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The best advice ever
Happy 2008! We mined the collective braintrust of local celebs, Tampa Bay residents and others to give us words of wisdom as we head into the new year.
By Dalia Wheatt, tbt* Staff Writer
Published January 4, 2008
Do something that they don't expect you to do. Do it without a problem. Do it without them asking you to do it. And do it daily.
- Brooke Whitney, 18, Town 'N Country
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Just start. Just take that first step and get started.
- Dawna Stone, winner of The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, founder of Her Sports + Fitness magazine and author of Winning Nice: How to Succeed in Life without Waging War
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Work on all the details, work at it all the time and just have it stated in your mind that that's what you're going to do.
- Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays
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Take as many notes as you can. Write down everything the professor says.
- Eileen DeCosmo, 74, USF's oldest graduate of the fall 2007 semester
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I think one of the best decisions I made was when I was in college and getting all those credit-card offers, I never sent any back.
- Derrick Brooks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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You can never go wrong with a pair of good shoes that show your personality. My leopard shoes are always a conversation piece. They don't look at my crown, they look at my shoes.
- Laura Klosterman, Miss Tampa 2007
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If you're about to get into a fight, and you know for sure you're going to fight, make sure you punch first.
- Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning
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Get a workout partner.
- Dennis Ruppert, personal trainer and self-defense director at Xtreme Total Health & Fitness on South Howard Avenue
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I lay out my clothes and shower the night before so I can sleep until the last minute. I get ready at work so I don't wake up the family. But before I roll out, I brew strong Cuban coffee - steam milk in the microwave - and take a tall cup of cafe con leche with me on the road.
- Gayle Guyardo, co-anchor of News Channel 8 Today, 5 to 7 a.m.
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Use a brush, as opposed to a comb, so the brush stimulates the hair and your scalp.
- Carl Troup, owner of Northeast Pyramid Barber Shop in St. Pete and Gov. Charlie Crist's longtime barber
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Ladies, watch your makeup. Don't do anything too heavy. Wear attire that you feel comfortable in. The more comfortable you are with yourself, the more comfortable you will look in the photo.
- Ryan Marshall, vice president, Benz Model and Talent Agency in Tampa
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Get something that means something to you. It doesn't have to have a deep meaning, but you don't want something that just looks good for the moment. Think about the tattoo ahead of time. Don't jump into it just because your friend got one.
- Mucca Bolta, tattoo artist at Atomic Tattoos in Tampa
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Maintaining a 2- or 3-inch layer of mulch around all of your plants will really make a great difference in the garden.
- Bill O'Grady, Sunken Gardens supervisor of education
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Open and fund a Roth IRA.
- Alison Painter, CPA and CFP, Alison Painter and Associates in Oldsmar
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Don't park in the hashed-out marks of the handicapped spots, 'cause that's what I'm targeting today.
- Master patrol Officer Ellen Schantz, Tampa Police Department (with horse Sequence)
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Make sure that you're in a safe environment the first couple times you meet a person, so you can just get up, get in your own vehicle and leave if that's what you choose to do.
- Susan Pellegrino, 57, Lutz
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Hang up the damn cell phone and talk to your kids.
- Michael Davis, 65, St. Petersburg
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Be in bed by midnight if you expect to be on time for 11 a.m. service for church.
- Martine Tomlin, 32, St. Petersburg
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Ask first, "Should I disrobe?"
- Vincent Lothian, 28, massage therapist, St. Petersburg
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A lot of people don't know that there are cricket clubs in Tampa. Check our Web site, called CFLAcricket.org.
- Yogi Mahadeviah, 33, Tampa
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Buy a Macintosh.
- Deron McAndrew, software architect, 41, Tampa
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Use the freshest ground round and a flat-top grill, versus a regular barbecue grill.
- Tara Mattiacci, 35, manager, El Cap, St. Petersburg
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If it's a crap piece o' car, please park it yourself.
- Bonnie Benton, valet at WestShore Plaza
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Don't go around holding grudges against your significant other. If there's a problem in the relationship, let them know about it.
- Greg Paulk, 27, Tampa
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Put cookies between wax paper in Tupperware, real tight, to seal them.
- Josephine Buckner, 83, Tampa
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Vinegar works really good on tile, in the grout.
- Amber Ayala, 18, Tampa
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I always change into my workout clothes right when I get home. So that way, I can't not go running.
- Jeanette DePuy, 24, Tampa
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Everyone's always tired after work, then you go home and you don't do anything. Just go out anyway and have fun.
- Melissa Catania, 25, New York City
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Dress sexy.
- Rebecca Tassma, 24, Tampa
[Last modified January 3, 2008, 18:20:32]
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