Opinions for Nothing

My Dangerous Kindle

Having a Kindle is a danger to my ability to maintain my current lifestyle. I fear that all my funds will soon be spent on books. Where, in the past, I would have read a friend's recommendation of a book and added it to my Amazon book wishlist to buy at some future date or to let it linger for years until someone buys it for me for my birthday, I now go to the Amazon page for the book and immediately download the Kindle version.

Ten Things: A Very Short Guide to BlogHer

Last year was my first year at the BlogHer conference. I met Tim Gunn. That wasn't even the highlight of the weekend.

Here is a little list of suggestions based on my experience there.

1. During the day, wear what makes you the most comfortable. Yes, some women will be dressed like fashion models or hipsterinas, but who the hell cares?
2. For parties, wear what you think looks the best on you. If you don't think anything looks good on you, wear what makes you the most comfortable. I'd rather be underdressed than uncomfortable. All those bitches are going to be drunk anyway.
3. Talk to the people manning the booths in the expo areas. If you are too shy for that, latch onto a more outgoing friend who will talk to everyone. (That's what I did.)
4. Carry a very large, nearly empty bag if you want swag. (Check out my sweet Coach bag in the picture.) The expo hall is loaded with it.
5. Don't disregard the advice in the official Guide to BlogHer about changing your shoes a couple times a day. I did not do this and my feet regretted it.
6. Get the phone numbers of people you want to catch up with during the conference. You might miss emails and tweets, so you want to be able to call and text.
7. Bring business cards with at least your name, blog URL, and Twitter name printed on them. (Last year, I made mine at the last minute on ugly cardstock and cut them myself. They were so ghetto.) Exchange them with everyone you meet.
8. Plan the sessions you want to attend, but plan for back-ups, too. Some are just lame.
9. Don't just have a muffin and orange juice for breakfast. (This is more for me than you. I have to remind myself of this every time I see a continental breakfast.)
10. Bring extra ziploc bags. Some of the swag is liquid and you don't want that spilling in your checked bag.

If this is your first year, don't feel like you are missing out if you don't do half the stuff you plan to do. BlogHer has ten different things going on at any one time. Do the things you like the best and skip the rest. If you aren't having fun, text me and you can hang with me and my girlies.

Who should pay the teenager's outrageous cell phone bill?

Daily Piglet has a question:

Our lovely daughter went a little nuts with her cell phone plan and the result was a very high cell phone bill.

Her "friend" is offering to pay for part of it, this friend offered to pay for the phone in the first place but I declined the offer.  This friend continues to offer us money to pay for the bill, even before our daughter thought she was Paris Hilton and texted 1800 times in a few weeks.

The problem, my husband doesn't think we should take this friend's money due to the age of said person, which is 15.  The person earned this money by working a part time job.

My first response has always been to decline the offer, but lately I have begun to wonder if I should just go ahead and take the money, using it to pay towards the bill our daughter created.  The amount being offered is $400 but I think that's a bit too much and would settle for something in the neighborhood of $100.

Since the husband and I are not in agreement, I would appreciate your input.  You're my only hope.

I don't think you should accept the friend's offer to help pay the bill. I think you should pay it and make your daughter work to pay you back for it. I also think she should be grounded from the cell phone for awhile, or at least from texting. It might be beneficial to get an unlimited texting plan and make your daughter pay the additional cost each month. I don't remember if your daughter is old enough to get a part-time job, but even if she isn't, she is certainly old enough to take on additional responsibilities. I know she doesn't live with you full-time right now, but there are probably all sorts of chores you can save up for her. The bottom line is that she needs to be responsible for the bill in same shape or form.