My niece will be 16 next month and wants to get a job. She was telling me that it is hard to find a job in her neighborhood. Most of the kids end up working at Publix or waiting tables somewhere. When I was in college, I worked at JC Penney, but she says the mall jobs are harder to get for kids her age nowadays.

I love it when a company gives young people the opportunity to have a job. Around here, you can find a Publix at every major intersection. Most of them are crawling with employees that look to be in high school. Generally, they are enthusiastic and pleasant to be around. Today, though, as I was in the store to pick up milk and strawberries; I had to endure a lengthy conversation between my cashier and the bag boy about rear spoilers. It slowed down my transaction and I was bored nearly to tears. Aside from social blunder like jawing in front of the customers, I love seeing the young working responsible jobs.

Back to my niece. I think she said she is interested in working at Target. I’ve heard great things from everyone I have ever known who worked there. If I were 16 again and had it all to do over, I would get a job in a bookstore, but that’s just me.

Driving in Florida is easier said than done.

I love that we have such a large population of retired people. I do, honestly. I enjoy interacting with these people at the supermarkets, libraries and malls. There is a sort of peacefulness to being surrounded by people who like to live life at a slower pace.

On the roads, though, this is a usually a nightmare. There are a LOT of people who drive way under the speed limit, signal incorrectly, change lanes erratically and generally fail to see the cars around them. I’ve long been a proponent of doing eye exams more often in order to retain a driver’s license. Then, peppered in, you have young and frustrated drivers who are weaving in and out of the slow drivers.

When I moved to Florida, I found out that the Tampa Bay area has some of the highest priced car insurance in the nation. One agent told me it is second only to Manhattan. Our accident rate is amazingly high and this area is one of the most dangerous in the United States for pedestrians. There are a lot of elderly people crossing major roads, and more often than not they are hit by elderly drivers.

When I go back North to visit my dad, I feel a sense of relief on the roads. Overall, there seems to be more organization in the traffic patterns and I finally feel like I can relax behind the wheel a bit. Don’t get me wrong – I love living in Florida, I just wish driving here was equally as pleasurable.

Since I live in Florida, I take advantage of how often I can wear sandals. And, the sandals I wear most often are Birkenstocks, because they are simply the most comfortable things you will ever put on your feet. The show bed moulds itself to the shape of your foot and in the end your legs, back and feet all feel better.

It’s been cold this week, though, and I miss wearing my Birks. So, it looks like it is time for a new pair of Birkenstock clogs. I need to look around the net and find the best buy, because they can be quite expensive. Plus, I want to find one of the newer styles, like the Eaton suede clogs, so they will look good for the classroom as well.

We have several shoe stores in the area that specialize in comfy shoes, but I often find that as long I as I know the style I want and the size I need, I can find the best buy in the internet.

OK, so it’s not an official film festival, but I am having my own little Chick Flick Fest tonight. I checked three movies out of the library that I know will make me laugh, cry, and lament my single life.

Catch & Release – because a romantic comedy with Jennifer Garner and Kevin Smith is just too intriguing to pass up.

Miss Potter – because I am a Renee Zellweger fan as well as a fan of Peter Rabbit.

License to Wed – because John Krasinski is just so amazingly cute is an every-guy kind of way that I cannot help but harbor a small crush.

I have sweet tea all brewed and ready to pour over ice, popcorn ready to pop and well, the couch will have to do. Not everyone can watch movies on spiffy home theater furniture, like my friend Candice who has a home theater room.

Recognition is all about branding. When you see those golden arches from way down the highway, you know you are getting close to a McDonald’s restaurant. When you see someone running by with a Swoosh on their shoe, you know they are wearing Nike.

Children learn symbol recognition very early. They do not need to know how to read to know if they are looking at Coke or Pepsi. They just look for the branded symbol.

If you own a small business and do not have a logo that sums up your enterprise, you need to get on the ball. In fact, even a blogger will benefit from branding – the name of your site, a logo, even your colors. You want someone to be able to recognize your business simply by glancing at your logo. You want to find a logo design that is unique, simple, and speaks of what you represent.

I’ve worked as a graphic designer for years. I have worked with businesses to develop logos and full identities. It can be an expensive and time consuming process. That is why I was thrilled when I was asked to look at the LogoYes site, a DYI (do it yourself) logo design company.

I have nothing against people designing their own logos, but all too often I have seen people use low resolution clip art that will not print well when resized and looks unrecognizable if it is not printed in full color? Who has the money to print everything in full color? You need to have a scalable image that looks good even if it is stripped down to black and white.

All of the LogoYes elements are designed to look great no matter how large or small you resize your image. And, they print well in black and white. Plus, the design process is super fast and simple. You just need to choose how you want your logo to feel, as in bold or with flair. Then, you choose a logo, text, font, and colors. You can resize and move elements around on the page. It’s that simple.

I gave it a try and in about two minutes I had a logo for Suncoast Scribe that looks great.

Not so very long ago, a young college student at the University of South Florida in Tampa died of bacterial meningitis. Now, an 18-year-old female student at Daytona Beach Community College has been hospitalized for a possible case of bacterial meningitis.

Bacterial meningitis is a potentially fatal infection transmitted by respiratory secretions and direct contact with an infected person. This new case makes it even more urgent that the recent proposal from the Board of Governors that would require all new students at Florida’s universities to be vaccinated against meningitis and hepatitis B be implemented as soon as possible.

 It often comes down to personal choice and circumstances. There is not a one-size-fits-all solution.

When I had my daughter, I already knew I wanted to breast feed. My sister and one of my other friends had both had trouble with breastfeeding, so I was thrilled when Gigi immediately took to it. In fact, she took to breast feeding so well that we had a dilemma on our hands when it came time to choose a bottle to use for when my husband wanted to feed her or we left her with family so we could have dinner out. I would pump, but Gigi would refuse the bottles. I loved breast feeding, but it was hard to get even a 2-hour break.

Make no mistake, when your child is switching from breast to bottle and back again, there can be nipple confusion, which can make for an irritable baby. You can’t just choose any baby feeding bottle you happen to pick up at the store. You have to make sure that the bottle’s nipple emulated the look, feel, and flow of the real breast. You may find that you need to try several brands and styles before you find one that your baby will accept.

Bottle feeding is sometimes a necessity, or even the choice a parent makes. In my case, bottle feeding was a supplemental issue, especially when Gigi went through growth spurts or when my milk was just coming in at the beginning. Tommee Tippee has a Closer to Nature line that is designed to mimic the natural flex and feel of breastfeeding. If you are breastfeeding and want to find a good supplemental bottle and nipple, this is one of the brands you should try out in the beginning.