So, like, every day on my bus ride to work, I am, like surrounded by these 20- and 30-something girls talking like rully rully loudly on their cell phones.  And it is like, so TOTALLY irritating. Seriously, I want to grab their iPhones from their gel manicured fingertips and run screeeeaming… Read full post »

Overuse can turn a perfectly good word into a perfectly horrible one. One word that's currently on the road to linguistic lame-itude is journey.

Have you noticed that suddenly, everyone in America is on a journey?

Just glance at any "People" magazine cover or watch any celebrity interview,… Read full post »

Let me start off with a disclaimer: If you haven't purchased a new mattress recently, this post will probably be of little interest.  However, if you've just bought a mattress — or plan to buy one soon — keep reading.  I think you will be able to relate only too well… Read full post »

(Repost)

Peruse the bestseller shelf in any airport bookstore and you'll notice a trend.     I call it “Monosyllabic Title Syndrome”.

I think the trend may have started with Malcolm Gladwell's second book, Blink. Right after that one hit the shelves - and sold like ho… Read full post »

I spend a lot of time in Walgreens.  You might even say I pretty much              live there.  So I'm highly attuned to even the slightest changes at the stores.

Lately, I've noticed a disturbing new trend.  Some stores… Read full post »

The television screen was filled with images of thousands of Egyptians joyously celebrating in the streets of Cairo.  There, on the left side of the screen, in large cap letters, were the words "MUBARAK STEPS DOWN".

I knew I was witnessing a moment in history.  Moments such as… Read full post »

I was at the Safeway Deli counter today, ordering my usual tuna sandwich  (they make a surprisingly good tuna sandwich).  Lately, I've been getting my lunch there almost every single day.  I always order the exact same thing.       And regardless of w… Read full post »

There's a new Nutrisystem commercial on the air now, and it's one of the most shocking TV commercials I've ever seen. 

The spot opens with a haggard looking middle aged woman talking to camera about the dramatic weight loss she achieved with Nutrisystem.  Nothing remarkable about that… Read full post »

This morning, I walked past a sign in front of the Lululemon yoga apparel store in downtown San Francisco.  The sign said, "Do one thing a day that scares you." 

Really?  Just one thing? 

My day is already chocked full of things that scare me; from answering my phone… Read full post »

What does your mayonnaise say about you? It's not a question I had pondered a lot. That is, until I saw the latest round of Miracle Whip commercials.

These spots feature attitude-inal twenty-somethings dancing, hanging out and occasionally munching on sandwiches made with Miracle Whip.… Read full post »

Anyone who has ever applied to an online job posting knows there is no more frustrating, dehumanizing process than filling out boxes on a long, electronic job application and then sending your carefully crafted cover letter and painstakingly customized resume into the Cyberspace equivalent of the Bla… Read full post »

Q: What do the following words have in common?

"awesome", "fascinating", "incredible", "marvelous", "prodigious", "shocking", "stunning", "surprising", "unbelievable", "wonderful"

A: They are all synonyms for "amazing".

However...you don't hear any of those other words used much anymore.  … Read full post »

This week's cover of TIME Magazine features a photo of Glenn Beck sticking his tongue out at the camera, with the headline "Mad Men: Glenn Beck and the angry style of American politics".

Glenn Beck may be mad as hell (personally, I think he's laughing all the way to the… Read full post »

Note: I originally posted the following piece on my "Chronic Fatigue" blog about six months ago.  Since then, the whole "Cougar" phenomenon has only grown in size - with more "Cougar"- themed shows and movies than ever before. However, I am… Read full post »

Food trends always make me nervous. I can never understand why a food that's been around forever, just lingering in the gastronomic backwaters, suddenly becomes all the rage.

The latest example of this is the cupcake craze. In the last year, several "cupcakeries" have sprung up in… Read full post »

If you want to know how old you are, just look in your mailbox. You can run, but you can't hide -- those crafty marketers know your age and virtually everything else about you. Or at least they think they do.

Lately, my mailbox has been crammed with glossy catalogs… Read full post »

Peruse the bestseller shelf in any airport bookstore and you'll notice a trend.     I call it “Monosyllabic Title Syndrome”.

I think the trend may have started with Malcolm Gladwell's second book, Blink. Right after that one hit the shelves - and sold like hotcakes - e… Read full post »