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Getting Lucky on New Year’s Eve

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009
courtesy of flickr user Jefffd

courtesy of flickr user Jefffd

This year, I’m more excited about New Year’s Eve than any other year I can remember (in other words, ADIOS 2009– you will not be missed). I’m very lucky to be celebrating with my family in a house by the ocean– and while we’ll probably just stick to champagne and tune in for the ball drop in Times Square– I wish I could somehow adapt all of these international traditions into my NYE. If you’re still on the hunt for a way to make your NYE unique, maybe some of these traditions will serve to inspire. Welcome, 2010, you got here just in time!

MEXICO

Each person eats twelve grapes at midnight (eat a grape with each stroke of the clock), making a wish with each grape for each month of the year. Remember: the sweeter the grape, the better the month will be! If you find a sour grape, that month may be difficult. (Boo!)

ECUADOR

Don’t forget to wear your underwear: wear yellow underwear if you want to attract positive energy and happiness in the New Year. Wear red if you’re looking for love.

Some Ecuadorians also walk around the block with a suitcase: it’s said to bring the person the journey of their dreams in the new year. I would totally risk looking like a nutjob and do this if it’s true. I could use “the journey of my dreams,” couldn’t you?

Also, this one of my favorite traditions I’ve stumbled upon:  they make dummies — stuffed with firecrackers and newspaper– that represent someone, or something from the past year. They then place the dummy outside of their houses, and at midnight each family lights the dummy on fire.  When they light the dummy, fireworks go off, the old year is history, the new year— celebrated.

Anybody else got an ex-boyfriend?

courtesy of flickr user rickydavid

courtesy of flickr user rickydavid

VIETNAM (TET NGUYEN DAY)

The celebrations last for 3 days– in which time the Vietnamese light candles to honor their deceased relatives whom they believe return during Tet. One rule: remain happy to warn off bad luck in the upcoming year (and then try to stay happy all year, what could it hurt?)

I think lighting candles for those you’ve lost is always a beautiful commemoration, and I love the idea that people HAVE to stay happy for three days straight.

CHINESE NEW YEAR

The theme that keeps coming up is NOISE. You’re given total permission to be as loud and boisterous as possible to ward off evil spirits in the new year! Light fireworks! Scream from the top of your lungs! Wear red!

Also, eating dumplings brings wealth, and everyone drinks a little liquor, which represents longevity. People also gift each other  with red envelopes stuffed with money, symbolizing luck and wealth.

Many Chinese attend the Dragon Dance, which is held on the third day of the New Year. The paper-mache dragon heads ubiquitous with the parade are made with long pieces of fabric, and it takes several men to maneuver the dragon through the streets. Families open their doors to let the dragon bring luck into their homes. Drums are beat, people chant and yell. Go to a Chinese New Year Parade and Scream from the top of your lungs to ward off the bad spirits!

GREECE

In honor of St. Basil (January 1 is known as St. Basil Day) the family fills the childrens’ shoes with presents at midnight. St. Basil, who apparently died on the first of the year, was a  man known for his kindness and his generosity to the poor.

Fill your loved ones’ shoes with prezzies! What a happy surprise for the kids when they wake up!

JAPANESE NEW YEAR

The Japanese send Happy New Year cards to their friends, and hold “forgetting-year” parties to say goodbye to the last year. They also forgive friends and family for misunderstandings and disagreements in order to make a clean start of the new year.

Also: on December 31st bells are rung 108 times to chase away 108 troubles. After the bells are rung, everyone is supposed to laugh: because laughter will drive away the bad spirits. With all the bad spirits gone and troubles and enemies forgiven, they enjoy a day of celebration.

I love this one too, it’s a great reminder to not stay stuck in the past. If you don’t forgive, you won’t move on. And ring the bells and laugh!!

