The return of the space shuttle Endeavour on July 31 marked a great leap forward in the history of underpants. Returning to Earth was Astronaut Koichi Wakata of the Japanese space agency, JAXA, who had secretly been testing super jocks during his four months on the International Space Station.

According to this daring astronaut, he had been wearing the high-tech undies for 30 days without a let up, and with no complaints from his fellow travellers. But, I’m not sure that this rates as scientifically proven. Perhaps his compatriots were simply too polite…

Here in Seattle, it’s known as Soak ‘Em* and back in 1979, when I was in the seventh grade, it was more brutal than any other game our emotionally damaged gym teacher could select from his vast trunk of torturous and humiliating activities. Hands down, Soak ‘Em was more painful than touch football, more dangerous than archery, more tiring than soccer, and mortifying beyond even the most ridiculous of square dance movements.  Early on, that simple game was probably the single most constant reminder that starting school a year early only benefited me intellectually; from a physical and…

Attention Deficient Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) seems to be running rampant, tearing the limbs off Barbie dolls and smashing its toy cars against the wall, within our pre-school population these days.

Doctors, psychologists and educators are so darn quick to recommend medications for this problem. But any savvy mother can calm her four-year-old and increase his attention span the natural way, without spending her hard-earned pennies from her part-time job at Hooters to buy Ritalin for her child.

First, just a few dietary changes will help your little one relax and keep…

My boss, feeling that his devoted and talented Advertising staff had kicked quite a substantial amount of ass last quarter, took us all out for lunch Friday and then to the Seattle Art Museum to see the Roman Art from the Louvre exhibit. It was, overall, a delightful time, though the experience did ironically force me to endure a level of inelegance for which I was terribly unprepared.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Pacific Northwest region of the U.S., the city of Seattle is located on a waterfront, which is to say that being…

I listen to Pete (my husband) talk about poker the same way he listens to me talk about Harry Potter. I have no clue why it’s so important to him, I just know it is. Very, very important. Therefore, just like he sits there and nods his head, making sure he keeps eye contact with me, so I don’t catch on to how bored he is when I say things like, “Dementors,” “Dumbledore” and “Diggory,” I return the courtesy when he repeats certain phrases endlessly, such as “down the river,” “on the button,” “the flop,” “bad beats” and…