There was a lot of hoopla last week about the massive layoffs at Nielsen, including the dismantling of venerable brands Editor & Publisher and Kirkus Review. E&P even managed to be a top five trending topic on Twitter. Everyone was aghast that it was shut down, and after over 100...

Back in June I had my first baby, which, as it should be, was a very happy occasion. The boy was healthy, large and loved to sleep in long stretches. Having a summer baby was a fantastic turn of luck as well, since I was able to spend my afternoons...

Back in February I spent some time with a guy friend named George who had just been dumped. He had spent almost a year and literally tens of thousands of dollars on numerous IVF treatments in an effort to have a baby with his 43-year-old fiancee. (He's almost 50.) One...

This morning I stopped in a bagel shop on 76th Street and York Avenue and ordered a bagel and a cup of coffee. I was dragging, I had writing to do. My blood sugar felt like it was in the gutter.

"Decaf coffee?" The counter guy asked as gave my...

Last night at dinner an attractive friend named Sasha told a story about a guy who she had been seeing for the past three months. He recently almost lost his job, starting acting strange and then broke up with her in a coldly written e-mail. In an even stranger twist,...

One of my clients found an apartment that she loved on Park Avenue -- with a balcony -- and for only $2100 a month. She went home that afternoon to collect paperwork and the application fees. The next thing I knew she was calling me frantically: after quickly Googling the...

AM New York had a cover story on December 17th about how New York homes sales were sinking 20%, and possibly even more. These kinds of stories inevitably make my life more difficult, since I work in real estate and have to rebuff clients who see these pieces as...

Last week I found out that I'm pregnant, and three months along at that. This came as a surprise to my boyfriend and I, who were just another New York City couple whose largest concern was when to bring our big orange Persian cat to the groomer. At first...

Last weekend my father went to his 50th high school reunion. Overall he thought it was a hoot, but after a while, he said, it was hard making conversation with people that he didn't really know, and hadn't seen since Eisenhower was in office. Since he finished high school in...

There's been a lot written lately in the New York area press about how renters can get an edge in the busy summer and fall season. The New York Times even dedicated a Sunday real estate section cover story to what was supposed to be Renting 101. That story,...

It's summer, which means that real estate brokers such as myself are helping lots of people find new places to live. New college grads, newly married couples, even people just sick of their old digs are getting out of leases and hitting the streets.

In New York City, brokers are...

As wedding season approaches, socially-conscious brides and grooms will try to make their special days as eco-friendly as possible. They might buy a Canadian diamond over one from Africa. They will print their invitations on recycled paper. They will choose locally grown flowers. Some may forgo favors all together and...

This morning I got into a discussion with a friend of mine about people who we know who say, out loud and with all seriousness -- and at the age of 30-- that college was the best time of their lives.

I was flabbergasted. Really? College? Four years that involved...

The errors on my tax return started small. A number was transposed in my zip code, which stopped it from being properly e-filed back in early March. Then there were spelling mistakes in the names of the places where I worked. Oddly, I was given the standard deduction. Then I...

The festivities are wrapping up in the Bryant Park tents today and people like me are a little disappointed that Fashion Week is over.

Fashion Week gets a lot of flak from outsiders. They say that the models are too thin, the people are bitchy and isn't there a...

You should never underestimate women's vanity. As retailers report poor holiday sales and analysts predict a decline of aspirational shoppers, they're forgetting one very important factor: Women will always want to look good.

Along those lines, women also love a bargain. In uncertain economic times women may not go...

A few days ago I was reading an article about a study that examined how journalists use different aspects of the Web. It revealed nothing terribly earth shattering, but what struck me was the title of the piece, which used the phrase "New Media." I couldn't help but roll my...

I was at the gym this past Sunday afternoon, a time that usually attracts bored college students and hen-pecked husbands looking to get out of the house for a while. I normally have my pick of treadmills and I can run for as long as I want. It's my favorite...

On Friday night several friends of mine gathered in a west side wine bar to fete the 30th birthday of a mutual friend. Strangers who otherwise would never have met made conversation over South African wine and pate.

Two of my friends shared a table with a man who...

I have spent the better part of the week chasing down checks from people I've done freelance work for. It's not because I'm late on rent or am dodging my loan shark. Like anyone else -- a plumber, a hairstylist, or even a financial planner -- I like to be...