to those Miami days. As a little girl, I always thought I was missing out on something. I never saw the seasons change and it was never white come December 25. I had ONE pair of boots that were on my feet if the temperature dropped below 70.

(By the way, the picture above is SO Miami. I'm tan. I wanted to play dress up but it was so hot that I just threw some gauzy thing over a pair of underwear. Classy! We lived in the most beautiful and charming house in Coral Gables, just moments away from where my parents met at the University of Miami. I dream of buying it back some day.)

Now having experienced more than one NYC Xmas, I am so thankful for growing up where I did. Sure there was no snow and we were sweatin' in November, but it was a unique way to see the world and I'm so grateful for all of those nights, driving around in my parents' Volvo with the AC blasting, looking at all of the Christmas lights in South Miami. I now prefer a Miami Christmas, and my holiday cards this year actually reflect that! (I'll post towards the end of the month.)

This Christmas, I am going back to Miami for the first time in THREE YEARS. Oh I have missed it so. Sometimes I just sit and weep for my adolescence. The world was such a different place, and not to mention, so was Miami. People spoke English. And it was cool. Not just a bizarre breeding ground in which B-list celebrities film reality shows.

As much as I love the Saks holiday lights and the Rock Center tree, I honestly cannot think of a better place to spend the last few days of 2009 than the city that birthed me.

I may not live there now, and I may never live there again, but just like there is a Texas-shaped hole in my heart, I will ALWAYS carry around a piece of Miami with me. I will always roll my eyes when people from more Northern counties root for the Heat and act like it's theirs.

It's my Miami and it always will be.

JILF!

Details recently published an awesome article entitled "The Rise of the Hot Jewish Girl: Why American men are lusting after women of the tribe".

Love it, love it, love it.

And note to my future boyfriend(s?)/husband: Please read 7 Do's and Don'ts of Dating a JILF.