Title, Number & Date

• New Tricks
  No. 145, March 2021
  The pandemic was a boon for the old dog living in my house. For over a decade, our dog was fed before the family. Then, a few bits of something yummy would be put in her bowl during table-clearing. Sometimes while she waited, she would lie near the t...
• Expanding Our Circles
  No. 144, March 2021
  The days are lasting longer, the sun is shining brighter, and on the wisps of the wind is the hopeful news that social distancing will eventually become a thing of the past. After a year, even the most introverted among us is craving some socializat...
• Lights, Camera, Meeting!
  No. 139, September 2020
  Who could have guessed that 2020 would usher in the need to be camera ready for every meeting? Or that videoconferencing would become the de facto standard for meeting with people? Being able to meet, speak, brainstorm and plan with others around t...
• Pandemic Politeness
  No. 136, March 2020
  In October of 2009, I wrote an article entitled “ Epidemic Etiquette.” At the time, we were bracing ourselves for the onslaught of the H1N1 flu. While concerning enough to change our daily behavior, it did not change our daily schedules. People still...
• An Extra 24 Hours: Spending Leap Day in a Mannerly Way
  No. 135, February 2020
  I was in middle school when I first saw one. It took me a while for my brain to process what the wooden coin was and why others found it so funny. Did you get it? It is a roundtoit. As in “I’ll do it when I get a round to it.” I think of this small d...
• Effective Email
  No. 134, January 2020
  In celebration of Y2K not crashing our computers, our first Mannersmith Monthly concerned guidelines for using the “latest” in technology, electronic mail. While our communication options have blossomed since then, email remains steadfast as a necess...
• Pomp and Circumstance
  No. 131, May 2018
  After a cold winter and a rainy spring, our daffodils and tulips are finally sprouting and the lilacs are in full bloom. We are officially in the season of graduations! Whether you will be donning the cap and gown yourself or simply attending the fe...
• Happily Ever Afters
  No. 130, May 2018
  The fairytale wedding of an honest-to-goodness prince and an American actress is merely days away. We have not had such an occurrence since Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier III of Monaco 62 years ago. Princess Diana's younger son, Prince Harry (H...
• Email Urgency vs. Actual Emergency
  No. 119, April 2016
  When you turn on your computer, do you feel like you are taking a sip from a firehose of emails? Are you unable to actually do any "work" because you are attempting to reply to your email? If so, you are not alone. David Scarola, Vice President of...
• Do's & Don'ts of Gracious Dining
  No. 118, April 2015
  The candidate was ideal for the role. In the post-interview debrief of the lunch, the CEO's only con was that she did not "at least offer" to help with the bill. I asked if he (the interviewer) had invited her (the applicant) to lunch, and he was s...