Wow, do I love a good brunch. I’m lucky enough to live in a city that’s got dozens of great brunch spots, but I’ve always had a little dream of hosting one myself. The thing is, it seems like such a huge ordeal — what to serve for food? What about drinks? How fancy should […]
MoreThis shot glass has been sitting on my counter for weeks — because what are you supposed to do with a gift someone that you thought was boyfriend-potential got you, and then stops talking to you? The options are as follows: Throw it against the wall, hoping it shatters into a billion pieces Drop it […]
MoreLast week was pretty rough — between trying to get my life back together after four days at the beach and a good dose of dating drama (that’s a post for another day) — so I was pleasantly shocked when my FAVORITE guy, John Mayer, dropped this little tune onto my desktop. Ironically, it’s his […]
MoreManipulate (verb) — to manage or utilize skillfully; to control or play upon by artful, unfair, or insidious means especially to one’s own advantage; to change by artful or unfair means so as to serve one’s purpose. I was manipulated in relationships before I even knew what it was; that it was even something that […]
MoreMy job as a journalist, an editor provides all sorts of opportunities to meet, or talk to people I would have never expected. Last week, I got to listen in on a conference call with The Bachelorette, Andi Dorfman. While I’ve always gotten suckered in to watching The Bachelor — every season I swear I’m […]
MoreOkay, I know it appears that this is simply a picture of an oversized Bud Light can. While I do love a crisp, refreshing Bud Light, what I was trying to capture was the crowd — and the overall scene — beyond the Bud Light. I spent an extended weekend in Gulf Shores, Alabama, for […]
MoreAs you read this, chances are solid that me, along with three of my girlfriends, have packed the Tahoe to its gills as only girls can—with too many bikinis, sunscreen, and unnecessary makeup, as we travel a few hours to Gulf shores for the best music celebration on the beach: Hangout Fest. Aside from the […]
MoreThis weekend, I joined my friends right down the road from my apartment, for the Louisiana International Film Festival. It was the second annual, and honestly, I didn’t give it a second thought until I was at my weekly poetry open mic night, when someone there was giving away free tickets. Why not check it […]
MoreAnd no, I’m not being ultra-witty and taking about a crush that goes up and down. I’m honestly talking about a guy that I see on occasion, but only in my apartment building’s elevator. Yeah, I probably need to get out more. I’ve lived in my building for almost three years, and considering there aren’t […]
MoreThree years ago, I stepped into LA Boxing (now UFC Gym) for the first time to take a free boxing class—I was going to take the class and write a story on it for Dig magazine (read it here). But in the one-hour class, I realized just how out-of-shape I was. I couldn’t even make […]
MoreThis week was incredible busy, in the best way. However, I did so many fun things, it was difficult for me to pick just one picture that represented my week. Lately, my job has been incredibly stressful, and I feel like I’m not even fun to be around. But just when I started thinking that, […]
MoreUnless you went to my high school, chances are, you don’t know who Kim Green is. She was my high school journalism advisor/fearless Triangle newspaper leader. If it weren’t for her, I honestly have no idea how my life would have shaped up. I definitely wouldn’t have my current job. I may not have gone […]
MoreI’m glad I live in a world where I am allowed to have my own blog, and on that blog, I can confess my love for men that are barely of-age to be called that. Because my latest celeb crush is Ryan Sheckler. I use the term “latest” loosely, as I’ve had a crush on […]
More‘Twas the night before my 26th birthday, making it July 1, 2011, in case you’re wondering. I was at the Houston airport on a layover during my trip to Chicago. Things were not so great. I was in a weird place with my then-boyfriend. I don’t even think he was my official boyfriend at the […]
MoreMonday night, I finished reading John Green’s, “The Fault In Our Stars.” This is a book that’s been on my reading list for months, and I had a gift card burning a hole in my pocket, so I jumped at the chance to buy it—splurging on the Collector’s Edition. I stumbled across Green’s collection of […]
