Keith, I hope you're keeping track, because this is Uncle Kathy's third (3rd) week in a row making sure I complete my advice column. This will be the first time since I moved to Baltimore that I can actually put in an invoice for a full month's check for this freelance writing job.   more »

got money coming in from all sides. Chris Brown and Ne-Yo have both been paid out the wazoo to do ads with Big Red gum and Juicy Fruit! They'll be singing and tap dancing and eating watermelon! Just joking! I know somebody is gonna call these young brothers "sell outs", but actually they are smarter little marketers. And fine as hell. I swear, I just found out what a "cougar" was, and that little Chris Brown can dance on top my living room table without a shirt any day...   more »

If you don't learn from your mistakes, you're doomed to repeat them. That's what happened to me last week when I went to Estetica Salon in St. Paul for an eyebrow wax. Over the phone, the receptionist told me I'd be seeing "Ann Marie"--which was great--cause she was voted best "eyebrow waxer" by City Pages Magazine. They failed to mention the salon charges DOUBLE for her services. Let's just say each eye was more than $20! Something similar happened to me in February of 2007, and I wrote about it in a blog called "Check the menu before selecting an item"...   more »