Carie Shapiro's Blog

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...

PDNB Gallery, whose acronym stands for “Photographs Do Not Bend,” is a charming and sophisticated photo-based art gallery located in the popular Dallas Design District.  Moving to its current location in 2006, PDNB Gallery has enjoyed an established presence within the Dallas Arts Community since...

Each time I catch a glimpse of Mary Phillips Designs' whimsical notepads, they always make me smile.  Naturally, these notepads were no exception.  Not only did they give me reason to chuckle – they also reminded me of blogging.  Why?  Because nowadays, everything eventually reminds me of bloggi...

Long ago, my girlfriends and I would often call one another to fret about the trials and tribulations of dating and courtship. Filled with hope and anticipation, we looked forward to celebrating the thrill and excitement of any new, blossoming relationships on the horizon.  Unfortunately, we usua...

Leo Buscaglia was one of my all-time, favorite, motivational speakers.  Before his death, he was an accomplished author, USC professor, and dynamic lecturer whose televised programs were frequently seen on PBS.  One time, I heard him tell a story that really illustrated the personal choices we ma...

Whenever you let someone know you’re a real estate agent, what type of response do you get?  Almost always, the first response I get is “Residential or Commercial?”  Then, after the initial ice breaker, I frequently get this follow-up question:  “Do you know of any great deals out there?”  Now, c...

While watching the evening news last night, I listened to a report about a local, elderly woman who was scammed.  Big time.  Seriously scammed to the tune of a $15,000-kind-of-scam.  And, while I never like to hear about anyone getting scammed – I especially dislike hearing about it when the targ...

What’s the standing record for the most time it takes to reach 100,000 points on ActiveRain?  I’m not exactly sure.  Certainly, if I'm not in the running for top rank – at least I'm deserving of an honorable mention.  Back when I joined ActiveRain in October 2011, I felt quite confident it would ...

For what seemed like the gazzilionth time, I watched and listened to the pre-flight, safety briefing as I settled in aboard a flight recently.  We've all heard and seen these briefings before:  At some point, a flight attendant stands in the aisle and demonstrates the proper way to open and close...

Is this a phone call you dread getting from your parent?  Especially if you have an elderly parent, you’ve probably received at least one of these phone calls in your lifetime.  You know the one – it goes something like this: Mom:  Carie? Carie:  Hi Mom!  What’s going on? Mom:  Something terrible...