MoreWhen I got my first apartment (by myself) after college, my mom gave me an extra crock-pot she had, as all I had was a bed, a dresser, and a slew of clothes. It took me years to get enough furniture to make for a decent home, and lots gifts to fill my kitchen with […]
MoreAbout a month ago, I started making my own protein bars. Yeah, I know, who does that? The truth is, I have always enjoyed eating various protein bars—they usually smash my 2 pm chocolate craving, and they fill me up enough to hit the 5 pm boxing class. However, when I switched to the Paleo […]
MoreLook for my column, The Bitter Lemon, in Baton Rouge’s alt-weekly, Dig magazine. A fresh issue hits the stands every Wednesday. This week’s column covers two of my favorite things: cooking and dating. The man I thought I was going to marry was a “meat and potatoes” kind of guy. If love were rice dressing, […]
MoreThe following post contains affiliate links, which sends me a small percentage of any sales at no cost to you. Lately, I’ve been feeling like I’ve got HUGE bags under my eyes. Hell, there are HUGE bags above them, too. I have dabbled in a few different eye creams (Mary Kay Time Wise Firming Eye […]
MoreI am so, so happy to finally (I’ve kept quiet for a week) announce my collaboration with Dig Magazine, Baton Rouge’s alt-weekly. While I have written articles for Dig before, my new project is dear to my heart, as I’ll be writing a fresh column each week, based on my adventures in dating—very similar to […]
MoreLast week, I was so lucky to have my best friends—Angela and Sheena—in town from Indiana. The two of them were deep in winter depression (I’m really believing that’s a thing) and drove the 12 hours South to get to Baton Rouge. While the two of them have visited me several times before, they’d never […]
MoreI’ve had an off-and-on crush on my friend Jay quite possibly since the day we met, which was almost six years ago. He is uniquely handsome, funny, and smart. All of those things, plus a random spark—like bonding over a bandit mask and Wes Anderson movies—drew me to him. Sometimes, our personalities clashed, though (some […]
MoreDuring my final semester in college, I quit my retail job and went to work as a bartender—something that was on my bucket list. As a foodie, I wanted to learn how to craft and serve some of the best cocktails in town. While the hours were rough and the work was difficult, it was […]
MoreWhen I was in 7th grade, I loved the store Limited Too (now known as Justice, I think). It was—and as far as I know, still is—the place where glitter, sequins, and overall cool shit for teenage girls, came to die. It was a real treat to get new clothes from there, but really, I loved […]
MoreTo be honest, I didn’t give a flying flip about Phillip Phillips before I saw him live as John Mayer’s opening act for the Born and Raised tour (which I saw three times). Before I saw him the first time in July, my mom was the one swooning,”Aw, I wish I was going to the […]
MoreI can’t believe that I’ve made it until March without having a picture of my cat, Blanche, featured in this weekly spot. One week from today, my sassy kitty will turn one (yes, I have a gift for her), although I’ve only had her for about eight months. In this short time, she’s become my […]
MoreMy relationship with sleep has probably had just as many issues as my dating life. But while I’ve been sleeping my entire existence, I can’t tell you if sleep has always been an issue for me. I do remember being an early riser during my high school years—waking early to allow myself enough time to […]
MoreThis year has been “The Year of Holly’s Past,” and if you have read any of this blog, you know that my past, when it comes to dating, is not anything to be proud of. Before the start of 2014, my ex contacted me via email. This ex isn’t my most-recent ex, but one that […]
MoreSunday afternoon, my friend a I took a sewing class at Jo-Ann Fabrics. I’ve never had a huge interest in sewing, but my friend has wanted to learn for the longest time. Each Thursday night, we get together to watch Project Runway, or now, Under The Gunn, and she always says, “I wish I knew […]
MoreMTV’s series, The Hills, has always been a not-so-guilty pleasure for me. I loved watching Laguna Beach, too. And while, I know you all probably think I’m dumb for obsessing over all six seasons of The Hills, not only while it was on TV, but ever since, thanks to my DVD collection—I’ve learned quite a […]
