I’m technically American because I was born here, but I’ve always considered myself Israeli too. My parents are Israeli and took my sisters and I to visit since we were little kids, where we spent long hot summers sleeping at my grandparents and playing hide and seek with our cousins. Heblish was my first language, […]
I am currently on a much needed vacation. I just arrived in London to visit with a close friend for the weekend, on my way to Israel for my cousin’s wedding. Vacations like these are still a novelty for me – where I don’t have a spouse who I’m obligated to plan or travel with […]
Since I’m a blogger now I thought it would benefit me to go to the annual four-day blog conference for women called “BlogHer,” held at the New York Hilton this past weekend. I had no idea what I was getting into. My goal was to learn about effective blogging and get the “Cougel” name out […]
My first cousin who lives in Israel – who I love like an older sister – sent her fourteen-year-old son to the states for the summer. He is staying with my sister and her family in New Jersey, and to give my sister a break, and as a favor to my cousin, I offered to […]
Recent studies show that “more and more celebrities, politicians and couples next door are getting divorced…divorce is becoming more pervasive, even contagious.” According to the research, if an immediate friend or colleague gets a divorce, the chance that you will get a divorce jumps by 75 percent. In other words, avoid divorced people like the […]
When Elizabeth Gilbert’s, “Eat Pray Love” first came out, I felt as if it had been written for me. I had just entered into my own Gilbertian phase post marriage, and I believed that I had found this book, and that it had found me. Reading about the author’s grief and depression in the aftermath […]
Mom left me a voicemail this morning and when I went to listen to it, I was with my co-workers, so I listened to the message like they would. Meaning, like people who don’t speak Hebrew. So the message sounded like this: Chhchhh chhhh rrrrrrr chh rrr..em…rr chchchch chhh COSTCO chchchhchh cccchhhhhh CLIPPINGS….cchhhchchchch chchhchchchchchchcccccchh rrrrr […]
When I moved into my new apartment a few months ago, I had no clue that I moved four doors down from an NYU dorm. Nor did I recognize the irony. I didn’t know how I’d feel on nights like tonight, when I had nothing to do, and was feeling lonely, and decided to take […]
The Atlantic magazine has a bunch of interesting ideas in this month’s “Ideas of the Year” issue (go figure). Walter Kirn (Author of Up in the Air) writes about how boredom – a condition we detest and run from – has become extinct. Thanks to technology (the iPad, the iPhone, Twitter etc), we are offered […]
Today was my first time hosting a meal in my new apartment. And the first time I hosted my family, ever. Between both my sisters, their kids, and my parents, there’s usually an occasion to celebrate every other Sunday. In New Jersey. Since I lived away from my family for so many years, I don’t […]