Also On Wellness
Posts by scottqmarcus
I just added money to my individual retirement account. I am self-employed so I do not have a company pension plan; all I own is an IRA. (In light of the financial markets' recent activity, I don't own much of that either. Sigh...) As I signed the check, I thought, "What am I doing locking away this cash until retirement? The stock market is in the tank; the banking system is the verge of meltdown?...
11/5/2008 5:24:36 PM
There are moments in cinematic history forever etched into our culture's collective consciousness. Paddy Chayefsky's "Network" (1976) contains a particularly strong one. In it, Howard Beale, a fired national newscaster (played by the late Peter Finch), rallies his viewers to channel their anger over the current state of the country. Thirty-two years - over three decades - later, it is nothing less...
10/29/2008 9:29:07 PM
"It's not my fault!" seems to be the mantra, blame never owned. "If you didn't cook it, I wouldn't eat it." "If you didn't make me so angry, I wouldn't have blown up at you." "If the weather were better, I'd walk more." As goes the saying, "If wishes were horses than beggars would ride." The inevitable result of such sidestepping is poor health, harmful relationships, and unlived potential. Personally,...
10/22/2008 6:04:11 PM
There are three kinds of people in the world; those that are good at math and those that aren't. OK, old joke, but still funny. How about this one? There are two kinds of people in the world, those that eat when stressed, and those who don't understand the situation well enough to be stressed. (If you've never had to lose weight, you won't find that as humorous as those who do; sorry.) I have a friend...
10/15/2008 5:35:33 PM
I don't read much. Well, that's not accurate. I read the program guide that slides across the television screen. I scan the mail in order to shred the 6,382 credit card offers. I follow microwave instructions on boxes. And, when I eat too much, I read myself the riot act. However, I'm too overloaded to read "just 'cause." (I did purchase a tome on how to organize myself; I just can't find the time...
10/8/2008 5:48:23 PM
Zones abound. Municipalities designate industrial zones, retail zones, and residential zones. The airport has loading zones. Psychologically, we prefer our "comfort zone." Even Mother Earth is "zoned:" time zones, weather zones, coastal zones, and far above our head, in the stratosphere, is of course, the o-zone. (Sorry, couldn't resist...) In order to change bad habits, job one is to create "safe...
10/1/2008 8:51:48 PM
The morning newscaster, in her perky, energetic, animated, manner said into the camera, "Wow! How low can gas prices go?" (Yes, she was referring to 2008, not 1968.) Continuing on in her I've-had-way-too-much-coffee-and-golly-isn't-life-grand delivery, she elaborated, "Oil prices have dropped 32 straight days, bringing the cost at the pump down to a national average of only $3.74 per gallon. Better...
9/10/2008 5:51:13 PM
Suppose you could only hear two words. Which one solitary phrase would you prefer? When I was fresh and young and waited anxiously to be "Grown Up"; days extended for weeks, years fossilized agonizingly into forevers, and the sight of shiny, wrapped, sparkling presents covering the kitchen table, illuminated by the glow of candles on a brightly colored cake, brought two joyful words: "Happy Birthday."...
9/3/2008 5:30:38 PM
I am a "one-unit" eater, consuming ONE of whatever I eat. Should that "one unit" be an appropriate size, such as one apple or one individually wrapped treat, I will be content. Conversely, should the "one unit" be abundantly excessive; i.e. a "family size" bag of tortilla chips or a wheelbarrow-dimensioned bucket of peanut butter, alas, when will falters, I will still consume one (rather enlarged)...
8/28/2008 4:10:24 PM
Over history, governments have banned foods. Some, such as Foie Gras or Ortloan, are disallowed because the animals were tortured in the preparation of the cuisine. Painful, inhumane treatment for our supposed culinary pleasure strips us of humanity; I agree; outlaw such barbarian practices. Oft times, food police serve to "protect" public morality. In the mid 1800s, Absinthe, a strong alcoholic liqueur,...
8/20/2008 6:02:16 PM