MoreWhen I think of a Valentine, I think of a nice dinner, wine, maybe even a box of chocolates. And, when I put it that way, I can quickly tell you that I’ve never had a Valentine. But when I stop being so goddamn bitter, I know that’s not the entire truth. As a child, […]
MoreIf the title didn’t sell you on this recipe, I’m about to. In college, I dated a guy who I fell in love with pretty quick. I remember the first time I saw him—as I was handing in an application at American Eagle—I felt that spark. He was cuuuuuuute. And he looked even better in […]
MoreI started swooning over Mr. Hall the second I saw the first episode of Showtime’s Dexter—in which he plays…Dexter, a serial killer who kills bad guys. Let’s take a look: A few months ago, a very hot guy at my gym told me he thought I was into bad boys. “Am I?” I thought. I […]
MoreYes, those would be sequined hot pants. Saturday night, my friend was celebrating a birthday and rented a driver and a bus to tote 20 of his friends around to the finest bars in Baton Rouge (read: The Cadillac). We all planned to wear as much black clothing as possible to “mourn” his 40th birthday. […]
MoreWhen I traveled to Indiana for Thanksgiving, my best girlfriend was planning a Christmas party for her Nail & Waxing Salon. As part of the party, or the open house, she wanted to give each of her guests a jar of homemade peppermint scrub. So, she bought several pounds of sugar, a bottle of peppermint […]
MoreCooking for a boyfriend has always been something I enjoy doing; after all, men love to eat, and I love to cook. And yes, since I’m single I haven’t been cooking much for men lately, but I’m going to assume not all of my readers are single (and sometimes bitter). So, for the sake of […]
MoreHappy New Year! Are you back at work today? I am…and it’s a little rough. But before I go back into my regular-posting mode, I wanted to share with you a few things that have been on my mind regarding this blog. I think it’s time to shake it up a little. As I’ve mentioned […]
MoreI’m sure you are familiar with Charles Dickens’ classic, “A Christmas Carol.” One of my favorite parts is when Ebenezer is visited by The Ghost of Christmas Past, which lets him see his childhood, which was lonely, however he also sees a joyful Christmas party that quickly turned somber when his fiancée leaves him after […]
MoreI know tomorrow is Christmas Eve, making today Christmas Eve-Eve, so this list of my “Holiday Favorites” is a liiiiiitle late. But hey, Christmas came early this year, right? Anyway, here’s a few things I love about the holiday season: 1. Holiday scents. Of course I love buying holiday candles that make my home smell […]
MoreDon’t worry, this is just the first of MANY posts about my celeb crushes. I’m always trying to find ways to make this blog more dynamic, and with no (real) man in my life, I am left to drool over celeb dudes. And hey, there’s nothing wrong with that! So yeah, John Mayer. Anyone who […]
MoreThe following was written in 2010; nothing has been changed. Like what you’ve read? Enjoy my #tb (throwback) blog series as I count down the days until my second book, How to Make Lemonade, is released on December 2nd! DAY 30: MOVE ON…AND BE FABULOUS Friday, May 21, 2010 It’s finally here! My task today […]
MoreThe following was written in 2010; nothing has been changed. Like what you’ve read? Enjoy my #tb (throwback) blog series as I count down the days until my second book, How to Make Lemonade, is released on December 2nd! DAY 29: WAKE UP CALL Thursday, May 20, 2010 Today’s task got me out of bed […]
MoreThe following was written in 2010; nothing has been changed. Like what you’ve read? Enjoy my #tb (throwback) blog series as I count down the days until my second book, How to Make Lemonade, is released on December 2nd! DAY 27: FEEL SOMETHING Tuesday, May 18, 2010 I’ve been looking forward to today’s assignment since […]
MoreThe following was written in 2010; nothing has been changed. Like what you’ve read? Enjoy my #tb (throwback) blog series as I count down the days until my second book, How to Make Lemonade, is released on December 2nd! DAY 25: GET IT ON…KIND OF Sunday, May 16, 2010 This post is about to get […]
MoreThe following was written in 2010; nothing has been changed. Like what you’ve read? Enjoy my #tb (throwback) blog series as I count down the days until my second book, How to Make Lemonade, is released on December 2nd! DAY 20: FILM FEST Tuesday, May 11, 2010 Last night, I had a dream my ex’s […]
