Driving 55

Today is my 55th birthday. The Sammy Hagar tune “I Can’t Drive 55” keeps running through my head. It occurs to me that someday my kids will take my car keys away from me. After all, I am creeping closer to that golden age. I just hope to God that when they do, it’s the result of a high speed chase across multiple counties and not because of some embarrassing fender bender in a Costco parking lot. But back to the birthday, it’s a weird…

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10 Alternatives to Losing Your Mind on Thanksgiving

  Uh oh, here comes Thanksgiving. I personally dig it. I love the lazy hang and the big feed. But for a lot of folks, this holiday has the potential for all kinds of trouble. Between trying relatives, disasters in the kitchen, overcharged expectations and bad behavior from inebriates and other ne're do wells, the day can become wrought with stress and unpleasantness. Even the sanest human being can become temporarily unhinged. If you feel yourself dancing that line, please consider one of the following…

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10 Things to Do Instead of Worrying About Ebola

  Ebola has arrived in the U.S. and for the past few weeks, ever since Thomas Duncan was admitted to that Dallas hospital, we’ve been barraged with increasingly histrionic, 24-hour Ebola coverage. As more people become infected, a sense of unease intensifies. The media is slobbering all over this one, accentuating each report with pictures of people in hazmat suits and the little graphic of the virus under microscope. It’s creepy for sure. But should we be alarmed? I have no clue. I only know…

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What’s Yoga Got to do With Jazz?

You just never know. Every now and then, life gives you a much-needed boost from an unexpected source. This recently happened to me. Around the holidays, a generous soul gave me a pass to 8 Limbs Yoga, a beautiful studio here in Seattle. Thusly, I’ve spent the past few months rediscovering the joys and benefits of yoga. I used to practice a long time ago in a past life. However, I don’t recall feeling the same zeal for it then that I am feeling now.…

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