Here is where a little white lie can be a good thing. For any public forum, don't use your real birthdate, especially if you have a good reason to keep your age a secret like the woman in this story. Change the month, the day, the year, whatever. It's a good way to protect your privacy. Your good friends will know your birthday and no one else needs to.


http://news.yahoo.com/actress-sued-amazon-over-age-ids-herself-012427424.html

Man banned from owning dog after puppy gets drunk

LONDON (AP) — A British court has barred a man from having a dog for three years after his Labrador puppy was discovered drunk.

Matthew Cox had been drinking vodka and coke with his roommate on Aug. 22 when he left his glass on the floor to go for a smoke.

He returned to find that his 6-month-old dog, Max, had swallowed the booze. But he left the animal at home, and prosecutor Maria Moore told Nottingham Magistrate's Court in central England that the puppy was later spotted staggering and falling over near Cox's home.

Police were called and took the dog to an emergency vet, where it was put on a drip to flush the alcohol out of its system.

Magistrate J. A. Smith on Wednesday called the incident "downright stupid."

The puppy has since been given a new home.
http://news.yahoo.com/man-banned-owning-dog-puppy-gets-drunk-211729657.html

 

CTBB: Do you favor resolutions, goals or just say phooey on it all??

Author:  I'm not a big goal setter, though everyone says authors should do that. I do like making resolutions, and I'm working on several for the upcoming year.

CCBB: What’s your rationale for this choice?

Author: The goalposts in life keep moving! If I set concrete goals and don't reach them, I feel guilty and disappointed. If I keep it more loose and flexible, I won't beat myself up when things don't work out exactly the way I planned. Resolutions are more like promises I make to myself. The one I have in mind for 2012 is to get rid of things that aren't working for me. Just because I've done something forever, or because everyone else does it, or that really famous person says it's the thing to do, doesn't mean it's right for me. That's the nice thing about being an adult, I can change my mind!

CCBB: Will you share with us something that your choice helped you accomplish, one that went down in flames, or the top one on your list this year?

Author: I wasn't sure what I wanted to accomplish this past year. See? No definite goals. I looked at 2011 a giant learning experience. I got out there and started doing a little research and voila! I found a plethora of writing and promotional opportunities! (I love the word 'plethora'. It was used in a funny movie, I think the Three Amigos, talking about piñatas. I crack up whenever I hear it!) I've had pieces, fiction and non-fiction published that I never even dreamed of writing. Opportunities presented themselves, I wrote, it worked! So, that was more or less my resolution, to seize prospects and go with it.

Read the rest here:  http://coffeetimeromance.com/CoffeeThoughts/goals-versus-resolutions-interview-naomi-bellina/