PUERTO RICO

Children enjoy throwing pails of water out the window at midnight. Some believe that this rids their home of any evil spirits, it also washes the streets for a fresh path.

courtesy of flickr user grundlepuck

courtesy of flickr user grundlepuck

BRAZIL

Brazilians usually dress in white, to bring good luck into the new year, and they have amazing, internationally acclaimed fireworks celebrations as offerings to their deities. Some Brazilians head to the water and jump seven ocean waves so that their wishes may come true. Also, people in Rio de Janeiro throw flowers into the water as an offering to the Goddess of the Seas.

VENEZUELA

Wear yellow underwear for good luck. And write wishes in a letter and burn it so they come true.

I think I’ll do this one, too.

DENMARK

It’s a great omen to wake up with broken china on your doorstep! At night the Danes toss plates at their friends houses— broken china means more friends in the coming year. (Sounds fun, but I wouldn’t try this here, you’ll spend the first day of the new year in the clink!).

FRANCE

For the French (in addition to slugging champagne) the new year begins by eating king cake, called “Galette des Rois,” on the holiday known as “Epiphany.” Epiphany is celebrated on the first Sunday of January. The cake is traditionally an almond-paste round cake which is then cut into pieces, and those pieces are distributed by a child hiding under the table. Whoever finds “la fève” — the charm hidden inside — is king or queen for the day and can choose a partner.

We did this growing up. Eating your way to the toy inside is too fun.

new yearskissAnd last but not least, don’t forget American traditions:

Whoop and cheer as the clock strikes midnight (we also believe in warding off evil spirits that way). DON’T FORGET to kiss your loved one! It’s bad luck not to! A kiss at NYE will give you 12 more months of good luck together.

Happy New Year! What traditions do you share with your family?

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Debunking a Dating Myth

Friday, December 11th, 2009

lonely girl.1

I hear a lot of cliches now that I’m going through a terrible break up. One of them is driving me seriously nuts. I have very sweet, well-intentioned friends who, because they really want to see me happy, just keep pushing me to go out, meet someone new, date, date, and then date again the next night. I’m sorry, but whoever said the only way to “get over someone is to get under someone else” is a serious fool, (and kind of crass too). This is not the way to a healthy heart. Now that I’ve  been saddled with the sad, taxing task of getting over a person whom I was deeply in love with, lemme tell you, kissing an ex or flirting with a new guy? Road blocks. Reset buttons. And the last thing I want, after all the exhausting, sometimes thankless work of getting through this, is to have to start over.

I truly think it takes loads and loads of solitude, Law and Order SVU marathons, wine, listening to this song, soothing tea, runs, bad romantic comedies, long talks with girls who have been through similar experiences, writing, and just, tons and tons of time. But not… NOT another guy. I’ve only found those to be distractions from the task at hand, which for me, is healing, and self reflection in the form of;  “how did I end up here?”and, “how can I make sure I WILL NEVER BE IN THIS PLACE AGAIN?”

ryan-gosling2.thumbnailKissing a guy, and then the result of having him call or not call: either one makes me want to cry. The ex before the ex? Just a reminder of everything that went wrong with him, on top of sleepless nights thinking about what went wrong with my ex-fiance. Then, I innocently hung out with one boy last month, just one night, which was weird and hard enough for me, but then the aftermath, like, the texts I was getting from him asking me out made me want to shed my skin, toss my phone in the Hudson, and move to Colombia. I’m just NOT ready and I have to accept that. Granted, this guy was no Ryan Gosling. Maybe he’s the one exception to my No New Boys Til I’m Healed rule.

To be fair, I understand that adage to a certain point. I do think if you’re not suffering from a true broken heart– say it’s more that you’ve just realized your crush likes someone else, or a guy never called for a second or third date… then yes, forage the waters with friends, kiss a cute boy to remind yourself you’ve definitely still got it and it’s his loss.

