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Alex McCord
ALL NEW! Season 3: Episode 1 Blog - Alex's takeOhhhh boy, welcome back! Filming this season was a wild ride, and I for one can't wait to see what it's going to look like. So much drama, so many poignant moments, so many times when I felt like my heart was so full it might burst - or was that my head and eyes?? In between seasons, Simon and I wrote a book together, Little Kids, Big City which comes out April 6th. It's about the craziness that goes along with raising young children in the city, with the good, the bad and the downright ugly. We go to places few parents do when it comes to speaking frankly (and sometimes sarcastically) about the frustrating but rewarding full time job of being parents. When you last saw me (filming the Season 2's Reunion Special), I had been recently laid off from Victoria's Secret corporate, and I felt the newly jobless panic that so many of us did. When you lose your job, the fear and anxiety is overwhelming, regardless of your circumstances. I was one of the lucky ones - I received a good severance package and went into business for myself. These days I work with retail clients doing everything from graphics and event planning to merchandising and store fixtures. Right now I am planning the March opening party for Second Time Around's newest location in Philadelphia, and running the in-store renovation for Willoughby's Camera, which includes new showrooms for Leica and Pentax. After balancing corporate America with home, family and shooting the show, I'm thrilled to be able to set my own hours and work from home often, though my friends will tell you I definitely work longer hours now! Over the summer, Simon and I ran into Ramona and Mario several times -- their ice and our apathy had begun to thaw a bit, so when she invited me to join her for a day on the boat I accepted, and we decided to start afresh. Almost the moment we left the pier the drama began, though not with me -yet. Ramona brought out her newest jewelry pieces and Jill & LuAnn were offended - not sure why. I dove in and tried things on; why not play with sparkly things on a gorgeous day? The group quickly divided in half, and after I had my fill of wine and jewelry I threw on a bikini (thanks, Jennifer!) and went to lay out on the bow. I was almost asleep when suddenly Jill and LuAnn popped up on either side of me like one of those "whack-a-mole" games, to fill me in on the brewing feud. Apparently Mario made a sly comment about LuAnn that wasn't very nice. LuAnn wanted Ramona to apologize, and refused to confront Mario about it. That's where she lost me. I get really frustrated when people tell Simon something meant for me, and vice versa. We have a very close relationship, but we're not interchangeable! Neither are Mario and Ramona. If a guy ever does something to annoy me I take it up with him directly, not his wife. Eventually everyone settled down and LuAnn and Ramona smoked a peace pipe, or rather downed a peace shot. We had a great lunch and afternoon, during which Jill brought up that she and Bethenny hadn't spoken in months and weren't getting along. I had heard bits and pieces of this before, but hadn't seen Bethenny all summer myself. That afternoon I kept an open mind - in the moment it seemed like both "sides" had reasons for the way they felt; how wrong I was. Stay tuned for more on that... Visit our Fan Page on Facebook! Season 2 BlogThursdayI was laid off today. At the moment my head is swirling, and I'm not sure what to think about first. I really can't concentrate and I'm not quite sure I can feel my body. This is my first layoff, and I'm not sure how I'm supposed to react. I may be a "Real Housewife" — now more real than ever — but today I'm Everyman. My office was my green zone; a place where I shrugged off whatever might be going on with the show to deal with real challenges that materially affected a bottom line. Once I walked into the building, I was not "Alex from RHoNY" but "Alex who writes Beauty," which certainly helped keep me sane.
FridayIt's impossible to be blind to the turns the economy has taken, and I've watched the hits to the retail sector. The good news is that due to the fast-paced nature of my job I gained new skills right up to the end. As I packed up, waves of people called or came by wondering how they were going to manage, wondering why, etc. I was so grateful for each persons' thoughtfulness, but it was hard to accept neutrally. "Oh, here's so-and-so on the phone; I'm going to lose it again." The guys across the aisle kept quiet, bless them, but had to have been climbing the walls. It was a relief to be able to finish and walk out of the building for the last time.
The weekendHow ironic that my layoff happened the week I'm seen on the show whipping out my very own black Amex to pay for $8,000 worth of clothes. Part of me wants to run downstairs and put on the Herve Leger bandage dress right now, preferably with a tiara and a large handbag, but it's a little chilly and besides, the cats would never leave me alone. For some reason they love the texture of that dress. Simon and I have always been strict with ourselves; our spending habits must mirror our salaried income. If I want to continue shopping at that rate, replacing my income is top priority. No job = no shopping = no brainer.My career has had an interesting trajectory – from a top tier theatre school (Northwestern) to Europe and then New York, I began as an actress with a wide-reaching creative curiosity. Needing additional income, graphic design was a natural progression from my interests and allowed me to make a great salary over the years throughout full time and freelance positions. From designer to art director, copywriter, corporate identity creator and visual merchandiser, I was able to freelance through those all important first years of my boys' lives and be present for them while still bringing in income. When I finally tired of the endless, existential struggle to break out as an actor, I found within 2 weeks the perfect job at the perfect time. 6 months later the show I'd screen-tested for a year earlier got the green light and was willing to accommodate filming evenings and weekends. Until this week, I had and did it all. My husband Simon has been brilliant support — taking me home that first day and pouring me drinks as he ordered in dinner and played with the boys. He is my rock, and has weathered my irrational, emotional rollercoaster with grace. (Him: "There's something on your eyelid." Me: "Oh great, what are you finding fault with now?" Him: "I think you need more coffee.") It was Simon who deftly handled our nanny the day after I was laid off when she came in requesting a raise – he who suggested getting out of the house on Saturday to show the boys the sharks at the aquarium. Watching them squeal with delight as they stood in a plastic cave underneath a crashing waterfall really snapped me back into reality, and when my 3 year old sat on my shoulders and accidentally yanked my hair, I felt it. So where do I go from here? While I am a laid-off employee looking for work, I'm also a Real Housewife, in a slightly different place than my counterparts. As I embark on my job hunt, people will know who I am, or who they think I am at any rate. Only time will tell whether people will evaluate my skills on their own merit or whether they'll expect me to sail into the office in a leopard print dress, searching under desks and in closets for connections. Either way it's going to be interesting and a challenge, and I never, never shy away from that. Let the hunt begin! One thing that frustrates me about the reality genre is the inability to provide an authentic soundtrack to the goings-on in our lives. Having been one of those who made mix tapes for myself and my friends throughout middle and high school, I was excited when last year the network asked us to put together a playlist. I spent several hours on it, and have no idea what happened to it - if those were ever put on the site I didn't see it. There's never enough time these days to obsess over the perfect playlist, so here's an alternative: I went into my iTunes and scrolled through everything in alphabetical order... here's what stood out. I would not recommend playing these in order as they don't really go together, but in my opinion they are all listenable and in some cases brilliant. This doesn't include any classical or opera, but if I put lists of those on the site people might think I was pretentious - bwahahaa. ** denotes a song with lyrics some will find objectionable. 
I sat down to write an updated bio, and kept thinking about a good article out recently about Facebook, navel-gazing and people disclosing too much information. See #12.
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