• lightbulbburningpngI love coming up with different schemes-and here's a new one. I was thinking about the mental energy required by the different tasks of my life, and it struck me that this energy could be divided into four categories, in descending order of mental demand:

    1. Contemplative energy-planning, deciding, creating, inhibiting (holding myself back from saying, doing, or thinking something), setting priorities, making transitions

    2. Engagement energy-talking to other people, reading or observing with my critical faculties

    3. Audience energy-watching or listening passively

    4. Habit energy-mindlessly executing a habitual behavior

    One conclusion: when I feel too tired to do anything except Level 3, I should probably be in bed.

    To be satisfying, watching TV or checking Facebook should feel like Level 2 activities, not Level 3. Watching Homeland is a different experience from flipping through the channels. True, occasionally Level 3 is just what I'm in the mood for, but I

    Read More »from Do You Agree with These Four Levels of Mental Energy?
  • Try an overnight in a treehouse, a vintage trailer, a hanging orb, and more unusual sleeps.

    More ideas:
    Top 10 hotels under $150
    Top 10 B&Bs in the West
    12 cozy winter lodges

    Shady Dell, Bisbee, AZShady Dell, Bisbee, AZ
    Think of Lucille Ball in The Long, Long Trailer, and you'll get the picture of the Shady Dell-a vintage aluminum-trailer park revamped into an inn, within the equally throwback town of Bisbee. Choose among nine fully furnished trailers, including a polished shiny 1949 Airstream dubbed the Bridal Suite because it displays black-and-white wedding albums; the 1959 Boles Aero (pictured), with a gold-flecked starburst pattern on its walls; and a tiki bus decked out in Polynesian fantasy. Happy hour here is like a tail-gate party, with new friends and croquet on the artificial-turf patio. The Dell's itty-bitty Dot's Diner is itself worth a trip for burgers, milkshakes, and house-made cherry pie.

    The Charlie, West Hollywood, CAThe Charlie, West Hollywood, CA
    Once upon a time, Charlie Chaplin lived on a compound of storybook English Tudor-style cottages surrounded by flowers and

    Read More »from 17 Most Unique Hotels in the West
  • Transform your bathroom space with ideas for counters, vanities, and sinks.

    Solid-surface counterSolid-surface counter
    The white solid-surface counter in this kids' bath doesn't compete with the strong pattern on the floor.

    Mosaic tile counterMosaic tile counter
    Ice blue glass mosaic tiles cover the countertop and extend into a tiled wall that also includes white and ocean blue.

    Center-sloped sinkCenter-sloped sink
    Sleek wall-mounted faucets pour into both sides of a center-sloped double sink

    Enameled cast iron sinkEnameled cast iron sink
    Enameled cast iron is a long-lasting, maintenance-free choice for a sink.

    Integral concrete sinkIntegral concrete sink
    Concrete fabricators can get creative with integral sinks, as they aren't limited by standard molds and sizes. In this example, water spills into a reservoir that leads to a pipe under the sink.

    Integral porcelain sinkIntegral porcelain sink
    This integral porcelain sink is set on a floating white cabinet and has ample counter space on either end.

    Rosy concrete sinkRosy concrete sink
    This smaller-than-average rosy pink concrete integral sink works well in a half bath.

    Back-to-back vanitiesBack-to-back vanities
    Back-to-back floating vanities give each person his or her own space. Deep, wide, wall-mounted sinks make a design statement, and setting them

    Read More »from 12 Ideas for Bathroom Counters
  • Nick Carter popped the question to his girlfriend of four years, fitness expert/actress Lauren Kitt, earlier this week while taking a boat ride to a secluded island on the Florida Keys. "I had the ring in my pocket for two weeks," Carter told People. "I was like, 'I don't want it anymore!' It was driving me insane. I just wanted to get it out of my hands and onto hers."

    Backstreet Boys

    I may have been slightly obsessed with the Backstreet Boys in middle school. So, in honor of my second favorite Backstreet Boy's engagement news, here's a list of classic songs from the group for your wedding:

    First Dance Songs

    ►"I'll Never Break Your Heart" (Backstreet Boys/Backstreet's Back)
    "I'll never break your heart / I'll never make you cry / I'd rather die than live without you / I'll give you all of me / Honey, that's no lie."

    ► "As Long as You Love Me" (Backstreet Boys/Backstreet's Back)
    "I don't care who you are / Where you're from / What you did / As long as you love me."

    Read More »from The Best Backstreet Boys Songs for Your Wedding
  • By Nicole Catanese, Refinery29

    .Soy is the leggings-as-pants of the food world - people either love it or they hate it. What really makes it stand out more than, it seems, any other food is that the evidence for and against its effect on your health is all over the place.