But the idea of rebounding right now after 4 + years of dating someone- and almost marrying him– makes me want to lie down from head spins and a sick tummy. I know that when I come out of this, I’ll have myself, my heart and head (and body too- running is really great free therapy for me right now) in tact. But if I could impose one bit of wisdom on you if you, too, have a broken heart (I sincerely hope you don’t!) : getting under a guy to get over one is not the road to happiness. It’s more like a trap door that only leads you back to the beginning of this tortuous time of painful grief. And no thanks, I don’t ever want to be back there.

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How to Talk Football, or At Least Fake it

Monday, December 7th, 2009
Jenn Brown

Jenn Brown

By Jenn Brown

For all you ladies out there that are often caught watching football with your man or some friends, and find you have no idea what’s going on, I put together a quick cheat sheet on how to talk football, or at least fake it. Before you know it, you’ll have them all fooled, thinking you’re a football pro!

First things first, you need to understand the goal of the game—the offense tries to either run with or throw the ball to the end of the field (the end zone), while the defense tries to stop the offense and take possession of the ball.  Once the offense scores or the defense gets possession, the teams switch rolls, with the defense now trying to score; this goes back and forth throughout four 15-minute quarters.

Since a game is only four, 15-minute quarters, you would think a typical game would only be one hour. Anyone who has been forced to sit through a game knows this isn’t true.  The play clock stops when the ball goes out of bounds, there is an incomplete pass, or when a penalty is called (which is pretty often).  The clock then restarts when the ball is reset in its position by an official.  All of this, in addition to time-outs and half-time (which is always exciting for the forced-to-be-there fans), explains why you may find yourself watching the same game for hours on end…

You also have to know who does what.  Each team is allowed 11 players on the field at once; they’re all terms you’ve heard- but now you can really understand what they’re supposed to do! With only one quarterback (QB) on the field per team, they are the one to pass or hand off the ball.  There are one or two running-backs that run with the ball, typically only a few yards at a time with speed.  Two or four wide-receivers catch the long passes from the QB, with the tight ends (one to two on the field) blocking the defense and catching passes as well.

Jenn BrownNow to the points system – each touchdown is six points.  After one team scores a touchdown, they are able kick for one extra point or choose to run/throw the ball into the end zone for two points.  If the offensive team isn’t close enough to score a touchdown they can try to kick a field goal for three points.    A safety occurs when the player carrying the offensive ball is tackled behind his own goal line, and is worth two points.

Aside from understanding some positions, the workings of the clock, and the point system, you’ll need to know a few more terms.  A “down” starts when the offensive team snaps or kicks the ball and it is ready for play, and ends when the ball “ends” or touches the ground.  First down is the first of the plays; fourth is the last down. A first down occurs after a change of possession of the ball, after advancing the ball 10 yards following a previous first down or after certain penalties.  On the fourth down, the team in possession of the ball must punt it to the other team.  This keeps going back and forth, until the clock is up!

These few points should help you get through your next game. For our next lesson, we can move onto which teams to root for!

Jenn Brown is a the only female correspondent on Inside the NFL; she’s also a reporter for ESPN’s College GameDay and ESPNU’s Road Trip, among other shows.

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Which of the Gossip Girl Guys is Your Type?

Friday, December 4th, 2009
Serena has to choose between Trip and Nate

Serena has to choose between Trip and Nate

Am I crazy? If I had to pick one of the Gossip guys to date, I think I’d go for Chuck Bass. High school Charles was a little, how do you say, Roofie-user-ish. But now that he’s focused on his career and Blair, he’s definitely more appealing. (Plus, I could really take advantage of that chauffeured car.) Who would you pick? Here’s my biased rundown of each guy’s pros and cons.

Courtesy of CWTVNate Archibald

His Pros: Stands up for what he believes in. Hot. He’s a Vanderbilt.

His Cons: F-ed up family sitch. Manic-depressive (or maybe those are just his story lines?).

