When one door closes, another one opens......

As 2008 comes to a close, one can not help but analyze the past 12 months. Overall, I can't complain. Career wise, things are starting to look up. In the last few weeks I've been trying to slowly quit smoking. And this year I actually lost more than 10 pounds. All-in-all a good year.

Next year I have a couple of general resolutions/plans including improvements on the blog, building on my part time freelance PR gigs, continue to lose weight and hopefully kick the smoking habit.

To everyone out there, enjoy the last days of 2008, and be careful ringing in 2009.

Just a last note, Diddy and CIROC are helping New Yorkers get home safely this New Year's Eve. CIROC street teams will distribute thousands of debit cards to adult consumers (while supplies last) in Manhattan between 11:00 p.m. on New Year's Eve and 3:00 a.m. on New Year's Day. Each debit card will provide up to $15.00 in cab fare.


Happy New Year!

Rumor Has It.....

Rumor has it that the Yankees could shift focus to, the pride of Washington Heights, Manny Ramirez, possibly offering the Dominican slugger a three year deal. According to yesterdays New York Daily News (Tuesday, December 16th), one baseball official says that the Yanks see Ramirez as the perfect complement in their lineup to Alex Rodriguez.

It seems to be that the Yankees are trying to recreate that Ramirez - Ortiz combo that killed in Boston. Nothing is concrete yet, all is speculation at this point. A lot of decisions seem to be hanging on Mark Teixeira's next move. For those of you out there like me, that their knowledgability of baseball only skims the surface, Mark Teixeira is a highly talented First Baseman and newly free agent who is being sought out by the Orioles, Yankees, Angels, and Red Sox.

We'll see what happens in the weeks to come. Just want to make things clear. I'm a Manny fan 100%, even if he's an ass most times. But, if indeed he gets to put on the pin strip uniform, this will in no shape or form make me cross over to become a Yankee fan.

Cheers!!

For the Mami to Be

I don't know why, but I never know what to give mami-to-be for Christmas. If you’re anything like me and need some help, here is a great suggestion. But Hurry! There are only a couple of days left to go shopping and you definitely DO NOT want to show up without a present for the pregnant one.

I bought this for my sister a couple of years ago, and I personally think it’s a great gift any time of the year. I absolutely love Images by Ellyn. The frames that this company makes are for sonogram pictures. It’s the sweetest thing ever! And it’s special because it’s the first picture of the baby. The frames have great quotes and sayings on them like: An Image of An Angel, First Time I Saw Your Face, We Can Bearly Wait to Hold You!, and my favorite Under Construction.

These frames are available at Destination Maternity and retail for $26 for more information on Images by Ellyn visit http://www.imagesbyellyn.net/.

Green is the New Black

This holiday season I’ve come across some great affordable gifts for the eco conscious person in your life.

Sarah Pinto’s 2009 Weekly Planners --It’s almost the new year and time to make that New Years resolution to get and stay organized. Sarah Pinto’s 2009 Weekly Planners are a simple, functional and fun organizational solution. These durable planners measure 5” by 7” and are made with recycled paper and soy based ink. With five unique cover designs, Sarah Pinto’s 2009 Weekly Planners are a stylish, eco-friendly answer to your busy everyday schedule.

These planners are available at sarahpinto.com and Amazon retailing at $25. Another added bonus for the holiday season is that a portion of proceeds from one of the planners goes to CPMC Pediatric Cardiology. Check out these great planners at http://www.sarahpinto.com/.

Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family ($17.95) is a book full of ideas for greener celebrations, from holidays to birthdays, weddings, baby showers, and more. Written by a mother and daughter who love to celebrate, but are also concerned about the environment, Celebrate Green is a great guide for making a more green Christmas, but also a good gift idea, since it can be referenced year-round. Printed on 100% recycled FSC certified paper.

Lynn Colwell & Corey Colwell-Lipson are always looking for new holidays to celebrate green, so go check out their website, http://www.celebrategreen.net/ and let them know of any great ideas!

Cloud B Twilight Sea Turtle
A wonderful gift for older children, the Twilight Sea Turtle™ is designed to raise awareness about endangered sea life. The shell of the Sea Turtle features illuminating images of five endangered sea animals. The winner of the Creative Child Top Choice of the Year Award, the Twilight Sea Turtle™ is available at specialty boutiques nationwide and retails between $34 and $36. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Twilight Sea Turtle™ supports an international conservation organization. For more information on The Twilight Sea Turtle™ and other friends in the Twilight series, check out http://www.cloudb.com/

World AIDS Day.

Today is World AIDS Day and 2008 marks the 20th anniversary of this campaign. It is a day to raise awareness, educate people, and motivate the world to continue to fight the disease.

According to the CDC, in 2007, the estimated number of persons living with HIV worldwide was 33.2 million and there were 2.7 million people newly infected.

It's a disease that affects everyone on different levels. So, it's your responsibility as a human being to continue to promote education and awareness.