Am I missing something here?  Here’s the deal:

I sent an old friend a book and magazine for an industry in which she’s starting a career.  I wrapped it in sparkly black gift-wrap, wrote a quick note - on my own set of personalized note cards, of course - and sent it just before Christmas, although it wasn’t necessarily a Christmas present.  (I’d actually had it for about a month before I got around to sending it.)

I shipped the gift via FedEx so I could track the package and make sure she received it.  Delivery was attempted, but she wasn’t at home to sign for it, so the driver didn’t leave the package at her door.  (I sent it signature-required.)  I shot her an email that evening that said “hey, I sent you something - you have to sign for it.” The next day, I believe, FedEx successfully delivered the package.

I haven’t heard anything from this friend since, and I’m left wondering what happened.  Did she receive my gift?  Did she like it?  Can she use it?  (more…)

Isn’t that comforting to know?  Kind of gives you that warm fuzzy feeling inside, yes?

A woman wrote into The Consumerist, reporting that Facebook has denied her request to have her deceased brother’s Facebook account closed down.  The sister sent Facebook a copy of her brother’s death certificate, but Facebook refused, citing it was against their policy to close down deceased members’ accounts.

Facebook’s reply?  (more…)

My friend Quincy and I were walking around in Hoboken, headed to Starbucks in order to warm up from the bitterly bitter cold.  My feet were blocks of ice (note to self: cute pumps + freezing temperatures = suck), and the tops of my thighs were going numb despite the protection of my long wool coat.

So we’re standing on a corner, waiting for the light to change so we can cross, when suddenly a car full of guys honks at us.  Okay, well, at me.  What the hell?

Dude. STOP.  (more…)

I recently wrote about friends who don’t reciprocate and listed several ways that those friends can give their social awareness a jump start.

But what should the person always extending himself or herself do?  The way I see it, you have three options:  (more…)

It’s time to give thanks for all the presents that were under the tree.  Even if you thanked the gift-giver in person, it’s a show of excellent manners and appreciation to follow up with a handwritten note.

Don’t fret - thank you notes needn’t be excruciating to write.  In fact, there’s a really simple formula to make writing them painless.  Write quick and easy thank you notes by following these easy steps: (more…)