I’ve always held musicals at arm’s length. I’m weak that way. Everybody has a blind spot when it comes to movies, a certain genre or actor that they just can’t stand. My wife’s aunt has an irrational hatred of Tom Hanks. Every time she sees him in a movie, she shakes her head and says something like, “Nobody is that nice. I bet he’s really a serial killer.” For years, that’s how I was with musicals. I can suspend disbelief when it comes to subterranean creatures menacing a group of spelunkers, or a sociopath dressing up as a bat and committing... Read More

This year was a crazy one, with a tumultuous election cycle, protests, shootings, issues of sexual assault on college campuses — it was a year to remember. Some important things happened that informed our health habits.  These events will have impact on our lives and our health now and in the future.  Here are some of the 2016 news stories that have and will shape how we think about well-being. The Good News Panera Bread goes clean.  Panera Bread vowed last year to serve only “clean ingredients” by the end of 2016. that vow involves removing artificial preservatives, sweetener,... Read More

Earlier this fall a news story revealed a plot in the 60s by the sugar industry.  The Sugar Research Foundation, now called the Sugar Association, paid scientists to downplay  the link between sugar and heart disease and instead blame saturated fat. Other revelations about how the food industry has influenced nutrition science have come to light as well, most notably Coca-Cola, the world’s largest producer of sugary beverages, provided millions of dollars in funding to researchers who sought to play down the link between sugary drinks and obesity. What does all this mean?  It means you have... Read More

The Star Wars movies are the crown jewel of franchise filmmaking, and sometimes it’s a little hard to see why. Look at it like this: Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back are classics for a reason. That’s a no-brainer since they are fun, fast-paced, and chock-full of memorable characters. So far, so good. Then Return of the Jedi hits us, and it’s really just about half to 3/4 of a good movie. That’s a little bit of a bummer, but we can live with it. After that, we have the Prequels inflicted upon us. These are the three films that almost killed the franchise stone... Read More

There is a plethora of information about super foods and what you should be eating to be healthy, live longer, have good brain health and more.  You probably already know that avocado is a nutrient superstar, full of healthy monounsaturated fat and linked to successful weight loss.  Dark chocolate is another food celebrity loaded with antioxidants and a protective agent against heart disease.  Let’s talk about some of the unexpected foods that have health benefits that you might not be eating. Embrace egg yolks! Eggs are a misunderstood fat-rich food that’s an incredible source of vitamin... Read More

Work parties are awful. We all know that. But holiday work parties occupy a very specific place within one of the nine circles of Hell. What level would you find mandatory office mixers on, I wonder? Gluttony? Lust? Heresy? All of the above? I know a little something about this. Since I work from home, I’m not forced to fraternize with the enemy. They don’t care about me, I don’t care about them, everybody’s happy. But my wife toils away in an honest-to-God office. Being the good soldier that she is, she’s occasionally compelled to attend work functions. Being that... Read More

  My yoga instructor always says, “Do you think you are enlightened?  Spend some time with your family.”  The point is, even the most zen of us can get caught up in relationship patterns and history that can harsh our mellow.  You may have started the holiday season already stressed.  The 2016 election was unprecedented in its divisiveness and the levels of anger and frustration that played out before and after.  Some of that divisiveness may have been within your own family and, now that the holidays are here, it may seem like the level of frenzy is higher than usual.  The... Read More

The day my father died began the same way as any other day. The Earth turned, the sun came up. At the time, I was a hilariously mediocre college student, blissfully pissing away my higher education. That evening, my brother called. He told me that our father was struck down by a combination heart attack and asthma attack as he was on the way to the mailbox. Dead within seconds. Within the seconds between my brother uttering the words, “Dad died,” over the phone line, and my stammered response, the world shattered. The world was considerate enough to put itself back together again,... Read More