The Cougel's back (with a whole new flavor)

What better time is there to restart my blog – and share the changes in my life – than the Jewish New Year? Aka the high holy days, the days of awe? A lot’s happened in the years since I blogged regularly as a single, Jewish Cougar. Serendipitous timing and a confluence of events that […]

The Cougel Returns. Married. (Married? Married!)

You might wonder what I’m doing back here, blogging again. Last we left off in the summer of 2012, I was riding on the back of a motorcycle with my soon to be husband, in Kansas, where I was meeting my future Christian-laws.   Since then, some momentous stuff has transpired which has technically unqualified me […]

The Cougel got...what?

Holy year and how long? Yes, it’s been a year and a half since I last blogged. And a year and a half since things got serious with Mr. Big II (aka my very tall ex-boyfriend, for those of you who need a refresher). My last entry was about our visiting his parents in Kansas, […]

From Cannes to...Kansas?

If you had asked me in January whether I expected, come June, to find myself on a scooter in Cannes one week, followed by a ride on a Honda Valkrie in Kansas the next, I’d say that expectations of such random proportions were reserved for fiction. Or blogs. A year ago I attended Cannes Lions […]

Cougel's Bittersweet Birthday

In my last post I discussed how this blog needs to evolve – naturally –  and asked for your suggestions (thank you by the way!) But funny how life – and the universe – can provide the answer. Several days after that post, the advertising industry was hit with another random tragedy and loss of […]

Should bloggers be writing about their relationships?

NO! (Caps intended). It only took me six months to figure that one out. Duh. For those of you who’ve wondered whether I’ve disappeared and gone fishin, the answer is yes. Except in a different pond. I pulled the rod (no, not that kind) out of the online NYC dating pool, and by doing so […]

Can we make emotional plans for the future?

When I was in my twenties and getting married, I believed I could control what was to come. I thought I could attempt to apply for insurance against loss, geographical or career changes and divorce  – by marrying “right.” What does that even mean? I’ve written about the checklist before, and while the items on […]

A Single Divorcee at a Wedding: Part Two.

The last time I went to a wedding, I wrote about what it feels like to be the only single gal in attendance (It was fun, but self absorbed displacement was the theme). http://www.huffingtonpost.com/oritte-bendory/how-does-it-feel-to-be-a-_1_b_959085.html Tonight I went to a wedding too. I didn’t have a date with me, but I didn’t fret. I had a […]

Return of the Cougar

When I started this blog, some readers took issue with the term “Cougar.” “You’re too young to be a Cougar,” and “Cougars are trampy women in their fifties who hunt young guys and just use them for sex,” are some comments I received early on. My rebuttal was: 1- Cougarism has less to do with […]

Atonment. Change. And of course, Kugel.

It must be timely that I’ve moved to a new apartment on the Jewish New Year, which is a time of self reflection that leads to resolutions for change. I usually visit my family in NJ for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, but this Yom Kippur I wanted to stay in my new apartment. That […]