NYC Celebs

Jon Bon Jovi isn't living on a prayer... he's eating a sandwich on the UWS! His skin, blemish-proof. 9/20

Not Bueller's Day Off... but Bueller's day on the subway. Broderick waited for the F train with me! 9/16

Vartan Gregorian on Liberty

"America is not an actuality, but is a potentiality. We have to remember that the Universe is not going to be seeing somebody like you again in its entire history of creation. So it’s up to you to become a dot, a paragraph, a page, blank page, chapter in the history of creation."

Party Hat

Tomorrow's my last day at ABC News, and to celebrate - I'm going to put all other parties to shame.

Seriously - I am going to shake off all the stress of the past 1.5 years and party NYC-style.

If you want to join what's sure to be legendary partying, let me now. And oh yeah - you better be ready to BRING IT.

Nugget

Just thought I'd pass along this little nugget:
When someone is getting ready to quit his or her job, calling him or her "short-timer" is neither clever nor funny.

Moving On... But Where?

So yesterday was my first personal training session with Sonja at her new gym... 83rd Street, the steroid injection of Manhattan gyms. Muscles were everywhere, mechanical contraptions I cannot even fathom, guys grunting, and chicks tight as... well, tight. Sonja and I laughed through our session - she's become such a good friend, and she managed to kill a pinched nerve from a neck-cram 12-hour nap I pulled off to quash some major weekend partying.

At the end of our session - as Sonja stretched me out, she asked me: "So, you've only got like 15 days in your apartment. Where are you going next?" I stopped, and then felt the wave of anxiety build and then reverberate. "Oh yeah, I have no idea where I'm going. Thanks for reminding me. I'm still in denial," I thought. Leaving the gym, I almost had a panic attack.

Sonja also told me I'm beyond ready to "graduate" to the next yoga level, which I'm completely apprehensive about. I kinda liked destroying all the people in my current class. Now I'm just going to be the off-balance girl that everyone snickers at in the locker room while eating their protein bars...

Vesting in Nesting

In the early days of a relationship, there's a lot of 'nesting' going on - and as we approach Autumn it's a good time to examine the dating ritual in its peak season, in all its glory as well as how events in the nesting period can also foreshadow failure.

1) Couch Crashing. If you're nesting, you're sure to have many Netflix nights! The movie-watching-with-your-sweetie ritual is one of the fastest ways to gauge another's level of intimacy. Whether it's two feet of dead air between you - or in a weird-moving-watching-uncomfortable-but-still-pleased-with-physically-tight-pretzel-knot during a first flick - you pretty much know where you stand in terms of intimacy by the end of the movie. Now if only you could pay attention to the movie's plot rather than obsessing about the other person's proximity to you...

2) Kitchen Tools. Of course nesting Netflix nights aren't complete without nesting snacks - which leads to the inevitable, "Let's cook up something together!" In this nesting ritual, you can get a glimpse into your honey's gastrointestinal goodness - by simply opening his or her fridge. There, you can find out if your lady is a chocoholic - or if your man has stockpiles of that weird protein powder stuff in those obnoxious plastic keg bottles. Of course - culinary skills and the ability to makes meals on-the-fly is also on display. My secret nesting weapon in this arena has always been a simple dip - made by just mixing salsa and cream cheese. Make it the next time you nest and you'll be in love FOREVER, or - as in my case - until he decides to cheat on you...

***Sidebar: Friend Nate and I both strongly advise against making any kind of soup and/or chili with your sweetie during the nesting period. It's a recipe for disaster.

3) Clean It Up. The fridge 'nest test' can also be a good barometer on how clean/dirty a person is. Chances are, if you're invited over to your sweetheart's place - he or she has cleaned/picked up his or her room and Netflix viewing spot. But has he or she cleaned the fridge?! Yep - check here - because you never hear ANYONE say, "I'm so excited this chick is coming over. I have to clean my fridge!"

4) Shopping Together. Yep, this is a BIG-TIME nesting ritual, and it seems when you're first dating someone - running random errands magically evolves into something FUN. Yes, those trips to the dry cleaner or pet food store suddenly become opportunities to chat up the in-house tailor or browse pet store aisles and remark how cute cat toys are becoming. This is indeed a magical nesting time, which you can be sure will evolve to shopping at stores you would never think about entering during solo status. Girls can expect Best Buy, Home Depot and guitar stores on the list, and guys - well, strappy sandal shoes and overpriced scented candle stores are in your future. I once went to a Vespa store - A VESPA STORE - for OVER an hour! I also sat with a dude while he contemplated what new tire rims to purchase (and even more shocking, I actually CONTRIBUTED to this conversation!).
Caution: Sometimes in the nesting period you will lose part of your brain.

If you're a guy, you will be quizzed on color schemes and textures. If you're a chick, you'll get your fill of shiny electronics and tools. But this is all OKAY - after all, it is the nesting period - where EVERYTHING is perfect.

5) Crisis Averted. As long as you're nesting, nothing really bothers you or gets you down. Getting a $100 parket ticket suddenly becomes fun fodder over dinner. An accident that wipes out the whole front of your car becomes the scene-setter for a "Damsel in Distress" 2-person play - which both sides are happy to play. Together, you belly laugh over spilt milk. You also fall over each other to be the first one to clean up all that milk.

6) More Nesting Goodies: pumpkin carving (for the first time since age 14), Christmas tree hunting even though you don't have ornaments, buying ornaments and trimming tree, board games, little around-the-house projects, checking out each other's music collection and forcing yourself to really dig some of his or her favorites, downloading his or her music collection, taking naps together, exploring reality TV until your find "your show", getting lost in a local farmers market, IKEA trip to furnish the imaginary place you are starting to share in your head, ice cream consumption

***Sidebar: Would advise against going to any Haunted House attractions during the Autumn nesting period. I did a haunted house with a guy around this time last year as part of what I thought would be a fun nesting activity. He - not the attraction's resident ghost - became the only thing that disappeared...

Nesting is a hopeful time for anyone looking to embark on a relationship. Here's hoping your next nesting period with that new special guy or gal is all it could be AND more... sans the soup-making and Haunted House attraction. It's so fun to Invest in the Nest!

In closing, be self-aware enough to know NOT to get yourself into a relationship - just because you want to reap 'nesting' rewards. Friend Nate did this, and warns against the logic... or lapse of logic...

WHAT'S YOUR BEST NESTING?

Of Course

Of course the one night I don't feel well - sending Keenan and his sister, Kayla - off to the Sunday night Comedy Cellar show is the night that Chris Rock shows up and decides to do a surprise set.

Next Newsroom

Hitting the Biz cycle.