Sunday, July 09, 2006

Are You Too Busy For Friends?





If you currently feel that you don't have enough friends in your life, one reason may be that you have let yourself become too busy to make time for the relationships you already have.

Nurturing and maintaining friendships requires effort and commitment. Many of us let our lives become so busy with work and other commitments that we don't get around to scheduling time for pleasure and renewal with the friends, relatives and acquaintances we already have.

If you make an effort to call your friends more regularly, see them more often, and to accept more of the invitations you receive from others, can improve your social life in a hurry!

Are there any people you could call right now and be assured of a pleasant welcome? Are these people that you could count on to help you in a crisis? Can you have close talks with them? Do you have fun when you are together? Are you happy to have them in your life?

If you haven't seen much of your friends lately, is it because you have become too busy? Have you grown apart? Was there an argument?

If the main reason you haven't been getting together with the people you already know is because you have gotten too busy, take a good look at how you spend your time.

Think for a few moments about your real values and priorities in life. Is your hectic lifestyle really bringing you the quality of life that you want?

If you have become too busy for friends, why has this happened? Are you pursuing material toys in your life at the expense of relationships with other human beings?

Have you allowed your time to be over-committed because you never say "No" to anyone? Do you insist on doing things yourself that could be delegated to others? If so, why? Do you believe that everything depends on you?

Examine whether the way you are currently spending your time accurately reflects your deepest values and priorities. Make sure that you schedule adequate time for the things that are truly most important to you.

If you really want to keep friends in your life, make a space in your schedule, and a space in your heart for them.

About The Author


This article is written by Royane Real who is the author of "How You Can Have All the Friends You Want Your Complete Guide to Finding Friends, Making Friends, and Keeping Friends" To improve your social life, download it today at http://www.royanereal.com.




Books help children join hands with another generation (The Plain Dealer)The little girl next door stopped to watch me gardening last week.


Art Galleries (Palo Alto Weekly)"Journeys" Construction, paintings and mixed media collages by Gerald Huth. On display June 22-Aug. 6; reception June 25, 4-6 p.m. Hours: Thu.-Sun., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free to Public.


What colour is the most sexually attractive? (The Register)Raunchy red or bold black? Also in this week's column:??

Saturday, July 08, 2006

Introducing Your Friends To Your Partner - Who To Avoid And Who To Show Off




You have been dating for a few weeks and everything is going great. You have a lot of things in common and you can't wait to show her off to all your friends. But wait before you invite her to poker night, take a minute and think about it. Your buddies are great, but what kind of message are they sending to your respective partner? Take out a pen and paper and start jotting down the names of all your friends. Then go through the following list to find out who to invite and who to give a rain check for another day.

The College Buddy- He has been there for you since freshman year. He was with you at every frat party and every early morning class. He remembers every girlfriend and every fling you ever had. Beware of introducing him to your girlfriend however, the last thing that either of you wants is to be reminded of your assorted list of girlfriends and one night stands. Save the meeting for another day.

Your Roommate- The two of you share a bathroom and a fridge together, and probably a lot more. He understands your quirks. He will probably be the first to admit that your feet smell and you can't cook anything but pizza and cereal. This buddy should be invited to your initial meet the friends' party however. He will no doubt be around when you bring her home, so it is a good idea to get this meeting out of the way early on. You can pick the date and gain a little control over the situation. Nobody likes to meet someone for the first time when they are in the shower or some other equally embarrassing situation.

Your Married Friends- You had to sit through their four hour wedding, so now its payback time. They all have houses, wives, and maybe even a few kids. You normally see them at backyard cookouts and other get-togethers. They are probably a little more stable than your single friends and understand women a little better (at least we hope). For this reason, I would highly recommend inviting them to meet your new girl. It will help her see that you are capable of settling down. If they have some pictures of you playing water tag with the kids at the last party, you get bonus points.

With a little bit of planning you can make the meeting great for everybody involved. Pick a nice public place which will make everyone feel more comfortable. Good luck and relax, you will do great and your friends will love her!

About The Author


Kimberly Webb writes for SpeedDating247.com - Speed Dating Information, Articles, Reviews and Links to the best Speed Dating Sites on the Internet and the DrDating Forum – a forum for people looking for help in love, relationships and dating.



Got 48 hours? Then try this film project (Louisville Courier-Journal)If you can make a short film in just 48 hours, you can watch it 48 hours later with an audience at the Village 8 Theatres. "The 48 Hour Film Project" ? originated by Washington, D.C., filmmaker Mark Ruppert ? has added Louisville to the project's list of U.S. cities (plus Paris, France and Brisbane, Australia) that will be participating in this summer's competition.


God's Profession (The Epoch Times)Hiero, a dreaded Sicilian despot, once commanded a certain Simonides to come up with a perfect definition of God. Simonides-no fool he-asked for a day to think it over. At the end of that, he begge...


Bail set at $1million for MSU athletes accused in murder probe (Billings Gazette)BOZEMAN -- Bail was set at $1 million Friday for a former Montana State University football player charged with murdering a suspected cocaine dealer. John LeBrum is charged with murder in the death of Jason Cody Wright, 26. ...

Monday, July 03, 2006

Losing Friends Is Careless!




By: Past Information
There's a communications frenzy going on across the world. Mobile phones let us talk whenever we want to, wherever we are; email gives us instant access to friends and family and instant messaging allows us to have virtual conversations across the miles. How is it then, that we still manage to lose touch with the people who matter to us?

1. We're moving on

More than ever before, we're leaving our home towns and even our countries to seek out exciting and rewarding opportunities elsewhere. Fewer and fewer of us grow old in the place where we grew up. We move on to new jobs, new partners, new homes and new lives. We extend our social circle so that it becomes almost physically impossible to keep in touch with everyone we meet. Email helps us to maintain relationships, but there's still no real substitute for a good long chat on the phone but the more we move, the more likely we are to change our numbers and lose our friends.

2. We're taking control

Consumer power is growing. That means that we're far more willing than we used to be to change our phone provider, our electricity supplier and our internet connection. Changing numbers and addresses on a regular basis often results in someone not being aware of your new number or your new email and bang! You've lost touch. Our lives are busy and it's easy to leave people behind. If you're the sort of person that religiously files new address cards so that you are up-to-date with your friends movements, that's great. If you're not quite so organised, it can be easy to lose those new details and be stuck the next time you want to get in touch.

3. Don't be careless, be clever!

There are ways that you can get back in touch with friends who you haven't had contact with for a while. School and College reunion boards on the internet are great ways to keep in touch, but new online resources are allowing you to search for and be found by old friends and extended family. Use these resources to record your old phone numbers and then your friends can find you just by typing in the number they have for you. It's a service that will bring thousands of people together again.

About the Author:

Past Information specialises in finding old phone numbers, email addresses and mobile numbers. For more information, visit their website by clicking Find A Phone Number.


Here's a red-hot tip - let race riders bet (Sydney Morning Herald)WOULDN'T it be funny if jockeys were allowed to bet? It might make things a whole lot easier. Currently, Racing NSW stewards are holding inquiries into the merits of three recent races.


Man Tries to Lure Make Believe Teen Via MySpace (KGBT 4 Rio Grande Valley)Michelle is a young Valley girl who turned 15 on Monday. She's often alone, because both of her parents work. She also doesn't exist. Action 4 News created her profile on MySpace to see if any older men would contact her. They did, with graphic language we'll show you later.