Did you see Super Size Me? That terrifying movie where Morgan Spurlock eats only McDonald’s food for a month? I’m thinking of doing a similar experiment. Except less terrifying. And easier. What if I ate a half dozen raw oysters every day for a month? Why oysters? Several reasons: Oysters are associated with loads of health claims, from boosting energy…
The New York Times had a story this weekend about professionals who decided to make lemonade out of the lemons of their unemployment — they moved to Colorado to work hourly wage jobs on the slopes: AMONG the skiers hitting the fabled slopes of Aspen this winter, you will find an investment banker, an information technology specialist and an international…
If happiness is good for your health, what are you doing about it? Yesterday I blogged about new research that shows a connection between mental and physical health. Deborah Kotz at U.S. News and World Report blogged about the same topic — but took it much farther by interviewing Gretchen Rubin, a New Yorker who spent a year working on…
“The Power of Half” is a new book about a family that made a dramatic commitment to doing good in the world — not by quitting their jobs and going to live in an impoverished village someplace, but by redirecting some of their considerable blessings. In a first-person article in Parade magazine headlined Why We Gave Away Our Home, Kevin…
Recently I blogged about how overwhelming it can be to choose a career path when you have loads of interests. (That post is here, if you’d like to check it out.) It’s like author Keith Ferrazzi was reading my mind, or reading my blog, because just a few days later his e-mail newsletter was headlined “Target Your Dream Job in…
If the current locavore food movement were a religion, a trip to Blue Hill would be its trip to Mecca. Blue Hill is perhaps best known around the country as the site of the Obamas’ New York date night dinner. That’s the Manhattan location, a good restaurant in a city crowded with good restaurants. To know the real Blue Hill…
Kathy Griffin’s humor is not for everyone. She’s bawdy — both in her choice of topics and in the way she talks about them. But if you’re not easily offended, Griffin’s self-effacing, celebrity-slaying humor might work for you. Like, oh, her Emmy acceptance speech that not only doesn’t thank God but specifically says Jesus was in no way responsible for…
I love Mark Bittman’s food writing. He makes cooking unintimidating. Even recipes with fancy or unfamiliar ingredients feel accessible because he explains it all so clearly. His book How to Cook Everything is my go-to when I’m trying to figure out how long to cook salmon or the best way to store raspberries. This video is a great example of…
Because our society doesn’t generally pay well for creativity, many people who aspire to act, sing, paint or write have a day job to pay the bills. They might aspire to that glorious day when they’re discovered and can quit the practical job, supporting themselves solely on their art. Richard Russo, a Pulitzer prize winning novelist, got to do just…
I’ve pretty much worked in the same field since high school — I got a job pasting up newspaper pages using X-Acto knives and hot wax when I was 17 and I’ve earned my paycheck from something related to writing or media ever since. This week I met a friend of a friend who is studying criminal justice after getting…
Last night, John and I went to see Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the Blind Boys of Alabama — a phenomenal show full of joyous, uplifting music that makes my soul feel good. One of my favorite numbers of the night was Blind Boys singing the traditional spiritual Free At Last. Though it’s a powerful anthem of the Civil Rights movement,…
Late last year, I got the most amazing freelance gig: interview three University of Michigan graduates who all had connections to the recently closed Gourmet magazine. It started with an assignment from Michigan Alumnus magazine to profile Michael and Jane Stern, authors of the Roadfood series. Then Conde Nast announced it was folding Gourmet. Since the Sterns had a long-standing…
We spend a lot of time wishing each other happiness at this time of year — happy holidays, happy new year, merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah. So this recent NY Times article about who’s most happy and least happy seems especially well timed. a study by two economics professors, newly published in Science magazine. The academics — Andrew J. Oswald, of…
Zen Habits, one of my favorite e-mail newsletters, offered guidance this week on making New Year’s resolutions using the Six Changes Method. Here’s how it works: Pick 6 habits for 2010. Pick 1 of the 6 habits to start with. Commit as publicly as possible to creating this new habit in 2 months. Break the habit into 8 baby steps,…
Monday morning I caught the end of a piece about New Year’s resolutions on The Takeaway, a syndicated radio show produced at our NPR affiliate, WNYC. We’re joined by our family contributor Ylonda Caviness, longtime family and parenting journalist and mother of three, along with Andrea Price, mother of two; both discuss meaningful New Year’s resolutions (or “goals,” as Price…
Have you ever stood with your glass of champagne in hand and declared that this year is the one when you’ll run a marathon, lose 50 pounds or get a great new job? Then all you have to show for your half-hearted commitment is a champagne hangover? This week I’m blogging about making — and keeping — resolutions. Saturday I…