Courtesy of CWTVChuck Bass

His Pros: You ain’t eatin’ at Dennys with Chucky. Chauffeur. Empire Hotel including speakeasy. No in-laws to deal with. Thoughtful. Determined. Loyal.

His Cons: More baggage than Samsonite. Super-sketch past.

DanDan Humphrey

His Pros: Kinda normal upbringing. Gets along with his family. Romantic. Not wrapped up in pop culture/who’s who.

His Cons: He’s just irritating. Wears more flannel than Paul Bunyon. He whines. He’s SOOOOO smothering. He’d want to spoon all the time and cuddle and he’d drool on you. I’d rather get a slobbery mutt.

Courtesy of CWTVEric van der Woodsen

His Pros: Respects his mother. Thoughtful.

His Cons: Can be v. conniving. Somewhat unstable. (A bit petite for moi, well and I’m not a guy so it’s a moot point.)

TripTrip Vanderbilt

His Pros: I was going to say moral, but I’m confused about where he falls on that spectrum at the moment. Successful. Good family. Also cute.

His Cons: Likes teenage girls and acts on it. Politician. (That’s like dating an actor. A big don’t ever.)

Courtesy of CWTVDufus, I mean Rufus Humphrey

His Pros: Was in a band. Cooks. Romantic. Family man.

His Cons: Pushover. Looks at Vanessa a little too lovingly. Probably drools like his son.

Which is your type? Please share by clicking on Comments below.

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Posted in celebrity&lifestyle, love&money | 3 Comments »

Stars Come Out for All Love is Equal Party

Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

Wednesday night, I attended the All Love is Equal party for the Repeal Proposition 8 Campaign. Held at Kitson shoesMelrose, the event was hosted by the lovely E! Host Giuliana Rancic who wore killer heels by Brian Atwood. Rancic was interested in hosting the event because she believes equality in marriage is a civil right and it was Perez Hilton who brought her attention to this issue with the Carrie Prejean incident. Even as a devout Catholic, Rancic believes “This is not that much to ask for, really. Who are we to decide?”

Many other stars attended to show their support for the issue like Missi Pyle, Hal Sparks,

Gregory Michael and me

Gregory Michael and me

Suzanne Whang, Claudia Jordan and Gregory Michael. Michael, who plays closeted gay Omega Chi member on the AbcFamily show Greek told me that he has really learned a lot about the gay community by being straight and playing a gay character on TV. He also slipped up and revealed to us that his character will finally come out of the closet next season.

Once inside, there was more than just shopping to be done. The night’s events included appetizers from celeb hotspot Joan’s on Third, signature signing, a fake wedding that

Courtesy of Launchpad PR

Courtesy of Launchpad PR

was written and produced by Ashley Terrill and photo booths where anyone could take wedding photos.

The must-have item of the night for attendees was the Revenge is… All Love is Equal t-shirt. If you live in LA, you can stop by your local Kitson store to pick one up and 25 percent of proceeds go to Love Honor and Cherish or online at Revenge is… Interested in getting involved further? Go to signforequality.com, a website that is dedicated to getting 1 million signatures in the next 145 days so a Prop 8 Repeal can be on the ballot.

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Cost Friendly Dates

Saturday, November 14th, 2009

As a single girl living in LA, you’d think I’d have my pick of fantastic dates at exciting locales. But unfortunately the guys that my friends and I meet seem to think that watching a movie at home and eating a frozen pizza (which is a step up from the guy who offered me his leftovers… no thanks) is an appropriate date given the economy. It seems that these 20-somthings have turned our present economy into an excuse for their former frat boy persona and laziness. Dates don’t have to be expensive and elaborate but they do take a little creativity,  so show this to your significant other or plan it yourself and forget about another date with the couch.

Getty, courtesy of Flickr user Philar Sharmim.

Getty, courtesy of Flickr user Philar Sharmim.

