Carie Shapiro's Blog

What a difference a year makes.  On October 31, 2011, I became an ActiveRain Rainmaker – and a real, live blogger.  In fact, one year ago today, filled with anticipation and trepidation, I awkwardly embarked upon my ActiveRain journey – a journey which can only be described as "Awesome." Like mos...

Halloween sure has changed a lot since I was a kid.  Years ago, my friends and I would rush home from school, get into our costumes, grab the biggest bags we could find, then start our Halloween ritual.  Never worried about our safety, we walked up one street and down the next – knocking on every...

If you’re a stager, or a virtual assistant, or a website designer, or anybody else who charges a fee for professional services – this blog is especially for you.  Last week, I attended a modest, non-industry specific, speaker/networking event.  Prior to the presentation, all of the attendees par...

The other day, my brother was hit by a car while riding his bicycle.  Being an avid weekend cyclist, my brother rides at regular intervals, takes familiar paths, and always respects the rules of the road.  Essentially, a local driver failed to stop at a designated stop sign – and instead, acceler...

Ring Ring. Hello??? Hello??? Hello!!! Aaargh!!! Click. According to Wikipedia, ‘Butt Dialing,’ also known as ‘Pocket Dialing,’ refers to “the accidental placement of a phone call while a person's mobile phone or cordless phone is in the owner's pocket or handbag."  We’ve all been there.  Your ph...

Blogging 101:  If you want to be a popular blogger for the right reasons, it’s best not to blog about certain topics.  Especially religion and politics.  Good advice.  Frankly, I choose not to blog about politics or religion or any other extremely personal topics.  Besides, there are already gazi...

    Good customer service just "ain't what it used to be!"  Extremely generous of this company to issue me a credit, yes?  Hmmmm ... now what to do with that enormous amount deposited into my account.  I certainly don't want to spend it all at once. Any suggestions?  I think I'll smile, get a goo...

A co-worker asks to borrow some cash – promising to pay it back as soon as possible.  What do you do?  At one time or another, many of us have been in this situation before.  Most times, we've loaned the money – assuming we'll get repaid as promptly as expected.  After all, these types of loan re...