Dear fellow television addicts viewers: We've received awful news. Researchers in Australia have deduced that for every hour of TV we watch, we're shortening our lifespan by 22 minutes. Last year on our own shores, the Nielsen organization concluded that the average American watches 35 hours...

My ascent into womanhood was guided by my parents, influenced by my community, and shaped by Mrs. Keaton, Mrs. Huxtable, and Mrs. Seaver. Ok, yes, these women were fictitious, but they were also major influences during my impressionable youth. This isn't to say I wanted to be the least bit...

Is changing your Facebook status to "in a relationship" a new step in a couple's evolution?

I'm ancient, and Facebook wasn't around when Jim and I met. We had the "Are we exclusive?" and the "Am I your girlfriend/boyfriend?" and the "Do you ever want to get married?" discussions when...

On Thanksgiving morning this year, I had an eye opening moment. After breakfast, I popped open the Thursday compartment of my obscenely large day-a-week pill box. Staring down at the mass of capsules, caplets, tablets, sublingual tabs and liquigels, I squinted at an anonymous pair of gray pills. For the...

Jim and I celebrated his birthday by spending an afternoon at the Morton Arboretum in Illinois. We enjoyed the last sunny, semi-warm days before Chicago devolves into the chaos of lake effect snow and inhumanly frigid winds. It was so sweet to walk hand in hand, the leaves crunching beneath...

When I was in the fifth grade, my Language Arts teacher said he'd give extra credit to whichever student could pat her head and rub her belly simultaneously for the longest time. (I went to public school.) He lined us up, said ready set go, and most of my classmates...

If I can't figure out my own taxes, I call an accountant. If my water heater is broken, I call the plumber. If I have a sore throat, I see the doctor. Why is seeing an expert in these other areas totally acceptable, and yet it's taboo to consult (or...

Knowing that some people are totally against the new show, The Marriage Ref, I need to admit to you that I kind of want to watch it. No, that's a lie. I really want to watch it. There's something so comforting in witnessing other married people having ups and downs....

Jay Leno will be appearing on Oprah's show this Thursday, but I'm going to opt out of watching the new episode. Sure, I might be a sit-in of one, but I need to stand firm on this. I did my best to ignore all the Jay Leno vs. Conan O'Brien...