1. Pack a picnic with some yummy foods from Whole Foods or Bristol Farms and take your gourmet lunch to a museum with free admission and sit on a grassy knoll like at the Getty in LA. Even better? Come after 5, and parking is free! This can be a great date because after your picnic you can go and explore the artwork. Just make sure it is more fun commentary rather than the dry intellectual lecture your art history teacher used to give.

2. For a lunch date go to an open air market, but make sure it is one with more than just produce. For example, check out Grand Central Market in LA, New Amsterdam Market in NYC or the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market in SF. More than just lunch, you get to sample all different foods, walk around, and chat while you people watch. Meals are cheap too and almost all foodies will be satisfied.

jazz club

Jazz Club in Florida, courtesy of Fickr user aneye4apicture.

3. Let google and yelp become your best friend and search for jazz clubs in your area. Live music makes any date more fun and maybe even take a spin or two on the dance floor. Unfortunately, food at these establishments can be on the steep side, so go with an appetizer and drinks. Afterwards, try a new restaurant and split an amazing dessert as a treat for busting a move.

4. Fitness buff? Get free passes for an exclusive gym around town (most offer 3-5 day trials) and go experience all it has to offer. Take a class together, enjoy the sauna and end it all by relaxing your tired muscles in the hot tub. Stay with the health theme and go get ingredients for a healthy, yummy dinner from Trader Joes to eat at home.

NY

New York, courtesy of Flickr user MaO.

5. Coupled up but don’t have money for that getaway you’ve been wanting to plan? Try a staycation, where you explore your own city like a tourist. I bet there are tons of things you have never done in your very own city that people travel from all over to experience. Get food at a local cheapie establishment, take a long walk and check out your city’s tourist attractions. You’ll not only have a great date, but you’ll realize why your city is so cool.

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Season of Giving 1

Friday, November 13th, 2009

snowHappy Holidays, Everyone!
This is our first Holiday Charity post of the season.  We’ll be doing this all season long to remind ourselves and others  of all of the people who are suffering and going without during the holidays. If there’s someone in need whom you’re thinking of as well, or if there’s a cause you’d like us to highlight, please post comments below.

jeff beatriceThe first cause is the Beatrice Family in Newton, Mass. You can read more about their plight here . The quick summary: Jeff Beatrice, 49, was a father to eleven kids when he suddenly died of a heart attack on October 23rd, under the stress of losing his mother in a fire, caring for his brother in assisted living, and a huge economic weight on his back. His death has left his family not only totally bereaved, but utterly broke. His widow, Elinor, and their children will lose their house in the new year if the family can’t buy it back from the financial firm which holds their mortgage: right now that figure stands at $300k. If they can’t raise the money, the house will be auctioned off January 5th, and Elinor an dher children will risk being being separated. Jeff was a beloved figure in the town, and a soccer coach to many kids in the community. The Beatrices  are in our hearts during this holiday season.  For more information, please read below.

To donate online, please go here:

To send a check, big or small to:

The Jeffrey Beatrice Family Fund
c/o The Village Bank
307 Auburn Street
Auburndale, MA  02466

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Brooklyn: Week One

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

brooklyn Now that I finally have internet (&*(^! you Time Warner) I’m gonna tell you a few things about a place I never thought I’d end up: Brooklyn.

Now let me be fair to the fine borough of Brooklyn: there’s nothing wrong at all with the place itself, it’s more just the haste in which I was forced to move here (due to my recent break up.) So let me clarify: it’s a place I never thought I would be living alone, with a busted, leaky ceiling that rains plaster every time that stupid man above me bathes, powdering my nose in a lumpy closet that what one could only refer to as a “student hostel in Amsterdam bathroom,” and listening to my Italian neighbors shout at 2 a.m. about, honestly, things that should only exist safely on a Soprano’s script, and not in my real life. And if I see a rat move through my “kitchenette,” I’m suing the whole city. (more…)

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Posted in fashion&style, love&money, Other | 8 Comments »

Top 5 Ways I Have Decreased My Wedding Stress

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009
Courtesy of Flickr user Marshed

Courtesy of Flickr user Marshed

After coming down from the shock and excitement from my surprise engagement I sat with my new fiancé and we decided we wanted a small wedding (75 people MAX) outside of Los Angeles.  Cut to a few hours later, upon telling my parents of my brilliant plan, my mother laughed at the guest number and told me that wouldn’t even cover our family alone.  Let the wedding stress begin!