MoreThe following was written in 2010; nothing has been changed. Like what you’ve read? Enjoy my #tb (throwback) blog series as I count down the days until my second book, How to Make Lemonade, is released on December 2nd! DAY 11: STASH THE CASH Sunday, May 2, 2010 Day 11 didn’t get off to a […]
MoreThe following was written in 2010; nothing has been changed. Like what you’ve read? Enjoy my #tb (throwback) blog series as I count down the days until my second book, How to Make Lemonade, is released on December 2nd! DAY 7: TRASH THE EVIDENCE Wednesday, April 28, 2010 Today, I was handed my most challenging […]
MoreThe following was written in 2010; nothing has been changed. Like what you’ve read? Enjoy my #tb (throwback) blog series as I count down the days until my second book, How to Make Lemonade, is released on December 2nd! DAY 5: LEAVE IT ALL BEHIND Monday, April 26, 2010 Monday is looking extra ugly today, […]
MoreThe following was written in 2010; nothing has been changed. Like what you’ve read? Enjoy my #tb (throwback) blog series as I count down the days until my second book, How to Make Lemonade, is released on December 2nd! DAY 2: YOU CAN TELL EVERYBODY Friday, April 23, 2010 Today is the day The Frisky […]
MoreA few weeks ago, I was driving to work, when I heard a statistic on the radio: 73% of couples say they didn’t end up with their true love. Yeepers! When I dig a little deeper (ahem, did some Googling), I found a few articles dedicated to this newfound number, including one from Cosmopolitan. According […]
MoreI’m not a big fan of Taylor Swift. But every now and then, she’ll come out with a song that gets stuck in my head or, in this case, strikes a chord with me. Enter, “Everything Has Changed” featuring Ed Sheeran. The song, as interpreted by me, is about two people who go from friends […]
MoreTough Love is baaaaack! It’s no secret that I’ve had a MASSIVE crush on professional matchmaker (and VH1’s Tough Love host) Steve Ward ever since I set my eyes upon him through my television. Don’t even get me started on his adorable Philly accent! Feast your eyes… Anyway, in the previous 4 seasons of Tough […]
MoreIf you kept up with my shenanigans on Match.com, you might recall a guy named (or, usernamed) Pookie. He was one of the first people to message and “wink” at me on Match, but despite our 100% compatibility rating, I wasn’t feeling it. Later, I noticed him working out at my gym…like every time I […]
MoreIs it possible to fall in love with something other than a person? I certainly hope so, because I’ve fallen in love with Los Angeles. This love affair has been going on since about 6th grade—before I’d ever even been to the city. But I dreamed about the streets, lined with palm trees and lights, […]
MoreOver the summer, Maureen O’Connor wrote an article for New York Magazine, “All My Exes Live in Texts: Why the Social Media Generation Never Really Breaks Up.” Hmmm. Even the title had my gears turning. For starters, O’Connor states in the article that out of her 700 friends on Facebook, 36 she considers to be […]
MoreWith each day that I was on Match, I felt like I had viewed so many (hundreds) of profiles, that I was confusing people that I met with people on Match. When I’d see a waiter at a restaurant, I wondered if I’d seen him on Match, or was I just insane? Or did I […]
MoreAlthough we decided to meet at a coffee shop at 4:30, I showed up an hour early. This is just the kind of person I am. I am incredibly paranoid about being late. I hate it. And 2., I wanted to avoid that whole, “Lost puppy look” as I was searching the coffee shop for […]
MoreThe very first message I received on Match was from a 56-year-old man. Mind you, I put my age range from 28-36. However, if someone puts their age range as 25-60, then my profile would come up in their search results. His message said, “Beautiful smile, wish I were younger.” Uh yeah, me too. Unfortunately, […]
MoreMatch.com lets you create your entire profile before you subscribe (ahem, pay). So, I uploaded 8 pictures (you can upload up to 25) and filled out my profile: DETAILS: Relationship: Never Married Have kids: None Wants kids: Not sure Ethnicity: White / Caucasian Body type: About average Height: 5’3″ (160cms) Faith: Spiritual but not religious […]
More“Oh?” I asked, not surprised that my suspicions were confirmed. She nodded. “She was checking up on him, figured out you were his ex, and then found your blog,” she said. “Interesting,” I said. “Well, what’s interesting is the timing,” she continued. “They started hanging out around Easter, which…from reading your blog, that’s when you […]