    "Soy is definitely a very controversial topic," says Sara Vance, C.N., a nutritionist in San Diego and founder of Rebalance Life. "On the one hand, you have groups touting the health benefits - that it's a low-calorie, complete source of protein, it can help reduce cholesterol and heart disease risk, and some studies have even found that the isoflavones in soy have anti-cancer benefits." The result: Good things are said about soy, so people flood their diet with it.

    On the flip side of that coin, there is also pretty substantial evidence to the contrary, says Vance. "[Some studies] say that soy can be quite detrimental to your health, and that the isoflavones can interfere with your endocrine system and hormone

    Read More »from Is Soy Really that Bad for You?
  • Hosting brunch this weekend? We've got you covered with these easy ideas that can be ready in 30 minutes or less!

    90+ weekend escapes
    Best of the West: The Big Dish Vote-off

    Apple Oven CakeApple Oven Cake
    Apple Oven Cake
    Ingredients
    3 tablespoons butter
    1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
    1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
    1 sweet apple such as Fuji, peeled and sliced
    3 large eggs
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1/2 cup flour
    1/2 cup milk
    1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
    1 tablespoon powdered sugar
    Preparation
    1. Preheat oven to 425°. Melt butter in a 12-in. ovenproof frying pan over high heat. Add brown sugar and cinnamon, swirling to combine. Add apple and cook until just starting to soften, about 3 minutes.
    2. Meanwhile, in a blender, whirl together eggs, salt, flour, and milk. Pour egg mixture into pan and bake until puffed and brown, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice and powdered sugar.

    Shirred EggsShirred Eggs
    Shirred Eggs
    Ingredients
    1/4 teaspoon butter
    2 teaspoons heavy whipping cream
    2 eggs
    Salt
    Freshly ground black pepper
    1 teaspoon

    Read More »from 8 Easy Weekend Brunch Dishes
  • test for byline update...

  • ATLANTA (AP) -- On an average day, U.S. adults get roughly 11 percent of their calories from fast food, a government study shows.

    That's down slightly from the 13 percent reported the last time the government tried to pin down how much of the American diet is coming from fast food. Eating fast food too frequently has been seen as a driver of America's obesity problem.

    For the research, about 11,000 adults were asked extensive questions about what they ate and drank over the previous 24 hours to come up with the results.

    Among the findings:

    — Young adults eat more fast food than their elders; 15 percent of calories for ages 20 to 39 and dropping to 6 percent for those 60 and older.

    — Blacks get more of their calories from fast-food, 15 percent compared to 11 percent for whites and Hispanics.

    — Young black adults got a whopping 21 percent from the likes of Wendy's, Taco Bell and KFC.

    The figures are averages. Included in the calculations are some people who almost never

    Read More »from Adults get 11 percent of calories from fast food
  • Whet your appetite for great food-and-drink weekend trips, from cheese to craft beer with our list of the top Western destinations.

    Tomales Bay, CATomales Bay, CA
    Oysters: Tomales Bay, CA
    Just under an hour north of the city lies Point Reyes, a gorgeous seashore that also boasts the Bay Area's lauded oysters. At Tomales Bay Oyster Company, you bring the sides, the drinks and the appetite; they supply picnic supplies, hot sauce, and some of the best oysters you can find.

    Fort Collins, COFort Collins, CO
    Beer: Fort Collins, CO
    We said what everyone else says after they first taste New Belgium Brewing's La Folie: This isn't beer! The Flemish-style sour ale, squeezed out in small batches year-round, is aged for up to three years in French oak. The result: an intensely tart brew with a long-lasting dry fruity finish. So much better than beer.
    Best time to go: April, for refreshing sour beer and spring skiing.

    Bend, ORBend, OR
    Beer: Bend, OR
    Don't let the skull and crossbones fool you. Up-and-comer Boneyard Beer kegs some of the most balanced beers in the West.

    Read More »from Top 15 Foodie Weekends
  • Dentures are modern dentistry's solution for irreversible tooth loss. First-time wearers should know that today's dentures are greatly advanced when compared to grandma's false teeth from a few decades ago. Even so, there are some common complaints that plague new wearers more frequently than those already accustomed to the wearing dentures.

    Dentures move around. It is the stuff of slapstick humor, but to those relying on dentures for a gorgeous smile, it's no laughing matter. Assuming that the dentures fit well, Denture Living suggests the use of a denture adhesive. The product is applied to clean, dry dentures. The dentures are then inserted in the mouth and briefly held in place.

    Excessive saliva production. This is a problem that usually only plagues people during the first few weeks of wearing dentures. Experts suggest that sucking on sugar free lozenges encourages more frequent swallowing, which helps deal with the excess saliva.

    Speech problems. Particular problems arise Read More »from Remedies for Common Denture Complaints

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