I love my parents and love that they are so excited for my wedding – and aside from advising me that I should do my wedding in my hometown of Los Angeles (so Grandma Ann and Grandma Ona can come) and upping the number of invites (we do have a lot of wonderful friends and family) they have let me make my wedding choices.  My main goal is to stay completely sane and refuse to become the bridezilla that I have seen many people around me turn into.  While these choices may not be for everyone – these are the things that I have done to make my life for the next year a little more tolerable.

Hired a Wedding Planner

Wedding

Design by Beth Helmstetter, Photography by Steve Steinhardt

At first, my mom and I thought that our years of event planning would make this wedding planning thing a breeze.  After I started to make the “to-do” list – and tried to figure out how that would work out while having a full time job – I turned to my mother and we decided hiring a professional to do this would make our lives a whole lot easier.  I found the lovely and talented Beth Helmstetter from flipping through magazines and searching bridal blogs.  Her aesthetic is AMAZING and she couldn’t be nicer.  Adding her to my life has been a complete blessing.

No Bridesmaids

Much to the dismay of many of my friends, I opted out of bridesmaids.  I always knew my cousin (who is 3 months older and like a sister to me) would be my maid of honor.  With my cousin by my side, my fiancé’s brother on hisBridesmaids side, I immediately felt at ease.  I decided to make my brother my best man – and the bridal party of three was set.  No hurt feelings.  No unhappy girls in dresses they don’t want to buy.  No coordinating schedules.  Immediate relief.

No Save The Dates

This was a tough decision – and one that my mother did not accept willingly.  My wedding is on the Sunday of a holiday weekend (I know some of you are rolling your eyes, but when you are Jewish and want a summer wedding, you can’t start your wedding until after sundown on a Saturday – and that could be like 8:30pm!).  Every rule in the book says I should be sending save the dates.  But I have chosen against them for several reasons.  1) Nearly everyone who is invited already knows when and where the wedding is.  2) Procrastinating on getting the invitation style together made me realize I was cutting it awfully close to the date I should be sending the Save The Dates, and rushing to get them out seemed way too stressful.  3) Isn’t the invitation the save the date??  How many times do I really need to remind people that I am getting married?

Small Group for Dress Shopping

I went dress shopping three times.  The first time I went with my grandma and mother.  The second time I just went SYTTDwith my mom.  The third time I brought my mom and cousin.  On the third time I found my dress. All three of us loved the dress.  I didn’t need more opinions to confuse my choice.  I have seen how large groups can upset a bride (I watch Say Yes To The Dress!)  Keeping it small and personal made everything so much easier.

Knowing When to Stop Talking About It

I think it is very sweet when people ask me about my wedding.  And I love talking about it – to an extent.  But after a while, there are only so many things I can say about my wedding colors, flower choices, dress, table linens… I tend to keep my answers to wedding questions short and sweet.  Some people have laughed at me calling me the “anti-bride” because I don’t want to gush over every detail.  The fact is, I am looking forward to my wedding – but talking about it all the time in great detail starts to stress me out.  I want to enjoy the process and I want to enjoy the day.  It’s not that I hate my wedding and hate talking about it – I just hate feeling stressed.

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Posted in health&fitness, love&money | 8 Comments »

Top 3 Online Dating Sites

Friday, November 6th, 2009
Source: Flickr User Don Hankins

Source: Flickr User Don Hankins

It may slowly becoming clear to the regular Blush Blog reader that my personal life serves as fodder for blog posts. And with my long term affinity for Online Dating revealed last month, I thought it would be remiss of me not to share my Top 3 Online Dating Websites, for you, the reader to potentially investigate. Please note that these sites fall onto this list because of the quality of their users, not necessarily the functionality or overall look of the site itself.