MoreThe next day, I took a long lunch to clean my house because I had scheduled a “home visit” with a local animal shelter that had a kitty I wanted to adopt. D and I went to our favorite spot—California Pizza Kitchen—had lunch, and headed home to clean. I passed the inspection and the kitty, […]
More“What? I never said that,” I told him. I knew I didn’t say it. “Yes, yes you did,” he said. “But it’s cool, I’m fine with being mediocre.” Here we go! Welcome to the show I like to call, D is wasted and passive-aggressive and insecure, who’s up for round 1? “Alright, I never said […]
MoreI busted through his front door, stormed into his bedroom, where he was snoring. “Wake up!” I yelled. He opened his eyes, sitting up. “We have to leave, like now,” I said. “Why didn’t my alarm go off?” he asked. “I don’t know,” I said. “Grab my wallet, go to Albertsons, and get a dozen […]
MoreThe next day, I explained my side of the situation. “Yeah, we WERE supposed to have craft night,” he said. “But I got too drunk.” He didn’t even bother picking up his daughter that day, and obviously didn’t bother telling me there was a change of plans. Instead, he decided to get hammered, and make […]
MoreDuring the quick drive from the church to their home, D called his parents asking if they needed anything. “We are going to stop at Walmart because Holly needs a case of beer…” he told them (Baptists are anti-alcohol). I gave him the evil stare. He laughed, hanging up the phone, telling me to lighten […]
MoreA few weeks later, D arrived at my apartment one night and made an interesting comment. “You know, staying at your place every night is really KILLING my hygiene.” Oh? The standard routine had been that he came over after work (which was usually late at night) and slept until it was time to get […]
MoreThings were moving right along with me and D. So smoothly, in fact, that it felt weird. I’d never dated someone who missed me after just a few hours of being apart. I’d never spent so much time with someone where I recognized their smell, or their breathing when they slept. I’d never fallen into […]
MoreThe following day, a Sunday, we texted most of the day, so I invited him to come over once he got off work. It was raining by that time, and he wasn’t sure where to park to get to my apartment, so I met him outside, resulting in a movie-esque run in the rain (I […]
MoreAfter a few days of flirting via phone calls and texts, he was working late one Friday night when he told me he really wished I would have come to visit him at work. I told him I was big on formal invites—I never wanted to show up any place that I wasn’t absolutely sure […]
MoreI saved D in my phone as “D” for two reasons: 1. I have a wild imagination, and 2. I had just finished reading Julie Powell’s second memoir, “Cleaving,” about her sexy affair with a man she called “D.” A girl can dream. The day following our first date was a Tuesday, which meant I […]
MoreI wasn’t even half-finished with my glass of wine when D appeared, plopping down in the bar stool beside me. “I didn’t think you’d come,” he said. He looked more handsome than I recalled the night before. He was dressed in a collared, button down shirt, jeans, and Chucks…I love Chucks. “I thought about not […]
MoreBoy, this is the start of a series of posts I have been dreading to revisit—the story of a relationship that ended just a month ago. While it was just 4 months in time, it was a love that shook me. I hope you’ll stick around for the entire story. Here goes… * * * […]
MoreHello out there! I realize I’ve been MIA for months; and when that happens, I really hate doing these “apology posts” regarding my absence. Truth be told, I don’t think there is one specific reason why I was silent on the blog these last few months—I suppose life just got in the way. Most of […]
MoreI sometimes get a thrill out of 3am ice cream standing alone in my kitchen just because I can What thrills those around me often chills me terrifies me into sleepless nights sending me into a chain of unpleasant days I sometimes find myself living in the past romanticizing what has hurt me I don’t […]
MoreI can still remember my first Valentine. I was in first grade, and a boy in my class, named Dustin, gave me a small, white teddy bear with a red bow tied around his neck. At 6 years old, this was a lavish gift among the ritual of passing out store-bought cards with flat suckers. […]
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The Bitter Lemon 
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