Author Archives: Ilene

Me and JT

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I originally published this post back in May of 2012 but thought it would be fun to revisit – especially after Martha and I shared some crushy ramblings over Justin Timberlake last week.  What first appears to be a cougar-y moment for me with a staggeringly young JT look-alike is actually something more.  Read on… HOW I WON THE HEART OF JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE   I knew I was staring but couldn't stop myself.  He tapped his foot on the floor to the rhythm of the music as he silently mouthed the words to the song, with a slight exaggeration to … Continue reading →

Love Revisited

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Hey, guys, The Fierce Diva is on re-runs for the next few weeks, dusting off some of my earliest posts, the ones I wrote before anyone was reading, and giving them a second life.  I thought this would be fun to do leading up to my one year anniversary of blogging, which falls the end of the month. “Love” is one of my favorite posts, and was also where I introduced Miss F. to my readers. Raising Miss F. can be a challenge for me, which also makes her my greatest teacher. Happy Valentine’s Day and love to you and … Continue reading →

My Evil Mistress

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“I need a favor.” My mother’s voice quivered. “Mom, are you OK?”   I had just left work and gotten into my car, which was semi covered in the first round of slush from our Friday-Saturday snowstorm. “You don’t have any Diet Coke.  Can you stop at the store and get some?” My mother had moved in with us for the night in anticipation of the first blizzard of the winter.  The kids love having her around.  And they love that she travels with Carrie. I love having her around, because when she’s here, I can slip off to Target by … Continue reading →

Down There

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  I know it’s something important when R. calls me on my cell phone, especially since she’d prefer to avoid talking on the phone altogether. R., if you recall, phoned me a few months ago about my root chakra. It was an urgent call and the kind of call that only a best friend could make, and this day was no different, as I heard my phone ring while pulling into a parking space at Target. “You need to learn to walk with your vagina,” R. says matter-of-factly as I turn off my car. “Say what?” “I’m reading a book on … Continue reading →

This Ain’t My First Rodeo

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It was a death wish. But I had no choice. We had not one roll of toilet paper in the house. Not one, not even that last little square stuck to the brown paper roll in the middle.  Nothing.  Nada.  Zilch. I thought better than of running to Costco, since as you may remember, I cannot get out of that place for less than $139.00.  And although the exit fee at Target is not much smaller, it seemed like the lesser of two evils, especially on a Saturday afternoon, where everyone in Northern Monmouth County is at one overcrowded store … Continue reading →

Suddenly Sarah

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I love my glasses.  Even though I’ve been wearing contact lenses since seventh grade, there is something about putting on a pair of glasses and become a slightly different version of myself that I’ve always enjoyed.  I look smarter, more credible.  I bet I could conduct an experiment to prove that my boss has more trust in my work on the days that I show up bespeckled.  I feel authoritative in glasses.  I feel like an expert…in what, I don’t know, but certainly in something. I don’t at all feel like Sarah Palin in my glasses, however, from time to … Continue reading →

Happy Endings…Kind of

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It wasn’t a pretty scene that Friday morning.  I’d like to blame it on a long week of pulling midnights to get my editor work done, but by most Friday’s, I’m tired.  My filter is gone, and one whiny outburst from a child will result in my being less than compassionate.  Less than compassionate I was, as I gave Miss F. “the hand” when she shrieked over not having the “right shoes” to wear to her end of season cheer banquet that night. I knew it was going to be a problem, and it was one of those problems that … Continue reading →

Negligees and Chakra Rocks

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How did you find me? Facebook?  Twitter? Through another blog? Perhaps you’re one of my personal friends that I coerced in the beginning and said you had to read and share my stuff (and a wholehearted thanks to all of you who have). Although there are behind the scenes tools to allow bloggers to see where their traffic comes from, I’ve never paid much attention to it…until a bout with insomnia combined with too much coffee drove me to my Google Analytics dashboard for maybe the second time since I began my blog (I know there are bloggers crawling out … Continue reading →

It’s Complicated

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He was a sweet kid, around 20, I’d say, dark skinned and slightly plump and cheerful.  He was the resident “Jack of All Trades” at the Newark Crowne Plaza Hotel, one morning, mopping the floors, another, serving breakfast, and when we couldn’t get the sound to work on our slide projector, he figured out the problem.  He had become my right hand during my company’s annual conference. “Where do you live?” I ask during a quiet moment between workshops. “In Elizabeth,” he responds.  “We’ve only been here a year.  We came from Egypt.  But we’re Jewish,” he adds, as an … Continue reading →

Fierce Like Me

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The early morning hours are my favorite.  The house is quiet.  The day is new.  I sip that first cup of coffee and check email with eager anticipation of what lies ahead.  Next, I practice yoga to MC Yogi Radio on Pandora in an incense filled room, followed by a meditation session to quiet my mind and prepare me for the rest of the day. It has been said that meditation is like crack.                                                         It must be, because I never want to get out of meditation, those quiet moments compiled with nothing but the sound of my breath and … Continue reading →