Let’s dive right in!

Nerve.com

Pros:

If you’re in the heart of a major city (Hello: New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco!) and you’re looking for someone who really knows how to woo via the pen, this is your site hands down! Nerve peeps are well-read, well-written, and generally well-coiffed. The LA Nerve circuit is largely comprised of hipsters and screen writers, so know your audience when creating your profile (Read: wearing your glasses in your profile pic will get you laid for once). If the uber idiosyncratic profile is something you adore, you’ll fall more in love with each click. Nerve also pools the personals sections of theonion.com and salon.com so if you’re amused by/appropriately in awe of the content on either site, you will probably thoroughly enjoy connecting with the  nerve user.

Cons:

The site is slow, and kind of buggy. You don’t have to pay to be a member, but you do have to pay if you’d like to enlarge the thumbnails pics to a size where you can ensure that the guy you’re flirting with is not your best friends father. Another potential caveat for some, is that the Nerve user is for the most part smart and attractive enough to date whomever they choose. Thus they tend to be a commitment phobic bunch as a whole. So, if you’re looking for a lifelong partner to raise your babies with, you may wish to move on to my number 2 recommendation. 

Match.com

Pros:

With a much bigger and less hipsterrific user base than Nerve (they partner with MSN and AOL), Match offers you the benefit of an audience who will forgive you for not knowing the lyrics to the entire Modest Mouse catalog. The Match member is quite likely to be dead serious about meeting their next girlfriend/boyfriend online. They’re typically pretty sincere and honest about what they’re looking for, and even the most unseasoned newbie can jump into this site and do well for themselves. If you’re the lazy sort you can just go off the options they send you, although personally I think their formula must be severely flawed because I’ve never once been intrigued by one of their computer generated matches.

Cons:

If you do know the lyrics to the entire Modest Mouse catalog you won’t get an opportunity to show off. You’ll also be out of luck if you enjoy establishing a well played game of banter prior to the first date. The Match user is normally pretty traditional and wants to skip to the first coffee/drink as fast as possible without investing too much time crafting perfectly witty emails. This could be a pro for you if you’re in a rush. You can’t read your emails unless you’ve got a paid membership, so be prepared to whip out your Visa.

Plentyoffish.com

Pros:

Like Match, this site is huge. There’s seriously like a gazillion people on it. It’s also free free free! Can’t beat that! It has it all too: pseudo intellectuals, Hollywood scenesters, religiously minded marriage bound lads, and bad boy assholes. Whatever floats your boat, you can probably find on this site.  And again, it’s free. The other neat thing is that when you are online, you show up in the top banner and guys will email you by the hundred. If your self esteem is in need of a boost, this is your site. Where you can wait weeks for a note on Nerve, POF will get you more mail than you can even consider reading. This will make you feel popular, and that will in turn make you feel prettier.

Cons:

Since it’s free you’re potentially dealing with some non-serious users who are just having fun. People can be notoriously flaky on this site so don’t be shocked if someone you’ve exchanged a few emails with disappears entirely. There’s also a high douchebag factor. Lot’s of shirtless, faceless shots. Lots of “hey baby, you be lookin fine, hows about we keep it real at my pad tonight aight?” openers. Get ready to keep your cursor poised on the delete button. On a plus, even those messages will make you feel popular, and that will in turn make you feel prettier. (Do not, under any circumstances, look at the ratings you are getting on the hot/not feature. It’s crushing to your soul!)

I think that about sums it up. The sites are not in any particular order because my usage of each really does depend on my current dating goal. I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to hearing what your favorites are, so please don’t hesitate to leave comments.

xoxo,

Taryn

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