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Have you heard the term “green economy” yet? If not then get ready because you’re going to be hearing it a lot in the next year or so. This term is being bandied about to describe the type of eco-friendly, conscious spending that people are doing more and more of these days.

The green economy is first and foremost about being green in our purchases. It is about supporting green businesses. It is about getting a green education (leed certification to become a leed green associate is a popular example). It is about shopping locally and buying from independent stores.

However the green economy is not just about being green. It is also about being frugal. The recession has caused all of us to cut back on wasteful spending. The green economy is all about making smart purchases. It is about saving money where we can. It is about making our money count. It is about finding a way to make green purchases cost effective.

The green economy is the name of the economy that we’re entering in to. We have already started to take many of the steps that will make us a green economy. Moving even further with these steps is how we are going to see real change in the way that we spend and the things that we buy.

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I am not one to step away from a challenge, so when a good friend of mine challenged me to put on a charity function, I couldn’t say no.  But the truth of the matter is that I had no idea where to start or how to run one, but it couldn’t be that hard, right?

Alright, so a couple of weeks into planning, I realized one thing: it wasn’t necessarily going to be hard, but instead it was going to be a lot of work.  Not only did I have to book the venue (which has thankfully been done), but I had to come up with a theme, some charities that we are going to support and send out invites to as many people as possible.

Speaking of invites, that has been a chore in itself.  Since we didn’t have a list to go from, we have been basically sending out the invites to “cold” prospects, but we are almost done.  We just sent some invites out to Tampa criminal lawyers, doctors and optometrists.  That leaves us with less than a quarter of the phonebook left to go.

With the event in just a few weeks, I hope that we are able to raise a lot of money for charity and have a good time doing it.

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New York is a city that is known for its romantic restaurants. You can choose from among the best of the best here if you want to take someone on a romantic dinner date. However, if you really want to impress your date, there are some things that you can do to make all New York romantic restaurants just a tad more romantic.

Tips for upping the ante on the romance include:

• Bring her flowers. There’s always more romance in the air when you show up to your date with a bouquet of roses.
• Do your research into the wine list. You’re a better catch if you know what type of wine to order with the dinner that your date chooses. The whole experience of having the wine brought to the table and tasted in advance is going to be much more romantic if you know what you’re doing.
• Get a seat with a view. The most romantic seat in any New York restaurant is a seat near a window that gives you a view of the city. You’ll probably have to plan this in advance.
• Propose to her. Of course, if you’re ready to make the leap, a New York restaurant is a great place to get down on one knee and invite your date to dine with you forever.

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I used to have mixed feelings about my friend Erica. She was a wonderful, fun woman who I enjoyed spending time with. And yet, I often felt like I didn’t really fit into her world. Sometimes I’d go months without speaking to her because I wasn’t really convinced that we made good friends. Eventually, I realized that the feeling that I had towards Erica was one of jealousy. I was envious of her life. And it made me feel badly about myself which made it difficult for me to simply enjoy her friendship.

In fairness, Erica’s a really cool woman with a life to be envied. She’s the kind of woman who can walk into any room and dominate it. She can speak confidently on every topic from South American wine to Japanese fashions to European toys. She is good at tango dancing, jigsaw puzzles and running a business. She’s an amazing woman.

In comparison to Erica, I’ve always just felt a little bit plain. I felt like I didn’t quite measure up to the world that she came from. And then one day it hit me; this really cool woman wanted to be at lunch with me. I suddenly had this insight into what was going on for me with this relationship. I was feeling insecure and there absolutely wasn’t any reason to be. Once I saw that, I was able to let go of my concerns about the friendship and just enjoy getting to know this awesome gal who is now one of my best friends. I’m glad I finally grew up about that!

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