Blog Posts by Dory Devlin, Shine staff

iStockphotoI'm proud to be a Jersey girl today. The state Senate here has approved a bill that would make New Jersey the third U.S. state to allow employees to take paid leave to care for a newborn or a sick relative.

The federal Family and Medical Leave Act guarantees many employees 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a newborn, an ill relative, or to recover from personal illnesses. That doesn't cover employees of small companies with 50 or fewer employees. And it doesn't help people who can't afford to lose even a week's pay.

So it looks like New Jersey will join California and Washington in offering paid leave. (Our state Assembly is expected to approve the legislation this month, Gov. Jon Corzine says he'll sign it, and it would go into effect Jan. 1, 2008).

What I like about this program is that it is employee funded, which means we would each pay 64 cents a week, or $33 a year, into a fund that would allow covered employees to take up to six weeks paid leave without losing their jobs

iStockphotoMonday, and you're not as bright-eyed and charged-up as you'd hoped after cramming everything you couldn't get to during the work week into two short days?

Mull on this as you gulp your caffeine of choice: This may be the most refreshed you feel all week.

A survey of 1,000 people by The National Sleep Foundation released today found they get, on average, 6 hours and 40 minutes of sleep a night--even though most said they know they need another 40 minutes to be on top of their game.

Even better, one out of three said they get sleepy or fall asleep (!) on the job. Now if you're drooling on your keyboard writing a blog post, that's one thing; if you're manning a nuclear plant, it's another.

The sad, sad irony? Worrying about work may be what keeps many of us up at night, even though we're spending more time doing some work at home (4.5 hours a week, on average, the survey says). On a day-in, day-out basis, it makes more sense that we're trying to cobble some time for ourselves and

iStockphotoOkay, some days it is a little too quiet during the five-and-then-some hours I have to myself to work. I've been working solo at home for so long I'm used to it, but when I have the privilege--and it is a privilege--to work around the table with some smart, creative co-workers, I realize what I've been missing.

The thing is, those five-plus hours disappear in an instant, and then I am working amidst the sounds of a teen and two tweens doing their homework, talking about their day, and, yes, bickering with each other. So the idea of coworking is intriguing.

The New York Times' Shifting Careers columnist Marci Alboher blogs about the new trend among solo workers who want the company of other workers, even if they're not working together. The NYT reports that the growing trend started in 2005 with Brad Neuberg, a computer programmer, when he sought the best of both worlds: freelancing + freedom as well as structure + community.

Now there are dozens of coworking sites that allow solo

iStockphotoOur wallets are staying closed at the start of the year, on the big stuff anyway.

The U.S. Commerce Department reports a slight rise (0.4 percent) in consumer spending in January, which is offset by inflation. Mixed with the rise in inflation, spending showed no gains in December (holiday time) or January. Spending hasn't been that stagnant since a two-month Katrina-inspired disruption in 2005 and since 2001 before that.

Why is this such a big deal? Consumer spending accounts for two-thirds of all economic activity. That's why it often feels like the only thing we've been asked to do by our leaders while our country is at war in another land is not to sacrifice at home but to spend at home.

Alas, not many of us can keep spending on the extras nonstop when high gas prices won't quit and winter heating bills have been a mailbox shocker all season.

So we wait to see if the rebate checks due to arrive in mailboxes soon via Congress' $168 stimulus package make a difference. And Federal

NBC: Lipstick JungleWhen's the last time you were able to break away for a free-wheeling, fun lunch with friends from work or home? We all need that kind of away-from-it-all connection with people who know us inside out, but finding the time is another story.

So just how do those fabulously chic and successful ladies on Lipstick Jungle, Cashmere Mafia, and Sex and the City before them, have so much time to wine and dine and dish?

Cindy Krishcher Goodman at The Work/Life Balancing Act puts this question out there after a planned lunch with a friend turned into 10-minute takeout in front of a deli between deadlines and school pick-ups. "How do these execs at the top of their game have time to pal around with friends on a regular basis?"

As she knows, their real-life counterparts don't. It's all escapist fun, a delicious peek into a life that doesn't really exist but, oh, if only it could for a short while. But that doesn't mean we give up. Plan those dinners. Try for a lunch every now and then. Feed the

Yahoo! TVFrom Craiglist: Don't quit your day job, but if you know exactly what "Buffy Meets Transhumanism Meets Atlantean Myth" means, this one's for you.

A Chicago-based graphic novelist is looking for an artist to work on a pitch for a graphic novel series. "It's a bit high concept, but for the right artist it could be a fantastic project," the ad reads.

Any Buffy fans/artists out on a quest for Atlantis?

I'm always on the lookout for off-the-beaten-path job opportunities. So if you come across a doozy, send it our way.

iStockphotoAre you moving through the work day so fast it feels as if you don't have time to breathe? Well, stop, and take a deep breath, or two, or three, and breeeeeathe. It can do wonders to slow down your mind and help you focus on what needs to be done first and what can wait until later.

Got a few minutes? Listen to this Jobacle.com Working Podcast featuring Chaz Rough of Yogamazing, who calmly talks us through some yoga exercises that can be done in the office. There are also some tips from a NYC chiropractor to help save your back and spine from the ravages of desk duty. I'm feeling more serene already just thinking about it.