'Gotta up my game, 'cause the competition out there is very real, says this lady friend as she heads off to i kid you not...charm school

Etiquette trainers have reported a nice jump in business -- part of that bid for people to gain an advantage out there in the narrowing job market.

My take -- 'girlfriend, you never too old to learn something new. And some good manners right about now might be just what we all need -- especially if you are part of lucky group that still has a job.

All big smiles, 'til it hurts.

'Speaking on the recession blues -- depending on who you talking to...there's a killer on the loose.

On the one side of the white picket fence, for the first time in a minute, the birth rate has dropped among well-to-do baby boomers, all the experts are blaming it on the economy (NBC)--

makes sense, I'm guessing all those worries would deflate any steamy bedroom action -- 'no job, all those bills coming in, must mean no boners tonight. "Let's just cuddle instead." (big yawn)

This was a quiet Holiday Season...recession and all.

Although, in my house we did indulge on one glam-gift -- unwrapping our new Nintendo Wii just before Christmas.

Wii weren't alone either - (pardon the pun).

"Despite the economic gloom and doom that saddled this Christmas shopping season, a few products rose above the recession and flew off the shelves faster than eight magical reindeer," says the Washington Post.