Recently I have witnessed a number of situations where neighbors, simply put, seem to have nothing else to do but involve themselves in other people’s business. The most recent example, a friend of mine in a new subdivision, just had a landscaping company come out and put a retaining wall up in her backyard. This retaining wall was needed due to the slope of her yard and conserving the proper flow of water.

Not even a week after having the wall up, she receives a notification from the city stating that someone filed a complaint about the wall. In the letter, … Continue Reading

Several times a year I inevitably get invitations in the mail to various events. They range from weddings to Tupperware parties. There are certainly standard protocols and etiquette on how to properly respond to these invitations and yet I have the most difficult time following them.

In general, you have two options for responding to an invitation, by mail or phone. First, I am the most unorganized person when it comes to mail. I will undoubtedly misplace or set aside the invitation after I read it. This often leads to me missing the deadline for sending in the RSVP. Secondly, am … Continue Reading

More and more I hear people talking about the appropriate places to use your cellphone with either A) distracting someone else B) distracting yourself or C) because it is viewed as being rude. When and where it is deemed acceptable to use your cell phone is a recurring issue for me it seems. It is an ongoing debate inside my mind. And to further clarify, are there situations where talking is a no-no but texting is ok?

Give a few people some scenarios and ask them their opinion and undoubtedly you would get several different answers and opinions. So here are … Continue Reading

Every so often a new service or phenomenon comes along and attracts a lot of attention from curious people. Twitter is one of those services that has captivated an audience of loyal “followers” who often advocate its use and purpose. For those of you who are not familiar with what Twitter is, it is a micro blogging platform that allows people to tell the world about what is important to them at any particular moment, in 140 characters or less. People with similar interests or who find value in what your “tweet” about will follow your updates and in return … Continue Reading