I believe in the concept of parallel universes, alternate dimensions that exist alongside our own. Within these universes, things are largely the same, with a few differences here and there. In one of these universes, a young actor named Sylvester Stallone made some slightly different decisions regarding his budding film career. As a result of his wise choices, he was lauded as one of the greatest actors of his generation, and not, say, as a wildly inconsistent performer content to coast on past victories. But we do not live in the best of all possible worlds, as our pal Candide would have us... Read More

Do you get enough sleep?  Most Americans don’t because we have trouble “turning off” our brains.  Sleep is critical for not only recharging your mental and physical batteries, but also healing and even controlling our appetites. How much sleep do adults need? The National Sleep Foundation recommends 7-9 hours for adults. Because each individual has different sleep needs, here is an easy way to determine yours. Note the time you go to bed on a night when you don’t need to set an alarm to wake up.  Ideally, you haven’t had a heavy meal or too much to drink, as that will influence your... Read More

When it comes to performers, we’re ridiculously inconsistent. We discover an actor we like, and we want them to deliver more of what attracted us in the first place. Then we either throw a fit if they take a chance on something new, or bitterly complain when they do “more of the same.” One example is poor Meg Ryan. Long known as a darling of fluffy rom-coms, she understandably grew tired of briefly being America’s sweetheart. As a result, she tried to stretch her range. She played a crumbling alcoholic in When A Man Loves A Woman, and a doomed Army helicopter pilot in Courage... Read More

We live in an “all or nothing” society.  You are either an exerciser or you aren’t; you are a healthy eater or you aren’t.  The fact of the matter is that the all or nothing attitude is not helping us to be healthier.  The judgment associated with all or nothing is “If you can’t do everything, why do anything?”  You should absolutely do something because something is always better than nothing.  Let me explain. When we skip our walk/run/bike/Zumba® because we don’t have time to do as much as we wanted to meet our goal, then we do ourselves a disservice. Why?  Because we... Read More

There’s an old expression* you’ve probably heard that says, “May you live in interesting times.” We have the misfortune to live in interesting times, particularly when several of the seemingly indestructible institutions of our society are crumbling before our eyes. One of those institutions is print journalism. After Woodward and Bernstein raked Nixon over the coals in the pages of The Washington Post, the business of investigative journalism became highly sexy. A number of bright and capable people saw a way to speak truth to power, to make a difference, and, what the... Read More

The snow is starting to fly! Some ski areas in Colorado are already open.  Are you ready for ski season? Whether you are a super jock, a couch potato, or somewhere in between, there are some things that you should be doing to prepare for ski season.  The older we get the harder it is to recover from a random injury caused by being ill-prepared.  If you spent the summer running, biking, hiking or climbing you might be in great shape, but you may be missing one of the keys to ski fitness – balance, core strength and muscular endurance. Stability is highly important for skiing, because you are... Read More

Ready for a surefire way to start a fistfight? The next time you’re in the midst of a conversation, with great conviction, state the name of your favorite actor to play James Bond. Tell whoever is listening that your choice is clearly the closest approximation to what Ian Fleming had in mind when he created his gentleman spy.* No matter who your choice is, someone will eventually scoff at it and offer their pick. Your job is to roll your eyes and reply with some variation of, “Well, he tried.” Continue this until someone throws a punch. Since 1962, 6 men have played Bond, with... Read More

Recently the media reported that the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a statement regarding a possible link between processed and red meats and cancer. National Public Radio’s online headline read “Bad Day For Bacon: Processed Meats Cause Cancer, WHO Says”.  Here is what the statement really said. There is evidence to support the idea that eating red meat (beef, lamb, pork) causes cancer.  There is sufficient evidence that processed meat causes cancer, specifically colorectal cancer.  Eating 50 grams (about 2 oz.) of processed meat daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by... Read More

As I sit here writing this review, my iPhone rests on the desk next to me. It’s become a nearly indispensable feature of my life. I can view my hilariously low bank balance, check the weather, and catch up with friends living on the other side of the continent. I have access to a mind-boggling amount of information, and my iPhone has more computing power than Apollo 13. When I hold it in my hands, it feels comfortable, it feels right. I’m not necessarily sure that’s a good thing. My life was utterly changed by Steve Jobs. So was everybody else’s. The invention of the... Read More