Blog Posts by Jessica Ashley, Senior Editor

I believe the image I have in my head of med students learning to stitch up a wound comes from "Grey's Anatomy" -- a group of very green doctors slashing and slowly, shakily sewing up Thanksgiving turkeys. I am sure, should I ever need suturing myself, that's the vision I will have as a soon-to-be medical professional who would certainly be much younger than me seals up a soon-to-be scar.

While "Grey's" surely has it's moments of truth, it's still a bit of a surprise to hear when there's real medical experience to a hospital show. So when I read a confessional by plastic surgeon and author Anthony Youn, MD on how he learned to perfect suturing, I took note that he hoarded frozen pig feet to practice on while he was a student.

Before that, he mastered surgical knots by using practice board rigged up with shoelaces, plastic, and rubber bands (much like the ones used to teach preschoolers to tie their shoes, I imagine -- with the addition of a giant fake wound).

When he'd finally

I take my son to church every Sunday, at least now that I am teacher in a high-school confirmation class. Before I signed up for that weekend gig, we made to the sanctuary three times a month or so, opting every few weeks to lay around on the couch and be thankful for coffee (me) and Lego (him). Although I've made a commitment that will make us more-regular regulars, my commitment to being a church kind of family is just the same as it was when we took breaks from bible-type stuff. I want my son raised with a spiritual foundation and this is one way I want him to get that.

One day, he may opt to head elsewhere to find his enlightenment -- a temple or yoga studio or hike through the redwoods. I am fine with that, but I want him to have a church where he can always return, a community inside a big city where he can be still, sing, pray, question, even leave.

People I know are often surprised to hear me mention church. That's probably because I don't talk about it often, might not seem

The next time you order a side salad for dinner or are three helpings deep into a basket of cheese fries, take a look around the table and see who is sitting with you. A new study finds that your company could determine how many calories you consume.

What does this mean for women? Researchers say that their study of college-aged people at lunch and dinner meal times revealed that women eat more when they are with other women, less when they are dining with men.

Men, they found, do the opposite, eating more when they are around women than they do while sitting at a single-sex table.

The study's lead author is Indiana University of Pennsylvania grad student Molly Allen-O'Donnell, who suspects that food is a big influencer in how we form opinions of one another. In the instance of this research, she suggests that the white, college-aged women she observed ate less in order to appear more feminine while their male counterparts ate more to boost the perception of their masculinity.

hangoverLet's talk about how to lose 20 pounds fast, how to combat vaginal dryness and where to procure a Russian bride.

this lady is a super-good mom
This is a photo of a really good mom holding her daughter's hand. She is judicious with vaccines and her kids were all potty-trained by the time they were two. They excel in public schools and always share their toys.

When a friend of mine had a second baby last year and within weeks, looked as if she'd never gestated another human being ever, the comments about her body came on as quickly as her pregnancy weight came off. I watched one morning on the playground as several people, including her older daughter's teacher, went on and on about how soon she slimmed down.

It's no surprise that the comments, said with smiles, had an edge to them. Jealousy? Disbelief? Astonishment? Whatever it was (or is) as we size up a new mother who has gotten back to her pre-preg size, it's not all happiness and support.

Maybe that's because it takes us back to the place when we wore maternity jeans long after the baby was out of our bellies (or could still be hiding those lovely, comfortable waistbands as our kids head into kindergarten). Perhaps it is because our hips and bellies are still holding on to some of the weight so we could grow a brain in our bodies. Could it be that we had to work hard -- really hard --

We've all felt that quick-building irritation of being on hold on the phone for too long. With online customer service and so much information available at the tap of keyboard, if we have to make a call, we're likely already not-so happy. Cue the grating automated voice. The confusing menu. Then the shrill music on a loop. Just thinking about it can make the pulse race, so it's no surprise it only takes minutes for people to get completely fed up waiting on the phone.

My last awful on-hold encounter lasted 48 minutes. I was so desperate to talk to a real, live person, I held out. But as soon as one answered, I burst into tears in frustration and only three minutes later, was (you guessed it) placed back on hold. The agents told me the wait times were typical, which only enraged me even more. It was not pretty. And worse yet, it was with my phone company. After that experience, I would have guessed that people's tolerance is well past ten-minutes. In truth, when British researchers

Sure, it's fun to get all dreamy about having a wedding of Kim Kardashian-proportions. But since most of us won't be wearing a dress that equals several salaries or handing out thousand-dollar baskets of organic soap at the door, it's probably best to (eventually) wisen up about how to plan your own day, your own way. Shine spoke to veteran professional wedding planner Laura Patterson of The Ideal Day in Chicago about how to host an A-list wedding on a budget.

She shared these five insider tips.


1. The biggest mistake brides and grooms make? Not making a detailed budget first.
It might seem like a big task, but it's actually simpler than you may think. Many sites offer easy sample budgets or templates where you can plug in numbers in just a few minutes. It's also helpful to ask friends who are willing to be honest how much you can expect to spend on items that are a priority to you. Who knows? A really good girlfriend may even open up her wedding binder and share all the spreadsheets