I saw my friend and neighbor, Josette Wildstein this morning walking her son to the bus stop. I was having one of those mornings and was running late. I hadn’t seen her in months and she lives right next door!

“Are you going on the fourth?” she asked me.

“Where?” I asked.

She gave me a look, “You’re the one who told me about it, the High School Reunion at Minneosota’s in the West End.”

“Of course!” I said.

She told me that everyone was going. “There’s going to be more than 100 people,” she said.

I started to think about how this happened and the power of Facebook. I get a note from Beverly Harder, Sharon Sanders, Elena Taylor (Ellen Rosenthal) and Abby Alexander telling me about a reunion. The next thing I know, I’m being friended by people that I haven’t spoken to in more tha 20 years!

It is amazing how this reunion became viral! Before, I knew it, there were dozens and dozens of people on the Facebook page. Everyone was talking about it in their status lines and now, I’m even blogging about it!

For those of you who graduated from Long Beach High School, when Long Beach wasn’t the most fashionable place to be (like it is today), then come out and join us on April 4 at 7 pm at Minnesota’s in Long Beach. The price is $42 for food and open bar…. Looking forward to seeing all my old friends from Long Beach!

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Yesterday, my family and I went to a Bar Mitzvah in Virginia. At the celebration, the DJ kept saying, “let’s put our hands together for the Mitzvah!” Every time he referred to the Bar Mitzvah boy, he would call him a “Mitzvah.”

At the end of the party, I went over to the DJ and told him that when he refers to a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, he should call them just that!

“I’m sorry, but I’m from New York,” he said to me.

“What does that mean?” I asked. “I’m from New York too and I’m telling you that you’re using the word wrong. Some folks may find that offensive.”

“Look, I’ll call it what I call it,” he said and was very angry that I mentioned anything.

The father of the Bar Mitzvah came over to me and asked me what was wrong. I told him the story and he agreed. But, because I was curious about it, I looked it up.

According to the Answers.com, a “Mitzvah” means a commandment or a good dead. It also states that a Bar Mitzvah is a 13-year-old Jewish boy, “considered an adult and responsible for his moral and religious duties.”

Now I feel better. I’m from New York and I know the difference between a “Mitzvah” and a “Bar Mitzvah.” So much for the Virginian DJ!

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Tonight the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) held their second annual gala to raise funds to educate the building and construction community and grant scholarships to local area college students, selected and honored as Emerging Green Builders.

Home Improvement expert and television personality, Leslie Segrete, was the MC for the evening. She did a fabulous job motivating the audience.

The event was a turnkey operation. Everything ran so smoothly, a guest would never know the work that actually went into this event. Ellen Heydt, project manager at HJMT, did an amazing job organizing and coordinating the job. Under the supervision of Lori Alexy, VP, Client Services, Ellen worked diligently to make sure that every detail was taken care of.

At the event, Stefanie Topper, Project Manager, worked tirelessly handling the problems and running around to make sure that things worked out smoothly. Kristie Galvani and Lori Alexy also needs kudos. They were right there working as hard as everyone else to make sure the crowd was happy.

I always say this after one of the HJMT events, but I really feel this way — every event is better than the last one! This was a great event. It really was. The entire HJMT staff did a tremendous job. A special thanks to Marilyn Topper of Topper Realty for volunteering for the evening!

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So I just came back from Las Vegas. I was at a social media conference, which was held at Encore at the Winn Hotel. The Encore is a gorgeous hotel. The decorator spared no expense, between the carpet, the furnishings and the red chandeliers, the hotel is breathtaking. When I went up to my room on the 24th floor, I was given a suite. Mirrors laced the walls. The furniture was all black and white and reminded me of an upscale New York City apartment. I video taped it but I don’t think I’m going to show it here. (It’s a little odd, watching me wave to myself in the mirrors on camera!)

As I walked through the hotel, I noticed that there were very few people there. I almost felt alone! Then I read an article in the Las Vegas Sun about how travelers are not coming to Vegas as much as they used to due to the economy. I didn’t feel energy and excitement when I was walking around. It just felt — Quiet!

The economy seems to be getting worse every day. I don’t understand what’s happening with this bailout. The government bails out financial institutions, like AIG, and then AIG compensates their executives. Now, according to today’s Wall Street Journal, “Hedge Funds May Get AIG Cash,” we’re finding out that some of the bailout money is going to go to firms that bet the housing market would fall!

Why isn’t the government looking at the small business owners and entrepreneurs? Aren’t we the fastest growing segment, employing the most amount of people in the country? Yet, unemployment is now being extended, even to those who have consulting jobs in their home! And who pays for unemployment insurance? The small business owner does!

Everywhere we turn, we are getting hit with this economic downturn. In a recent Wall Street Journal online edition, it states:

“Missing from this legislation is anything more than token support for the long-proven source of most new jobs and new growth in America: entrepreneurs. These are the people who gave us everything — from Wal-Mart to iPhones, from microprocessors to Twitter — that is still strong in our economy. Without entrepreneurs, we will never get out of our current predicament.“

The article goes on to state that “only entrepreneurs have the flexibility, the freedom and the risk-everything ambition to find the path back to prosperity in a rapidly changing, technology-driven global economy.”

So why doesn’t government take us under their wing and listen?

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Did you read the articles in Wall Street Journal’s Personal Journal “More Workers Cite Age Bias After Layoffs” on Wednesday, March 11, 2009?

The WSJ stated that workers are being let go because of their age. The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will release numbers this week stating that age discrimination soared 29% for people over the age of 40!

It says that many of these displaced workers will be fighting back. They will be looking for either their jobs back or additional compensation. Employers need to be aware of the legal issues around firing people over the age of 40 and keeping their 20+ counterparts.

Is 40 old? What do you think? Do you think that employers have the right to let the higher paid worker go while keeping the younger less paid worker? I would love to hear your feedback…

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